"Number Three Human Base is out of the question; we can't go back there now. We should try to rush into the second defense ring when the beast tide reaches it. After all, most of these beasts can't match the speed of our armored vehicle," Chu Tian made this decision after hesitating for a minute or two.
Notta nodded and handed the binoculars to Hong Shang. "You keep an eye on the beast movements to prevent us from accidentally charging into the midst of them."
With that, Notta stepped on the gas pedal, and the armored vehicle roared to life, speeding toward the second defense ring of the Seventh Human Base.
Chu Tian extended his psychic sense, covering some blind spots in their vision.
As they approached the second defense ring of the Seventh Human Base, they saw three other armored vehicles rushing toward it.
In their wake, the beast horde was hot on their heels, just a few hundred meters behind.
Three out of four armored vehicles had already been destroyed, leaving only one barely functional vehicle, which managed to reach the second defense ring.
Chu Tian noticed that a giant violent ape, about ten to fifteen meters tall, was lifting another massive rock to hurl it at them.
Although this type of giant ape was at most a C-rank beast, they were robust, with strong defenses and incredible strength.
"Watch out and try to enter," Chu Tian urged, and he used his psychokinesis to block a giant rock hurled at them, diverting it to the side.
"Boom!"
Another intense impact sounded, and Hong Shang climbed back into the vehicle while Notta quickly pressed a button on the front console.
The roof of the vehicle lifted, revealing a heavy machine gun mounted on top.
Hong Shang grabbed the machine gun's handle and opened fire on the approaching beasts. To deal with beasts, the Federation had equipped all their ammunition with armor-piercing rounds.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
The machine gun's muzzle flashed, as armor-piercing rounds tore through the beasts, creating a clearing around their armored vehicle.
Chu Tian also didn't waste any time; he used his psychokinesis to create an invisible barrier that tripped some of the charging beasts.
Notta drove the armored vehicle swiftly, trying to escape from the encroaching horde. They managed to travel about a kilometer before the situation took a turn for the worse.
The vehicle's hull shook violently, and it slid, skidding almost 180 degrees. The front of the vehicle turned toward the approaching horde, and Chu Tian saw that a massive boulder had struck the vehicle's left side, leaving a large dent.
"What the hell is that?" Notta tried to restart the vehicle, hoping to turn it around, but he saw that the approaching beasts were much closer now.
They were within a few hundred meters of the vehicle.
In the distance, another armored vehicle was trying to escape but had already lost two of its four vehicles. The remaining one was struggling to enter the second defense ring.
Chu Tian urged Notta to drive again. However, the road ahead had been completely blocked by the approaching horde, and the beasts were already reaching the base's walls.
"Quick, open the gate and let us in!" Notta urgently called through the vehicle's communicator.
However, the closed gate showed no signs of opening. Soldiers on the wall, holding guns, watched them impassively as they remained trapped outside with the horde closing in.
"Notta, let's get out of here. We'll go around to the back of the second defense ring," Chu Tian said after observing the situation.
Notta followed his instructions, driving the armored vehicle away from the blocked path. They had to make a detour.
However, Chu Tian couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. "I have a bad feeling about this. They had more than a kilometer of distance to enter the second defense ring. With their talents as martial artists, they could have made it in a short time."
"Exactly, they sped all the way here, leaving the horde nearly a kilometer behind. And the Second Defense Ring is well within reach for them."
Hong Shang was also puzzled by the situation.
"I don't know what they're thinking, but for now, we're stuck here. Let's wait and see how things unfold," Chu Tian said.
"I can't help but feel uneasy about this. You know, those beasts crawling over us already number in the tens of thousands," Notta said frustratedly.
As the vehicle shook violently and the sounds of beasts hitting the armor and the roars of the horde mixed with the gunfire, Chu Tian and his team could only sit in the armored vehicle, waiting as the intense battle began, and it had been less than half an hour since it had started.