The situation grew increasingly dire. At the site commander's order, all police officers opened fire simultaneously.
Although Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao were soldiers, they were unarmed, and the police had no spare weapons to lend them. The two top combatants could only watch, filled with anxious frustration.
In the rear, the commercial street was devoid of people. Only the multicolored lights illuminated the chaos on the ground. However, everyone knew that no matter how fast the police acted, it was impossible to evacuate everyone in such a short time. There had to be civilians still hiding in the shadows.
Moreover, the commercial street led directly to the main urban area of Hua Xiong City. If the sea monsters broke through the defense line and entered the city, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, police equipment was not designed for lethal force. The dense barrage of bullets was no more effective than a tickle. The few large-caliber machine guns were the most crucial firepower support on the defense line.
Ou Zhanpeng's gaze suddenly fell on a truck transporting liquefied gas cylinders by the roadside. He licked his lips, suddenly abandoned Ling Xiao, and charged forward alone.
Ling Xiao sensed something was wrong. When he turned back, Ou Zhanpeng was already carrying a liquefied gas cylinder back. "Quick, find a way to throw it out!"
Ling Xiao almost collapsed. "What can I use to throw it? Do you think I'm Superman?"
"Then carry a cylinder!" Ou Zhanpeng's eyes swept over a four-door sedan parked by the roadside.
He sprinted over in three strides, smashing the heavy gas cylinder fiercely against the rear window. Half of the cylinder was immediately lodged inside.
The keys were still in the car, but this vehicle was highly intelligent. Without the corresponding biometric signature, it couldn't be started at all.
In his urgency, Ou Zhanpeng simply put the car in neutral and ran to the back, gathering all his strength to push the sedan onto the road.
Ling Xiao, panting, carried a liquefied gas cylinder and ran over, placing it on the car as well. The two of them pushed the sedan across the road and then onto the beach.
The wheels sank into the sand, and the car couldn't be moved. With the behemoth about to charge, there was no time for them to continue pushing.
Ou Zhanpeng didn't hesitate. He patted Ling Xiao twice, signaling him to retreat immediately.
Returning to the rear of the defense line, there was no need for words. The site commander immediately gave them a thumbs-up and called out. A group of police officers swarmed forward, and before the sea monsters reached them, all the liquefied gas cylinders were placed on the road.
Then, the armored vehicles retreated more than a hundred meters, establishing a new defense line on the commercial street.
"Fire!"
At the commander's order, all police officers simultaneously opened fire on the gas cylinders on the road. Amidst the crackling impact sounds, bullets pierced the cylinders, and gas gushed out. The steel cylinders spun and flew two to three meters high.
However, there was no explosion.
The police did not carry incendiary rounds. This outcome disappointed everyone to the extreme, even causing extreme emotions.
The site commander continuously ordered the officers to keep firing. The scattering bullets struck the cylinders and the giant crabs, and the sparks finally ignited the flammable gas.
With a muffled thud, a spark of fire quickly spread, turning into a blazing wall of flame in an instant, engulfing the giant crabs and squids that were about to cross the road.
The powerful shockwave even flipped the giant crabs and squids on the beach, instantly reversing the situation.
The police defense line also bore the brunt of the shockwave. The vehicle bodies rang with clanging sounds. After the shockwave passed, they discovered fragments of steel cylinders embedded in the armored vehicles!
Fortunately, everyone was either inside or behind the vehicles, so there were no casualties.
Looking ahead, the rising flames dissipated. The half-cooked giant crabs staggered across the road, while the scorched squids lay on the road surface, their shriveled tentacles twitching incessantly.
The characteristic aroma of seafood, the smell of burning, and the scent of gunpowder mixed and permeated the air.
Ling Xiao patted his stomach and swallowed, suddenly feeling hungry.
However, the human side had only gained a temporary advantage. More sea monsters climbed onto the still scorching road. The squids, scalded, retracted their tentacles, while the giant crabs, with their thick shells and sharp, barbed legs, moved at high speed, constantly colliding with each other. Amidst the crackling sounds, broken barbs flew everywhere.
The crab swarms crossed the road and continued to approach the urban area.
A police officer swallowed and asked, "Are there any more gas cylinders?"
No one answered. Everyone clutched their guns tightly, unsure whether to continue firing.
Ou Zhanpeng pursed his lips, about to suggest retreating to the city and igniting the commercial street to block the enemy. Suddenly, he heard a familiar whistling sound from the sky.
His spirit immediately lifted. He grabbed Ling Xiao. "They're here, they're here!"
Ling Xiao's expression became contorted from being squeezed. He slapped Ou Zhanpeng's hand away several times. "What's here? Is it your period?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he also heard the sound overhead and immediately became excited. "They're here, they're here!"
The police officers present all looked up. In the night sky, streaks of light descended from above. Dense artillery shells roared into the crab swarms.
The explosion of liquefied gas was mostly flames, while the explosion of large-caliber shells produced only extremely brief flames, with shrapnel and shockwaves being the primary effects.
Instantly, the earth shook, squids shattered, and giant crabs were sent flying.
Even from inside the armored vehicles, it felt like the end of the world. That feeling of being powerless was a shock that no film or text could adequately express.
Truly the God of War!
The round of shelling was as swift as it was decisive. The beach was completely cleared, and not a single intact sea monster could be found.
In the face of large-caliber heavy artillery, the police on the defense line and the escort ships at sea were reduced to mere spectators.
However, it wasn't over yet. More fish and crabs persistently crawled onto the shore.
Ling Xiao dug his ringing ears. "If we knew there were cannons, why did we have to endure this?"
Ou Zhanpeng also sighed. Although he had experienced firing cannons before, he had never experienced such dense artillery coverage.
Everyone eagerly awaited the next round of shelling. However, instead of shelling, they heard the distinctive sound of helicopters.
As the sea monster army crossed the road again, a formation of four helicopters entered the battlefield, followed by a second and a third.
Over a dozen armed helicopters flew from one end of the beach to the other, using their cannons and rockets to thoroughly rake the sea monsters filling the trenches and gullies.
They hovered for a moment, and when the next wave of sea monsters came ashore, they raked them again.
The helicopter formations, having depleted their ammunition, flew away. But the endless sea monsters seemed inexhaustible, and soon, they again covered the coast.
This time, it was simpler. With a roar, two fighter jets crossed the battlefield. Several cluster bombs detached from their wings and fell towards the beach. As they descended, their casings automatically opened, scattering hundreds of sub-munitions.
The moment they landed, the dense explosions seemed like rapidly extending footsteps, covering the beach from one end to the other. The burning flames illuminated the night sky in a fiery red.
Sea monsters, if they existed in ancient times, would have ravaged the globe. But against a modern army equipped with modern weaponry, no matter what kind of fish, turtles, shrimp, or crabs they were, they were all destined for annihilation.