Infinite Regeneration In The Apocalypse-Chapter 77: Unknown Soldiers

"Ratatatatata! Ratatatatata! Ratatatatata!"

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight broke through the smoke-filled sky and touched the devastated streets of New York City, the sound of coordinated gunfire echoed through the urban canyon. A full squad of well-trained soldiers moved through the rubble-strewn streets with professional precision, their boots hitting the pavement in synchronized rhythm that spoke of countless hours of drill and discipline.

They weren’t alone. Three massive armored tanks rolled alongside them, their treads crushing abandoned cars and debris as they advanced. The vehicles were modern military hardware, equipped with reinforced armor plating and heavy weaponry mounted on rotating turrets. The barrels of their main cannons swept slowly from side to side, tracking potential threats with mechanical efficiency.

The soldiers moved in coordinated formation, never breaking their defensive line. They advanced in groups of five, covering each other’s blind spots with practiced ease. When one group stopped to engage targets, another moved forward to establish the next position. It was textbook urban combat execution, the kind that could only come from elite training and real battlefield experience.

They swiftly took down radiants one after another as the creatures emerged from their hiding places. Without the direct sunlight of the four suns that had set the previous night, the radiants were significantly weaker, moving slower and with less coordination. But they were still dangerous, still capable of tearing apart untrained civilians with ease. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The soldiers’ bullets were specially crafted and designed specifically for anti-radiant combat. Each round was tipped with an armor-piercing core made from a tungsten alloy that could punch through the hardened flesh and bone that radiants developed as they evolved. The bullets weren’t filled with standard gunpowder either. They contained a compact explosive charge that would detonate on a delayed fuse.

Once a bullet pierced through the armored ribs of a radiant and reached the corrupted heart beating inside its chest cavity, it would explode from within. The internal detonation would shred the heart completely, destroying it so thoroughly that even the radiant’s enhanced regeneration couldn’t repair the damage fast enough to save it.

Each bullet was carefully aimed, not wasted on poorly placed shots. The soldiers fired in controlled bursts, three to five rounds maximum, targeting center mass where the heart would be located. When a radiant fell with a bullet lodged in its chest, there would be a brief pause, and then a muffled "thump" sound as the explosive charge detonated inside. The creature would convulse once and then go still, its golden eyes fading to dull gray as true death claimed it.

They killed radiants one after the other, moving steadily forward through what had been Washington Heights just twenty-four hours ago. The residential neighborhood was now a warzone of shattered windows, collapsed buildings, and streets covered in dried blood.

As they advanced, they found civilians. People who had barricaded themselves in basements, locked themselves in apartments, hidden in closets and under beds. Men, women, children, elderly people. All of them terrified, traumatized, some injured, but alive.

The soldiers called out to them in calm, authoritative voices. "Come out! You’re safe now! We’re United States Army, here to evacuate you to safety!"

They directed the survivors to follow behind the convoy. "Head south toward Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn! There’s a military base camp established there with food, water, medical supplies, and protection! Stay together, stay behind us, and you’ll be safe!"

Fort Hamilton was one of the oldest military installations in the country, located in the southwestern corner of Brooklyn. It was defensible, had existing infrastructure, and was close enough to reach on foot if necessary. The base had apparently been fortified and turned into an emergency evacuation center for survivors of whatever catastrophe had struck the city.

Whenever a radiant got close enough to threaten the formation, using its superior speed to charge at the soldiers faster than they could track with their rifles, one of the elite squad members would react immediately.

These weren’t ordinary soldiers. Mixed in with the regular infantry were what appeared to be Stellar Knights.They wore the same military uniforms as the others, but they carried Type 9 Artifacts instead of standard-issue weapons.

One such elite soldier carried a straight-bladed sword with a faint blue glow running along its edge. When a radiant rushed forward with inhuman speed, claws extended and jaws open wide, the soldier would flash forward to intercept. His movement technique was impressive, crossing ten meters in less than a second.

The sword would slash once in a perfect horizontal arc. The radiant’s charge would stop abruptly as its body split cleanly in two at the waist, the upper and lower halves separating and falling to the ground in different directions. The heart would be exposed in the separated torso, and it would be destroyed before regeneration could even begin.

If Vogue had been there to witness this, he would have immediately noticed that the sword was actually a Type 9 Artifact! A genuine weapon created through advanced techniques and rare materials, not just a pseudo-artifact like the enhanced machete he now carried. These soldiers had access to real military-grade equipment.

The civilians hiding throughout the neighborhood began emerging from their hiding places one after the other. They came out cautiously at first, peeking through broken windows and cracked doors to make sure it was really safe. When they saw the American flag patches on the soldiers’ shoulders and heard their reassuring voices, relief flooded through them.

They rushed out, some crying, some laughing hysterically from the release of tension. They thanked the army profusely, shaking hands with soldiers, hugging each other, celebrating being rescued. Children who had been silent with fear for hours suddenly started talking again. The crowd began moving in the direction the army had come from, following the cleared road that the military convoy had swept clean of radiants.

The soldiers all wore standard army combat uniforms in digital camouflage patterns. Their tactical vests were loaded with ammunition, medical supplies, and communication equipment. They moved forward with purpose, systematically clearing each street block by block.