I Have a Mansion in the Post-apocalyptic World (Web Novel)

"F*ck, their firepower is too suppressive!" With his back against the barrier, a civil soldier in a bulletproof vest attempted to shoot out of cover but was quickly subdued back.

"We require cover fire! I repeat we need cover fire!"

He clenched onto the rifle as the soldier hiding behind the concrete wall roared into the communication device with no reply.

A soldier fearlessly ducked out of the cover and aimed at the anti-armor RPG. As the armored vehicle unleashed its reign of power, he pressed the trigger.

With a trail of red flames, the RPG flew like an iron fist. But when it was ten meters away from the armored vehicle, it was blown away by the activated nitrogen shield, and it smashed into the shop nearby.

The subsequent fires shredded the soldier docked out into pieces.

The battle erupted out of nowhere.

The enemy was not only the Crimson Chamber of Commerce, but it was also some of the civil soldiers. They were bought out by the Crimson Chamber of Commerce. The moment the armored vehicle drove into the inner circle, they responded to the coup.

It was an unfair battle.

Although both sides didn't use heavy firearms, the private force of the council members was much more powerful than the civil soldiers'. Not only in training but also in equipment. Although the civil soldiers on the side of the council were 400, they were completely subdued by the force of 150 people from the Crimson Chamber of Commerce.

Especially since 100 something civil soldiers suddenly turned against them and they only had five armored vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns.

On the side of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce, even the ordinary light infantry wore carbon nano armor along with the digitalized helmet that provided shooting assistance. Not to mention the special forces wore kinetic skeletons, as well as power armors.

Because of everyone's selfishness, although they possessed the most advanced fire production line on the wasteland, the council never proposed to upgrade the weapons of the civil force. Because only when the civil force lacked behind in technology, could their own private force be "hired." Their commission was not a small amount. It was paid through taxes and was essentially a gold mine.

But now, they tasted their own medicine.

The only soldiers that could match evenly in terms of equipment were the private soldiers of the other nine council members. But because of the city center exploration project, most of their power was put into the city center. There, they were scouring the reapings by the armored force of Crimson Chamber of Commerce; it was still a question how much would remain.

Zhao Chenwu stood on the top floor of the Zhao Corporation building as he speechlessly watched the gun fires below him in the Inner Circle.

The ring of fire began to contract from the edge of the wall inwards; he knew exactly what that meant.

The Crimson Chamber of Commerce had taken the upper hand. The 400 civil soldiers along with the 50 private soldiers suffered constant losses.

He never imagined that five armored vehicles would push him to the edge.

But that was the reality when both sides didn't possess heavy firearms. Even armored vehicles ruled.

The door was pushed open, Su Lei walked in.

The gorgeous female secretary with a cold expression had already changed into a pitch black combat suit. She carried the Reaper automatic rifle produced by the Zhao Corporation military factory. Normally, her identity was Zhao Chenwu's secretary, mistress as well as the driver. However, at critical times, she would act as the role of his bodyguard.

"Boss, the Crimson Chamber of Commerce is approaching our building. Please retreat with me to a safe location," Su Lei said in an undertone.

"Retreat? Where can we retreat to? The door has been shut tight." Zhao Chenwu smiled faintly.

He had lost communication with Chen Wei. He must have died already.

At this height, he obviously could not see that mushroom cloud.

Nuclear bombs.

He almost forgot about it.

Speaking of that, it should be the cheapest thing here.

"The underground shelter below Paradise Island hotel," Su Lei said.

Hearing that, Zhao Chenwu shook his head.

"I never planned to use that thing. There is no shelter where you can hide forever. If that old thing won, even if I hide underground for ten years, the result would be the same."

He has spent too much energy here. Even if it meant death, he didn't want to let everything go.

"…I will fight for you till the last moment." Su Lei gave up on convincing her boss. She let out a sigh, and a rare smile appeared on her cold face.

Zhao Chenwu was at a loss as he feebly smiled. Saying nothing more, he kept looking downstairs.

The rifle loaded, Su Lei walked downstairs.

"Still not here?" He muttered to himself as he looked at the electronic clock on the table.

Jiang Chen agreed to send help.

It was the last straw.

People of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce was approaching. He could even see through the dark bulletproof glass of the gunshots fired by the armored vehicles. The power armor used their high mobility to surround the building behind cover. The rotating machine gun on the right merciless shredded the soldiers on the ground.

The floor shook violently all the sudden; the bulletproof glass jarred loudly. He already had guessed what has happened, but he still looked at the touchscreen on the table.

He pressed the start button as the image from the hall surfaced.

Outside of the door was soldiers of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce. Wearing kinetic skeleton, the steel made gate had already been blown open by aluminum heat agent. These soldiers carrying rifles quickly rushed into the building and exchanged fire with the building's security team.

There was not much suspense in the battle. Although the security team of the Zhao Corporation received military training, compared to those professional soldiers, they obviously lacked in strength. Especially since they only wore bulletproof vests, like the civil soldiers. It was a frail attempt in the face of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce soldiers' attack.

The first floor was captured quickly.

Zhao Chenwu saw with his own eyes that a soldier with kinetic skeleton pulled out a pistol and executed a struggling security wounded on the ground. Then, he turned the gun to the camera and pulled the trigger with a grimace.

The visual was lost.

The elevator was cut. The Crimson Chamber of Commerce fought fiercely with the Zhao Corporation's security within the safety tunnel. Boxes and safes were all thrown into the stairs as a blockade, but it was futile to the outcome of the battle.

Su Lei was a great soldier. She gathered the remaining 20 security guards together as they exchanged fire on the 12th-floor hallway. She used the wall to take cover as she constantly ducked out to fire back.

But from the blood on her shoulder, she probably wouldn't be able to last much longer.

The security guards used anti-blast shields as cover while firing back with a rifle.

The security robot dashed out with a machine gun from the corner; the shots caused casualties to the soldiers that entered the building.

But that was all.

An EMP grenade quickly disabled its weapon system. The particle gun without suspense cut through its metal armor, and it was turned into a pile of metal scraps.

This place was not the military factory, only the office building of Zhao Corporation.

With the balance of power, no one expected a war to break out here.

Su Lei firmly held the gun as she maintained her shooting position while moving back. There were only a few security guards left.

[Looks like they can't hold out much longer.]

Zhao Chenwu let out a sigh as he pulled open a cupboard.

There was a revolver inside.

"Is this it?" He mumbled to himself as he slowly loaded the revolver.

It has been a long time since he fought like a soldier on the front line. The last time seemed to the moment he became part of the Group of Ten council.

But now, there was not much choice.

The sound of explosion continuously transmitted from below him, but Zhao Chenwu never felt calmer.

[Even if backup arrived, it is probably too late.]

At this time, a blinding white light suddenly lit up the street in front of the building.

The deafening explosion almost made him forget how to think. The bulletproof glass was covered in dense cracks.

The rising mushroom.

"…F*ck." His mouth twitched, and his eyes shook from the scene. It was the only word that came out of his mouth.

Nuclear bomb!

Someone exploded a nuclear bomb in the inner circle.

It definitely could not be the Crimson Chamber of Commerce. They already had the upper hand. It must not be the civil force either; they wouldn't have such a thing.

It could only be a council member.

They would rather die together than give up the power in their hands.

Zhao Chenwu blankly stared at the mushroom cloud in front of him, but the action in his hands already ceased.

...

The shockwave flipped the armored vehicles, engulfed the fleeting power armors, and swept through all the soldiers unable to escape. The buildings worth tens of thousands instantly collapsed. The citizens without a fighting chance cried at the ruins. The merchants silently watch their shops turn into dust, forgetting even to run…

The soldiers attacking his building; he didn't want to see any more.

It was a bloodbath.

Looking at the council building in the distance, the flag representing alliance and democracy lowered. A mocking smile appeared at the tip of his lips.

The council building, the Crimson Chamber of Commerce had risen on the roof.

The roundtable was smashed in half. Cao Jinsong stood in front of the window alone as he stared at the mushroom cloud outside, dumbfounded.

Like a bucket of cold water was poured on his head, the excitement of climbing to the top of power was instantly cooled off.

He had considered that other council members possessing some unbelievable trap cards, the coup was a gamble, to begin with.

But he never considered that someone could explode a nuclear bomb here.

"Already gone insane?" His voice sounded bitter.

It made sense. On the wasteland without order, thinking about limits was foolish, to begin with.

Exploding a nuclear bomb in one's own city; even in the country before the war had the same thing occur.

He seemed to have seen these scene before.

But because it was too distant of a time, that part of his memory was already covered by a thin layer of white mist…

War never changes.