Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 274: Unable to Absorb

The explosion outside the shelter was like a volcanic eruption, with flames shooting up into the sky. Even from a distance, the terrifying blast was enough to make anyone tremble in fear! The entire shelter shook violently, and Zhang Yi nearly fell to the ground as he struggled to maintain his balance.

The sudden turn of events was completely unexpected, even for Zhang Yi. His Dimensional Space had been unable to fully contain the rapidly expanding energy. It was forced to release some of the pressure, resulting in the external explosion. This outcome also meant that Zhang Yi couldn't open the Dimensional Gate again for a while.

He could feel his powers slowly being drained to repair the gate of the Dimensional Space. Most of the explosive force had been sealed inside as pure energy, which might come in handy in the future.

The explosion caused thick smoke to billow outside. Zhang Yi took a deep breath, steadied himself, and quickly assessed the damage to the shelter. The glass panes had developed fine cracks, only a few centimeters deep but noticeable nonetheless.

He pulled out his phone. "Xiao Ai, report the damage to the house."

"Understood. I've completed a full analysis of the structure. The southwest corner has sustained damage, with an overall loss of 22.6%."

Since the explosion had been airborne and much of the force was absorbed, the damage was still within acceptable limits. From the outside, one could see that a large portion of the outer wall's surface had peeled off. To break through the fortress, they would need to repeat the same kind of explosion at the same spot at least three more times.

However, they had already used 1,000 kilograms of explosives, and their remaining supply would not be enough to launch another round of attacks.

"I see. So that's the kind of attack you're capable of? Impressive!" Zhang Yi muttered, staring out at the direction from which the explosives had been thrown.

"But you won't get a second chance to use the same tactic!" Zhang Yi had confirmed the enemy's location, and he wasn't about to let them think he would remain on the defensive forever.

The small hill they were using was the optimal spot to throw explosives accurately from a distance. However, with the Dimensional Space currently unusable, Zhang Yi couldn't counterattack just yet. He knew the enemy would likely try the same approach again after tasting success.

"The Dimensional Space has a limit to the amount of energy it can absorb. This incident has served as a warning for me," Zhang Yi reflected. However, the issue wasn't critical. The gate being damaged didn't affect the main body of the Dimensional Space itself. It would slowly recover as he continued to channel his powers.

Zhang Yi glanced at the distant hill before slowly retreating back underground. Even if the West Hill Base soldiers leveled everything above ground, Zhang Yi wouldn't come out. He needed to wait for the Dimensional Gate to be restored, his most powerful defense and counterattack mechanism.

...

On the small hill, Ling Feng watched through binoculars and saw visible scars on one side of the shelter's wall. A significant portion of the wall had peeled off, but overall, the structure remained sturdy with no signs of collapse or major cracks.

Ling Feng gasped. "That was 500 kilograms of explosives! Even a thirty-story building would have been destroyed instantly."

Academician Wu walked over, observed the damage, and remarked, "This doesn't make sense. According to our calculations, the result shouldn't be this mild."

He then added, "But—throwing explosives manually is a primitive method that prevents them from reaching optimal effectiveness."

"There's also the possibility that Zhang Yi absorbed a large portion of the explosive force using his abilities."

Hearing Academician Wu's theory, everyone around him looked shocked.

"Absorb? You're saying he can absorb the force of such a massive explosion?" Shi Dayong, Zheng Xuerong, and Liang Yue were all stunned. They were Superhumans, powerful ones at that, but they knew that being at the center of such a terrifying explosion would mean certain death. The idea of absorbing any of that explosive force was unthinkable.

"Zhang Yi truly is extraordinary!" Liang Yue thought to herself, marveling at his strength.

Zheng Xuerong, however, looked anxiously at Ling Feng. "If this is true, doesn't that mean it'll be nearly impossible for us to breach this shelter?"

"Not necessarily," Ling Feng responded, handing her the binoculars. "We still caused significant damage. We just need to repeat this several more times to break through!"

"And besides, there's no need to be overly afraid. His defense is incredibly strong, but he's been hiding inside the entire time, only using a sniper rifle for offense."

"This indicates that he's good at defense but not so skilled at attacking."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Ling Feng's analysis. If someone were invincible at both defense and offense, they simply shouldn't exist in this world.

"So, what do we do next? We've used up all the explosives we brought," Shi Dayong asked.

Their only transportation consisted of a snowmobile and several dog sleds, making it extremely difficult to transport another 1,000 kilograms of TNT.

Ling Feng replied, "No rush. We'll head back and send someone to the base to get more explosives."

"We'll leave a few people to take turns monitoring the shelter's movements around the clock. We can't let anyone inside escape."

"We'll take our time wearing him down!"

Understanding that without more explosives, there was no way to breach the shelter, Ling Feng was prepared for a prolonged siege. He began organizing his team, setting up a 24-hour rotation with groups of three to watch the shelter's every move. Due to the extreme cold, even with thermal clothing, they couldn't stay out for long, so personnel rotation was essential.

Meanwhile, Ling Feng personally returned to transport the explosives while the rest of the team went back to Xudong Village to rest and recover.

Everyone split up to carry out their tasks.

Back in the shelter, Zhang Yi decided to abandon the above-ground levels temporarily to avoid any unnecessary risks. Even if the enemy managed to breach the surface, they wouldn't be able to penetrate the much stronger underground defenses.

Upon retreating underground, the women immediately surrounded Zhang Yi with worried expressions.

"Big Brother Zhang Yi, what's going on outside? That noise just now sounded like the sky was falling!" Zhou Ke'er asked anxiously.

The other women also looked unsettled. For all of them, it was their first time experiencing such a terrifying explosion. Even in the underground shelter, with noise reduction features in place, the shockwave from the blast had been impossible to ignore.

Author's Note