Shen Feng rested for a night upon arriving in Xiang'an City. The very next day, he immediately commenced the operation to retake the county. Although the nearby forests offered cover, direct combat against the zombies was unavoidable. Without eliminating a large number of zombies, recapturing Xiang'an City was impossible.
In the vicinity of Xiang'an City, there were numerous stray cats and dogs, all plump and robust, resembling tigers and lions surrounding the city. As Shen Feng led his men forward, some fearless mutated cats and dogs charged towards them, seemingly seeking fresh food. However, Shen Feng ordered his men to open fire, instantly riddling the mutated cats and dogs with over a dozen bloody holes. After more than ten mutated cats and dogs perished, the remaining ones scattered like birds and beasts, no longer daring to approach Shen Feng's group.
Yu Renshu gazed at the trees on the mountain and muttered to herself, "Now we have fuel to burn the corpses. All that's left is to chop down the trees!"
Shen Feng chuckled upon hearing Yu Renshu's words. "A plague shouldn't appear so easily, should it? We don't necessarily need to burn all the corpses, do we?"
Yu Renshu shrugged. "You really should study microbiology and immunology. Bacteria and viruses are far more terrifying than you imagine. Besides warfare, plagues were the greatest killers in ancient times. And when wars broke out, plagues usually followed! Once a plague struck, an entire city could be wiped out. You can ask Chu Chaoyan about this; she studies literature, so she's bound to know some descriptions."
Shen Feng quickly looked towards Chu Chaoyan and asked, "Do you know?"
Chu Chaoyan nodded and said seriously, "Yu Renshu is not wrong about this. Many ancient literary works do contain descriptions. For instance, Cao Cao wrote, 'White bones lie exposed in the wild, a thousand li without a crow's caw.' In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, plagues were rampant, with entire villages dying off frequently, and sometimes entire cities succumbing."
Hearing this description, Shen Feng felt a sense of lingering fear. "Fortunately, no plague has appeared yet. If a plague were to break out, it would be an absolute catastrophe. Throwing the corpses into the Yangtze River was a good idea after all."
The river water could carry away the corpses from Luzhou, which conveniently provided for the fish and shrimp in the Yangtze. It was said that the fish and shrimp had become quite plump, and some people, unconcerned, would catch and eat them, reportedly with good taste.
Shen Feng carefully observed the surroundings of Xiang'an City and discovered a construction site outside the city. It was likely an expansion project for residential buildings, but the foundation had not even been laid, and it was improbable that construction would ever continue.
"Let's fight here. It's open all around, and it's easy to find cover. Let's set up our formation and start killing zombies!" Shen Feng chose the battle location, deciding to fight on this construction site. It was conveniently located outside the city and was quite spacious.
Yu Renshu looked at the construction site, a mocking expression on her face. "They kept building houses, yet houses became increasingly expensive. An ordinary person might not be able to afford a single apartment even after working their entire life. Now it's good that no one is building houses anymore, and houses have suddenly become worthless!"
"Stop with the idle talk and prepare for battle. Once we return to Luzhou, I'll even satisfy your desire to live in a high-rise building!" Shen Feng interrupted Yu Renshu's grumbling. They needed to attract zombies for battle now; there was no time to discuss housing issues.
"I don't want to live in a high-rise building; I want to live in your house!" Yu Renshu suddenly said.
Shen Feng shrugged helplessly. "Then you'll have to get my senior sister's permission. But I think you'll definitely meet a better man than me in the future."
Chu Chaoyan, listening to their conversation, quietly took out her notebook to record Yu Renshu's words, planning to tell Chang Jianyi everything they said upon returning to Luzhou. Shen Feng, however, was helpless about Chu Chaoyan's small actions and planned to find an opportunity to steal and burn the notebook.
For now, killing zombies was the most important task. Yang Chang began to strike the bronze bell, and its piercing sound instantly attracted the surrounding zombies. Thus, the zombies swarmed towards Shen Feng's location. During this time, the zombies had consumed everything edible in the city. Unable to find food, they eventually turned their attention to their own kind. Zombies that were once children and the elderly had the weakest stamina, so if they showed signs of weakness, surrounding zombies would charge and devour their own kind.
Furthermore, when zombies have no target, they enter a dormant mode. In this state, zombies neither eat nor drink, nor move, reducing their energy consumption to an absolute minimum. Humans are incapable of such behavior; humans don't even hibernate, let alone have a dormant mode. However, when the bronze bell was struck, even zombies in their dormant state could not continue as they were; they had to open their eyes and seek targets.
"Roar..." The zombies rushed in the direction of the bell sound, quickly arriving before everyone. Shen Feng then ordered them to open fire.
"Da da... Fire flashed from the muzzles, and bullets struck the zombies, causing them to fall to the ground. Shen Feng had witnessed this scene several times before, but seeing it now still filled him with confidence. Currently, apart from the second-tier tank-type zombies, no animal could withstand bullets. And even tank-type zombies would die if their heads were hit. Therefore, as long as one possessed advanced weaponry, they would not be annihilated by these zombies.
Shen Feng stood at the back, watching the soldiers fight diligently. He wondered when all the zombies could be truly eradicated. Could the zombies in China be dealt with within three years? What about the zombies abroad? Would there be more zombies abroad, perhaps in India? Fortunately, the Himalayas provided a barrier, preventing the zombies from crossing over.
Subsequently, Shen Feng thought about the problem of mutated beasts. It seemed that mutated beasts were becoming more numerous. Regardless of the animal, mutation had begun. Starting with the python he encountered, then sharks, cats and dogs, and even monkeys were mutating. If monkeys became intelligent, wouldn't humanity's intellectual advantage be completely lost?
Therefore, even if the zombies were eliminated, it would only be a temporary resolution to the current crisis. As long as mutated beasts continued to appear endlessly, peaceful life would never return. However, as long as the virus persisted, both animals and plants would continue to mutate.
After much thought, Shen Feng remained at a loss. It seemed that the happy life of the past could never be reclaimed. From now on, fighting was the only option. For the next few years, they would likely be fighting zombies, and in a few more years, perhaps mutated beasts. Who knew what strange things might appear in the future? Many people were currently living in precarious conditions. Perhaps this was life, always accompanied by numerous hardships. There were always those who lived carefree lives, and always those who struggled.
At this moment, a second-tier speed-type zombie charged towards Shen Feng's position. It managed to bypass the cover and attack the group from the flank, evading many of the frontal bullets.
Upon seeing the mutated zombie, Shen Feng drew his long sword and charged forward. Before leaving, he instructed Guo Pinming to command the battle, while he would deal with the second-tier speed-type zombie. Second-tier zombies were indeed very fast, but Shen Feng was now a third-tier ability user. Therefore, Shen Feng quickly engaged and personally killed the second-tier speed-type zombie that attempted a sneak attack. At this point, the soldiers could not fight alone. After all, they had only possessed rifles for less than a month and only knew the most basic combat skills, such as finding cover and shooting. If a second-tier zombie broke into the crowd, and the soldiers began to shoot indiscriminately, it could lead to friendly fire.
As zombies were continuously drawn away, many survivors in Xiang'an City peered out from their windows. They all heard the gunshots in the distance and knew they would soon be rescued, as gunshots signified the arrival of the army! Some even shed tears, having endured for two months and finally seeing a glimmer of hope.
"Heaven has eyes! The army has finally come to save us. We can finally escape these zombies." Some people prostrated themselves before the Buddha statues in their homes. Judging by the accumulated incense ash on the altar, this person had frequently burned incense for Buddha since the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse.
The zombies within the city began to move, all advancing towards the direction of the gunshots outside the city. It seemed they intended to go out and feed. If there were no violent noises, zombies generally would not leave the city. At this moment, all the zombies were attracted, providing Shen Feng with an opportunity to annihilate them.
Facing the charging zombies, the soldiers all tried their best to shoot. Although their marksmanship was not excellent, when the zombies were densely packed, as long as the muzzles were pointed forward, the bullets would always hit. The soldiers fired at different times, creating crossfire, making it impossible for the zombies to reach within five meters of the defensive line.
If they had sufficient ammunition, Shen Feng could lead his men directly into the city to kill the zombies. After all, the human wave tactic had long been obsolete since the appearance of the Maxim gun. Since suppressive fire was possible, why worry about battlefield formations?
"It seems we can clear all the zombies on the streets today, and then spend three days cleaning the city!" Shen Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He had not discovered any zombie kings within the city, meaning that retaking Xiang'an City was only a matter of time.
A large portion of the zombies in the city could be found roaming the streets. Some zombies had learned to hibernate, so even if they were confined to rooms, they would not starve for a while. To truly rid the city of zombies, there was only one way: to search every building, kick down doors, and kill any zombies encountered! Only then could the zombies in the city be truly dealt with. In reality, it was already very fast to clear a county in three days.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng noticed that the satellite phone had started ringing. A sense of foreboding washed over him. Only headquarters knew he had a satellite phone, which meant headquarters was calling while they were in the midst of battle. Headquarters had satellite surveillance and naturally knew they were fighting, but they were still calling him now, which indicated that something major must have happened!
Shen Feng also recalled the most important matter: could something have gone wrong in Luzhou? Shen Feng had previously told Chang Jianyi that if she encountered danger, she should contact him through headquarters. Now, perhaps his senior sister was calling for help.
"What exactly happened?" With this thought, Shen Feng took a few steps back, activated his "Wind King Barrier," and answered the phone.
"This is Shen Feng. What is it?" Shen Feng asked urgently after connecting the call.
From headquarters, Xiong Ying's voice came through. "Shen Feng, over a million zombies are heading your way and are expected to arrive in about five days. Please end your battle quickly and evacuate with those who can be protected! Reply if received!"
"A million zombies?" Shen Feng felt extremely puzzled upon hearing this answer. "Where did a million zombies come from? And why are they coming towards me?"
"A plague has broken out in Yuzhou City, and the zombies there have also been infected. Therefore, the zombie king is leading a million zombies to evacuate. That's the situation. Please evacuate quickly, at least to Yahe Town in the north to be safe." Xiong Ying did not hide anything at this moment and simply explained the current situation.
Shen Feng was silent for a moment before replying, "If they arrive in five days, I can kill the zombies here and rescue the survivors before leaving. Of course, if Luzhou is in danger, please inform me immediately. Thank you."
"Take care!" Xiong Ying said, and then hung up the phone.
Shen Feng's previously relaxed expression turned grim in an instant. He roared inwardly, "What happened in Yuzhou? Why are a million zombies coming this way?"
Before this, Shen Feng had dealt with zombies numbering around thirty to forty thousand. Even with rifles, they had the advantage of favorable terrain and relied on firepower to eliminate the zombies. In each battle, he had dealt with at most two hundred thousand zombies sequentially. Now, with over a million zombies advancing towards him, Shen Feng was stunned. Could the zombie king be harboring a grudge against him and specifically coming to hunt him down?
But Shen Feng thought about it carefully; he had never even been to Yuzhou, so he couldn't possibly have had any conflict with the zombie king there. Thus, the problem became strange. Why was the zombie king advancing towards him? Or rather, what was the zombie king trying to do?