Fighter jets took off again after replenishing their ammunition. As dusk deepened, the night sky became a challenge for pilots, with numerous migratory birds posing a collision risk. Operating in the dark demanded exceptional skill, thus, the pilots taking off were all seasoned veterans.
Wu Zhenyuan and a group of new recruits watched the fighter jets ascend from a distance. The airport, illuminated by searchlights, was as bright as day. In the night, lights served as the best guide. Wu Zhenyuan's expression was calm as he watched the planes take off, his face devoid of emotion.
Compared to other pilots who wept uncontrollably, experiencing life and death separations, Wu Zhenyuan was remarkably composed. Perhaps "composed" was an understatement; he was detached, numb, and had lost his direction in life. He was adrift, having lost his faith and purpose.
Wu Zhenyuan didn't know what to do after losing his squad leader. He remembered the squad leader's words: re-engage after replenishing ammunition. However, after the replenishment, he hadn't been deployed. He was a recruit, a clueless recruit. If he were to go into battle in his current state, the outcome would be disastrous; he would surely be killed by the mutated birds.
Thus, Wu Zhenyuan stared blankly as other pilots took off, unsure of what he should do. He felt like a walking corpse, desperately wishing someone would tell him what to do. Even if it was the wrong thing, it would be better than doing nothing. Standing there, watching others fly into battle, he remained rooted to the spot, not even knowing whether to return to the barracks to rest or to await orders from his superiors.
Wu Zhenyuan was utterly lost, his eyes hollow, all their light extinguished.
After taking off, the fighter jets began dropping flares one after another. Combat in the dark required visibility. Although fighter jets were equipped with radar, it could only determine the general location of enemies in the night, offering little assistance for precise targeting.
Once the flares were deployed, the fighter jets unleashed their full combat power. To buy time earlier, many pilots had charged headfirst, sacrificing their lives and aircraft to gain twenty minutes. The flowers they painted with their lives were then scattered by the wind. It was a helpless situation; if the fighter jets had been equipped with sufficient ammunition, the pilots wouldn't have needed to trade their lives for time.
The pilots taking off again understood that they had to avenge their fallen comrades. Their fury was directed entirely at the mutated birds. Bullets shot from their guns, tracing faint yellow lines in the air. Upon leaving the barrel, friction caused them to ignite, emitting light.
The mutated birds flew in flocks over Yanjing, meeting immediate resistance. Hundreds, even thousands, of mutated birds plummeted from the sky. Despite their massive size, a single bullet strike would shatter their wings. In a mere moment, over a thousand mutated birds were shot down.
Cranes and swans were once symbols of elegance and purity. In the East, cranes were revered, hence the use of "immortal" with ordinary white cranes. In the West, swans were highly esteemed, as depicted in Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling," which reflected this sentiment. When the swans appeared before everyone, they were stunned.
However, at this very moment, both cranes and swans were unleashing zombies upon Yanjing, igniting the fury of the people. No matter how elegant these birds were, they were ultimately agents of harm, complicit in evil deeds. To not kill them would be insufficient to vent their anger.
Bullets rained down from the sky. The accuracy of fighter jets was inherently low, as their combat effectiveness was measured by the number of kills, not precision. Machine guns fired continuously; as long as a mutated bird was hit, it would immediately fall to the ground. On the ground, soldiers and evolved humans were engaged in combat.
But the mutated birds suddenly grew intelligent. They discovered that flying higher made them more vulnerable to being hit. Thus, they changed their tactics and began flying at low altitudes, mere tens of meters above the ground. The city streets were brightly lit, originally to illuminate the city, but now they served as a guide for the mutated birds.
The mutated birds were not foolish. After flying close to the ground, the fighter jets dared not fire indiscriminately, as residential areas surrounded the streets. The ammunition used by fighter jets was of a large caliber; a stray shot into a home could easily kill civilians. Under the constraint of "not daring to throw a rat for fear of smashing the jars," the fighter jets all hesitated to strafe the ground.
Upon realizing the effectiveness of their tactic, the mutated birds let out triumphant cries, as if taunting the fighter jets. Some even circled the buildings repeatedly, as if playing hide-and-seek. The mutated birds continued to drop zombies into Yanjing, and the zombies began to destroy various facilities within the city.
The Scarred Zombie King had already infiltrated Yanjing stealthily. He then directed ordinary zombies to disrupt order within the city. The simplest method was arson. While breaking into human dwellings took too long, setting fires was more straightforward. Once a building caught fire, its inhabitants had no choice but to flee.
The mutated birds dropped over a dozen self-detonating zombies into the city. These zombies would explode violently upon severe impact, their bodies rupturing and releasing various flammable oils. A single match could then ignite a large area. The Scarred Zombie King employed this strategy, setting fires in all directions within the city.
The city was under martial law, rendering the fire department useless. Once the Scarred Zombie King began setting fires, it immediately caused immense chaos. Countless people rushed out of burning buildings. Many, after dousing their quilts with water, rushed out, only for zombies to seize the opportunity to tear into them and infect them.
The Scarred Zombie King controlled the zombies to continuously drive humans and create chaos. Even if a defense line was established, it would soon be broken by the panicked civilians. The streets were filled with fleeing crowds, their cries, curses, and calls for help blending into a cacophony. Everywhere one looked, lights illuminated the flames, and adults and children ran frantically.
The zombies were adept at "rolling up the beaded curtain," specifically targeting slower individuals to infect. The rest, to avoid becoming zombies, could only run desperately. This, in turn, would break up newly formed defense lines, plunging large parts of Yanjing into chaos.
At this moment in Yanjing, fighter jets roared through the sky, and occasionally, mutated birds would fall from the heavens. Of course, more often than not, mutated zombies would drop the zombies they were transporting and then fly low towards the city outskirts.
On the ground, countless zombies rampaged. Buildings burned, people fled through the streets, flames illuminated the surroundings, and black smoke billowed into the sky. The cries of the crowd and the panicked faces all spoke of a post-apocalyptic scene.
Shen Feng, upon entering the city, witnessed this very scene. The once peaceful and united Yanjing seemed to have vanished in an instant. In just one night, chaos and fear had gripped the hearts of most people. Fear spread, zombies killed and burned, and Yanjing's peace was destroyed.
"Damn, this is too chaotic! I wonder how Chaoyan is doing. I hope nothing happens to her!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
Fear spread through the city. Initially, most people hid in their homes, but as more people ran onto the streets, fewer remained indoors. Humans are also quite irrational. Although humans possess the highest intelligence among all species on Earth, when the majority of people do one thing, the remaining minority will follow suit blindly, completely losing their ability to think independently.
More and more people emerged from their homes, joining the throngs running through the streets, seemingly believing that following the crowd would ensure their safety.
Zombies continued to set fires throughout the city. It was spring, and the weather was dry, with no rain in sight. The city's residential areas were particularly dense, with many tall buildings and numerous smaller structures. A fire in one building could easily spread to others.
If the flames were not extinguished promptly, the unrest in the city would not cease. However, without dealing with the numerous zombies within the city, the chaos could not be quelled, let alone the fires extinguished.
Shen Feng could not travel through the streets to reach the hospital. Instead, he leaped onto the roof of a nearby building and proceeded towards the hospital from there.
After activating "As the Wind Follows," Shen Feng could leap over ten meters. His agility on the rooftops was as if he were walking on level ground. He could see the chaos on the streets but had no time to intervene. His primary concern was Chu Chaoyan in the hospital, so he immediately headed in that direction.
In times of disaster, the strength of ordinary people was minuscule, utterly incapable of resisting it. They could only flee, praying to find a safe haven.
Husbands and wives were separated in the crowds, and mothers and daughters were scattered by the chaos. As they ran, people desperately searched for their loved ones, but to no avail. Their faces were indistinguishable in the light of the lamps and fires.
Children and the elderly stumbled and fell in the crowds, leading to stampedes. Many perished in the chaos in this manner.
Such incidents were occurring continuously in Yanjing, countless times over.
When Shen Feng finally reached the hospital, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although the surrounding streets were filled with chaotic crowds, the hospital's main entrance was sealed. The courtyard was filled with green mist, clearly indicating that Chu Chaoyan had taken action under these circumstances.
Only Chu Chaoyan could produce such a large amount of poisonous gas, and she was the only evolved human recuperating there.
Shen Feng activated "Wind King's Barrier" and rushed into the hospital. Within the mist, Shen Feng often stepped on corpses, indicating that zombies had attempted to breach the hospital but were ultimately poisoned to death by chlorine gas. The yellowish-green gas filling the courtyard was, in fact, Chu Chaoyan's doing.
As Shen Feng was about to leave the mist, a gust of wind suddenly swept past. Outside the mist, a cold glint flashed, and a sharp surgical knife lunged towards Shen Feng.
Shen Feng did not dodge. The surgical knife struck the barrier, immediately stopping its momentum. Shen Feng passed through the mist and entered the hospital lobby. He then deactivated the "Wind King's Barrier" and said, "Don't be alarmed, it's me. If I hadn't blocked that stab, wouldn't you have tried to murder your husband!"
The person standing at the entrance in the lobby was none other than Chu Chaoyan. She held a sharp surgical knife in her hand, and the doorway was littered with zombie corpses. It was evident that Chu Chaoyan had been guarding the entrance for a long time. The interior of the hospital also maintained order, thanks to Chu Chaoyan's presence.
It turned out that the moment the air raid siren sounded, the hospital director knew something was amiss and immediately sought Chu Chaoyan's help. He was well aware of Chu Chaoyan's capabilities; even an evolved human recuperating would possess combat power far beyond that of ordinary people. With the impending chaos, Chu Chaoyan's assistance was paramount.
Chu Chaoyan did not refuse. She requested a surgical knife and all the saline solution from the hospital. She then guarded the hospital lobby entrance, killing zombies and producing chlorine gas simultaneously, protecting the thousands of people within the hospital. The people inside the hospital felt much more at ease; with the protection of a strong individual, zombies were no longer a cause for fear.
Upon seeing Shen Feng, Chu Chaoyan rushed forward and embraced him, saying playfully, "I know you're capable, what kind of mist could stop you? Why did you take so long to come?"
Shen Feng pushed Chu Chaoyan away and handed her a long sword he carried, saying, "The surgical knife is too short, use this. Regardless, with me here, the hospital will be safe."
Chu Chaoyan took the long sword and tucked the surgical knife into her belt. She then said with a hint of pride, "I'm a liberal arts student, and now I've even used a surgical knife. How about that, am I amazing?"
Chu Chaoyan seemed to be seeking praise, and she was quite proud of herself. What did it matter if she was a liberal arts student? She could still write articles and wield a knife to kill zombies.
Shen Feng smiled and pinched Chu Chaoyan's cheek, eliciting a displeased sound from her.
Subsequently, Shen Feng looked out the window at the night sky. Fighter jets and mutated birds were locked in a constant struggle. Birds fell from the sky, and fighter jets crashed. The fires in the city continued to spread, and the night sky was illuminated red by the flames.
"It seems Yanjing is in danger!" Shen Feng said gravely.