Chapter 98

The major stared coldly at the lieutenant colonel: "It has been less than three months since Su Hao's last promotion. He was a civilian who was directly converted to a second lieutenant. According to the relevant regulations—within two years, he cannot be promoted again."

A colonel interjected: "That's right! Regulations must be followed. No one is an exception."

The lieutenant colonel, unwilling to give in, said: "That applies to civilian positions and non-war periods. He has combat achievements, which are more important than anything. It's just a paper commendation. Don't you think that's too much?"

"Too much?"

The major adjusted his sliding glasses and sneered: "Who here doesn't have achievements? Who didn't work their way up step by step? Without the logistics department dispatching supplies, without the transportation department's support, and without the military industry department's production, where would the front-line units get their weapons and ammunition? Without these, even food supplies would be a problem. Young man, the army is a whole. No one can be special. Yes, Su Hao did well in the battle in Kunming. But don't forget, he wasn't the only one who participated. At most, he was in charge of the command. A commendation order is already very good. Think more about the soldiers below and the survivors." This speech was grand and righteous. Although the young lieutenant colonel felt something was wrong, he couldn't find any flaws and could only look angry and speechless. Xu Renjie smiled in satisfaction. Verbal encouragement without any practical effect was exactly what he wanted. Chen Yanlin put down his teacup and said calmly: "Disputes are normal."

He paused, looked around, and his tone remained unchanged: "Regarding the combat record submitted by KD03 base, I have already forwarded it to the military department for their decision."

This statement, like a huge stone thrown into a deep pool, caused a strong reaction.

"Why hand it over to the higher-ups?"

"This doesn't follow procedure—"

"Has the General Staff reviewed it? Why haven't I seen the relevant report?"

Most of the people in the meeting room were Xu Renjie's confidants. The chaotic atmosphere almost reflected the will of the army group commander, Xu Renjie. He frowned, pursed his lips, and coldly watched Chen Yanlin.

"Gentlemen! I want to show you something."

Chen Yanlin paid no attention to their attitudes. He opened his laptop and connected it to the large projection screen in the meeting room. He selected a prepared electronic document and pressed the Enter key. The screen immediately showed a bloody and fierce battle scene. Over a dozen heavy tanks formed a combat formation, firing at their selected targets while accelerating and rushing into the city along the streets. Hundreds of soldiers followed a few dozen meters behind the tanks. They aimed their guns and shot at the zombies swarming towards them. Explosions and flames attracted thousands of zombies. Artillery shells blasted large pieces of stone and earth, and many zombies were thrown high into the air by the shock waves, landing far into the zombie crowd.

They pounced on the human army like a rising tide, quickly overwhelming the tanks. Zombies climbed up the tracks and onto the roofs, grabbing the gun barrels. They tried desperately to break through the sturdy armor but were crushed by the powerful tanks. The infantry behind them kept shooting, but they couldn't stop the dense zombie horde. Hundreds of soldiers were quickly surrounded by zombies from all sides.

At such a short distance, firearms were useless. They began to fight hand-to-hand, using battle axes, entrenching tools, daggers, and fists to strike the zombies. The soldiers had been injected with immunity agents and were not afraid of zombie bites, but the terrain and environment were against them. The zombies, with their overwhelming numbers, didn't care about casualties. They pushed forward stubbornly, forcing the soldiers into corners, crushing and biting them to death... and then eating them.

The tanks continued to fire. Their tracks were stuck in the thick mass of zombie flesh and blood, spinning in place. The narrow streets limited the mobility of the tanks. In the end, these "kings of land warfare" were trapped and could no longer move.

The screen focused on an officer wearing a major's shoulder insignia.

His face was full of terror, and he was covered in blood. Nearby, several comrades' bodies lay sprawled. In the distance, a tank was covered in zombies.

The major held a pistol, the barrel pointed at his temple.

Everyone in the meeting room had seen this video.

It was part of the 86th Army Group's counterattack in Zhangzhou City in the second week after the virus outbreak. The participating units suffered heavy casualties, losing a large number of technical weapons, with a fatality rate of over 60%.

The major's face was expressionless as he took off his glasses and slowly wiped them with a handkerchief. He asked casually: "These are all old records. What's the point of looking at them?"

Chen Yanlin didn't answer. He chose another video and pressed the keyboard again.

The scene was also a battle, with tanks and infantry working together to attack a large zombie horde in the city. Compared to the previous video, the soldiers on the screen moved faster, shot more accurately, and fought more powerfully. The tanks no longer charged ahead but followed the infantry, slowly advancing and firing artillery shells into the depths of the zombie horde. The zombie horde was still dense, with a significant portion being dark red blood zombies. They had learned to run, and some agile blood zombies jumped down from high places, biting the unprepared soldiers. The outcome was still defeat. This was the Guangzhou assault last month. The 336th Division had a casualty rate of 20%. This was the result even after all soldiers were injected with first-stage enhancement agents and their weapons were upgraded to more powerful 7.62mm caliber, significantly improving their combat effectiveness.

Neither video was new. After each battle, the military department would send specialists to record the entire process and distribute the footage to all units.

"Zombies are a new species. They don't have the characteristics of known animals. From May last year to now, we have lost a large number of personnel and weapons. We have withdrawn from cities and built bases in the wilderness. We don't know the exact number of these mutated creatures. These bloody scenes show us fear and cruelty. We are trying to strengthen ourselves and seek victory, while they are constantly evolving and becoming stronger."

"What's the point of saying this?"

The major rudely interrupted Chen Yanlin. He mocked openly: "Everyone can talk big. You could have prepared a speech and given it to the political director. Ha! That would truly follow the procedure."

As he spoke, the major turned his gaze to Xu Renjie, who was sitting at the head of the table, and his expression quickly changed to one of flattery.

"The Academy is developing more advanced enhancement agents, and the General Logistics Department is verifying the possibility of equipping 9mm single-person weapons. The enemy in this war is not a country but another non-human species. We are unfamiliar with it and need new, more applicable tactics."

Chen Yanlin stared at the major, not backing down, and spoke coldly and firmly: "The record submitted by KD03 base is very valuable. Whether in terms of personnel and vehicle configuration or attack methods, it far exceeds any previous battle."

Chen Yanlin straightened his back and scanned the other attendees with a sharp gaze, speaking earnestly: "Everything has its rules. As someone said earlier: the army has its own rules. Indeed, if a commendation order could solve all problems, there would be no need for this discussion. To this point, I still want to use someone's words—'Think about the soldiers below and the survivors.' Without them, could we still sit here and talk grandly? If the zombies launch a large-scale attack on the base, everyone here will have to pick up weapons to fight for survival. Who would think about some damn seniority? You can refuse to consider the people below for various reasons, dismiss Su Hao with a piece of paper, and suppress the combat record for personal gain. But comrades, zombies are not civilians. They won't tolerate unfair treatment. They will eat people and use their teeth and claws to show their intentions. If soldiers and junior officers refuse to fight because of some people's selfish desires, we will have to go to the front lines ourselves and face those monsters—"

Some people began to frown and think. Some still had mocking expressions. Others looked coldly at Chen Yanlin with hostile eyes.

"Don't think that the base city is well-defended with a powerful automatic defense system, and the zombies will always be kept out. You have seen that in just a few months, the zombies have undergone a second mutation. This change could happen a third, fourth time... What will the situation ultimately become? None of us can predict. Focus on the battlefield! Think more about what we can do for the front-line units. Gentlemen, it's not 2019 or 1949. Many people have died, and thousands are homeless. We should feel lucky, not smug."

After a pause, Chen Yanlin concluded with a few simple words.

"This is a democratic discussion. Although I am the army group's chief of staff, I cannot veto a collective decision. If most people agree to issue the commendation order, I can only abstain. Still, the same words—'Think about the soldiers below and the survivors.'"

The weather was getting warmer. Looking at the bright sun and clear sky, the oppressive and dark feelings in people's hearts would also be swept away, and their moods would be more cheerful than in winter.

Throughout the winter, Su Hao's team had grown by a factor of two.

The population in the "Castle" had exceeded three thousand, all of whom were worker bees identified through blood tests and granted identity recognition.

Old Song, a kind elder, naturally wouldn't engage in human trafficking or other nefarious activities. Every day, a few refugees appeared on the adjacent highway. Their greatest wish was just for food and a safe place to live. Hot showers and soft beds had become luxuries. To get these, they were willing to do anything. The refugees no longer had the unrealistic hopes they had at the beginning of the virus outbreak, nor did they think of using money to buy food and shelter. Their faces were full of sorrow and hardship, and many looked much older than their actual age.

Regardless of their former status, the initial conflicts that arose during the construction of the "Castle" no longer existed. According to Su Hao's plan, newcomers who had not yet been identified were placed in a temporary camp outside the "Castle" near the river. Although the defenses there were not as complete as those of the "Castle," there was enough space to accommodate tens of thousands of people. Due to the proximity, the "Castle" team could provide support in case of danger.

Dong Guoping led the engineering team to begin expanding the "Castle."

The main project was still the wall, but it was slightly lower than the original. According to the plans, a large area would be left between the two walls. In addition to building more residential buildings, new mechanical repair shops and warehouses were also needed.

The number of newcomers waiting for identification in the river camp had reached two thousand. After leaving enough personnel to guard the surrounding areas, Old Song led them and some of the "Castle" worker bees to begin large-scale spring farming. Actually, there was a lot of food in the city, but it was scattered and hard to gather. Despite Su Hao sending many people to search the buildings and houses in the controlled area every day, it was impossible to collect more food in a few months. It would eventually rot. The city was simply too large.

Within the city, Su Hao, Cao Rui, and Du Tianhao's teams were all expanding. Each team had more than five hundred members, all true worker bees.

After several battles, Su Hao had obtained a large amount of supplies from the "Shengfei" Group. This vast wealth, combined with Zhou Chen's research on the worker bees, provided the material basis for the large-scale expansion of his team.

The sun was getting warmer, and the trees along the road had sprouted green leaves.

Su Hao led Xin Yan through the abandoned buildings along the southward street.

Although the team's strength had grown rapidly, it still couldn't control the entire city.

The three camps within the city had an absolute safety radius of about 150 meters. This distance referred to the area where no zombies appeared. Of course, beyond this radius, there were team members set up to guard. Their role was to scout, not to stop large zombie hordes.

Su Hao stood by the roadside with a rifle, keeping watch. Xin Yan approached a residential building, ensuring there were no zombies in sight. She then took a thick chain from her backpack and securely locked the iron door at the building's entrance.

After that, she took a bottle of red spray paint and drew an "X" on the closed door.

With the bank building as the core, a 150-meter absolute safety radius was established. Between the buildings and the streets, two layers of protective nets had been set up.

People used bricks and cement to seal off narrow alleys where vehicles couldn't pass. Various obstacles were placed in the middle of the roads. Abandoned vehicles were pushed together and lifted by cranes to form thick, sturdy barricades. The entrances and exits were formed by two trucks placed side by side. They could be moved to allow other vehicles to pass. At night, they served as "locks" to keep all dangers outside.

All buildings within the safe zone had been cleared, and the sewers were sealed. Zombies couldn't enter.

Su Hao divided the team members into groups to gradually clear other buildings outside the safe zone.

Enhanced thinking could sense biological vibrations inside buildings. In other words, within the effective range of consciousness detection, it was possible to detect the presence of humans without using the eyes.

Su Hao used this method to gather refugees near the safe zone.

Due to the limited number of people, it was impossible to guard every unoccupied building. Zombies were always active. A building cleared today might have new zombies by the next night. To avoid repetitive and ineffective work, Su Hao ordered the team members to carry chains and locks—any unoccupied building was to be locked. After clearing, buildings confirmed to have no zombies were marked with a green "check" at the entrance. Those not yet cleared were marked with a red "X."

As long as there were no living people or other animals to attract them, zombies wouldn't destroy obstacles or break into empty houses to hide.

The rough survey of the entire city was almost complete.

On the map, Su Hao used a red pencil to draw irregular circles.

These represented the areas where large zombie hordes were concentrated, which could also be seen as zombie nests.

Su Hao, a formally enlisted second lieutenant, borrowed a helicopter from Wu Guoguang and flew around the entire city.

The scale of the zombie hordes in the red areas was astonishing. They were densely packed, and more than half had turned dark red. These mutated creatures crowded around buildings, and sounds and smells could easily lure them away. As for the number... it could be in the millions.

Wu Guoguang had once suggested applying for a large-scale air strike or dropping incendiary bombs. Su Hao stopped his idea. It wasn't that Su Hao thought it would waste a lot of silver bones. According to similar battle records from the future world, large-scale air strikes were almost ineffective. Especially the agile blood zombies, which would quickly flee the bombing area. More terrifyingly, the high temperatures from explosions could promote zombie evolution. Surviving zombies from the bombing would become stronger and harder to kill.

After Xin Yan sprayed a red "X" on the entrance of another building, it was almost lunchtime.

Su Hao called her over, and they chose a relatively clean bench at a roadside bus stop, taking out the prepared lunch boxes from their backpacks.

Just as they were about to sit down, two dark red blood zombies suddenly emerged from a small alley across the street.