The battle began at dawn and ended at dusk. The zombie charge, once initiated, never ceased. The farmlands were littered with zombie corpses, piled several layers high. Shen Feng estimated that after a full day of fighting, his side had killed at least two hundred thousand zombies. Two hundred thousand zombies – what did that mean? It meant that if zombies stood densely packed on a football field, they could occupy ten football fields. Shen Feng's side tallied their ammunition consumption, having used at least six hundred thousand rounds of bullets. Upon hearing this battle report, Shen Feng was speechless. He had initially thought that a million rounds of bullets would be enough to reclaim two counties, but now it seemed it was only enough for one.
It wasn't that the soldiers' marksmanship was poor; they were already aiming their shots to the best of their ability. On average, it took three bullets to eliminate one zombie, which was already remarkable!
At this time, the zombies on the city streets had been cleared. There were at least over a hundred thousand remaining zombies, but they were scattered, either in buildings or in obscure alleyways, and thus had missed this battle.
Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Feng decided against night combat, which, while appearing romantic, was also very dangerous. He immediately gave the order: "Quickly enter the county town, clear the zombies in the nearby residential areas, and then prepare for cooking. Tomorrow, we will clear the streets."
However, before Shen Feng could enter Liancheng, survivors, with their families in tow, ran over seeking refuge. The survivors noticed that Shen Feng and his group were not wearing military uniforms, but their weapons seemed exceptionally advanced. For a moment, they didn't know how to address them.
"...Great King, have you come to reclaim the city?" After a long pause, the survivor seemed to believe Shen Feng's group was a civilian militia and thus addressed Shen Feng as "Great King." He had initially wanted to call them "heroes," but the term seemed somewhat derogatory, as bandits of the past were also called heroes. After much thought, he decided "Great King" was more appropriate.
Hearing this address, Shen Feng couldn't help but laugh. The others also burst into laughter. Calling him "Great King" without even having a mountain stronghold was simply too amusing.
Yu Renshu nudged Shen Feng's waist with her elbow and said with a smile, "Mountain Great King, aren't you going to say something now?"
Shen Feng ignored Yu Renshu and said to the survivors, "My name is Shen Feng, and I am now the City Lord of Luzhou. You can call me City Lord. This time, I received orders to come and reclaim the county town."
Upon hearing this, the survivors finally relaxed. They weren't a civilian militia after all. Since it was an official organization, they could finally feel at ease. They quickly requested help. Shen Feng brought these survivors with him to Liancheng. After entering a residential area and killing the remaining zombies within, it took them two hours to settle down.
Afterward, the soldiers prepared and cooked their meals. Fortunately, there were many gas stoves in the residential area, making cooking with gas quite fast. Shen Feng found an elderly survivor and began to inquire about the situation in Liancheng. Most of the zombies on the streets had been lured to the west of the city and dealt with, but there were still many zombies within the city. It was necessary to ask for specific details; the more information they could obtain, the better.
"Uncle, have there been any special changes in the zombies within the city recently?" Shen Feng asked first.
The uncle quickly replied to Shen Feng's question, "The zombies haven't changed. They just wander the streets all day. If a zombie dies of starvation, the surrounding zombies all gather around to eat it. During this time, many people have fled. Some zombies are very fast and have been chasing others. We don't dare to go out. Today, seeing you kill zombies, we ventured out to find you."
Shen Feng nodded. Indeed, they had killed quite a few mutated zombies during the day. Their heads had been severed and were being preserved to be sent back to Luzhou when the opportunity arose. As for the speed-type zombies, they were all first-tier zombies, and their speed was still quite slow; a rifle shot could take them down.
Then, Shen Feng asked, "Are there any significant dangers in the city? For example, are there any mutated beasts?"
The uncle nodded and said seriously, "Yes, in the northern part of the city, there are many factories. Recently, many dogs have been living inside, about over a hundred of them. They look as big as tigers, and it's clear they are not to be trifled with."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng frowned and muttered, "Factory dogs? And over a hundred of them. That's not a big problem. I'll take care of it in a couple of days!"
Last time, they had killed over a thousand mutated dogs. Chang Jianyi had even used the fur of a Samoyed to make a long coat. As for Shen Feng, he had acquired a rug made from a Husky. Every time Shen Feng stepped on it barefoot, it was incredibly comfortable. Yu Renshu, on the other hand, had made a scarf to keep warm in the winter.
What Shen Feng was most curious about was why these dogs were not afraid of zombies and chose to live on the outskirts of the city. If they weren't careful, these dogs could be surrounded and eaten by zombies. Unless there was something in the northern part of the city that could resist the zombies, these dogs would not dare to live there so confidently!
However, after understanding the situation in Liancheng, Shen Feng felt relieved. As long as there were no particularly dangerous zombies, reclaiming the city would not be difficult. Today, the toughest obstacle had been overcome, so Shen Feng was not worried about a zombie counterattack.
Yu Renshu found Shen Feng and said seriously, "What are you planning to do about the zombies outside the city?"
Shen Feng took Yu Renshu's question seriously. The corpses of the zombies killed outside the city were already piled up outside. Over two hundred thousand zombie corpses – if they weren't handled properly, wouldn't that cause an epidemic?
"Isn't there a river to the north of the city? Throw them into the river!" Shen Feng said.
In Shen Feng's opinion, when he reclaimed Luzhou, the Yangtze River was used to deal with the zombie corpses. Therefore, at this time, a river could also be used to carry away the zombie corpses.
However, Yu Renshu asked Shen Feng a question: "Have you ever heard of the idiom '投鞭断流' (tóu biān duàn liú)?"
Shen Feng thought for a moment. He seemed to have seen such a story in a history book at some point, but he then asked, "Isn't that related to Fu Jian, who was defeated by the 'grass and trees appearing as soldiers' (草木皆兵)? Isn't that just a metaphor?"
"A whip indeed cannot stop the river's flow, but similarly, the small river to the north is not the Yangtze River. This river water cannot carry away so many corpses, and it might even pollute the river. Therefore, the corpses cannot be disposed of with water; they must be burned! After reclaiming the streets tomorrow, it's best to immediately organize people to cut trees nearby and burn the corpses piled outside!" Yu Renshu quickly said.
Shen Feng thought about it. Indeed, the zombie corpses could only be burned. Moreover, gasoline was a crucial resource, so for fuel, they could only cut trees. It was autumn, and the vegetation was withered. The trees at this time had little moisture, making them perfect for cutting and burning. As for the pollution it would cause, they couldn't worry about that now.
However, there was still one problem. Shen Feng asked, "Who will organize the survivors to do these things?"
Yu Renshu smiled and patted her chest, saying, "I volunteer. I'll do it. Don't worry, I will quickly organize people to gather the zombie corpses and also cut trees. I just don't know if you dare to let me do these things!"
"If you are willing to do it, then go ahead. You are the only one suitable, anyway!" Shen Feng said indifferently.
In fact, Shen Feng didn't care about Yu Renshu's desire to do this. He knew where his fundamental support base was, which was clearly in Luzhou. As for the county town, if it weren't for being able to plant crops next spring, Shen Feng wouldn't bother to reclaim it. As for the humans in the county town, there were at most one or two thousand left, and the labor force was clearly insufficient, so Shen Feng didn't care about such a small number of people.
In Luzhou, there were already a hundred thousand people. It might not seem like much, only about a tenth of Luzhou's former urban population, but this was a chaotic time, and it was already difficult to retain so many people. Shen Feng also knew that there were no larger cities to reclaim near Luzhou. If Yuzhou could be reclaimed a month later, then Yuzhou would be the largest city in the vicinity.
The next day, Shen Feng led his men to begin clearing the zombies in the city. The scattered zombies on the streets were relatively easy to deal with, but those hiding in buildings were more troublesome. Shen Feng's group had to reclaim buildings one by one, making the process of clearing the urban area the slowest.
As for Yu Renshu, she gathered the survivors of Liancheng and began to transport the zombie corpses, concentrating them in the farmlands outside the west of the city. Many corpses were piled up like small mountains. These corpses were once the relatives of many people, and now, these zombies could only be burned. Otherwise, if an epidemic occurred, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
Yu Renshu was calculating her strategy well. As long as she was responsible for organizing the survivors, she would eventually have to discuss matters with Shen Feng. This way, they would inevitably spend time together, and during this time, she could continue to test Shen Feng. She didn't believe he wouldn't be moved.
"No one is allowed to use rifles. When clearing the streets, you must use cold weapons!" To save bullets, Shen Feng forbade the soldiers from continuing to fire. However, he then added, "Of course, if you encounter mutated zombies, you are allowed to use rifles. Those who kill mutated zombies will be rewarded with a bottle of evolution serum when we return to Luzhou."
Upon hearing this, Lu Kaiyang became extremely excited and said, "It seems my opportunity has arrived. If I can become an evolver, I will bid farewell to my status as an ordinary person!"
Subsequently, the operation to reclaim the streets began. Three thousand people, broken into smaller groups, advanced along the streets. Occasionally, zombies would rush out from the sides of the streets, but these zombies posed no danger to the group. Once they rushed out, they were killed by the combined efforts of the soldiers.
The survivors, seeing that rescue had arrived, were overjoyed and wept. They had been living in a world overrun by zombies for nearly two months, and now they were finally saved. The survivors felt a sense of having escaped death. Shen Feng went to check the granary and found that the place had been breached by zombies, with most of the grain eaten. Only a very small amount remained.
Seeing this grain, Shen Feng felt some comfort. Although there wasn't much grain, it was enough for the people of Liancheng to last until next year. After planting, it would be enough to last a few more months until the harvest.
Shen Feng used "如风随行" (Rú fēng suí xíng - like wind, follow) to quickly scout around the city, confirming that there were no major dangers. He then headed towards the north of the city, intending to check on the dogs in the factories and, if possible, dispatch personnel to kill them today.
However, when Shen Feng arrived near the factories, he was immediately discovered by the mutated dogs. The mutated dogs had very keen hearing and smell, making it impossible for Shen Feng to sneak in.
Unable to get close to the factory buildings, Shen Feng could only watch from a distance, hoping to discover something unusual. At this moment, he suddenly saw figures moving within the factory. Seeing this, Shen Feng immediately frowned. Could someone survive inside the nest of mutated beasts?
With this thought, while using "如风随行," Shen Feng also activated "风王结界" (Fēng wáng jié jiè - Wind King's Barrier) around himself. This way, there would be no sound of wind as Shen Feng advanced. Due to the barrier, Shen Feng's scent would not be detected by the mutated dogs. Shen Feng then entered the factory from the rooftop. The surrounding area was filled with factories of various sizes, mostly processing small food products. Such places indeed liked to hire people.
Upon entering the factory, Shen Feng soon heard the sound of whipping, and at the same time, a human voice could be heard: "You are all working so slowly, what use are you?"