To the north of Yanjing, there is a vast reservoir. It was built by tens of thousands of people over many years. Almost half of the city's water supply comes from this reservoir. Previously, the zombies poisoned the water through this reservoir. There were no guards at the reservoir, only numerous surveillance cameras monitoring its activity twenty-four hours a day.
Despite the reservoir's critical importance, the headquarters believed it did not require heavy defense. The simplest reason was that the zombies were incapable of crossing water. The reservoir was so wide, spanning several kilometers, that even if the zombies wanted to cross, it would be impossible. Therefore, this place did not need defending.
However, through the ultrasonic detectors of the research personnel, a tunnel was discovered at a depth of one hundred meters beneath the northern reservoir! Such a deep tunnel would be difficult for ordinary detectors to find, as no one would typically dig below one hundred meters due to the immense difficulty. Yet, the zombies, exploiting human predictability, had dug a tunnel from beneath the reservoir. This action truly shocked the headquarters' command personnel.
The ground in the north differs greatly from the south. For instance, the Luoyang shovel, usable in northern regions, is ineffective in the south. This is because the north receives very little rainfall, resulting in distinct soil layers. In other words, the northern soil is severely compacted and difficult to excavate.
The deeper they went, the more complex the underground conditions became, as the amount of rock increased. Although the Haihe Plain is suitable for cultivation and covered in fertile soil, digging deeper reveals abundant rocks. In the area one hundred meters underground, there is a significant amount of rock, making excavation incredibly challenging.
The command personnel at headquarters were completely taken aback by this situation. Frowning, they asked, "At a depth of one hundred meters, how did the zombies excavate a tunnel so deep underground? The tunnel is so straight; could they have even dug through rock?"
The research personnel provided a logical explanation: "Please do not forget that among the mutated zombies, there is a special type: the sprayer zombie. These zombies have acid in their stomachs and can use it to corrode underground rock. Through continuous spraying of acid, they are capable of excavating tunnels."
"I see!" The command personnel now understood how the underground tunnel was formed. This tunnel was likely the zombie king's trump card. It was the same old tactic: using the zombie horde as a diversion in the front while secretly digging a tunnel. Seeing that shallow tunnels were no longer feasible, they had resorted to digging deep underground.
The command personnel recalled Pu Songling's story "The Wolf," which contained the line, "How much deception can beasts employ? It only invites ridicule." This saying was perfectly applicable to the zombie king. Without new methods, they attempted to achieve victory with a single strategy, underestimating human intelligence.
"We will arrange for people to blow up the tunnel. We will act directly from the reservoir, allowing the water to flood the entire tunnel. I don't believe the zombies can launch a surprise attack from the tunnel!" the command personnel said with a cold smile.
The deep underground tunnel was excavated by the zombies during winter. These zombies did not stop even in winter. Although ordinary zombies were not suited for activity in winter, mutated zombies were an exception. They allowed these idle mutated zombies to excavate the tunnel. If successful, it would be ideal.
Unfortunately, the zombies underestimated human technological capabilities. Even tunnels below one hundred meters could still be detected by humans. Subsequently, machinery was deployed in the reservoir to excavate further down to the forty-meter deep reservoir floor. Once the position was suitable, explosives were planted, directly destroying the underground tunnel. Hundreds of mutated zombies perished underground, unable to escape.
While the reservoir underwent demolition, fighting commenced at the city walls. Countless zombies charged towards the city walls with their heads lowered. It was the same old human wave tactic, an endless tide of zombies surging towards the walls, only to be shot down at the base by the muzzles of guns extending from the walls. If a section of the wall's defense became difficult, artillery support would immediately arrive. Artillery fire from within the city provided saturation bombardment against the zombie horde outside, flattening the ground and raising the yellow earth by twenty centimeters. Not even flies could survive, let alone zombies.
Shen Feng was also engaged in intense combat. Zombies might not be proficient in other tactics, but they had mastered the "trickle" tactic. The zombie horde's attacks would not cease for the entire day. Every section of the city wall faced zombie charges. Even if they were killed upon reaching the wall, the zombies did not halt their advance, charging fearlessly as if it were their sole purpose.
Shen Feng, wielding a Barrett rifle, sniped mutated zombies on the city wall. He could now see the trajectory of bullets. Although he could see them, he couldn't dodge them. This vision far surpassed human capabilities. The moment a bullet left the barrel, it was already at supersonic speed. Shen Feng could see it, but his own speed did not match the speed of sound, making it impossible to evade.
The zombies continued their suicidal charges, falling in rows. Frankly, the human wave tactic was no longer very effective against assault rifles. While it might appear intimidating, in reality, the human wave tactic had been rendered obsolete.
As the battle raged, headquarters dispatched the Heavenly Chosen Bureau, an organization composed entirely of "chosen ones" and directly subordinate to headquarters' esper group, to the front lines to participate in the fighting.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng couldn't help but sneer. "So, they've come for a 'gilding' opportunity. How thoughtful. They can't be promoted without merit, yet they are unwilling to undertake truly dangerous missions. Thus, they can only come now to gain experience! Fortunately, there are no Heavenly Chosen Bureau espers on my side!"
Shen Feng was no longer the naive, ignorant university student he once was. Without the protection of school, Shen Feng had directly faced the harsh realities of the world. Through many conversations, he had learned of unfair practices, and his understanding of "gilding" was particularly profound. Many young people enjoyed complaining about this.
"Gilding," as it was known, was not about plating jewelry. It referred to a superior parachuting someone in, who didn't necessarily have to do any real work, simply occupying an office and biding their time. Once the required period passed, they would be transferred, and their resume would include experiences like: "worked at the grassroots level for X years, deeply connected with the masses..."
The front-line combat was similar. Millions of soldiers guarded the city walls like an iron bucket. Not even a dog could get through, let alone zombies. Was it necessary for espers to join the fight? Even if they did, they would just stand by. In such a situation, the arrival of the Heavenly Chosen Bureau's elites at the front lines was merely to enhance their resumes.
Shen Feng speculated that in these individuals' future resumes, content like this would be added: "Participated in the defense of Yanjing for X duration, successfully defended the city's inhabitants, and received X commendations!"
Fortunately, no Heavenly Chosen Bureau espers were assigned to Shen Feng's side. Otherwise, Shen Feng truly wouldn't have shown them any pleasantries. This sentiment was partly influenced by Xiao Sheng.
For a considerable period recently, the Esper Management Bureau had nothing to do. They spent their days wearing masks and wandering aimlessly around the city, much like abandoned students at a school. Consequently, these individuals frequently sought out Shen Feng for drinks. Shen Feng abstained from alcohol, while they often got drunk.
The twenty-plus espers from the Heavenly Chosen Bureau were all sent to the city walls guarded by the regular army. After all, these "favored children" could not perish prematurely. They would receive better care on the regular army's territory. If they were sent to areas guarded by civilian forces, they might encounter danger.
The zombies continued their desperate assault, seemingly intent on breaching Yanjing's city walls in one go. However, the walls erected on the plain were like an iron barrier. Walls built of reinforced concrete were not something flesh and blood could easily breach. Upon reaching the walls, the zombies were simply killed by bullets or shrapnel.
The defense line in Rongcheng initially comprised seven layers. While this appeared substantial, these defenses were actually composed of low walls and trenches. In other words, such defenses were designed to repel breakthroughs. When faced with a large-scale zombie horde, they would repeatedly retreat and were unable to cope with the zombies' tunnel-digging offensive. The defense lines lacked internal obstacles. Once one section was breached, the entire line had to fall back, or risk being surrounded.
The defense strategy in Yanjing was much simpler. Setting up multiple defense lines was meaningless; one defense line was sufficient! With walls over twenty meters high, unless giants personally attacked, entry would be impossible. Moreover, there were cannons on the walls. Even if giants appeared, it would be a matter of a single shot!
The city walls, as the sole defense line, appeared fragile. However, they were equipped with all the necessary devices: infrared surveillance, searchlights, underground detectors, and city defense cannons. With these installed on the walls, zombies would find it difficult to approach, whether from the ground or underground. All zombie movements could be monitored from all angles, and at the backend, personnel watched the monitors twenty-four hours a day. The zombies' advance would inevitably be exposed.
Behind the city walls lay an encampment hundreds of meters wide. After combat operations, soldiers would return to their tents to rest. This was the front-line area, and generally, unauthorized entry was prohibited. Of course, espers were not included in this restriction; they could easily leave the encampment.
Further behind the encampment were numerous artillery positions, with artillery pieces neatly arranged on the ground. Rocket launchers were all aimed in the direction outside the city. If the zombie numbers became too large or they approached the city walls in force, these artillery pieces would open fire, conducting saturation bombardment and eliminating all zombies near the walls. The targeting of artillery fire was guided by satellites, making misfires impossible.
Hundreds of helicopters took to the skies within the city, circling constantly outside the city. From their elevated vantage point, every move of the zombies was detected. Whenever the zombie numbers increased, the personnel in the helicopters would immediately contact the headquarters' command center.
The battle continued from daytime into the late night. Under the cover of a round of artillery fire, Shen Feng completed his shift change, leading his five thousand soldiers back to the encampment. Dinner consisted of steamed buns and sliced meat, with seaweed and egg drop soup for thirst.
Due to the fatigue from the day's battle, Shen Feng did not visit Chu Chaoyan in the hospital. Chu Chaoyan, upon hearing the faint sounds of gunfire and explosions in the distance, knew that Shen Feng was in combat, and her worry intensified.
Under the cover of night, the battle continued. From the helicopters, it was clear that the entire Yanjing was illuminated as if it were daytime. The power plants were working tirelessly, with black smoke billowing from the chimneys day and night. At this time, no one spoke of environmental pollution. Surviving was a blessing; who cared about the environment?
Within a cordoned-off area in Yanjing city, fighter jets slowly emerged from underground. This was Yanjing's ultimate trump card. Tens of thousands of fighter jets were ready to deploy, equipped with weapons of mass destruction, including incendiary bombs, gas bombs, illumination flares, and fuel-air explosive bombs. These fighter jets had been prepared throughout the entire winter.
In fact, if it weren't for the shortage of pilots, there could have been even more fighter jets!
Not to mention these tens of thousands of fighter jets, even ten times that number could have been produced by China's industrial might. However, training pilots was incredibly difficult. With the zombie outbreak, countless pilots had turned into zombies, and new pilots had not yet been successfully trained, creating a gap.
A young pilot looked at his squad leader and asked in a low voice, "Squad leader, we've been preparing for a month. The zombies were underground before, and we had no use for our skills. Now that the zombies have emerged from the tunnels, why haven't we been deployed yet?"
The squad leader glanced at the young pilot and said indifferently, "Don't ask until the time is right, understand?"
The young man was clearly a newly trained pilot. He was originally a reserve, but with the changing times, many former excellent pilots had become zombies, allowing him, a reserve, to become a formal pilot.
The young man's name was Wu Zhenyuan. He continued, "Squad leader, I still don't know what to do on the battlefield. I'm afraid I'll forget everything the teacher taught me. I'm a very timid person..."
Before Wu Zhenyuan could finish speaking, the squad leader sighed, "Just follow me when the time comes. If I tell you to drop bombs, you drop bombs. You don't need to do anything else. As a pilot, the main task now is to drop bombs!"
Upon hearing the squad leader's words, a flicker of disappointment crossed the young man's eyes. He said helplessly, "I thought we pilots could dogfight in the sky like in Macross, shooting down enemy aircraft one by one, with the white trails from our aircraft forming complex patterns. Alas, I didn't realize all of that was fake."
The squad leader, frustrated by his lack of progress, poked Wu Zhenyuan's forehead forcefully with his index finger. "Can't you use your brain? Do the zombies have fighter jets? You're talking about shooting down enemy aircraft? At that point, you'd be lucky not to shoot me down."