Volume 1 Chapter 24: Perfect Coordination
"Mengshi vehicle! Turn to the west side! Heavy machine gun, prepare for maximum firepower interception! Machine gun squad, close in on the Mengshi vehicle and establish a firing position!
Rocket launcher operator! Prepare the thermobaric warhead!
Target: Western intersection, delay the vanguard of the zombie horde!" Wan Yu commanded, his speech rapid and sharp.
"Snow Leopard, provide high-altitude vision and precision fire support! Suppress suspected mutant individuals within the horde!" Chen Feng added.
The Mengshi vehicle roared as it pivoted in place, its heavy chassis demonstrating astonishing agility.
The 12.7mm heavy machine gun atop the vehicle emitted a teeth-grinding whine of electric motors as the barrel locked firmly onto the end of the western street!
Two infantry machine gunners quickly dragged their heavy QJY-201s behind the bunkers on either side of the Mengshi vehicle and mounted them.
The rocket launcher operator knelt, aiming the heavy PF-16 thermobaric rocket launcher at the center of the western junction.
The infantry squad's riflemen and designated marksmen quickly sought higher, safer positions to provide supplementary fire.
The Snow Leopard team members on the rooftop also adjusted their aim, the barrels of their QJS-161 light machine gun and QBU-203 sniper rifle pointing westward.
A drone hovered above the horde, marking in real-time the hottest, fastest-moving threats—likely genetically mutated athlete zombies.
Just seconds later, surging shadows appeared on the horizon!
Like a black tide, accompanied by deafening roars, a dense mass of zombies flooded into the western street!
The scale was far beyond any previous wave!
"Fire!!!" Wan Yu’s roar served as the signal!
"Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!!!"
The 12.7mm heavy machine gun atop the Mengshi vehicle unleashed a devastating roar first!
A thick, meter-long tongue of fire spat out! A terrifying stream of bullets, like a massive, red-hot iron broom, swept mercilessly into the vanguard of the horde!
The fate of the zombies hit by the 12.7mm rounds was catastrophic!
Bodies were ripped apart, shattered, and exploded!
Severed limbs and gore, mixed with black blood and viscera, erupted into the air like fountains!
The vanguard of the horde seemed to collide with an invisible wall of meat-grinding machinery, instantly tearing open a massive, bloody gap!
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!"
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!"
The two QJY-201 general-purpose machine guns of the infantry squad joined the fray with a roar!
Two dense curtains of 7.62mm fire crisscrossed the flanks of the 12.7mm fire net, mowing down rows of zombies attempting to swarm from the sides like harvesting wheat!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The precision marksmen of the Snow Leopard team on the roof calmly picked off targets, putting bullets through the heads of "sprinters" that moved with abnormal speed and attempted to bypass the line through the ruins of nearby buildings!
"Thermobaric rocket! Fire!" Wan Yu bellowed at the operator.
"Whoosh—BOOM!!!"
A trail of white smoke streaked through the air as the PF-16 thermobaric rocket struck the middle of the horde!
There was no violent flash of fire, only a dull, thunderous boom, followed by a massive, rolling white cloud that instantly expanded, enveloping dozens of zombies!
The next second!
"KABOOM—!!!!"
Inside the cloud, a cataclysmic secondary explosion occurred!
The terrifying high-temperature, high-pressure shockwave acted like an invisible giant hammer, slamming down!
The zombies caught in the mist were instantly carbonized and pulverized! The intense shockwave even blasted the outer layer of zombies away!
A massive area was cleared!
The brief vacuum and extreme heat generated by the explosion effectively stalled the follow-up of the horde!
"Reload!" the infantry machine gunner shouted! The high-intensity, continuous fire was consuming ammunition belts at a frantic pace!
Just then, two Snow Leopard team members rappelled down from the second-story window of an adjacent building like monkeys.
They landed precisely beside the machine gunner and swiftly retrieved heavy spare ammunition boxes from their backpacks, handing them over!
Efficient battlefield support!
"Hummingbird reporting: The scale of the following horde is massive! Suggest using incendiaries for area denial!" the drone operator’s voice was urgent.
"Mengshi vehicle! Prepare incendiaries!" Chen Feng ordered immediately.
The grenade launcher bay mounted beneath the Mengshi vehicle's remote weapon station opened.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Three 40mm incendiary grenades traced arcs through the air, landing amidst the piles of abandoned vehicles behind and to the side of the horde!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Orange-red flames erupted into the sky, spreading rapidly!
The fuel tanks of the abandoned vehicles ignited, triggering even more violent explosions!
The raging wall of fire temporarily severed the reinforcements of the horde and trapped the zombies in the middle in a sea of flames!
The air was filled with the sickening stench of burning flesh!
Under such fierce, precise, and multi-dimensional destructive firepower, this significant horde was scattered, shattered, and incinerated, like waves crashing against a reef!
Their momentum was completely broken!
The clamor of battle gradually subsided, leaving only the sporadic sound of mopping-up shots and the crackling of flames.
The street was carpeted with mangled, charred, and smoking corpses.
The barrel of the heavy machine gun on the Mengshi vehicle vented wisps of blue smoke, the infantry soldiers caught their breath while changing magazines, and the Snow Leopard members remained vigilant, monitoring the surroundings.
A perfect coordinated operation!
The infantry squad's powerful frontal firepower, the vehicle's support, the Snow Leopard Commando’s precision kills and efficient logistics, and the drone's "God's-eye view" guidance had combined to achieve an overwhelming victory over this small zombie horde!
...
In the command room.
The giant LCD screen displayed split-screen footage of the joint operation between the infantry squad and the Snow Leopard Commando.
Lin Ye turned slowly, his deep eyes fixed on the efficient and brutal storm of slaughter he had orchestrated.
An indescribable feeling surged in his heart.
It was shock, and even more, a profound sense of pride!
This was his power!
War machines summoned by the system—absolutely loyal, well-trained, and superbly equipped!
A single infantry squad of only ten men, combined with the elite Snow Leopard Commando, could unleash such a stunning, overwhelming offensive! Harvesting hundreds and thousands of zombies as if they were stalks of wheat!
And this was merely the tip of the iceberg of his power!
As merit points accumulated, more infantry squads, and even more powerful armored and aerial forces... would all be in his grasp!
A sense of power—controlling destiny and holding the keys to life and death—surged within him.
He was no longer the ant struggling in despair in his past life, but a "Marshal" capable of shifting the balance of power!
"Excellent!" Lin Ye's voice was low and powerful, carrying unquestionable authority. "Order! The infantry squad is to establish a temporary defensive line in place to consolidate the gains! Halt the advance, conduct ammunition resupply, and allow personnel to rest!"
His gaze swept over the areas cleared on the map, and he issued follow-up instructions with clear logic:
"Chen Feng!"
"Present! Marshal!" came the immediate response over the communication channel.
"Order the survivors in the underground garage to immediately transport the spare ammunition boxes, food, and water prepared in the warehouse to the temporary defensive line established by the infantry squad! Make it quick!"
He was currently not lacking in ammunition and supplies; these things could be exchanged easily with merit points.
But what he lacked more was manpower!
Therefore, he had to take down the financial center area on the east side as soon as possible to better develop and expand.
"Understood! Copy that!"
"Once resupply is complete, the survivors are to be responsible for clearing the zombie corpses in the area behind the temporary line! Pile them up and burn them! The infantry squad will continue to advance two hundred meters eastward according to the original plan!"
"Snow Leopard Commando, while the infantry squad continues its advance, you are responsible for gathering any survivors found in the new area!"
"The drone will continue to monitor the surroundings, especially the movements of any potential zombie clusters! Ensure the safety of the operation!"
"Understood! Marshal! Orders clear!" Chen Feng’s voice was decisive and efficient.
Lin Ye paused for a moment and added: "Also, that woman named Mu Qing from last night—have her put on proper attire and accompany the Snow Leopard team in their operations."
"Her climbing skills might come in handy when rescuing survivors trapped on high floors in complex terrain."
"Have her follow your specific arrangements."
"Understood! Executing immediately!"
Orders were issued, and everyone moved with speed.
The survivors in the garage received the order; though exhausted and terrified, under the watchful, icy eyes of the armed guards, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and begin hauling the heavy ammunition boxes and supply bags.
Li Hua grumbled under his breath while struggling with a crate, but he was helpless to do otherwise.
As for Mu Qing, who had just been brought out of the garage by a Snow Leopard member and was feeling anxious, she was stunned when she heard the order relayed by Chen Feng.
"You want me... to join you in the operation? Use my climbing skills... to save people?" She couldn't believe her ears.
"That's right." Chen Feng looked at her expressionlessly. "It is the Marshal's order. Put on this spare tactical uniform, take your core equipment, and we move out in five minutes."
"Remember, follow all commands without question. Your mission is to assist in rescue, not to engage in combat."
"Understand?"
"U-Understood!" A massive surge of excitement and a strange feeling of being recognized instantly washed away the anxiety and confusion in Mu Qing's heart!
Her professional skills were actually needed in this desperate apocalypse!
And they were to be used for saving lives! This made her feel like she was no longer a burden, but a person of value!
She nodded vigorously, a hopeful light appearing in her eyes for the first time.