Volume 1, Chapter 56: A High-Stakes Gamble, Victory

Twelve QJY-201 general-purpose machine guns simultaneously spewed tongues of fire, and the metal storm formed by the 7.62mm rounds instantly tore the zombies at the breach into shreds!

The mortar squad also began rapid firing, sending high-explosive shells plunging into the rear of the horde, blasting flying limbs across the sky.

However, the number of zombies was simply overwhelming!

They surged forward wave after wave, stepping on the corpses of their own kind to continue the charge.

A wall of corpses over a meter high quickly piled up at the breach, and the zombies behind stepped on this "wall" to advance further!

"Reload!" the machine gunner shouted at the top of his lungs.

Taking advantage of this brief gap, a dozen zombies broke through the line of fire!

"Infantry squad! Fill the gap!" Xie Jin ordered calmly.

The infantrymen, who had been ready for a long time, immediately stepped forward, their QBZ-191 assault rifles firing precise controlled bursts to blow the heads off the escaping stragglers one by one.

The battle entered a white-hot phase.

The gun barrels grew glowing red from continuous firing, forcing frequent replacements; ammunition consumption was astonishingly fast, and the transport team formed by survivors desperately ran back and forth between the ammo depot and the defense line.

Yet the defense line remained—unshaken.

Standing in the command room, Lin Ye observed the battle situation calmly through the surveillance monitors.

His gaze fell on the ammunition consumption statistics table—in just ten minutes, thirty basic loads of ammunition had been completely expended.

At the same time, however, the corpses of the zombies had already piled up like a small mountain outside the breach, forcing the subsequent hordes to climb this "mountain" to continue their assault, which in turn made them even better targets.

"Order the artillery squad to switch to incendiary shells," Lin Ye said faintly.

Three minutes later, six incendiary shells tore through the sky, landing precisely in the densest area of the horde.

"Boom—!"

A sea of orange-red fire instantly swallowed hundreds of zombies, and the stench of burning flesh could be smelled even through gas masks.

Yet this fire successfully blocked the subsequent reinforcements of the horde, buying the defense line a precious breathing window.

"Well done," Lin Ye said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Keep going until the very last zombie falls."

……

Half an hour later.

The metal storm continued to ravage the zombie tide, and the firepower network woven by 7.62mm bullets tore the zombies charging at the front into pieces.

However, as the battle persisted, abnormal signs began to emerge...

"Platoon leader! Three o'clock direction!" a soldier suddenly shouted. "Something is moving extremely fast!"

Xie Jin immediately swung his muzzle around, only to see a slender zombie weaving through the horde at an astonishing speed.

Its movements were not rigid and sluggish like the other zombies; instead, it crawled rapidly on all fours like a beast, even capable of executing eerie, sharp turns!

"Tat-tat-tat!"

A three-round burst flew out, but the zombie suddenly hurled itself into a violent side-roll the instant before the bullets hit, its shoulder merely grazed by the rounds.

"Damn it!" the soldier cursed, immediately readjusting his aim.

Seizing this brief opening, the zombie suddenly burst into action!

It sprang out from the horde like a spring, its rotting fingers lunging straight for the machine gun nest!

"Bang!"

A precise sniper round came flying from the flank, instantly blowing its head apart.

The sniper from the Snow Leopard Commando reported calmly over the radio: "High-speed zombie eliminated."

Just as Xie Jin breathed a sigh of relief, an exclamation came from the left side of the defense line: "Armored zombie! It's an armored zombie!"

An abnormally bulky zombie shoved aside its peers and charged toward the defense line in giant strides.

Standing over two meters tall, its body was knotted with muscles, and its skin exhibited an unnatural grayish-blue hue, as though covered by a layer of rough keratin.

"Open fire!"

Five or six assault rifles targeted it simultaneously, but the bullets hitting its body merely embedded themselves in its muscles without causing fatal damage!

The monster merely staggered slightly and continued its charge!

"Switch to armor-piercing rounds!" Xie Jin ordered sharply.

The soldiers quickly swapped their magazines, and 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds roared out.

This time, the bullets finally tore through the monster's defense, blasting several bloody holes in its chest.

Yet it still did not fall, instead letting out a deafening roar as if infuriated!

"Bazooka! Quick!"

A soldier hoisted a PF-97 93mm individual thermobaric rocket launcher onto his shoulder, locking his sights onto the armored zombie.

"Whoosh—Boom!"

The rocket trailed a tail of flame as it flew out, striking the target dead center!

The high-temperature shockwave instantly blasted the zombie and five or six ordinary zombies around it into fragments!

However... it was far from over!

Faint, extremely fast figures and the movement of massive bodies could still be glimpsed within the zombie tide.

Inside the command room.

Lin Ye stared at the surveillance screen, his brow furrowing slightly.

The appearance of these special zombies was within his expectations.

Yet their numbers clearly exceeded the scope of what he had envisioned.

"Marshal, do we need to adjust our tactics?" Chen Feng asked.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment: "Order the snipers to prioritize eliminating the high-speed zombies, and leave the armored zombies to the rocket and grenade operators. Additionally, have the mortar squad switch to thermobaric shells to deliver blanket coverage to the rear of the horde."

"Understood!"

The orders were swiftly relayed down. The soldiers on the defense line adjusted their tactics, no longer firing blindly, but instead addressing these special threats with targeted precision.

The Breach of the Defense Line · A Brutal Tug-of-War.

The battle had raged for another forty minutes, and ammunition consumption far exceeded expectations.

The transport team of survivors was out of breath and exhausted, yet they still desperately hauled crates of ammunition.

"Hurry! The machine gun nests need ammo!" Li Hu shouted hoarsely, personally carrying a crate of bullets toward the front lines.

Leng Feng led the law enforcement squad guarding the second line, standing ready to plug any breaches in the defense.

Looking at the mountain of zombie corpses piled up in front, a profound sense of shock gripped his heart.

These madmen were actually pulling off that seemingly impossible plan!

Inside the medical tent, Mu Qing and her rescue team were working at a breathless pace, hands never still.

Wounded soldiers were constantly carried in, mostly suffering from stray bullet grazes or sheer physical exhaustion.

"Hold down his artery! Fast!" Mu Qing pressed down hard on the wound on the thigh of a rather unfortunate middle-aged man, blood still gushing continuously from between her fingers.

At the rear of the zombie horde.

The three decoy vehicles had long since stopped playing music, but the scent of blood and the sounds of gunfire continued to lure wave after wave of endless zombies.

The mortar squad's thermobaric shells blossomed into flowers of death at the rear of the horde, each round clearing all living things within a twenty-meter radius.

However, the sheer number of zombies was simply too vast!

The corpses in front of the defense line had already piled up over two meters high, and the zombies behind stepped on this "corpse mountain" to continue their charge.

Worse still, the frequency of special zombies appearing was increasing!

"Platoon leader! Three high-speed types on the right flank!"

"Two armored ones on the left! Requesting fire support!"

Urgent reports echoed ceaselessly over the radio.

Cold sweat beaded on Xie Jin's forehead, but he maintained an astonishing level of composure: "Group A take the right, Group B handle the left! Rocket operators in position! Snipers at free discretion!"

The battle entered its most brutal phase.

The soldiers' gun barrels grew glowing red and scorching hot from continuous firing, forcing frequent replacements; the rate of ammunition consumption was terrifyingly fast.

Yet the defense line—still stood firm!

Every single soldier knew that once this defense line was breached, certain doom awaited them all.

Therefore, even though their arms were numb from the recoil, and their ears temporarily deafened by the gunfire, they steadfastly remained at their posts, mechanically reloading, aiming, and firing.

Just as the defense line was about to reach its absolute limit, a turning point appeared.

"Platoon leader! The zombie tide is beginning to weaken!" the observer shouted excitedly.

Xie Jin looked up and indeed noticed a marked decrease in the number of incoming zombies.

Those special zombies no longer appeared, leaving only scattered ordinary zombies still making futile charges.

"Hold the line! Victory is right before our eyes!" Xie Jin boosted the morale.

Roused by his words, the soldiers rallied and fired with renewed vigor.

As the final zombie was torn apart by machine gun fire, the entire battlefield suddenly plunged into an eerie silence.

The gunfire ceased.

Everyone held their breath, scanning the front with vigilant eyes.

A minute passed, two minutes passed...

No new zombies emerged.

"Did we... win?" a young soldier muttered in disbelief.

Xie Jin let out a long breath and pressed his radio: "Reporting to the Marshal, the defense line is held, and the zombie tide has been basically annihilated."

Inside the command room.

Listening to Xie Jin's report, Lin Ye allowed a faint smile to touch the corners of his mouth.

At the same time, a deep sense of relief finally settled in his heart.

This high-stakes gamble—he had won.