Volume 1, Chapter 57: Blueprint: Mechanized Infantry Company

The deafening roar of gunfire and artillery finally subsided, leaving behind only dead silence and a heavy, suffocating reek of blood across the smoke-choked battlefield.

In the distance, survivors hiding within the ruins were utterly shaken by the earth-shattering battle.

Peering through shattered windows and the jagged cracks of collapsed walls toward the defense line, disbelief flickered in their eyes.

"Is that the military?" a grime-covered man asked, his voice trembling.

"It has to be! It must be the army fighting their way back!" A woman beside him grabbed his arm in agitation, her voice choked with emotion.

"Save us! We're over here!" Unable to hold back, someone thrust their upper body out from a hiding place, frantically waving a tattered rag in an attempt to draw attention.

Yet, when they truly beheld the scene unfolding across the battlefield, all their cries caught in their throats.

—A mountain of corpses, an ocean of blood, blanketing the earth.

Ahead of the defense line, the bodies of zombies were piled as high as hills, layer upon layer, nearly choking the entire street.

Shattered torsos, severed limbs, and skulls blasted apart by bullets were densely stacked together, forming a horrifying "city wall."

Dark red blood converged into streams, winding along the fissures of the street and exuding a nauseating stench of decay.

Some of the corpses were still twitching slightly, their muscle tissue and nerves not yet fully dead, their fingers clawing unconsciously at the ground as if still trying to crawl toward the living.

The air hung thick with a heavy, fishy stench, mingled with the scorched odor of incendiary bombs, rendering it almost suffocating.

Upon the defense line.

The soldiers maintained their combat postures, muzzles locked dead ahead; no one let down their guard.

Their faces were smeared with gunpowder ash and blood, their gazes sharp as blades as they vigilantly swept over every trace of movement within the piles of corpses.

"Platoon Leader, confirmed that the horde has been completely wiped out," a soldier reported in a low, hoarse voice.

Xie Jin nodded, yet issued no order to relax. "Wait another ten minutes. Make sure there are no stragglers."

Soldiers who had experienced countless life-or-death battles knew all too well that the threat of zombies was often hidden within seemingly safe moments.

A single missed zombie could cost the entire squad a heavy price.

...

Li Hua stood behind the defense line, staring at the mountainous piles of corpses before him, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He had once believed that he could thrive in the apocalypse purely by virtue of a glib tongue and the ability to trim his sails to the wind.

Yet at this moment, he truly realized for the first time!

Before absolute military might, all scheming appeared utterly laughable.

"These people... what on earth is their background?" he muttered to himself, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Leng Feng stood beside him, his expression complex.

As a former special forces operative, he understood the terrifying nature of this battle far better than Li Hua.

This was no ordinary skirmish; it was a meticulously orchestrated slaughter.

Given the volume of zombies and the intensity of the charge, any ordinary military unit would likely have been wiped out entirely.

Yet this force had not only held the line, but achieved zero casualties!

"Can we... really survive in a world like this?" a survivor whispered, their tone laced with profound fear and awe.

No one answered.

Inside the villa command room.

Lin 夜 stood before the surveillance screen, his cold gaze sweeping across the battlefield.

"Issue the order," he said indifferently, "incinerate all the corpses."

"Understood! Marshal!"

Minutes later, several incendiary shells pierced the sky, plunging straight into the mountain of corpses.

"Boom—!"

Blazing flames instantly devoured everything, billowing black smoke rising into the air to stain the sky an ominous, dark red.

The bodies twisted and carbonized in the intense heat, ultimately turning to ash.

The soldiers still maintained their vigilance, their rifle barrels aimed steadily forward.

They knew this victory was merely the beginning.

Meanwhile, the survivors watching from afar stood frozen before the raging inferno, plunging into a prolonged silence.

...

The twilight sky was dyed a murky red by the gunsmoke, the setting sun resembling blood as it cast its light over the scarred and battered battlefield.

Lin 夜 stood upon the villa's terrace, overlooking the entire East Suburb defense line.

Today's battle had lasted for nearly six hours; the ammunition consumption was staggering, but the results were equally astonishing—the main force of the zombie horde in the eastern suburbs had been utterly annihilated, and the route leading to the Financial Center skyscraper was now completely unobstructed.

Yet he did not rush to press the advance further. Instead, he ordered the troops to rest in rotation, while instructing the survivors of the Dawn Base to clear the battlefield and salvage usable supplies.

The system's chime rang out clearly in his mind—

[Ding! Detected 100,086 zombies eliminated under the Marshal's command. Commencing reward settlement!]

[Ding! Obtained Merit Value +100,086!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: Standard Mechanized Infantry Company x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: ZTL-19 Wheeled Assault Vehicle (Infantry Fighting Vehicle Variant) x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: ZSL-10 Wheeled Armored Command Vehicle x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: AK-12 Assault Rifle x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: QBU-203 Designated Marksman Rifle Blueprint x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: QJS-201 7.62mm General-Purpose Machine Gun Blueprint x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: PF-98A 120mm Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher Blueprint x1!]

[Ding! Obtained Blueprint Reward: NIJ Level IV Heavy Body Armor Insert Plate Blueprint x1!]

Lin 夜 raised an eyebrow, immediately pulling up the system interface to review the detailed specifications—

————

[Standard Mechanized Infantry Company] (500,000 Merit Value)

Organization Structure:

Infantry Platoon x3 (Each platoon includes: Platoon Headquarters (2 personnel) + 3 Standard Infantry Squads + 1 Fire Support Squad)

Fire Support Squad (Including: 60mm Mortar Squad (9 personnel, Squad Leader + two 4-man mortar teams) x2 + Heavy Machine Gun Squad (8-man team) x1)

Company Headquarters (1 Company Commander, 1 Executive Officer, 1 Political Instructor, 2 Communications personnel, 2 Medics)

Total Personnel: Approximately 144

Primary Equipment (Base Configuration):

Infantry Platoons: QBZ-191 / AK-12 assault rifles, QJY-201 general-purpose machine guns, QBU-203 designated marksman rifles, PF-16/98 rocket launchers.

Fire Support Platoon: PP93 60mm mortars x4, QJZ-89 12.7mm heavy machine guns x2.

Vehicle Configuration:

12 ZTL-19 wheeled assault vehicles (infantry fighting vehicle variant)

2 ZBL-08 armored command vehicles.

4 ZSL-10 armored transport vehicles.

Firepower Configuration:

ZTL-19 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Each capable of carrying 9 fully equipped soldiers)

Main Weapon: 105mm rifled gun (40 rounds basic load)

Secondary Weapon: 7.62mm coaxial machine gun (2,000 rounds basic load)

Protection: Composite armor + reactive armor modules

Mobility: 600-horsepower diesel engine, maximum speed 100 km/h

Troop Compartment: Accommodates 1 infantry squad (9 personnel), equipped with firing ports.

ZBL-08 Armored Command Vehicle (Each capable of carrying 5 command personnel)

Communications System: Battlefield datalink, satellite communications, frequency-hopping radios.

Protection: Bulletproof glass + composite armor

Mobility: Synchronized with the ZTL-19

ZSL-10 Armored Transport Vehicle (Each capable of carrying 12 soldiers)

Weaponry: 12.7mm remote-controlled weapon station

Protection: Basic ballistic armor

Purpose: Rapid troop deployment

Special Abilities:

"Steel Torrent" Tactic: Infantry fighting vehicles can form an assault formation, providing fire suppression and mobility support.

"Battlefield Perception" System: Command vehicles can share battlefield information in real-time, enhancing the combat efficiency of the entire company.

————

ZSL-10 Wheeled Command Armored Vehicle Blueprint

Exchange Price: 80,000 Merit Value / vehicle

Configuration:

Vehicle Body: 8x8 wheeled high-mobility chassis, composite armor (capable of withstanding 12.7mm armor-piercing rounds and artillery shrapnel), anti-mine design.

Command System: Large comprehensive command and control terminal (including battlefield situation display, communication relay, encrypted frequency-hopping radios x4), satellite communication interface (requires satellite support), drone control station.

Firepower: Remote-controlled weapon station (default equipped with 12.7mm heavy machine gun or 35mm automatic grenade launcher).

Crew: 1 Vehicle Commander (concurrently acting as commander), 1 Driver, 2 Communications/Operators (automatically included upon exchange).

Special Ability: "Battlefield Nerve Center" (significantly enhances information sharing speed and precision among friendly units within the command radius, reducing command delay).

[ZTL-19 Wheeled Assault Vehicle (Infantry Fighting Vehicle Variant)] (50,000 Merit Value / vehicle)

Firepower:

105mm rifled gun (armor-piercing rounds / high-explosive rounds)

7.62mm coaxial machine gun

Payload: Accommodates 9 fully equipped soldiers (including 3 crew members)

Mobility: Highway speed 100 km/h, cross-country speed 60 km/h

Protection: Capable of withstanding direct hits from 12.7mm armor-piercing rounds.

————

[AK-12 Assault Rifle] (500 Merit Value / rifle, fully outfitted)

Caliber: 5.45x39mm / 7.62x39mm (switchable)

Rate of Fire: 700 rounds/minute.

Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds (expandable to 60-round drum magazine)

Accessories: Picatinny rail (capable of mounting optical sights, tactical lights, etc.)