Zhao Qiang said, "The mutants' attack has just subsided, and I think things should be quiet for a while. You keep a close watch on the campus, I'll go check and come right back."
The captain said, "I believe in your abilities, but you still need to be careful. Go quickly and come back quickly. We can't hold the line without you."
Zhao Qiang quietly slipped out of the campus under the cover of the buildings. Along the way, he could still see mutants devouring recently deceased humans; blood was everywhere. New York City was no longer the bustling metropolis it once was; it was a complete apocalypse. If they were filming a post-apocalyptic movie now, they wouldn't even need to build sets. That said, even if the virus infection were resolved, this modern metropolis would be utterly destroyed.
Zhao Qiang flew at low altitude, a territory that mutants could not yet tread, so he arrived smoothly at the square where the initial command post was located. As expected, it was now a ruin. The square was littered with the corpses of humans bitten to death by mutants, abandoned supplies and tents were scattered everywhere, and even tanks that had been destroyed could be seen every few meters. This showed how fierce the battle had been. The mutants alone could not have damaged the tanks. There must have been mutated monsters assisting the mutants in the attack. They were simply superhuman beings. It would have taken countless soldiers' lives to kill just one of them.
Zhao Qiang activated his X-ray glasses, floating above the square and scanning his surroundings. Even objects of concealment were clearly visible through the glasses, revealing where usable supplies were, as well as where mutants and living people were.
It's worth mentioning that there were still a dozen or so ordinary humans alive in the square, hiding under vehicles or in thick layers of supplies. Zhao Qiang ignored them, focusing instead on the food and ammunition. As the headquarters from a few hours ago, the supplies here were quite substantial, with nearly a hundred truckloads of food and daily necessities. This was enough to supply tens of thousands of people with three meals a day. Zhao Qiang flew over without hesitation, eating while searching for other supplies.
In a public restroom in a plaza, Zhao Qiang discovered an armory. It was a makeshift storage facility, crammed full of weapons and ammunition. Zhao Qiang dropped his food, climbed through the window, and opened box after box of bullets. The sight of the metallic bullets made Zhao Qiang want to laugh. With so much ammunition, the captain shouldn't have any more trouble.
Then Zhao Qiang thought of another problem: how to transport so much stuff back? With Zhao Qiang's power, driving a truck back to the campus wouldn't be difficult, but doing so would attract all the mutants in the vicinity to the school, which would increase the captain's defense difficulty. If he didn't use a vehicle, even if Zhao Qiang could activate the anti-gravity device, transporting enough supplies would still be a big problem. He would probably have to run himself ragged, since weapons are heavy, and Zhao Qiang's anti-gravity device has a working range; it cannot eliminate gravity on very heavy items.
Zhao Qiang retrieved the food and sat on a pile of weapon and ammunition boxes, eating and worrying at the same time. If only he had a storage space, he could put everything in it, close the space and return to the campus, then open the space again and move everything out. However, Zhao Qiang could not do this dream at all. Such a magical artifact only exists in fantasy, and even with Zhao Qiang's super biochip brain, he could not create it.
After much thought, Zhao Qiang could only build a simple glider transport aircraft. He had used such equipment on an oil well in Africa. However, it was impossible for Zhao Qiang to replicate a single-soldier aircraft in a hurry. Moreover, there was no 'G' substance available here, and it was not realistic to manufacture a high-power super battery. There was also no place to charge it. The backup on campus was only enough for the laboratory. Therefore, this glider could only be built using local materials as much as possible to conform to aerodynamics and enable it to carry as much supplies as possible for Zhao Qiang.
Building a glider wouldn't be complicated for Zhao Qiang, given his control over metal materials. The warehouse was overflowing with canvas for glider construction, and he finished in less than an hour. However, getting all the supplies onto the glider was a major problem, since it couldn't take off from the ground. Loading cargo after takeoff was impractical. Fortunately, Zhao Qiang had already considered this. He packed weapons and ammunition into several large bags, threw them on the roof, and used ropes shot down from the glider to hook the bags. With the help of the anti-gravity device, he easily carried away a large quantity of weapons. Once takeoff was successful, Zhao Qiang could reduce the power of the anti-gravity device and use the glider's power to complete the transport, conserving his energy as much as possible.
The captain and the others were anxious. Without Zhao Qiang, he felt completely lost and without a pillar of support. They knew they had very few bullets left, and if the mutants attacked again, or if a few monsters appeared, he would be finished. Fortunately, about an hour and a half later, Zhao Qiang reappeared, which surprised the captain and the others. Zhao Qiang had actually used a simple gliding device to retrieve several large packages. When Zhao Qiang extended the grappling hook and lowered the cargo, everyone was even more astonished, not because there were weapons or ammunition inside, but because of the weight of the packages. They were amazed that Zhao Qiang had managed to bring them back using such a simple gliding device.
Volume 2 [704] Fire Attack
"Captain, distribute weapons to everyone and let the recruits practice firing a few shots. Don't worry about wasting them; I'll go back and bring a few more." Zhao Qiang shouted as he circled in the air. The captain responded loudly, directing his men to lay out the weapons first, then sending the recruits to collect them. The veterans then guided them in firing at the mutants in the distance. For a while, there was a constant clanging and banging sound. Fortunately, such sounds were heard all over New York City, so there was no fear of attracting more mutants. However, if the noise exceeded the norm, it would be hard to say.
Zhao Qiang made two more trips. If he hadn't seen the mutants around him stirring, he would have gone several more times until he brought back all the weapons and ammunition. But for now, it was better to leave them in the lab so he could help if anything happened. Sure enough, Zhao Qiang's decision was right. Amidst gasps of surprise, several monsters resembling giant beetles appeared from all directions. They moved slowly and steadily, and someone fired a few shots at them, but all the bullets bounced off their shells.
“Three, three in total!” The captain approached Zhao Qiang and shared his observation.
Zhao Qiang pointed into the distance: "No, there are five in total. Two more are hiding in the distance. If we don't deal with them properly, they will take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."
The captain's expression changed: "Three are already difficult to deal with, and there are two more watching us from the side. Zhao Qiang, can we hold them off? It looks like we'll have to rely on you. We're not good at eliminating them, and the weapons we have are no match for them."
The captain wasn't deserting at the critical moment; he was telling the truth. They were fine against mutants, but against monsters, these ordinary humans were just cannon fodder. With so few personnel available, there was no need to add more cannon fodder. After all, the laboratory needed protection, so Zhao Qiang was the main force in this battle.
Yang Shiyun and Lina ran out of the lab, clearly aware that a formidable enemy had arrived. Yang Shiyun asked, "How is it? Are you confident?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's hard to say. I don't know any special skills. I can take care of one side but not the other."
Yang Shiyun said, "I managed to hold one off, but unfortunately Lina's strength is too limited. She's good at shooting, but she's not strong enough to help."
Zhao Qiang stared at the beetle crawling closer and closer. "How's the research going?" This was what Zhao Qiang was really concerned about. If he didn't need to rely on the equipment in the laboratory for the research, he wouldn't need to stay here and guard it.
Yang Shiyun said, "We've made about a third of the progress, which is quite fast. We might get the results in less than 48 hours, provided we're lucky. If we don't go in the wrong direction, we'll have to start all over again."
Zhao Qiang drew his longsword with a swish. The sword was easier to use than the blade, as it could be used for slashing. If it were for stabbing, Zhao Qiang would definitely switch to the blade. He couldn't wait any longer. The three beetles were coming from three directions, and there were two more lurking on the side, ready to pounce at any moment. So the sooner he dealt with these three, the better.
Yang Shiyun knew she might not have the strength to eliminate the beetle, but she could buy Zhao Qiang time by keeping it occupied. So she decided to use harassment to slow down the beetle's attack. With her invisibility, jumping shoes, and anti-gravity device, she was sure that this stupid beetle wouldn't be able to hurt her.
The captain had already grasped the situation: "Zhao Qiang, are we going to leave the last one to us? I'm afraid that won't work."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't be so discouraged. As long as you can manage to hold them off for a while, I'll take care of this one over here and then go help them out."
The captain hoisted a rocket launcher and said, "Then you have to be as fast as you can. I'm afraid I can't hold out for long. Every extra second could mean death."
Zhao Qiang shot out with a whoosh, encountering the beetle head-on. The beetle's long legs resembled several thick bamboo poles, and the serrated structure on its legs was its best weapon. It slashed at Zhao Qiang's body in half, but Zhao Qiang neither dodged nor evaded. He slashed down with his knife, and a humming sound emanated from the blade. The beetle's leg was not severed; it was only cut open, from which colorful liquid immediately seeped out, along with a strange smell that made one want to vomit.
Zhao Qiang's attack enraged the beetle, which emitted a piercing screech from its abdomen and swung its long, knife-like legs at Zhao Qiang. However, this cumbersome creature posed no real threat to Zhao Qiang, but it would take him a great deal of time and effort to eliminate it.
Zhao Qiang dodged the beetle's leg blades and slashed back at it with his own. The slash was powerful, but it only caused minor damage to the beetle's leg. Zhao Qiang was worried. If the beetle didn't move and he could keep slashing at it, that would be fine. But it kept moving and would attack him. How long would it take to kill it?
Meanwhile, the captain, having received weapons supplies, led dozens of veterans in a barrage of fire against the beetles, focusing on their eyes, abdomens, and other soft areas. However, even these areas were impenetrable by ordinary bullets. For a time, all that could be heard was the sound of fierce fighting, but in reality, there were few significant results. The beetles were only slightly injured, like a tickle, and their advance remained undiminished. The captain, in a fit of rage, pulled out a box of grenades, tied them together in a bag, and handed it to a soldier: "Shove this into the beetle's mouth and blow it up."
The soldier looked dejected; this was no different from sending himself to his death, and even if he died, it might not be effective. But he couldn't disobey his superior's orders, so he reluctantly picked up a grenade. The captain picked up a machine gun and began firing: "Cover us, everyone!"
The soldier had barely reached the beetle when he was stomped on. Before the grenade could even be pulled, he was dead, a pointless death. The captain slapped his thigh in anger, yelling, "Send more!" But no one answered. It wasn't sending grenades, it was sending them to their deaths!
Zhao Qiang had successfully severed the beetle's two legs, which had exhausted him. He had also tried cutting off the beetle's back, only to find that it only caused a few scratches and had no effect on the beetle. Seeing several large oil drums piled up in a corner of the campus, Zhao Qiang had an idea. They were for stockpiling fuel, including diesel and gasoline, temporarily stored together. This was completely against safety regulations, but who cared about such things in New York?
Zhao Qiang released his energy to move a barrel of gasoline over, hovering it above the beetle's head and opening the barrel. A large amount of gasoline poured onto the beetle. The beetle, disgusted by the smell, tried to push the barrel off, but its height prevented it from doing so, causing more gasoline to flow down its neck and onto its abdomen. Zhao Qiang casually tossed a bullet; the bullet flew very fast and, just as it reached the bottom of the barrel, mixed with the pouring gasoline, Zhao Qiang fired a bullet from his electromagnetic acceleration gun. The bullet caught up with the tossed bullet, and the two collided, sparking. Boom! The gasoline barrel exploded, engulfing the beetle, now soaked to the bone, in flames.
The beetle's fire, resembling a mobile fortress, was undoubtedly a catastrophic disaster. This had nothing to do with the hardness of its carapace. Seeing that his attack had worked, Zhao Qiang immediately used his energy to move the remaining oil drums over. Yang Shiyun, seeing that Zhao Qiang's method was effective, also assisted from the side. As a result, another beetle was set ablaze. The captain on the other side could also see clearly that the beetle rolling in the raging fire proved that it was not invincible. He couldn't move the oil drums, but there were other methods. The captain shouted, "Incendiary bombs! Quickly, bring incendiary bombs!"
At this moment, the captain was the highest-ranking officer, and the soldiers naturally obeyed him. Of course, the order to die had to be considered. Everyone frantically searched for incendiary grenades among the weapons Zhao Qiang had brought back, then set up a rocket launcher and handed it to the captain. The beetle was so big that there was no need to aim. The captain adjusted the direction slightly and fired. The incendiary grenade hit the beetle's shell and exploded. A large amount of accelerant flowed down its body like a flowing waterfall of fire. The fire ignited the bundle of grenades on the ground, and with a bang, it flipped the beetle over. Its legs were in the air as it struggled in the flames. The high temperature of the fire made it scream in agony. The other two beetles hiding in the distance did not dare to approach for a moment, but they drove thousands of mutants to attack.
Seeing that the fire had defeated the beetles' attack, the captain immediately organized his soldiers to set up a defensive line. Bullets were fired wildly at the charging mutants, and for a time the university campus was ablaze with flames and the sound of gunfire was deafening. The entire battle lasted for about half an hour. Each of the huge beetles was eventually burned down to only two wings as hard as stone slabs. The two wings together formed the beetle's main shell. Its body tissue had a high fat content, which was burned away by the gasoline fire.
The mutants ceased their large-scale attacks, and the remaining sporadic attacks provided the recruits with a good opportunity to practice their marksmanship. After defeating a seemingly impossible defensive position, the captain raised his gun and cheered loudly. In this battle, only a few recruits on the outermost perimeter were injured due to slow reaction. Without any medical treatment, they were shot in the head by their comrades on the spot to prevent them from becoming mutants and harming humans again. Apart from those few dead recruits, there were no other losses in the face of the three giant beetles' attack.
Zhao Qiang said to Yang Shiyun, "Go back and study it quickly, we need to hurry."
Yang Shiyun asked, "Aren't there two left?"
Zhao Qiang said, "They have retreated back into the mutant population; we should let them go for now."
Yang Shiyun led Lina back to the lab: "Then be careful."
The captain came over excitedly, "Zhao Qiang, I didn't expect those guys to be afraid of fire. Luckily, you brought back some incendiary bombs."
Zhao Qiang said, "Try contacting headquarters. It would be best to report that the beetles are afraid of fire and ask them to prepare more incendiary bombs and flamethrowers. This would be beneficial to us."
The captain said with a bitter face, "I'm afraid that even if I prepare, I won't be able to get it."
Zhao Qiang said, "Give it a try. Also, you need to inform the headquarters about the situation here. Tell them that the lab has started virus research, found a new treatment drug, and a series of experiments are underway. We'll have news soon."
The captain said, "Okay, I'll give it a try. Even if we can't get in touch here, friendly forces will be able to contact headquarters."
Zhao Qiang stood on high ground looking at the mess on campus. The three beetles had been temporarily defeated, but this was only the beginning. Once the infected creatures realized that the bones here were hard to gnaw, they would intensify their attacks. Therefore, the battles to come would be much more brutal. It would be impossible to deal with them with just a few barrels of gasoline and incendiary bombs. Moreover, a large amount of gasoline had just been used up, which would affect the operation of the laboratory. If the power was insufficient, the laboratory would be forced to shut down.
Zhao Qiang had the captain contact headquarters in hopes of securing external support for the laboratory's defense. His intention in releasing information about research achievements there was to attract the attention of the US government, prompting them to send more troops and weapons. Of course, whether the Americans would follow Zhao Qiang's plan remained to be seen.
Volume Two [705] Holding the Line
【705】Stand firm
"What are you looking at?" someone asked softly from behind. Zhao Qiang turned around and saw Donna. Because she didn't have much combat ability, she had been hiding in the crowd since she moved from the TV station to the school. Having just experienced an attack by beetles, Donna took advantage of the guards' inattention to leave the camp and followed Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "It's nothing. Why did you end up here? It's dangerous. Let's go back quickly."
Donna stubbornly replied, "If you're not afraid of danger, why should I be?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You are different from me. You are just an ordinary person. Even if you are a reporter, this is not the time for an interview."
Donna said, "You have to promise me that you'll allow me to interview you alone after this matter has calmed down."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, but I won't give interviews on sensitive topics."
Donna said, "Don't worry, I promise I won't make things difficult for you. Take your time looking around. I'm going back now."
Watching Donna sway her hips as she left, Zhao Qiang felt a sudden pang of unease. American girls really do have great figures.
Zhao Qiang pushed up his glasses and began to observe his surroundings. He could see that the mutants had not given up their attack on the school, but they were currently mobilizing their forces, and it would probably take some time to prepare for the next attack.
The captain rushed over, "Zhao Qiang, something's happened, you need to go to the command post right away."
Zhao Qiang jumped down from the rubble: "Okay, what's the matter that's so urgent?"
The captain said, "Contact a few friendly units and come check on their situation."
Zhao Qiang followed the captain into the command post. Several soldiers were working diligently in front of the computer screen. Because they needed to supply power to the laboratory, the command post was also benefiting from the operation. However, they were running low on gasoline and didn't know if they would be able to generate electricity tomorrow.
The captain said, "Look, these are photos sent by friendly forces in the vicinity. They have been attacked by a large number of mutants in the past few hours."
Zhao Qiang said, "The number of mutants is increasing, and life is getting harder for the surviving humans."
The captain said, "That's not the main point. Zhao Qiang, come and see, here... here... and here..." The captain gestured on the computer screen, "We are actually located in the center of them. Once these friendly forces under attack are breached, we will face a situation where we are surrounded by mutants."
Zhao Qiang glanced at it: "Yes, you're right, we are indeed surrounded by mutants, but it's nothing. The entire New York City is surrounded by mutants, we shouldn't be afraid." In fact, Zhao Qiang had already seen it coming. He could fly, so he was well aware of the overall situation. However, he couldn't tell these people about the dire situation, otherwise their morale would be even lower.
Seeing that Zhao Qiang was relaxed about the matter, the captain was less nervous and continued talking about other things, "I've released the news, but I haven't been able to contact headquarters yet. However, the response from friendly forces has been strong; they've all been asking about the progress of the research and the specific data."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll have Lina bring some documents over in a bit, then you can go out."
The captain said, "Alright, the nearest friendly force has indicated they intend to rendezvous with us. How should we respond?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Agree to his request and tell him that we have food and ammunition here, so that they will move closer to us."
The captain hesitated for a moment: "But Zhao Qiang, if we let them move closer to us, it will attract the attention of more mutants."
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course I understand, but even if we don't let them join us, this place will eventually attract the attention of the mutants. The more people there are, the more strength we will have, and the easier it will be to get help from the outside world."
The captain said, "Understood. I will speak with them and guide them to move in our direction."
Zhao Qiang continued to observe the enemy situation around him. Seeing that the mutants could not launch another wave of attacks for a while, he turned around and ran to the old headquarters site to continue moving weapons and ammunition. He also prepared some food for the people here. It's not enough to just say nice things; without food, they won't have the strength. Without strength, they can't even fire a gun, let alone protect the laboratory.
"Zhao Qiang," the captain called out to Zhao Qiang again. There were many things he couldn't make on his own, so he had to consult Zhao Qiang at every turn.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Qiang had just landed when he threw down the glider, tidied up the weapons he had brought back, and handed them to the soldiers on the ground.
The captain said, "Two friendly forces have broken camp and are heading towards us. They hope we can provide support. Also, I've already released the research data from the lab. Guess what news we received?"
Zhao Qiang wouldn't cooperate with the captain. He remained silent, and the captain, seeing that he couldn't keep them in suspense, had no choice but to reveal the answer himself: "The headquarters actually contacted us on its own initiative." This showed that it wasn't that they couldn't contact us before, but that the headquarters had been hiding all along. They used the pretext of being attacked to abandon communication with various units, which raised suspicions.
"How so?" Zhao Qiang asked.
The captain said, "Headquarters said our research is very important, and that reinforcements are on their way. They told us to hold our ground and that if necessary, they would send fighter jets for air support."
Zhao Qiang said, "Understood. Continue to disclose our situation here, talk more about the research. You can have your people bring cameras into the laboratory to film the research progress and then release it to headquarters."
The captain said, "Okay, I understand what you mean. If there are no other instructions, I will do it." The captain naturally understood Zhao Qiang's intention: the more important the research was, the more the country would have to pay attention to it, and the easier it would be for them to deal with the pressure from the mutants.
About half an hour later, the gunfire in the distance grew closer. The captain ran out and said, "It's friendly forces approaching our direction. James, Hann, you two take two squads and come with me." The captain wasn't a coward; he personally led his men to meet them. Zhao Qiang, fearing something might go wrong, also followed. Two soldiers were killed on the way. Finally, they joined the two groups. When the captain and his men saw them, they realized what misfortune was. The two groups totaled over a hundred men, all disheveled and dressed in tattered clothes. Even their guns were mostly out of order, and everyone looked listless, as if they had lost their mothers.
It was later learned that each of the two teams had more than 400 people when they set off, but they lacked the necessary weapons. Most of them were killed on the way, and they only made it to the university by having people sacrifice themselves to feed the mutants that pounced on them. The survivors had not eaten or drunk anything for more than a day. When they returned to the university camp, they almost ate all the food that the captain had. Later, Zhao Qiang had to go out to find food again. It was much safer for him to act alone, as the mutants could not hurt him.
Before the captain could integrate these defecting allies into his own ranks, a sharp alarm sounded on the university campus. Although there was more armed force, the consequences were obvious: the commotion attracted the mutants, who, after a period of preparation, launched an attack on the university.
Zhao Qiang entered the command post, where there was still a sufficient power supply. The shouts from various units continued through the military communication lines. The communications officer turned off the sound. Zhao Qiang said, "Send a request for fighter jet reinforcements to headquarters."
The captain hesitated: "Will they agree?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's say that our experiment has made another breakthrough, but the mutants seem to have noticed our achievements. They are attacking us at all costs, trying to destroy everything."
The captain said, "Yes, Dirk, do as Zhao Qiang says." Dirk, the communications soldier, immediately spread the news, with the main focus being the headquarters. Now that they knew the importance of this laboratory, they were naturally very concerned about the news from here.
Command quickly replied, "Captain, our fighter jets have already taken off. Please hold on. The airborne troops will arrive in an hour. Under no circumstances should you fail to defend the laboratory and protect our research results."
The captain said in a tone of immense gratitude, "I will definitely complete the mission."