Rapid gunfire erupted outside the campus, indicating that the vanguard of the mutants had entered firing range. Fortunately, Zhao Qiang had brought back enough ammunition, and everyone poured bullets into the mutant ranks without hesitation. However, even so, the mutants' attack speed was too frantic, forcing the defensive perimeter to shrink repeatedly, and increasing the casualties among the troops. Several times, the mutant ranks stormed into the campus, and Zhao Qiang rushed to reinforce them, driving them back. But this prolonged stalemate was not a solution. First, even with abundant ammunition, there wouldn't be enough to go around, and second, the excessive tension was taking its toll on many soldiers. Many of them were unarmed civilians just moments before, and it was difficult to get them involved in such a fierce and bloody battle.
Although Zhao Qiang appeared calm, reassuring the captain and others, his own situation wasn't so good. He was now acting as a firefighter, rushing to wherever the situation became unbearable. Eventually, Yang Shiyun had to come out to help, barely managing to hold off the crazed mutants. But if the mutants continued their relentless attack, the place would likely fall within half an hour, or even fifteen minutes. No matter how capable Zhao Qiang was, he couldn't turn the tide alone. This was why he initially tried to persuade the captain to work with him.
Many soldiers hesitated and planned to retreat because they saw no bright future. At that moment, the roar of airplanes filled the air. Three F-22s swooped down, their cannons raining down a massive amount of ammunition, and missiles carrying incendiary warheads were also launched. The entire mutant ranks were thrown into chaos, and many mutants were turned into mincemeat. Incendiary bombs formed a fiery barrier outside the campus, and the mutant offensive immediately weakened. The captain took the opportunity to shout to encourage everyone, and the gunfire became more intense. Fewer and fewer mutants rushed into the campus and were eventually completely wiped out, while the mutants outside were temporarily unable to enter because of the F-22s.
The captain was incredibly excited. He had lost count of how many times he had repelled the mutant attacks. Since the outbreak of the virus, humanity had been at a disadvantage, but now it seemed that they had found the feeling of winning a battle. This was all thanks to Zhao Qiang. If he hadn't deliberately leaked the news of the research progress, it was estimated that these three F-22s would not have been able to arrive so quickly. After all, the government did not want the research results here to go to waste.
Three F-22s completed their reinforcement mission and flew away, but soon five more helicopters arrived. They hovered over the campus, and soon lowered ropes. Squads of U.S. Marines nimbly descended to the ground. Their first priority was to seize advantageous positions on campus and try to take over the captain's original defense duties.
The captain looked uneasy. His soldiers stepped forward to ask him what was wrong, and the captain said with a grim face, "We can't hand over the defense of this place to them, otherwise we won't be able to guarantee that Zhao Qiang can get into the laboratory to conduct his research smoothly."
These trusted soldiers obeyed the captain's every word, so they immediately rushed forward and pushed the Marines who were seizing advantageous positions. The newly arrived Marines were puzzled. What was going on? It seemed like the people here didn't welcome them. They had carried out this mission with the intention of dying, with no chance of returning alive.
Volume 2 [706] Bitter Battle
[706] Bitter Battle
"Get out of here!" the captain yelled at the Marines, infuriating them so much that they almost started a fight. They had never been treated like this before.
A colonel stepped forward and said, "What are you doing? We've been ordered to take over this place. You're safe now."
The captain's men said, "What? We've been ordered to take over this place? What do we do then? Can we withdraw from New York City?"
The colonel said, "Leaving New York City is definitely not an option. You will stay and continue to help us defend the laboratory."
The captain's men said, "In that case, we are not safe at all. We will not entrust our lives to others. Theoretically speaking, you should be helping us defend, not the other way around. We need to understand the priorities."
The colonel snorted: "Are you disobeying military orders?"
The captain's men retorted without backing down: "So what if it is? New York City is destroyed, and the entire human world could be destroyed in the next minute. Don't try that with us."
The colonel brought fewer than fifty men, but the captain wielded considerable influence here. Not daring to escalate the conflict, he could only go to the captain. At that moment, the captain was leisurely drinking water in the command post. He was exhausted from repelling the mutants' attack. Seeing the colonel enter, he hurriedly stood up, forcing a smile, and said, "Welcome, welcome, Colonel."
The colonel snorted: "Welcome? Captain, how did you lead your troops? Why won't you allow us to take over the defense?"
The captain asked, "Colonel, how many men did you bring in total?"
The colonel said, "Fifty-six elite special forces soldiers."
The captain said, "Colonel, I believe you know the situation better than I do. Fifty-six people, do you think that number is enough to protect the laboratory?"
"They are all elites," the colonel emphasized.
The captain completely ignored him: "Don't talk to me about that. Here, it's all about strength. If the lab falls because of your problems, Colonel, can you take responsibility? Empty words are useless. I'm responsible to the entire United States and to all of humanity. Either you request more troops, or you can just stand aside and watch."
The colonel's chest heaved violently with anger, but he knew that this was the captain's territory, so he didn't dare to push too hard. He could only serve as the captain's deputy and assist in defense. After all, the small number of people he brought hadn't been taken seriously by the other side.
The colonel breathed a sigh of relief. "Captain, let's go check out the lab. I'm even happier that you're confident you can hold the school."
The captain said, "Go to the lab? What's there to see? It's a restricted area; only researchers are allowed in."
The colonel said, "I need to see the experiment with my own eyes, otherwise the headquarters won't feel at ease."
The captain scoffed, "Colonel, are you saying we tricked you into coming to reinforce us with a fake experiment?"
The colonel said, "Of course not, but I still need to go and see for myself such a big matter, otherwise how can I explain it to headquarters?"
The captain said, "I don't care about that, Colonel. Since you're here to assist us, you have to follow my instructions. The researchers I found have an agreement with me that no non-staff members are allowed to enter the laboratory, and I must abide by that."
The colonel was truly helpless. He could only explain the situation to headquarters, but headquarters couldn't do anything about the captain now. The captain hadn't asked for any benefits from headquarters and had provided himself with food and ammunition. It wouldn't make sense to send someone to take over his battle results now. So headquarters abandoned the original plan and told the colonel not to act rashly.
Soon another set of data was released through military communications. The command immediately summoned military experts. They had to get an accurate result to determine whether the data was true or false, otherwise everyone would regret missing the opportunity to deal with the virus.
Several professors studied the research for a long time, and then one of them reported to the commander on behalf of everyone. He personally confirmed that the research was credible. The lieutenant general at the headquarters frowned and asked, "How is this possible? Didn't you say that you wouldn't make any progress in the research in a short period of time?"
The professor said, "Perhaps they have found a new research direction. Judging from the current data, they have conducted several experiments and are getting closer to the results step by step. This is fantastic news!"
The lieutenant general said, "Think carefully back to me, which of the staff sent to the university laboratories to receive the equipment has this capability?"
The professor said, "We know very well that there is none, and that's exactly what's puzzling us now. Who is leading this research, and how did they achieve such rapid progress? It's unbelievable."
The lieutenant general said, "It seems that what they said is true. They have found real experts in this field. You can go down and find out their information as soon as possible. Do not ask the laboratory for any questions for the time being, so as not to delay their research time. If they need any help, do everything you can to help them. Anyway, they can't run away. If they have any research results, it will also be our achievement."
After the professors left the headquarters, the lieutenant general summoned several of his subordinates and ordered them to immediately mobilize more airborne troops and prepare to airdrop weapons, ammunition, medicine, and food. He stressed that they must do everything in their power to protect the laboratory.
What followed was simple: a large number of troops and supplies were deployed to the laboratory, while the surrounding garrison troops could not withstand the enormous pressure from the mutants and retreated to the university campus. In a short period of time, tens of thousands of people gathered there. The number of combat personnel increased significantly, but the security and daily necessities on campus became severely lacking. Although the command increased the number of airdrops despite the danger, it still could not solve the problem. Fortunately, as long as no one starved to death, no one cared.
The mutants' encirclement of the laboratory was finally complete. Overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, they stormed the university campus. Tens of thousands of mutants charged forward, only to be met with a hail of bullets. No matter how fast or strong the mutants were, they couldn't withstand the barrage of bullets. Of course, they weren't going to die in vain. The monsters hidden among them used the mutants as cover to rush towards the positions. Every time they appeared, the troops protecting the laboratory suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, fighter jets provided reinforcements from time to time; otherwise, the place would have fallen long ago.
The captain found Zhao Qiang, who had just killed a monster. If it weren't for him leading the resistance against the monsters, the ground troops would have been wiped out long ago. The captain looked anxious. "Zhao Qiang, the mutants have gone all out and are not stopping at all. Even with air support, we can't hold on much longer."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll go to the lab to take a look. You should request the headquarters to send in armed helicopters, and at the same time, deploy missiles to carpet bomb the area outside the campus to prevent the arrival of any more mutants."
The captain said, "Okay."
Zhao Qiang entered the laboratory. The airdropped supplies had already replenished the laboratory with new fuel, so there was no shortage of electricity. All the equipment in the laboratory was able to continue operating. Yang Shiyun and Lina, with the assistance of several American research staff, were conducting experiments day and night. From the sets of data they were constantly releasing, it was clear that the research results were encouraging.
Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun, "What's going on?"
Yang Shiyun looked up, her hands still busy with work, and asked, "What's the situation outside?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's very bad. We've already requested missile reinforcements. Maybe we can buy a few more hours."
Yang Shiyun said, "The treatment potion will be ready soon. The progress of the research should be in line with your expectations, and I think the result will definitely be correct."
Zhao Qiang said, "Hurry up, people are dying outside every second, and a large number of monsters have appeared. We might be able to hold them off this time, but we might not be able to next time."
Yang Shiyun said, "I understand. Don't rush us, otherwise we might make mistakes in the chaos."
The battle situation outside is indeed not optimistic. Fortunately, Marines are constantly being airdropped in, but even so, the defense line is still retreating step by step. The mutants are easy to deal with; as long as you have bullets, you can kill them. But the monsters are too powerful; they cannot be dealt with by ordinary guns. Even Zhao Qiang has to work hard to kill one.
The bombing finally began, gradually closing in on the university from the outermost perimeter. The explosions were deafening, one after another. Under the missile strikes, coupled with incendiary bombs, even the monsters couldn't withstand it. The situation on the battlefield finally eased, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They were even more eager to develop a cure as soon as possible, because only in this way could they avoid being trapped in the New York City.
With another set of new data made public by the military, the US government is determined to buy time for the laboratory. Judging from the data they keep sending, the progress is quite fast, and results will be available in 24 hours at most. Even if a lot of manpower and resources are invested during this period, it will be worth it.
Almost all available air power in the vicinity was concentrated near the university. Once the mutants gathered in large numbers, they were bombed. Among the monsters, some could jump and fly, and each one posed a serious threat to the air force. More than ten fighter jets had already crashed, and this was just the beginning, because the frequency of aerial monsters was increasing. They could destroy an F-22 with their strong bodies alone, and Black Hawk helicopters were no match for them. For a time, the sky and the ground were in chaos, and there was fighting everywhere. Many people regretted being born in New York, and they never wanted to experience such a scene again in their lives.
Both sides persisted, and Zhao Qiang was also exhausted. In the end, he decided to give up helping outside. Rather than fighting the endless mutants, he would rather go to the laboratory to help buy time.
Yang Shiyun was sweating profusely in the air-conditioned laboratory. She was nervous. She could see the situation outside from time to time with her X-ray glasses. Every minute, many people were dying because of her research inside. Her hands began to tremble. However, abandoning the research here would mean that to solve the virus, she would have to rebuild the experimental equipment. The wasted time would cause the virus to have a greater impact. So, no matter how many people died outside, she had to endure it.
Zhao Qiang walked in and said, "Let me do it. You're in charge of inputting the data and performing the calculations."
Yang Shiyun handed the work to Zhao Qiang: "Okay, there are still two sets of data that need to be processed. Quickly scan them into the brain for processing. After we finish this work, we will be able to obtain the main components of the drug."
Zhao Qiang didn't waste any time and immediately sped up Yang Shiyun's progress. Of course, he didn't relax his monitoring of the battle situation outside. Although a large number of mutants and monsters died, the position was gradually retreating. More civilians were armed, but they could only hold out for a few minutes. The ground was littered with corpses that had been eaten by mutants. Then, these corpses, along with the mutants, were blown to pieces by bombers.
(Thanks to Lulu and zuxulo for their monthly ticket support)
Volume Two [707] Success
【7o7】Success
The US government is sparing no expense to prevent mutants and monsters from attacking university laboratories. In addition to the data released by the laboratories, the most important factor is that the laboratories have already proven their advanced nature. This was said by Professor Martin himself. Although he is currently unconscious, his words carry authority. The US government absolutely cannot allow anything to happen to the laboratory.
However, fighter jets, bombers, and helicopters suffered heavy losses in succession from the mutant attacks outside the laboratory. The US government seemed to be losing patience. They were waiting for an opportunity. As soon as the mutant attacks stopped, they would immediately organize forces to move the laboratory away. Once the laboratory was moved away from the New York area, the Americans would still be able to maintain control of the experiments.
Three more F-22s arrived, but before they could launch an attack, a monster jumped up and crashed into them. The remaining two immediately took off and circled around, attacking the mutants and monsters on the ground from time to time. Later, several more Black Hawk helicopters arrived, and the team worked together to bring the situation to a standstill.
Yang Shiyun was sweating profusely in the laboratory. She was extremely nervous as she watched people die one after another. However, she couldn't say anything when she saw Zhao Qiang carrying out the experiment without any hesitation. She could only sigh anxiously to herself.
"Bring in a mutant!" Zhao Qiang shouted. The American researchers next to him were startled and said, "Mutants? What do you want with them? There are ready-made viruses here. If you want to do experiments, just use the virus directly."
Zhao Qiang said, "These viruses have changed after being isolated, so we need to find a mutant human to experiment on."
One researcher was taken aback and blurted out, "Could it be that the treatment drug has already been successfully developed?"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's right."
Yang Shiyun jumped up excitedly: "Really? You're really much more capable! You finished more than three hours ahead of my expectations!" Let alone an hour, even a minute is extremely precious these days. Zhao Qiang's intervention accelerated the progress again, and his own brain chip's processing speed was fast enough that sometimes he didn't even need to do calculations and could directly get the results, naturally saving more time than Yang Shiyun and the others' research. However, with Zhao Qiang in the laboratory, the situation outside became extremely dangerous, because Zhao Qiang's departure meant at least a hundred more people died.
Yang Shiyun ran out of the laboratory and rushed into the battlefield. In no time, she used ropes to tie up a mutant and brought him into the lab. The mutant struggled fiercely, but Yang Shiyun's ropes were extremely tight; they only made a cracking sound as they constricted the mutant's body, having no real effect. Zhao Qiang stepped on the mutant, firmly securing him, and then raised the large syringe in his hand.
This drug is entirely synthetic, made from dozens of substances. It looks somewhat yellowish and thick, like porridge. It is very different from the drug developed by Professor Martin. Zhao Qiang found a way to completely suppress its reproduction after countless analyses of the virus cells. As for whether it can save people who have already been infected and become mutants, who knows?
Zhao Qiang stepped on the mutant's head, exposing its neck to the syringe. With a "plop," the needle pierced the skin. The mutant on the ground struggled violently, its skin rapidly changing color. This infected person must have been dead for over twenty hours. Under the influence of the virus, its skin was a blackish-brown color, which was definitely not the color a dead person should have after only twenty-odd hours. After the injection, its skin began to fade, as if it were discoloring. The blackish-brown color disappeared, revealing the normal color of a dead person.
Zhao Qiang didn't have time to test it at this moment. He immediately divided the synthesized drug into two portions and then called in the captain. The captain was unrecognizable at this point. The intensity of the battle outside could be seen from the marks on his body. When he saw Zhao Qiang, his voice trembled as he said, "Zhao Qiang, we can't hold on much longer. Even with fighter jet support, it won't help."
Zhao Qiang handed the captain a box: "Notify your government that you can begin the evacuation."
The captain was stunned; he clearly couldn't believe there was a result. "This...this is the medicine for treating the infection?"
Zhao Qiang then handed another syringe to the captain: "Take this and find a wounded soldier outside. Inject him and see the effect." There are plenty of soldiers wounded by mutants on the battlefield, so it's not difficult to use living people for experiments.
The captain ran out carrying a box and a syringe, followed by Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun, who were also carrying video cameras. The images were transmitted to the US government in a timely manner. It wasn't enough to just say whether the drug was effective; the Americans had to do the experiments themselves. There was no doubt that there would be no exaggeration in the results. The Americans would be even more anxious than Zhao Qiang about how to deal with this laboratory.
"Who's been injured by the mutants?" the captain shouted. Immediately, several soldiers with mournful faces surrounded him. They had been driven to rage by the bloody battlefield and, coupled with their infection, had decided to fight to the death. But when they heard that the lab results were out, their fighting spirit vanished, and they all waited to be treated.
The captain didn't hesitate. He immediately shoved a soldier's neck and injected the medicine into his wound. Then he opened the box, took out a second syringe of medicine from a sterile container, and injected the others. In just over a minute, all of them had been injected. The camera filmed their wounds, which had started to turn black, and began to return to the normal color of human skin. Zhao Qiang could only roughly estimate the effect. Further research could be carried out in a regular laboratory, so this could be abandoned.
Zhao Qiang threw down the camera in her hand. She pulled Yang Shiyun up, and Yang Shiyun reached out and pulled Lina up as well. They turned around and found Donna. Zhao Qiang led the three girls away from the university campus. Under the cover of night and with gunfights everywhere, they left the city of New York without any hindrance. Since they were traveling by air, the walls the Americans built around New York City could not stop them at all.
Behind her, the city of New York City dotted with sparks, Donna sighed deeply: "Can this end?"
Lina didn't say anything; she was just a controlled vegetable now.
Yang Shiyun seemed very happy: "Zhao Qiang, can we go back to China now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "We gave half of the synthesized drug to the United States as a way of repaying them. As long as they follow the formula left in the laboratory, they can easily produce the treatment drug. However, due to the time constraints, a lot of clinical data for this drug has not yet been obtained, and even its drug stability is unknown. These can only be studied slowly in the future. In short, its ability to treat infections should be certain, and that is enough."
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun left, leaving the captain speechless with excitement. The experiment had been transmitted to the military in real time via camera, and the command immediately decided to send more soldiers to relocate the laboratory and preserve all the data and equipment. This was something that had to be done to save the United States and even the world. It didn't matter who developed the drug; the key was that Americans could save themselves. Otherwise, if the virus spread, the entire United States would be crushed.
More air power arrived and continuously strafed the mutants outside the university campus. Missiles bombarded the monsters relentlessly, and no matter how powerful or tough the monsters were, they couldn't withstand the repeated bombardment.
From the air, the area surrounding the campus no longer resembled a city; it was riddled with craters filled with blackened carcasses. The air reeked of gunpowder and charred flesh, enough to make most people vomit. Under the relentless attacks of humanity, the mutants had finally run out of manpower. The combined strength of the infected in New York City was simply no match for the entire military force of the United States. Moreover, a single fighter jet was enough to wipe out hundreds of mutants. If the infected lost their source of allies, they would ultimately fail.
The captain was among the first to evacuate. He personally carried the boxes containing the medicine onto the helicopter, which, escorted by dozens of helicopters, led him out of the laboratory. The equipment inside was naturally taken over by others. One can imagine that the captain had truly become famous this time, while the major, whom the captain had imprisoned, became an insignificant figure. Who would remember him? Even if he stood up to criticize the captain's actions, it would be useless, because the captain acted for the sake of all humanity; his detention of the major was a completely selfless act.
A few hours later, the United States officially announced that they had successfully found a treatment for the virus, named 'T', thus bringing a potential global biohazard crisis under control. The source of the crisis was now untraceable, as New York City was a ruin. Even without further sources of infection, the city was riddled with damage, making repair impossible. Dealing with the mutants and monsters within New York City would be a long-term problem. The steel wall surrounding New York City would continue to be built, and even if it were to remain in place, it would be permanently encircled, serving as a warning to humanity of this catastrophe.
The United States suffered heavy losses due to the virus crisis, but this was not within Zhao Qiang's consideration, as he was preoccupied with figuring out how to return to the United States. During the outbreak, all countries suspended direct exchanges with the United States, as a mishap could endanger all of humanity, and no one dared to take it lightly. Even though the United States promised to have found a cure, it was impossible to resume flights with the United States in the short term. Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun used an anti-gravity flight device to first reach Canada, then Japan, then Taiwan, and finally Hong Kong before safely returning home. Because they were carrying medication to treat the 'T' virus, they were immediately surrounded by national security personnel upon entering Hong Kong Airport.
Yang Shiyun was furious looking at the dozens of burly men with their businesslike expressions. She tried to force her way through their encirclement, but the captain pleaded, "Sister Yang, please don't make things difficult for us. We are just following orders. The Central Committee told us to protect Mr. Zhao properly, and we have no other intentions."
Yang Shiyun snorted: "Don't you know that what Zhao Qiang hates most is having his freedom restricted?"
The team leader said, "Sister Yang, you've just returned from the United States, and it's still unknown whether you have the 'T' virus on you. So we need to quarantine you for a period of time for observation. Also, you need to hand over your suitcases to us for safekeeping. We need to carefully scan and disinfect the suitcases. If the virus infects Hong Kong, then we will suffer a terrible catastrophe."
Zhao Qiang said to Yang Shiyun, "Forget it, this isn't their fault. Although we weren't infected, we're unsure if we have the virus that could infect others. Let them be quarantined, disinfected, and tested." Actually, Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun had already taken care of their bodies before entering Canada. They had been using energy shields to protect themselves from the virus, so disinfecting themselves would have been a simple matter. However, to reassure the country, Zhao Qiang felt it was necessary to go through the procedure again, as this was no trivial matter.