#79 - Chapter 79: Dead Rising
"We've made contact. The troops are on their way and are expected to arrive in about 2 hours," the secretary next to him said.
"2 hours! I don't know if we can hold out that long." Zuo Wenshan looked at the densely packed zombies on the bridge in the distance and said worriedly.
This was the first time in months since arriving here that they had been attacked by so many zombies.
Zuo Wenshan felt uncertain. He didn't know how to defend against these zombies.
Only some of the police had guns, and ammunition was scarce. The rest only had kitchen knives.
"Mayor Zuo, I don't think these zombies are planning to attack us," the secretary next to him said.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Zuo Wenshan asked.
"Think about it, if they really wanted to attack us, wouldn't they be swarming over here? Two kilometers is a short distance, they'd be here in no time. But look at them now, they're just walking slowly. It'll probably take them over an hour to reach this side of the bridge," the secretary analyzed.
Zuo Wenshan nodded in agreement. It was a bit strange.
But then again, zombies have no brains, everyone knows that. So you can't think about it with normal logic.
The gate to the settlement was tightly locked, and blocked with stones on the other side. The people responsible for defending the city wall stared intently below, not daring to act rashly.
An hour and a half later, the zombies arrived at the gate.
They hissed and roared in low voices. Although each zombie's voice wasn't loud, the combined sound of countless zombies was like a surging river, thick and continuous, making people's eardrums ache.
Sure enough, as the secretary had said, these zombies stood at the city gate and did not attack.
They seemed to be waiting, not knowing what they were waiting for.
"Mayor Zuo, do you think they might be waiting for the troops to arrive?" the secretary asked.
"Don't talk nonsense, do you think the zombies have become spirits?" Zuo Wenshan was starting to dislike this secretary. How could this jinx be so accurate?
The secretary hurriedly shut his mouth and stopped talking.
About half an hour later, gunshots came from the other side of the bridge, it should be the troops arriving.
The zombies on the bridge began to stir restlessly. They rushed frantically towards the other side of the bridge, completely oblivious to death.
The gunshots grew fainter and fewer, gradually fading away, and the zombies became quiet again.
"What's going on? Could it be..." The secretary was about to say that the soldiers had been wiped out by the zombies, but Zuo Wenshan interrupted him.
"Shut your jinxing mouth!" Zuo Wenshan scolded.
It was too dark, they couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the bridge.
Half an hour later, the zombies ran back, and they frantically attacked the settlement.
Unable to break through the gate, they piled on top of each other, layer upon layer, eventually forming a slope as wide as the bridge, and the zombies behind rushed madly into the settlement.
No one could resist, the settlement's defenses were like paper, and it was quickly breached.
March 19, 2055 AD, 3:00 AM.
The Matang settlement was breached, and all 320,000 residents perished.
......
Yusu Province, Kunfeng City, Southeast Military Region Headquarters.
"Haven't you made contact yet?" Zongzhen Yue paced anxiously, shouting in the office.
"Not yet." The communications soldier lowered his head, not daring to say a word.
Military satellites were still usable, and satellite phones could be used to make calls.
"This is outrageous! Outrageous! A force of 10,000 men just disappeared? What about the Matang settlement? Have you made contact?" Zongzhen Yue continued to ask.
For ease of communication, most settlement headquarters were equipped with a satellite phone.
"No." The communications soldier replied.
"Commander, I have a bad feeling..." the secretary said from the side.
"Go, send a reconnaissance company to take a look. Remember, if there is any danger, retreat immediately," Zongzhen Yue instructed.
He also had a bad feeling.
"Yes!" The secretary obeyed and left.
5 hours later.
"Commander, something terrible has happened!" The secretary rushed in anxiously and said.
"What's the situation?" Zongzhen Yue quickly asked.
"The reconnaissance company reported that the Matang settlement is empty, and there are many zombie corpses on the ground. Judging from the situation at the scene, they must have encountered a zombie attack," the secretary said.
"What about our people?" Zongzhen Yue continued to ask.
"On the opposite bank of the settlement, we found our troops' vehicles and weapons, and a large number of bullet casings remained on the ground..." The secretary didn't continue.
"Clang."
Zongzhen Yue slumped into his chair.
Ten thousand people! That was his most elite force! Those children were still so young!
At this moment, he was heartbroken.
In his heart, he was extremely reluctant for these children to go out and kill zombies, the casualties were too severe. But facing the settlement's request for help, he couldn't ignore it.
But what was the final result?
He fulfilled the sacred promise of protecting the territory and its people, but not only did it not change anything, it also sacrificed ten thousand fresh lives in vain.
Why is this happening? What should be done?
Zongzhen Yue fell into an unprecedented dilemma.
"Report!"
"Enter!"
"Commander, Commander Yan of the Southwest Military Region is here." The duty guard company soldier reported.
"Oh? Quick, invite him in!" Zongzhen Yue braced himself.
