45: Chapter 45 Gas Station Ambush

The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the silhouette of the East Suburb Gas Station appeared exceptionally silent under the grayish-white sky.

Commander Lin Dong crouched at the edge of the gas station's rooftop, raising his binoculars to observe the highway to the northeast. The world through the lenses was divided into a dense data grid; the position of every abandoned car, every possible piece of cover, and the movement trajectory of every zombie were automatically converted into distance, angle, and time in his mind.

"Boss, they're here."

The voice of Conscript Battalion Commander Wang Hu came through the walkie-talkie, carrying the calmness bestowed by the system, but Commander Lin Dong could detect a nearly negligible trace of tension—this was the Red Alert Corps' first structured combat operation.

Commander Lin Dong did not respond immediately. He moved his binoculars and saw that gray-black tide at the end of the highway. A data panel automatically activated in his field of vision:

[Horde detected, Quantity: 237]

[Level Composition: F-Class x 231, E-Class x 6]

[Average Movement Speed: 3.1m/s]

[Estimated Arrival Time: 4 minutes 28 seconds]

237. That was over thirty more than expected.

Commander Lin Dong lowered his binoculars and pressed his headset to issue orders: "All groups, report your positions."

"Group One in position, behind the abandoned oil tanker on the west side of the gas station." It was Battalion Commander Wang Hu's voice.

"Group Two in position, in the drainage ditch on the east side of the highway. Good visibility." Zhang Lei, the best marksman among the five.

"Group Three in position, second floor of the gas station's main building, windows removed." Li Mu, originally a Engineer in his settings, now crouched by the window holding an AKM.

"Groups Four and Five, stand by in the rear reserve area. Acknowledge."

"Group Four copies."

"Group Five copies."

Five Conscripts plus himself made six people. Facing over two hundred zombies, including six E-Class ones.

Commander Lin Dong's breathing was as steady as a pendulum. He quickly simulated the tactics in his mind: Group One's oil tanker was the main detonation point, Group Two's crossfire would split the horde, Group Three would suppress the E-Class Mutants from the high ground, while he and Groups Four and Five would act as mobile forces to plug any gaps.

A new calculation window popped up on the data panel:

[Preset Tactical Simulation: Success Rate 78.3%]

[Main Risk Points: E-Class Mutants breaking through Group Two's defense line, oil tanker explosion radius exceeding expectations]

78.3%, that's enough.

Commander Lin Dong pulled a Type 95 from his waist, the sound of him racking the bolt crisp and clean. He made no redundant movements; every detail seemed measured by a ruler—the angle of the stock against his shoulder, the zeroing of the scope, the placement of spare magazines—all of it was muscle memory etched into his bones.

"All units, listen to my command," his voice was low but clear. "Wait for my first shot. When the targets enter the thirty-meter range of the oil tanker, Group One detonates. Group Two opens fire five seconds after the explosion, prioritizing breaking their formation. Group Three, keep a close eye on the fast ones; don't let them break through the line of fire."

"Understood." Five voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Commander Lin Dong took another look at the end of the highway. The horde was closer now; he could clearly see the distorted faces of the front-row zombies. Some were still in pajamas, others wrapped in tattered suits, their mouths covered in dried black blood.

The data panel in the bottom right of his vision flashed a countdown: [Time Remaining: 2 minutes 15 seconds]

Commander Lin Dong suddenly remembered something and pressed his headset to ask: "Group Two, what's the wind direction there?"

Zhang Lei's voice quickly came back: "Southeast wind, speed about three meters per second."

"The smoke will drift northwest. Pay attention to the offset when you fire; aim half a body length further to the left."

"Copy."

This was the effect Commander Lin Dong wanted—not just simple orders, but making every soldier understand the battlefield environment so they could make fine adjustments based on data. Having come from a Reconnaissance Company, he knew that no matter how perfect a plan was, it couldn't keep up with changes. The only way to deal with change was the initiative of every combat unit.

Time passed second by second.

The horde entered the 500-meter range. Commander Lin Dong could hear that unique sound of footsteps—not the sound of normal people walking, but the cacophony of countless feet dragging, scraping, and colliding on the ground, mixed with the rattling sounds from their throats, as if something was stuck in their windpipes.

400 meters.

300 meters.

200 meters.

The frontmost zombies had already entered the 50-meter range of the oil tanker. Commander Lin Dong clearly saw those six E-Class zombies—three Speed-types, two Strength-types, and one bloated one, labeled by the panel as [E-Class · Explosion-type]. Its health was half that of the other E-Class zombies, but its abdomen had a strange fluorescence.

Explosion-type. This thing would explode upon death.

Commander Lin Dong quickly adjusted his tactics in his mind: "Group Three, pay attention to the one with the glowing belly. Prioritize focusing fire on it; don't let it get near any cover. Group One, evacuate your position immediately after detonation and move toward the main building."

"Understood."

100 meters.

50 meters.

40 meters.

35 meters.

30 meters—

Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The gunshot tore through the morning silence, the bullet precisely hitting the forehead of the F-Class Zombie leading the way. The zombie's head burst like a smashed watermelon, and its body fell straight backward.

At the same moment, Battalion Commander Wang Hu at Group One's position slammed down the detonator.

"Boom!!!"

A fireball erupted from the oil tanker, orange flames soaring into the sky amidst the roar of the explosion. The shockwave, carrying shattered metal fragments, swept across the surroundings. Over a dozen zombies closest to the blast center were instantly torn to shreds, while many more were knocked over by the air blast, looking like a swarm of ants stepped on by a giant.

The data panel refreshed frantically:

[Killed: F-Class x 17, E-Class x 1 (Explosion-type detonated early)]

[Horde Confusion State: Estimated Duration 12 seconds]

Now!

"Group Two, fire!" Commander Lin Dong shouted into his headset, while simultaneously aiming at another Speed-type E-Class in the rear of the horde.

In the drainage ditch at Group Two's position, Zhang Lei and another Conscript opened fire at the same time. The sound of AKMs merged into one as bullets swept across the flank of the horde in a fan shape. Zhang Lei remembered Commander Lin Dong's reminder and aimed half a body length to the left; the bullets passed right through the dust blown by the southeast wind and hit the target precisely.

Three F-Class Zombies fell.

But more importantly, Group Two's fire caused the horde to split—the front group was deterred by the explosion, the rear wanted to rush forward, while the middle was suppressed in place by bullets. The entire formation became a chaotic mess.

Group Three also opened fire at the same time. Li Mu crouched at the second-floor window, his muzzle aimed precisely at those three Speed-type E-Class zombies. The Speed-types posed the greatest threat; they were fast, and if they were allowed to break through the line of fire, close-quarters combat would be very troublesome.

The first Speed-type was darting left and right through the horde, trying to bypass the burning oil tanker. Li Mu held his breath, his reticle following its head, and pulled the trigger the moment it paused briefly.

A hit.

But it only grazed its cheek, taking off half its lower jaw. The Speed-type zombie felt the pain, and its speed actually increased as it charged straight for the drainage ditch where Group Two was hiding.

"Group Two, eleven o'clock!" Just as Commander Lin Dong's shout fell, he had already fired.

The bullet hit the Speed-type's knee from the side, a mist of blood erupting from the joint. The zombie lost its balance and tumbled under an abandoned car by the roadside. Before it could crawl back up, Group Two's crossfire had already covered it, pinning it to the ground with over a dozen bullets.

Two Speed-types left.

Commander Lin Dong reloaded quickly while glancing at the panel:

[Remaining Zombies: Approx. 190]

[Remaining E-Class: 4 (Speed-type x 2, Strength-type x 2)]

[Ammo Consumption: 5.56mm 87 rounds, 7.62mm 142 rounds]

Ammo consumption was a bit fast. At this rate, finishing off this batch of zombies would consume at least four hundred rounds, while their total reserve was only six hundred.

Efficiency had to be improved.

"Group Three, cease fire at will, focus on the E-Class," Commander Lin Dong ordered. "Groups One and Two, advance in a fan shape, force them to gather toward the center of the explosion."

This was a common tactic of the Reconnaissance Company—using fire to compress the enemy's maneuvering space and drive them into a preset killing zone. The explosion center was still burning now; the flames and high temperature were themselves a natural barrier. As long as the horde was forced in that direction, they would trample each other in the chaos, significantly reducing the threat.

Group One began to move. Battalion Commander Wang Hu led another Conscript out from behind the wreckage of the oil tanker, flanking the right side of the horde while firing. Group Two also emerged from the drainage ditch, their fire extending to the left.

The two streams of fire were like two invisible pincers, slowly squeezing the horde toward the middle.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The F-Class Zombie's intelligence is very low; they only instinctively charge in the direction of gunfire.

But when gunfire rang out from both sides simultaneously, their instincts became chaotic—some went left, some went right, and those in the middle were pushed by those on both sides, involuntarily retreating toward the flames behind them.

Over a dozen zombies retreated into the sea of fire, and their bodies instantly burst into flames.

They emitted shrill howls, struggling frantically in the fire, but the more they struggled, the fiercer the fire burned, and soon they collapsed in the black smoke.

Commander Lin Dong saw the kill count on his panel jumping: 【F-Class × 23】【F-Class × 31】【F-Class × 38】...

Just then, an E-Class strength-type Mutant suddenly launched an attack.

It grabbed an F-Class Zombie beside it and hurled it toward the Second Team's position like a sandbag.

That hundred-pound body traced an arc in the air, crashing straight toward Zhang Lei.

"Get down!"

Zhang Lei didn't have time to think and instinctively dove to the side.

The zombie's corpse slammed into the spot where he had just been crouching, the sound of bones shattering clearly audible.

If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been at least severely injured by that hit.

But the strength-type had already taken advantage of this gap to rush over.

Its speed wasn't fast, but every step was heavy and powerful, making a sound like muffled thunder as it hit the ground.

Its two arms were abnormally thick, and its fingers had turned into pitch-black sharp claws, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic luster.

The data panel popped up a warning:

【E-Class · Strength-type Mutant】

【HP: 450 / 450】

【Threat Rating: Medium】

【Special Ability: Berserk Charge — Impact damage increased by 300% during linear sprinting】

"Focus fire on it!" Commander Lin Dong vaulted down the stairs from the top floor, firing his gun as he ran.

Bullets hit the strength-type, splashing up flowers of blood, but its HP dropped very slowly—with 450 HP, a single ordinary bullet could only knock off seven or eight points, requiring at least sixty shots to kill it.

And it was less than forty meters away from the Second Team.

The Third Team's firepower poured down from the second floor; Li Mu and another Conscript fired desperately.

Blood holes exploded across the strength-type's back; it roared in pain, turned, grabbed a discarded bicycle, and hurled it forcefully at the second floor.

The bicycle smashed against the wall below the window, sending brick fragments flying.

Li Mu was shaken, stumbling and nearly falling out of the window.

"Second Team, retreat! Retreat to the main building!" Commander Lin Dong had already rushed to the ground, raising his gun to aim at the strength-type's hind leg.

His marksmanship was much more accurate than the Conscripts', and he knew where to aim—not the head, as the strength-type's skull was too thick to penetrate; not the torso, as that area had the most muscle; but the back of the knee, which only had a layer of skin and tendons; hitting it could cause it to lose its balance.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two shots, both hitting the back of the right knee.

The strength-type's right leg went weak, its body tilted to the right, and its sprinting speed dropped instantly.

It roared, trying to steady itself, but its right leg could no longer exert force, and it could only kneel on the ground.

"Now! Hit its head!"

Over a dozen guns opened fire simultaneously.

Bullets poured onto the strength-type's head like a rainstorm, its HP dropping wildly—347, 289, 212, 156...

When its HP dropped to 87, it suddenly let out a deafening roar, its muscles bulging all over, and it stood up abruptly, making a move to lunge at the nearest person, Zhang Lei.

But the moment it stood up, Commander Lin Dong had already rushed to within five meters of its side, firing his Type 95 at close range; a long burst punched through its temple.

The strength-type's movements froze, the red light in its eyes slowly extinguished, and its massive body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

【Killed E-Class · Strength-type Mutant, gained Energy Points +50】

Commander Lin Dong didn't have time to catch his breath and turned to look for the other strength-type.

But it was no longer in his field of vision; he only saw the Third Team on the second floor firing desperately into the distance.

"The last one ran away?"

No, that wasn't running away.

Commander Lin Dong followed the Third Team's line of fire and saw that the strength-type was carrying the still-alive Speed-type, sprinting toward the north side of the highway at a speed completely inconsistent with its physique, disappearing into the jungle of abandoned vehicles in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it." Battalion Commander Wang Hu cursed.

Commander Lin Dong raised his hand to stop him: "Don't chase it, clear out the rest first."

There were still over a hundred F-Class Zombies left, but having lost the E-Class's command, they were just a group of mindless walking corpses.

Ten minutes later, the last zombie fell under the gas station's wall.

The battlefield was deathly silent.

The air was filled with a mixture of gunpowder smoke, the smell of blood, and the stench of burning.

The gas station's sign had a hole punched through it by a stray bullet and hung crookedly in mid-air.

The ground was covered with zombie corpses; some were still twitching, while others had been burned to charcoal.

Commander Lin Dong stood amidst the wreckage, quickly tallying the battle damage:

【Battle Ended】

【Kills: F-Class × 221, E-Class × 5】

【Escaped: E-Class × 1 (Strength-type, carrying Speed-type corpse)】

【Friendly Casualties: 0】

【Ammunition Consumption: 5.56 mm 312 rounds, 7.62 mm 289 rounds, 2 grenades】

The ammunition consumption was greater than expected.

Six hundred rounds had been fired, and less than one hundred remained.

Commander Lin Dong furrowed his brows.

Although they had won this time, a fatal problem had been exposed—firepower sustainability.

If another wave of the same scale came, they would only be able to use bayonets.

"Boss." Battalion Commander Wang Hu walked over, his face showing the exhaustion of battle, "That one that ran away..."

"I know." Commander Lin Dong interrupted him, "The strength-type wasn't fleeing, it was retreating. An organized retreat."

This judgment stunned the surrounding Conscripts.

"You mean..." Zhang Lei asked tentatively, "Something is commanding them?"

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer.

He crouched down, turned over the corpse of an E-Class Speed-type, and carefully examined its neck.

At the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, he found a tiny wound, as if it had been pierced by something.

He used the tip of his knife to pry open the wound; inside was a piece of translucent tissue the size of a grain of rice, which was slowly melting.

"What is this?"

Commander Lin Dong didn't rashly touch it with his hand, but instead used the knife tip to flick it into an empty shell casing.

The translucent tissue squirmed a few times at the bottom of the casing, quickly turning into a puddle of liquid that emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

The data panel popped up a notification:

【Unknown biological tissue detected】

【Analyzing...】

【Analysis failed, sample has degraded】

【Abnormal energy fluctuation recorded, stored in database】

Commander Lin Dong stared at the text for a few seconds, then stood up.

"Everyone, clean up the battlefield, collect all shell casings and usable supplies. Evacuate in ten minutes."

"Boss, what about these corpses?"

Commander Lin Dong glanced at the zombie remains covering the ground.

The sun had already risen, and the early winter sunlight shone on the corpses, steaming up with faint white vapor.

In a few more hours, the smell here would attract more predators.

"Burn them."

The Conscripts began to get busy.

Commander Lin Dong walked into the shadow of the gas station, took out the shell casing containing the unknown liquid, and carefully observed it against the sunlight.

There was still a little bit of residual fluorescence on the inner wall of the shell casing, faint like phosphorus fire, but it definitely existed.

The Red Alert system suddenly popped up a new message:

【Hidden Mission Triggered: Trace the Source of the Anomaly】

【Mission Objective: Find the existence behind the scenes commanding the zombies】

【Current Progress: 5%】

【Mission Reward: Unlock special unit intelligence】

Commander Lin Dong's fingers rubbed against the rough surface of the shell casing.

The existence commanding the zombies.

This was not the first time he had encountered this situation.

Three days ago, during the underground garage defensive battle, there was a thin man wearing glasses among the criminal gang; that glance he gave the base vehicle before leaving always made him feel something was off.

Thinking back now, that person's gaze didn't look like fear, but more like... calculating something.

It was exactly the same as the way the strength-type retreated.

In the distance, Battalion Commander Wang Hu was pouring gasoline on the corpses.

When the flames rose, Commander Lin Dong suddenly remembered one thing—

The strength-type had carried away the corpse of the Speed-type.

Not a living companion, but a corpse.

Why would it take away a corpse?

Commander Lin Dong looked up toward the jungle of steel formed by abandoned vehicles to the north.

In the direction where the strength-type disappeared, he could faintly see the outline of a factory—that was the location of the small Iron Mine displayed by the Ore Detector.

It was also the direction from which the military signal flare had risen.

【End of Chapter】