7: Street battle

The roar of the engine tore through the dead silence of the residential area. The leading armored personnel carrier, like a steel beast, first crushed the few zombie remains piled up at the entrance and rushed out of Xinghai Residential Area. Following closely behind, a Range Rover, a Wrangler pickup, a Cadillac XT6, and a G-Wagen formed a small but menacing motorcade.

The unexpectedly smooth progress allowed both Jiang Xin and Zhang Lei inside the vehicles to breathe a sigh of relief. Yongjiang County was, after all, only a remote small city with a permanent population of less than 800,000, and the old residential area they were in was sparsely populated, meaning the zombie density was low. They encountered hardly any decent resistance during the breakout.

However, the moment the wheels passed the residential area gate, this brief moment of ease was utterly crushed by the hellish scene before them!

"My God..." Zhang Lei, sitting in the passenger seat of the G-Wagen, gasped, his fingers clutching the door handle tightly.

The street, which was not originally wide, had now turned into an Asura Field. The accident site looked like a twisted metal necropolis; chain-reaction rear-end collisions had blocked the road completely. Burning wrecks emitted thick black smoke, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of charring and heavy blood. What was even more terrifying was that among the steel ruins and broken windshields, on top of the twisted car bodies, and next to overturned trash cans... countless, densely packed zombies surged forward slowly and persistently, like a tide of rot!

They were of various forms: drivers in uniforms, sanitation workers lying on the ground gripping brooms, construction workers wearing hard hats, residents in pajamas, and small shop owners wearing aprons... Their once vibrant identities had all transformed into uniform, repulsive walking dead. They dragged their broken bodies, making unconscious "hissing" sounds in their throats. Their murky or bloodshot eyes scanned aimlessly, and once they caught sight or sound of a living thing, they rushed forward frantically, like activated killing machines!

Even separated by thick bulletproof glass, and even with thirty fully armed Red Alert Soldiers and a steel war vehicle following behind, when Jiang Xin saw the boundless Zombie Tide through the narrow observation window in the rear compartment of the armored personnel carrier, a cold chill instantly shot up his spine to the crown of his head! It was a fear stemming from instinct when facing overwhelming numbers. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the pistol in his hand; the cold gun body offered a faint sense of calm.

He immediately grabbed the vehicle-mounted walkie-talkie. His voice, broadcast through the loudspeaker, reached the communication channels of all vehicles and soldiers, carrying an undeniable resolve: "Attention all vehicles! Attention all squads! Target the Commercial Street! Maintain full speed ahead! Do not fire unless absolutely necessary! Repeat, do not fire unless absolutely necessary! Use the armored personnel carrier to clear the way! Conserve ammunition and avoid attracting a larger zombie horde!" He knew well that these monsters had abnormally sensitive hearing and smell; although their eyesight was poor, their strength was twice that of an average adult male. Gunfire, at this moment, would be tantamount to sounding the horn of suicide.

With the order given, the motorcade, like trapped beasts sinking into the mud, began its arduous push forward. The leading armored personnel carrier, relying on its sturdy body and powerful engine, roared as it smashed aside abandoned vehicles blocking the way and scattered zombies lunging at it. The tires rolled over decaying bodies, making a sickening squelching sound. The other vehicles followed closely, using their size advantage to squeeze through the narrow path. The Wrangler pickup utilized its flexibility and high clearance to navigate the gaps. The armored personnel carrier was like a relentless road roller; the deterrent force of its heavy body and 20mm Autocannon caused any zombies daring to approach to be crushed or flung away. The wheels left dark red marks on the asphalt.

However, a distance of 1 kilometer, normally just a brief acceleration, felt incredibly long now. Severe traffic jams and the constantly surging zombie hordes forced the motorcade to stop several times. The soldiers needed to quickly dismount and use close-quarters combat—bayonets, Entrenching Tools, or even riot shields—to clear vehicle wreckage or small groups of zombies blocking critical paths, thus clearing the road. Every stop was accompanied by brief but intense close-quarters fighting, mixing the sound of clashing metal, the zombies' roars, and the soldiers' low shouts. Although ammunition consumption was low, the soldiers' stamina was rapidly declining, and their body armor was covered in foul blood and shredded flesh.

That short 1-kilometer distance actually took them a full hour! When the motorcade finally broke through the last obstacle made of burning vehicles and turned into the relatively wider entrance of the Commercial Street, everyone let out a long breath, but their taut nerves dared not relax—the situation on Commercial Street would only be worse!

"All squads! Dismount immediately! Establish a circular defense! Clear the entrance area!" Jiang Xin ordered decisively, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue but more determination.

The doors of the three off-road vehicles and the armored vehicle flew open. The soldiers, who had been waiting in readiness, leaped out quickly like tigers released from a cage. Three squads of soldiers immediately used the armored vehicle as a reliance point, forming a tight, back-to-back defensive circle. The sound of rifle bursts, the dull thud of riot shields impacting, and the occasional roar of a Heavy Infantry's machine gun sweeping through dense zombie crowds instantly erupted! Bullets accurately drilled into the zombies' skulls, Riot Troopers' shields violently shoved away lunging zombies, and long-handled combat knives followed immediately to sever heads. The efficient killing machine began to operate, quickly tearing open a small foothold in the chaotic Zombie Tide.

The gold store was right in front of them! The huge signs for China Gold and Phoenix Gold Store were still conspicuous amidst the smoke and bloodstains.

"Zhang Long! First Squad, follow me! Target China Gold! Quick engagement! Second and Third Squads, hold the entrance! Provide cover fire!" Jiang Xin took the lead, bringing Zhang Long and the elite First Squad soldiers, plunging like a sharp knife straight toward the glass doors of China Gold!

"Crash!" Riot Trooper Li Wei smashed the already cracked glass door directly with his shield! Inside, dozens of zombies, dressed variously, some intact and some mutilated, were startled and lunged forward menacingly! They had once been customers selecting jewelry or sweet-smiling salespersons; now, only bloodthirsty instinct remained.

"Open fire! Free shooting! Clear the area!" Jiang Xin shouted sternly, his MP7 being the first to spit flames!

"Da da da—!" "Bang bang bang!"

Inside the narrow gold store, gunfire erupted instantly! A dense rain of bullets poured out! Bullets penetrated glass counters, shattered chandeliers, and mercilessly ripped apart the bodies of the lunging zombies! Heads exploded, severed limbs flew, and black blood and brains splattered the once magnificent walls and broken display cases! The Red Alert Soldiers' shooting was precise and efficient. In less than a minute, all moving targets inside the store were completely eliminated, leaving behind only chaos and the pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with corpse stench.