Chapter 428 - 377: Reserve Team’s First Battle
The current times are different from the past. In the two Satellite Villages, almost everyone is armed, with more than forty Reserve Team members immediately dropping their chopsticks and gathering in the street. They collectively receive standard steel rods, with only a few leaders equipped with guns. This does not make them hesitant when facing zombies.
"All Celestial Horse Island Elite Corps members assemble!"
Zhang Su picked up the Celestial Horse Island internal walkie-talkie and said, "The on-duty personnel stay put; the rest follow me to deal with the zombie horde!"
"Roger that!"
Unlike the panicked and chaotic responses from Village No.1 and Village No.2, the members of the Celestial Horse Island Elite Corps responded with absolute excellence, their voices firm and vigorous. They swiftly returned to their rooms to retrieve equipment.
Standing inside the house, Zhang Su could hear the sound of footsteps coming from all directions, hurried yet orderly, swift yet methodical.
Bang!
Just as Zhang Su zipped up his jacket, the door behind him was flung open. Zheng Xinyu, panting heavily, ran back from the monitoring room, cursing as she entered: "Damn it, you jerk!"
"Are you nuts? The zombie horde is here, and you’re cursing at me!"
Zhang Su turned his head, looking with a faint smile at Zheng Xinyu, who was hurriedly grabbing her gear.
"Damn it, if this has nothing to do with you..." Zheng Xinyu grumbled under her breath, biting her lips as she changed clothes, "I’ll go three days without eating or shitting!"
She had been pondering what was troubling Zhang Su, and it turned out he was waiting right here all along.
Zhang Su shook his head with a strange expression and said, "You’d better stick to your regular eating and bathroom schedule."
"What’s going on, exactly?"
Zheng Xinyu felt she couldn’t stay in the dark any longer and wanted to get to the bottom of things.
"We need to teach those at the Satellite Village a lesson!"
Zhang Su said solemnly.
The Celestial Horse Island Elite team assembled swiftly. Lu Yubo, who at some point had returned to the camp, was among them, displaying his signature, nonchalant smile.
Standing within the crowd, Ju Mumio kept a calm gaze on Zhang Su. If you looked closely, you could see a hint of puzzled confusion in her eyes. To her, it seemed Zhang Su had long known about the zombie horde, so why hadn’t he informed them in advance?
The Elite Corps gathered quickly, but there was someone even faster: Ma Changshou. At this moment, he was spinning around anxiously, wanting to join the main force in battle, but his role did not permit it.
Yi Xiaoling didn’t have the ability to join the Elite Corps, but she had her own sphere of influence. Recently, she’d been busy with Ma Changshou in farming and livestock breeding; now she was calming Ma Changshou, asking him not to worry...
Wang Longzhong from the United Village had already become a member of the Elite Corps, standing upright within the ranks.
Though Pan Guoliang and Yang Liehuo spent every night on Celestial Horse Island, during the day they mostly busied themselves in the village. At the time of notification, they were still eating in the village but had already charged to the front line!
"The Reserve Team has sent back information; the zombie horde isn’t that large, just over two thousand. It’s probably a part of a previously separated horde that somehow wandered south. No more talk, let’s move out!"
In the parking lot, Zhang Su waved a hand, got into his car, and started the engine. Around twenty people from Celestial Horse Island set off in a total of six cars, speeding down the mountain. To ensure everything was foolproof, they even brought along the massive weapon 003!
Last time, when dealing with the zombie horde coming south, they employed a diversion strategy, and 003 didn’t participate in the battle. This time was different. Zhang Su planned to seize the opportunity to annihilate this wave of zombies; naturally, he couldn’t let such a valuable asset as 003 go unused!
Located at the southernmost point, Village No.2 was the first to face the zombie horde’s impact. Due to the cold weather, brick wall construction was impossible, and the defenses consisted only of simple cheval de frise, but they were sufficiently effective at the narrow roadways to resist the zombie horde.
As the Celestial Horse Island Elite team assembled, the women of the militia were already in position at Village No.2’s main road. Yang Liehuo and Pan Guoliang stood at the forefront, ready for battle.
"The temperature drop has somewhat limited the zombies’ abilities. Don’t be afraid or panic. Just follow the training you’ve done, and we can take them down!"
Yang Liehuo encouraged the female militia. His voice wasn’t high-pitched because the zombie horde was already about two hundred meters away, and loud noises could immediately draw their attention.
"Uncle, why don’t we lure them away like last time? It’s dangerous killing zombies!"
A young man approached Yang Liehuo, asking softly.
Yang Liehuo shook his head solemnly: "We can’t manage tens of thousands of zombies, so we lured them away. But with just over two thousand zombies, and help from Celestial Horse Island, we can certainly kill them. Now, get back in line!"
The young man pouted and rolled his eyes, but joined the formation, sneakily moving toward the back.
The women of Village No.2 were too focused on the darkness ahead to notice his actions, but Guo Dachao saw everything clearly.
Guo Dachao stood inconspicuously at the edge of the formation, yet he observed many things.
Thump, thump, thump...
Suddenly, the sound of chaotic footsteps arose from the rear. Shining their flashlights, everyone saw Lü Leiyang leading the people from Village No.1 who had rushed over.
"Stay calm, and demonstrate the valor of our Reserve Team!"
The sissy Lü Leiyang’s running didn’t appear manly; to be honest, he was more awkward than some of the tough village women. But at this moment, carrying a steel rod and a rifle, with an intensely passionate expression, no one dared mock him.
"Yes, everyone remains fearless. I just saw lights from the cars on the hill. As long as we withstand the initial impact, Brother Su and the others will arrive. The Elite Corps will handle these zombies with ease!"
Pan Guoliang delivered the final pre-battle rally, knowing that no amount of inspirational words could surpass the assurance of giving everyone peace of mind.
Out of the forty members of the Reserve Team, thirty-two were women, accounting for an astonishing eighty percent. During the last southern zombie horde, they were substitutes, and this was their first close encounter with a zombie horde. It’s impossible for them not to be nervous, but there’s a fierce fighting spirit inside them.
Su Xiaoya stood in the not-so-front rows of the formation, clutching her steel rod tightly. As she watched the approaching dark shadows, her mind flitted between training scenes, images of her sister, and the strict and fierce demeanor of Zhang Su... a tangled mess.
"Sisters, we’ve been waiting for this moment not just for a day or two. As Captain Lü said, we must show our worth, let the men see that we’re not just weaklings hiding behind them!"
Suddenly, an imposing woman boldly shouted, lifting her steel rod and stepping forward to stand behind the cheval de frise.
Awoooo!
With the imposing woman’s rousing speech, the approaching zombie horde erupted in successive roars from the front to the back, transforming two thousand heads into an imposing ten-thousand-strong force!
"Prepare, kill!"
Racial warfare broke out in an instant, as members of the Reserve Team stood on the front lines, defending against the zombie horde’s impact for the first time.
The scientific observations were accurate; in a cold environment, zombies were slightly weakened, particularly in speed and agility, clearly visible during their charge. However, their strength wasn’t significantly diminished...
Bang, splatter, creak, creak.
When the first line of zombies crashed into the cheval de frise, it immediately emitted a teeth-gritting pressure sound. Luckily, the quality of the cheval de frise was good enough, and it didn’t succumb during the initial impact.
The women manning the first line behind the cheval de frise were almost all housewives. Under the illumination of searchlights and camping lamps, they swung their arms and thrust steel rods at the zombies. Their long-term training played a crucial role at this moment, preventing fear and retreat!
"Kill, wipe out these ghastly things!"
In Village No.2, a woman with an air of leadership valiantly fought, and her high-pitched cheers not only motivated herself but also boosted everyone’s morale.
"Yah, ugh, yah!"
As the battle erupted, Su Xiaoya didn’t continue to be just a bystander in the formation. She dashed to the back of the cheval de frise, carefully timing her strikes with the steel rod in her hand. She couldn’t easily poke it into a zombie’s eye socket, but ten or so thrusts could take down a zombie.
When the women of the militia got fierce, the few male members of the Reserve Team seemed rather deflated, actually finding themselves squeezed to the back, with no place to stand...
