In YanJing City, discussions on how to resolve the mutated bird crisis had been ongoing for five days. During the day, mutated birds would attack, forcing the citizens to stay indoors. Once outside, they would be swarmed and overwhelmed.
At night, the residents of YanJing were forced to flee. Even the capital could no longer be a safe haven. Staying any longer meant risking being devoured by mutated birds the next day. Everyone wanted to survive, so they immediately fled south, as there had been no reports of mutated bird unrest in that region.
During these days of research, zoologists at the research institute had discovered the reason for the mutated birds' southward migration: a lack of food.
Siberia's winters were brutally cold, a harshness that most people couldn't endure. Even in summer, parts of Siberia had permafrost. Winter was an uninhabitable period, which explained why the locals enjoyed drinking; alcohol helped to warm the body.
However, the cold was not the sole reason for the mutated birds' migration. Birds were naturally well-insulated. Humans wore down jackets, some filled with duck down, others with goose down. The evolution of feathers was primarily for warmth.
The true cause of the mutated birds' southward movement was a scarcity of food. After the heavy snowfall, insects had long since frozen to death. Even if food was available, it was buried under snow, requiring digging to find. Birds that specialized in eating fish could not peck through ice layers; that would be an absurd notion.
Ice layers could be tens of centimeters thick, requiring humans considerable time and tools to excavate. How could mutated birds break through the ice?
Thus, when food became scarce in the north, the mutated birds migrated south in search of sustenance. In regions like the Northeast, the autumn harvest meant that food was largely controlled by humans. Birds unable to find a food supply were left with only one option: to attack humans.
Although humans were inherently a threat to birds, facing death either way, mutated birds had no choice. Even if killed, they would still try to eat.
"That's how it is. The mutated birds are attacking us because they lack food. Whether they attack humans or other harvested areas, it's all for food," the intelligence officer stated helplessly.
Everyone now understood the mutated birds' ultimate goal, but they still didn't know how to deal with them. These mutated birds were not ordinary mutated beasts or zombies. Both zombies and mutated beasts could only run on the ground, or at most, burrow. Their mobility was not strong.
Mutated birds, however, were different. They could fly. Furthermore, during their southward journey, birds with weaker flight capabilities had been naturally eliminated. The mutated birds currently circling YanJing's skies were exceptionally adept at flying. How could they possibly be eliminated?
"Anyone with a solution to deal with the mutated birds can voice their suggestions now. Anything is welcome, as long as it's not silence. Silence is meaningless," someone said solemnly at the meeting.
Everyone was at a loss. No one had anticipated such a predicament. There weren't many mutated birds domestically, but with millions of mutated birds migrating south from Siberia, YanJing was plunged into disaster. It could be said that the Russians to the north were also at fault, as they had not disclosed any information about the mutated birds. It was likely they were simply enjoying the spectacle.
At this point, someone spoke up, "The air force has been gradually assembling. Our intention is to have fighter jets eliminate these mutated birds, starting with the Bird King."
"We have been trying this method, but the results have been poor. The mutated birds even engage in suicidal charges, with hundreds or thousands of them flying towards the fighter jets. Even in death, they block the cockpit glass. Moreover, their numbers are too great, and fighter jets are too slow to eliminate them," someone immediately objected.
The idea of using fighter jets had been implemented long ago, but with little success. The YanJing Air Force had previously managed to eliminate millions of migratory birds, thanks to Shen Feng locating their gathering spots and using artillery bombardment to wipe them out by surprise. Now, these Siberian birds were scattered across different areas, changing their roosting spots daily. It was exceedingly difficult to achieve an effective strike.
"Why not learn from Shen Feng's combat style in YuZhou, and have the army march out of the city at night to kill the mutated birds?" another person suggested.
This method was quite good, as there was a precedent. Shen Feng in YuZhou had done just that, taking advantage of the mutated birds' underdeveloped wings to conduct night operations. Soldiers were everywhere, killing birds. Many birds in the tail end of the Dabashan mountain range were killed or injured, and YuZhou's autumn harvest proceeded without disruption.
However, someone immediately raised an objection: "Shen Feng could do it, but can we copy him? Look at the geography. YuZhou is in the south, while we are in the north. The mutated birds in YuZhou basically stayed in the mountains, but we are facing mutated birds from the far north. The situations are completely different. What are we even discussing?"
The words were crude but not without reason. The same method might not be applicable in all situations. Perhaps a plan that worked in YuZhou would not work in YanJing.
However, this objector's words inadvertently gave others an idea. Someone quickly said, "That's right, we are in the north! Mutated birds always move from areas with less food to areas with more food. If we hold on, when it snows, these mutated birds will head south. We just need to wait it out to win."
This strategy gained considerable approval. It was clearly a sound argument. When winter arrived and it snowed, the mutated birds would find even less food, and victory would belong to them. At that point, the mutated birds would have no choice but to head south, or even to Australia in the Southern Hemisphere.
Unfortunately, there were no perfect solutions. The plan to wait for winter was immediately criticized: "Wait until winter and snow? Even if a mini ice age arrives, it will take a month for it to snow. Are we doing nothing during this month? We can have a plan to stall, but we absolutely cannot be complacent."
The strategy of waiting for winter, while seemingly flawless, carried the risk of people exploiting the time. Hiding indoors and ignoring the starving populace was not an option. In YanJing, many people relied on daily labor for their livelihoods. Even wealthier families might only have a week's worth of food. Those who lived day-to-day, earning and spending, were numerous. If no action was taken, the mutated birds might not starve to death in a month, but the people would.
At this moment, He Qiuan offered his perspective: "Esteemed colleagues, since the mutated birds are coming to northern China for food, we should focus on the food aspect. Scorched earth tactics are the most suitable plan. Before winter arrives, we should implement food rationing, distributing a daily allowance to each person. Since we have already harvested, a month's supply should be sufficient. During this period of scorched earth, the mutated birds will be unable to find food and will have to leave."
After He Qiuan presented his view, everyone turned to look at him. He Qiuan became somewhat nervous. He was attending the meeting due to his great-grandfather's influence, and if others disagreed with his proposal, it would all be in vain.
Fortunately, He Qiuan's suggestion was sound, and with his great-grandfather present, others were compelled to give it consideration. They began to ponder, and ultimately, they agreed to the scorched earth plan.
"As expected of He Gong's descendant, you have hit the nail on the head. It seems we have no other path but scorched earth," everyone said.
The scorched earth method had been considered by others, but He Qiuan was the first to voice it, so the credit would ultimately go to him.
He Qiuan looked at his great-grandfather beside him and saw a look of relief. His great-grandfather seemed to have high hopes for his plan. He said softly, "Your suggestion is excellent and very practical. I only wonder how effective the scorched earth will be."
Marshal He had directly supported the establishment of the YanJing Headquarters during the doomsday event, thus being considered its founder. Although he didn't actively manage affairs, his authority was undeniable. Now that Marshal He's great-grandson had presented a plan, everyone readily supported it.
However, after the meeting, Marshal He sighed inwardly, thinking, "The chaotic times have truly arrived. My health is failing. I wonder how far this child, Qiuan, will grow, and if he can create peace."
YanJing's actions were swift and decisive. The scorched earth plan was implemented immediately, with strict control over all food in YanJing. Rations were distributed at night, and everyone was forbidden from leaving their homes during the day. Furthermore, all individuals in the wilderness were evacuated back into the city. The harvest was nearly complete. Although winter wheat had been sown, it wouldn't be harvested until the following spring. Thus, with humans inactive and the fields harvested, the mutated birds lost their food source.
Gong Changfa, leading the members of the Chosen Bureau, stood on a tall building, surrounded by ability users. Gong Changfa felt quite confident. As long as the mutated birds in the sky dared to descend, he could directly eliminate them.
During the day, YanJing City was eerily quiet. Everyone had been notified and stayed home, refraining from going out. To go out meant certain death.
Xun Yan looked at the empty streets. If someone had told him before that one day the streets of YanJing would be deserted, Xun Yan would never have believed it. It seemed impossible. For one thing, YanJing in the apocalypse had a population of eight million, with people from surrounding areas gathered in the city. How could so many people not go out?
Yet, the situation was unfolding before his eyes. Xun Yan could only lament, "The world has changed so drastically. A bunch of hairy beasts could cause YanJing's streets to be empty. Even when we were besieged by zombies, we didn't have this scene."
Xun Yan had personally experienced the zombie siege. He knew what the situation had been like before. With the city walls, over a hundred million zombies could not enter the city, and they were eventually defeated. Now, the mutated birds were constantly circling overhead, causing even greater devastation than the zombies.
Gong Changfa shrugged and said, "Then we must perform well this time, strive to earn some titles, and make a name for ourselves in the future. That would be considered becoming someone."
In the past, Gong Changfa was very jealous of others who received titles bestowed by the headquarters, especially the ten people who carried out the decapitation missions. Several of them were not very strong, yet they received titles. It was completely unfair.
Now, Gong Changfa had become more indifferent to titles, no longer considering them as something extraordinary. However, if he could obtain a title, it was still best to strive for it, as it would at least increase his acquaintances.