The weather in Yuzhou had been gloomy and rainy for days due to the typhoon. It was a rare clear day, and after the typhoon had lingered over Jingxiang for a month and a half, causing countless people to become displaced, it finally seemed to be moving on, returning the way it came and heading towards Jianghuai.
With the typhoon gone, Yuzhou finally enjoyed clear skies, and everyone was reveling in the hard-won good weather.
Chang Jianyi sat in her office, gazing at the clear blue sky outside her window, feeling a sense of emotion. The typhoon had stayed in Jingxiang for over fifty days, and Yuzhou had also experienced frequent rain, which had slowed down farming and other construction efforts. Now, at last, the weather was good.
Chang Jianyi gently stroked her slightly protruding belly and murmured, "Son, you must grow up well. Your father is still out there striving, and you must bring honor to your dad when you grow up. You can't be idle."
Chu Zhaoyan, sitting beside Chang Jianyi, overheard her murmuring and couldn't help but interject, "How do you know it's a son? What if it's a little girl, and all this talk is for nothing?"
Chang Jianyi smiled and said, "I believe it's a son. We'll all know when I give birth. As for you, hmph!"
There was a clear hint of provocation in Chang Jianyi's words. Although she didn't say anything explicitly, her eyes and expression made it clear that she believed Chu Zhaoyan couldn't have children.
Provoked by Chang Jianyi's jab, Chu Zhaoyan immediately fell silent, her lips pouting. She thought to herself, "You can be happy now, but when I give birth to a son, I'll definitely snatch your family fortune. Then, let's see if you can still laugh!"
Chu Zhaoyan opted for the "mental victory" approach. Since she couldn't win the argument with Chang Jianyi now, she decided to find a way to get back at her later. Although she didn't know how things would unfold in the future, just imagining the pleasant future scenarios gave her endless motivation.
Chang Jianyi was most concerned about when the palace she had designed would be completed. Therefore, she arranged for her younger brother to inspect the progress daily. The mutated apple trees that Shen Feng had brought back from Liancheng were also transplanted by Chang Jianyi into the palace grounds, making them her private property from then on.
Chang Jianyi cared deeply about her brother's well-being. Although there were no longer schools, she specifically hired a tutor for him, ensuring he wouldn't miss out on learning opportunities. She herself had attended university, but her brother, a primary school student, hadn't even completed nine years of compulsory education. He was a complete illiterate, and it was crucial for him to study. Chang Jianyi also made time to check on her brother's academic performance.
Fortunately, Chang Haojie's studies were going well, and he was able to muddle through his sister's inquiries.
Outside Yuzhou city, there was a cross-river bridge connecting the north and south banks. Normally, no one would be stationed there, but at dusk, many mutated beasts suddenly appeared on the bridge, charging towards Yuzhou.
People outside the city had no time to dodge, let alone stop these mutated beasts, so they all rushed into Yuzhou city. Fortunately, Yuzhou's city walls had already been built, and ordinary mutated beasts couldn't breach the city.
However, caught off guard, the bridge was occupied by mutated beasts. Dense waves of mutated beasts crossed the bridge one after another, and on the other side of the bridge, there was another vast expanse of mutated beasts. As far as the eye could see, it was almost entirely mutated beasts!
When Chang Jianyi heard about the large number of mutated beasts appearing outside the city, she was completely bewildered. They hadn't heard of many mutated beasts in the south. Why had they appeared now? And how had they crossed the Yangtze River Bridge?
Chu Zhaoyan also became anxious and immediately contacted headquarters, asking them to use satellites to determine the number of mutated beasts.
The satellites quickly scanned the Yuzhou area and made a rough estimate of the mutated beast population, which was at least three hundred thousand. Although most of them were mutated rats, their sheer numbers were not to be underestimated.
Chu Zhaoyan immediately wanted to notify Shen Feng and ask him to rush back for support, but she couldn't reach him. Shen Feng was still in the sky monitoring the crocodiles and didn't have time to look at his satellite phone. As a result, it wasn't until late into the night that they managed to contact Shen Feng.
Although Shen Feng had instructed Yang Chang to immediately lead soldiers back to Yuzhou to resist the mutated beasts, Yang Chang couldn't return in a short period. Yuzhou only had twelve hundred soldiers, many of whom were new recruits who had only recently begun their training. Chang Jianyi was also uncertain and quickly convened an important meeting to discuss countermeasures. The city gates of Yuzhou were tightly shut, guarding against the mutated beasts.
All the important figures of Yuzhou were gathered, including Shen Feng's private advisor, the cunning strategist Feng Shicheng. The most crucial task now was to defend Yuzhou; all other matters were secondary.
Zhou Xiaoxiao spoke first, "I suggest we recall the soldiers from other cities. That way, we'll have about three thousand soldiers, and defending the city should be manageable. As for the other cities, they are currently not in danger."
Yuzhou's defensive capabilities were clearly insufficient. Facing hundreds of thousands of mutated beasts, the defenders had just over a thousand soldiers, which was far from enough. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoxiao believed that soldiers from other cities must be mobilized. When the other cities were recaptured, hundreds of soldiers had been left to guard each one. Now that Yuzhou was in danger, it was natural to recall these soldiers.
As soon as Zhou Xiaoxiao finished speaking, the others began to object, because recalling soldiers from other cities was already too late!
The mutated beasts were already at the city gates. Fortunately, it was night, and many mutated beasts had poor eyesight, so they couldn't attack now. If it were daytime, the battle would have already begun, and even if soldiers were recalled, they wouldn't arrive in time.
Similarly, it would take Yang Chang at least a day to return. During this time, Yuzhou could only rely on its own strength to defend the city and prevent the mutated beasts from entering. Evolved individuals were another matter, as they possessed some ability to resist, but civilians in such a situation could only be slaughtered.
Tu Xuhuai said solemnly, "In the short term, we can only rely on our own strength to resist the mutated beasts. I suggest we immediately mobilize the men in the city, issue them weapons, and have them guard the city walls. We can't afford to worry about anything else now. Defending the city walls is the most important thing."
Professor Chu nodded in agreement with the suggestion and said earnestly, "To defend Yuzhou city, we have no choice but to mobilize the civilians to participate in the battle. Once Yang Chang returns with enough soldiers, Yuzhou's crisis will naturally be resolved."
However, when it came to mobilizing the militia, Professor Chu hesitated slightly and then said, "However, this is a situation that is easy to initiate but difficult to retract. Once weapons are distributed, it might not be easy to get them back. By then, everyone will have weapons, and danger will be imminent."
Chang Jianyi made a decision. She couldn't afford to worry about other matters now. They absolutely could not let the mutated beasts breach the city. She decisively declared, "Mobilize all men to participate in the battle and distribute weapons. Issue the simplest weapons first. Those who perform well in the defense of the city will be rewarded with evolution points!"
Under a generous reward, there will be brave men. Chang Jianyi couldn't bother with other issues now. She would definitely reward them with evolution points. These were things that couldn't be bought with money under normal circumstances and were much more valuable than food ration coupons. She believed that rewarding evolution points would inspire the defenders to be valiant.
However, at this moment, Yang Ye raised a question. He pointed to the map and said, "Vice City Lord, since these mutated beasts are all coming through the Yangtze River Bridge, if we find a way to blow up the bridge, wouldn't that cut off most of the mutated beasts? What do you think of this idea?"
"No!" Before Chang Jianyi could speak, Professor Chu became angry.
Professor Chu said sternly, "Building the Yangtze River Bridge was not easy. Even in peaceful times, it took several years to complete. In this chaotic era, if it is blown up, it will be almost impossible to rebuild it. Then, how will supplies and people from the south come over? This is a terrible idea!"
Yang Ye lowered his head helplessly, feeling that he should stick to managing his own department and not interfere with combat decisions. His ideas were not as good as others.
However, at this moment, Chu Zhaoyan looked at Chang Jianyi and asked, "Doesn't Lin Yue also have a group of people? Let them help defend the city too. At this time, they shouldn't be hiding in those dark corners."
Chu Zhaoyan remembered Lin Yue's intelligence department. Although these people were mainly responsible for gathering intelligence, most of them were evolved individuals. With these people joining the defense, wouldn't it increase their chances of success?
"No, they cannot be moved. The more tense the situation, the more they cannot be moved casually. They need to monitor the situation within the city!" Chang Jianyi directly rejected Chu Zhaoyan's suggestion.
A month ago, they had killed a large number of gang members, but that did not mean they had completely eradicated the evil intentions of those below. If anyone took advantage of the chaos, Yuzhou city would undoubtedly fall into disarray.
Although Chang Jianyi had decided to mobilize the men to defend the city, there were always people who could evade conscription. Someone needed to keep an eye on these people who tried to avoid conscription, and this was where Lin Yue's importance became apparent.
Lin Yue's ability was to control sound waves, and his attack method was simple: using sound waves to attack. Especially by using ultrasound, he could detect the enemy's position, which was particularly effective in combat. It was a waste not to use such an ability in battle.
In addition to Lin Yue, Qi Lingshan had also become an evolved individual, and his ability was simple: hypnotic waves. This hypnosis wasn't about making people sleep but about subtly influencing people through electromagnetic waves, allowing for simple control of people's actions. However, this ability was not without its drawbacks. Firstly, hypnotic waves were ineffective against people with stronger abilities; at best, he could only hypnotize ordinary people, and it had no effect on evolved individuals.
Afterward, Chang Jianyi stood up and, with hundreds of her elite female soldiers, headed towards the city wall. As she walked, she said, "Since the decision has been made, let's go and carry out the mission. Tu Xuhuai, you are responsible for conscripting the men. Also, Cao Fuli, you will be in charge of the defense this time. Perform well, and your future will be boundless."
Cao Fuli quickly stood at attention and said loudly, "Yes, I will complete the mission!"
Chu Zhaoyan looked at Chang Jianyi with concern and asked, "You're pregnant, you should go home. I'll keep an eye on things on the city wall. What if you miscarry?"
Chang Jianyi smiled and pointed to Luo Qing behind her, saying, "It's fine, with Luo Qing accompanying me, nothing will happen. For this defense, I need you to perform well."
Chu Zhaoyan said as a matter of course, "Of course. With me on the city wall, these mutated beasts won't be able to advance an inch! The only problem is that it's currently a southeast wind, and if I use my abilities, I might easily injure our own people."
Chu Zhaoyan's abilities were more suitable for cooperation with wind-element evolved individuals, as she could only control poisonous gas within a certain range. However, once the poisonous gas exceeded her control, it would be beyond her command. The wind would blow the poisonous gas back towards them.
"Roar..." The area below Yuzhou city was filled with dense black shadows. When the searchlights were turned on, many colossal figures were revealed: wild boars, rats, cats, dogs, venomous snakes, and rabbits.
These monsters had crossed the city streets and the Yangtze River Bridge, arriving outside Yuzhou city north of the Yangtze River, where they were menacingly poised.
In the areas not illuminated by the searchlights, pairs of eyes gleamed in the darkness. The eyes of the mutated cats were the brightest.
Many of the conscripted militiamen, upon reaching the city wall, immediately felt their legs turn to jelly at the sight of the situation below. They were skilled workers, but now, facing combat, they were trembling, their legs shaking.