The northern regions are now in a state of panic. Mutant birds from Siberia have gathered, and mutant beasts from deep within the mountains have also converged, seemingly preparing for a coordinated assault. While the method of communication between the mutant birds and beasts remains unknown, it is certain that if they were to join forces, the aerial superiority of the birds would provide cover, and the ground forces would be capable of breaching defenses, making them incredibly difficult to handle.
Compared to the mutant bird problem in China, North America faces a far more severe situation. Due to its vast, sparsely populated land, bird populations reproduce rapidly. Previously, many birds died from viral attacks, and now, North America's mutant birds have begun their retaliatory actions.
The Eurasian continent has not yet commenced hostilities, as most regions are still engaged in autumn harvests. However, North America has already gone to war.
Countless mutant birds have flown south from north of the Great Lakes, crossing the Rust Belt, and directly attacking New York and Washington. The mutant birds' counterattack can only be described as ferocious, with a sky completely covered by them. Furthermore, many ferocious mutant beasts are carried in the talons of these mutant birds.
In just one day, two major cities have fallen consecutively. People have evacuated the cities and retreated to rural areas to fight independently. With the fall of Washington, the Lighthouse Nation has declared dissolution, and each state has entered a state of isolation, each focusing solely on its own affairs.
After North America encountered the attacks from mutant birds and beasts, Asia and Europe have also been alerted. "The coordinated attacks of mutant birds and beasts typically begin with aerial assaults by mutant birds. Without sufficient anti-air capabilities, many major cities will prove to be vulnerable."
The authorities in Yanjing are taking the news from North America very seriously and are now making preparations. "To counter the attacks of mutant birds, we must excavate air-raid shelters and strengthen our aerial forces. Fighter jets and bombers must be in sufficient numbers. Additionally, anti-aircraft guns and machine guns need to be set up in the cities to ensure that mutant birds can be shot down at critical moments."
"Report, mutant birds are heading south, and mutant beasts in the mountains are also on the move." At this moment, intelligence departments delivered the news. Countless mutant birds in the Far East region of Siberia have made their move. Numerous mutant birds are heading south, and mutant beasts in the mountains across various regions are descending.
When this news spread, headquarters became extremely anxious. They contacted the southeastern armies, ordering them to march north to reinforce Yanjing. However, there was still no movement from the southeast. The reason is quite simple: the suppression of the southeast by headquarters had been observed by the people there. Last year, when they sent troops to rescue, it caused problems with the autumn harvest in the southeast, leading to reduced grain yields. This year, they are prohibiting joint operations. Since headquarters cannot look after their interests, why should they help? The southeast also needs to harvest its crops and requires military protection.
Ultimately, as the migratory birds headed south, Yanjing could only receive support from a portion of the northern forces. Whether this would be enough to cope with the attacks of mutant birds and beasts was anyone's guess.
"What about Yuzhou? Have they taken any action at this time?" Headquarters began inquiring about Yuzhou's movements, seemingly hoping that Shen Feng would set aside past grievances and come to their aid. Unfortunately, Shen Feng was still busy with the autumn harvest in Yuzhou.
The leaders at headquarters could not help but express their anger: "These local officials are completely unmanageable, all short-sighted fools. Once headquarters is threatened, chaos will ensue throughout the land. Don't they understand this principle?"
Unfortunately, their anger was now futile, as the mutant birds had already begun their southward migration, and war was imminent.
The first to be attacked were the three northeastern provinces, also known as the regions beyond the passes. When the mutant birds from Siberia headed south, they would first reach the northeast. The Greater Khingan Range is also nearby, and the number of mutant beasts in the mountains is unknown. After the war began, the northeast was in a state of emergency.
Gong Changfa stood on the city walls of Songyuan, gazing at the mutant birds swarming in the sky. A wave of despair washed over him. He had intended to find a place to retire and live out his remaining days, but upon arriving in the northeast, he encountered a large-scale southward migration of mutant birds. This region, the Songnen Plain, is a major grain-producing area. Now, facing such a grave threat, Songyuan alone would be virtually impossible to defend.
"Mr. Gong Changfa, what should we do now?" The leader of Songyuan approached Gong Changfa to inquire about the situation.
Gong Changfa looked at the dense mass of mutant birds in the sky, his heart filled with despair. After a moment of silence, he said, "We have two options: fight or flee. There are no other choices. I leave this decision to you. Although the situation is dire, I am confident I can survive, but the fate of others in the city is uncertain."
Gong Changfa is currently a sixth-tier esper. He was not well-known before because he had been sidelined for half a year. If his combat power were to be considered, it would certainly rank among the top ten globally. He had thought he was merely coming to defend a grain-producing area, but unexpectedly encountered such a significant upheaval, forcing him to fight. However, he wondered how many of those around him would survive.
"In that case, we will fight to the last man!" the leader of Songyuan declared through gritted teeth after hearing this.
Upon learning of everyone's intentions, Gong Changfa remained silent for a long time. "This way, the entire city's population might perish. If we flee now while the number of mutant birds is not yet overwhelming, many can survive and preserve our strength. But once the battle begins, most people will find it difficult to survive."
However, the people of Songyuan still insisted on fighting. They earnestly said, "Fighting the mutant birds, even if we die, we will be sacrificing ourselves for the country. If we retreat now, we would be letting the country down. Mr. Gong Changfa, we know you are very capable. If we unfortunately fall in battle, we entrust the survivors of Songyuan to your care."
Hearing this, Gong Changfa could only offer a wry smile and say, "I can barely lead a team of a few dozen people, and you want to entrust the entire population of a city to me? How can this be?"
"The women and children have already been sent to the air-raid shelters. We have been excavating air-raid shelters since last year, but it seems that we men will not be able to use them. Mr. Gong, you are a powerful person, and we believe you can take good care of them. We implore you."
After saying these words, a burly man knelt before Gong Changfa and kowtowed solemnly. The others, seeing this, also knelt down. They all knew that in this war, they were unlikely to survive. As for their wives and children, they could only entrust them to Gong Changfa's care.
Looking at the people kneeling before him, Gong Changfa was overcome with an indescribable emotion. He had never imagined that a failure like himself would still earn everyone's trust. Therefore, Gong Changfa replied earnestly, "Since you trust me so much, I promise! As long as I am alive, I will protect the women and children of this city!"
Before this, Gong Changfa had actually lost all hope and only wished to live a life of aimless wandering. The two previous failures had dealt him a heavy blow, making him question if he was a suitable leader, as the people around him were always being killed one by one. His childhood friend, Xun Yan, had also been eaten by sea beasts, which made Gong Changfa lament his arrogance, leading him to become reclusive. Effort was useless, and honor was false; survival was what truly mattered.
But at this very moment, Gong Changfa realized that there were still people who trusted him so deeply, and he could only muster his spirits to prepare for the oncoming mutant birds.
When the mutant birds appeared, everyone became tense. Their families had mostly been sent to the air-raid shelters. Now, to survive, they could only fight to the end. There were no reinforcements, no escape routes, only the necessity of a desperate struggle.
"Look quickly, in the talons of these mutant birds are mutant beasts! It seems these mutant birds are going to repeat their tactic; they intend to air-drop mutant beasts into the city." Someone with good eyesight noticed the situation in the sky and quickly began to warn others.
Gong Changfa immediately shouted, "Prepare to fire! We must not allow the mutant birds to successfully enter the city's airspace."
The city immediately opened fire. Countless bullets formed a barrage that swept towards the sky. At this moment, aiming was meaningless. As long as they fired, they were bound to hit mutant birds, for the sky was filled with a dense swarm of mutant birds flying in formation. No matter how they fired, they were sure to hit a mutant bird.
Gong Changfa watched the mutant birds in the sky, a strong sense of unease growing within him. He had participated in resisting mutant birds in Yanjing before, but at that time, the mutant birds were merely aiming to seize food. Now, it seemed the mutant birds were not after food, but were intent on killing.
"These mutant birds are very strange. Their objective doesn't seem to be to seize food; they are here to conquer the city." After observing the current situation, Gong Changfa made his judgment. The sheer number of mutant birds, their immediate attack on the city, and their alliance with mutant beasts clearly indicated a desire to kill, not to plunder food.
However, any analysis was now useless, as the war had already begun. Many mutant beasts were dropped from the sky by the mutant birds. Upon landing, the mutant beasts began attacking people nearby. Fortunately, the elderly, weak, and infirm in the city had all taken shelter in the air-raid shelters upon hearing the air-raid sirens, so the casualties were limited.
At the high points of the city, many anti-air defenses had been set up, including anti-aircraft guns and machine guns. When the mutant birds appeared, the guns and cannons began to retaliate. Even ordinary soldiers were firing at the sky, their gun barrels spitting out streams of bullets, which formed a curtain of fire. In an instant, black shapes in the sky began to fall, as if it were raining.
However, the number of mutant birds was simply too great. As the mutant birds in the front were killed, more mutant birds appeared from behind, wave after wave, as if they were completely fearless of death.
Initially, the city held an advantage with its existing anti-air defenses. But as time went by, the consumption of ammunition became severe. When the anti-air firepower could no longer keep up, the mutant birds gained a significant advantage. Coupled with the mutant beasts ultimately dropped into the city, the soldiers could no longer hold on. After holding their ground for a day, Songyuan fell.
The soldiers fought bravely, but the mutant birds attacking Songyuan numbered at least several million. The mutant birds also possessed aerial superiority. With the combined advantages of numbers and aerial dominance, the mutant birds emerged victorious. Although they suffered heavy casualties, one city had been conquered.
Gong Changfa stood on the city wall, still attacking relentlessly. No matter how many mutant birds came, if they touched him, they would instantly die. In terms of destructive power, Gong Changfa was undoubtedly an outstanding esper. Gong Changfa had lost count of how many mutant birds he had killed, but it was all in vain. Now, the city was almost silent, with no more gunshots to be heard, and Gong Changfa knew that Songyuan had fallen.
"I am truly a lonely star, bringing death to everyone around me wherever I go! I've had enough of this life. When will I find release?" Gong Changfa thought mournfully in his heart.
But then, remembering the trust placed in him earlier, Gong Changfa could only pull himself together. The old, weak, women, and children in the air-raid shelters still needed his protection; he could not fall. With this thought, Gong Changfa leaped from the city wall and hid in a shelter.
After the mutant birds migrated south, the war began. In just one day, Changchun, Shenyang, Siping, and Tongliao fell consecutively. Another day later, the mutant birds, along with countless mutant beasts, arrived outside Yanjing City.