While Shen Feng was engaged in a delaying tactic on the Yangtze River, the situation in Yanjing had already undergone a tremendous change. The entire Yanjing region was trapped by a massive encirclement of zombies. Although no zombies appeared near Yanjing, for tens of kilometers outside the city, vast hordes had formed a perimeter, blocking the north, west, and south, with the cordon extending all the way to the sea!
This meant that for the millions in Yanjing wishing to escape, there was only one path: by water. The plan was to first find a way to reach Tianjin and then take a ship south. However, the available ships for transporting people were far from sufficient. Ultimately, evacuating ten million people was no easy feat.
The fighting had, in fact, already begun. Soldiers stationed in Yanjing proactively engaged the zombie hordes, launching wave after wave of attacks. Guns and artillery continuously reaped the lives of zombies. In just a few days, hundreds of thousands of zombies were killed, a truly astonishing result. Small-scale zombie tides had been eliminated during this period. However, for 180 million zombies, such losses were merely a drop in the ocean.
Under the control of the Zombie Kings, the hordes did not rush to attack Yanjing but maintained their encirclement. The slain zombies became food for the remaining ones.
Initially, headquarters was unaware of why the Zombie Kings were not attacking Yanjing. During this time, troops from all over the country were being redeployed to Yanjing. If the Zombie Kings possessed intelligence, they would surely attack as quickly as possible! Yet, four or five days passed, and apart from forming the encirclement, the zombies seemed to have done nothing else. 138 Reading Network
However, headquarters, using continuous satellite observation, finally understood the Zombie Kings' objective. During this period, the encirclement was constantly expanding. Zombies from the west crossed the Taihang Mountains, those from the north scaled the Great Wall, and even zombies from the northeast passed through Shanhaiguan Pass, all converging on Yanjing.
It turned out that the Zombie Kings had not been idle; they were amassing their forces. These Zombie Kings were preparing to launch an attack once their numbers were sufficient, at which point Yanjing would face over a hundred million zombies. A true zombie tide, surging from all directions like water, endless and overwhelming.
The zombie hordes that had reached the Haihe Plain had even begun digging tunnels. This was something only Zombie Kings would do. Hiding in tunnels, if deep enough, could withstand even nuclear bombs. It could only be said that the Zombie Kings were well-prepared for the current battle.
Upon learning of this situation, headquarters concluded that there must be a special communication method among the zombies, and it was highly likely that such a method existed among the Zombie Kings.
From the satellite view, any movement of a zombie horde, whether small groups of tens of thousands or large groups of hundreds of thousands, could be clearly seen. The movements of these hordes were methodical, and their actions during movement were extremely precise, with almost no margin for error.
All of this proved that there was at least an alternative communication method among the zombies. Some suspected that the Zombie Kings had learned to use mobile phones for communication, as they possessed intelligence. However, in many remote areas without electricity or signal, it was impossible for the Zombie Kings to use mobile phones in the wilderness, making this speculation untenable.
Finally, after two days of investigation, headquarters discovered that a strange electromagnetic wave appeared within the zombie hordes. It had a long propagation range and was precisely within the zombie horde's vicinity. Strangely, this electromagnetic wave had never been monitored before; it was an entirely new type of electromagnetic wave. If the Zombie Kings were using electromagnetic waves for communication, it would perfectly explain the situation.
"I never expected such a mutation among the zombies. Now that the Zombie Kings have such an alternative communication method, can't they coordinate their attacks?" The people at headquarters felt their hearts sink. Who would have thought that Zombie Kings could emit electromagnetic waves?
Previously, laboratory researchers had studied the Zombie Kings' method of controlling zombies, which involved directly affecting the brains of other zombies using ultrasound. Therefore, the laboratory was researching devices to interfere with the ultrasound emitted by the Zombie Kings. But now, to suddenly hear that the Zombie Kings could also communicate via electromagnetic waves was utterly baffling!
Currently, the interference devices had not yet been completed, and the zombies had already surrounded Yanjing. The situation was precarious. If the content of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the Zombie Kings could not be deciphered, it would be impossible for their side to know the zombies' plans.
In this situation, the military was at a loss. It wasn't that they didn't want to attack the zombies, but without effectively killing the Zombie Kings, the zombie tides would not disperse. Furthermore, no matter how many zombies were killed, it would not significantly impact the overall horde.
"It seems we can only hold out until it snows!" Everyone at headquarters was very pessimistic. To achieve victory now, they could only wait for winter. While it might not freeze the Zombie Kings and mutated zombies to death, ordinary zombies certainly couldn't withstand low temperatures and would inevitably freeze.
Concurrently, headquarters was urgently assembling national troops to defend the capital. If they could achieve victory on the front lines, then the entire area north of the Yellow River would essentially be free from the threat of zombies. Subsequently, half of the northern region could become a rear base for retaking the entire country. Everyone understood this clearly, so most of the nation's forces, both newly recruited soldiers and veterans, rushed towards Yanjing. Since Yanjing was already surrounded, everyone had to first travel to the Shandong Peninsula, then take a ship to Tianjin, and finally reach Yanjing.
Shen Feng paid no mind to these matters. For the past few days, he had been leading over fifty people in pursuit of mutated crocodiles, especially the Crocodile King that had escaped ashore. Only at night would he and Chu Chaoyan return to Yuzhou to use poison gas to kill the mutated rats in the sewers.
There was an unfortunate piece of news: among the over ten thousand people in Yuzhou, some had contracted the plague. Fortunately, Shen Feng had brought antibiotics, and the patients were quickly treated. However, it was foreseeable that the issue of plague would persistently accompany the operation to retake Yuzhou.
There were many zombie corpses on the streets and in the rooms. These corpses were to be dumped into the Yangtze River. During the process of moving the corpses, contact was inevitable, and people could easily contract the plague. The medicine brought by Jiang Yang was not abundant. Once the medicine was depleted, the spread of the plague could not be stopped.
In response, Shen Feng could only pray in his heart: "I hope Cao Fu Lie and Guo Pin Ming can proceed smoothly. Otherwise, without bringing back medicine, the operation to retake Yuzhou will be difficult!"
Meanwhile, in Yiling, more than half of the Three Gorges garrison had departed for Yanjing. The leader was Cheng Ke. After retreating from Yuzhou, he had been recuperating in Yiling with his over three thousand soldiers. Now that the country was in peril, he naturally stepped forward.
Three days after Cheng Ke's departure, General Chen felt something was amiss and proactively sought out the guard, Ke Yiming. At that moment, Ke Yiming was fishing, and his face showed signs of displeasure.
General Chen knew the reason. Ke Yiming also very much wanted to participate in the battle in Yanjing, but the Ability Administration had refused him, insisting he remain in the Three Gorges. After all, the Three Gorges was a strategically vital location, especially when troops were being drawn away. As an ability user, he had the responsibility to protect it. Consequently, Ke Yiming was unable to defend Yanjing, and his mood was naturally unhappy. His chance to make a name for himself was thus lost!
"Ke Yiming, you seem quite leisurely," General Chen said with a smile.
Ke Yiming snapped back to attention, quickly dropped his fishing rod, and stood up. "General, I'm just idle. I can neither kill zombies nor hunt mutated beasts, so I'm practically becoming useless. My brothers and sisters at the Ability Administration have all gone to the battlefield, but I'm here enjoying life. I really can't stand it."
Hearing this, General Chen shook his head helplessly and smiled. "Since you can't stay idle, how about helping me with a mission?"
"But I still have to protect you!" Ke Yiming looked somewhat troubled.
General Chen lowered his voice. "While I'm in the Three Gorges, who can harm me? But this mission is different. Currently, in the entire Three Gorges, only you can complete it! Perhaps this mission could also greatly help in defending Yanjing. What do you think?"
Ke Yiming pondered for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "As long as I can serve the country, I will complete any mission."
General Chen then lowered his voice. "Shen Feng of Yuzhou has been unreachable these past few days. He didn't even bring his satellite phone. Those below only say he's hunting mutated crocodiles, but I suspect this is Shen Feng's delaying tactic. He dares not refuse the conscription from Yanjing, so he's buying time. Therefore, you need to find a way to locate Shen Feng and force him to bring his troops to support Yanjing!"
Upon hearing this, Ke Yiming couldn't help but curse, "What a parasite! The country is in trouble, and instead of serving the nation, he only wants to evade war. He was the first person in the world to become a fourth-tier ability user, and I never expected him to be so selfish!"
Ke Yiming looked down on such civilian forces as Shen Feng, always feeling that such people were merely well-dressed bandit leaders who would hide when danger arose, solely focused on preserving their own strength while neglecting the important duty of defending the country.
General Chen picked up the fishing rod. "Therefore, you must find Shen Feng and make him lead his troops. Can you complete this mission?"
Ke Yiming nodded. "I guarantee I will complete the mission! But speaking of which, Shen Feng's people don't seem to be of much help in Yanjing's predicament, do they? It's not as if you need to threaten Shen Feng to depart, right?"
In Ke Yiming's view, Shen Feng's soldiers were all self-taught, learning to shoot on the fly. Such people going to Yanjing seemed to offer no help to the war effort. Since Yanjing already had many soldiers, holding out until it snowed shouldn't be difficult. Why then go to such lengths to find Shen Feng?
"Shen Feng's soldiers are indeed not strong enough, but Shen Feng himself is powerful enough! He was the first person globally to break through the evolution barrier. Regardless of his talent or strength, he is very powerful. Moreover, his abilities can play a huge role in decapitation operations!" General Chen explained.
Ke Yiming was somewhat displeased. "For decapitation operations, can't we use missiles? Their power is definitely greater than a fourth-tier ability user. Are you perhaps overestimating Shen Feng's strength?"
General Chen did not get angry. Although his opinion was doubted, he patiently explained, "Missiles cannot solve everything, especially at this moment. With 180 million zombies in Yanjing, satellites cannot easily locate the Zombie Kings, not to mention that zombies can dig tunnels! Future decapitation operations will inevitably be carried out by powerful ability users and evolvers, especially Shen Feng. It is estimated that his speed is already the fastest in the world! If he can evolve further, his speed might even break the sound barrier!"
Upon hearing such an explanation, Ke Yiming could only nod in agreement. He admitted that he was indeed no match for Shen Feng. If decapitation missions were required, then Shen Feng would be an essential choice!
"Don't worry, I will definitely complete the mission. No matter what, I will find Shen Feng, or I won't come back!" Ke Yiming gave a military salute and said with a serious expression.
General Chen nodded and whispered, "If you can't find any trace of Shen Feng, then go to Luzhou, no, it's Jiangyang now. Find someone called Pangolin. The password is 'drink chicken soup.' He might be able to provide you with some crucial information."
Ke Yiming nodded, then packed his belongings and set off. To avoid alerting anyone, Ke Yiming deliberately changed into plain clothes and set off with compressed biscuits.
General Chen watched Ke Yiming depart and shook his head helplessly, murmuring, "I hope you will live up to expectations."
To find Shen Feng, one would inevitably have to venture into the deep mountains and old forests. No one knew if there were mutated plants or animals in the mountains, and these places were fraught with danger. Only an ability user like Ke Yiming could freely enter and exit the forests. Even if he couldn't find Shen Feng, he could retreat unharmed. Therefore, Ke Yiming was actually the most suitable person to search for Shen Feng, as he was the only ability user in the Three Gorges.
General Chen also placed great hope on Ke Yiming's actions. As long as Shen Feng could be found, they could find a way to persuade him to join the battle in Yanjing, and Yanjing absolutely could not afford to lose.