Chapter 83: A Million Zombies Mutate! The Semi-Classical Mutation Begins

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The soldiers of the field army, battle-hardened from countless engagements with zombie hordes, though slightly flustered, held their formation and continued slashing with blades and thrusting with spears. Zombies gradually overwhelmed the ranks—a common occurrence for these soldiers. The problem was that these zombies, doused in gasoline and ablaze, threw themselves upon the warriors.

The Special Committee’s forces had always stressed the rule of silence in combat; even with zombies bearing down upon them, soldiers were trained to suppress their fear and remain quiet. But this time, they could not hold back. From the midst of flaming zombie torches came the anguished screams of men.

Soon, the zombie horde surged beneath the Sihuan Bridge. At the bridgehead, Li Fengyi, watching from above, saw the suddenly cunning zombies and deeply understood what it meant to grit one’s teeth and endure.

He shouted orders rapidly, “No one is to throw Molotovs—all hold your positions!”

As bullets and arrows felled zombies, their bodies began to pile up beneath the high bridge. Li Fengyi knew it was only a matter of time before the line was breached; the sheer number of zombies was overwhelming.

He issued commands with composure, “Advance from the north, south, and east—compress the zombies’ space!”

Then, turning to his staff officer, he shouted, “Prepare the rear defenses—organize an orderly retreat!”

He leaped onto a car barrier, brandished a red flag, and called out, “Do not panic, everyone. I will be the last to withdraw!”

The guard battalion clustered tightly around him, raising their long sabres and steel pipes in readiness.

Soon, the zombies reached the top of the bridge. Li Fengyi raised his sabre and brought it down hard, cutting a zombie down instantly.

He frowned; the zombies could still be decapitated in one blow, but their momentum was far greater now. The shock made his hand go numb, lacking the crispness of former days.

The soldiers with steel pipe spears also noticed the change. Where once a thrust would pierce only six inches through a skull, now it would pass nearly two feet.

Li Fengyi led his men in a fighting retreat. Those who fell behind in the zombie mass would have to regroup after the battle—something they had long since become accustomed to.

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The trouble this time was that those caught in the zombie horde no longer maintained their usual composure; instead, screams of agony echoed relentlessly.

The bridge was soon carpeted with corpses, small mounds rising where fallen soldiers were encircled by zombies.

As the troops retreated from the bridge, the zombies followed, leaping down from the fifteen- or sixteen-meter-high overpass without pause. Even with broken legs, they crawled forward. Zombies falling from above smashed into those below, quickly reducing the bodies at ground level to a bloody pulp. But for those who jumped later, the mound of flesh served as a cushion, letting them land unharmed, and they pursued their prey with renewed vigor.

The retreat continued under constant attack, the defenders falling back until they reached Sanyuan Bridge on the Third Ring Road. There, the barricades were being hastily reinforced, while along the route, isolated soldiers were surrounded, forming more mounds of bodies.

At Sanyuan Bridge, the zombie assault finally eased. Li Fengyi and his men collapsed, utterly spent.

News reached the Special Committee headquarters, which immediately issued a mobilization order—placing the entire city on high alert.

Troops were rushed to Sanyuan Bridge, where they formed layered phalanxes in chainmail to block and wear down the zombies.

Some zombies were captured alive and locked in iron cages, then sent to the nearest mobile lab dispatched by the Ministry of Science and Technology for analysis. The report soon arrived: “Zombie physical strength matches post-apocalypse human standards. Zombies never fear injury and hold nothing back—they exert more than twice the explosive force of a post-apocalypse human, and their running speed is more than double as well. Their sense of smell and hearing are still being tested.”

Ordinary humans, to avoid self-injury, can only use about seventy percent of their strength—even when running. Before the apocalypse, there were rare cases of people summoning incredible power to save a falling child or to lift a car, or outrunning a galloping horse. But such feats, which left no protection for the body, inevitably resulted in death.

Only zombies could always attack at full strength without dying, never fearing, never tiring. That was the most terrifying thing about them.

The zombies’ increased strength and speed were only part of the problem. Now, facing fire, they had learned from their soaked brethren how to protect themselves—zombies were beginning to develop learning abilities and even organized tactics, no longer acting blindly.

Before, for all their numbers, zombies could eventually be wiped out by the cunning of humankind. But now, as zombies evolved from highly intelligent humans, they were beginning to show true intelligence. Li Fengyi knew humanity’s situation was growing ever more perilous.

After surviving this crisis, the extinction of zombies would have to be accelerated, wherever they might be found.

Gunfire echoed constantly at Sanyuan Bridge. Apart from this horde, no other zombies were present, so the Special Committee no longer strictly controlled the use of firearms. They simply ordered the soldiers to fire at maximum range, hoping to push the zombie wall as far forward as possible. No one dared order the use of firebombs.

Even so, the zombies were slowly piling up a wall of corpses beneath the bridge.

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This time, the Special Committee urgently delivered hand grenades, constantly blasting the corpse wall to slow the zombies’ advance.

As Li Fengyi caught his breath, he ordered all units to report their status.

The northern, southern, and eastern forces, attacking from the flanks and rear, had been pinned down by zombie detachments. The main horde focused all its strength on storming Sanyuan Bridge, heedless of casualties.

Not understanding why the soldiers trapped in the zombie mass were screaming so horribly, Li Fengyi dared not send the chainmail phalanx into the horde. Instead, he deployed the troops along the Sanyuan Bridge line to grind the zombies down in a war of attrition.

Afternoon soon arrived.

The setting sun cast a bloody red light as the zombie horde piled up at the bridgehead. The chainmail-clad warriors retreated step by step, while several new defensive lines were hastily constructed behind them. Still, the number of zombies had been reduced to around half a million.

Because the Special Committee had relied on cold weapons for the bulk of the fighting, with firearms only for emergencies, heavy weapons couldn’t be brought up in time. Even light machine guns were stationed in mountain defenses against other human survivor bases. Thus, the sword- and spear-armed soldiers were forced into brutal close combat, slowly giving ground.

Soon, Sanyuan Bridge was lost as well.

Just then, the roar of engines and the trembling of the roadway sounded from behind. Turning to look, they saw a cluster of tanks approaching—the lead vehicle was Li Qiang’s Type 99, followed by a motley assortment of models from various eras, all speeding forward in a charging formation.

After Base No. 2 returned to headquarters, under Li Qiang’s direction, the mechanical plant’s equipment and materials had been used to repair the tanks, even restoring several from the military museum. Now, at this critical moment, reinforcements had arrived!

A few of the oldest tanks, hurtling along at high speed, were shedding parts as they went—clattering debris bounced along the road in the tanks’ wake.

On the highway, soldiers hurriedly pushed aside car barriers, closing them again once the tank column had passed.