068 Misfortunes Never Come Singly

Pulling on his trousers, Wang Chen opened the door for Hu Qianqian. The young girl was not surprised to see him bare-chested; she immediately pressed the intercom button and called out, "Brother Ren! I’ve woken up Brother Wang! Brother Ren? Can you hear me?"

Ren Wanrong’s voice crackled over the intercom instantly, "Team Leader Wang, the motion-sensor doorbell five hundred meters beyond the stone bridge has been triggered!"

At that distance, the camp’s current equipment could not transmit wireless surveillance signals. Shen Dongyun had spent time rigging a makeshift alarm system using a car battery, a doorbell, a car key fob, and a power amplifier. Whenever an object moved along the road and tripped the sensor, the current meant for the doorbell’s chime would instead trigger the internal components of the car key fob. It functioned just like pressing the unlock button, sending an amplified signal to the bunker behind the bridgehead, which would then trip the car’s locking system to sound an alarm and flash its lights.

As Wang Chen strapped a bayonet to his leg, he asked, "Is it a false alarm?"

"No! The signal is coming in intervals! It must be a vehicle passing by. We initially thought it might be new civilians, but a few minutes have passed, and even the men sent to maintain order have arrived, yet no vehicle appeared. It feels wrong, so I immediately alerted the entire camp!"

Since zombies generally moved very slowly, a continuous signal from the doorbell could usually be attributed to a zombie within range, which was no cause for alarm. A vehicle moving at speed was a different story; the sensor signal would not last long.

"Is there anything on satellite remote sensing?" In the time it took to exchange those few sentences, Wang Chen had finished dressing. He slung his modified Type 95 rifle over his shoulder, took the walkie-talkie from Hu Qianqian, and inserted his earpiece while walking outside to confirm.

It was six in the morning, and the sky was just beginning to brighten. The reservoir was still shrouded in winter fog, and each breath felt damp and freezing. While it wasn't pitch black, visibility beyond fifty meters was a blur of indistinct shapes, and beyond a hundred meters, it was a solid, impenetrable white.

Wang Chen had asked the locals among the civilians over the past two days, and they explained that such heavy fog was a seasonal occurrence just before deep winter. Wang Chen had once thought this weather provided a form of protection for the base, as it would be difficult to aim at the bus bunker at the bridgehead. However, upon reflection, he realized that for someone like Boss Tian, this weather could be used to his advantage, effectively shortening the distance needed to launch a vehicular assault on the bridgehead fortifications.

"I’ve just connected to the satellite, but the fog is thick and spectral limits are high. The thermal imaging record from an hour ago shows no anomalies. I am requesting a re-orbit, but the estimated time is at least forty minutes!" Yang Xiaohua’s reply was prompt, but unfortunately, it was of little use.

Wang Chen couldn't help but sigh; even with hundreds of satellites overhead, very few were Chinese-owned or capable of synchronous orbital remote sensing. Even though ninety-five percent of government agencies nationwide were paralyzed, it was impossible for Team 08—the lowest-ranked unit among the remaining five percent—to have 24-hour satellite surveillance.

"Any word on the drone?"

"It’s being prepared for takeoff. Dai Jian went with Fang Qiang to fetch ammunition, and Ma Tian is fiddling with it, but no one in the base is really proficient with this thing!" Yang Xiaohua’s voice betrayed a hint of impatience; she couldn't multitask, and sitting in front of the satellite equipment only fueled her anxiety.

It was a mistake to be careless. Without the anti-personnel radar from an armored vehicle, the base was effectively blind in this weather! Wang Chen kept his frustration to himself. He couldn't blame Fang Qiang; the plan to scavenge more munitions was one he had personally approved. A gun without ammo was nothing more than a club.

Just as Wang Chen was searching for words to stabilize the team and grant Ren Wanrong the authority to act freely at the bridgehead—whether by testing the enemy with fire or flushing them out—a dry, tense voice cut through the communication channel: "Team... Team Leader Wang! There seems to be something in the lake!!!"

Something in the lake? The words hit Wang Chen like an electric shock. He immediately pressed for details: "What is it? Be specific! Where is the location!"

"The east end! No, the northeast, wait, no... it’s right there! Near the river beach under the balloon! It looks like a boat! I heard the sound of an engine, followed by a splashing noise. There’s definitely movement, but the fog is too thick to see clearly!" The speaker was Cui Yongzhi. Since Fang Qiang had taken over a dozen civilians to move the ammo, Cui had been in charge of the early morning patrol. With him were six young civilians and Chen Chong, who had been unable to sleep after the humiliation of wetting his pants the night before and had come out to clear his head.

A feint? A pincer movement? Sensing the situation was dire and knowing the base was critically short on armed personnel, Wang Chen sprinted toward the river beach while shouting into the channel: "Brother Ren! Do you have enough men?"

"Don't worry. Counting the new civilians, there are over a dozen men here. Every one of them has a gun!"

"The bridgehead is yours!"

"Leave it to me! Do you need me to send some men your way?"

"Not yet! I’m not sure about the situation at the river beach; it might be a diversion!"

"Understood. Keep in touch!"

"Ma Tian, forget the drone. I’m heading to the river beach. Gather the remaining women who can use firearms, take a light machine gun and plenty of ammo! Get over here immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled explosion echoed from the direction of the bridgehead. Wang Chen immediately called out, "Brother Ren! What’s going on?!"

"Damn it! These bastards actually made flying mines! It looks like black powder; the power is low and the range is short, but it hit our anti-personnel mines at the bridgehead! Damn it! Here they come again!"

After several more explosions, Ren Wanrong’s voice returned: "Don't worry about the bridgehead! I’m dug in here today!"

"Right! Brother Ren! It’s all on you!"

Wang Chen let go of the intercom, his brow furrowed. He had underestimated the hardened criminals; they had actually managed to craft crude flying mines! The old saying that "the real experts are in prison" certainly rang true. It was clear that pulling men from the bridgehead was impossible; if the dozen or so men could hold the bridge, it was already a miracle. He hoped the river beach was just a bluff. As the thought crossed his mind, Cui Yongzhi’s voice came through the earpiece, "Zombies! There are zombies on and off the boat! My god!"

Hearing this, Wang Chen knew they were in trouble. He had underestimated Boss Tian, who had easily tricked them. The enemy had calculated that the bridgehead was a must-hold position, pinned down the bulk of their forces, and then struck where they were weak. This was going to be a difficult battle to survive.

"Don't panic! I'm almost there!"

Cui Yongzhi had indeed heard Wang Chen’s shouting over the walkie-talkie, but he could no longer utter a single word. The scene before his eyes was simply too horrific to comprehend.