072 Something Is Wrong with the Script-1

Standing atop the armored vehicle, feeling a cold wind that paled in comparison to the biting chill of Harbin, Wang Chen gazed out at the desolate, yellow-green military barracks bathed in the sunset. It was a complex feeling; compared to the zombies created from civilians, these soldiers in uniform—slumped over or dormant in the absence of external stimuli, yet still retaining a trace of their former disciplined composure—truly evoked a sense of melancholy.

Once upon a time, they had been brave defenders of their homeland. Even in death, they had found no peace, yet they never abandoned their posts, stubbornly guarding this place as if their sense of duty remained intact, their blood still running hot.

Over the past week, Dai Jian had used drones to map the layout of the camp. Constrained by limited manpower, Wang Chen did not intend to clear the entire camp of zombies. His plan was to clear the area around and inside the garages, secure the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicles he had long coveted, and then use that force to pressure "Boss Tian" into negotiations. Once the weather turned colder, he would return to fully clear the camp and scavenge all its supplies.

Wang Chen had considered moving his base here. As a former infantry regiment garrison, the facilities were orderly and well-maintained; it could easily house one or two thousand people. However, Ren Wanrong had talked him out of it. First, the camp was too vast; even with perimeter walls, it lacked the natural defensive advantage of their current peninsula, which was surrounded by water on three sides. With their current numbers—even if they added another hundred or so—they would never be able to hold the perimeter. Secondly, the water supply for these hills relied on a water plant and deep wells. Without electricity, the water plant would be paralyzed, and the pumps wouldn't function. They could use generators, but that would consume far too much precious gasoline. Ultimately, it wasn't as convenient as living by the reservoir. Other logistical drawbacks were too numerous to mention.

Two hours had passed since the cold front arrived, and the temperature had dropped below freezing. Even to the naked eye, it was clear that the zombies’ movements had slowed. To avoid complications, Wang Chen decided not to wait any longer. He sat back inside the armored vehicle, confirmed with Yang Xiaohua back at their base that there were no movements from Boss Tian’s side, and then tapped Dai Jian on the shoulder. He pressed his headset and called out, "Brother Fang, Ma Tian, let's begin."

Ma Tian, already positioned on the perimeter wall, acknowledged the order and climbed down with two civilians tasked with opening the gate. Ma Tian stood guard with his suppressed submachine gun while the civilians took the gas cutters passed down from the wall. They ignited the torches and began cutting through the gate’s locking mechanism. Wang Chen hadn't wanted to force his way in, but the new recruit, Hong Ru, had no idea where the keys for the garage gates were kept. They couldn't have everyone climbing walls just to engage in hand-to-hand combat with zombies while searching for keys.

Fortunately, the gate wasn't made of any special alloy, just standard anti-rust, electronically controlled iron. The gas cutters made short work of it. After Ma Tian picked off fewer than ten zombies, the lock was severed. The two civilians pulled the gate open, and Fang Qiang drove the armored vehicle straight into the camp.

According to the layout, the passage between the third row of garages was the narrowest. They could use their vehicles to block the path and prevent more zombies from swarming in and interfering with their recovery operation.

When it came to driving skills, Fang Qiang was the best among them. Following the planned route, he drifted the armored vehicle with precision—knocking over a willow tree the thickness of a wrist and two stray zombies—before sliding to a halt at the entrance of the left passage, effectively blocking it with the vehicle's chassis while kicking up a cloud of dust. Behind him followed a bus. Its long frame couldn't replicate the armored vehicle's maneuverability, and the civilian driver—a former truck driver—was a bit stiff behind the wheel. However, his nerves held; he didn't panic when hundreds of zombies, awakened by the noise, surged toward them from the rear, nor did he stall the engine. He managed to crush three or four wandering zombies, and although his final position was slightly off, he successfully blocked most of the main passage to the right of the third row. The remaining gap was plugged completely by Pablo in the Iveco; the rear of the van literally wedged into the space between the perimeter wall and the bus, with the metal body denting by at least half a meter, leaving no room for anything to pass.

Before Pablo had even stepped out of his vehicle, Wang Chen had already jumped from the armored vehicle. He stood before the leftmost rolling door of the first row of garages, preparing to use the winch from an off-road vehicle to rip the door open. Based on the theories of Ma Tian and Ren Wanrong, the infantry regiment's garages were likely uniform, with vehicles parked facing outward and interconnected interiors. Ripping one door open should reveal the contents of the entire row.

Since those who knew the layout had all perished, and Hong Ru only knew that these garages held military vehicles, nobody knew exactly what was inside. Finding the desired vehicles was purely a matter of luck.

With the roar of the off-road vehicle’s four-wheel-drive engine, the rolling door was torn open. Wang Chen stood ready with his modified Type 95 assault rifle, prepared to engage any zombies that might rush out. But after half a minute, with Pablo and Ma Tian now at his side, there was still no movement from within.

Switching on his high-intensity flashlight and feeling a tap on his shoulder from Ma Tian, Wang Chen moved cautiously inside. The garage was completely empty. The entire row was vacant.

"Look at the tread marks on the ground. These were originally for Dongfeng Mengshi off-road vehicles. They were likely taken by those who evacuated the camp. It’s not surprising; this row is closest to the gate, making it the most convenient for daily use," Ma Tian speculated, crouching down to examine the floor in the flashlight's beam.

"Let's move. To the next row," Wang Chen said, feeling disappointed but unwilling to believe his luck was so poor. There were thirty spots across three rows; surely they couldn't all be empty.

The second row was pulled open. Inside were three military Ivecos, one heavy-duty military truck, and over twenty barrels of diesel. The fuel was clean, and the vehicles were well-maintained and ready to start at a moment's notice.

The third row contained six Mengshi off-road vehicles, all military-spec—sturdy, four-wheeled, with reinforced armor and digital camouflage. Three were equipped with 12.7mm heavy machine guns and smoke grenade launchers, while the other three mounted 35mm grenade launchers.

Well, it was far inferior to the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicles they had hoped for, but better than nothing. When Wang Chen described the findings over the comms, Fang Qiang—a former Army aviation man—didn't think much of it, but Ren Wanrong felt quite embarrassed, admitting that his judgment had been flawed. Having served in the Army, he shouldn't have made such a common-sense error. In hindsight, when they hadn't found 100mm rifled gun or 30mm cannon ammunition in the armory, he should have realized that this camp housed a motorized infantry regiment rather than a mechanized one. The difference was that the former was a light infantry unit emphasizing mobility, and lacking heavy-caliber weaponry, they naturally had no need for the corresponding armored carriers.