Chapter 17: Emergency Situation
The circled at an altitude of three thousand meters.
Its high-definition electro-optical pod transmitted the ground image in real time back to the core control room, where it was synchronized to the huge display screen in the safe room.
In the footage, the gray-black horde officially made contact with the outermost defensive line of the .
The first things to take effect were the makeshift barbed-wire fences and roadblocks that had been hurriedly strung together.
Zombies had no thought. They only moved in straight lines, following their most basic instincts.
The zombies in front slammed into the rusted wire fence, their bodies caught on the barbs, and then they were ruthlessly pushed down by their own kind surging from behind.
Layer upon layer of bodies quickly crushed the wire fence. But it was exactly those few seconds of delay that changed the direction of the horde's pressure.
The zombies behind, jostling forward, instinctively slid toward the two sides where resistance was weaker.
Viewed from high above, the gray-black torrent that had been charging straight at the power station split in the middle the instant it touched the obstacles and flowed around the curve of the perimeter wall to both sides.
While monitoring, also made a point of visually estimating a few figures and sending them to the survivors in the safe room to put their minds at ease.
[Diversion rate: 34%]
[Blocking expectation met.]
"Nice work!" stood in front of the screen with his arms crossed, his tense shoulders clearly lowering.
let out a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and turned to look at the new survivors huddled in the corner.
, , and the others stared fixedly at the screen. Seeing that the horde really had gone around the station's main gate, they all breathed sighs of relief.
Just then, issued the second-phase command.
In the woods across from the station, high-powered speakers concealed among the treetops switched on at the same time.
Harsh heavy-metal rock music erupted instantly. The frantic drumbeats and tearing guitar riffs ripped through the dead silence of the night, and the sheer decibel level made the leaves tremble violently.
For zombies, which mainly relied on hearing and smell to detect their prey, this sound was lethally attractive.
The picture on the screen immediately changed again.
The horde that had been drifting along the edge of the perimeter wall stopped in perfect unison.
They twisted their stiff necks and turned their rotting faces toward the woods.
The next second, hundreds upon thousands of zombies roared, changed course, and charged madly into the depths of the forest.
They slammed into tree trunks, tumbled into bushes, and trampled one another.
[Diversion rate: 58%]
[Sound lure effective.]
watched the horde on the screen grow thinner and thinner and confirmed that only a few scattered zombies had carried their momentum into the abandoned parking lot on the station's periphery.
At these numbers, even alone could handle them easily.
A muted cheer broke out inside the safe room. A few of the young girls hugged one another and wept softly.
The crisis that had hung over everyone's heads seemed to have been dissolved with a casual wave of the hand.
"Thank goodness, we survived." leaned against the wall, hugging his wife and daughter tightly.
leaned against the doorframe, let out a cold snort, but also took a long, silent breath of relief.
The entire safe room was filled with the blessed relief of survival.
was the only exception. She sat closest to the screen, her gaze locked on the three behemoths at the edge of the frame.
For some reason, a faint unease lingered in her heart.
The three monsters that had named advanced very slowly. Their eight pale, segmented limbs rose and fell in turn, and their enormous flesh globes looked extremely eerie in the night.
"Sister Wan." suddenly spoke. Her voice was not loud, but in the now-quiet room it was perfectly clear.
stepped forward and pushed up the glasses on her nose. "What's wrong?"
"Don't you think their route is a little strange?" pointed at the on the screen.
frowned and stared at the screen for a while.