Chapter 24: Rescue Operation
On 's tactical screen, the campus's three-dimensional structure map was clearly displayed.
Crimson dots spread across it like a plague, with only a few green points on the top floor flickering like candles in the wind.
" confirmed itāthere's still power here."
"So I have a simple but risky plan."
's voice rang out in the cramped truck compartment, calm and steady.
He pointed at the broadcast-room icon on the screen. "I'll infiltrate here first with , activate the broadcast, and lure most of the zombies to the playground. When the time comes, will provide fire cover there."
His gaze shifted to and the others. "Your mission is to break in through the side door of Teaching Building No. 1 immediately after the fire cover begins, then go up to the top floor to save the people."
"As for the remaining zombies in the building, you'll have to deal with them yourselves."
"Mm," smacked his lips and gripped the fire axe in his hand tighter. "Understood. No problem."
The others nodded along. "No problem for us either."
Everyone was well aware how risky this was, but they also knew time waited for no oneāthe condition of those people upstairs clearly couldn't wait any longer.
"Then let's move." pulled open the truck door, and the stench of rot surged in.
***
Snarls rose and fell across the campus, adding the worst possible soundtrack to this dangerous infiltration.
moved nimbly, slipping silently through the shadows of the buildings.
Behind him, switched into stealth mode, its movements just as light, as if it had merged with the darkness.
's consciousness was attached to and the UAV high above, marking the location of every cluster for .
Rounding a downed corpse, he saw the Administration Building ahead.
The broadcast room was on the second floor.
Suddenly, the door of a chemistry classroom beside him burst open with a bang, and a wearing a teacher's uniform lunged out with a snarl.
was ready. He pivoted sharply to the left, and the military knife in his reverse grip sank into the 's skull like lightning.
Pfft!
A faint sound of flesh being pierced, and the 's snarl stopped dead. It pitched forward, leaving only a bloody hole so deep that bone was visible in the back of its head.
Smooth and fluid, with no wasted motion.
The broadcast room's door had an electronic lock that had long since failed.
stepped back. moved forward, its powerful mechanical arm crushing the lock's connecting plate.
After an alarming crunch, stepped inside.
There was quite a bit of dust on the console, but fortunately the functions seemed to be fine.
deftly checked the wiring and connected the power.
He glanced over the song list, and a mischievous smile crept onto his lips.
In the end, he chose "In the Fields of Hope."
The next second, the loud, old-time melody tore through the campus's deathly silence, blaring through loudspeaker after loudspeaker and ringing across the entire playground.
"Our hometown, on the fields of hope..."
In the song, door after door burst open across the silent teaching buildings, dormitories, and the library, and rotting figures staggered out one after another.
Drawn by the sound, they converged into a filthy flood and surged toward the playground.
High in the sky, beneath the belly of the , the missile rack slowly unfolded.
***
"Go!"
let out a low shout. With , , and , he snipped the chain on the side door with hydraulic cutters and slipped into the teaching building.
The song was the best possible cover; the density of zombies in the corridors had dropped sharply.
"Old Qian, left!" called in a low voice.
's eyes were bloodshot. Without dodging, he brought the axe down on the lunging from the left and sent it crashing to the floor.
and dealt with the two on the right in silent coordination.
After training, they were no longer the newbies whose legs went weak at the sight of zombies.
Working together, the four cleared upward methodically.
Meanwhile, in 's "god's-eye view," the playground had become an ocean of zombies.
"Let's drop a big one."
The UAV released a micro-missile.
BOOM!
Fire burst open, and countless steel pellets swept outward with the shock wave, instantly clearing a huge fan-shaped area in the middle of the playground.
Just then, a system prompt lit up in 's consciousness.
[Ding! Killed a normal . Dropped "single-use " x1.]
froze.
This thing had a chance to drop?
His eyes lit up immediately. Wasn't this just farming mobs?!
His spirits soared. He immediately controlled the UAV and poured another round of fire into the densest crowd of zombies.
[Ding! Killed a normal . Dropped "single-use " x1.]
Another one!
Even though the drop rate was pitiful, as long as farming mobs could earn tools this overpowered, it was a massive win no matter how you looked at it.
Just as was excitedly "farming," 's group ran into trouble.
At the turn of the stairs leading to the top floor, a Giant Strength nearly two meters tall was pacing.
It turned its head, and its bloodshot single eye caught sight of and the others. It let out a furious roar.
"Damn! How is there another big one here?!" cursed under his breath.
Seeing his son's escape route cut off, took a deep breath.