Chapter 6: Clearing the Block
, sixth-floor conference room.
Two mobilized soldiers stood at attention and saluted:
" , reporting to the ."
nodded, glanced at and sitting below, then at the two new faces.
"Sit."
The two took their places.
The roar of the diesel generator came through the wall, and the incandescent light bleached the map on the long table white.
walked to the whiteboard, drew a circle around the building with a marker:
"Starting tomorrow, we clear the perimeter. Within a one-kilometer radius, eliminate all zombies in shops and residential buildings. This place will be our base from now on."
He put down the pen and scanned the four people:
"During the clearing, avoid using guns as much as possible. We have no ammunition resupply, and gunfire will attract things from farther away. , you take and to handle the north side of . , take the high ground for observation and sentry. Report any anomalies immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
The four snapped to attention simultaneously.
"Get your gear ready tonight. Depart at 0700 tomorrow."
Next morning, 0700.
The four mobilized soldiers stood in formation downstairs.
Camouflage uniforms crisp, rifles slung across their chests, muzzles angled forty-five degrees down, fingers resting outside the trigger guards.
went up to the rooftop first and set up his binoculars. , , and advanced in a low posture along the north side of .
stood on the sixth-floor rooftop, the system interface floating before his eyes.
Basic map, 5 kilometers. Combat personnel, 4. Survivors, 2. remaining: 2.6. Still a long way to go.
The assault team reached the first shop—Huimin Convenience Store.
The glass door was mostly shattered, the interior a mess: shelves knocked over, snacks trampled, black blood trails smeared across the floor.
glanced through the window. One was crouched behind the cash register, another beside the shelves.
He slung his rifle over his back, pulled out his , gestured to to guard the entrance, and signaled to take the one on the right.
He crept in along the wall, stepping on broken glass without making a sound.
The one behind the cash register was absorbed in gnawing on something, its back of the neck exposed.
moved in one fluid motion. The blade cut in from the side, and the whole head rolled off, black blood spraying half the wall.
was a beat slower. The one by the shelves turned its head at the noise. His landed two inches off, hitting the shoulder instead.
The zombie screeched and lunged. stepped back half a pace and struck again, driving the in at a slant through its eye socket. Only then did it go still.
"Need to practice," said in a low voice.
said nothing, wiping the blood off his blade on his pant leg.
Next came the second shop—a pharmacy. Then the third—a noodle shop. Then the fifth—a hardware store. The tactic was the same each time: one lured, one pinned, one finished.
At the seventh shop, encountered one stuck in a shelf. It took two strikes to finish it, black blood splattering across his chest.
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out. A zombie wandering toward the bureau entrance dropped on the spot.
had taken the shot from the rooftop.
looked up but said nothing.
closed his map on the rooftop and took another look at the system panel. Nearly twenty .
He dismissed the light screen and tapped his fingers against his pants seam.
By the time the dozens of shops on the north side of were all cleared, it was past nine.
The assault team pivoted to the residential buildings on the south side of .
Building 1 was an old six-story walk-up, the stairwell so narrow two people could barely walk side by side.
"Advance unit by unit. Observe each floor first, then lure and kill," said in a low voice.
" takes point, covers the rear, I'm in the middle."
The three entered Unit 1 in a single-file formation.
The stairwell reeked of thick blood and rot. Scratches and black bloodstains covered the walls.
"First floor, left apartment. One," said, crouching at the stairwell corner. He picked up a brick and tossed it lightly toward the door.
The zombie was drawn by the sound, charging out with a roar. stepped forward, his slicing in from the side to sever its carotid artery. Clean and efficient.
"Second floor, right apartment. Two," said. He threw an empty mineral water bottle to lure one out; the took it down. The other followed close behind, finished off by .
Building 1 took less than half an hour. Over twenty zombies lay sprawled on the ground.
flicked the blood off his and glanced toward Building 2.
"Let's go. Next one."
But the moment they stepped into the stairwell of Building 2, the walkie-talkie crackled with 's urgent voice:
"Sergeant! One hundred meters east of Building 2, fast-moving target— —heading straight for you!"
's heart tightened. He turned and shoved :
"Pull back! Exit the building, set up behind the wrecked car at the entrance!"
The three had just crouched behind the burned-out shell of a van when a black shadow burst from the alley.
The thing ran with its back arched low to the ground, its hind legs pumping at a frequency no living creature should maintain. It wasn't running—it was leaping, each bound covering three or four meters.
Its bluish-gray skin stretched taut over bulging muscles. Its claws gouged white scratches into the asphalt.
"Open fire!"
By the time fired the first shot, the thing had already crossed half the road.
put two more rounds into it from the rooftop. One grazed its shoulder and hit the wall.
and fired simultaneously. The hail of bullets converged. Several rounds struck its chest and abdomen. The thing's speed faltered noticeably.
Just as it arched its body to leap again, landed a shot square in its forehead.
The black shadow flipped over entirely, crashed to the ground, and slid four or five meters, leaving a trail of black blood.
It stopped.
walked over, rifle leveled, and put another round into its head to confirm the kill. Only then did he lower his weapon.
He crouched to examine it. This thing was nothing like an ordinary zombie. Its limb muscles were abnormally developed, its fingernails thick as small blades.
He stood up and wiped the blood off his .
"Stay sharp. There's more than one kind of cargo in this area. Keep going."
"Yes, sir!"