Chapter 11: Assault
swung his arm down sharply.
Eighteen soldiers advanced in two assault columns at a low crouch, their combat boots barely making a sound on the concrete pavement.
The two soldiers in front held ballistic shields in their left hands, bodies leaning forward. The shield faces were angled slightly ahead, and the assaulters behind them were completely hidden in the shields’ shadow.
Thirty meters—gone in an instant.
Two combat engineers slipped out from the rear of the formation, dropped to one knee, and aimed hydraulic cutters at the chain on the gate.
With a crisp *click*, the galvanized chain—thumb-thick—snapped cleanly.
kicked the hinge side of the door. The heavy iron gate swung inward with a bang and slammed against the wall with a dull thunder.
The sound detonated across the empty compound.
More than a dozen zombies on the plaza turned as one. Their gray-green faces oriented toward the gate, and guttural roars ripped from their throats as they charged—arms flailing.
“Shield wall!” ordered in a low voice.
The four soldiers in the front rank stepped forward together, slamming their ballistic shields onto the ground to form a waist-high metal defensive line.
“Fire!”
Four rifles opened fire at once. The shots were staggered and precise.
The six leading zombies took hits to the chest and head. Black blood splattered across the concrete. Their bodies stumbled and fell.
More zombies kept pouring out from the office building and the dormitory blocks, their numbers swelling by the second.
’s gaze stayed steady. He adjusted tactics without hesitation.
“First Squad—left flank. Suppress the dormitory direction. Second Squad—right flank. Block the office building exit. The rest of you—advance step by step. Push the line inward!”
The soldiers moved forward in a steady cadence. Shields stayed facing front, while the assaulters behind them alternated fire.
Each volley dropped four or five zombies. Black blood spread across the plaza in large, dark-brown stains.
Across the street, crouched behind the wreckage of a car. A blue holographic interface floated before his eyes.
On the map, the red dots inside the compound were shrinking, while green dots steadily advanced.
“ , Third Squad—keep watch on the west and north alleyways. The gunfire might draw in surrounding zombie groups.”
“Third Squad received. Observation posts are set on both directions. No unusual movement yet.”
Inside the compound, the assault line pressed toward the center of the plaza.
The largest wave—at least sixty or seventy zombies—poured out of the dormitory building, crowding the entrance in a black mass.
led Second Squad to take cover in the flowerbed on the east side of the plaza, using the terrain to eliminate targets with surgical precision.
His marksmanship was clearly beyond the ordinary soldiers’. Most of his aimed shots landed between the head and neck, rarely needing a follow-up.
On the other side, First Squad—under ’s lead—headed straight for the armory.
The armory sat at the deepest part of the compound: a single-story brick-and-concrete building with a heavy blast door sealed shut. At the entrance, a dozen or so zombies wandered aimlessly.
signaled with his hand.
Two scouts looped around from the flank and tossed two empty soda cans.
*Clatter.*
The sound carried from the far side of the armory. The dozen zombies immediately took the bait, snarling as they surged toward the noise.
“Open fire.”
The four assaulters of First Squad rose in unison and fired precise semi-automatic shots.
The zombies didn’t even get time to turn. All twelve were shot in the head and dropped to the ground.
walked up to the blast door.
A combat engineer crouched to inspect it for a few seconds, then stood and turned.
“ , it’s a Level 6 blast rating. Pure mechanical lock. No key, no code. Conventional tools won’t touch it.”
“Leave two men on guard. Main force returns to the plaza. Clear all zombies first.”
By then, the fight in the plaza was nearly over.
The thirty-plus zombies that had rushed out of the office building were split apart and eliminated by Second Squad. Only the last dozen remained from the dormitory.
When First Squad returned, immediately ordered a general assault. Both squads advanced in a pincer formation, their overlapping fire covering the final zone of the plaza.
A dozen minutes later, the last zombie fell at the dormitory steps. The compound plaza was completely cleared.
stepped into the compound, crossing the plaza stained with black blood.
“Report.”
“The perimeters of all three buildings—office, dormitory, and armory—are clear,” said, standing at attention.
“The armory blast door is intact. We can’t force-break it from outside.”
“ , Second Squad clears the office building, floor by floor from the top down. Watch the corners of rooms. , First Squad clears the dormitory, room by room. Two combat engineers stay behind to study the armory blast door. Prefer technical opening—if not, prepare for directional breaching.”
The two squads split up.
The office building’s corridors were long and narrow, and most office doors on both sides were left wide open, obstructing visibility—perfect terrain for ambush.
walked at the very front of the column, making hand signals. The soldiers moved in pairs, hugging the walls. At each office door, they paused for two seconds to listen and locate sounds, then slipped in quickly to clear the room.
At the end of the third-floor corridor, inside the meeting room, five zombies were alerted by the footsteps. They slammed against the door frantically.
raised a hand to halt the soldiers. One soldier took out an and lightly tapped the wall with its handle.
The banging from the meeting room grew more violent, and soon cracks appeared in the door panel.
stepped back two paces, gun muzzle aimed at the doorway.
*Bam!* The door panel shattered. Five zombies burst out, roaring.
*Bang bang bang—*
The three in front were shot in the head on the spot and fell.
The two behind kept coming, still lunging forward.
sidestepped the first zombie’s grab, swung the rifle stock sideways, and smashed it into the side of the zombie’s head near the ear. The zombie lost its balance, toppled sideways, and followed up by planting a foot on its head and finishing it with one shot.
The last one was dropped by the soldiers behind.
straightened up and holstered his weapon. Just as he was about to continue the advance, his peripheral vision caught the door at the end of the corridor.
He walked over and pushed.
The door didn’t budge.
He crouched to peer through the gap beneath the door. It was pitch-black inside. He couldn’t see anything, but something heavy was clearly pressing against the door from the other side.
’s voice came through the intercom, lower than before.
“ , something’s off with the on the third floor. The door is locked from the inside. No light comes through the bottom gap, but something is blocking the door from behind. It won’t move.”
stopped in his tracks on the plaza.