Chapter 60: Can Only Delay

The meal was very pleasant. It had been a long time since Gao Yuan had dined at a proper dining table. Despite many onlookers, he still enjoyed his meal.

As the meal wound down, the two plates of vegetables were completely finished, and Wang Hu had been watching the whole time. It seemed as if watching someone eat was also a kind of enjoyment for him.

Gao Yuan put down his chopsticks, and Wang Hu asked with a hint of expectation, "How was the meal?"

"Very good, very good. I haven't eaten such delicious food in a long time. Thank you, Commander Wang."

Wang Hu's laughter was full of joy and contentment.

Xiang Weiguo finally found an opportunity to speak. He glanced around the canteen and said, "When I came in just now, I noticed that this permanent camp is quite large, and the surrounding walls are very high. Commander Wang, without violating any confidentiality regulations, could you tell me about this shelter?"

Wang Hu readily responded, "Of course. The construction of this shelter began three years ago, and from the outset, we prepared to have a permanent presence here. We were involved in the construction right from the start. Back then, we didn't know why, but now it's clear to everyone.

"The shelter covers an area of 1,300 mu, and the total floor area has reached 440 mu. The main buildings are the grain storage, auxiliary food storage, and the munitions depot. As for the housing for personnel, it's very tight right now because it's not yet finished. Even once it's finished, it still won't be enough. So, the main facilities are barely sufficient."

Xiang Weiguo nodded and said, "It's already very large, and it's good that it fulfills the main functions. As for accommodation for personnel, temporary housing can meet the requirements."

"It's still not enough. We're just barely maintaining a balance. Stonegate only has two shelters, but the city has a population of over six million. Right now, this shelter has squeezed in 220,000 people—220,000! But that's it... it's been almost a month, and you four are the only newcomers."

"What about the First Shelter?"

"The situation is similar. There are slightly more people than here, about 250,000 or so. Outside the two shelters, there are some scattered survivors who are reluctant to enter the shelters because it's really too crowded. So they have settled down in the rural areas around the shelters. We've mostly cleared the zombies in the surrounding areas, so there aren't major safety issues, and it's also okay for them to stay outside. Altogether, the number of survivors around the two shelters is roughly around 50,000."

Xiang Weiguo's expression turned grim, and he sighed softly, "Six million urban population, and now there's less than one-tenth left."

Wang Hu was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "One-tenth is not bad, really not bad. As you've seen, our country was prepared early, and the emergency plans were very thorough. That's why this many people were saved. I've heard that in many countries, like the island country to our east, outside of mountainous and remote areas, there are practically no people left in the entire country, especially in the cities. Now, I guess they only have a handful of survivors remaining, maybe less than a hundred. You could say the whole country is gone."

Xiang Weiguo sighed and said, "This is... alas."

When it comes to national organizational ability, emergency mobilization, public quality, the efficiency of the military and civil servants, infrastructure capability, and industrial production capacity, Shenzhou Country claims to be second to none. Who would dare claim to be the first?

Building a shelter in Shenzhou Country took less than three years, while numerous large shelters sprang up across the country. Other countries had not even completed one shelter.

Administering rabies vaccines, Shenzhou Country took less than a year to achieve a vaccination coverage rate of over 95% for more than a billion people. In contrast, governments of other countries were busy arguing with anti-intellectualists opposing vaccination—which concerns developed countries. As for undeveloped countries, they didn't even have the capacity to manufacture vaccines on a large scale.

Now comes the problem: Shenzhou did its best in all aspects, yet the survival rate is barely one-tenth. The situation in other countries must be much worse. Previously, we might have mocked and gloated over their misfortune, but now, as members of the human community sharing a common destiny, what else can we do but sigh?

Surviving one in ten, this number is terrifying.

"Commander Wang, is that really all the people left? Is the whole country like this?" Gao Yuan asked, unable to contain his concern.

Wang Hu shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Survival rates vary greatly. We are located on a vast plain and in a big city, with a very high density of towns and villages. The losses were particularly heavy after the zombie outbreak. But the cities and villages in the mountain areas are in a much better situation. The more sparsely populated the area, the smaller the losses, because the initial fatalities caused by the virus were actually not that bad. What's really troubling is the subsequent casualties caused by the zombies."

Xiang Weiguo spoke softly, "So what are our plans now, like any counter-attack plans?"

Wang Hu let out a sigh and said softly, "Our current plan, while ensuring the safety of the shelters, is to first clear the countryside and the small towns to open up a large enough area for restoration of production and life. If we can ensure safety in the countryside, then we can move some people out there. It's manageable now in the winter, but come summer, sanitation will be a huge concern.

"As for large cities, we simply can't enter. We can only wait a longer time and find more suitable methods before we can gradually start recapturing the cities."

After he finished, Wang Hu pointed to the sky and said, "If you're asking about the aliens, then my answer is only that I don't know. I don't know what to do, I don't know what we can do."

As expected, facing an unwelcome answer, Xiang Weiguo sighed and asked, "Have we tried entering the city?"

Wang Hu nodded and then spoke with a pained expression, "We tried once. I sent a company. Initially on the outskirts, everything was smooth, but as they went deeper, zombies swarmed everywhere. My company... all were lost."

Wang Hu turned his head away, and Li Guangting spoke in a low voice, "Once surrounded by zombies, rescue is impossible, or it becomes a fueling tactic. Firing guns would only attract more zombies. Artillery coverage is meaningless and too risky; we're afraid it would draw all the zombies in the city. Using firearms, a small number of zombies is no threat, but when thousands of zombies surge at once, it's really useless."

Xiang Weiguo nodded and said softly, "A small number of zombies are easy to handle, but once they reach a certain number, a quantitative change leads to a qualitative change, making them hard to deal with. Not even a brigade or an army would suffice, unless we use fortress tactics—advancing step by step, ensuring safety, and clearing out small numbers gradually, also aiming for the effect that a quantitative change produces a qualitative change."

Wang Hu said solemnly, "Elder Xiang has hit the mark. This is the unanimous conclusion reached by several shelters. So for now, we can only delay. We can't rush."