Chapter 96: Blockade

When the roar of artillery suddenly erupted, Wang Hu breathed a sigh of relief.

The bombardment was extremely intense, only achievable with the combined firing of over five hundred large-caliber guns and more than two hundred rocket launchers.

As a severe sufferer of firepower insufficiency phobia, Shenzhou always felt there were never enough guns. Furthermore, after the disaster struck, every artillery brigade was strengthened rather than weakened, which is why there were so many cannons available.

Stonegate Branch One had provided support with three heavy artillery regiments, a long-range rocket artillery battalion, and a 122 mm rocket artillery regiment; just their assets alone amounted to over three hundred cannons of various types.

There were even more guns at Shimen Shelter No.2, as it was closer to the mountains, and the mountainous area had more artillery deployed.

Therefore, Shimen Shelter No.2 experienced the most concentrated artillery barrage ever encountered by mankind, receiving the most shells mankind could unleash in a short period.

The full-rate-of-fire from over seven hundred guns meant firing the maximum number of shells in the shortest time possible, and the rocket artillery could launch all forty of its rockets in an extremely brief span.

This density of firepower, concentrated in a small area, was something no army could withstand, and for the unprotected zombies, no matter how numerous, they would be blasted to pieces.

But the dense bombardment lasted only two minutes before it abruptly slackened.

The rocket launchers had expended all their rockets, and reloading them took time. The large-caliber artillery could continue firing, but inevitably, their rate would decrease, so without the rocket launchers, it felt as if the intensity of the firepower had plummeted off a cliff.

A signalman ran in from outside, forgoing any salute, and yelled directly, "Commander, we've held them off!"

Wang Hu let out a long breath, then he turned to the political officer and said, "You take over command, I'll go out for a look and then come back."

After speaking, Wang Hu said to Xiang Weiguo, "Mr. Xiang, come with me, let's check out the actual situation."

Xiang Weiguo followed Wang Hu as they left the command center and then both of them quickly climbed up the stairs to the rooftop.

The two-story building wasn't very tall, but it was high enough to observe the situation outside the shelter. Several observers were already standing there, responsible for observing the effect of the bombardment and the defensive situation around the shelter.

There were more than a dozen flares hanging in the sky, and new ones continued to fall, allowing a clear view of the shelter's exterior.

Especially to the east, which was a key area, there were even more flares.

Many zombies had perished in the intense artillery fire, but it was apparent that a vast number of zombies were still pouring in from the east.

Endless, as far as the eye could see.

As the light from the flares dimmed, the waves of zombies once again melted into the darkness.

Wang Hu said nothing. He walked to the east side of the rooftop, glanced to the east from the edge, then immediately sighed lightly and said loudly, "We can't hold them off."

Xiang Weiguo said quietly, "Yes, we can't."

"We must retreat. Mr. Xiang, you take command and lead Xinghe's evacuation."

"You are the commander."

Wang Hu whispered, "I might be better than you at commanding large-scale troop operations, but when it comes to small-scale special operations, I am not your equal. The main protection force for Xinghe consists of two combat teams from the special forces, not my soldiers. I will cover your departure from the shelter, then you lead them into Taihang Mountain. Our Supreme Command is based there. If possible, I will lead the team over myself, but if not, it's up to you to bring them, as an experienced old soldier, I trust you."

After a moment of silence, Xiang Weiguo nodded and said, "I don't want to run anymore, I'm tired of it. Indeed, I am not as good a commander as you, but we don't need much command now, and besides, there's the political officer."

Wang Hu sighed and said, "It's better to be prepared. We always need a backup commander. Whatever happens, ensure Xinghe's safety. That's an order."

Xiang Weiguo felt frustrated inside but still stood at attention and said loudly, "Yes, sir! I guarantee to complete the mission!"

"There's no time for more words, we should evacuate now while the situation isn't too dire. Let's go down."

This isn't about a commander's determination to fight; it's about their ability to judge the situation on the battlefield.

The two people quickly descended the stairs and, upon returning to the command post, Wang Hu immediately called out loudly, "Order our artillery to cease fire, load up, and prepare for the next wave of assault. Have Branch One's artillery concentrate all firepower on the eastern flank to create a barrier."

"Tank battalion, armored regiment, start your engines immediately, ready to break out to the west. Da Hong Third Company, security platoon, follow my lead!"

After a series of orders had been issued, everyone had to spring into action, but at this moment, Wang Hu turned to the political commissar and said, "Old pal, I'm leaving this place in your hands..."

The political commissar managed a strained smile and said, "Don't worry!"

Wang Hu patted the political commissar on the shoulder, turned his head without daring to look at his face, and then directed his words to Xinghe, "Xinghe, come with us."

No sooner had he spoken than Wang Hu suddenly said, "We forgot about Gao Yuan and Xiaoyu. Mr. Xiang, give them a shout."

What Wang Hu meant by a 'shout' was not a call to action—he meant that they should follow if a shout was enough to get their attention, but if they couldn't, there was no need to go out of our way to find them.

There really was no time left.

Xiang Weiguo couldn't help but clench over his heart before he said in a deep voice, "Understood!"

A group of people ran out the door, and that's when Xiang Weiguo saw Luo Xingyu standing at the entrance to her dormitory, with Yu Shunzhou beside her.

Xiang Weiguo waved at Luo Xingyu and shouted loudly, "Come on!"

"What about Gao Yuan?"

Xiang Weiguo roared, "Come on!"

Luo Xingyu slowly shook her head, then stepped back and turned to run in the direction where Gao Yuan was.

Yu Shunzhou looked at Xiang Weiguo, then at the retreating Luo Xingyu, and said with a bitter face, "Damn it, damn!"

Yu Shunzhou followed Luo Xingyu and ran over.

Xiang Weiguo took two steps following Luo Xingyu, but he soon stopped, his lips quivering fiercely.

Wang Hu glanced over this way a couple of times, then he shouted loudly, "Keep up, Xinghe follow me to the command vehicle, special ops team to the communication and support vehicles."

Xiang Weiguo stomped his foot hard and then turned around, running back to catch up with Xinghe.

However, when Xiang Weiguo arrived beside Xinghe, he realized that Xinghe was nowhere to be seen, but after a closer look, he could still vaguely make out his presence.

Xinghe couldn't achieve absolute invisibility. What he could do was visual deception, not true invisibility.

"I will follow you guys, but I must enter invisibility mode, especially with no energy fluctuations, or the Serpent People will discover me," Xinghe clarified.

The fact that Xinghe had a way to become invisible was very good news, because the invisibility achieved through visual deception was meant to deceive living beings. But the real importance lay in blocking the signal, so that the instruments of the Serpent People wouldn't detect him.

Xiang Weiguo felt quite relieved; Xinghe's good news helped to alleviate a hint of his grief.

The grief of about to lose Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu, or rather, the grief of having already lost Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu.

In the current situation, there was no chance for Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu to escape.

Old and not wanting to bear the pain of losing loved ones again, but still burdened with responsibility—it really was a helpless feeling.