Chapter 62 The Walking Dead Banquet: The Beginning of Death!

Chapter 62 The Walking Dead Banquet: The Beginning of Death!

The inhuman screams and screams in the audio transformed into tangible sound waves, impacting the nerves of everyone in the command center.

On the screen, there was still a jumble of static indicating a signal interruption.

But those intermittent sounds painted a picture in everyone's mind that was more bloody and desperate than any high-definition image.

A young staff officer could no longer bear it and suddenly rushed out of the tent, covering his mouth and making violent retching noises.

Feng Yi's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

He now truly understands that the enemy they are facing is not one that can be explained by firearms and tactics.

The audio ended, and the tent was deathly silent except for the low hum of the equipment running.

"Make a copy of the audio for me."

Su Wanqing broke the suffocating silence. Her voice was not loud, but it had a strange sense of calm.

Feng Yi looked at her in surprise.

This woman, who appeared to need protection, showed no fear on her beautiful face, only extreme focus and solemnity, as if she were analyzing a complex academic problem.

"Form an assault team immediately." Lu Zhanting's voice followed closely, each word sounding as if it had been struck from beneath a layer of ice—cold, hard, and decisive.

"Advisor Su and I will personally lead the team."

"Target: Red River Valley, the 'Longevity' base."

"Commander!" Feng Yi exclaimed anxiously, "It's getting dark! The Night Forest in Southern Xinjiang is a death trap; it's too dangerous to go in now!"

Lu Zhanting turned around, looked at him calmly, and asked in return, "Isn't danger the reason we came here?"

His gaze swept over everyone present, his voice not loud, but carrying an overwhelming pressure that seemed capable of crushing everything.

"Bring me the base structure diagram, known firing positions, and all reconnaissance routes."

"Notify the elites selected by the military to assemble here in five minutes."

Feng Yi looked at him, his heart pounding with shock.

Only then did he understand why the higher-ups had sent such a young man.

This spirit of remaining calm even when faced with a collapsing mountain is a powerful stimulant injected into everyone's very bones.

"Yes!" Feng Yi suddenly straightened his back and roared.

Twenty minutes later, under the cover of night.

A squad of fully armed soldiers stood before Lu Zhanting, like silent statues.

Eight people.

Each person breathed deeply, their eyes were like wolves, and the murderous aura they exuded, honed through repeated trials in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was almost tangible.

They were elite soldiers selected from among the top soldiers in the seven military regions by the military headquarters.

Besides these eight people, there was also a dark-skinned, short man.

He was dressed in local clothing, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness warily, looking like a cheetah poised to pounce.

Batu was the best guide Feng Yi had found.

“From now on, my codename is Thunderstorm.” Lu Zhanting stood before everyone, his voice piercing the night wind, “Your captain.”

His gaze shifted to Su Wanqing beside him.

"This is the medical consultant, codename: Bluebird."

“During the operation, her orders were equivalent to my orders.”

The elites' gazes all fell on Su Wanqing, some scrutinizing, some surprised, but no one dared to question her.

Obedience is a soldier's duty.

"Mission Objective: Infiltrate the Red River Valley, uncover the truth behind the base's loss of contact, assess the crisis level, and bring back Professor Chen Huanzhi and all research materials."

Lu Zhanting's gaze swept across each person's face like a searchlight.

"You've heard that recording; you know how dangerous the mission is."

"If you want to quit, now is your last chance."

The wind blew by, but no one moved.

"Very good." Lu Zhan

Ting nodded. "Check the equipment and distribute the special medicine. We'll depart in five minutes."

Su Wanqing distributed the prepared small porcelain bottles to everyone, explaining succinctly: "One bottle every twelve hours to fight off miasma. Also, this is wound medicine; it must be used immediately after an injury."

A team member codenamed "Lynx" took the pill, brought it to his nose and smelled it. The pure and unique medicinal fragrance gave him a jolt, and his eyes showed a hint of genuine approval as he looked at Su Wanqing.

The night was deep.

Two modified military off-road vehicles, carrying the ten-man team, drove away from the brightly lit airport and plunged into the boundless, dark maw of southern Xinjiang.

The wheels bounced wildly on the rugged mountain road, and the two blinding beams of headlights could only tear through the darkness for less than ten meters ahead.

On both sides of the road are dense primeval forests, with huge canopies blocking out the sky, not even letting in a sliver of moonlight.

The air was humid and sticky, and the scent of decaying branches and leaves mixed with the fragrance of unknown wildflowers weighed heavily on everyone's chest.

“Thunderstorm. Five kilometers ahead, the car won’t be able to go any further,” came the guide Batu’s hoarse voice from the passenger seat.

Lu Zhanting glanced at the red dot on the electronic map: "Proceed according to the original plan."

Five kilometers later, the off-road vehicle stopped in front of a path that was almost completely submerged by vines and weeds.

Everyone got off the bus, carrying heavy luggage on their backs.

“This is the outer edge of the Red River Valley, which we locals call ‘Ghost Weeping Forest.’” Batu’s voice was very low, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. “At night, when the wind blows through the forest, the sound is like countless ghosts crying. Stay close to me, and don’t take a wrong step!”

The squad was in a single file, with Lu Zhanting and Batu leading the way, Su Wanqing being protected in the middle of the column, and two heavy firepower members bringing up the rear.

Beneath my feet was a thick layer of humus; each step was soft and silent, like stepping on a bloated corpse.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

The only sounds were the team members' heavy breathing and the occasional snapping of dead branches underfoot.

In the darkness, the bizarre plants cast grotesque and twisted shadows, and the unknown insects made a rustling sound in the shadows, making everyone's nerves tense to the point of breaking.

Su Wanqing frowned slightly.

She sensed that the air was filled with more than just miasma.

There was also a faint, yet chilling energy that made her feel uneasy.

"stop."

Lu Zhanting raised his hand without warning, and the entire team froze instantly.

All gun barrels pointed in all directions at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Lynx asked in a low voice.

“The smell.” Lu Zhanting’s nostrils flared in the air. “Blood, and… rotten flesh.”

Batu's expression changed drastically. He pointed to a thicket of bushes ahead, his voice trembling, "There... I came to scout ahead during the day, and there was nothing there!"

The two team members exchanged a glance, formed a tactical formation, and cautiously approached, using their gun barrels to clear away the bushes blocking their path.

A pile of bones suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was the remains of a wild boar, its chest and abdomen violently torn open by something. Fresh blood still clung to the stark white bones, and dark red blood soaked into the surrounding black soil.

Several fist-sized black beetles were crawling in and out of the crevices of the bones, a disgusting sight.

“Wild boar.” The lynx crouched down to examine the body, its voice grave. “The time of death is no more than six hours. There are cracks on the bones, as if… it was torn apart by brute force, not the hunting method of any wild beast.”

Just then.

"Crack".

A soft sound came from the back of the group.

The two rearguard members whirled around, pointing their guns at the bottomless darkness behind them, and shouted sharply, "Who's there!"

In the darkness, all was silent.

"It might be a small animal," one of the team members whispered.

"No!" Su Wanqing suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on a patch of shadow on the right side of the group. "There's something there!"

Before she finished speaking, the Yin token suddenly came to life!

A dark figure suddenly pounced out from behind the tree in a bizarre, backward-folding motion!

Its speed was so fast that it left only a blur, and its target was a member of the team on the flank!

"Fire!"

Lu Zhanting's roar and the sound of gunfire rang out at the same instant!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullet struck the shadowy figure precisely in the chest, exploding into several blobs of foul-smelling black liquid. The immense kinetic energy sent the figure staggering backward.

However, the dark figure merely swayed, let out a beast-like roar, and pounced again without regard for anything else!

"Shoot the head!"

As Lu Zhanting roared, he switched his rifle to burst fire mode.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Three bullets, arranged in a triangular pattern, accurately pierced the head of the shadowy figure!

The shadowy figure's head snapped back, half of its skull being ripped off by the bullet's violent force, revealing the grayish-white brain tissue inside.

Its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, it swayed stiffly, and then fell heavily to the ground.

Sweat instantly soaked through everyone's backs.

Before they could even catch their breath, eerie "crackling" sounds echoed from the surrounding woods.

one.

two.

Ten!

One by one, twisted black shadows slowly rose from the darkness all around.

Their empty eye sockets gleamed with a murky white light, their skin was a rotting bluish-black, and fragments of the border defense regiment's training uniforms still clung to their bodies.

It was the reconnaissance team members and base personnel who had previously lost contact!

The Walking Dead!

"Damn it! We've stumbled into a zombie apocalypse!"

"Free fire! Smash those bastards' heads!"

Gunfire erupted!

The raging flames shattered the tranquility of this death forest!

The team members instantly formed a defensive circle back to back, protecting Su Wanqing and Batu in the center, and unleashed a barrage of firepower at the surging tide of zombies.

These zombies feel no pain and are unafraid of death; they will keep moving forward unless their heads are completely destroyed.

Their strength was terrifying. One team member tried to smash a zombie open with the butt of his gun, but the zombie grabbed the barrel and almost dragged him and his gun away!

Lu Zhanting was like a god of war on the battlefield.

With each short burst of fire from his rifle, a zombie's head would inevitably explode.

His actions were calm to the point of being ruthless; he fired with precision while continuously issuing orders, maintaining the crumbling defensive line.

"Lynx! Three o'clock! Clear the space with grenades!"

"Tanks! Hold your left flank! Don't let them break through!"

In the chaos, a zombie silently pounced on Su Wanqing from a blind spot in the defense!

"Bluebird, watch out!"

Lu Zhanting noticed immediately, but he was tightly entangled by two zombies and had no way to defend himself.

In a flash, Su Wanqing advanced instead of retreating.

She stepped to the side, dodging the zombie's claws with lightning speed, and at the same time, with a flick of her wrist, a flash of silver light disappeared in the firelight.

A slender silver needle, without its handle, pierced precisely into the walking corpse's temple!

The zombie, which was about to pounce again, suddenly froze in place.

That momentary pause was a matter of life and death.

The lynx next to him reacted extremely quickly, turning the gun around and firing a short burst, completely smashing the zombie's head into a mangled mess.

However, the number of zombies seemed endless.

"ah--!"

A heart-wrenching scream ripped out.

A team member codenamed "Monkey" was grabbed by the arm by a zombie the moment he was changing a magazine!

Those black fingernails were like five sharp blades, instantly tearing through the thick training uniform and leaving three deep, bone-revealing, terrifying wounds on his arm!

"Monkey!" Lynx's eyes widened in fury, and a burst of bullets turned the zombie into a pile of mangled flesh.

The injured "monkey" was dragged back to the center of the defensive line by his teammates. His face was turning deathly pale at an alarming rate, and the skin around the wound was rapidly turning black. That ominous blackness was spreading along the blood vessels to his entire arm.

"Don't touch him! This thing is contagious!" a team member shouted in alarm.

"Get out of the way!"

Su Wanqing gave a sharp shout, then squatted down instantly and pulled out silver needles and a medicine bottle from her backpack.

Without even looking, she pierced several acupoints on the monkey's arm with lightning speed, sealing the blood vessels and preventing the toxins from ascending and attacking its heart.

Then, she unscrewed the bottle cap and poured the entire bottle of special powder onto the chapped wound.

"Sizzle—!"

A nauseating sound like roasting meat rang out, and as soon as the black blood and the powder came into contact, a wisp of foul-smelling blue smoke rose up.

The monkey let out a suppressed, painful roar, and its whole body convulsed violently.

However, the spread of that darkness was actually contained!

"It works!" a team member exclaimed in surprise.

"It's only temporarily suppressing the virus's activity." Su Wanqing's expression was extremely grave, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Its vitality is still being devoured; we must find the source as soon as possible and obtain the real antidote!"

The battle continues.

Ammunition was being consumed rapidly, while the zombies in the darkness continued to emerge in droves.

"Everyone, move towards me! Prepare to break out!"

Lu Zhanting's voice clearly reached everyone's ears amidst the hail of bullets.

He loaded the last full magazine, aimed at the direction where the walkers were most concentrated, and pulled the trigger sharply.

"Charge with me!"

Like a tiger unleashed from its cage, Lu Zhanting used his most ferocious firepower to tear a gap in the horde of corpses.

The team members protected Su Wanqing and the wounded, and followed closely behind, charging outwards.

After a fierce battle, the squad finally shook off the horde of zombies, broke out of the nauseating forest, and arrived at a relatively open riverbank.

Survived a disaster.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, their chests heaving as they gasped for breath in the cold air.

After counting the ammunition, everyone's face was extremely grim.

In just the first encounter, they used up nearly a third of their ammunition and all their grenades.

The team's morale plummeted to rock bottom due to this sudden and bloody ordeal.

Lu Zhanting stood by the river, letting the cold river wind blow across his blood-stained face.

He gazed at the distant, shadowy Red River Valley, which lay dormant like a giant beast in the darkness, his eyes as cold as the Siberian permafrost.

He knew.

This is just the beginning.

The real hell awaits them, hidden deep within that mist.