Chapter 493, Battle Begins
Wu Heng stood to the side, his brow furrowing.
The central station encouraged seizing and utilizing resources.
Their arrival felt more like bandits claiming half of what was conquered.
Qi Hancai glanced at Wu Heng and continued, "Want to freeload? Sure, bring something to trade. That armored vehicle of yours looks good."
A mocking laugh came from the other side. "Am I here to discuss a trade? The province's resources need centralized management for better reconstruction. Your unauthorized actions have disrupted our original plans."
Qi Hancai didn't want to waste words. "Go back. There's nothing for you here. Go bully some small shelter instead."
After all, Qi Hancai was managing two cities on Wu Heng's behalf.
How could she be scared into handing over resources after just a few words?
If she relented, exchange stations in other cities would face constant threats for food.
A tense silence fell from the other side.
A few machine cannons slightly raised their barrels.
The radio crackled with a threatening tone: "Chief Qi, times have changed. Your skeletons with cold weapons might handle zombies, but can they take on armored vehicles? Don't gamble with your lives."
The threat was clear.
Qi Hancai moved closer to Wu Heng, feeling safer, then pressed the radio button again. "Do you think your Deputy Commander Liu or Deputy Commander Huang would dare speak to us like this? We fought our way from Xinfu City to here. Think again—can you really beat us?"
It seemed the other side had underestimated their strength.
They assumed the fighting power lay in the skeletons wielding cold weapons.
Yet, their cautious approach hinted they weren't entirely dismissive.
A smaller faction would've already seen their armored vehicles ram through the gates.
Their hesitation showed they feared something, which was why they sought negotiations first.
The goal was to make Wu Heng's side willingly hand over the factory for shared use.
The radio voice returned, "You have five minutes to consider. If a fight breaks out, our reinforcements will arrive faster than anything Xinfu City can manage."
Then the radio fell silent.
Qi Hancai turned to Wu Heng. "What should we do? It doesn't look like they'll give up easily."
Wu Heng pondered briefly and said, "Give me the radio. Head to the back and ensure everything's secure if it comes to a fight."
"What about you? Modern weapons have long ranges."
Wu Heng chuckled. "I'm not dumb. I won't stand out in the open. Don't worry; they can't do anything to us."
Hearing this, Qi Hancai relaxed a bit.
She handed over the radio, nodded, and headed to the back.
Wu Heng quickly moved to a safe spot to avoid being caught in crossfire.
From a high floor in the building, he could see the positions of both sides.
Xiaoxiao appeared beside him, saying, "Uncle, I smashed two planes into pieces."
Wu Heng had seen the drones get shot down earlier.
Phantoms like Xiaoxiao were effective against individual drones.
Perhaps they could even intercept incoming missiles by detonating them in midair.
"Great job!"
Glenda emerged from the other side. "They don't have many people."
"In this kind of battle, numbers don't matter," Wu Heng said.
"I know. Those four armored vehicles of yours wiped out hundreds of pirates," Glenda replied.
Wu Heng nodded. "Their firepower is overwhelming. When the time comes, go inside those armored vehicles and kill the crews."
Glenda nodded in agreement.
"What about me?" Xiaoxiao asked.
"You'll protect me. I'm counting on you if things get dangerous."
Xiaoxiao beamed. "Okay!"
With no further instructions, Glenda vanished and swiftly flew toward the distant convoy, slipping into one of the armored vehicles.
...
Inside the rescue team's armored vehicle.
"Captain, five minutes are up, and there's no response," someone said.
The crew-cut captain flicked his cigarette butt out the window, grabbed the radio, and said, "Wait for my command. Prepare for combat. Target their armored... armo..."
Suddenly, the captain's voice stopped.
The others turned to him in confusion.
The captain's mouth hung open, his face turning red as fear filled his eyes.
His neck twisted to one side with loud cracking sounds.
"Captain, are you okay?"
"Captain?"
Crack~!
Amidst the team's questioning, the captain's neck rotated 180 degrees, his face staring at the person behind him.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
They hadn't expected their captain to die in such a horrifying way.
"The enemy killed the captain!" someone in the back shouted.
Then, their body abruptly froze.
They drew a pistol from their belt, disengaged the safety, and shot the driver in the head.
Turning the gun on themselves, they pressed it to their chin.
"No, don't!"
Bang~!
The gunshot rang out, and the last person fell into a pool of blood.
The gunfire, audible through the open windows, alerted the others.
The vehicle radio crackled with inquiries. "Captain, what's going on in your vehicle?"
"Armored Vehicle 3, respond!"
"This is Deputy Captain Wei Gui. I'm taking over squad operations. Commence firepower coverage on the target."
Successive orders came through the radio.
Bang bang bang~!
Three armored vehicles unleashed a torrent of fire, blasting the front gate.
The gate shattered instantly, walls crumbled under the bombardment.
Meanwhile, Glenda slipped into another armored vehicle, and gunfire erupted inside.
The cannons stopped firing.
Then it was the third and fourth vehicles.
In under a minute of cannon fire, all four armored vehicles ceased their attacks.
They fell into a state of silence.
From the smoky haze opposite.
A dense swarm of axe-wielding figures emerged, growing clearer.
The personnel on the machine-gun pickups and trucks gulped audibly at the sight.
"Damn it, why are there so many?"
"Weren't we told there weren't many? This is more than zombies!"
Someone grabbed the radio. "Captain, Deputy Captain, respond!"
"Why have the armored vehicles stopped firing? Should we continue the assault?"
"Armored vehicles, resume fire!"
The convoy called repeatedly, but no one responded.
Thump thump thump~!
Then came the sound of a dense, chaotic stampede.
A horde of skeletons surged out of the smoke, filling their view, charging wildly.
The convoy personnel's faces turned pale.
The skeletons were already several times more than what they'd heard from the service station, and the horde kept growing.
"Fire! Open fire now!" people screamed.
Machine guns turned, and those on the trucks pulled out rifles.
Bullets rained down toward the charging skeletons.