The preset battlefield terrain was excellent. A river flowed from the left side of the battlefield, originating from the valley town where they had set out. It continued from Green Leaf City and stretched all the way to the sea. At this particular section, where the river emerged from the mountains, the current was extremely swift. Only a very small number of zombies could swim upstream from the lower reaches of the river to threaten their flanks.
On the right side of the battlefield stood the remnants of the mountain range. The rugged terrain created a natural barrier, significantly limiting the possibility of zombies charging in large groups.
This was an all-out effort by humanity—either they succeeded, or they perished. That was why Ryan noticed old, weak, sick, and even disabled individuals among the gathered forces. There was no time for hesitation; the battle had to be swift and decisive. Every fallen soldier would only add to the enemy's strength, and dragging out the battle would be disastrous. A war of attrition against the undead was simply not an option.
At that moment, Williams returned with his scouting team, reporting that in areas closer to the suburbs, the overwhelming number of zombies made it nearly impossible to advance further. They were unable to pinpoint the exact time the horde would arrive.
Hearing this, Ryan volunteered to scout ahead. Together with Williams, he piloted a reconnaissance robot to the safest location closest to the city.
Upon reaching the designated point, Ryan fully activated his newly acquired life magic. Instantly, he sensed the presence of a massive number of filthy, unnatural creatures throughout the city. He focused his perception into a single thread and extended it forward. However, due to his inexperience and the limitations of his magical abilities, his range was restricted, and the details were vague. He couldn't differentiate individual units, but he could roughly determine the distribution of zombies in the area.
Realizing Ryan's scanning range was limited, Williams maneuvered the robot to circle the city. With this data, Ryan sketched a rough map indicating the concentration of the undead. He also marked several locations where his perception detected unusually high energy levels—likely areas with high-ranking zombies.
From what Ryan could tell, the number of zombies in the city exceeded the original population of Green Leaf City before the outbreak. He suspected that the more powerful zombies were attracting lesser ones, forming clusters around them.
Upon returning to the camp, Ryan relayed his findings to Dave. After listening carefully, Dave immediately ordered Williams to return to town and transport all available plant reinforcements via steamboat.
With a decisive nod, Dave turned to Ryan. "Your scouting report provides both good news and bad news," he admitted. "The good news is that the zombies won't be launching an attack for at least another forty-eight hours. That gives us enough time to fortify our defenses and prepare."
Ryan frowned. "And the bad news?"
"The failed decapitation strike on the zombies last time left behind several high-level undead in the city. To strengthen themselves and survive this vulnerable phase, they've been drawing in every wandering zombie nearby," Dave explained. "Had we not discovered this in time, we might have suffered a devastating ambush."
Without wasting a moment, the human forces got to work. Robots were deployed to construct elevated platforms and protective walls. Trench lines were dug in front of their defensive position, and water was redirected from the river to flood low-lying areas, turning them into swamps that would slow zombie movement.
By midday, a steamboat arrived from town, loaded with various plants. The treacherous currents made navigation difficult, but Williams, being an experienced captain, successfully maneuvered through them.
Ryan watched the unloading process and turned to Dave in confusion. "Don't these plants have combat modes? Why bring them from town when we already have some?"
"It's simple," Dave replied. "Plants can only enter combat mode in environments with a dense presence of other plants. In an open field like this, they won't activate properly. Originally, I thought the plants on the robots would be sufficient, allowing us to save extra plant seeds for later when we reclaim Green Leaf City.
"But given the sheer number of zombies we're facing, we have no choice but to deploy additional plants here. Unfortunately, they won't be as effective in this terrain compared to an urban setting, but we have to make do."
After explaining, Dave distributed potted plants to each combatant, ensuring that every soldier had some form of plant-based defense.
The following afternoon, just half an hour after lunch, Ryan was in his tent practicing life magic techniques passed down from the Vikings when the alarm bells rang from the watchtower. He immediately dashed outside and climbed onto the defensive wall.
What he saw made his breath hitch.
A seemingly endless green tide of zombies surged toward the camp along the old pre-catastrophe road. Tens of thousands of undead covered the small plain before them, stretching as far as the eye could see. Among the horde, Ryan spotted particularly large figures swaying ominously.
Fortunately, their side had spent the previous night constructing solid defenses with over five thousand automated robots. The swampy area in front of the battlefield was lined with hidden potato mines. Torchwood stumps and various pea shooters were stationed within the trenches. Thick walls of reinforced nuts served as shields in front of the trenches.
Around the heart of the camp, protective walls stood seven to eight meters high, connecting to ten-meter-high platforms. These structures were packed with pitcher plants and corn cannons, their elevated positions granting them extended range, allowing them to cover the plants in the trenches below.
Additionally, robots equipped with plant weaponry were stationed as a reserve force, ready to reinforce any weak points in their defenses.
Ryan's role in the battle was twofold—fighting on the front lines alongside the reserve team and relaying real-time intelligence to Dave, who coordinated the human forces from the rear.
He observed the soldiers around him. Their morale was surprisingly high—this was the first time they were launching a counteroffensive. Any lingering fear had long since been hardened by years of surviving the apocalypse.
Then, with an ear-piercing shriek from the undead ranks, the zombies surged forward like an unstoppable tide.
The war had begun.
The first wave consisted of cannon fodder zombies, which quickly crumbled under the relentless fire of the plants. The next few waves saw slightly larger numbers but still failed to breach the trenches, disintegrating before they could reach human lines.
Ryan noted that the zombies' attacks lacked the coordination he had seen in previous encounters. It seemed the high-level zombies were fewer in number, leading to a less organized assault. While still dangerous, this disorganization was a relief—it meant the enemy's command structure was weak.
Then came the fourth wave.
Unlike before, this attack posed a genuine threat.
A formation of ice car zombies charged at the forefront, acting as battering rams, followed closely by a row of heavily armored football zombies. Their strategy was clear—break through the defenses and cause chaos within human ranks.
Despite suffering losses, the heavily protected zombies managed to push through the swampy area and reach the first trench line.
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
"This is it. The real fight starts now," he muttered before signaling his team.
The reserve unit, including Ryan, mobilized at once. They surged forward, intercepting the assault with their advanced plant-enhanced robotic units, determined to stop the undead charge before it breached their last line of defense.
The battle for survival had truly begun.
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