Guo Pinming, Yang Chang, and many other commanding officers had not slept. Ordinary soldiers needed to conserve their physical strength, but as decision-makers, they had to consider all aspects of combat. Their sleep time was less than that of ordinary soldiers.
As dusk gradually approached, Guo Pinming and Yang Chang began to discuss. The Dabashan was truly vast. Even with their nearly twenty thousand troops, which appeared boundless, they were insignificant once they entered the mountains. To achieve the greatest kill effect, they absolutely could not proceed as before.
"Exterminating mutated birds is different from exterminating mutated beasts. Mutated birds can fly away. We surrounded them at night, and by day they would fly off. If we pursued them, the efficiency would be too low," Guo Pinming said in a deep voice.
"So, what's your suggestion? We split our forces and fight independently?" Yang Chang asked.
Guo Pinming nodded seriously and replied, "Exactly. This is the only way now. We split into groups, with over a hundred people in each. They will carry portable communication devices. We will remain at the command post and direct them at all times. Once dispersed, we will conduct a carpet-style sweep into the Dabashan, mountain by mountain, to capture the mutated birds."
Yang Chang hesitated and said, "The method is good, but I fear encountering danger. If there is a Bird King in the mountains, like the peacock that the City Lord encountered before, it would be dangerous. A hundred people would not be enough to deal with the Bird King."
The result of dispersing to fight the enemy was that small detachments were easily annihilated. If someone was unlucky enough to encounter a Bird King, casualties would be inevitable.
However, if they did not disperse, nearly twenty thousand people clearing mutated birds in the mountains every night would be extremely inefficient.
Thinking of this, Guo Pinming could only shake his head helplessly and say, "It's a pity Lu Xian cannot join the expedition. If Lu Xian were here, he could use his abilities to detect the birds' movements, and all problems would be solved. It's a shame he cannot come."
Lu Xian had done nothing to wrong Yuzhou. However, his wife, Hong Yehui, had colluded with people from the Tianlong Bureau. This matter was revealed by Zhang Xiaoqiang, and Lu Xian had to undergo an investigation. His wife was also imprisoned. It was a shame that such a capable esper had lost all his powers.
Speaking of which, facing the large numbers of birds now, even though they could fight at night, they felt their strength was insufficient. The Dabashan was too vast, and the terrain was very complex. Even before the apocalypse, this place was a typical poverty-stricken area with inconvenient transportation and no resources. Solving the problem of the mutated birds that had taken root here was not a simple matter.
At this moment, the scouts had returned, bringing the first-hand news from the forest, along with photographic evidence. Everyone quickly called the scouts over, preparing to question them.
"Minister, there are too many mutated birds in the forest. It's autumn now, but these birds are still laying eggs and hatching them, as if they don't know the season. We crawled out slowly. Fortunately, we were wearing ghillie suits, otherwise, we would have been discovered," the captain of the scouts said quickly.
Guo Pinming and the others quickly examined the photos. In the photos, the forest was dappled with shadows, and almost nothing could be seen clearly. On the branches, there were bird nests. It could be said that any large enough branch capable of building a nest had become a bird's nest. The leaves on the ground were covered with bird droppings.
Seeing these photos, Lu Kaiyang immediately couldn't help but say, "After these birds mutated, their ability to forage must have increased. Therefore, with excess energy, they can reproduce. If there's no food, these mutated birds won't be able to raise their young even if they lay eggs."
This was a simple principle. Most animals reproduce when environmental conditions are favorable, and humans are no exception. The simplest example is that many people choose not to marry or have children when they have no money, thus reducing their living burden.
However, after the birds mutated, their foraging ability greatly increased. In nature, size almost represents everything. Larger animals are generally stronger, like lions and elephants. Now, the mutated birds have increased in size, making it easier to find food and further enhancing their reproductive ability. Thus, in autumn, birds are still laying eggs.
Normally, birds lay eggs and hatch them in spring and summer because there are more insects during these seasons. By autumn, the temperature has dropped, and the birds have learned to fly, allowing them to survive the winter. But now, the birds in the Dabashan laying eggs in autumn is particularly abnormal.
"I understand. When there is no food in autumn and winter, these birds will leave the forest, descend the mountain, and search for food to fill their stomachs. In this way, humans will become the targets of the birds!" Guo Pinming said in a deep voice.
Everyone listened to this analysis and felt it made sense, nodding in agreement.
There are many animals in nature that store food, from large ones like lions and tigers to small insects like ants. However, in terms of storing food, humans' ability to store food is undoubtedly the best in the world. The methods humans use to store food are also incomparable to animals in nature.
When there is no food in the forest, these flocks of birds will descend the mountain. When winter arrives and the ground is covered with snow, the only place to find food will be human granaries, or even humans themselves. Therefore, mutated birds will definitely attack humans in the future.
"There is no time to delay. Notify immediately. Ten small teams per group, dispersed into the mountains. Distribute flashlights during mealtime. Do not discard batteries; they need to be reused. Exterminate the mutated birds!" Guo Pinming realized the urgency of the situation. The reproduction of mutated birds had already exceeded the forest's carrying capacity. If this continued, mutated birds would inevitably descend the mountain and invade human territory. This must be prevented.
As dusk arrived, everyone had a hearty meal to replenish their energy and then prepared to receive flashlights and enter the mountains. For this operation, Shen Feng had gone to great lengths. Flashlights and other items were all prepared. Several nearby hydropower stations were specially supplying power to the command post to ensure night combat capabilities.
Shen Feng had wanted to fire thousands of flares into the sky at once to illuminate the ground, but Yuzhou simply did not have the capability. They had to save where they could, and use flashlights instead of flares.
Finally, eighteen thousand people marched into the Dabashan. The sky was darkening, and the birds had returned to their nests. Their eyesight did not support flying at night.
"Look, there's a bird on this tree, shoot it down!"
"Bang."
"There's one here too, keep shooting."
"Bang."
As regular soldiers and amateur mercenaries entered the mountains together to carry out the mission, the difference immediately became apparent. Regular soldiers had specialists responsible for shining lights and finding mutated birds, and then dedicated shooters. As for amateur mercenaries, they acted as they pleased; whoever hit a target claimed it. The Mercenary Guild also stated that prey could be disposed of by the hunter, meaning they could earn extra income besides their wages.
When the crowd rushed into the forest, they immediately startled many birds in the forest. The sky was dim, and although it was autumn, the leaves had not completely fallen, so the light in the forest was poor. The beams of the flashlights were like pillars of light. The birds were disturbed by this commotion. Many birds stood dazed on the branches, while more flew up randomly.
The flying birds could not see their surroundings clearly and could not dodge. Some lucky ones managed to fly into the sky, but more crashed into branches, were stunned, and fell down.
The mercenaries watched as birds continuously fell from the trees, almost laughing with joy. They never expected such a bounty, catching birds without even needing to shoot.
"First come, first served. Whoever picks it up claims it. Don't fight," someone shouted and rushed forward. The other mercenaries, not to be outdone, also rushed forward. The mutated birds were as large as roosters, but their combat power was not comparable to roosters. The crowd swarmed forward to pick up the birds that had fallen from the trees.
Originally, mutated birds relied on numbers to win. Moreover, the birds in the mountains were not comparable to migratory birds. Migratory birds like the white cranes and swans that appeared south of Yanjing before had strong combat power. The mutated birds in the mountains were not as large as large migratory birds and could only rely on their numerical advantage to be the overlords of the forest.
Now that the birds had fallen to the ground, everyone rushed forward, grabbing the necks of mutated sparrows or thrushes and twisting them, instantly breaking their necks.
The captured birds were hung on their belts as trophies. A person could hang a dozen birds on their waist, swaying as they walked. Dozens of pounds of meat hung on their bodies, serving not only as trophies but also for showing off.
However, the mountains were not only inhabited by ordinary mutated birds but also by Bird Kings. When the crowd surged into the forest, the Bird King was alerted. A massive dove instantly took to the air, emitting continuous calls. The surrounding flocks of birds, having received the command, also flew into the sky. In an instant, a dense mass of shadows appeared in the sky, looking terrifying. These birds numbered at least a hundred thousand.
"Report to the command post, this is Squad Twelve. We have discovered a Bird King, a dove. Its wingspan is about five meters. It has already led many birds into the sky, but they have not landed," the communications soldier quickly reported the discovery of the Bird King to the command post.
Doves, due to their low intelligence and ease of capture, were called "foolish doves" by the common people. In southern regions, they were often used to scold children who were not progressing, such as, "You are such a foolish dove."
However, when the dove led hundreds of thousands of birds into the sky, it immediately put pressure on the soldiers.
Guo Pinming heard the report from his subordinate and couldn't help but sigh, thinking, "What I feared has come to pass. I was already worried about a Bird King in the forest, and now it has truly appeared."
Bird Kings and ordinary mutated birds were two different concepts. Even if a mutated bird was very large, it would be at most the size of a golden eagle, with a wingspan not exceeding two meters. However, a Bird King was not only huge in size but also had the ability to command flocks of birds. Once a Bird King appeared, it was difficult to eliminate without aerial support.
Fortunately, at this moment, someone descended from the sky. Upon closer inspection, it was Chang Haojie. His arm had not fully recovered and was bandaged and suspended in front of him. He entered the command post and said to Guo Pinming, "Brother Guo, my brother-in-law sent me to help. He said that with me and Lu Kaiyang, we can deal with the Bird King."
Guo Pinming saw Chang Haojie appear there and immediately felt a savior had arrived. Now they had aerial support. Chang Haojie could fly to an altitude of two hundred meters. Coupled with Lu Kaiyang, a sharpshooter, wouldn't it be even simpler?
Lu Kaiyang stood up upon hearing this and said, "No problem. As long as I can fly higher than the Bird King, I can take it down with one shot."
"Then I'll entrust this to you. You must eliminate the Bird King," Guo Pinming said quickly.
Chang Haojie suddenly asked, "Then, after I complete this mission, can I get my own title?"
"Certainly. Whatever title you want, prepare for it. I will report to the City Lord and have him announce it." Guo Pinming shook his head, not expecting the eldest young master to care about such a thing.