The skies above Yanjing were now occupied by dense formations of soldiers. The scorched-earth policy involved two key actions: first, fortifying the city with an impregnable defense, and second, clearing the surrounding areas of all supplies to deny the enemy any means of replenishment. Such a plan was originally intended for the northern barbarians, but it was now being used against mutated birds.
In ancient times, nomadic tribes from the north would habitually invade during autumn and winter, crossing the Great Wall into the territories of the Central Plains dynasties. They sought not to rule, but to plunder, taking anything of value, from people and grain to even pots and pans, and transporting it all back to the grasslands. As these raids occurred in autumn, they were known as "striking the autumn wind."
In the apocalypse, there were no Manchu tribes to "strike the autumn wind," but the mutated birds had begun this practice. Humans controlled the food supply, and in this era, food meant everything. For their own survival, the mutated birds could only attack humans.
The skyscrapers of Yanjing were manned by soldiers in military green. The mutated birds circled overhead in vast, dark swarms, daring not to descend. They had learned from past attempts; when they dived from the sky, a large portion of them were shot down by soldiers. Moreover, the soldiers provided mutual support. A group of ten men, weighing a ton, could not be lifted by a mutated bird, even if it could snatch a single person.
The mutated birds were not foolish. After suffering several devastating losses, their attack frequency decreased, as survival was unlikely even if they attacked.
Observant individuals noticed a fact: the density of mutated birds in the sky had reduced. Previously, when mutated birds flew overhead, the sunlight was directly obscured, and visibility was extremely low, as if dark clouds had enveloped Yanjing. However, recently, visibility within the city had improved significantly, and sunlight could now pierce through the flocks. It had to be said that the scorched-earth policy was proving effective.
Rooftops had become the main battlefield for the soldiers. As soon as birds landed, they were shot. Every rooftop was equipped with heavy machine guns.
When birds dived down, surrounding rooftops would open fire, creating crossfire with dense volleys of bullets. No matter how many birds landed, none would return.
Ability users also joined the fray, but their impact on the overall battle was minimal. Large-scale combat relied on the sheer number of soldiers. Yanjing now boasted three hundred thousand soldiers, with soldiers present on almost every rooftop, and ammunition supplies were plentiful.
As Gong Changfa and his comrades awaited the next attack from the mutated birds, someone reported, "Zhan Jinshu from the Heavenly Dragon Bureau has arrived. Should she be allowed up?"
Gong Changfa nodded and said, "Let her come up. Although she is younger, I cannot put on airs. Let's see what she has to say."
Gong Changfa was not very familiar with Zhan Jinshu. Although Gong Changfa was the heir of a prominent family, he belonged to the "Jingquan" circle and was well-acquainted with influential figures in Yanjing. As for prominent figures from other regions, Gong Changfa was unaware of them, nor did he need to be.
Upon arriving at the rooftop occupied by the Chosen Bureau, Zhan Jinshu immediately began to demand, "Hey, Gong Changfa, hand over Yue Hengyi's corpse quickly! It needs to be submitted to headquarters; you can't keep it for yourself!"
Gong Changfa scoffed at the threat. "Back then, you wouldn't even let us visit him in prison, nor would you allow us to collect Yue Hengyi's ashes. Now you're speaking so boldly, demanding we hand over Yue Hengyi's corpse. We haven't even seen it, and you're trying to frame us!"
Zhan Jinshu snorted and pointed at Xun Yan beside them. "Stop playing dumb. I know the person who stole Yue Hengyi's corpse is Xun Yan. The car I was driving had a hole burned through it. At this time, Xiao Sheng is in Siberia, and Ke Yiming is in Jinling. Who else could melt steel besides Xun Yan?"
"What a baseless accusation!" Xun Yan could no longer stand it. He had been unjustly accused. He had been busy killing mutated birds all these days, yet he was being smeared. He couldn't understand it.
Xun Yan angrily retorted, "You young girl, don't be so unreasonable. Many people can melt steel, must it be me? I could also say acetylene can melt steel. Why don't you say someone melted steel with acetylene?"
"But... the person who could take Yue Hengyi's corpse without me noticing could only be an ability user! Therefore, it must be you. You cannot deny it." Zhan Jinshu remained insistent, firmly believing Xun Yan had stolen Yue Hengyi's corpse.
Xun Yan, too lazy to argue further, grabbed Zhan Jinshu by the collar and casually threw her off the rooftop, saying coldly, "If you dare to come up again, I'll throw you down again."
In just two seconds, a dull thud echoed from below. Zhan Jinshu landed, her lower body shattered on impact, bone fragments exposed. Zhan Jinshu, in agony, had to use her ability to heal herself.
Xun Yan clearly knew what Zhan Jinshu's ability was, so he was not worried about her dying from the fall. He was simply annoyed at being framed.
Gong Changfa looked at Xun Yan and asked, "This matter, it really wasn't you?"
Seeing his leader's suspicion, Xun Yan did not hesitate and swore to the heavens, "I swear, if I stole Yue Hengyi's corpse, may lightning strike me, may I die a terrible death, and may my family all perish in the wilderness!"
After taking such a solemn oath, Gong Changfa immediately believed Xun Yan. He knew Xun Yan well and knew he would never joke about his family. Now that Xun Yan had sworn in the name of his family, it proved that Xun Yan truly had nothing to do with it.
"If that's the case, Yue Hengyi's corpse has already been stolen. This is strange. Who did it? Could it be that they are also targeting Yue Hengyi's powerful ability?" Gong Changfa murmured.
After being thrown from the ten-story rooftop, Zhan Jinshu would have been dead if not for her powerful recovery abilities. In pain, she quickly used her ability to heal.
However, Zhan Jinshu no longer dared to go upstairs. After this incident, she realized that the other party was truly capable of acting and had no trace of chivalry. Such a person deserved to be single.
"Just you wait, I will definitely get revenge on you all," Zhan Jinshu uttered a threat and left the building where the Chosen Bureau was located.
...
While Yanjing was under attack by mutated birds, Shen Feng was still leading people to clear the mutated birds in the Dabashan mountains. He had also rushed to the front lines, and he was unclear about the situation in Dabashan, needing to see it for himself to understand.
This time, Shen Feng had arrived at the front lines, and Chu Chaoyan had accompanied him. Chang Jianyi had given birth and could continue her work in Yuzhou. Chu Chaoyan continued to follow Shen Feng, recording her observations daily.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan was working hard on her future great work, recording her experiences in the apocalypse. Only she could do this. It was a noble goal; when peace returned, her written accounts of the apocalypse would be firsthand material for historical research.
"I heard that Yanjing in the north and the three northeastern provinces have been attacked by mutated birds, suffering heavy casualties. Northerners are fleeing south, and the north is in chaos. Fortunately, Yuzhou is fine. We have been killing mutated birds, and I believe the mutated birds will not affect Yuzhou's autumn harvest," Chu Chaoyan recorded in her notebook.
It was daytime, and the Yuzhou command center had moved into the mountains, setting up camp under the shade of trees. It was too hot, so they could only seek coolness under the trees. Of course, the mutated birds lacked intelligence and would not play a trick like Lu Xun's "burning the camp with fire."
Soldiers and mercenaries were sleeping. The recent battles had reversed their biological clocks; they slept during the day and fought at night, moving by night and resting by day. This had been very effective, significantly reducing soldier casualties. Many injuries were due to accidentally stepping on animal traps set by hunters. Once caught, they were completely immobilized. These traps could break the bones of wild boars; stepping on one now was devastating, directly leading to broken legs and a return to the rear for treatment.
When news from the north reached Yuzhou, everyone cheered for the city lord's wisdom. When Shen Feng first proposed the plan to eliminate mutated birds, few people supported it. Now, the north, which had ignored the mutated birds, had suffered attacks, proving the city lord's foresight.
"The city lord was indeed thoughtful, foreseeing the crisis of mutated birds early on, ensuring that Yuzhou would not be attacked by birds during the autumn harvest. Those people in the north are truly miserable," some schadenfreude-filled individuals remarked.
Although schadenfreude was not a good mindset, when the majority thought the same way, it became a source of amusement among the populace.
The people of Yuzhou felt a sense of stability in their lives. Although it was not comparable to life before the apocalypse, in a comparative sense, Yuzhou could live safely, free from the threat of mutated beasts or mutated birds. This was truly wonderful.
Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan were not sleeping but were in a tent. Chu Chaoyan was taking notes, while Shen Feng was reading comics.
Shen Feng had expected hidden dangers in the Dabashan mountains, so after arranging important matters in Yuzhou, he had rushed here. However, he found that the army's progress was smooth, and the day-and-night operation plan was effective. If it continued, the mutated birds in Dabashan would surely be cleared.
Thus, Shen Feng became completely idle, with no official duties to handle or battles to fight. He only needed to listen to Guo Pinming and Yang Chang report on their work daily.
However, on this day, Shen Feng received news: "A valley has been discovered in Dabashan, and enemies have been found inside!"
Upon hearing this news, Shen Feng immediately set off with Chu Chaoyan. Flying during the day made them a target, but Shen Feng's speed on the ground was not slow. He carried Chu Chaoyan on his back and headed straight for the valley where the enemies were found.
Chu Chaoyan, perched on Shen Feng's back, watched the scenery rush past. The wind blew across her face, and she laughed, "It seems I won't need to drive to feel the wind in the future. I just need to ride on you."
Chu Chaoyan, in high spirits, called out, "Giddy up, run faster!"
Shen Feng, feeling like a donkey or a horse, became somewhat annoyed. "Enjoy yourself now. When night comes, it won't be you riding me!"
Shen Feng's words made Chu Chaoyan blush. She understood his implication and couldn't help but scold, "You pervert, you have no filter on your mouth."
Shen Feng smiled and then hurried on his way, eventually arriving at the valley location reported by the scouts.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the valley, Shen Feng cautiously called out, "All within the four seas are brothers!"
A thick layer of leaves covered the ground. From beneath a few clumps of leaves, a coded reply emerged: "The nine provinces are one family."
Immediately after, several scouts wearing ghillie suits emerged from under the leaves. Seeing that there were no mutated birds around, they said to Shen Feng, "City Lord, we have found the people who have been placing animal traps all over the mountains. They are in the valley opposite. Shall we go and take a look?"