The cold wind blew south from the vast Siberian plains, immediately adding to the woes of the southern lands, a literal icing on the cake, as the weather turned colder. Thick dark clouds also shrouded the Haihe Plain. In just one night, the accumulated snow on the ground reached fifty centimeters deep. Even as dawn broke, the snowfall did not cease; instead, it intensified.
Shen Feng stood on the city wall, watching the snowflakes constantly falling from the sky. He frowned and muttered to himself, "Such cold weather is not suitable for going out. Should I wait until the snow stops before I depart?"
Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, truly like goose feathers. These snowflakes were as large as potato chips, directly obscuring vision. Beyond ten meters, one could not see the scene clearly. Shen Feng felt quite helpless about this. If he couldn't see the scene ahead clearly, he wouldn't be able to utilize his speed. Who knew if he might run into a tree while running?
Thus, Shen Feng hesitated and stood on the city wall, waiting for the snow to stop. Revenge was definitely something he intended to pursue, but not right now.
Lu Xian casually walked to Shen Feng's side and asked, "City Lord, since you seem to have nothing to do, why don't you take me for a drink? You can freely enter and exit the frontline encampments, but we can't. So, if you could..."
Before Lu Xian could finish his sentence, Shen Feng directly interrupted him, saying, "Let's talk about it after the war ends. Without ending the fight against the zombies, how can I be in the mood for drinking?"
Shen Feng also knew that his alcohol tolerance was not good, and drinking now could lead to mistakes. Even if he were to drink, it would have to be after the war concluded.
Lu Xian nodded. The weather conditions were particularly dire at the moment, but hatred could not be covered by heavy snow. Shen Feng's current resentment towards the zombies was understandable. Unfortunately, the plan for drinking was shelved, and he could only endure it for now.
However, as Shen Feng and Lu Xian stood on the city wall chatting, they suddenly saw soldiers gathering at the distant city gate. These soldiers were transporting heavy machinery, opening the city gate, and leaving Yanjing, heading into the distance. The snow on the road was deep, so they had to clear the snow as they advanced.
These machines were loaded onto vehicles, covered with thick canvas, making it impossible to know what they were. All the vehicles were equipped with anti-skid chains, and soldiers escorted them along the way. This made the army's movement appear quite mysterious.
Shen Feng roughly calculated that in just over ten minutes, at least ten thousand soldiers had been dispatched from Yanjing. So many people left the city and disappeared into the wind and snow. He had not heard of any related actions by Yanjing.
"Lu Xian, what do you think the army is doing going out in the snow?" Shen Feng couldn't guess the headquarters' intentions, so he asked Lu Xian beside him.
Lu Xian spread his hands, tilted his head, and said, "City Lord, you're asking me? How would I know?"
Just then, Shu Da Ping walked over from a distance. Shen Feng quickly found him and asked, "I just saw the army dispatched from Yanjing. What is this about? Why didn't they inform me?"
Shu Da Ping heard Shen Feng's question and chuckled, saying, "Mr. Shen, it's not that we intentionally concealed it, but this operation requires strict coordination. And as far as I know, the cooperation from civilian groups is not very good. Therefore, this operation did not notify civilian groups. As for the army's actions, they are not related to the zombies in the west and north. They are mainly responsible for dealing with the zombies in the eastern and southern regions."
Shu Da Ping's implication was that Shen Feng's soldiers lacked fighting spirit. In reality, this was true. These soldiers were newly recruited and were fine for defensive battles or fighting when they had the advantage, but they performed poorly when it came to desperate struggles.
Shen Feng was shocked upon hearing this and asked, "Why are they still going to fight in this freezing weather? The weather conditions are so harsh, isn't this too reckless?"
Shu Da Ping patiently explained, "Regarding this matter, headquarters also conducted long-term consideration. It is also thanks to the intelligence brought back by Mr. Shen. Since the Taihang Mountains and Yan Mountains in the west and north respectively provide terrain barriers and deep caves, headquarters has decided to deal with the zombies in the plains first during winter, that is, the eastern and southern parts of Yanjing. And the harsh weather is actually our advantage. The zombies have no logistics and will freeze to death, but the army will not! Therefore, it is time to deploy troops when it snows."
Shen Feng looked at the swirling snowflakes, frowning and unsure what to say. The weather was extremely cold now, and the zombies indeed could not leave their underground caves. They could survive underground for a while longer, but if they left their caves, they would surely freeze to death from the low temperature. However, if the Zombie Kings were not killed, and if the Zombie Kings found a way to resist the cold and fight, wouldn't that bring great danger?
Shu Da Ping continued, "I heard you've been hunting zombies recently. We will provide some convenience to a certain extent. However, please do not approach the southern and eastern regions, as there is a possibility of friendly fire on the battlefield."
Shu Da Ping's words were quite clear: Shen Feng could go out of the city or leave his encampment as he pleased, but he must not approach the battlefields in the east and south, otherwise, the consequences would be severe.
Shen Feng nodded, his expressionless.
In fact, besides the army Shen Feng saw, armies had also departed from other city gates. This operation was specifically targeting the zombies in the plains. Since the zombies were all hiding underground, the military also needed corresponding means to deal with them. This operation was to test the power of new weapons.
The army set off by vehicle. On many sections of the road, the vehicles could not see the path clearly. At this time, soldiers immediately took out shovels and brooms to clear the accumulated snow. After clearing the snow on the road, they also sprinkled salt to prevent freezing. They advanced like this for a whole morning and finally reached the designated combat area, a plain located to the south.
The sky was overcast, and the ground was covered with thick snow. The soldiers wore sunglasses to prevent snow blindness.
Even on an overcast day, when the sunlight is not strong, the light reflecting off the white snow on the ground can cause a large amount of light to enter the eyes, easily leading to snow blindness. Therefore, in snowy conditions, sunglasses must be worn to reduce the amount of light entering the eyes.
Among the tens of thousands of troops, there was a special team, namely the special forces composed of many evolvers from the army. They were all robust men who went out wearing only light clothing in the severe cold, unafraid of the low temperature.
The leader of this team was an ability user, and strong individuals from the Ability Administration appeared here as leaders. Over thirty ability users led small teams to guard the surroundings. They all held cold weapons. The reason for not using firearms was to prevent friendly fire.
Xiao Sheng stood with a few friends. Pale blue flames burned on him. In the severe cold, his ability was the most sought after, as many people from the Ability Administration gathered around Xiao Sheng. His surroundings were very warm, making it a place people lingered in the snow.
"Xiao Sheng, so you are the legendary warm man, capable of warming not only women but also men," Zhang Zi also chimed in, teasing him with a smile.
Xiao Sheng shook his head helplessly at this response and said, "Do you think I want to be like this? It's all you people begging me to shine and be useful. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother using my abilities. Look at the evolvers in the army; they all resist the cold with their bodies. You should also learn to be independent."
"No, no, that's different!" Fang Qinghao rubbed his hands and said, "These people train frequently, and their physical fitness is much better than ability users of the same level. They can withstand the low temperature, but we can't. I've already worn two sweaters, and I'm still freezing like a grandson."
Xiao Sheng helplessly continued to use his ability to warm his friends around him. Using abilities consumes physical strength. Currently, Xiao Sheng was essentially warming all his classmates by himself.
At this moment, Xiao Sheng looked at the military vehicles in the distance and suddenly became curious, saying, "What do you think is inside these vehicles? They're hiding it so mysteriously. Could it be some kind of superweapon? Should we go and ask?"
Qin Ke Wei shook his head and refused, saying, "No, we are here as security personnel and should not cause trouble for the army. If you want to know what's in the vehicles, then wait. Once the battle begins, we will all know what's inside."
The reason the people from the Ability Administration were present was to protect the combat personnel. This combat mission was specifically chosen to be carried out during snowy weather to cripple the combat capabilities of ordinary zombies. As for the threat of mutated zombies, that would be handled by the special forces.
Qin Ke Wei was the leader of all the ability users, holding the position of captain. Xiao Sheng was the vice-captain. Now that Qin Ke Wei had spoken, Xiao Sheng could only obey obediently, not daring to act rashly, and they all began to wait for the battle to commence.
Yanjing's headquarters also knew that delaying further was not an option. They couldn't wait until spring when the temperature warmed up and the zombies came out. This would only lead to a waste of food and resources. Therefore, even in snowy weather, headquarters was finding ways to fight.
After the army confirmed the battlefield area, they first opened the communication vehicles, set up radar and infrared detectors to ensure they could always determine the surrounding situation. Then, the army spread out, and Xiao Sheng and others led their respective teams to scout the surroundings. If they encountered mutated zombies, they would have to engage in combat promptly.
The people from the Ability Administration were all equipped with walkie-talkies, which could be used to call for support in critical moments.
At this time, the machinery on the vehicles finally revealed its true form. They were special blowers, and besides that, the vehicles were filled with high-pressure gas cylinders. These high-pressure gas cylinders were marked with a skull and crossbones. The appearance of this symbol clearly indicated that these containers held poisonous gas.
The person responsible for commanding this battle was none other than Cheng Ke!
After the plan to retake Yuzhou failed a few months ago, Cheng Ke was filled with self-reproach, always believing that his flawed plan led to the army's losses, especially the death of General Wang. He had wanted to end his own life, but he thought that if he died, his subordinate soldiers would have no one to lead them, so he could only continue to live.
Now, the opportunity to wash away his shame was placed before Cheng Ke. Cheng Ke knew that this was a good opportunity to restore his reputation and a good opportunity to avenge his brothers. Having suffered losses in Yuzhou, Cheng Ke now wanted to repay them a thousandfold and kill all the zombies hiding underground!
Cheng Ke took a deep breath and gave the order through the walkie-talkie, "Immediately find the entrances to the zombie caves. Leave only one entrance within a hundred meters, and block all other entrances. Place the blowers properly and be quick. Absolutely no time should be given to the Zombie Kings to react. Report when the task is completed."
The expeditionary force consisted of well-trained regular troops, and their coordination was excellent, completing the task quickly. Within just over ten minutes, the task of setting up the machinery was completed, and then everyone began to report their work. Within a radius of tens of kilometers in the south, the cave entrances were basically blocked. Except for the necessary entrances, there were no more exits for the zombies in this area.
Cheng Ke then issued the second order, "Everyone put on gas masks. Without permission, do not remove your masks. Everyone must complete this within five minutes."
This order was also carried out perfectly. The soldiers quickly put on their masks, and the time was compressed to within three minutes. Tens of thousands of soldiers put on their gas masks at the very first moment.
At this point, Cheng Ke's hand trembled slightly. He knew that the day of revenge and retribution was today. So he gave the third order through the walkie-talkie, "Release poisonous gas into the caves. Pay attention to standardized and safe operations to avoid accidents!"
The blowers were connected to diesel generators, and at the other end, the blower pipes were inserted deep underground. With the flip of a switch, the poisonous gas was released into the underground caves, and the war truly began.
After investigating the underground situation for a month, Yanjing finally launched a counterattack. The effectiveness of the counterattack would only be known after the operation concluded.