As the deep night arrived, Shen Feng and his group reached Jinmen. They disembarked quickly to rest, as they were scheduled to depart by train at dawn. The journey had been too rushed, arriving at their destination with only a few hours for rest before another train journey, which would lead them into battle.
Shen Feng suddenly felt a chill and rubbed his hands, thinking, "I should have worn thicker clothes. It seems like it will snow sooner rather than later."
It was already late November. In some northern regions, snow had begun to fall. Jinmen was also experiencing a continuous drop in temperature, though it was still some time before snowfall. The cold currents from the north were steadily moving south, and the temperature would only continue to decrease day by day.
Chu Chaoyan looked back at the seaside from the port. All she could see was the dark ocean and the bright stars in the sky, truly like the poem described: "The Milky Way is brilliant, as if emerging from within."
"Huh? Was there something in the sea just now?" Chu Chaoyan thought she saw something flash by in the water and observed closely. A faint green light had suddenly appeared in the sea, but upon closer inspection, she found nothing. If she hadn't misread, it was just a fleeting flash of light.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan could only suspect she had misread, perhaps mistaking the reflection of the starlight on the water. After all, the waves were constantly lapping against the port, and misjudging was a common occurrence.
"I'm just too nervous. How could there be anything in the sea? This is a port," Chu Chaoyan muttered to herself, no longer paying attention to the sea.
At dawn, Shen Feng and his men arrived at the train station. The group departed Jinmen for Yanjing in batches.
When they saw the trains, everyone was astonished. These trains had been modified, with long, dark pipes extending from them. It was evident that these pipes were all cannon barrels designed to fire shells. These trains were, in essence, colossal steel dragons.
Trains were already made of steel, impenetrable to most creatures. Now, with the addition of numerous cannon barrels, they had become formidable weapons for both offense and defense.
No matter what kind of zombies or mutated beasts they were, they couldn't withstand the barrage of shells fired simultaneously. Riding in such modified trains brought immense peace of mind. Unless a monster several hundred meters long appeared, no creature could overturn a train.
The young man who was to liaise with Shen Feng greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Shen, your reputation precedes you. I happened to witness your battle with the Corpse King over a month ago. I must say, Mr. Shen, you are truly powerful. I hope you will fight bravely and persevere with us until victory is achieved."
Shen Feng responded politely, "You are too kind. My abilities are just average. Anyone else could have defeated the Corpse King. May I ask your name?"
The young man slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Shu Daping, Shu from 'comfortable' and Ping from 'duckweed.' Since Mr. Shen is from a civilian group, I was specifically assigned to liaise with you. Today, I will first familiarize you with the battlefield situation. Once we reach our destination, you'll see that our defenses are absolutely impregnable!"
Shen Feng remained noncommittal, shrugged, and boarded the train, heading towards Yanjing.
Shen Feng recalled the battle in Rongcheng. At that time, everyone had the same belief: with seven lines of defense to block the zombies, victory was certain. Unfortunately, the defenses were breached one after another. It was only with support from Guanzhong and the use of thermobaric bombs that the Corpse King was killed and the remaining zombies were dispersed.
Therefore, Shen Feng didn't believe in any defense that couldn't be breached. Perhaps Yanjing's defenses were merely more intact.
However, when Shen Feng arrived in Yanjing, he was stunned. Outside the city, a massive wall had been constructed. The construction was somewhat hasty, as many areas were not perfectly level. But this wall encompassed the expanded Yanjing, making it arguably the largest city wall in the world. The train entered the city through an elevated bridge, and the moment it passed through the wall, Shen Feng saw soldiers densely packed on top of it.
Shen Feng realized his previous assessment had been too superficial. What was this about no absolutely unbreachable defense? The defense before him was precisely that – unbreachable.
Seeing the astonishment on Shen Feng's face, Shu Daping proudly said, "Mr. Shen, do you believe me now? Yanjing is absolutely impregnable. As long as this wall exists, no zombie can get in. This wall was built by the people of Yanjing in over half a month. The surrounding quarries have run out of stone, all of it used to build this wall. With this wall, zombies can only come and die!"
Shen Feng remained silent. He was reminded of what Ke Yiming had said earlier. At that time, Ke Yiming firmly believed that building walls was completely unnecessary and a waste of manpower. But now, it seemed the simplest method was indeed building walls, and the wall built by Yanjing was many times larger than the one in Jiangyang.
After disembarking, Shu Daping led Shen Feng and his group to the area they would be defending, offering explanations as they walked.
"Mr. Shen, Yanjing already has over a million soldiers. Therefore, based on the experience of the Rongcheng battle, soldiers cannot defend the front lines indefinitely. We are using a three-shift system. You and your soldiers only need to defend a specific area for eight hours. During this time, firearms and ammunition will be amply supplied," Shu Daping said with a smile.
Shen Feng followed the direction of his finger and observed that at some distance behind the city wall, there were many tents, with soldiers resting inside. Fierce gunfire and artillery fire could be heard in the distance, but after a while, it ceased.
Shen Feng nodded and murmured, "Eight hours a day? That's not a bad job."
Shen Feng had expected the battle in Yanjing to be a relentless fight, a test of endurance and willpower. But now, an eight-hour workday was something one might not even find before the apocalypse, let alone now. The conditions were truly good, and the defensive pressure was likely not significant.
Before arriving in Yanjing, Shen Feng had wondered if defending an area meant holding it until the very end. Now, it seemed that people weren't fighting on the front lines continuously but had a rotation system, which would make combat much simpler. All they had to do was kill the zombies that charged towards the city wall.
The city wall was twelve meters high, with space inside. Small windows were opened on the outer wall, allowing soldiers to fire from within. Even if zombies swarmed to the base of the wall, they would face artillery fire, which was far more terrifying than bullets. Each shell could take down dozens of zombies.
Upon reaching the base of the city wall, Shen Feng noticed strange instruments. There was one such instrument every ten meters or so, standing on the ground, with various lights flashing. Shen Feng didn't know what these instruments were for.
Shen Feng suddenly asked, "What are these instruments for?"
Shu Daping explained, "Mr. Shen, these instruments are for detecting underground activity. As far as I know, several defense lines in Rongcheng were breached by zombies through tunnels. Therefore, these instruments are specifically designed to detect underground conditions. Through the transmission and feedback of sound waves, they can identify what's happening beneath the ground. If zombies are digging tunnels, we will know immediately."
Shen Feng nodded. With these instruments, zombie tunneling would not pose a significant threat. Thus, it would be impossible for zombies to enter the city wall because the underground situation would be fully under their control.
Chu Chaoyan pointed to the utility poles on the city wall. "There are also streetlights and surveillance cameras on the wall. That's amazing!"
Shen Feng looked up and indeed saw utility poles on the city wall, one every few meters. They appeared to have been hastily erected, as there wasn't even time to paint them. But given the extent of the work, what more could one ask for?
Shu Daping explained, "This is based on the previous defense battle in Jiangyang. The Corpse King likes to launch surprise attacks, especially night raids. Therefore, we have installed streetlights and infrared surveillance on the city wall. Once zombies approach, we can fight effectively even at night."
"You even know about the battle in Jiangyang?" Shen Feng frowned, surprised that his background had been so thoroughly investigated. This meant that the information Yu Renshu had mentioned before leaving was true!
Shu Daping smiled and nodded seriously. "It can be said that we know the situation of every city. After all, once the zombies are eliminated, the world needs peace!"
Shen Feng understood the implication of his words. Once the zombies were eliminated and the threat to humanity was removed, the next step would be to deal with the so-called bandits. Shen Feng, being astute, should make his plans accordingly.
"Um, where should we be stationed? Could you introduce us?" Shen Feng quickly interjected, not wanting to dwell on this matter. If the conversation continued, it might end unpleasantly. Therefore, it was better to focus on the present situation.
Shu Daping did not press the issue of city conditions further and instead led Shen Feng to the designated stationing area, pointing to the already erected tents in the distance. "The tents have been set up. This is where you will be stationed from now on. You are not allowed to leave without orders."
Shen Feng nodded in understanding. Shu Daping did not leave. "Until victory, I will stay by Mr. Shen's side for communication purposes. So, we are colleagues during this time. Please take care of me."
Shu Daping was the designated liaison for Shen Feng. In other areas, various civilian forces also had their respective liaisons.
Shen Feng nodded, shook hands with Shu Daping, and they parted ways.
Chu Chaoyan found a tent for herself, threw her luggage inside, and then lay down, stretching. "I really hope the war ends soon so we can go home. I hope it snows early to freeze these damned zombies. Then victory will be ours."
Shen Feng glanced at Chu Chaoyan, pondering, "If only it were that simple. But the zombies are clearly brewing some plan. The Corpse King couldn't possibly be unaware of the snow. Yet, why is the Corpse King so calm?"
Shen Feng went to the monitoring area below the city wall to observe. On the screens, he could see the scene outside the city. The zombies charged forward like a tide and retreated like a tide. For the entire day, they repeated this behavior.
When the zombies retreated, the survivors would drag away their fallen comrades. This wasn't a display of brotherhood, but rather the zombies searching for sustenance. After all, zombies didn't produce food, and when hungry, they would often turn their claws towards their companions. As long as they could eat, who cared if it was a companion? The zombies' thought process was that simple.
"If the zombies continue with this attrition tactic, it seems it would take a year to breach the city. Why don't the zombies build a human wall?" Shen Feng frowned in thought.
He remembered that when Jiangyang faced three hundred thousand zombies, they were eventually overrun because the zombies piled up their bodies to create a slope against the city wall, allowing mutated zombies to climb over. Now, Yanjing faced over a hundred million zombies. If they built a human wall to form a slope at the base of the city wall, it would certainly be an opportunity.
"But why wouldn't the Corpse King do that?" Shen Feng's confusion deepened.
It seemed the Corpse King was not in any hurry to attack, as if unaware of the impending crisis, completely adopting a laissez-faire attitude.
"If I were the Corpse King, what would I do?" Shen Feng wondered to himself.
Shen Feng began to think from the Corpse King's perspective. If he were the Corpse King and facing the pressure of an attack, his best course of action would be to launch a fierce assault day and night, until a slope was built against the city wall, and then focus the attack on one point. Although they would face aerial attacks, whether missiles or thermobaric bombs, they would be a devastating disaster for large numbers of zombies. However, as long as a path into Yanjing City could be successfully created, sacrificing countless ordinary zombies would be worth it.
"Unless, the Corpse King has other ways to enter Yanjing!" Shen Feng was startled by his own speculation. In the current situation, could the Corpse King have a better method to breach the city wall? But if such a method existed, why hadn't it been used?