Thousands of crocodiles instantly surged into the river. Although the artillery fire did not deliberately target the crocodiles, their sheer numbers and the immense power of the shells meant that even the fragments from the explosions on land could kill them.
The crocodiles had thick dorsal armor, but it was merely a keratinous layer, incapable of stopping high-velocity shrapnel. Under the impact of these flying fragments, the crocodiles were successively injured, forcing them to retreat into the water for refuge. The riverbank was left in disarray, with all the crocodiles having submerged themselves.
Shen Feng stood at a high vantage point, observing the river surface for a long while. He finally managed to spot a massive dark silhouette moving towards the center of the Yangtze River. Clearly, even the Crocodile King dared not linger any longer. It was attempting to escape now, having been terrified by the fierce artillery fire from the shore.
Upon witnessing this, Cai He frowned and said, "City Lord, it will be troublesome to pursue these crocodiles now. Once they dive into the water, our killing power is greatly reduced!"
Shen Feng leaped down from his high position, then patted Cai He and said with a smile, "There are things you only understand when you are directly involved. Now, you take people to find boats, and we will pursue the crocodiles by boat. As for the affairs of Yuzhou, leave the command to Zhou Xiaoxiao. Once Yang Chang awakens, he will take over!"
Cai He looked at Shen Feng's confident face with a hint of confusion but could only act as instructed.
At this moment, the crocodiles had entered the Yangtze River and were moving downstream. The leading crocodile remained submerged, seemingly having no need to bask in the sun. Its enormous body cast a vast shadow underwater, a behemoth that seemed to exist only in myths.
Chu Chaoyan looked at the ravaged riverbank, frowned, and walked over to Shen Feng, asking in a low voice, "You're not planning to use a delaying tactic, are you? Headquarters will surely find out about such methods, and there's no need for it!"
Shen Feng leaned against the car and smiled, asking, "Then are you suggesting I directly refuse Headquarters' request? If I truly did that, it would be disloyal and unjust. After all, the capital is under threat, and I cannot simply not go! It's better to employ a little stratagem. Even if Headquarters knows I'm deliberately delaying, I can find an excuse to fob them off!"
Chu Chaoyan looked at Shen Feng and couldn't help but criticize, "Your current approach reminds me of a historical figure. Do you want to know who it is?"
"Who?" Shen Feng asked casually.
"Wu Sangui!" Chu Chaoyan said calmly. "During Chongzhen's reign, when Li Zicheng besieged Beijing, Wu Sangui, who had received orders, acted much like you are now, moving slowly. He would advance a few miles today and a few miles tomorrow, but never hurried. In the end, they are all so-called ambitious individuals, waiting to be bought!"
Shen Feng's expression shifted upon hearing this comparison. He pursed his lips, surprised that his image had turned into that of an ambitious man. However, it wasn't entirely wrong. He had always been this way. Before the apocalypse, he had no opportunity and stayed at home all day. But now that opportunities presented themselves, his ambition had gradually awakened. He now desired to be a figure who could command the winds and summon the rain!
"So be it if I'm an ambitious man. At least I have a place to stay, and at least I can protect the people I care about!" Shen Feng said indifferently.
Seeing Shen Feng like this, Chu Chaoyan became somewhat angry. "I thought you were a hero, but I never expected you to be this kind of person! I must have misjudged you!"
Shen Feng shrugged and said nothing. He looked back at the towering city, with its dozens of stories reaching into the clouds and various facilities. The Yangtze River flowed through it, making it exceptionally prosperous. Such a city slipping away from his grasp would undoubtedly be a regrettable matter! Now, Shen Feng had decided that he would be the master of this city from now on, and he would make sure no one dared to look down on him!
Before departing, Shen Feng had actually secretly instructed Zhou Xiaoxiao on the subsequent plan. Although he was ostensibly going to hunt the mutated crocodiles, in reality, he would bring Chu Chaoyan back to Yuzhou every night to use poison gas to attack the rats in the sewers. Shen Feng knew his own speed; as long as he carried Chu Chaoyan, he could reach any location within tens of kilometers swiftly.
As for the satellite phone, Shen Feng had no intention of bringing it. Once he brought such a device, it would be easy for satellites in the sky to locate him, so he planned to stage a disappearance.
When Cai He found the boats, the group quickly boarded and proceeded downstream along the river. Five kilometers away, they encountered the crocodile swarm in the river. The more than fifty people on the boat immediately opened fire, continuously killing the crocodiles that surfaced.
However, at this moment, a massive dark shadow suddenly emerged from the water. A crocodile, over forty meters long, rose from the depths and swung its long, flat tail, charging directly at the tour boat. Such a colossal creature charging towards them gave everyone the feeling of Mount Tai pressing down on them.
The tour boat Cai He had found was only a little over thirty meters long. Facing a mutated crocodile longer than the boat, it seemed utterly insignificant.
Seeing this, Chu Chaoyan shouted, "Be careful! Don't let it get close to our boat, or it will bite through it! If we fall into the Yangtze River, we're all finished!"
Chu Chaoyan was acutely aware of their predicament. The fifty-two people were on a small boat about thirty meters long. If the crocodile bit through the boat, they would be plunged into the water and attacked by numerous crocodiles. Firearms would be ineffective underwater, and most critically, there were over a thousand crocodiles here. If so many crocodiles began to roll and thrash, no one would survive.
However, Shen Feng had already positioned his Barrett rifle and aimed at the charging mutated crocodile. He stood with his legs apart, aiming for the crocodile king's eye, and fired.
"Bang!" A deafening roar came from the muzzle. Shen Feng's entire body shuddered from the immense recoil. However, as a fourth-tier ability user, he quickly recovered, his body vibrating. Once the powerful force passed, he returned to normal.
On the water's surface, a burst of blood erupted from the Crocodile King's left eye. Its advance was immediately halted, and its massive body rolled violently in the water, creating waves. The Crocodile King no longer dared to attack the cruise ship, as it had lost sight in its left eye and feared its right eye might also be targeted.
The Crocodile King possessed intelligence. After rolling in the water for a few minutes, it continued to swim forward, seemingly trying to escape its pursuers.
"Beasts are just beasts, only knowing how to flee." Shen Feng was relieved to see the Crocodile King continue to flee. He didn't need to engage in a battle with it on the Yangtze River.
Cai He quickly offered flattery, "City Lord's marksmanship is truly excellent. With just one shot, you've deterred such a massive monster. In my opinion, the City Lord is invincible!"
Hearing such words, Shen Feng felt nothing but satisfaction. Although he knew it was flattery, he still enjoyed it. As the saying goes, a thousand holes can be pierced, but flattery cannot be pierced! Especially for the recipient of such praise, most people only feel happy rather than exposing the insincerity.
Chu Chaoyan couldn't stand it any longer and snorted, "How arrogant! There are thousands of heroes in the world, but only Shen Feng has such thick skin! You just shot out the crocodile's eye, and you're boasting as if you're invincible and unparalleled in the world. That's enough!"
Seeing Chu Chaoyan say this, Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and said to Cai He, "Ignore this little girl. Tell the brothers to salvage the crocodile carcasses. These things are good stuff for a barbecue tonight. She's been in a bad mood these past two days, you understand!"
"Oh, I understand, I understand!" Cai He quickly notified the men below to salvage the crocodile carcasses. They hadn't brought much food when they left Yuzhou, meaning they would have to rely on the land and water for sustenance. Fortunately, there were many animals in the wild, so food was not a problem.
After Cai He announced the news of eating crocodile meat that night, everyone cheered, followed by complaints, "We've been eating cornmeal rice all these days, I'm about to throw up!"
"Exactly! Now we can finally change our taste. It's not easy!"
"I've never eaten crocodile before, I wonder what it tastes like!"
"We'll know once we eat it! If we add enough seasoning, the taste won't be too bad. Speaking of which, we can even make shoes and wallets from the skin!"
"Pfft, even if you have a wallet made of crocodile skin, will you have money? And if you have money, can you even use it?"
Recently, everyone had been eating cornmeal rice. In the southwestern region, corn is called "baogu," and the rice steamed from cornmeal is naturally "baogu rice." It is distinct and fragrant. It's good the first time you eat it, and even better if soaked in red bean sour soup, but eating it every day is too much. It's still coarse grain, and even though it has a high yield, it's mostly used as feed for animals.
This was unavoidable. If there were abundant food, who would want to eat coarse grain every day? Just as northerners don't want to eat sorghum rice, and southerners dislike cornmeal rice, eating it occasionally is fine, but too much is unbearable for anyone. In Luzhou, Chang Jianyi worked tirelessly with people to ensure food supply, constantly planting corn. It can be said that everyone in Luzhou could only eat cornmeal rice.
Luzhou's granary was only one-third full. After Chang Jianyi closed and locked it, the grain inside was to be used only when it was impossible to plant crops. Before that, Luzhou's more than 400,000 people could only eat cornmeal rice.
Shen Feng took out an apple he had hidden and took a bite. It was sweet and sour. Honestly, he couldn't stand eating cornmeal rice every day either, but as the City Lord, he had to set an example at critical moments, so he could only force himself to eat it. However, as an ability user, he often kept snacks on him to satisfy his cravings.
The soldiers were either shooting at the crocodiles surfacing or salvaging their carcasses. Taking this opportunity, Chu Chaoyan also tried her hand at shooting. As an ability user, her strength had greatly increased, and she stood steadily when firing. When killing crocodiles, she could kill them by hitting their heads.
It had to be said that an eight or nine-meter-long crocodile was difficult to kill without hitting a vital spot. The bullets' destructive power was still limited, and these crocodiles had strong vitality. Even with a hole in their bodies, they could still survive, so everyone could only aim for their heads.
The crocodiles in the Yangtze River had also become smarter. As long as they stayed underwater, they were difficult to hit. Even if hit, the water's buffering effect would greatly mitigate the bullet's impact. Thus, the crocodiles began to dive, evading attacks from the surface.
Unfortunately, these crocodiles still needed to surface to breathe, and as their body size increased, their oxygen consumption also increased. They couldn't hold on without breathing. Once a crocodile surfaced, it would be met with a storm of attacks from above.
The tour boat was made of steel, and although the crocodiles tried to attack the boat, their efforts were in vain. Their teeth couldn't bite through the steel plates, only leaving scratches on the boat before they were shot and killed.
Shen Feng looked at the Crocodile King still fleeing ahead and thought, "If it were this monster, it might be able to bite through the boat. But this guy has been scared out of its wits and doesn't dare to fight anymore. That's good. If the battle ends too early, I won't have an excuse to delay!"
Shen Feng had made up his mind. To avoid infamy and to gain tangible benefits, he had to wait until Yuzhou was secured before marching out. What Shen Feng was most curious about was the situation in Yanjing. The exact number of zombies was unknown to anyone. Even on the underground network, posts offered various opinions without any accurate information.
However, in Shen Feng's estimation, Yanjing was facing at least tens of millions of zombies. After all, it was located on the North China Plain, which had a large population, and the number of zombies should also be immense. Tens of millions of zombies could indeed pose a significant threat to Yanjing! With such a large number of zombies, it was understandable that Headquarters would deliberately not disclose the numbers to prevent panic.