Chapter Three: Hidden Agendas

As Wei Tao analyzed the situation step by step, a clear combat plan took shape. No matter which direction the enemy launched an attack from, they would face defensive fire from at least three different positions within the base. Even if the opposition utilized heavy equipment like armored vehicles or tanks, the PF89A rocket launchers stockpiled in the base were not to be trifled with.

The PF89A had been an unexpected discovery during a supply run. The detachment had originally intended only to scavenge light arms and ammunition from a local depot. The mission had gone smoothly until their retreat, when they were suddenly surrounded by a dozen Crushers and dozens of zombie dogs.

It was clearly a trap set by an intelligent entity among the undead. Faced with such overwhelming force, the team had been forced to fight their way back, relying on precise marksmanship and sheer willpower. They were eventually pushed into a hidden warehouse, which marked a turning point in their desperate struggle.

As the Crushers battered the heavy steel warehouse doors, causing them to deform under the relentless assault, the team had braced for death. In that moment of despair, they discovered the warehouse was filled with crates of unopened PF89A rocket launchers. Seeing the olive-drab and off-white camouflage of the fiberglass tubes and the ominous, cold glow of the warheads, the team’s despair instantly transformed into ecstasy.

After a series of violent explosions, the swarm of zombies outside vanished. The Crushers, which had been so arrogant as to force their way into the warehouse, were reduced to countless fragments by the barrage of PF89A fire. Only a few ordinary zombies, blown to pieces but with their heads miraculously intact, remained twitching on the ground.

From that day on, the PF89A—with its direct-fire range of 180 meters, maximum range of 1,000 meters, a 25-meter lethal radius, and the ability to penetrate 300 millimeters of reinforced concrete—became the base’s secret weapon. With it at their disposal, the base felt confident enough to stand its ground against even the most terrifying Sandworms.

If the Jianglu faction sought war, then war it would be. But if they truly intended to gather everyone for peaceful cooperation, to discuss the threat of the zombies and the future of humanity, the base would provide all possible assistance.

"Why don't we form an alliance?" Zhao Qiang finally suggested after listening for a long while. In his view, the zombies had stolen and occupied a home that belonged to humanity, and if survivors scattered across the land continued to fight alone, their total extinction was only a matter of time.

"If they want to fight, we will fight, and we will make them hurt and fear us. We will broadcast our victory via radio so that when others consider attacking us, they will have to wonder if they can win," Zhao Qiang explained, seeing that his proposal had captured everyone’s attention. "But our goal is not combat; at least, not wasting limited resources on internecine conflict among humans. For those survivors who genuinely seek progress, we should welcome them into our alliance. To friends, we can offer necessary support and aid. It is always better to have an ally than an enemy."

"That’s a good idea, worth considering," Wang Baoquan nodded, affirming Zhao Qiang’s thought.

...

Jianglu Machinery Plant.

"Brother, we can't do this!" A bespectacled young man followed closely behind an older man, jogging to keep up. "Look at the situation! The total population of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan region exceeded ten million, and now we know of fewer than 10,000 survivors. Doing this will only alienate everyone!"

"Brother, remember this: this is a dog-eat-dog world. It was in the past, and it is now. If we want to survive and thrive in a world like this, we must be ruthless! Remember, for any force that might threaten us, we must cut them down before the threat manifests!" The man referred to as the older brother gazed into the distance. Though just over thirty, his temples had turned gray over the past few months as he worked to protect Jianglu from the zombie menace.

"Brother!" The younger man’s anger did not subside. "They haven't posed any threat to us! Besides, we have a common enemy: the zombies! If we wipe them out today because we think they might be a threat, what happens tomorrow when a stronger opponent appears and thinks we are a threat to them? Are we supposed to just let them wipe us out, too? They trust us and hope to make contact, yet we want to kill them. How are we any different from the zombies out there?"

"Deng Lei!" The older brother finally snapped, his voice filled with fury. "Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself! Our family and friends are here. This is our home, our roots, and we hold resources that outsiders can't even imagine. Look there!"

As a military industrial enterprise, the Jianglu Machinery Plant often received orders from the armed forces. For reasons unknown, the plant had received an order for 200 armored vehicles and 50 Type 98 main battle tank hulls. Jianglu had just finished assembling the first batch and passed inspection before the apocalypse struck. Ten armored vehicles and two tanks sat quietly in the Jianglu warehouse.

Deng Lei had once been a tanker in the armored forces. After retiring, as a son of the Jianglu plant, he returned to work as a specialized vehicle operator. When the crisis broke out, Deng Lei and his brother, Deng Sen, fought through the swarms of zombies to reach the plant, using the newly manufactured tanks to finally clear the grounds of the undead.

More and more survivors had gathered there—mostly factory workers and their families. They rebuilt their home, enduring trials no less severe than those faced by Zhao Qiang. Selfishness, greed, and fear—all the worst traits of humanity were on full display in the small world of Jianglu. If not for the brothers Deng Sen and Deng Lei, who used their tanks and armored vehicles to repeatedly repel zombie swarms and forcefully suppress internal riots, the entire site would have been a ruin long ago.

"Everything we have was fought for with our own lives, bit by bit. We must not be weak-hearted! Our friends and family are here, and they need our protection. For the sake of everything here, I don't care what means I have to use!"