Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Four Front War
"OPEN FIRE!"
TATATATATATATA!
The mounted machine guns roared to life.
Hundreds of soldiers opened fire at the same time, filling the night with endless flashes from their weapons. Thousands of bullets tore into the front lines of the horde, sending infected tumbling across the ground one after another.
But it barely slowed them down. The infected behind simply ran over the fallen bodies and continued charging toward the walls.
"Maintain fire! Keep them away from the wall!"
"Rifle teams, aim for the head! Machine gunners, keep sweeping the front!"
Snipers stationed across the watchtowers picked off infected one after another, while the mounted machine guns swept back and forth across the advancing horde. Bodies continued to pile up, but for every infected they killed, several more seemed to take its place.
BOOOOM!
Another massive rock slammed into one of the watchtowers. The entire structure shook violently as concrete and metal exploded outward.
"INCOMING! TAKE COVER!"
Soldiers near the impact ducked behind whatever cover they could find as debris rained down around them.
"Those rocks are coming from the tree line!"
"Find the source! Spotters, scan the forest!"
Several soldiers turned their attention toward the forest, searching for the source of the attacks. But it was nearly impossible. Thousands of infected filled the battlefield, blocking their view of whatever was hiding deeper among the trees.
Then a familiar thumping sound rose from behind the walls.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Several military helicopters lifted into the night sky and quickly climbed above the safe zone.
"Air support is up! Ground teams, identify those targets!"
"Copy! Scanning the tree line!"
The helicopters spread out as their powerful searchlights swept across the battlefield and into the forest beyond. Then one of the spotters finally saw something.
"Large Variants spotted! Eleven o’clock, near the tree line!"
Several searchlights shifted toward the area, revealing enormous figures standing among the trees. Each one held a massive chunk of rock in its hands, preparing to launch another attack at the walls.
"Targets confirmed."
"Engaging!"
The helicopter gunners immediately opened fire. Heavy rounds tore through the darkness and ripped into the massive Variants before they could throw their rocks. One stumbled backward under the barrage, while another lost its grip on the boulder in its hands before crashing heavily to the ground.
The helicopters continued circling above the battlefield, pouring fire into the remaining Variants as the full defensive strength of the safe zone finally came to life.
Yet deep within the forest, the strange infected remained completely still. Its dark eyes calmly watched the battle from a distance. Rocks flew through the air, helicopters circled overhead, and thousands of infected fell beneath the endless gunfire, yet the creature showed no reaction.
Because the attack was not coming from only one direction. The western wall was under attack, and so were the eastern, northern, and southern defenses. From every direction, tens of thousands of infected poured out of the surrounding forest, rushing toward the safe zone in an endless wave.
.....
On the northern side of the safe zone, hundreds of soldiers desperately held their positions as the endless horde continued charging toward them.
The northern commander stared across the battlefield before grabbing his radio. "Armored units, prepare to deploy. Gate teams, stand by."
"Copy that!"
"Open the gates!"
The massive gates slowly opened.
"Cover the entrance! Keep the approach clear!"
Soldiers immediately concentrated their fire on the infected approaching the gate, creating a temporary opening for the vehicles inside.
"Path is clear! Armored units, move out!"
VROOOOM!
Dozens of armored vehicles roared out of the safe zone, their heavy engines rumbling as they charged straight toward the approaching horde.
The first infected slammed against them almost immediately.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The first line of infected was immediately crushed beneath the vehicles. Bodies were thrown aside or dragged beneath the massive wheels as the armored formation bulldozed its way deeper into the horde.
"Gunners, open fire!"
The mounted machine guns immediately unleashed a storm of bullets. Infected were torn apart one after another as the armored vehicles continued their advance, while the soldiers on the walls provided constant covering fire from above.
"Maintain formation! Watch the flanks!"
"Left side, adjust! Don’t let them surround the vehicles!"
The armored units immediately shifted their positions, slowly spreading out to form a wide defensive line in front of the walls. Anything caught directly in their path was crushed beneath the vehicles, while the mounted guns tore through the infected that managed to slip between them.
The strategy worked. The armored line slowed the horde and gave the soldiers on the walls more room to fire. But the infected did not stop.
Thousands continued pouring out of the forest, rushing forward without the slightest hesitation. They climbed over the bodies of the fallen and threw themselves against the armored vehicles with no sense of fear.
"Maintain the line!" the commander ordered through the radio. "Keep them away from the gates!"
.....
On the southern side of the safe zone, another fierce battle was taking place.
"Annie, to your left!" Lina suddenly shouted.
Annie immediately turned. An infected was already in the air, its mouth wide open as it leaped toward her.
BANG! Its head snapped backward as a bullet tore through its skull. The infected dropped to the ground only a few steps away from Annie.
"Thanks!" Annie shouted, quickly turning her attention back to the battle.
"Don’t stop moving!" Lina called back.
The southern wall had become one of the most brutal battlefields around the entire safe zone.
The infected were attacking in overwhelming numbers, throwing themselves against the defenses without any sign of stopping. Some had already managed to climb parts of the wall, forcing the soldiers stationed above to fight them at dangerously close range.
Fortunately, a large number of the safe zone’s special units had been deployed to reinforce this section.
Soldiers equipped with Dual Cable Launchers moved rapidly across the battlefield. Hooks shot out and latched onto walls and towers, pulling them through the air as they moved above the massive horde.
One of them swung over a group of infected before spotting a large Variant forcing its way toward the wall. He released one of his cables and dropped toward it.
BANG!
The shotgun in his hands fired as he passed, tearing into the creature’s neck.
But the attack wasn’t enough to bring it down. The Variant roared and swung its massive arm toward him.
CLICK!
A second cable shot toward a nearby tower. The line tightened, pulling him away just before the Variant’s massive arm crashed into the ground beneath him.
"Variant on the right! Moving toward the wall!"
"Delta units, intercept!"
Several members of the special unit immediately changed direction. Two fired their cables toward structures on opposite sides and swung around the massive creature while the soldiers on the wall concentrated their fire on it.
"Keep it facing forward! Hit it from the sides!"
The Variant roared as attacks struck it from multiple directions. While the Delta units kept it distracted, the soldiers on the wall continued pouring fire into its head until its massive body finally gave way and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Target down! Resume defensive positions!"
The soldiers on the wall immediately turned their attention back to the advancing horde, pouring continuous fire into the infected below. Meanwhile, the special units continued moving across the battlefield, hunting down Variants and intercepting anything that managed to get too close to the defenses.
For a time, their coordination held the horde back. But as more and more infected continued pouring out of the forest, the southern battlefield grew more chaotic with every passing moment.
.....
On the eastern side of the safe zone, the battle was just as fierce. Unlike the other fronts, however, the soldiers here had managed to maintain their formation.
An officer stood near the center of the command platform, watching the approaching horde through his binoculars. "Rocket teams, prepare to fire!"
Several soldiers immediately moved into position, raising their launchers toward the battlefield.
"Hold!" The commander watched the infected closing in. Three hundred meters, two hundred meters. He waited until thousands of infected had gathered within range before finally raising his hand.
"FIRE!"
Several rockets streaked through the night and disappeared into the approaching horde.
BOOM! BOOOOM!
Explosions tore through the front ranks, throwing infected into the air and blasting large gaps through their formation.
"Reload! Prepare for another volley!"
The rocket teams immediately began preparing their next rounds.
"Snipers, prioritize the Variants! Leave the regular infected to the rifle teams!"
"Yes, sir!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! The snipers immediately searched through the massive horde, carefully picking out the mutant infected hiding among the countless bodies.
"Variant spotted near the eastern tree line!"
"I have eyes on it."
BANG!
The creature’s head snapped backward before it disappeared beneath the charging horde.
Meanwhile, military drones constantly circled above the battlefield, transmitting live information directly to the command teams below.
A voice suddenly crackled through the radio. "Command, large concentration approaching from the northeast!"
The commander immediately turned toward one of the officers beside him. "Send the coordinates to air support."
"Yes, sir. Coordinates sent."
Seconds later, one of the helicopters broke away from formation and changed course. Its searchlight swept across the battlefield before locking onto a large group of infected pouring out from between the trees.
"Targets spotted. Engaging."
Heavy machine-gun fire immediately rained down from above, tearing through the infected and cutting down entire lines before they could join the main horde attacking the walls.
"Shift fire twenty meters north! Another group coming in!"
"Copy. Adjusting fire."
The helicopter quickly adjusted its fire while the forces on the ground continued holding the defensive line. Rocket teams targeted large concentrations of infected before they could get too close, while snipers picked off dangerous Variants hidden among the horde. Above them, helicopters and drones constantly scanned the surrounding forest for any new threats approaching the safe zone.
Through the constant coordination between the soldiers on the walls, snipers, rocket teams, and air support, the eastern defense continued to hold.
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