Chapter 152: Chaotic Battle in Shenyang (4)

After receiving various solutions for dealing with zombies and mutated animals broadcasted by the Special Committee via radio, they dispatched troops to retrieve various poisons and supplies from Shenyang. During this process, the troops suffered heavy casualties, particularly among the senior military leadership, who frequently perished.

They then captured Qipan Mountain, lured the zombies away according to the methods provided by the Special Committee, and secured several large national military depots around Shenyang. This area served as a base for responding to contingencies involving the former Soviet Union and the Korean Peninsula, boasting an abundance of weapons, ammunition, and supplies.

Some time ago, around late September, Mayor Wu demanded an acceleration in the pace of rescuing survivors in the urban area, aiming to welcome the Special Committee's forces with tangible actions.

The military had dwindled from the initial 100,000 personnel upon their encounter to fewer than 60,000. Many command structures had been reorganized as they were mobilized once again to launch an offensive into the urban area of Shenyang.

With ample weapons and ammunition, and armed with correct methods for dealing with zombies, the progress was initially smooth. However, on a certain day—some time after September 25, as some recalled—a horde of zombies attacked the forward command post of the search-and-rescue detachment stationed outside urban Shenyang, resulting in the complete annihilation of the command staff.

Mayor Wu mobilized the troops for another rescue operation, firmly insisting on accompanying them. Deeply moved by this gesture, the highest-ranking military commanders also led the expedition in person.

What followed left many filled with profound grief and regret: Mayor Wu returned in a disheveled and wretched state, bringing shocking and grim news—the troops had mutinied!

During the mutiny, the troops demanded that Mayor Wu abandon the ordinary people and defect with them to the Special Committee. Mayor Wu refused, and as a result, his arm was injured. Gazing at Mayor Wu’s left arm, which was supported by a triangular bandage around his neck, the masses burned with resentment toward the mutineers.

The rear-guard troops attempted repeatedly to contact the frontline forces, but received no response. Led by Mayor Wu, the masses rioted and surrounded the military encampment.

Mayor Wu invoked the name of the Party to demand that the troops lay down their weapons, submit to the base's vetting process, and purge the mutineers. Under the persuasion of political commissars, instructors, and political officers at all levels, the troops laid down their arms. These political workers were subsequently gathered for a meeting, and most of them vanished without a trace from then on. The few who reappeared later walked around in a constant daze, blindly carrying out whatever orders Mayor Wu's men gave them.

Events unfolded with dizzying speed. While the military agreed to lay down its arms and await investigation, another group of Mayor Wu's subordinates deployed men to divide and encircle the survivors' living quarters. They claimed that the mutinous soldiers had raided several warehouses—including some controlled by government departments—which had consequently been looted and burned down. They announced a thorough investigation to root out any traitors among the populace who had been tipping off the mutineers.

The masses once again extended unconditional cooperation. When some citizens expressed dissatisfaction upon discovering that Mayor Wu's men were primarily confiscating everyone's radio and broadcasting equipment, Mayor Wu ordered the arrest of those individuals, explaining that such devices could be used by the mutineers to receive instructions and coordinate an inside job.

Believing this explanation, the masses cooperated with Mayor Wu in confiscating all radios and wireless communication devices, and even proactively turned in anyone caught complaining for Mayor Wu to deal with.

With so many dazzling and bewildering events occurring within a single day, panic gripped the base. Mayor Wu ordered his own armed loyalists to occupy every corner of the settlement to execute security and defense duties.

"It was like a pack of starving wolves entering a flock of sheep!" a survivor cursed through clenched teeth. "They committed every imaginable atrocity—bullying the weak, oppressing women, and stopping at nothing. At first, they merely looted some valuables, and anyone who dared to protest was arrested and detained. Gradually, rapes and gang rapes became incessant. Anyone who dared to resist was initially executed under the fabricated charge of being a rebel spy, but later they dispensed with pretexts altogether, dragging people out and decapitating them on the spot."

"Within just a few days, they announced that due to the rebels destroying the supply warehouses, rations would be strictly rationed to six steamed buns per person per day," another survivor said, devouring a bowl of noodles ravenously and speaking with a slur. "There were no side dishes. A few days later, they announced that food supplies were growing tighter still, cutting it down to four steamed buns per person per day. By the time you arrived, it was down to just two buns per person daily."

"The weather turned cold, too," another added, wrapping himself tightly in the military overcoat issued to him, filled with hatred. "The populace was subjected to another thorough search. Good clothes were looted, and only rags were left behind. We had fled our homes in the spring wearing only single-layer garments, and after this ordeal, we were left with absolutely nothing. Every day, people froze to death. Those who showed dissent were shot on the spot; later, they started arresting people first before disposing of them. Now that you've arrived, they've forced us to charge ahead as cannon fodder."

All sorts of rumors circulated among the masses. Some whispered that defecting to Mayor Wu meant living the high life with exquisite food and drink, with women available to pleasure at will—as many as one could possibly want. Others claimed that the military had never mutinied at all, but was instead framed and murdered by Mayor Wu to avoid submitting to the leadership of the Special Committee, as Mayor Wu preferred a separatist warlord regime over fighting zombies under the Special Committee's command.

More and more scoundrels and thugs flocked to Mayor Wu, while the lives of ordinary citizens grew increasingly miserable.

"I defected to Mayor Wu on October 2nd," said a captive, his hair hanging down past his shoulders, yellow at the ends and black at the roots—a bizarre consequence of the apocalypse making hair dye impossible to obtain, leaving him with a striking yellow-and-black contrast. A multitude of captives sported such eccentric appearances.

"At first, they claimed the military had mutinied and that they needed to recruit armed forces. I didn't want to join; I didn't want to risk my life fighting zombies, and fighting the army sounded terrifying too," he cowered, shrinking himself into the chair in fear before the interrogating soldier. "Later, when supplies ran low and we only had a few steamed buns a day, some old cronies I used to run with told me that following Mayor Wu meant fine food, good wine, and women to play with whenever we wanted, all without risking our lives—just guarding the base. So I went..."

He swallowed hard. "Every day really was filled with fine food and wine, and they even distributed women to us. Many of those women were driven to death, and some committed suicide... Later, I joined them in seizing women too... The pretty ones were always sent up to the superiors first to enjoy, and once they got tired of them, they passed them down to us... I heard life at the very top was even more luxurious... Before we were sent out this time, they said the Special Committee was coming to attack us, and that anyone guilty of looting, rape, or gang rape would be fed to the zombies, and they forced us to drive the ordinary people forward as a shield. Since there was no way out anyway, defeating you guys meant we could seize your territory instead."

"The troops were primarily composed of us newly recruited personnel. The remaining original soldiers probably numbered less than 50,000? They were mostly used as instructors and were generally not allowed to carry weapons. Only if they joined us in looting and carousing were they permitted to bear arms."

"All communication devices were strictly controlled and kept in the hands of men Mayor Wu deemed trustworthy. The slightest lapse would result in a bullet to the head, regardless of who you were."

"None of the warehouses had been burned down; they were all kept under tight guard by Mayor Wu's closest confidants."