Chapter 19: Clearing the Youth Ditch Road (3)

When ordinary people encounter zombies, they are usually at a loss, trembling as they wait to be devoured. Even though the survivors of the apocalypse had made some mental preparations, Li Fengyi was not willing to let brutal combat baptize them with heavy casualties—the loss would be too great a pity.

He resolved that some basic training was necessary, believing firmly in the value of professionalism through preparation. In a city of twenty million, who could say how many survivors there were? Every extra life saved was a blessing.

Right in front of the repair shop, Li Fengyi established a training and logistics camp, beginning with a crash course for the shop owner, which Li Qiang then oversaw. After that, Li Fengyi, along with Tian Ming and Wu Tianxiong, made several trips hauling fruit. Before long, survivors began to arrive in small, steady groups.

Though their numbers were few, there was a continuous flow. Li Fengyi first had them eat some fruit to stave off hunger, then put Tian Ming and Wu Tianxiong in charge of their training, even finding a few zombie corpses for them to practice on.

At first, everyone was shaking, unable to move their limbs freely. After their first attempts, most squatted down and vomited.

“You’ll get used to it, the more you throw up,” Tian Ming said gruffly, showing his own brand of concern.

Once their nerves settled, Li Fengyi began assigning tasks. In the apocalypse, there was no room for niceties—even women were sent to the front lines. In fact, the women who had worked outside generally proved hardier than those who had stayed at home in Courtyard Five.

Since there weren’t many shops on the north side of the street—most was walled off—the majority of assignments went to Li Qiang on the south side.

As the sun dipped lower, Li Fengyi couldn’t shake the feeling that it burned redder than usual, perhaps a trick of the mind. It was already four in the afternoon. He had no intention of risking a night operation; who knew what the city would become after dark, once the power was gone?

At last, Tian Ming and Wu Tianxiong called Li Qiang and Sun Xiaoshan back.

After an entire afternoon of searching, Li Qiang had brought in seventy-eight survivors, and Sun Xiaoshan thirty-nine.

“Let’s all eat together, then head back to Courtyard Five,” Li Fengyi instructed. “When we return, we need to seal the entrance to Courtyard Five as well—it’ll be safer for future operations.”

He tossed an apple to Jiang Jiangqian. “Keep an eye on him on the way back. No more getting people killed.”

Tian Ming and Wu Tianxiong glared fiercely at Jiang Jiangqian, gripping their steel pipes so tightly their knuckles went white.

“Let’s organize into temporary teams,” Li Fengyi said, counting heads. With the new arrivals, there were 138 people in all—two children, ninety-eight men, and thirty-eight women.

“It seems most shop staff are men, and most survivors from the residential compounds are women,” Li Fengyi noted to himself.

Each team consisted of ten people, making fourteen teams in total. No one wanted Jiang Jiangqian, so the training team was left with eight members.

Li Fengyi appointed team leaders from among the best performers that afternoon. He himself would lead the training team and serve as captain; Li Qiang was deputy leader and vice-captain. The training team included the two children, the youngest repair shop assistant, Jiang Jiangqian, and the two remaining original members. The teams were thus organized.

Li Qiang led everyone in a quick drill. Team One would take the lead, Team Thirteen would cover the rear (without carrying supplies), and the other teams were loaded with supplies. All were equipped with steel tripod stands found on Qingnian Canal Road, and each carried a length of pipe, either slung from their belts or strapped to their backs.

As they passed through the alley, the massive horde of zombies to the south left a deep impression on the survivors from Qingnian Canal Road, who spat at Jiang Jiangqian in solidarity with the Courtyard Five crew.

Team One climbed atop the cars blocking the intersection.

“Tian Ming, cover the rear,” Li Fengyi called out. “Li Qiang, you come with me.” Together, they climbed onto the vehicle barricade.

Hepingli North Street was twenty meters wide, lined with cars as far as the eye could see. No. 171 Middle School stood diagonally across from the mouth of the alley. At dismissal time, hordes of zombie students, still wearing their backpacks, wandered aimlessly. The southern sidewalk of Hepingli North Street was packed black with hundreds of them.

Li Fengyi and Li Qiang exchanged a look, drawing sharp breaths—they were lucky the elementary school horde had only been drawn when the alley was blocked off. If they'd been caught between two zombie swarms, everyone would have been run ragged and likely lost.

The sidewalk was separated by flower beds and sloped, so few cars had made it up there. The zombies had plenty of room to roam. To rush in blindly would mean certain death.

“Everyone down, stay sharp,” the two called as Team One climbed off the car barricade. After a grueling afternoon, the team members feared the zombies no longer. In their minds, any zombie would drop with a single blow from the steel pipes. They were rather dismissive of their captain’s caution, but obeyed nonetheless, crouching behind the barricade and peeking out to keep watch.

“We should use the cars on the road as a barrier—block off the northern sidewalk first, then barricade the western end where Hepingli North Street meets Hepingli Central Street, and finally the eastern end by Courtyard Five,” Li Qiang proposed.

“Agreed,” said Li Fengyi. “Heading west, there are several residential buildings with entrances on North Street—we’ll need to block those too, to keep the zombies from bursting out.”

The training team and Team Thirteen stayed behind. Once supplies were unloaded, Li Fengyi led Team One ahead.

Their nerves had been frayed on the way over, too distracted to notice the zombie horde across the street. Now, having experienced the terror of a zombie swarm, they moved with greater caution, wary of attracting attention. Bent low, they crept toward the first building entrance, each team trailing a few dozen meters apart.

Li Fengyi and Team One reached the first entrance. With a wave, Sun Xiaoshan led four others to scout for suitable cars to use as barricades, while Li Fengyi and five more split into three groups to clear out stray zombies. Gradually, the three groups aligned themselves to block the entrance, as the zombies wandering inside the compound began to sense them and drift closer.

Sun Xiaoshan and his team were already pushing the first car into place, quietly chanting out their efforts. Team Two joined in, and together they pushed the vehicles into position. In less than twenty minutes, the first entrance was blocked by two rows of cars.

While they worked, Teams Three and Four, led by Li Qiang, had already crept up to the second entrance. The other teams followed suit, advancing rapidly to the intersection of Hepingli North and Central Streets.

“Teams Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve—patrol the rear. Patch up any weak spots and clear out the shops. Start by grabbing water and food,” Li Fengyi ordered. Teams Eleven and Twelve responded and headed out. There was a tobacco and liquor shop at the corner. “Team Ten, clear out the shop and grab some supplies. The rest of you, keep blocking the intersection.”