Chapter 45: The Provisional Battalion Strikes (1)

The Special Committee hoisted the five-star red flag atop the flagpole base at the gate of Mary Hospital—a familiar fixture at the entrances of many major cities, used for celebrating various holidays. At the matching pillar opposite, they hung a new plaque: "End-of-the-World Beijing Special Task Committee of the People's Republic of China" and "China End-of-the-World Beijing Special Preparations Committee." The original hospital sign had been repurposed, and the Industrial Department's machinery group found a bucket of red paint for renovations; an art editor worked through the night to finish the lettering.

Once the flag-raising and plaque-hanging ceremonies concluded, Li Fengyi strode to the center of the steps, facing the first battalion. With the imminent confrontation against the zombies, he cared little for restraint and shouted sharply, "Comrades, are your uniforms fresh?"

"Spotless and new!"

"Comrades, are your weapons sharp?"

"Shields strong and guns sharp!"

"Comrades, can we win this battle?"

"Victory in every battle!"

"Move out!" Li Fengyi swung his right arm down with force.

Red flags led the warriors in three directions. The distant zombies were startled by the shouts, but blocked by barricades, they could not advance. The noise soon faded, and they resumed wandering amongst the gaps between cars.

Company One followed Li Fengyi through narrow alleys, heading north along the central park of Hepingli to block the northern entrance of the long, narrow street park, then turn back to clear zombies within. Company Two moved south along the city railway bridge, clearing as far as the river on the Second Ring Road, sealing off the bridge before eliminating zombies. Company Three had already begun advancing westward, clearing the undead.

Quickly passing through the alley, they reached the east side of Qingnian Gou Road, beside the barricade from their last operation. Zombies were already waving their arms enthusiastically as a welcome.

Li Fengyi noticed the zombies had stopped decaying; their bodies were pitch-black and gleaming.

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"Poor hygiene is truly terrifying!" Some outspoken soldiers began commenting. "They’re covered in crusts," one soldier scoffed, "Come on, let me teach you about personal hygiene."

He brandished a short steel pipe playfully; after days of killing zombies and patient ideological work from leaders at all levels, the soldiers had overcome the psychological discomfort of apocalypse. Mostly migrant workers, young men who rarely saw their families, they cared little for separation. Having survived the mental hurdle of killing, they were nearly invincible—he teased the zombies as if they were playthings.

"First squad at the vanguard, third squad rear guard, second squad follow up," Li Fengyi ordered loudly.

The first squad climbed atop the vehicles, stabbing at zombies with long steel pipes. The entire company vaulted over the car barricade. The terrain on the west side of the street park was unfavorable: the road was narrow, cars were few, and the park opened broadly onto the street. Zombies quickly surrounded them. The formation shifted: shield bearers pressed forward on the east side, short pipe wielders crouched behind, smashing heads, while long pipe wielders stabbed fiercely from the rear. Zombies fell in rows, only to be replaced by the next wave. Clearly, zombies were streaming in from the northern residential complex and intersections. The company commander saw this wasn't working and shouted, "Fight as you retreat! Fall back behind the barricade!"

The shield bearers covered the rear, and soon everyone scrambled back. The pipe wielders on the car roofs provided cover, helping shield bearers up. Exhausted, they rotated pipe wielding duties, the rest squatting to catch their breath.

The zombies felt no fear and came in endless waves. Their ghastly appearance, now masked by a strange beauty, pressed the company hard.

Li Fengyi surveyed the terrain and consulted with the company commander, "Let’s push a few cars over there, fighting as we move."

The commander nodded, "Makes sense."

Orders were swiftly given. A second barricade of cars was established behind the first, and after a brief rest, the long pipe wielders forced back the zombies. The short pipe wielders tucked their pipes in their belts, jumped into the gaps between two rows of cars, and pushed each vehicle through the barricade towards the west. The foremost car was flanked by a shield bearer, a short pipe wielder, and a long pipe wielder blocking the zombies ahead; the rear was sealed similarly.

As the cars moved westward, the long pipe wielders stabbed fiercely at the zombies welcoming them. The road was difficult—corpses and bones formed new obstacles, but with shouts and heaves, they pressed on.

Li Fengyi, panting, steered with one hand and pushed with the other, everyone on the left side. He thought, "Thank goodness for left-hand drive and right-side traffic, otherwise I’d be dead."

Soon, they reached the entrance to the first residential complex. Few vehicles were here; only one car had crashed into a pillar, leaving a wide gap for zombies to pour through. "First company commander Fengyi" pushed the car hard, shouting orders.

The company commander immediately led squads two and three into action. Shield bearers at the front pressed forward, short and long pipe wielders stabbed and struck wildly. They formed a defensive line along the left side of the pushed car, blocking zombies from the courtyard. Once the vehicle sealed the entrance, they pressed further inside. Zombies’ effective sense of smell was forty meters; they had to advance quickly to avoid being attacked from both sides.

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With the dense sound of snapping bones, they pushed forward over forty meters. Zombies at the entrance hadn’t climbed atop the cars before losing their target. Bewildered, they dispersed. The fighters, locked in deadly combat, uttered no words—only clenched teeth and relentless attacks. The zombies responded with guttural roars, attacking without pause.

There were three residential buildings in this complex. After clearing dozens of zombies from the courtyard, the entire first company collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

No one had been bitten, though a few had been scratched. A female military doctor in her forties disinfected the wounds with alcohol and bandaged them. A young soldier, tearful, asked, "I lost so much blood. Will I bleed out?"

The doctor wrapped the bandage quickly and slapped the wound firmly, "All done, don’t worry! Even if you lose blood every month, I’ll cure you!" The former gynecologist boasted.

Li Fengyi discussed with the company commander, "This complex is small. The next one is much larger, with exits on both east and west sides. There are countless zombies—no way to clear them all. We need a plan."

"Why are there so few cars on this road?" The company commander grumbled.

"This is just a side street; only residents use it. The intersection connecting to the Third Ring is narrow and twists several times, so few cars pass through," Li Fengyi mused.

He looked around, "Let’s climb the wall." He recalled being forced to jump walls by zombie hordes in the alleys—just as a dog leaps a bridge in desperation.

"Will that work?" The company commander was the quintessential soldier, unaccustomed to breaking and entering or scaling walls.

"No problem," Li Fengyi replied calmly, "There’s already a saying—desperate times call for desperate measures. Heh."

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