22: Enhancement potion, rear guard transfer

Chapter Twenty-Two: Strengthening Secret Medicine, Rearguard Transfer

The glimmer of dawn pierced through the smoke-filled horizon, dyeing the ruins of the Northern Military Region camp a tragic crimson. Charred zombie remains were piled like mountains among the rubble, and dark green pus seeped into the cracked earth, emitting a nauseating stench. Lin Zhou leaned on his chipped Fire Axe, standing before a makeshift command platform. The bandage on his shoulder was soaked with dark red blood; last night's bloody battle seemed to still be right before his eyes.

Zhao Weiguo was leading dozens of remnants from the Northern Military Region, cleaning up the battlefield alongside reinforcements from the Red Alert Base. Scarface directed soldiers to repair the collapsed perimeter walls, while Wild Wolf led men to count weapons and ammunition. Exhaustion was etched onto everyone's faces, yet their eyes held a glimmer of relief from surviving the disaster.

"Lin Zhou, the statistics are out." Zhao Weiguo walked to Lin Zhou's side and handed him a damaged report, his voice raspy. "In this battle, we killed nine Fourth-Tier Zombies, with one remaining heavily injured and escaped. Over eighty percent of the Mutated Zombie legion was wiped out. Our casualties... three from the Red Alert Base Sharp Blade Squad sacrificed, five heavily injured; only twenty-seven remnants of the Northern Military Region remain, and our ammunition is exhausted."

Lin Zhou took the report, his fingertips tracing those cold numbers, his heart heavy. If the base reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, they would likely have ended up in the stomachs of the zombies. He looked up toward the distance; the energy fluctuations in the southern sky were growing stronger. A legion of twenty Fourth-Tier Zombies was like a sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

"We definitely can't hold it by force," Lin Zhou said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the devastated camp. "Over half of the defensive fortifications here are damaged, and ammunition is short. Even if all reinforcements were in place, we couldn't stop the next wave of attack."

Zhao Weiguo's expression darkened, and he sighed. "Then... what do you mean?"

"Transfer." Lin Zhou said decisively. "Load all usable supplies and equipment onto vehicles and retreat to the Red Alert Base. The defensive system there is more complete, the counter-measure towers have a wider coverage, and there are reinforced walls and power grids. That is a place we can truly hold."

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps was heard. The canvas of the medical tent was lifted, and Chen Mo, the chief physician of the base medical room, walked over quickly, clutching a silver-white metal box. His white lab coat was stained with blood and dust, but his eyes were startlingly bright, showing none of the fatigue from days of treating the wounded.

"Lin Zhou! It's good that you're here!" Chen Mo's voice carried an irrepressible excitement as he walked straight to Lin Zhou and carefully opened the metal box.

Inside the box, twenty pale blue vials of medicine were neatly arranged. The liquid shimmered with a lustrous glow under the morning light, and the bottles were affixed with handwritten labels—Gene Strengthening Medicine Type I.

"This is..." Lin Zhou's gaze was instantly drawn to it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It was developed after three days and nights of work using the Tier 3 Swift-type gene fragments you brought back, combined with the scale armor tissue of the Tier 4 Aberrant-type, and mixed with extracts from the farm's mutated crops!" Chen Mo explained rapidly, pointing at the medicine. "We tested it on the injured Police Dogs earlier. After injection, not only did their healing speed double, but their strength and speed also increased significantly. Most importantly, no side effects like frenzy or mutation appeared!"

As he spoke, he took out a vial and handed it to Lin Zhou. "When I dissected that heavily injured Fourth-Tier Zombie that escaped yesterday, I found its gene chain had obvious stability defects. This medicine happens to target those defects, strengthening human physical resistance. Even if scratched by a zombie, the probability of viral infection can be reduced by seventy percent!"

Lin Zhou's heart stirred as he took the medicine and examined it closely. The pale blue liquid was clear and transparent, with laboratory low-temperature frost still clinging to the bottle. He turned to look at Zhao Weiguo; a flash of pleasant surprise crossed both their eyes—this medicine had come at the perfect time.

[Detected Gene Strengthening Medicine Type I: Increases Constitution +5, Strength +5, Speed +5. Skin toughness and virus resistance significantly enhanced. Duration: Permanent.]

[Note: Raw materials for the medicine are scarce. Currently, only twenty vials can be mass-produced. More high-tier zombie gene samples are required to expand production capacity.]

"Dr. Chen, you've performed a great service," Lin Zhou said deeply, his gaze sweeping over the exhausted soldiers nearby. "These twenty vials of medicine will be prioritized for the rearguard squad."

"Rearguard Squad?" Zhao Weiguo was taken aback, then quickly realized. "You want to... leave an elite force to stall the zombies?"

"Exactly." Lin Zhou nodded, pointing at the red dots on the Radar screen. "The zombie legion from the south is still an hour away. We need an elite squad to create the illusion of a feint attack here, slowing their pursuit and buying time for the main force to transfer."

He looked at Scarface and Wild Wolf, his gaze sharp. "Scarface, take ten strengthened soldiers who have been injected with the medicine, along with five grizzly tanks, and stay behind for the rearguard. Remember, we aren't looking to kill the enemy, only to delay them. Once the main force reaches the Red Alert Base, retreat immediately. I will send reinforcements to meet you."

"Wild Wolf, you lead the main force, escort the Northern Military Region remnants and all supplies, and set out immediately. Zhao Weiguo, please coordinate the personnel to prioritize loading the heavily wounded and medical equipment."

Scarface grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and took a strengthening medicine without hesitation. "Don't worry, Boss! I guarantee we'll stall them until they doubt their very existence!"

Wild Wolf also responded solemnly, "Main force, hear my command! Assemble within ten minutes!"

Chen Mo immediately got to work, distributing the medicine to the selected rearguard members. The soldiers didn't hesitate to unscrew the caps and inject the pale blue liquid into their arms. Within moments, their faces flushed, their previously exhausted eyes became sharp, their muscle lines tightened, and a powerful aura quietly diffused.

"How do you feel?" Lin Zhou asked.

One soldier clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through his body, and shouted excitedly, "Boss! I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch!"

Lin Zhou nodded and turned to look at the map behind the command platform. The location of the Red Alert Base was clearly marked, with a winding path stretching from the Northern Military Region camp. The route was filled with ruins and alleys, perfect for the main force's concealed transfer.

"The main force will take Route Three to avoid the high-density zombie areas." Lin Zhou pointed at the map. "Leave a signalman every five kilometers along the way to keep communications open."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Ten minutes later, the roar of engines echoed through the camp. Twenty trucks laden with supplies and fifteen grizzly tanks slowly rolled out of the camp's back gate, heading toward the Red Alert Base. Zhao Weiguo rode a motorcycle, leading the convoy, occasionally looking back at the camp with a complex expression.

Lin Zhou stood atop the perimeter wall, watching the convoy gradually disappear into the dawn before turning to look at Scarface and the members of the rearguard squad. They had already changed into their sturdiest Armor-piercing combat suits, and five grizzly tanks were lined up neatly in the center of the camp, their muzzles pointing directly south.

"Remember, quit while you're ahead." Lin Zhou patted Scarface's shoulder, his voice low. "Come back alive."

"Don't worry!" Scarface grinned and jumped onto a tank. "Brothers, let those zombies taste what we're made of!"

Lin Zhou took a deep breath and jumped onto an armored personnel carrier. He needed to get back to the Red Alert Base ahead of time to set up defenses and receive the main force and the rearguard squad.

The personnel carrier slowly drove away from the camp. In the rearview mirror, Scarface's figure grew smaller and smaller. Atop the camp's wall, a tattered military flag snapped in the morning wind.

On the southern horizon, the black mass of the zombie legion was already faintly visible. Ear-splitting roars carried on the wind like the growls of the Grim Reaper.

Scarface gripped his walkie-talkie, watching the approaching tide of zombies, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. He pressed the transmit button, and his voice rang out across the entire camp through the broadcast system:

"Fire!"

The main guns of the grizzly tanks instantly spat tongues of fire. Shells whistled toward the zombie swarm, exploding into massive craters on the ground. The soldiers injected with the strengthening medicine charged into the zombie swarm like tigers descending a mountain, their machetes and rifles erupting with startling power.