novelden Chapter 124 The Storm Is Brewing
Chapter 124 The Storm Is Brewing
Chapter 124 The Storm Is Brewing
The unusual flock of birds over the Hongxing Industrial Zone has not yet aroused widespread alarm among all frontline observers, but warning messages from the Jiangcheng Shelter have been transmitted to every fortress via radio.
"To reiterate, there have been multiple incidents of mutated birds attacking humans in the vicinity of the shelter and some monitored areas recently, resulting in casualties and subsequent infections. It has been confirmed that some of the mutated birds' claws and fangs carry the zombie virus, raising the threat level. All field units and forward observation stations are now required to be on high alert, avoid going out unless absolutely necessary, and if you must go out, take full protective measures, paying particular attention to the head and neck —"
The announcement was clear and serious, not only highlighting the aggressiveness and contagiousness of the mutated birds, but also directly issuing an order to "avoid going out unless absolutely necessary." Immediately afterwards, public radio channels also broadcast similar warnings, reminding all scavengers and civilian groups outdoors to be aware of aerial threats.
Upon receiving this information, Xu Mo understood. Sure enough, these abnormally mutated birds were not merely "observers" of environmental changes; they had become new, proactive predators and virus spreaders.
The sky is no longer safe.
"I wonder what countermeasures Jiangcheng has in mind in the face of this new threat from the air?" Xu Mo pondered.
The presence of mutated bird flocks will undoubtedly severely disrupt air traffic. Fighter jets require open and safe runways and airspace for takeoff and landing; if they are interfered with or even struck by bird flocks, the consequences would be unimaginable. While helicopters are agile, the risks are also greatly increased in areas with dense bird populations.
Losing reliable air support and rapid delivery capabilities is definitely bad news for Jiangcheng, which needs to control the Guangtian area and maintain the flow of supplies.
However, considering how skillfully Jiangcheng uses drones, they must also have corresponding technical reserves or emergency measures in air defense and bird control, otherwise they wouldn't have issued such a targeted warning so quickly.
Over the next few days, during his limited outings and daily observations, Xu Mo noticed a new phenomenon that he couldn't tell whether it was good or bad.
The mutated birds circling in the sky didn't seem content with just soaring high above. They began to swoop down from time to time, their targets clearly the wandering zombies on the ground.
Sharp beaks and claws tore at rotting flesh, and some ordinary zombies that were smaller or slower were actually pounced on and devoured by these raptor-like mutant birds.
Of course, zombies are not entirely passive. Some agile or strong zombies will fight back fiercely when attacked, tearing bird wings with their claws, smashing bird bodies with their bone hammers, and even dragging the entire mutated bird to the ground to eat it.
The killings in the sky and on the ground are intertwined in a bizarre and cruel way.
In the short term, this seems to "reduce" the number of individuals on both sides. But Xu Mo knows that this process of predation and elimination will only accelerate the evolution of both sides in a post-apocalyptic environment.
Birds that can successfully prey on zombies must be stronger, more ferocious, and possibly more adaptable to the virus; while zombies that can survive or even fight back against bird attacks may evolve the ability to react to aerial threats or develop more bizarre changes.
This will undoubtedly give rise to more diverse and difficult-to-deal-with mutated organisms, making the already complex ecosystem (if it can still be called an ecosystem) even more treacherous.
Faced with this brutal evolutionary competition under natural selection, Xu Mo also felt powerless.
This was not a problem that any individual or team could solve. The only thing he could do was to report the new situation he observed—"birds actively attacking zombies, with casualties on both sides"—to the Jiangcheng Command Center in detail via radio.
Perhaps the research institutions there can extract more valuable information from it.
A few days later, Jiangcheng broadcast a more practical message over the radio, one that was more likely to stir the emotions of the observers: "Due to the continued presence and spreading of aerial threats, helicopter takeoffs and landings are strictly restricted to ensure flight safety. Effective immediately, regular airdrop resupply plans to various forward fortifications may be delayed or interrupted."
During this critical period, all fortress observers are required to plan and conserve existing supplies. In case of emergency resupply, the command will assess the risks and, depending on the situation, organize ground convoys for resupply, but the timeframe and capacity will be less than with airdrops.
As soon as the news broke, a murmur of complaints and concerns immediately filled the public channel.
"Ground resupply? That would be too slow, and the journey would be too dangerous."
"Use the inventory sparingly; it should last for a month or two, but who knows how long after that—"
"Sigh, these days are getting even harder—"
Most observers felt real survival pressure; the convenience and relative security of airdropped supplies were one of the key supports that allowed them to remain safely in this isolated fortress. Now that this support has become unstable, it has naturally triggered anxiety.
Xu Mo reacted relatively calmly to this. His storage space was well-stocked with supplies, far exceeding the standard for regular supplies, so there was no pressure in the short term. However, he also vaguely sensed a deeper change in this message.
The forced adjustment of supply methods may only be the beginning.
After more than two months of continuous observation and reconnaissance by the Sharp Sword Squad, Jiangcheng has gained a fairly detailed understanding of the "periodic respawn" pattern of zombies in the Red Star Industrial Zone. Although the secret of the core area's source remains unsolved, they have at least gained experience in dealing with the apparent threat patterns.
More importantly, Jiangcheng had recently relocated some operational or highly valuable heavy machinery, precision instruments, and special materials from the Hongxing Industrial Zone. This significantly reduced the area's economic and industrial value to Jiangcheng.
So, is the necessity of maintaining such an expensive and risky forward fortress observation network declining, especially given the emergence of new and broader threats that lead to increased maintenance costs?
"Perhaps the mission of the fortress observers is coming to an end." Xu Mo had this premonition.
For Xu Mo personally, the two months of life in the fortress were incredibly rewarding. The quiet environment allowed him to cultivate without distractions, successfully breaking through to the Iron Bone Realm and experiencing a qualitative leap in strength, which was the greatest gain in itself.
Of course, this is currently just Xu Mo's personal speculation.
Another possibility is that Jiangcheng, driven by strategic expansion needs, will still develop the Hongxing Industrial Zone as a ready-made, strategically located forward base. If so, these fortresses might be modified and reinforced, and incorporated into a larger defense system.
However, the existing "observer" model is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term.
That afternoon, Xu Mo, as usual, was organizing his observation records while casually listening to Jiangcheng's internal public broadcast channel, which usually broadcast policy notices, safety tips, or encouraging messages.
Suddenly, a news report blared from the loudspeaker, delivered in a noticeably higher and more excited voice: "A historic moment! According to the latest statistics from the household registration department, thanks to the joint efforts and heroic struggle of all the people of Jiangcheng, as of midnight today, the registered permanent resident population of the Jiangcheng shelters has officially surpassed one million. This is a great victory for survival. It is irrefutable proof that human civilization has tenaciously taken root and flourished amidst the apocalyptic catastrophe; it marks—"
Xu Mo didn't listen carefully to the praise and encouragement the announcer gave him; his attention was firmly held by the number "one million".
Xu Mo clearly remembered that more than two months ago, when he registered his identity in Jiangcheng and received the identity card with the number [Jiangcheng: 802561], he vaguely heard the staff mention that the population of the shelter had just exceeded 800,000.
In just over two months, the population has surged by 200,000, breaking the million mark.
While this figure is certainly inflated—given the rapid population turnover in the apocalypse and the possibility of deaths and disappearances not being promptly recorded, and the fact that not all newly recruited survivors will register immediately—even with this estimate, the rate and total size of population growth are still astonishing.
With a population of one million, this is no longer a simple refuge camp, but a post-apocalyptic city-state with considerable social complexity and endogenous vitality.
Such a large population concentration brings not only labor, military resources, and consumer markets, but also enormous resource pressures, management challenges, and the potential for internal conflicts.
The top leadership in Jiangcheng must be racking their brains over how to feed, manage, and protect these million people. The strategic value assessment of peripheral areas like the Hongxing Industrial Zone will inevitably be reconsidered within this larger context.
The next morning, as dawn broke and the drizzle subsided, the sky remained overcast. Xu Mo, as usual, set up his stance in the fortress and began his daily, unwavering practice of "gathering qi."
Just as his mind was calming down and he was gently exchanging his internal energy with the external energy, an unusual zombie roar pierced through the thick metal walls of the fortress and faintly reached his ears.
This roar was not the usual aggressive or confused howl; it seemed to contain a twisted pain and a strange sound as if something was being torn apart and reassembled.
Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat; the voice sounded somewhat familiar. He immediately recalled the sound he had observed zombies making after they had eaten and evolved—the two sounds were quite similar.
Moreover, this unsettling roar was not an isolated incident, but rather it rose and fell, faintly coming from different directions, as if a silent plague was spreading among the zombie horde.
Sure enough, before Xu Mo could finish his investigation, the observers' panicked and astonished cries came through the public channel of the walkie-talkie.
"A-02, B-04 calling, anomaly detected. The zombies on the west side of my fortress have evolved into aquatic zombies. They have scales on their bodies, webbed fingers and toes, and move much faster than ordinary zombies. Repeat, aquatic zombie detected."
"This is D-08, I see it too. They seem unaffected by the slippery surface, moving very quickly through the puddles."
"C-11 report: We have also discovered a number of aquatic zombies, at least a dozen. Requesting instructions."
The channel was instantly flooded with various emergency reports, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The new type of mutated zombie, adapted to humid environments, exhibits obvious aquatic or amphibious characteristics. Xu Mo maintained his stance while calmly analyzing the situation.
The cause of these zombie mutations is almost certainly related to the recent prolonged period of rainy weather.
Those zombies he had seen earlier, tilting their heads back and opening their mouths to "catch rainwater," were perhaps not acting meaninglessly, but rather passively or actively absorbing some substance or energy from the rainwater, triggering or accelerating this adaptive mutation and evolution.
"Environmental selection pressure directly leads to adaptive mutations in the population. The speed of evolution is too fast," Xu Mo thought with a chill.
The apocalypse is not just about eliminating the weak, but also about creating new monsters at an alarming rate that are better adapted to this cruel environment.
After completing one round of Qi gathering and achieving full circulation of Qi and blood, Xu Mo slowly finished his practice. He walked to the nearest observation hole and looked out.
Under the gloomy sky, many new, writhing figures appeared in the ruins and open spaces surrounding the fortress. Their bodies gleamed with a slippery, dark sheen, and their fine scales were faintly visible in the dim light. The webbed structure of their hands and feet allowed them to move with extraordinary speed through the puddles and mud.
These aquatic zombies are no longer as sluggish and dull as ordinary zombies. Instead, they are more active, occasionally raising their heads and letting out roars that are a mixture of pain and ferocity. It seems that they are adapting to their new bodies, and it also seems that they are announcing to this world the emergence of another deadly variant.
Rain nourishes the earth, and it also nourishes death.
Xu Mo watched all of this quietly, his eyes deep. The immense strength brought by the Iron Bone Realm made him feel little fear when facing these new types of zombies, but a deeper sense of urgency arose spontaneously.
The world is constantly changing, and the pace of change is accelerating.
Simply staying put and passively observing may soon no longer be a viable option.
Just as the Jiangcheng command center was probably still analyzing the intelligence on the new water-based zombies reported from various places and had not yet made a specific response, the mutated bird flocks in the sky that had been restless for a long time seemed to be strongly stimulated and took the lead in setting off a new round of killing storm.
Through the observation hole, Xu Mo could clearly see that the number of birds that had been circling high in the sky had suddenly increased, forming a dark mass that almost blocked out the already gloomy sky. Their sharp cries merged into a disturbing wave of noise.
Immediately afterwards, as if receiving a unified attack order, these mutated birds transformed into black arrows, whistling through the air, and launched a swarm attack from all directions on the newly mutated aquatic zombies on the ground.
Sharp claws tear at scales, sharp beaks pierce skulls, and flapping wings stir up a foul stench.
Although the newly formed aquatic zombies are more agile and better adapted to humid environments than ordinary zombies, they still appear fragile and chaotic under such dense, rapid, and three-dimensional attacks from the air.
They waved their webbed claws in an attempt to fight back, occasionally managing to catch or knock down one or two birds that got too close, tearing them to pieces. But more birds followed one after another, frantically pecking at their relatively fresh bodies, rich in active tissue.
This is a primitive and brutal struggle for survival. On one side are zombie variants that have just acquired new characteristics and whose traits are not yet fully stable; on the other side are mutated raptors that have long been adapted to hunting in the air and seem to be particularly interested in the new type of zombie.
The battle lasted less than an hour. The dozens of newly mutated aquatic zombies, along with many ordinary zombies that had been swept into the battlefield, were cleared away by the flock of birds with astonishing efficiency in the open spaces and ruins around the fortress.
When the last few sporadic roars and bird calls subsided, Xu Mo looked again and found the ground in a mess, littered with a large number of colorful and bloodstained feathers, broken zombie remains, pools of dark red and black blood, and exposed white bones.
The corpses of those newly mutated zombies had almost all their soft tissue eaten away, except for the hardest bones.
"Are these birds consciously eliminating these newly mutated zombies?" Xu Mo frowned, a more unsettling guess rising in his mind. "Or is it simply that there's something on these newly mutated zombies that's fatally attractive to them?"
Regardless of the possibility, it means that these mutated birds are not merely passive adaptors to the environment or random predators; their behavior may contain some kind of group strategy or preference, which undoubtedly raises their threat level to a new level.
"These birds are probably going to cause some big trouble," Xu Mo muttered to himself, his tone grave.
As if to confirm his concerns, the public channel of the walkie-talkie quickly erupted with urgent reports from observers at different fortresses, their voices filled with barely concealed panic: "A-02, this is B-07. There are flocks of birds here, large flocks of birds are gathering over our fortress, they are hitting our observation ports."
"D-03 calling, we're here too. These birds are constantly scratching and banging on the fortress shell, and some small birds have flown in."
"F-05 Report..."
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It was clear that after clearing out the new type of zombies outside, many birds did not scatter, but instead turned their attention to the steel fortresses that exuded the aura of living people.
They seem to regard the fortress as some kind of "large prey" or "nest," and have begun probing attacks and harassment.
Fortunately, the fortress is sturdy and the observation hole is designed with protection in mind, so it is not very large. It can keep out many birds, but it is not enough to keep out some small birds.
Xu Mo listened carefully to the chaos in the channel while keeping an eye on the situation outside his fortress. Strangely, although a few birds could be seen flying around fortress C-07, they did not gather and attack like they did around other fortresses. At most, they would just circle around a few times and then fly away, showing little interest.
"As expected—" Xu Mo understood. This must be another hidden benefit brought about by breaking through to the Iron Bone Realm and highly internalizing his Qi and Blood.
The life force emanating from him was so weak as to be almost nonexistent. In the possibly exceptionally keen life perception of the mutated birds, the C-07 fortress was probably like a lifeless building block, naturally failing to arouse their strong desire to attack.
This discovery made Xu Mo secretly relieved, and at the same time, he gained a greater understanding of the situation of the other fortress observers.
In the apocalypse, sometimes being inconspicuous is a powerful form of camouflage.
A-02 on the walkie-talkie instructed everyone to block the observation hole, which finally stopped the chaos.
Xu Mo glanced at the occasional bird shadows flitting past the window, then at the constantly beeping walkie-talkie, realizing that this crisis triggered by mutated birds had probably only just begun. It had not only altered the zombie population structure but also directly threatened the safety of existing human strongholds.
The fortress's problem has been solved by sealing the observation port, but what about Jiangcheng? How will it cope with this unprecedented challenge from the sky?
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