Chapter 133: Tactical Gambits Amid the Zombie Onslaught

Now that’s the way to do it…

With a hint of skepticism, Yenir muttered a few words before suddenly piecing together several possibilities.

Given his current worth, Captain Huang—a top-tier member of the Military—had no reason to be so invested. The mere fact he entertained a private message from Yenir spoke volumes about his character.

By that logic, when he was tracked, it was noted he had purchased the Psychic Residence, perhaps under the mistaken impression that someone was backing him. Yenir didn’t dwell on it; Tianfeng hadn’t learned anything yet, and he was ready to lay his cards on the table.

Shoving down his doubts, Yenir planned to scout for the perfect spot—a position that would allow him to ambush and take down a mutant amidst the zombie horde.

His attack range topped out at 100 meters, with an optimal strike distance of around 70. Yet that was still too short given the vast spread of the horde.

Since these were only third-stage mutants, Yenir couldn’t simply charge into the monster swarm to cut one down. And if he waited for them to attack the frontline, casualties could mount with hardly a scratch on him.

So he decided to secure an elevated vantage point just ahead of the Military’s defensive line, ready to take them out in a split second as the third-stage mutants advanced!

Lost in his tactical musings, Yenir remained clueless about Captain Huang’s overt attempts to ingratiate himself—even blatantly defying orders to stay hidden. All thanks to Xiao Hai’s ever-calculating mind.

Much like the shocked Zhenjiang Commander, who arrived with Chen Yong, the naturally suspicious Xiao Hai immediately tied the arrival of two major forces to the motives and backing of Yenir’s ‘allies.’

In his mind, the combination of the North China Military Region’s Deputy Commander and the Tiancheng Merchant Guild perfectly matched his fantasy of who might be pulling Yenir’s strings.

Couple that with Yenir’s recent reminder that both contingents were en route—it all pointed to him dreading failure at the Safe Zone and calling in reinforcements to tackle the zombie horde!

It all made sense.

After all, Yenir was nothing more than a kid—it was only natural to worry about holding the line!

He had even considered appealing to his superiors for help, but now Xiao Hai was reassured. With backup to cover him, nothing disastrous was expected this time.

One had to admire how wildly imaginative Xiao Hai was—he almost managed to twist things around and nearly guess the truth!

……………

So, is Lord Ye Lin planning to leave us hanging for a day and meet outside the city tomorrow?

Beside Wang Zheng, Wang Tian frowned impatiently.

Granted, the third-stage mid-level was significant to him, and he was willing to meet Yenir for a detailed discussion. But he expected tangible support. A shrewd businessman at heart, he was clear about what was worth investing in.

High-profile yet shrouded in mystery, it hardly seemed like genuine cooperation.

It was more like…

“I reckon Lord Ye Lin thinks I’ve never seen a third-stage mid-level before!”

“What is this, trying to flaunt his power during the zombie horde assault? Trying to make me, Wang Zheng, tremble and grovel?”

First, Tianfeng had caught wind of the zombie horde assault, and with Wang Tian’s experience, he instantly drew that conclusion.

Establish dominance first, then cooperate—that was just like any business negotiation.

Nothing was inherently wrong with that, except asserting dominance needed to be backed by absolute strength!

“Father… you don’t have to do what Lord Ye Lin imagines…”

Waving his hand, Wang Tian glanced at his son with disappointment and cut him off:

“What are you thinking? Too sordid, perhaps?”

“Wang Zheng, let me teach you—never let emotions dictate your actions! Just because someone helps you once doesn’t mean they’re a good person or that they won’t play mind games. People can be utterly despicable!”

“If Lord Ye Lin were a top-tier third-stage, I’d say he’s got serious gravitas! Cooperation does mean showing your strength!”

“But he’s only a mid-level third-stage! Rare as it is, can’t the Tiancheng Merchant Guild snag someone else?”

“To put it bluntly, what is he after? He wants to position himself as superior, expecting us to fawn over him once we witness his prowess?”

After speaking, Wang Tian sneered coldly before turning an appraising gaze toward his son:

“Did you tell him that I withheld the Spiritual Energy Fruit?”

Taken aback by the sudden question, Wang Zheng’s face went pale and he stammered a hesitant nod.

He felt his father’s approach was off, but after an onslaught of lectures from Wang Tian, he couldn’t help but feel confused.

“I had a hunch all along.”

Without much blame in his tone, Wang Tian sighed and dismissed further comment, simply shaking his head:

“They summoned me over—clearly, there was also a hint of warning for this old man. I had assumed he wanted a sincere, face-to-face discussion on cooperation.”

“But now it appears that the Lord Ye Lin you favor is nothing more than a narrow-minded brute.”

Hearing this, Wang Zheng felt a pang of bitterness as he suddenly recalled something Yenir had once said to him.

“Father, Lord Ye Lin promised us a surprise! Maybe… maybe…”

“Hmph, a surprise?”

Wang Tian scoffed disdainfully:

“Fine, that’s it. Let’s see what kind of surprise he can pull off!”

………..

120 kilometers outside the Tianfeng Security Zone.

A throng of soldiers burdened with engineering shovels hurriedly buried explosive mines under incessant orders. Dozens of rudimentary paired jumping mines were laid on the ground, waiting to detonate.

To the mindless zombies, stepping on these mines—which could suddenly spring up to head height—often proved devastatingly effective.

Each explosion sent thousands of shards flying with a kill radius of about 10 meters. Even though the Doomsday System had weakened the power of technological weapons, humans weren’t truly afraid of a simple zombie horde; the real threat lay in the mutants.

Years of battling monstrous hordes had taught humanity countless lessons.

“Place one every fifteen meters! Arrange them in a sharp triangle formation!”

“Make sure to blast open a gap in the horde, so our Awakener can charge in and decimate them!”

The battle preparations were meticulous. In the post-Doomsday world, everyone’s training centered on survival against zombies; so even though the Tianfeng troops hadn’t seen large-scale combat in ages, they still performed admirably.

Bang! Bang!

Bang!

Not far away, several expensive Spiritual Engineering Vehicles swiftly dug into the ground, aiming to carve out enormous chasms to halt the advancing zombie horde.

Within the six-meter-deep pits, engineers continuously poured a mixture of white phosphorous and incendiary liquid. Under raging chemical flames, clusters of zombies would burn relentlessly until every ounce of oily flesh was scorched away.

Set up the machine guns!

Quick! Secure that elevated position over there too! In teams of three, haul those ammo boxes up!

A large number of soldiers, under the orders of various commanders, raced to set up defensive firepower before the zombie horde could arrive.

A fleet of military transport vehicles, like busy ants, continuously ferried supplies to the front lines.

From the rooftop of an abandoned building not far away, Yenir silently observed the bustling soldiers.

This was the battleground he had chosen.