Chapter 182 - 181: Resident Evil & Monster Hunter

Chapter 182: Chapter 181: Resident Evil & Monster Hunter

The reason was simple. Human physiology had always been the ultimate limiting factor for every tactic and countermeasure developed throughout history.

The human body was simply too fragile. Under this great equalizer, and with the modern development of weaponry, "close combat" had become synonymous with "suicide."

But this ironclad rule no longer applied to the Awakened Ones—a new group... or perhaps, a new species.

A well-trained, fully-equipped tactical squad with ample ammunition might be able to fight their way out of a horde of several hundred zombies. However, they couldn’t guarantee a successful infiltration of a building housing a single Mutated Zombie to retrieve its crystal and make it out alive. Their reflexes, strength, and physical constitution were simply no match for such a creature.

But for the Awakened Ones, the world was like a massive game server.

Regular soldiers were playing *Contra*—one hit and you were dead. There was no doubt about it.

An Awakened One in the military, adhering to conventional tactical doctrine, was playing *Resident Evil*. They relied on firearms and tactics to combat increasingly powerful foes, carefully managing their ammunition and explosives to scrape by and grow stronger.

But the amount of ammunition one could carry was finite, and the sound of explosions or gunfire was a risk in itself, potentially attracting even more enemies.

Furthermore, relying on high explosives or large-caliber cannons to eliminate enemies made retrieving the crystals incredibly difficult.

High efficiency, high consumption, and potentially difficult loot recovery.

Only the stronger ones, like the Awakened Ones in Lin Fan’s Personal Guard, were playing *Monster Hunter*. Relying on melee weapons, they could deliver blows comparable to a large-caliber rifle. They formed teams to hunt powerful Mutated Zombies, gather materials, and enhance themselves.

It was quiet, their strikes were more precise, and their tactics were more flexible.

High efficiency, low consumption, and complete loot recovery.

As for Lin Fan himself...

Ye Qingzhou, having just accompanied Lin Fan on a mission, couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Like a diligent student, she found her limited knowledge of video games insufficient to categorize what game Lin Fan was playing...

This wasn’t a matter of tactical disagreement, then, but a fundamental difference in thinking.

Based on the available data, Ye Qingzhou couldn’t determine whether the *Monster Hunter* style or the *Resident Evil* style was superior.

However, without the support of modern weaponry, Lin Fan had used his own "secrets" to push the team through their initial novice phase. He had essentially forced a jump-start, transitioning them directly to the *Monster Hunter* style. This was, without a doubt, the optimal solution for the present circumstances.

But this was a feat that would be difficult to replicate. Even if they formed other squads of Awakened Ones, they would almost certainly have to start with the *Resident Evil* style. Then, Ye Qingzhou had a sudden realization, noticing another, more crucial point.

The *Monster Hunter* approach required more than just the constitution of an Awakened One. There was another, even more critical prerequisite: weapons.

Initially, when she saw their spears and the shield, she’d assumed they had stumbled upon a melee weapon enthusiast’s private collection.

’But then she suddenly remembered the spear Lin Fan had made disappear... It looked a lot like the ones these men were using...’

’Those tough, thick-skinned Mutated Zombies couldn’t be killed with just any old steel pipe. Lin Fan must have had a hand in creating these sharp blades...’

"Let’s head back. We have a lot to do before we leave."

Ye Qingzhou quelled the storm of thoughts in her mind. She gave Lin Fan a deep look and spoke softly. He, in turn, was watching her intently.

’I read her wrong...’

Lin Fan tried to read her thoughts, but her expression, as cold and unreadable as the side of an icebox, gave nothing away.

’Still, Ye Qingzhou was right. There was a lot to prepare before they left—for Su Qing’s group and for himself.’

He stopped trying to decipher her expression. The group split up and got into the two vehicles, which turned around and headed back the way they came. They left behind the lone figure of Ye Qingniao, prone in the dust on a rooftop, her eyes fixed on the distant horde...

After dropping off Zhang Wenyuan and Hu Chen at their pre-assigned positions, Lin Fan took the wheel himself and drove the remaining four people back to the gas station.

The moment she stepped out of the car, Ye Qingzhou pulled out a walkie-talkie. "All stations, signal check."

A moment later, Hu Chen’s voice crackled over the radio,

"Cyan Bird, confirmed. Zhang Wenyuan, confirmed. This is Hu Chen, confirmed!"

"Copy that."

Ye Qingzhou lowered the walkie-talkie. A preliminary surveillance network on the horde was now in place.

"Brother Lin, you’re back..." The car had barely stopped when Liu Bin, his men, and Tan Wei came forward to greet them.

"There are several thousand zombies spreading out over there, and we can’t rule out other, more dangerous things. We can’t stay here..."

Lin Fan was the first to speak to the approaching Liu Bin:

"Brother Liu, you need to understand the situation. Your people have to go back and get things in order. Everyone is to prepare for evacuation."

Liu Bin’s task was already completed. All the supplies and ammunition here had been inventoried, and Lin Fan and Ye Qingzhou had each received a report.

Food supplies had also been distributed. Their convoy had filtration equipment, so the water from the puddle next to the gas station could be drunk after being filtered, disinfected, and boiled. The "refugees" in their bus had also settled down.

The next step was to prepare to leave.

"Brother Lin, how much time do we have to prepare?"

Although Liu Bin had the vehicles and main supplies ready, he asked with concern. After all, there was still a lot to pack, and another batch of goods remained in the warehouse.

’After all, once they left, who knew if they’d ever get a chance to come back. They had to take everything they could, especially the irreplaceable industrial products.’

It was now noon. Lin Fan glanced at his watch, then at Ye Qingzhou, and made a rough calculation of the horde’s movement speed.

"Dawn, the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

That was about forty hours. Barring any surprises, that was the arrival time Ye Qingzhou’s team had just calculated for the horde to reach the gas station.

The gas station was three or four kilometers from Lin Fan’s apartment complex. This meant that as long as Ye Qingzhou’s convoy departed early to rendezvous at the intersection, dawn the day after tomorrow was their absolute deadline.

"But if possible, we should leave tomorrow evening. We’ll plan for that. Go back and get ready... Colonel Ye?"

As Lin Fan spoke, he remembered Ye Qingzhou also had matters to attend to and turned to look at her.

"Yu Wentao, take two mechanics and help them reinforce their vehicles. Commandeer a few more—preferably older, sturdy, gasoline-powered SUVs—and bring them all here to be fueled up."

Ye Qingzhou turned and gave the order to a veteran soldier walking toward her, then looked back at Liu Bin.

"You have more people, and they’re in better shape on average. Everyone who can drive, should drive. Each vehicle can carry more supplies, and in an emergency, they can be set on fire to block the zombies."

Previously, with insufficient supplies and fuel, they had been forced to cram all the survivors onto two buses.

But during that breakout, one bus broke down, and the entire vehicle was lost to the horde.

This experience made her decide to adjust her tactics. After all, this gas station had plenty of fuel, enough to fill a hundred more vehicles.

’This was an angle Liu Bin hadn’t considered. He’d imagined everyone piling into three buses and simply following the military’s vehicles if they got the chance. But now, it seemed they were to become an integral part of the convoy itself.’

’But Ye Qingzhou was right. If the convoy had another ten or twenty SUVs, the amount of supplies they could transport would increase significantly.’

"Okay! We’ll go get started right away!"

Liu Bin nodded in agreement. Seeing no objection from Lin Fan, he waved over a few of his men, and they all boarded their bus, turned around, and left.

Meanwhile, Yu Wentao called two soldiers over, and they boarded an assault vehicle to follow the bus.

The two men were Tan Wei’s subordinates, but he was in no position to object. He could only do as he was told.

Ye Qingzhou thought for a moment before calling over another person:

"Jiang Jing, take our cargo truck over as well. There should be space. Load it up with whatever supplies you can. Their own trucks shouldn’t be packed too full, to prevent them from breaking down."

"Right! I’m on it."

Jiang Jing nodded slightly and immediately turned and walked towards the truck.

"Colonel Lin."

Seeing Ye Qingzhou had finished giving orders, Wang Zhong came over. He first greeted Lin Fan, then began to report to Ye Qingzhou in a low voice.

While they were gone, he had compiled a summary of the status of everyone at the gas station.

"Qingzhou, all the supplies and ammunition have been sorted. The passengers on the bus have settled down. A little girl had a fever, but Dr. Liu gave her some medicine. What should we do next..."

"Colonel Lin, I was wondering if you have room for forty people?"

Ye Qingzhou didn’t answer Wang Zhong. Instead, she turned to Lin Fan and asked.

"I want them to get a decent night’s sleep. My soldiers have tents, but these survivors have been sleeping on the bus for days..."

Lin Fan keenly noticed that her constantly tense shoulders finally relaxed, just a tiny, imperceptible bit.

It was as if the heavy burden that had kept her tense since last night could finally be lifted, just a little, at this moment.

"Yes. They can go now. A little tidying up and the place will be ready. I can even take care of dinner."

With everything settled, Lin Fan also relaxed a little. He smiled and said to her:

"If there’s nothing else, we should head out. I need to get back to my complex and sweep the buildings for any Mutated Zombies."

"Okay..."

Ye Qingzhou pursed her lips and nodded, her gaze as deep as the ocean.

"Major Wang, go and give the orders. Have them drive and follow Colonel Lin. Any soldiers who want to go can go too."

"Yes. Colonel Lin, you can head out first. I’ll have them follow right behind. We’ll have to impose on you today."

"It’s no trouble at all."