Eh? You want to try the humanoid girl's iron fist too?

"I need some shaping explosives and Kramer mines."

"no problem.

Raphael walked around Willis to the low table in the corner of the tent and counted the ammunition and equipment one by one.

Her main focus was on the radio station and backup satellite phone, as well as comparing and correcting the maps by using bound city maps with those stored in her memory.

Willis was eager to see the two weapons on the table: a new rifle and a squad automatic weapon that the army had only begun to equip its troops with two years ago. The guards' procurement plan was still in the approval stage, and it was a long way from when they would receive them.

He wanted to say something more, but the other person implied "I have things to do, please don't bother me," so he gave up on the idea of ​​chatting to get closer.

Thinking about these things at a time when life could be at stake only adds to the sorrow.

Lifting the curtain, Willis walked to the bridge behind the tent and gazed at the city stretching out along the mouth of the Hudson River.

After giving instructions to Raphael, he stepped onto the sidewalk.

A column of gray smoke swirled in the distance above the city, and the sirens of police cars and fire trucks never ceased from morning till night.

Perhaps New York has truly reached the point of destruction, Willis thought.

Fifteen days ago, on one of the most suffocating days of November, Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States, banknotes carrying the virus circulated in New York City and spread rapidly.

People started planning several days in advance what they needed to buy.

In fact, they will not only buy the items on their shopping list, but also try to take advantage of the short-term discount days to purchase items that would normally be too expensive.

It's hard to say how many banknotes carrying the virus circulated in Long Island's large shopping malls during those 24 hours, and how many banknotes went home with people.

However, according to observers' calculations, offline shopping spending on this day reached a staggering $91.2 billion. Even after deducting the majority of card payments, a conservative estimate suggests that over $10 billion in paper money still entered the market.

The city is heading towards death, and the noose of death has already been placed around the necks of shoppers. Over a period of more than half a month, these billions of dollars have gradually and precisely delivered the virus into the hands of innocent people through daily business transactions.

People didn't wake up from their Christmas anticipation until the massive, widespread deaths began.

As the first wave of deaths gradually subsided, New York City was filled with that peculiar, unpleasant smell of burning protein.

During the two-week siege, the smell grew stronger and stronger.

Now, the smell of burning iron, charred plastic, and burning garbage for heating mixes into a foul, pungent odor, and the ashes of the burned buildings quickly settle on the ground.

Whenever a breeze blows from the mouth of the Hudson River, this black dust rises back into the sky, tinging the snowballs with a gray hue.

At that time, I felt that the city was filled with the color of death.

So far, healthy people continue to work, trying to keep the city running at a minimum. As a result, shopping malls in New York City open here and there, and power is restored to other areas.

However, this normalcy cannot last long.

Municipal, police, and fire departments, which maintain order, are not subordinate to each other. Firefighters are only concerned with putting out fires, police are only concerned with how many criminals they have killed that day, and municipal officials issue orders on maps, trying to restore the collapsed transportation system to normal and try to keep hospitals, which are overwhelmed by patients, running normally.

The relaxation of restrictions on population movement significantly accelerated the spread of the virus.

After a series of actions, New York's epidemic prevention strategy was like Cao Pi's wife going into a greenhouse—or Zhen Ji picking vegetables.

finally,

Social public services in Manhattan collapsed within 72 hours of the second wave of mass deaths. Willis felt powerless to reverse the situation, even though he had the will to kill the thieves.

Throwing a hundred or so men into Manhattan wouldn't even cause a ripple. Moreover, modern armies are extremely reliant on logistics; once supplies are cut off, he's certain this unit will quickly disintegrate. Besides, urban survival is far more difficult than wilderness survival.

"Sir, the World Health Organization is holding a press conference!" the executive officer shouted from behind.

"What news?"

"The World Health Organization has officially announced a large-scale outbreak of a new virus in New York."

“Anything else?” Willis asked.

After answering "No more," the executive officer stood at the entrance of the company headquarters tent, gazing at Willis, the leader of the company.

"...Understood, let's start stockpiling personal protective equipment too."

They had just finished speaking when a radio call came from the Brooklyn checkpoint saying: the Emergency Management Agency's supply convoy has arrived.

P.S.: Please add this to your favorites and follow me.

Book 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 6: Full of Life, All Things Flourish

On December 17, at 12:1057 a.m., the third day after Rafael entered New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) convoy finally passed the Williamsburg Bridge checkpoint.

The convoy was long, consisting entirely of tractor-trailers and container trailers, with "US. Army" painted on the containers. The trailer drivers were also wearing camouflage uniforms and chemical masks typical of the Army.

This aroused Raphael's curiosity about their identities.

Before officially setting off, Raphael shook hands meaningfully with Company Commander Willis and said bluntly:

"I know you still want to do something for me, but there's no need to say more. Find a way to procure more chemical defense supplies, and then protect yourselves. Do you understand, Captain?"

Although the two didn't have much interaction, she still said these words.

Before the captain could answer, she followed the convoy's guards, quickly passed through the checkpoint, and disappeared into the surging crowd.

Raphael didn't speak to the soldiers marching around her with guns. She had already guessed who they were—the National Guard's engineering corps—whose mission was to set up a cordon in Manhattan and control the movement of people in the infection epicenter.

Leaving the bridgehead, she declined the engineering corps' invitation and stood quietly on the cold street, appreciating the grandeur of the human city.

All around was silent, except for the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the snow.

The East River is not visible from here; it lies hidden in the snow and ice at the end of Avenue de la Ville. Yet, Raphael could still sense it in his imagination—feel the chill emanating from it.

This is the groundbreaking point, the place where the greenback virus first spread.

The flames ignited by the virus are no longer terrifying; they generally start relatively quickly and end just as quickly, because once the patient is killed, the fire goes out because it can no longer find new fuel.

However, cities are so big and have so many people, so there will always be people who become firewood somewhere.

After a few nightmarish days, people gradually got used to the precarious existence.

The lockdown began on the tenth day and night after the disaster started. The Army Corps of Engineers gradually constructed two high walls dividing the city in Manhattan, following traditional divisions.

On this very day, the black mushroom cloud rising from the direction of the Empire State Building led those who only believed in military theory to think that further efforts to save the city would not only be futile, but even impossible.

By midday, the sounds of gunfire had transcended the concept of "sporadic skirmishes."

If someone unfamiliar with the situation were to walk into Manhattan at this point, they would think that this might be the site of the Battle of Fallujah, codenamed "Dawn," rather than the world's financial center—New York.

Raphael looked up at the soft mushroom cloud in the distance, and marked its approximate location and the possible range of influence on the map unfolding in his mind.

In addition, the map shows that this not-so-large area is densely marked with records of "fires," "robberies," and "shootings," with the cases becoming more frequent and concentrated as time goes on.

The city's order has reached the point of collapse.

What should we do? Should we go and see, Raphael? she asked herself.

Without a doubt, I definitely have to go and see.

The rhythm of the M4A1's firing was very distinctive; she could hear it clearly, and it was very likely that it was Rangers ordered to enter Manhattan.

Once you figure out their true purpose, you can leave this dead city.

To understand the situation perfectly, Raphael felt it necessary to personally visit the buildings and squares marked with red hemispheres on the map.

But this was the complete opposite of the mission to investigate the Rangers' whereabouts; one was near the Empire State Building on the north side, and the other required her to travel south to Wall Street.

Suddenly, "Bang, bang, bang—", gunshots rang out like popping beans at the intersection ahead.

Raphael ducked, quickened his pace, and then slid to hide behind an abandoned car on the side of the road.

Then she realized that the bullets weren't aimed at her, but were flying towards another spot.

……

Officer Nick Pilos was panting heavily.

"God, I can't breathe," he thought.

It was mid-December 2025. Pilos and the rest of the precinct, led by Chief Inspector Morris, arrived at the intersection of Grand Jones Street and Lafayette Street to maintain fragile order while dealing with a shooting.

The howling wind made him feel like he was slowly freezing to death.

Piloz, 23, is from the East Side and is a native New Yorker. Since joining the police precinct, he has personally experienced the feeling of cold when patrolling outside in winter.

However, in front of the Lafayette Café and Bakery, the thick snow, the biting cold, and the lack of oxygen caused by the intense gunfight made one feel despair.

They had no support from the New York SWAT team, only endless snowflakes and two feet of snow; their dark uniforms were useless here. Whenever they moved, a dark shadow would appear in the white world.

In comparison, he realized that he and his companions were conspicuous moving targets.

No one knew the situation would take such a sharp turn for the worse.

Just days after the mass vaccination against smallpox, the city seemed to have come back to life. But just two days later, it collapsed.

These events once again demonstrate their helplessness in the face of the disaster caused by the "greenback virus".

The robbers not only had long guns and handguns, but they were also wearing bulletproof vests they'd somehow acquired. The Glock pistols issued to officers by headquarters would inevitably put them at a disadvantage in a gunfight unless a headshot was fatal.

From the immediate bursts of gunfire, Piloz could discern several types of pistols—such as the M1911, M9, and Glock—as well as the M500 shotgun.

And so, the two sides remained deadlocked.

The police refused to leave, and the restaurant...

The robbers were also unwilling to abandon the supplies they had painstakingly looted.

Pilos habitually picked up the radio and tried to call the control center, hoping to get some support from them.

However, there was no sound on the police channel.

He waited a while and reconnected to the channel, but there was still no sound.

Pilos slammed his hand on the car door, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He switched to several of the precinct's frequently used channels, but they all played the same thing.

He was still not satisfied, and even switched to the emergency rescue channel.

It was quite lively inside, but it was all random calls from radio enthusiasts. Occasionally, there were two legitimate SOS calls, but they were all drowned out by the noise, giving him no chance to record them.

Seeking help seemed hopeless, and Piloz couldn't think of any other way, so he carefully went around to the trunk of the police car and took out the semi-automatic AR-15 left behind by the other officers.

They were left with only one option: to fight tooth and nail.

Either you die or I live.

Just as he was putting on his thicker bulletproof vest, he suddenly heard a delicate "whoosh" sound. Pilos's heart skipped a beat. He was absolutely certain that it was the sound of his shoes gently hitting the ground as he stepped through the snow.

Someone's coming from behind!