In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

The west wind carried the chill of late October, and a nauseating smell of fermenting rotting flesh wafted towards us.

The horde of five million zombies was held hostage by a high concentration of inducers.

A grayish-white sea of ​​flesh filled the horizon, slowly and steadily crawling and pushing towards the defensive line set up by the Great Xia Expeditionary Force.

Inside the forward command post on the western front, a holographic sand table glowed with a blinding red light.

Zhao Tiejun braced his hands on the edge of the sand table, his finger bones pressing against the tabletop to exert force.

"Expand the battle line again! Extend the entire army horizontally by another ten kilometers."

He stared at the densely packed red dots and spoke.

"We absolutely cannot allow a horde of five hundred zombies to surge directly up from one defensive line!"

Disperse their charging formation!

"Understood, Commander. The left flank is low-lying, and the 3rd Heavy Armored Division is in position. The right flank high ground is under the full control of the heavy artillery brigade."

The chief of staff, sweating profusely, frantically pounded on the control panel, demarcating the defensive zone.

"The engineering corps at the front line had just withdrawn, and the quick-setting cement defense line had completely dried out."

Three defensive trenches, each five meters deep, along with a full 200,000 anti-personnel high-explosive mines, have been laid across the path the horde of zombies is sure to take!

Zhao Tiejun nodded emphatically, turning his gaze to the optical images transmitted back by the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

That could hardly be called an army; it was a completely disorganized, festering sea of ​​flesh.

Corpses were crammed together, heads touching.

Zhao Tiejun's palms, which were behind his back, were covered in cold sweat.

He was confident in the heavy industrial capacity of Daxia, as the artillery shells sent from the rear arsenals were piled up higher than mountains.

But war is not a simple matter of addition and subtraction.

Being able to win is one thing, but winning at what cost is another.

If these bloodthirsty beasts were to tear a hole in the defensive line, hundreds of thousands of soldiers would be dragged into a meat grinder of hand-to-hand combat.

He shook his head violently, forcibly throwing away these complicated thoughts, and turned his attention back to the steel defense line he had set up.

There is no way out but to tough it out.

He picked up the communicator and issued the final order to the entire army channel.

"Great Xia Expeditionary Force, prepare for engagement! Crush these scum into dust!"

Forward observation post.

"Target coordinates: 042, 115. High-energy heat source is concentrated. Wind direction: southeast, wind speed: level 3."

The rangefinders quickly reported the data.

"Artillery positions, fire rapidly! Without orders, as long as ammunition runs out, the artillery will not stop!"

"Boom! Rumble!"

The earth began to tremble violently.

Ten kilometers behind, thousands of large-caliber self-propelled howitzers roared in unison.

Dense orange-red trajectories streaked across the horizon.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Violent explosions erupted in succession amidst the horde of corpses, sending severed limbs and blackish-brown blood flying dozens of meters into the air.

The artillery fire continued unabated, while formations of bombers swept across the sky like dark clouds.

A formation of jet bombers pierced through the clouds, dropping rows of napalm bombs from their bellies.

"boom!"

The fire burned for kilometers, turning the zombies in the front row into crackling torches.

In the sea of ​​fire, a large number of second-tier mutated zombies charged forward despite the artillery fire.

Shrapnel embedded in their rotting flesh did nothing to dampen their fervent desire for the scent of living people.

The positions are arranged in a stepped pattern with varying elevations.

And in the very center of the battlefield, which is also the front line area where the pressure is greatest.

Young soldier Wang Bin lay prone on the edge of the trench, while groups of gray and white figures approached from afar.

The air was filled with the smell of burning and a nauseating stench of decay.

The continuous roar of artillery fire resonated in my ears, making my chest throb.

He felt nauseous, gritted his teeth, spat the chewed cigarette butt into the ground, and crushed it with his military boot.

He gripped the handle of the Crystal Core Rifle tightly with both hands.

"Damn it, I'm going to kill at least a hundred of them today!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice sounded weak amidst the gunfire.

The veteran who was inspecting the heavy machine gun ammunition belt next to him turned around, grinned, and

"A hundred is nothing! That's too few! I'm going to kill a thousand today!"

At the other end, the loader slammed a box of high-explosive armor-piercing rounds onto the ground, then roared,

"I'm going to kill ten thousand of them! I'll wipe out these sons of bitches! I'll take home a first-class merit and make my mother proud!"

The frontline commander strode past from behind the trenches, his voice hoarse:

"Check the energy tanks! Keep your eyes peeled, don't let a single beast get close to the defenses!"

Behind this central defensive line under the greatest pressure, more than a hundred foreign Awakened Ones were frantically adjusting their tactical vests.

According to the original plan, this group of foreign awakened individuals would apply to be deployed to the flanks.

By clearing out the fringe and stray soldiers, we can gain points for Great Xia without having to face direct pressure.

Unexpectedly, half an hour earlier, Su Shen had blocked their path.

"Great Xia, we are very eager to see how you perform in the upcoming battles."

Su Ran looked down at them, her tone flat.

Then, spatial ripples flashed violently.

"Clang! Clang!"

Hundreds of heavy exoskeleton tactical boxes, gleaming with a cold metallic luster and powered by second-order crystal cores, suddenly crashed onto the muddy ground in front of them.

Austin swallowed hard, pointing at the equipment.

"Sir... this... this is what we've been given?"

Su Ran nodded and pointed to the very center and front line of the position:

"Put them on. Then go to that spot. If you can hold it, you live; if you can't, you die there."

Long Yiwan looked in the direction Su Ran was pointing, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Sir, if we're facing a horde of five million zombies head-on, our hundred or so men wouldn't even make a splash in this kind of battlefield!"

He had considered risking his life for the Great Xia, but not on such a dangerous front line.

That's your business.

Su Ran interrupted him, her voice cold and hard.

"The food in Daxia is never good. No."

"Put on this suit, and you can leave now. Wear it, and if you back down even a step, the overseers will execute you on the spot."

There is no room for negotiation.

The group of Western awakened individuals looked at each other in bewilderment, and in the end, they could only step forward one by one and carry the metal weapon.

Although awakened individuals possess superpowers in the early stages, their mortal bodies remain fragile when facing massive hordes of zombies.

The crystal core exoskeleton of the Great Xia can amplify their strength several times, and the armor can withstand the bites of zombies.

These highly mobile and destructive humanoid weapons should ideally be used by the core assault troops.

The scene shifts back to the present.

Long Yiwan moved his armored right arm, the crisp sound of the mechanical transmission giving him a sense of security.

"Damn it, they're using us like a suicide squad!"

A white awakened being stared at the approaching, dark horde of corpses in the distance, his heart pounding.

Do you really want a refund?

They were surrounded by soldiers of the Great Xia, half of their dark gun barrels pointed forward, while the other half, intentionally or unintentionally, leaned towards them.

Once you back down, you won't even have a chance to explain.

Moreover, the fighting spirit of the Great Xia regular army has reached a point of near frenzy.

In the trenches ahead, the soldiers, who had no superpowers and were only wearing ordinary bulletproof vests, were staring intently ahead with red eyes.

There was no rout, no fear, only boundless killing intent.

Long Yiwan's cheek muscles twitched a few times as he looked at the old soldier from Great Xia who was shouting that he would kill ten thousand.

My God!

This is the meat grinder area at the very center and forefront of the entire battlefield!

Moreover, the Great Xia's battle lines were deployed in a tiered manner.

In other words, if the battle goes against them, the outermost line of defense can be abandoned by the higher-ups at any time!

What are they so excited about?!