True Apocalypse Game

"Legion Commander, are you planning to use high-altitude bombers to destroy that tower?" a brigade commander at his side asked, frowning and slowly shaking his head. "It won’t work. We could see from the artillery bombardment that the tower can generate some kind of electromagnetic pulse field. If we use bombers, they’ll likely be shot down. Besides, the only nearby airbase is the New York Air National Guard Base, and it doesn’t have any bombers. It has a few F-35s, but their strike capability isn’t much different from our earlier artillery barrage."

The Legion Commander nodded and said slowly:

"Of course, I saw that. The electromagnetic interference, like some kind of energy shield, doesn’t have a fixed range. It can adjust its orientation at will, almost like an active defense system. But strategic bombers are a different story. It’s difficult for even modern anti-aircraft missiles and cannons to effectively engage a target bombing from ten thousand meters up... Besides, since it’s an Energy Field interference, it must have an upper limit. A saturation bombing run will show us exactly what its energy storage and defensive capabilities are."

"Exactly. I agree with the Legion Commander’s plan," a previously silent brigade commander said with a nod. This man, named Fres, had the bearing of a true soldier and was a staunch supporter of the Legion Commander’s proposals. He spoke slowly, "The New York Air National Guard Base may not have bombers, but Anacostia-Bolling Air Force Base and Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, which aren’t far from New York, do. They have some B-52H Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer, and B-2A Ghost stealth bombers. I can lead a team to raid them and seize control..."

At this, Fres looked up, his gaze sweeping over the room like a flash of lightning:

"The cruise missiles on the F-16s and F-35s at the New York Air National Guard Base are quite powerful themselves. We can use them to suppress the tower. They should be put to good use. However, our biggest problem right now is the lack of pilots..."

In this post-apocalyptic world, there was plenty of equipment; the real headache was the lack of manpower.

After all, even though the Salvation Army’s warriors were global elites and masters of their fields, very few of them knew how to fly an airplane, let alone a fighter jet.

The Legion Commander nodded and said:

"Our only option is to put out a call for pilots among our people... However, this might lead to the exposure of some real identities. I hope everyone understands the necessity."

The surrounding brigade commanders all nodded in agreement.

At the same time, the Legion Commander turned to Li Tongchen, who was standing nearby, and said slowly:

"Brother Tongchen, in addition to the brute-force military approach, we also need your cooperation on the biomedical front. Can you develop a new vaccine that is toxic to zombies infected with the Evil Spirit Virus? I’m not saying it has to kill them outright, but maybe it could slow their movements? If it could affect the tower directly, that would be even better."

During the previous battle, everyone had seen clearly that the twisted tower itself was composed of countless human limbs. They could even see human organs and body parts on its outer wall. It was clearly a biological mutation produced by the Evil Spirit Virus.

Li Tongchen nodded:

"That’s exactly what I was going to bring up. However, we’ll need some precision instruments. It would be best if we could just get our hands on them. The human brain alone can’t process such complex data, after all."

"Alright. I’ll assign a two-hundred-person special ops team to you. Whatever you need, just go and take it. They can also escort our medical experts into research facilities," the Legion Commander said with a nod.

He then turned to the brigade commander in charge of the technical support and logistics team with a new request: develop a device capable of jamming the tower’s signal.

A brainstorming session ensued, with everyone proposing different ways to destroy the tower. One idea was to build a massive wall in the heart of New York City to block the tower’s signal.

Among these was a suicide attack method: disguising themselves as zombies to get close to the tower, then looking for an opportunity to blow it up.

With roughly fifteen thousand Salvation Army members now at the base, all these methods, beyond just simple defense, were worth a try.

"BOOM!"

Just then, a huge roar suddenly came from a distance. The group holding a meeting in the barracks immediately rushed out of the room and looked towards New York City.

In New York City, which had just fallen quiet, a massive fireball erupted from the base of a skyscraper. It looked as if a large cache of explosives had been detonated simultaneously.

A large number of zombies had already gathered near the building. The skyscraper collapsed from the blast, burying several thousand of the zombies under the rubble.

Intense gunfire erupted, accompanied by the roar of IEDs and bursting fireballs.

Clearly, the Salvation Army Warriors still trapped in New York City, unable to rendezvous with the main force, were starting to fight their way out.

Or rather, a suicidal fight for survival.

Just as a large number of zombies were drawn away by the skyscraper’s explosion, hundreds of figures emerged from nearby buildings, holding various crude weapons, and sprinted wildly towards the river.

The explosion was apparently a diversion, meant to create an opening for them.

From the Salvation Army’s military base, dozens of armored vehicles and weaponized pickup trucks sped out to support them. Guns blazed continuously, shredding any zombies that stood in their way.

The Legion Commander nodded slightly. He had anticipated this. Many Salvation Army Warriors, scattered and trapped in New York City, would surely be trying to reach the base. After all, the main force had made an enormous ruckus.

In the days to come, more survivors would likely make it to the base, steadily increasing its strength.

’And then... it will be time for the final battle.’

Soon, the call for pilots was broadcast over the public address system. To everyone’s surprise, several hundred people came forward to sign up.

This greatly exceeded the expectations of the Legion Commander and the others.

However, detailed testing quickly revealed the truth. While many of these "pilots" did have experience with small aircraft, it was mostly with propeller planes from flying clubs. Others had flown private jets like Gulfstreams or commercial airliners. Almost none of them had any experience with fighter jets.

But they couldn’t afford to be picky. After the final selection, Fres had seventy-three pilots.

Among them, only thirty-three had real experience flying fighters or bombers. The remaining forty had only flown private planes.

Even so, this had already far exceeded Fres’s expectations.

With some training, those with existing flight experience should be able to manage.

After all, this was a war against zombies; there was no need for high-difficulty maneuvers like dogfighting against enemy pilots.

What surprised Fres even more was that the Legion Commander himself volunteered to join a bomber crew, and he clearly had extensive flight experience.

"Legion Commander, you should stay here and command," Fres urged with a frown. "When a general has to personally take to the battlefield, it means his army is on its last legs."

The overall situation of this apocalyptic mission was still unclear. Without the Legion Commander at the helm, any unexpected event could lead to their complete annihilation.

The Legion Commander laughed:

"Don’t worry. The Salvation Army isn’t some ragtag militia; it’s no exaggeration to say we’re the most elite force on the planet. All our plans are in motion. Now we just have to wait for them to come together for the final assault. I can’t stand just sitting around here."

As he spoke, he put on a ballistic vest and hung two grenades from his belt.

Fres hesitated for a moment. What the Legion Commander said was true, so he didn’t try to stop him.

After all, the apocalypse they were in wasn’t some rapidly changing battlefield. Other than standing guard in New York City, seemingly protecting the giant tower, the zombies showed no other reactions.

The zombies wandering the outskirts had initially charged the military base, but after most of them were wiped out, few others appeared.

These zombies were much more docile than they had imagined.

’It’s as if they’re waiting for something...’

After one in-game day of preparation, a convoy filed out of the military base. It consisted of several tanks, armored vehicles, and two mobile anti-aircraft guns, accompanied by a supply truck. They headed south on the highway, bound for Anacostia-Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.

At the same time, in the Salvation Army’s temporary headquarters on the outskirts of New York City, everyone mobilized and began their work—from the medical elites of the medical support unit to the various explosives experts, electronic warfare specialists, and other talented individuals.

All the players, new and old alike, were brimming with confidence. They were prepared for a long fight and eager to prove their worth to win the Commander’s favor.

New players like Sophie, who had initially been anxious, were greatly relieved after seeing firearms rip hordes of zombies to shreds. Their fear of the undead vanished completely.

Everything was going smoothly. It was as if the zombies had been scared witless by humanity’s might. The Legion Commander’s expedition to Washington to secure the airbase was also a resounding success; they cleared the base of zombies and seized control.

The sight of the aircraft parked in the hangars sent their morale soaring and filled them with elation.

It now seemed that without the infectiousness of the Evil Spirit Virus, these zombies were nothing for humanity to fear.

After all, humanity, with its intelligence and mastery of powerful tools, was the true master of this planet.

A sense of optimism spread through the Salvation Army. Most veteran players remained vigilant, always prepared for the worst, but even they couldn’t find anything immediately amiss.

「Three days later.」

The roar of aircraft engines tore through the southern sky. A formation composed of five bombers and six fighters screamed through the air, heading straight for the tower in the heart of New York City!