Chapter 28: The Ambushed Thorn

Zhang Jun was adamant. Despite the energy bars the team members had given him to restore his strength, he still looked incredibly frail.

"No! Leave the fighting to us professionals. Rest assured, we won't leave you behind." Zhao Qiang shook his head. Military training—a word both distant and familiar. He still remembered his own university training: every day was nothing but marching and standing at attention. He had only touched a Type 81 assault rifle once in over half a month, and that was only after the instructor had loaded it for him. All he had to do was lie down and pull the trigger. Each student got three rounds; some, in their nervousness, pulled the trigger too hard, firing all three in a single burst, and that was that.

That was what they called military training. Zhao Qiang didn't believe students who had undergone such trivial preparation could do much with a gun. He’d be lucky if they didn't blow their own toes off, let alone manage to chamber a round. He conveniently forgot the awkwardness of his own first time in combat.

"Believe me, I can do it!" Seeing Zhao Qiang's refusal, Zhang Jun stood up in desperation. He realized the gravity of the situation; no man with blood in his veins would shirk from the fight at a time like this.

Just as Zhao Qiang was about to speak, Saber reached out and stopped him. "Every extra person is extra strength. If he wants to fight, let him try." With a flourish, Saber produced a standard Beretta 92SB-F. After a quick inspection, he removed the magazine, cleared the chamber, and handed the weapon to Zhang Jun. "Load it, rack the slide, and fire at a zombie outside. If you pass, it's yours."

Zhang Jun looked disappointed. He had hoped for a rifle; he had recognized the QBZ-95s the team carried from his time playing video games. Accepting the Beretta, he kept his eyes fixed on the team's QBZ-97s and stammered, "This gun is... could you give me a long one instead?"

Before Zhao Qiang could react—half-amused and half-annoyed—Saber snatched the pistol back. With a fluid, expert motion, he loaded the magazine, racked the slide, and fired. A zombie's head outside the window instantly turned into a bloody pulp. Saber said coldly, "Italian Beretta 92SB-F, standard U.S. military issue. 15-round capacity, 50-meter effective range, high accuracy, low failure rate. If you don't want it, fine. I wasn't really looking to give away my collection." He cleared the weapon, slapped it onto the seat, and turned to look out the window, arms crossed.

Zhang Jun’s face burned bright red. After witnessing the power of the weapon and hearing Saber’s introduction, he felt too embarrassed to ask for a rifle again. Besides, Saber had just provided a perfect demonstration. Though the movements had been fast, as a young man familiar with gun-combat games, the sequence wasn't beyond his grasp.

Seeing Zhang Jun fumble as he picked up the gun and frantically repeat the loading process, Zhao Qiang sighed. He stepped forward and gently pressed down on Zhang Jun’s hand, which was hovering uncertainly. "Remember, never point the muzzle at your own people!" He then guided Zhang Jun’s aim toward the window, pointing at the sight. "I won't say much else: eye, sight, zombie head—line them up, then pull the trigger. Got it?"

Zhang Jun nodded vigorously. He aimed at a zombie surging toward the *Thorn* and pulled the trigger. The bullet whistled past the zombie's scalp and punched into the chest of an unlucky one behind it, who staggered briefly before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"Just keep practicing," Saber said, patting the dejected Zhang Jun on the shoulder. For a beginner, Zhang Jun hadn't done too badly.

"What's our next move?" Zhao Qiang walked over to sit beside Saber as Zhang Jun grew more comfortable with his new weapon. Under Cai Jiashu’s control, the *Thorn* continued to circle the base's perimeter.

"They have no intention of leaving, do they?" Saber murmured. The base had collapsed the only entrance to the bunker; logically, the zombies should have lost their target, but the horde showed no signs of dispersing, still pouring toward the base in an endless stream. "Let's head back and see what these things are really after."

The base was a scene of utter devastation. Countless charred zombies lay on the ground, still emitting black smoke, while a few not quite dead yet crawled feebly. The newly cultivated rice paddies were ruined, the young green shoots trampled into oblivion.

"What is that!" Zhang Jun, who had been busy practicing his aim, suddenly shouted.

Following his gaze, seven Smashers stood in a row, looking like generals inspecting a battlefield. Though they were still some distance away, Zhao Qiang felt the cold, chilling gaze of the creatures cutting through the air.

*Damn it, how could I have forgotten about that!* "Old Cai, evasive maneuvers!" Zhao Qiang suddenly recalled that the zombies now possessed long-range capabilities. On the rooftop, the Smashers were raising their arms, which had begun to swell rapidly—and their target was the slowly moving *Thorn*.

Hearing the alarm, Cai Jiashu slammed the steering wheel without hesitation. The Tiger team members, already on edge, reacted instantly, but the sudden swerve was brutal for Zhang Jun and the female students. After a chorus of screams, they tumbled to the floor.

Before they could scramble up, the accelerating *Thorn* swerved again, sending them crashing to the other side. Just then, several thunderous booms erupted nearby. Zhao Qiang looked in the direction of the sound, cold sweat drenching his back.

The same attack method that had struck the Tiger squad earlier had returned, and this time, it was even more ferocious. The Smashers’ massive arms propelled projectiles like rockets, cutting through the air with a low whistle. Looking at the deep craters left in the concrete, Zhao Qiang felt a surge of gratitude that Zhang Jun had spotted them in time. Otherwise, the *Thorn* would have already been reduced to scrap metal.

"We have to find a way to take them out!" Zhao Qiang urged. Cai Jiashu had the accelerator floored, but the *Thorn* struggled to gain speed, narrowly dodging the Smashers' fire multiple times. Just when he thought they might survive a few volleys, more Smashers began to appear on the rooftop, one after another.