Chapter 117: The Strike Plan

“This is the plan as it stands!” In the Eastern Military District, after receiving the news, Guo Lang and his group hurried over. The meeting room was filled with newly appointed team leaders.

The plan was formulated by Xie Lin, who spread out the map of New Newton provided by Zhuo Er before him. “Your small air force base has roughly ten newly commissioned C60 model bombers, three large transport aircraft, and over twenty small helicopters.”

At this, Xie Lin furrowed his brows. “To be frank, the situation is far worse than I imagined. I didn’t expect that the destruction wrought by that national defense missile system would be so devastating. The Nanyang and Southwest Military Districts have almost no survivors. The only area still intact is your Eastern Military District. Although you have many people left, the resources remaining at your base are pitifully few—armored vehicles and anti-missile systems are scarce. Even the surviving air force base is too small in scale.”

The officers present lowered their heads. The reality was harsh, and the truth undeniable—their current forces were indeed pitifully small.

“The plan is as follows,” Xie Lin said coldly, ignoring the somber expressions of the officers. “We will advance along two routes: ground and air. The ground forces should number at least ten thousand, divided to invade simultaneously through the city’s four entrances in waves, bringing every armored vehicle and heavy equipment they can carry. Departure will be during the day. Let me remind you here!”

He paused briefly before continuing, “The undead tend to roam at night out of biological habit, but that doesn’t mean they cannot appear during the day. Our intelligence indicates the enemy controls a certain creature capable of commanding the undead. Your ground troops’ role is to probe the extent of their control over the city’s undead population. You will enter New Newton through the four entrances, reporting your position every ten kilometers. Especially when besieged by a large number of undead, you must report your coordinates precisely. We need a clear understanding of the range and accuracy of this creature’s control—not just the number of undead it commands but the extent and precision. We must gather corresponding data.”

“We understand!” The leaders of the army responded grimly. Xie Lin’s tone was icy, as if they were expendable, yet they had no choice but to obey.

Upon receiving their acknowledgment, Xie Lin nodded and continued, “The air force will split into two groups. At the moment the ground forces depart, head straight for the Emperor Tower at the Hope Center. One group will conduct a preliminary long-range strike using fighter missiles and heavy machine guns to test whether the enemy has air defense capabilities. If they don’t, congratulations—you have a good chance of returning alive.”

A ripple of hope passed through the group at these words, though Xie Lin’s face remained impassive as he went on. “If they do have defenses, you must promptly transmit visuals back and verbally report your assessment of the situation. Even if you die, use your last breath to gather as much intelligence as possible. Also, don’t waste your aircraft. If shot down, try to crash toward the Emperor Tower to damage the enemy base as much as possible.”

“Yes, sir!” The air force leaders saluted sharply.

“Next, the transport plane’s airborne troops,” Xie Lin said gravely, looking at the last two commanders. “You have the greatest ability to detect the enemy’s alien creatures’ authenticity. According to our intelligence, the ‘mother corpse’ controlling the undead secretes substances that create a protective circle, keeping the undead from entering certain areas. I suspect the enemy’s base is surrounded by a vacuum zone, which likely shelters refugees.”

“What?” Several stood up in surprise.

“There’s nothing surprising about it,” Xie Lin’s expression remained cold. “Although they committed an apocalyptic act, their goal was to restart civilization, not to exterminate all people. Taking in refugees is normal. I even suspect those ordinary civilians who disappeared in the Northern Military District were abducted there.”

“So…” a soldier swallowed nervously, “should we organize a rescue mission?”

“Rescue mission?” Xie Lin gave him a look of disbelief. “You yourselves have slim chances of survival, and you want to organize a rescue? Are you out of your mind?”

“Then… if we fight there, won’t the refugees be harmed?”

“Probably,” Xie Lin replied casually. “But that’s not a bad thing. From a certain perspective, those refugees are already under their control. The would-be lord cares about his subjects—after all, the population is scarce now. This situation can be leveraged.”

“Leverage?”

“Yes. They can serve as hostages, making the enemy cautious. The enemy will want to minimize civilian casualties while annihilating you, which will force them to reveal more of their tactics. Your mission is to capture and transmit every detail of the battle. Honestly, among the three groups, the airborne team has the greatest potential to gather intelligence.”

A man stammered, “They are our compatriots—we are meant to protect them.”

“Indeed,” Xie Lin nodded. “Given how things have developed, if you don’t care about hatred, you could even defect to them. I believe that person would accept you. After all, you pose little threat now and could still be useful population for him. So, officer, if you defect now, there won’t be any battles or further bloodshed. What do you say?”

“Are you insulting me, sir? How could we possibly side with the beast who killed billions of humans?”

“Exactly as I thought,” Xie Lin answered sternly. “Remember, you are embarking on this mission with a death wish. What is your goal? Never forget—you need to make them pay a price. Those who stand in your way are less important than your own lives.”

The officer paused, took a deep breath, and finally nodded. “You are right. We are determined to die on this mission. No matter who stands in our way, they will not be an obstacle.”

“Good!” Xie Lin applauded. “Your resolve will be rewarded. I promise you, we will not disappoint. In the newly established city, every one of your names will be engraved on the martyr’s monument. If you succeed, you will be heroes of history, forever remembered by the survivors.”

“Big words,” the officer said with a wry smile before saluting solemnly. “But please remember what you said here, sir.”