Zhang Xiao Qiang was shocked at first, but then he was overjoyed. No matter what, they had already found the main gate to the gathering place. Their arduous expedition was already very close to their final destination. Perhaps there were even more dangers and hardships waiting for them, but what did this count as?
At the very least, they had taken the first step, so they would continue to take it until they truly achieved their goals.
Zhang Xiaoqiang was reporting to Zhang Huai An. He was the busiest person in the convoy. Both Huang Quan and Lu Xiaobu were injured. Huang Tingwei helped Wang Le repair two paratroopers, and three paratroopers were recruited to form the convoy's combat vehicle team. Now that the combat vehicles from their previous unit had been recovered, the members were overjoyed.
"What's the situation?
How far away are they from us? "
Zhang Xiaoqiang was impatient, and Zhang Huai An did not hesitate. He reported the information that they had received in just a few sentences. Hearing Zhang Huai An's report, Zhang Xiaoqiang's head started to hurt.
Wuhan City's water network was dense, and there were many bridges. Many bridges from different eras formed part of the road network. Through Shen Xue's report, he found out that Wuhan City's colony was built on a peninsula that was easy to defend but hard to attack. The survivors of the colony had completely changed the original terrain, turning it into a huge trench, and people had to rely on three large bridges to enter and exit.
The convoy was now moving towards one of the large bridges. The scouts at the front reported that the bridge was blocked by all sorts of obstacles. Forget humans, even a mouse might not be able to crawl through it. That bridge was the only path that Shen Xue knew of.
"Was the bridge itself destroyed?
Or was it just blocked by something? "
Zhang Xiaoqiang asked Zhang Huai An.
"The bridge is fine. The fences on both sides have been removed, and the bridge has been blocked by large scrapped vehicles. On the other side, someone has built a bunker and a gate. I think this might be their escape route, but why did they block it?"
Hearing Zhang Huai'an's words, Zhang Xiaoqiang pondered whether he should take a detour or not.
When the convoy stopped at the bridgehead, Zhang Xiaoqiang realized that what Zhang Huai An had said wasn't wrong at all. To be exact, there were many things that Zhang Huai An hadn't mentioned.
The bridge was a product of that special era. It did not have a trace of modernity, nor did it have the atmosphere and heaviness of a traditional bridge. The entire bridge was dusty, and only the thick piers and bridge were visible, proving that in that era, the consideration of cost was far more important than the quality of the project. The fences on both sides of the bridge had been torn down, and dozens of large, dilapidated vehicles were parked in the middle of the bridge, forming a dead end.
Under the bridge was a heavenly moat that was hard to cross. The river was narrow, and the water was restricted, forming a rapid current. The rushing torrent created large splashes, and from time to time, broken bones could be seen floating on the water surface. It was hard to tell if they were human or zombie bones.
The shore under the bridge looked quite flat, like a paddy field that had been leveled by someone to plant rice. There was no water in sight, only thick mud. Zhang Xiaoqiang noticed something was wrong. The mud was too smooth, as if someone had used a spatula to clean it. This was a trap, an artificial quicksand swamp. It didn't matter if it was a human or a zombie, as long as they stepped on it, they would be swallowed.
It was very sinister. On the opposite side of the bridge, there was a tall wall and a thick iron gate. On both sides of the iron gate, there were two large bunkers. The bunkers were three stories high and did not have a trace of beauty. If it wasn't for Zhang Xiaoqiang noticing some traces of modernity, he would have thought that the two bunkers were products of the same era as the bridge.
The gate was tightly sealed, and there was not a single shadow on the wall. Other than the sound of water splashing under the bridge, there was no other sound. It gave the people in the convoy the illusion that there was not a single living person on duty on the other side of the bridge. It was as if this place had turned into a ghost town.
Zhang Xiaoqiang did not see it that way. From the holes on the opposite side of the bunkers, there were a few Type-81 rifles aimed at them. Ying's eyes that were hidden in the darkness reflected a hint of malice and fear under the dim light.
Zhang Xiaoqiang did not look at it any longer and directed the vehicle to stop at the adjacent residential area. As they neared Wuhan City, the residential areas started to become denser, and they could see one after walking for a short distance. Large tracts of farmland could not be seen, and all sorts of blue-roofed factories were adjacent to each other. Occasionally, they could also see some large-scale greenhouse planting bases, but no one took care of them. They were all broken and barren.
The residential area that the convoy stopped at was a small village. It could be considered a new countryside. There was no rustic atmosphere here, and all sorts of modern technology could be seen everywhere. Moving Heaven's Wings advertisements were also everywhere.
The team members had scouted this area beforehand, and it had been cleared out a long time ago. There were no zombies, no supplies, and even the withered plants and trees had been uprooted. Wires, cables, steel products, building materials, anything that could be moved had been swept clean. If it was during the Anti-Japanese War, this place would definitely be a model for Okamura Neji to be shocked.
"What do you guys think? Should we take a detour or contact them first?"
In a residential house without a roof, furniture, or even a door, Zhang Xiaoqiang and his subordinates were discussing how to enter the colony. It seemed that the guards of the colony were not friendly, and they knew nothing about what was going on inside. If there was a misunderstanding, the situation could worsen. After all, Zhang Xiaoqiang wanted to enter the colony to find an operator who could operate the ship.
"I think it's better to be safe. This place is blocked off, and it will take a lot of effort to get through. If we get to their doorstep, they won't even have a single person to ask, and they will definitely suspect our origins. It's best to follow the rules step by step."
Zhang Huai'an was getting on in years, and he naturally thought safety first. He felt that it was not worth arguing with them over such a small matter.
"I think we can send someone over to contact them first. I believe they have soldiers as well. We can use the name of the missile base to explain to them that this is just a temporary stop."
Yomi still had a certain level of confidence in the soldiers inside. As long as the soldiers had guns in their hands, and as long as the commanding officer was still alive, they would stick to their bottom lines. Even if their discipline had collapsed, they still had more bottom lines than most people. At the very least, they wouldn't do inhumane things.
"Who's going?
You?
How?
What if the people inside take our people hostage and ask us to put down our weapons?
Who knows what will happen in today's world? Besides, it's uncertain if there's any political power inside. Didn't those two paratroopers die in there? I think we should fire a few shots first before talking to them. We'll use force first and courtesy later. "
Lu Xiaobu was thinking about human nature. Human nature was complicated, and soldiers were humans too. Perhaps they were under more pressure, and it was easier for them to rebel. To him, one should never place one's hope in the hands of others.