The communicator fell to the ground with a bang, the channel instantly cut off. Spring Grass grabbed her gun and turned back, chambering a round. The other party lightning-fast gripped the gun barrel and raised it, then softly questioned:
“What are you talking about?”
At the critical moment, Spring Grass’s trigger finger froze, torn between laughter and tears: “Yan Hao!”
Spring Grass jumped down from the stone, picked up the communicator, but it was already broken from the three-meter fall, only producing a static electrical hiss no matter how she adjusted it.
Yan Hao stood with arms crossed behind the rock, angrily saying: “I’m fine! My condition is stable with no abnormalities! My emotions are completely calm! Why are you worrying about everything?”
“Zombie Tide Night Attacks the Camp, Situation Critical, Will Contact Later.”
This became the last communication from the Black Hawk team to headquarters.
Thereafter, for thirty-six continuous hours, the communications department worked day and night but could not contact them again.
The conference room was filled with cigarette smoke. General Zheng led the way, holding a cigarette, standing at the head of the conference table. His eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, his voice hoarse and difficult to distinguish:
“The search and rescue area spans two hundred kilometers, mostly in mountainous forest terrain, with approximately ten thousand zombies wandering and gathering. The Eighth Group Army currently conducting rescue operations in Hebei has arrived on site, suffering heavy casualties, but no survivors have been found. The elite reconnaissance battalion from the Inner Mongolia base is en route to the canyon and will soon provide a report…”
“Hasn’t the General Staff Headquarters reached a conclusion?” someone asked.
Zheng, the lieutenant general, stopped his smoking gesture, watching white mist curl up.
After a moment, he said in a low voice: “If the reconnaissance battalion also finds no survivors, we can preliminarily conclude that the Black Hawk team has been completely sacrificed.”
“Damn it!” Someone suddenly erupted from the back row, smashing down a tea mug: “That useless Tang Hao, give me back my soldiers! Incompetent trash who can only cause trouble!…”
“Captain Kong!” Zheng shouted.
Someone immediately rushed to restrain him. Tang Hao had taken nine of the paratrooper battalion’s top soldiers, and upon hearing the news of the Black Hawk team’s total annihilation, the battalion commander immediately lost control.
