Chapter 32: Journey to Huan'an (2)

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

Early the next morning, the supply search convoy from Yushan Fortress set out once again. Composed of one armored assault vehicle and three trucks, the convoy sought as many weapons and ammunition as possible—the essential lifelines for the fortress’s survival. This time, An Sheng did not bring Pighead Three along, leaving him behind at the fortress. Although he knew that even with Pighead Three there, it would be futile against an attack by Purifiers or beings like Medusa, it still provided some sense of security, however small. An Sheng hoped the search team would make gains in Huan’an, enabling them to arm the fortress into a true war stronghold with those powerful weapons.

Along the way, An Sheng carefully scouted the surroundings of the convoy, not daring to be the least bit negligent. The emergence of Purifiers and Lord-level mutated creatures meant he could no longer act as recklessly as before. Fortunately, his strong sixth sense allowed him to avoid dangers to the greatest extent, preventing him from stumbling blindly into the territories of those terrifying powerhouses.

The Reserve Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment was located on the Ring Road of Huan’an County Town, covering an area of seventy acres. In recent years, the state had strengthened the development of militia and reserve forces, equipping them with many advanced weapons. Thus, An Sheng and the others held high expectations for the regiment’s armory.

The convoy did not rashly enter the regiment’s compound but stopped at the main gate. An Sheng planned to scout the area alone first. Although he didn’t detect the pheromones of mutated creatures, it was better to be safe than sorry. While low-level mutated creatures and zombies posed little threat to him, they remained highly dangerous to ordinary people like Old Zhang.

Reserve units typically had few personnel, with only active-duty soldiers stationed there regularly. Local veterans were only summoned for training during exercises. With fewer people, there were naturally fewer mutated creatures and zombies. In the compound, aside from a dozen or so zombies in military uniforms, An Sheng didn’t spot a single mutated creature. At the rear of the compound stood a large warehouse, with several tightly canvas-wrapped anti-aircraft guns at its entrance. Judging by their shape, they appeared to be twin-barreled anti-aircraft guns. The sight stirred An Sheng’s blood—after all, most men had no resistance to weapons.

A wall separated the warehouse area from the living quarters, with a large iron gate in the middle left wide open. A few military-clad zombies wandered there, snarling and charging toward An Sheng upon spotting him. Without hesitation, An Sheng dispatched them and laid their bodies in a row on the grassy field of the drill ground. He held respect for these soldiers who had once defended the nation and intended to cremate their remains as a tribute to their spirits.

After completing this task, An Sheng used the walkie-talkie given by Nie Chong to notify Old Zhang and the others to enter the compound. Once the entire convoy had driven into the warehouse yard, An Sheng locked the large iron gate, isolating the zombies from the living quarters that had been drawn by the vehicle engines.The warehouse was enormous—after all, this was an anti-aircraft artillery regiment. Even though it was a reserve unit, the scale of the warehouse remained impressive. The main gate was exceptionally sturdy, requiring considerable effort to open. Fortunately, with everyone working together, the warehouse door slowly creaked open.

The first sight that greeted them was rows of brand-new twin-barreled anti-aircraft guns. Nie Chong excitedly explained the models and capabilities of these massive weapons to the group.

“This is the Type 59 57mm Anti-Aircraft Gun, finalized for mass production in ’65, though it’s long been retired from active service. Maximum range of twelve thousand meters, maximum altitude of eighty-eight hundred meters, but the actual effective engagement altitude is only about five thousand meters. Though it’s ancient technology, it’s better than nothing. Let’s haul two back, remove the base and mount them in the Fortress Bunker’s gun emplacements. They’d work decently as anti-tank guns—plus they’re rapid-fire! Haha!”

“Captain! Captain!” While everyone was gathered around Nie Chong listening to his explanations about the anti-aircraft guns, the burly Liu Pengyu called out excitedly to their leader. “Captain, come quick! Look what I found!”

An Sheng and the others hurried over toward the voice. Behind the anti-aircraft guns, against the wall, stood neat rows of weapon racks. Liu Pengyu had already opened one cabinet door, revealing ten Type 81-1 Automatic Rifles coated in protective grease.

“We’ve hit the jackpot!” Butcher laughed heartily, snatching one rifle and cradling it lovingly in his arms. An armory like this was practically heaven for men like them.

The warehouse’s stockpile of weapons and ammunition was substantial. Though they were all older models phased out by active units, even these could transform Yushan Fortress into a fully armed firepower behemoth. If not for their limited transport capacity, An Sheng and the others would have loved to haul the entire arsenal back to the fortress.

Next came the most enjoyable part—loading the vehicles. The older Old Zhang took charge of inventory, pulling out his leather-bound notebook to record the day’s acquisitions. His cheerful mood made his eyes crinkle into thin, happy slits.

After all supplies were loaded and counted, Commander Zhang grinned broadly, consulting his notebook as he reported the numbers: “One hundred rifles, four hundred magazines; ten light machine guns, fifty drum magazines; thirty crates of ammunition. Three heavy machine guns, fifteen crates of machine gun rounds. Five rocket launchers, one hundred twenty rockets. Three anti-aircraft guns, two hundred crates of shells! My goodness, everyone has worked hard! We must feast tonight—a grand feast!”