Chapter 99: The Fire Barrel Formation

At this moment, Changzhou City resembled a small, isolated island in the middle of a vast ocean, on the verge of being swallowed by the raging storm at any time. Standing on the city walls and looking out, the zombies covered the landscape like a suffocating black cloud, surging toward Changzhou.

"Report, Captain! The zombies are about two li away. We can prepare to engage at any moment!" Li Mengda had clearly become Chen Yuanshan's right-hand man. Back in Changlong Town with Yang Zhenwu and the others, Li Mengda had already possessed the greatest martial skill among them all. Now, with Chen Yuanshan’s appreciation, his utility was being maximized.

"Good!" Chen Yuanshan replied. "Brother Yang, you should continue to command the archers who came with you. Your coordination should be more seamless."

Chen Yuanshan was speaking to Yang Zhenwu. Since arriving in Changzhou, Yang Zhenwu had truly been left with nothing to do. He lacked any particular talent, and there were plenty of people here with higher martial arts skills than his. Yet, Chen Yuanshan had still entrusted him with this command.

"Understood!" Yang Zhenwu did not decline. He glanced at the newly formed archer and crossbow unit. Although most were his old acquaintances, some were original residents of Changzhou, and the looks in their eyes clearly showed they were unconvinced by him.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Zhenwu steadied his heart. If he failed to command effectively this time, he feared he would never have a chance to distinguish himself in this camp again.

"Archers and crossbowmen, prepare! Nock your arrows!" Clearing his chaotic thoughts, Yang Zhenwu roared in a low, yet exceptionally resonant voice.

At once, both the archers and crossbowmen quickly loaded their weapons. The range and power of the crossbows were far superior to the bows, though the heavy bows used by the camp also possessed decent range.

Yue Qi finally had the opportunity to see the powerful bows and crossbows that had once been aimed at him. His eyes flickered with a faint light; he imagined that for an ordinary person, they would be reduced to nothing but bones under such a volley of arrows.

"Report, Captain! The zombies are approximately eight hundred meters away!" Li Mengda, holding an eagle-eye lens, cast a knowing smile at Yang Zhenwu, who was currently commanding, and then delivered his report.

"Eight hundred meters..." Yang Zhenwu murmured to himself, then turned to the men behind him: "Crossbowmen forward, archers pull back! Await my command!"

"Crossbowmen, ready! Three, two, one! Fire!" Following Yang Zhenwu's order, a rain of arrows descended like a dark curtain, plunging straight into the zombies hundreds of meters away.

At this range, the power of the crossbows could be utilized to its maximum, though the heavy bows were slightly lacking. Of course, Yang Zhenwu was clearly well aware of this; he evidently had other plans.

As the arrow rain passed, the massive wave of zombies at the front fell almost entirely to the ground. It wasn't to say every arrow hit a head, but the power of the crossbows was enough to pin a zombie to the earth without issue, and in such a situation, it would be extremely difficult for the zombies to rise again.

However, stimulated by the scent of blood, the zombies became even more frenzied, accelerating their charge toward Changzhou. Yet, looking at Yang Zhenwu, he didn't seem anxious in the slightest—it was clear this situation was within his expectations.

"Crossbowmen, retreat and reload! Archers, move forward! Await my command!" Yang Zhenwu ordered again. With his composed demeanor, he seemed to pay no mind to the encroaching zombies.

The zombies were now only about three hundred meters away. Yang Zhenwu gave the order once more: "Archers, ready! Forty-five degrees, aim high! Fire!"

Some might think that firing into the air would reduce the impact, but Yang Zhenwu had clearly taken everything into account. Another volley of arrows passed, and the leading zombies fell once more, buying everyone more time.

"Well done!" Chen Yuanshan couldn't help but praise from the side. Most of the people around them had stopped their work to watch Yang Zhenwu’s nearly flawless command.

"Alright! Don't just stand there, everyone! We need to prepare ourselves as well! Don't let all of Brother Yang’s hard work go to waste!" Chen Yuanshan smiled at Yang Zhenwu, signaling for him to continue commanding the unit.

Gaining affirmation, Yang Zhenwu’s confidence surged. The crossbowmen in the rear unleashed another volley, this time aimed not merely at impeding the zombies, but purely at exterminating them.

"Crossbowmen, switch to heavy bows! All archers and crossbowmen, fire at will!" This was the last order Yang Zhenwu gave. At this point, the zombies were already at the foot of the city walls. Free fire was the best strategy, and the crossbows were not as light or efficient as the bows at this range.

Watching Yang Zhenwu’s methodical command, Chen Yuanshan smiled, though a strange glint flashed in his eyes, as if he were somewhat looking forward to the arrival of these zombies.

The zombies had reached the base of the walls, but they had paid a heavy price; nearly one-fifth of them had been rendered combat-ineffective. Naturally, this had much to do with the unit commanded by Yang Zhenwu.

Chen Yuanshan utilized everything he could—stones, scrap metal, and the like—all of which had become highly lethal weapons. When thrown from the city wall, which was over ten meters high, gravity alone granted them significant destructive power.

"Report, Captain! The zombies have almost all reached the foot of the walls, and several mutated zombies are attempting to scale the ramparts!" Li Mengda observed carefully, summarizing the current situation in a few short sentences.

"Good!" Chen Yuanshan suddenly offered a mysterious smile, leaving others to wonder what he was planning.

Yue Qi was honestly patrolling the wall. Whenever he noticed something amiss, he would release his spiritual energy. Since Chen Yuanshan and the others were unaware of spiritual power—and Yue Qi had specifically warned them, and assumed Yang Zhenwu had told everyone not to speak of it—he remained discreet.

Qin Luo also stood on the wall. Her little civet cat was nowhere to be seen, but looking at her expression—alternating between a mournful face and jumping about with glee—an outsider might think she had gone mad. Yue Qi, however, understood that his casual senior sister was likely using her spiritual energy to stir up trouble. Especially seeing zombies fall one by one every few moments, Yue Qi became even more certain of his judgment.

With nothing to do, Yue Qi scanned the battlefield. He caught sight of Xin Zi, who also seemed to be commanding a squad. They wore uniform attire, likely the people Chen Yuanshan had mentioned from the Hidden Sword Manor. Under Xin Zi's command, this group of fewer than ten people moved in perfect formation, killing even more zombies than the archers and crossbowmen firing at will.

After using his spiritual energy to stop a mutated zombie trying to scale the wall, Yue Qi felt a bit fatigued. His spiritual energy had not yet reached the level of manifestation, so he could only delay the thoughts of these zombies, then take the opportunity to throw a stone and knock them down.

Yue Qi returned to Chen Yuanshan's side, seeing him continuously directing his men. The other captains were managing different sections. Yue Qi had circled around earlier and found no major issues, though the section by Chen Yuanshan was facing the highest concentration of zombies.

Suddenly, several burly men hauled carts of wooden barrels up from below. The barrels were lined up neatly along the top of the wall. Yue Qi didn't know what was inside, but seeing Chen Yuanshan’s confident expression, it was clearly a devastating weapon.

Chen Yuanshan noticed the idle Yue Qi and knew he had successfully driven away the mutated zombies attempting to climb the walls. He said to him, "Brother Yue, if you have nothing to do, why not take a look at the grand gift I’ve prepared for these zombies?!"

"Oh?" Yue Qi looked at Chen Yuanshan’s confident face and smiled, saying, "Naturally, I must see it!"

Chen Yuanshan nodded and instructed his men: "Everyone! Take the barrels! Light them!"

Only then did Yue Qi notice that the barrels had short fuses. They were about half the length of an arm—not too big, not too small—and manageable for the average person to lift.

As Yue Qi pondered, Chen Yuanshan gave the command: "Throw them into the zombie pile! A reward for whoever throws the most accurately!"

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The moment the fuses were lit, they were thrown down. Yue Qi saw clearly that the barrels caught fire in mid-air, turning into small fireballs in an instant.

"Oh? Is it filled with fuel?" Chen Yuanshan's idea was good, but merely good. Even if this fuel clung to the zombies, it wouldn't immediately strip them of their combat ability; it might even make them more enraged!

But things were not as simple as Yue Qi thought. As soon as the barrels hit the zombie pile, the fuel spilled everywhere and began to burn violently. Unexpectedly, the flames seemed to encounter something, and suddenly, they exploded!

Explosion and combustion were two different concepts. Given the power of the fire pellets in Xin Zi’s hands, while this explosion might not be as potent as those pellets, the sheer quantity far exceeded them! The clustered zombies were instantly blown to pieces, with some torsos still burning—the scene was as gruesome as it could be.

"So powerful!" Yue Qi exclaimed. Chen Yuanshan, standing beside him, looked proud and explained: "Don't underestimate these small barrels. They are divided into two layers: one for fuel and one for explosives! We only need to ignite the fuel; once thrown, the flames trigger the explosives!"

"Such a clever design..." Yue Qi thought to himself, watching the extraordinary damage caused by the barrels, especially the terrifying effect of the dual-stage explosion.

"I call this the Fire Barrel Array!" Chen Yuanshan said proudly, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the countless casualties among the zombies below.