To survive within the Ming Empire, these Black and White people would try their best to weaken their racial features, but their distinctive skin color and racial characteristics were difficult to change, so they would all adopt localized names for themselves. For example, Guo Tianzhu had several life-and-death encounters with Guo Tianxiong after meeting him and becoming friends, and only then did the two become sworn brothers, even changing his name to follow Guo Tianxiong's surname. This bearded White man was named Ma Hao. The few of them formed a wandering group, originally roaming the northern regions, occasionally working as Bounty Hunters or scavengers to make a living.
However, because the Capital of the Empire was in the north, it had the most Refuges and also suffered the most nuclear strikes. Various Mutants and strange creatures emerged endlessly, and correspondingly, various forces fought among themselves, making it a place where there were too many monks and too little gruel.
After completing a mission, Guo Tianxiong and Guo Tianzhu heard that the living environment in the southern part of the Empire was better. So, after discussion, the two decided to venture south. After gaining the team's consent, a group of fifteen people collectively embarked on the journey south, and along the way, they encountered this team led by the Wanderer Merchant Group.
Originally, Chen Dong did not want to take in Guo Tianzhu and his group, but after seeing that this small team still possessed several Power Armors, he agreed. This was because there were regulations for traveling together: each team had to take turns sending people to clear the path ahead, and in case of danger, they had to obey the leadership and command of the Wanderer Merchant Group.
A four-rotor UAV wobbled as it ascended. This was a civilian UAV picked up from the ruins; its battery had long since died and could only barely function after a fission battery was inserted. The merchant group looked tattered from the outside, and even more so from the inside.
Chen Dong sat in front of the computer, looking at the images transmitted by the UAV. Due to the long-term lack of human maintenance and the impact of nuclear weapons during the war, the terrain in many areas had been altered. Simply following pre-war roads made it impossible to fully determine direction; only high-altitude reconnaissance by the UAV could confirm if they were on the correct path.
After comparing the map for a long time, Chen Dong finally came to the conclusion that his group had indeed taken the wrong path. Fortunately, by simply changing direction and heading south for a certain distance, they could get back on the correct path. However, the problem was that there were scattered zombie hordes to the south. Although somewhat dense, their numbers were not large, and the convoy's firepower should be able to break through. As for those who couldn't keep up, they would have to fend for themselves.
Chen Dong's mouth curved slightly upwards. It just so happened that it was Guo Tianzhu's group's turn to lead the way today; he would let them go first. That damned Guo Tianxiong, calling a black-skinned pig his brother, was simply defiling the Hua ethnic bloodline. It would be best if all these people died up front.
"We've deviated a bit. Heading south will get us back on the correct path." Chen Dong dropped this remark and returned to the armored vehicle.
Guo Tianxiong and Guo Tianzhu and the others could only helplessly return to the front to continue clearing the path. Since the route had already been changed, there was nothing more to say.
The journey ahead was not easy. The five people leading the way did not feel the number of zombies decreasing; instead, they increased. Finally, Guo Tianxiong realized something was wrong. He stopped using melee weapons to hack at the zombies and instead pulled out the assault rifle at his waist. Bullets shot out, accurately hitting the zombies' heads. When encountering difficult-to-kill Mutants, he directly used a Bolter Pistol. Although they were poor, so poor that every Bolter round had to be carefully calculated, they could no longer be stingy when encountering danger.
The five people slowed their pace, and at the same time, gunshots rang out from the convoy behind. Now, the surrounding zombies began to converge on their location, gathering in increasing numbers.
Chen Dong finally couldn't sit still. The number of these zombies far exceeded his expectations. He had to open the armored vehicle's hatch and lean out to direct his subordinates and the smaller groups within the convoy to organize their defenses. The images transmitted by the UAV earlier had indeed shown only a few zombie groups, but now the number of these zombies had doubled, reaching a scale of thousands, and they were still continuously gathering. This was already a devastating blow for a team of a hundred people; if they weren't careful, they might all perish here.
The most powerful weapon on the armored vehicle was a quad-mounted 50mm laser cannon, which could mow down swaths of zombies when fully energized, but its turret traverse mechanism was problematic, only able to fire within a 20° angle in front of the vehicle. Thus, it couldn't cover the team at the rear.
At this moment, the convoy behind had already sent out distress signals. Some Mutants had gathered, and the firepower at the rear could not suppress these Mutants. Chen Dong's heart sank. In the rear of the convoy, several vehicles were loaded with bulk tobacco that he had purchased at a high price. He had originally planned to sell this in the south and make a large profit. However, all his forces were currently concentrated at the front of the convoy, unable to attend to the distress calls from the rear.
Just as Chen Dong was worrying about his tobacco, he saw Guo Tianzhu and Guo Tianxiong, the five of them, cutting through the horde and retreating from the front. Although their Power Armor was very worn, it was still Power Armor, so cutting through an ordinary zombie horde was naturally no problem. Moreover, the leading Guo Tianzhu seemed to have ignited the Black man's fighting bloodline, wielding a power maul in one hand and a Bolter in the other, charging at the very front, slaughtering all around him. Several zombie Mutants were sent flying by his hammer.
Chen Dong saw them like saviors and immediately shouted at Guo Tianzhu and the others, demanding that they protect his goods at the back. He promised to reward them once they successfully broke through.
Guo Tianzhu and Guo Tianxiong and the others frowned. Their own team was also under threat at the rear, and they were about to go back to rescue them. Furthermore, the Power Armor of several of them was already low on energy; they had no time or energy to protect his goods.
Just as the entire convoy was engaged in a bitter battle, a UAV swarm flew from a distance and discovered the group struggling in combat.
This UAV swarm immediately changed formation in the air and swooped down, strafing the zombie horde below with their mounted machine guns, helping to relieve the pressure on the struggling convoy.
The ground convoy immediately got a breather. Some people excitedly stood on the vehicle roofs, waving their arms, desperately signaling to the UAV swarm in the sky.
Soon, dozens of large white helicopters flew over the convoy. Heavy Laser Cannons mounted on both sides fired along the perimeter of the convoy, mercilessly harvesting the zombie horde on the ground. Before the people in the convoy could react, they heard the sound of heavy objects falling from the sky.
The helicopter's hatch opened, and a black robot, holding a Heavy Bolter, dropped directly from the helicopter in the air. Its mechanical bipedal legs landed steadily, making a metallic clanging sound on the ground.