071 Waiting for the Right Moment - Part 3

"Who?" Fang Qiang was bewildered. Who was Da Hei? He hadn't heard of any newcomer among the civilians with that nickname.

"Da Hei! You know, that big black dog!"

"Oh, is it serious?"

"It’s not exactly critical, but it’s Da Hei! The kids are all crying their eyes out!"

*Sigh.* A dog getting hurt—was it really worth all this fuss? Fang Qiang let go of the two little ones, allowing them to dash off, though he still called out, "Slow down! Don’t trip! Remember to send someone to get the medical kit!"

"You know, you act more like a community police officer than I do—worrying about every little thing," Ren Wanrong remarked, naturally not caring about the life of a dog and teasing Fang Qiang instead.

"Come on, it's a life nonetheless. I actually asked the locals about it; the mountain people in the Taihang Mountains call these native dogs 'mountain guardians.' It's a pity their bloodlines aren't pure anymore, but that Da Hei really is a good dog. Extremely loyal."

"Oh? How so?"

"You haven't noticed? Every day, that dog catches a small animal and buries it in front of its former owner’s grave. Whether it's a ritual or it’s just afraid its old master might be hungry in the dirt, don't you think a dog like that is worth keeping?"

"If you put it that way, it is kind of interesting..."

"Right? I told you..."

As the two men walked further away, Hu Qianqian was already in a state of panic. Halfway to the cafeteria, she intercepted Sheng Qingru, who was carrying a tray of dishes. Without a word, she dumped the meal-serving task onto Hua Jiangting, grabbed Sheng Qingru, and hurried back to the residential building reserved for the group of brats.

Aside from the dozen or so orphans of various ages, Ellie, the two women who hadn't followed Niu Laoshi, and Mother Hao—who had heard the news—were all present. It seemed this clever big dog was quite popular at the station. Perhaps the young, able-bodied men like Wang Chen were too busy with official business to care, but for most of the women, a fluffy dog with big, adorable eyes that understood simple commands and even knew how to act spoiled was more than just "cute"—it was heart-meltingly precious.

"How did it get injured?" Sheng Qingru examined the wound on Da Hei’s hind leg. The dog was indeed perceptive; knowing she was there to bandage it, it remained quiet and calm, making no attempt to bite.

"We don't know. Da Hei goes to the substation every day with a small animal in its mouth, and it came back like this this morning."

"Yeah, yeah! Da Hei is so sweet. When Mao Mao was crying, it licked his face!"

"Nonsense! I wasn't crying, I just had something in my eye!"

"You were totally crying! How could both eyes be watering if you just had something in your eye?"

"I said I wasn't crying, I just wasn't!"

Nothing is more destructive than a loud, bickering group of brats. Unable to stand it any longer, the sharp-tongued Sheng Qingru took charge: "Everyone out! Now! Big Sister needs to stitch Da Hei up! No unauthorized personnel allowed in the operating room!"

"You're an auntie, why should we call you Big Sister?"

Children speak the truth, and it can be lethal.

With a flurry of motion, the brats scattered like birds and beasts.

Half an hour later, Sheng Qingru walked out of the room, picking up her now-cold wrap and taking large bites, completely ignoring the hopeful gazes of the children nearby. *Damn it! You little brats! Daring to call me an auntie! We’ll settle this later!* Only after she had finished most of the wrap and washed it down with some water did she slowly answer, "The wound is stitched. I don't know what bit it. I’ve already administered a rabies vaccine and an anti-inflammatory shot. I don't have veterinary medicine, so I had to make do with human supplies. If the wound doesn't get infected, it should be fine. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, so no one is allowed to go in and disturb it. Understood?"

A row of little heads nodded like garlic cloves. Under Mother Hao’s guidance, they filed out. Sheng Qingru called Ellie over and instructed, "Tell Joanna later to prepare a cage and keep Da Hei locked up. Don't let it out until we're sure it's okay."

Ellie nodded gently. Fearing she didn't grasp the gravity of the situation, Sheng Qingru warned, "I don't know what bit Da Hei. If it was just a small animal, that's fine, but if it was a zombie..."

Ellie’s nodding became as rapid as a jackhammer.

Checking her watch, Sheng Qingru realized it was time. She finished the rest of her wrap on the way to the conference room. When she arrived at the building on the far east side of the station—a warehouse temporarily converted into a meeting hall—she wasn't the first. Wang Chen, Dai Jian, Pablo, Ma Tian, and Yang Xiaohua were already there. After a short wait, the others arrived. As usual, Sheng Qingru served as the English translator. Wang Chen skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Weather satellites show a cooling trend over the next thirty-six hours. Our opportunity to deal with Boss Tian has arrived."

The plan was simple: strength is the only true foundation.

Since Boss Tian’s side was full of ruthless thugs, the special operations team couldn't rely on sneak attacks. It was better to surround them from all sides and hit them head-on. By applying overwhelming firepower, they could force Boss Tian to yield. Certainly, he would still use civilians as hostages, but under absolute fire superiority, if he wasn't a fool, trading the hostages for his own freedom would be the optimal choice. As for what would happen next... with drones tracking from above, Boss Tian would likely split his forces and try to escape with a few hostages. By breaking up and eliminating the enemy while they were on the move, they might lose a few, but the majority of the civilians could still be saved.

Wanting to save every single civilian without a single casualty? Refer to the 2002 Moscow hostage crisis. Could the special operations team compare to the Alpha Group, one of the top five special forces in the world? Furthermore, in this broken, lawless apocalypse, the fact that there were still people holding onto their principles, willing to fight for strangers, was already going above and beyond. People are inherently selfish. Without the special operations team—backed by the government—taking the lead, the civilians gathered at the peninsula base would at most take in refugees. Expecting them to pick up guns and charge out to save others, facing hardened criminals who had the psychological advantage and were far more vicious, was simply unrealistic.

Everyone has only one life. Once social status and background are stripped away, why should anyone risk their life for you? If you must have a perfect, happy ending, I can only congratulate you on still living in the world of family-friendly movies and state news broadcasts.

Ultimately, to confront Boss Tian head-on and force his submission, a show of force was essential. Following this logic, obtaining the heavy weaponry from the barracks was the primary condition. Just as Boss Tian planned to head north while the zombies were frozen by the cold to find a new sanctuary, the special operations team had concluded that they, too, must seize the opportunity of the temperature drop to retrieve the armored vehicles they needed. Tracked armored vehicles were off the table—while their off-road capability was excellent, few civilians knew how to drive them, let alone tanks. The wheeled armored vehicles in the barracks became the top priority.

During the week spent reinforcing the base's defenses, Dai Jian had not been idle. Under Wang Chen’s instruction, he had repeatedly sent drones into the barracks to scout, trying to map out the positions and activity range of the zombies. They were just waiting for the cold to sap the zombies' mobility before choosing the right moment to enter the barracks and secure the heavy equipment.

Of course, if conditions permitted, letting the thousand-plus soldiers in the barracks fall into an eternal slumber would be ideal, but that would have to wait until the temperature dropped completely. For now, resolving the threat of Boss Tian took priority.