Chen Hao stood on the observation platform, the megaphone still in his hand. The wind blew in from the other side of the woods, carrying a damp, earthy smell.
He stared at the dark ground outside the wall and muttered to himself, "These people are really not afraid of falling. They can even line up in a row when walking at night."
Nana's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "The enemy's movement speed has not changed."
"Got it," Chen Hao replied, then turned to the three people behind him and said, "Hold your weapons steady, don't wait until they climb up before you react."
The wooden sticks, iron pipes, and wrenches on the east wall were all gripped tightly. One person held onto half a steel bar, his palms sweating, the steel pipe a little slippery.
"Where's Susan?" Chen Hao asked.
"I just came out of the warehouse and am running this way," Nana replied.
Sure enough, a few seconds later Susan appeared on the path inside the wall, carrying two cloth bags and walking so fast she almost tripped.
She climbed the auxiliary ladder to the observation deck, panting, and put her bag down on the ground: "Two incendiary bombs, one spare fuel canister. Any movement over there?"
“Yes.” Chen Hao pointed ahead. “They’re almost at the barbed wire fence. They’re probably trying to break it down.”
“Then let them try it hot.” Susan untied the cloth bag and took out a glass bottle wrapped with strips of cloth, inside which was a clear liquid sloshing around.
"I stayed up until 2 a.m. last night to prepare this," she said. "It's made with alcohol and waste kitchen oil, and it burns even more fiercely than a gas stove."
Chen Hao glanced at her: "You're quite proud of yourself?"
“Of course,” she grinned, “it’s better than you waving a stick around aimlessly.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud "bang" came from outside.
Someone banged a metal rod against the wall, making the barbed wire mesh vibrate.
Then came the second and third strikes, with the rhythm getting faster and faster.
"They're here." Chen Hao raised the megaphone and shouted towards the outside of the wall, "You've entered the restricted area. It's not too late to retreat now!"
No one responded.
Only the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and shadows flickered at the edge of the searchlight.
Nana suddenly spoke up: "The vibration sensor has been triggered, and sections A1 to A3 are alarming continuously. The other party has begun to impact the main wall."
"Activate the lighting system," Chen Hao ordered.
Instantly, three large lights illuminated the ground, casting beams of light that revealed seven or eight figures bending forward. They were dressed in dark clothes, with cloths wrapped around their heads, and carrying crowbars and thick wooden sticks.
"Did you see it clearly?" Chen Hao asked.
"I see it clearly now." Susan grabbed the incendiary bomb. "You dare to charge in with this kind of equipment? Do you think this is a vegetable market?"
She lit the cloth strip, swung her arm back, and the bottle flew out in an arc.
"Bang!"
The bottle smashed against the wire mesh and exploded, flames leaping up along the grease and illuminating the faces of the people at the front.
Some people screamed and jumped back, but the people behind them didn't stop and pushed them forward.
"The second one!" Susan threw another one, this time landing right in the middle of the crowd.
Flames shot into the air, and a person's trouser leg caught fire as they rolled on the ground.
The rest of the people finally dispersed and temporarily withdrew from the illuminated area.
“It works.” Chen Hao nodded. “But they won’t just leave like that.”
Nana updated the data in real time: "Abnormal pressure readings have appeared on section b7 on the south side, and the fence has been slightly deformed, suggesting that someone is trying to climb over it."
"Karl!" Chen Hao pressed the communication button. "B7 section is about to collapse, where are you?"
“On the way.” Carl’s voice was a little out of breath. “Just finished moving sandbags, now I’m heading there.”
"Hurry, they're trying to flank us."
"clear."
At this moment, the pressure on the east wall increased again, and the enemy took advantage of the weakening fire to approach again. Several people worked together to crash into an old wooden stake.
"Thump—"
The wood creaked under the strain.
"It's going to break!" shouted a member standing nearby.
Chen Hao stepped onto the edge of the wall and raised his stick to prepare to fight back.
"Wait," Nana said, "The sonic device is fully charged. Shall we activate it?"
"Use it," he said. "We don't have any other options anyway."
Nana tapped the confirmation button.
The next second, a high-frequency sound burst out from the black box in the corner of the wall, like hundreds of bees flapping their wings at the same time, and the sound concentrated and spread outwards towards the east wall.
The crowd outside immediately stopped what they were doing.
Some people covered their ears and squatted down, while others spun around in circles, clearly disoriented.
"Wow, it actually works." Chen Hao was stunned for a moment. "I thought it was just a scare tactic."
“The knowledge base contains civilian dispersal techniques,” Nana said. “They are applicable to controlling crowds.”
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"We didn't have a chance to test it before."
"...Alright, you've done a good job."
Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Susan threw another incendiary bomb, blocking the main attack route.
In the firelight, those people finally began to retreat, dragging their wounded companions back into the woods.
"They're gone?" someone asked.
"It's not that simple." Chen Hao squinted at them. "They retreated too uniformly; it doesn't look like they were driven away."
Nana pulled up the heat map: "Indeed, the evacuation routes are distributed in a fan shape, maintaining tactical formations. The possibility of an ambush cannot be ruled out."
"No one, stop chasing," Chen Hao broadcasted to the entire team. "Stay put and wait for further instructions."
Time passed slowly, and there was no more movement at the edge of the woods.
The wind picked up a bit, causing the barbed wire to sway gently.
Five minutes later, Nana confirmed: "All external heat sources are moving away. The nearest point is 420 meters from the base and is out of attack range."
"Phew..." Someone breathed a sigh of relief and slid down to the ground against the wall.
Chen Hao still didn't put down the stick.
He looked down at his hands; his palms were covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
"Do you think they'll come back?" Susan sat down next to him, the last unused incendiary bomb at her feet.
“Definitely,” he said. “Today is just a test, to see how many of us there are and what weapons we have.”
"What about next time?"
"Next time?" Chen Hao smiled. "Next time, let them know that this place isn't a charity canteen where people eat and stay for free."
Susan laughed too: "You're right, if you want to come in, you have to work; if you want to take things—"
Before she could finish speaking, Nana suddenly interrupted, "Attention, the pressure sensor in section B7 is alarming again."
Everyone's hearts tightened.
Chen Hao immediately stood up: "Has anyone gone to check over there?"
“Carl went there,” Susan said. “He just said he wanted to reinforce the support structure.”
"Contact him." Chen Hao pressed the communication button. "Old Card, answer back if you hear me."
There was no response.
He tried again.
Still, silence.
"Oh no!" Susan stood up. "Could something have happened?"
Nana switched the monitoring screen: "The B7 camera is blocked. The screen shows an object covering the lens, which looks like cloth or mud."
"I'll go take a look." Chen Hao grabbed the stick and was about to leave the stage.
"Wait a minute," Susan stopped him. "What if it's a diversionary tactic?"
“We can’t just ignore him.” He shook off his hand. “He’s my brother.”
Just then, a muffled thud came from the walkie-talkie, like the sound of metal hitting the ground.
Then came heavy breathing.
Then a voice sounded intermittently: "I am... Karl... segment b7... the support is about to give way... I need backup..."
"Where are you?" Chen Hao asked.
"The fence... around the corner... I saw... three people... hiding under the drainage ditch..."
The conversation was interrupted again halfway through.
"Damn it!" Chen Hao cursed, then turned and ran towards the stairs.
Susan followed closely behind: "Take me with you!"
"No, you stay and guard the rear!"
"Bullshit!" she chased after him. "Going down alone is suicide!"
The two ran wildly through the internal passages of the camp and headed straight for the south wall.
The roadside was dimly lit, with only the emergency lights flashing red.
As they approached section B7, they slowed down and moved along the wall.
There was a trail of wet footprints on the ground leading to the drain.
Chen Hao picked up a stone and threw it.
No one moved at the end of the footprints.
He slowly approached, holding the stick to his chest.
Susan flanked from the other side, clutching a screwdriver in her hand.
Just as they approached the drainage ditch, Nana's voice suddenly rang out: "Weak life signal detected, location coincides with Karl's marker. Low heart rate, possible blood loss."
"He's still alive." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
He walked to the edge of the ditch and peered down.
Carl lay in the mud, blood on his forehead, his right hand gripping a metal bar tightly, with a rivet gun and tool bag scattered around him.
"Old Ka!" he called out.
Karl's eyelids twitched, and he opened them a crack: "You...have come..."
"What happened?"
"They...ambushed me...when I was repairing the wall...they crawled out from underneath...and hit me...but I...knocked one of them down..."
Chen Hao followed his gaze and saw a person lying face down in the corner of the drainage ditch, motionless.
"The other one ran away."
"Let's get you up here first." Chen Hao reached out his hand.
Carl grabbed his wrist and was pulled out of the ditch.
Susan tore open the first aid kit and bandaged his head.
"Can you still walk?" Chen Hao asked.
“Yes.” Carl gritted his teeth and stood up. “I’m just dizzy… Let me lean against something for a while…”
Nana reports: "All external heat sources have been removed, and the base is safe. It is recommended to immediately seal off section B7 and arrange for personnel to patrol in shifts."
Chen Hao nodded: "Notify everyone that the battle is over and we are now on temporary alert."
He helped Karl walk back, his steps heavy.
As we passed the east wall, the fire was still burning, a sign of victory as agreed upon earlier.
The flames reflected on everyone's faces, revealing fatigue, tension, and a touch of relief.
Susan picked up the scraps of cloth from the ground, looked at them, and stuffed them into her pocket.
As Carl walked, he muttered to himself, "Tomorrow... we have to replace the entire south wall with a ore base... we can't use wood anymore..."
Chen Hao nodded and said, "You take care of the materials, I'll go get the design drawings from Nana."
They returned to the vicinity of the command area, where the distant forest belt was pitch black and there was no further movement.
Chen Hao looked back at the grove of trees one last time.
The wind stopped.
The barbed wire fence stopped shaking.
He stuck the stick in his hand into the ground, like planting a boundary marker.
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