Invasion of America

Chapter 142 Hydropower Station

Tang Wen arrived in Avonie two weeks ago aboard the USS Catalina. He was originally a student from Dongda University who was going to the United States for further studies.

He graduated from a prestigious university in China, went to the United States to pursue a doctoral degree, successfully obtained a green card, and joined the Fortune 500 company, Bevermens Foods, which focuses on food distribution.

Being able to get a job at Bevermans with an annual salary of over ten thousand dollars speaks volumes about Tang Wen's abilities. Afterward, he married a beautiful foreign woman, settled down, and became a citizen, originally intending to settle down as an American.

Life is unpredictable, the world is in turmoil, and a virus has caused countless people to suffer and die.

Before the apocalypse arrived, Tang Wen keenly sensed from his company's product sales data that a huge disaster was about to break out, and at the very least, food industry stocks would face a sharp drop.

He decisively sold off his entire portfolio before the New York stock market crash and made some preparations for the ensuing economic downturn. Although that was all he could think of, his forward-thinking actions saved his whole family's lives.

When Zhou Qingfeng set up the shelter, Tang Wen initially had no intention of joining. However, when society descended into chaos, his Chinese identity once again saved his life, and a small shelter on the outskirts of Richmond took him in.

But what followed was not pleasant.

The shelter at the time not only housed Chinese people, but also a number of white, black, and even Latino people. One of the white families was a former colleague of Tang Wen's, whom he had invited to the shelter.

In the difficult first year of the apocalypse, Tang Wen's foreign wife had an affair with his former colleague and willingly became his concubine.

What's even more disheartening is that the supplies in the shelters were prioritized for white and black people, while the Chinese who built the shelters lived in poverty.

Some of the supplies were even purchased by Tang Wen out of his own pocket, yet he had no right to enjoy them.

This experience drove Tang Wen to the brink of suicide. It wasn't until the arrival of the USS Catalina that he and more than a dozen other Chinese Americans in similar circumstances were rescued from the Richmond shelter.

When Zhou Qingfeng was selecting men to conduct armed reconnaissance of the towns around Richmond, the thin and frail Tang Wen stepped forward and offered to join the reconnaissance team.

“Old Tang, you’re not feeling well, you should rest for a while longer.” The “Old Tang” that Zhou Qingfeng was referring to was actually only in his early thirties.

However, his physical condition was extremely poor; his cheeks were sunken, and he looked emaciated. If he hadn't undergone drug testing, almost everyone would have mistaken him for a drug addict.

“I know Richmond well.” Tang Wen insisted on joining the investigation team. “I have been working and living in Richmond for the past ten years.”

I used to love this city. Every weekend I would take my family and drive around the city and its surroundings. But now…”

Zhou Qingfeng was unaware of Tang Wen's specific experiences, but after hearing that he was familiar with Richmond, he agreed to let him join the team.

“President, I have a request,” Tang Wen said. “I never imagined that there would be a place where white people are treated as slaves. It’s beyond my imagination.”

In the past, I would have thought this was inhumane, a challenge to the very limits of civilization. But now, all I want is to personally seize a few white and black people and make them slaves for life.

"It sounds like there's some deep-seated grudge?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

Tang Wen remained silent for a moment, his expression blank, before finally uttering, "Yes. But please don't ask why."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded. "Okay, no problem. I don't have that much curiosity."
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Joining the team with Tang Wen was Jiang Menglong, who came from the local area of ​​Dongda University with Lin Anquan. He was a short-haired guy with a fierce and imposing appearance.

Now Lin Anquan has taken over the defense of the 'Holy Light' team, and Jiang Menglong, who accompanied him, has become the special operations captain.

When he first arrived, he was filled with the idea of ​​making a name for himself in this chaotic world, and he wanted to compete with all the heroes and heroines in North America.

When the reconnaissance team needed a deputy captain, Jiang Menglong, who was nearly two meters tall, ran over and volunteered, "President Zhou, I like this kind of apocalypse."

I requested to come abroad because the domestic situation was mainly about production to save ourselves, while the world abroad was in chaos.

When I landed in North America by ship and saw the abandoned cities, blocked roads, abandoned vehicles, and a broken society, I was extremely excited.

I've always dreamed of being a bloodthirsty hero, fighting evil and upholding justice. Now I've finally come to the right place.

“I understand, you want to commit murder legally.” Zhou Qingfeng understood this feeling perfectly. And that's why this guy became the deputy captain of the investigation team.

The group consisted of twelve people, with Rogge and Marcus also accompanying them, serving as medic and translator, respectively. Congus was also present, as his Western appearance was somewhat useful.

Before setting off, Chen Rui drove the "Warthog" on a routine reconnaissance mission. His destination was Famville, a satellite town west of Richmond, a hundred kilometers away.

This is also an agricultural town, surrounded by large forests, with Interstate 460 passing through it, making it a transportation hub of moderate size.

According to aerial reconnaissance, the town has about a thousand people. With such a large population, there must be some industry involved; otherwise, the town couldn't sustain itself.

The reason this place was chosen as the reconnaissance team's first target was that there was an airplane in the town, which often flew in the sky and had even visited Awoni several times.

Both sides were aware of each other's existence.

The planes in Famvi were the common Beechcraft, a single-wing, single-engine aircraft with a small cabin and low payload.

Every time 'Beach' appears, 'Warthog' takes off to monitor it and shows the other side the two M2HB 'Lao Gan Ma' guns under its wings, warning the other side not to cause trouble.

'Bich' was also very obedient, calling out several times on the public channel to indicate that it had no malicious intent and was actually eager to communicate with Awoni Town and exchange information.

In recent months, planes from both sides have landed on roads in each other's settlements, attempting to find places to trade goods that each other needs.

However, the situation after the exchange was not satisfactory. The residents of Famvi Town made a living by growing potatoes, and the only thing they could export was 'potatoes'. But the 'Holy Light' team had no shortage of potatoes at all.

The residents of Famvi Town were extremely envious of Awoni Town's fuel, grain, medicine, and medical services. If the 'Holy Light' team hadn't been so strong, those guys would have come and robbed them long ago.

However, there was one thing that the 'Holy Light' team desperately needed: electricity. The town of Famvi happened to have a 'Stream Lake' reservoir for irrigation, which was equipped with a 10-megawatt hydroelectric power station.

Even during the dry season, the Xihu Hydropower Station can provide tens of thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity every day. It supplies electricity to surrounding towns and is an important part of the local power grid.

Zhou Qingfeng was determined to go and see for himself if he could acquire that power station more than 100 kilometers away. Even if he couldn't, he wanted to at least get a share of its daily power generation.

Even if it only uses 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, it can solve a big problem.

Because of the long distance, the roads were littered with abandoned vehicles, making land transportation inconvenient. Furthermore, highway robbers frequently attempted to ambush and rob people along the roadside, and starving survivors would sometimes set up landmines.

In this situation, the vertical take-off and landing electric 'warthog' is an excellent means of transportation.

The 'Holy Light' reconnaissance team no longer uses modified electric pickup trucks. Instead, three armed 'Warthogs' lead the way, while three ordinary 'Warthogs' transport them. They can reach Famvi town in half an hour by following the abandoned Highway 460.
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Famwi Town has become a fortified village, and the town's survivors have used abandoned vehicles to surround about a hundred buildings, forming a metal wall to block outsiders from attacking.

The wall was dilapidated, rusty, and utterly unsightly. Wooden watchtowers had been built on the wall, with armed sentries observing the surrounding area through binoculars.

In the apocalypse, the struggle for survival resources has led to fierce battles between different factions, leaving everyone living in constant fear.

However, in order to facilitate the flow of supplies, the town had to allow outside survivors to enter, even if it was just to earn some tolls.

When the three 'Warthogs' flew over Famvi, the town's first reaction was not joy, but rather like ants in a boiling pot, scurrying around in all directions, looking for cover.

The town's militia couldn't help but sound the alarm. A group of armed men ran out of the building with their guns, while another group of armed men, holding their helmets, crawled back into the house.

The mayor already knew on the radio that the 'Holy Light' people were coming, but hearing the buzzing of the 'Warthog' generators overhead still sent chills down his spine.

The town's residents were filled with anxiety. The bolder ones looked around anxiously, trying to find out what had happened; the less timid ones simply hid in the basements of their houses and wouldn't come out until the commotion subsided.

Three armed Warthogs circled at low altitude for a while before slipping away, as if they were deliberately showing off the incendiary bombs mounted under their bellies and the two machine guns under their wings.

Before long, the ordinary 'warthog' arrived over the town, chose a spacious spot, and its eight fan motors suddenly sprang into action, creating a strong airflow that whipped up dust and smoke on the ground as it prepared to hover and land.

On an armed Warthog, Chen Rui, who was circling the aircraft, sneered: "These guys are still using manpower for sentry duty, which is too inefficient. We've long since started using infrared radar in conjunction with phased array radar."

The first ordinary 'Warthog' landed, and Kang Gesi and Jiang Menglong, fully armed, led the team down first.

The mayor rushed over, glanced at the scene, and assumed that the Western-looking Kangus was the leader. He smiled and stepped forward to shake hands, saying, "Welcome, I am Ike, the mayor of this town."

Kangus shook hands, introduced himself, and emphasized his position: "Deputy Captain of the 'Holy Light' Reconnaissance Team."

Ah, the vice-captain?!

Mayor Ai Ke had no choice but to look at the taller Jiang Menglong beside him, shake his hand and greet him. But Jiang Menglong also pointed out that he was the deputy captain.

It turns out their leader hasn't arrived yet, but the scale of this appearance is truly grand—they don't travel by land, they descend from the sky.

The first 'Warthog' dropped off four people and flew away. Then the second and third planes landed in succession, bringing over half of the reconnaissance team.

"I am MAX, the captain of this reconnaissance team." The mature-looking MAX stepped down from the 'warthog' and announced that he was the representative of the 'Holy Light'.

Mayor Ike then burst into laughter and beckoned Marco and the members of the reconnaissance team to the town government building—a three-story building that wasn't particularly impressive.

As for Zhou Qingfeng, he did not appear with Marco's group. Instead, he landed a 'warthog' two kilometers outside Famvi Town and mingled among a group of survivors entering and leaving the town. He paid a supply fee before entering the town.

The form of resupply is not fixed; it could be a bottle of gasoline, a can of food, or a few bullets.

Zhou Qingfeng paid for five 9mm pistol bullets to enter, and then discovered that although the town was small, it had everything it needed. There was a restaurant and a bar on the two streets that ran horizontally and vertically.

The bar had no drinks, only boiled potatoes, and they weren't even salted. It seemed like most of the towns didn't even have salt.

Several pale-faced women sat listlessly in the bar. Seeing unfamiliar faces appear, they mustered their energy and tried to solicit customers. However, their haggard appearance meant few people paid them any attention.

Tang Wen, who was thin and didn't look like a bodyguard, wasn't aggressive at all, so he didn't follow Ma Keshi but instead followed Zhou Qingfeng.

A middle-aged prostitute approached, and Tang Wen stepped forward, tossing a few bullets onto the table and pointing to the seat, indicating that he wanted to ask her some questions.

"You're quite generous, giving us original bullets." The middle-aged prostitute casually swept the bullets off the table. She examined the casings closely, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're here for the hydroelectric power station, aren't you?"

The United States has an extremely high gun ownership rate, and the amount of civilian ammunition stockpiles is also staggering. Many post-apocalyptic survival enthusiasts routinely keep tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition at home, even treating them as a store of value.

When the apocalypse truly arrived, countless firefights caused a sharp increase in bullet consumption. In addition, bullets became a form of hard currency, and many survivors began to reload.

Zhou Qingfeng has a semi-automatic bullet reloading machine. The bullets, primers, and propellants are all purchased in advance, and the machine can reload the bullets by recycling the cartridge cases.

However, the quality of reloaded ammunition varies, and there are obvious marks left by gun extraction on the surface, so it is not very popular and can only be sold at a discount when used as currency.

The middle-aged prostitute was good at reading people. She could tell a lot about two strangers just by looking at their clothes, words and actions.

Zhou Qingfeng also became interested, "Besides us, who else is interested in a hydroelectric power station?"

The middle-aged prostitute smiled and winked, staring at Zhou Qingfeng as she said, "It seems you won't need our services. But if you treat us poor women to a meal, I can tell you anything you want to know."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the menu on the bar counter. "Potatoes?"

"There's nothing else but potatoes now," the middle-aged prostitute said with a wry smile. "The bar does have brandy and whiskey, but I don't think you'd be so generous as to offer us drinks."

Zhou Qingfeng wasn't that generous, nor did he want to be taken advantage of. He paid the bill with bullets, treated the bar's prostitutes to a potato meal, and then asked for some important information.

First of all, there are many forces eyeing the 'Creek Lake' hydroelectric power station, especially the 'Richmond Guard', who are determined to acquire it and have already sent people to negotiate, wanting the residents of Famville to join them, with a very tough attitude.

Secondly, a major from the Richmond Guard led a platoon in armored vehicles and appeared outside Famway.

The men in town, fearing the military armored vehicle, had no choice but to allow it into town for supplies. The man had a good time in town, sleeping with several prostitutes and inquiring about the situation in Avoni.

Furthermore, everyone in town knows that a 'Holy Light' team has taken over Awoni Town, recently defeated an attack by hundreds of survivors from the surrounding area, and is doing quite well.

However, news of 'Holy Light' using white slaves also spread, and many white men in the town were indignant but helpless.

The middle-aged prostitute stared into Zhou Qingfeng's eyes one last time and asked, "Your Asian face is quite rare. You must be from 'Holy Light', right?"

(End of this chapter)