Gu Qingcheng went around the village, gathering all the firewood villagers had placed under eaves and in woodsheds into her storage cabinets. Once she had enough, she went to the open space in front of the ancestral hall and arranged the firewood in a semi-circle, leaving a large opening.
Then, Gu Qingcheng blew her whistle, a long note followed by a short one. Hearing the signal, the others knew she was ready. They activated their electronic firecrackers and ran wildly towards the ancestral hall.
Immediately, the zombies in every corner of the village were reactivated. They grunted and shuffled towards the sound.
When Gu Zhaobei and the others reached the ancestral hall, they turned off their sound-attracting firecrackers. Gu Qingcheng tossed a string of electronic firecrackers into the center of the firewood circle and then she and her family climbed onto the tall courtyard wall of the ancestral hall.
The zombies, numbering three to four hundred, entered the firewood circle. Seeing their considerable number, the Gu family launched rockets, igniting the firewood.
Instantly, the zombies panicked, scrambling up and down, but they all jumped into the burning pile and were set ablaze.
A bizarre scene repeated itself in front of the ancestral hall.
The zombies that were even slightly touched by the flames ignited easily, like high-quality firewood sticks. The fire rapidly spread over their entire bodies, and it felt as though the fire was burning from the outside in, and then from the inside out.
Just as they were about to be completely consumed, some zombies’ faces would contort into eerie smiles, and then they would dissolve into ashes, instantly vanishing, leaving only piles of black dust on the ground.
"Holy cow, the combustion rate is too high!"
Gu Qingcheng exclaimed in amazement.
Normal human bodies are primarily water; it was impossible for them to burn so thoroughly after being touched by a little flame.
The three to four hundred zombies drawn into the fire circle all succumbed. After a few "bangs" as the burning progressed, they all turned into piles of ash that fell to the ground.
This was true annihilation.
"Excellent! We've truly found a divine artifact to deal with zombies. As long as there's fire, we can annihilate them.
Who would have thought that the most primitive fire would once again perform a miracle."
Gu Zhaobei breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out zombies were not invincible.
With this knowledge, they could teach the common people to use fire attacks against them in the future.
To verify this, after the first fire died down, Gu Qingcheng used the electronic firecrackers again to lure out another group of zombies. She made a simple torch with a wooden stick, leaped off the high wall, and engaged the newly drawn-out zombies.
The zombies instinctively lunged at her. Gu Zhaobei and the other three provided cover from the side.
Gu Qingcheng met them head-on, poking the torch at the zombies' faces, arms, and legs, wherever their skin was exposed.
Indeed, as soon as the fire touched their skin, the zombies began to burn themselves from the inside out.
After testing over a dozen zombies with the same result, Gu Qingcheng excitedly waved her torch and said:
"As long as there's fire, zombies can be completely subdued. Everyone is saved."
"This method has flaws, but at least it can save people."
Gu Zhaobei said.
"Flaws? What flaws?"
Hu Lanfang asked, confused.
"Ordinary people wouldn't dare to directly brandish fire at zombies. Even with a torch in hand, seeing so many zombies surrounding them, they would panic and easily get injured."
Gu Qingcheng explained herself.
"That's true. I hadn't considered that. We are very brave when facing zombies, but ordinary people won't be so calm.
However, I believe that after experiencing losses from zombies, they will become braver. Courage is cultivated internally; no outsider can help them grow it."
Hu Lanfang's reasoning was sound, and everyone nodded in agreement.
They then tried ice and water attacks and found that zombies feared nothing except fire.
In their one day at Jiren Village, they had gained invaluable experience in dealing with zombies.
Seeing that the time was getting late, Gu Zhaobei said:
"Why don't we withdraw for now? Lingering here has no further value."
However, before leaving, they found more firewood and built several more circles like the one before. Electronic firecrackers were placed inside the circles to lure the zombies, aiming to clear out as many of the village's zombies as possible.
The Gu family then launched rockets everywhere, setting fire to as many houses in the village as they could.
Since most of the village houses were made of wood, they quickly caught fire.
As they left the village and looked back, Jiren Village had become an inferno. They hoped this would eliminate most of the zombies.
The three walked to the water's edge. Gu Qingcheng launched the yacht, and they boarded, leaving the area and heading back towards Fenghuang Village.
Gu Qingcheng noticed that the system's navigation map showed the next larger village as Liantang Village.
"Huh, Liantang Village? Isn't that the village where Liao Xinlang is from?"
Gu Qingcheng told her family.
"Yes, I remember him saying he's a villager from Liantang Village. Let's go see; it's on our way. I recall some zombies chasing Liantang villagers, so I wonder if they suffered." Gu Zhaobei said.
Thus, Gu Qingcheng drove the yacht at full speed.
Little did they know, this impromptu decision would save the lives of thousands of residents in Liantang Village.
When their small boat reached its destination, the Gu family disembarked. As Gu Qingcheng recalled the yacht, they heard shouts and the familiar sounds of zombies from the village ahead.
"Not good, Liantang Village has also fallen victim to the zombies! What should we do?" Gu Zhaobei hesitated, looking at his family.
"Let's go see. If we can help, we should," Hu Lanfang said after a moment's thought.
After their experience at Jiren Village, Hu Lanfang was no longer as afraid of zombies.
Gu Zhaobei, as the head of the family, made up his mind upon hearing this:
"Alright, we'll help them."
Everyone put on protective suits, unafraid of being called strange by the local villagers. Protecting oneself was more important than any odd appearance.
After all, hats like baseball helmets looked strange, but soldiers now wore iron helmets, making them seem somewhat more acceptable by comparison.
Upon entering Liantang Village, they discovered that the villagers had already united and were fighting the zombies.
Among them, Gu Qingcheng spotted Liao Xinlang.
Liao Xinlang, having seen them fighting zombies at Jiren Village, had grasped the knack for killing them. He was now using his newfound experience to defend his village.
The able-bodied men of the village, at his call, were wielding sickles and axes to fight the zombies, creating a powerful spectacle.
However, despite their determination, the zombies seemed to multiply with every blow. This was because if even one person was bitten, they would turn into a zombie, becoming an accomplice to the horde.
Those who had just defended the village were now a threat to it, a truly tragic and disheartening situation.
With the relentless influx of zombies, the villagers were beginning to falter.