After a brief respite on the roof, Ryan looked at the bridge not far away, his mind racing. He knew that every decision could determine whether everyone lived or died. He looked at the survivors around him; the little girl was clinging to her young mother's arms, with fear still lingering in her eyes; the old man was leaning on a mop handle, his face tired but also filled with a desire to survive.
Ryan took a deep breath and began to think carefully. He was an engineer, and in the midst of this apocalypse, his knowledge might be the key to their survival. He recalled the engineering principles and mechanical constructions that he had studied and practiced, trying to find a way to help everyone out of their predicament. He knew that he couldn't survive for long with only the rudimentary weapons in his hands and blindly running away, he had to utilize his wits.
"Everyone rest here for a while, I'll think of something." Ryan said to the crowd. He crouched down, picked up a stone, and began to draw a diagram on the floor of the roof. He drew the general structure of the bridge, labeling possible danger spots and potential uses.
"The bridge looks like our best option at the moment, but we can't just walk across it." Ryan said as he pointed to the diagram, "The water under the bridge is dangerous, and with that mutant crocodile still around, we're going to need some protection."
The young mother looked at Ryan with a hint of hope in her eyes, "Do you have a solution?"
Ryan nodded, "I'm thinking that we can use the materials around us to make some simple protective gear, such as making shields out of car parts and some metal pieces."
With that said, Ryan took a few people and started looking around the roof for usable materials. They stopped by an abandoned car and Ryan circled around it, taking a closer look. "The doors on this car can be removed to use as the body of the shield." Ryan said before pulling out his tools and starting to remove the door. He started by using a wrench to unscrew the screws, which took a lot of effort to loosen because of the rust. Each time he unscrewed one, a fine bead of sweat grew on his forehead.
Once the door was removed, Ryan rummaged through the wreckage of the car for the right piece of metal. He picked up a triangular piece of metal, looked it over in the sunlight, and said to himself, "This can be used as the spiked part of a shield for added offense." He placed the metal piece on the door of the car and gesticulated, looking for the best place to mount it.
Next, Ryan began to work on the material. He found a relatively flat area to use as a workbench and placed the car door on it. He grabbed a piece of string he had found from the supermarket and prepared to secure the metal pieces to the door. However, the sharp edges of the pieces made it easy to cut his hands, so Ryan first wrapped a strip of cloth around the edges of the pieces a few times.
He threaded the rope through the small, pre-drilled holes in the metal shards and tied it tightly to the car door. With each knot he tied, he pulled hard and tight to make sure the metal shard wouldn't come loose. The rope frayed his fingers several times during the tying process, but he just frowned and continued the motion in his hand.
"This shield still needs a handle so we can use it better." Ryan said. He searched the surrounding rubble for a suitable material and eventually found a steel pipe of moderate thickness. He used a tool to cut the steel pipe to the right length, and then punched holes in the right places on the door of the car to mount the pipe as a handle.
While making the shield, Ryan also thought of making some arm guards. He removed some metal tubes from the wreckage of a motorcycle and hammered them into the right shape. He bent the metal tubes to fit the curves of his arms and then connected them with wire.
To increase the protection of the arm guards, Ryan tied some ballistic fibers found in used bulletproof undershirts to the arm guards. These fibers were tough and lightweight, and could withstand infected attacks to a certain extent. He wrapped the fibers around the arm guard layer by layer, and with each layer, he secured it with a needle and thread to make sure the fibers wouldn't come apart.
In the process of making the arm guard, Ryan made full use of his engineering knowledge. He calculated the force points of the armguard and adjusted the bending angle of the metal tubes according to ergonomics to ensure that the force would be evenly dispersed to minimize the damage to the user's arm when attacked. He also reinforced the key connection parts of the arm guard with some small metal pieces to make the whole arm guard more solid.
When he finished making an armguard, he picked up a stone and smashed it hard against the armguard. The armguard was only slightly deformed and did not appear to be broken or torn. "This should be fine." Ryan nodded in satisfaction.
He continued to make the other arm guards, each of which was very finely crafted. During the crafting process, he also explained the main points and principles of crafting to the other survivors, so that they could also participate in the making of the protective equipment.
One of the survivors encountered difficulties in the making process, the bending angle of the metal tube was always wrong. Ryan went over to him and patiently instructed him, "Look, here you have to adjust it according to the degree of bending of the arm, not too bent or too straight, and pay attention to the symmetry of the two sides." Under Ryan's guidance, the survivor quickly mastered the technique and successfully completed an arm guard.
As time went on, they made a sufficient number of shields and arm guards. Ryan picked up a shield and put on an arm guard and showed it to the group, "Everyone, with this protective gear, we have an extra safeguard in the face of danger."
The other survivors picked up the protective gear and tried it on. The young mother held the shield and felt it was lighter than expected, she looked at Ryan gratefully, "You're amazing, this equipment makes me feel so much safer."
Ryan smiled, "This is just the beginning, we need more protection."
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Clare was busy in the medical tent of the military base. She carefully treated the wounds of the injured soldiers and survivors, each action filled with concentration and gentleness. Her eyes revealed determination, although she was safe for the time being, she knew that there were still many people out there suffering.
"Clare, we're running out of medicine." An aide said to her.
Clare frowned, "I know, we'll have to find a way to find more medicine. Also, see if we can find clues to the antivirus from these injured people."
She walked over to the bedside of one of the soldiers who had been bitten by the infected but hadn't mutated yet and scrutinized his symptoms. The soldier's face was pale, the skin around his wounds had begun to darken, he was sometimes awake and sometimes unconscious, and he was muttering some gibberish.
Clare picked up the chart and recorded the soldier's temperature, blood pressure and other data, she had a hunch in her mind that this data could be the key to finding the antidote.
Back on Ryan's side, the protective shield was partially made. Ryan had another idea, he looked at the abandoned vehicles on the bridge and thought that he could use them to put up some barriers.
"We can push these vehicles together to form a line of defense, which will delay the attack of the mutant crocodiles." Ryan said to the group.
With that, the crowd began to move. They carefully descended from the roof and walked towards the bridge. With every step, Ryan vigilantly looked around, especially at the water under the bridge.
When they reached the bridge, Ryan began directing the group to move the vehicles. It wasn't an easy task; some of the vehicles were heavy and spread out. But everyone worked together and slowly pushed the vehicles together using leverage and some simple mechanical tricks.
While pushing a large truck, there was an accident. The truck's brakes seemed to be stuck, and no matter how hard they pushed, the truck wouldn't budge. Moreover, the movement of the truck caught the attention of the surrounding infected, and they began to gather towards the bridge.
"Not good, we have to solve this problem quickly or we'll be surrounded by infected." Ryan said anxiously.
He crawled under the truck and looked at the brake system. The brake lines were rusted and tangled together, Ryan tried to untangle them with a tool, but the small space made it difficult to maneuver. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, his heart raced, and he knew time was running out.
Just then, the infected had gotten closer. The young mother and the others grabbed their weapons and prepared to resist. The little girl hid behind a car, fear in her eyes.
Ryan worked desperately under the truck, his fingers cut by the brake line, but he couldn't care less about the pain. Finally, he found the key to the problem, and with a hard pull, the brake line came loose.
"Push!" Ryan shouted. The crowd pushed together, the truck moved slowly, and they managed to push the truck to the position of the defense line.
By now, the infected had made it to the bridge. Ryan picked up his shield and formed a defense formation with everyone. The infected frantically pounced on them, and they brandished their weapons and fought with the infected.
Ryan blocked an infected's attack with his shield and then stabbed it hard in the stomach with his crowbar. Blood splashed onto his face, but he didn't flinch. The young mother also showed great bravery as she stabbed the infected with a homemade spear, protecting the little girl behind her.
In the middle of the battle, one of the survivors was accidentally grabbed by an infected's arm. Seeing this, Ryan rushed over and used his shield to knock the infected out of the way before pulling up the injured survivor.
"How are you doing?" Ryan asked.
"My arm ... seems to have been bitten." The survivor said in pain.
Ryan's heart sank, he knew what it meant to be bitten by an infected. But he didn't have time to grieve, he shouted to the young mother, "Take him to the back and bandage him up first."
After a fierce battle, they finally repelled the infected. Ryan looked at the exhausted crowd and his heart was filled with emotion. They were struggling to survive in this apocalypse, and every battle made them stronger and more appreciative of each other's lives.
"We can't stop, we have to continue to improve our defense." Ryan said.
They set up some more traps behind the vehicle defense line, making improvised trip wires and stab pits with wire and sharp objects they found from around the area. Ryan also set up some devices that could be used to attack at key locations in the defense line, such as catapults made from springs and metal rods that could be used to attack the mutant crocodiles at critical moments.
During his busy schedule, Ryan noticed a pier on one side of the bridge with some climbing handles on it. With a twitch in his heart, he thought that this could be an alternate escape route.
"If we can't hold on the bridge, we can climb down from that abutment to the river bank." Ryan said to the group, pointing at the bridge abutment.
He then arranged for one of his men to stand guard near the bridge abutment and prepare ropes and other climbing tools, just in case.
And in the military base, Clare's research had made new progress. After comparing and analyzing the blood samples of some survivors and infected people, she discovered a special kind of antibody. This antibody was present in some people who were not infected or had mild symptoms after infection.
"This could be the key to fighting the virus." Krall said excitedly to the captain.
The captain looked at the data report in Kral's hands, and a light of hope appeared in his eyes as well, "We have to find a way to extract and cultivate this antibody to make an antidote."
Kral nodded, "I need more lab equipment and specialized help. "
The captain immediately arranged for someone to find any relevant equipment and other medical personnel that might exist on the base. They knew that this could be the hope of saving the world, and there couldn't be the slightest delay.
On Ryan's side, the defense line was basically set up. They had applied some fuel collected from the car's gas tank on their shields, ready to attack with fire when the mutant crocodiles attacked.
"Everyone get ready, the mutant crocodiles may appear at any time." Ryan said.
They waited nervously, everyone's heartbeat involuntarily speeding up. Suddenly, the water under the bridge began to fluctuate violently, and a huge figure loomed in the water.
"It's coming!" Someone shouted.
The mutant crocodile slowly surfaced, its huge eyes staring at the crowd on the bridge, opening its bloody mouth and revealing its sharp teeth. It swam towards the bridge, bringing up huge splashes of water with every swim.
Ryan gripped his shield tightly, his palms were covered in sweat, but his eyes were firm. He knew that this was a battle of life and death, and they had to win.
As the mutant crocodile approached the bridge, it leapt out of the water and lunged towards the crowd. Ryan shouted, "Light the fire!"
The crowd quickly ignited the fuel on their shields and waved them towards the mutant crocodile. The flames burned in the air, forming a wall of fire. The mutant crocodile seemed to be a bit wary of the flames as it changed direction in the air and landed in front of the vehicle defense line.
"Attack!" Ryan shouted. They used catapults to fire metal rods towards the mutant crocodile, while attacking its vulnerable parts such as its eyes and mouth with their weapons.
The mutant crocodile became more furious after being attacked. It hit the vehicle defenses so hard that some of the vehicles were knocked out of position. Seeing the critical situation, Ryan picked up a spear tied with a burning cloth and charged towards the mutant crocodile.
"Ryan, no!" The young mother shouted.
Ryan ignored it as he rushed to the side of the mutant crocodile and forcefully stabbed the spear into its body. The spear pierced into the crocodile's scales and burst into flames. The mutant crocodile ate the pain and turned around to bite towards Ryan. Ryan quickly blocked it with his shield, and the powerful bite made him feel a sharp pain in his arm.
The other survivors saw Ryan in danger and rushed over. They attacked the mutant crocodile with various weapons, trying to distract it.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the mutant crocodile was finally repelled. It dived into the water with a wound all over its body.
Ryan collapsed to the ground, his arm numb. The young mother rushed over to check his injuries, "Are you okay? You were too impulsive."
Ryan smiled bitterly, "We had no other choice."
Although they repelled the mutated crocodiles, they also paid a heavy price. Several people were seriously injured and there was some loss of supplies.
"We need to find a place to rest and treat the wounded." Ryan said.
They decided to settle in a toll booth near the bridge for now. The toll booth was a relatively sturdy building with some facilities around it that could be utilized.
Once inside the toll booth, Ryan began to check everyone's injuries. He treated the wounds of the injured with the medicines he found in the medical kit, while arranging for people to set up a guard around the toll booth.
In the process of treating the wounds, Ryan realized that they had very little medical supplies left. They had to find new supplies as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable if someone got infected or their condition worsened.
He looked at the exhausted crowd with worry in his heart. But he knew that they couldn't give up now, they had come this far and had to keep going.
In the military base, Clare and the other medical personnel had found some experimental equipment, and they began to try to extract and cultivate that particular antibody. The process didn't go well, and they ran into a lot of technical difficulties and resource constraints.
"We need more samples and more advanced equipment." Krall said to the captain.
The captain frowned, "We'll figure something out. It's getting dangerous out there now and it's risky to go out looking for supplies."
Clare knew the captain's concerns, but she also understood that they had to take risks in order to make the antidote.
"I can take a squad out there and we'll be careful." Clare said.
The captain looked at Clare's determined eyes and finally nodded, "Alright, but make sure you stay safe."
Clare began to prepare for the operation of going out to look for supplies. She picks out some of the more physically fit and well-equipped soldiers, as well as preparing some protection and tools for collecting samples.
Back on Ryan's side, they took a short break in the tollbooth before beginning to plan their next move.
"We need to find more food, water and medical supplies." Ryan said to the group, "There may be some stores or warehouses nearby that we can check out."
They decided to split up into groups and move, with one group staying at the toll booth to take care of the wounded and guard the supplies, while Ryan led the other group out to look for supplies.
Before heading out, Ryan checked their weapons and protective gear again. He said to the group, "Everyone be careful, don't panic when you encounter the infected, we have to cooperate with each other."
They carefully made their way out of the toll booth and headed towards a nearby business district. The streets were still a mess, littered with abandoned vehicles and trash.
Suddenly, they heard a strange noise. Ryan signaled for everyone to stop as he looked around warily. The sound was getting louder and louder, as if it was some kind of machinery running.
"Could there be other survivors?" Someone speculated.
Ryan shook his head, "Not quite, we need to be careful."
They walked towards the source of the sound and found a huge abandoned factory. The doors to the factory were closed, but the sounds inside were clearly audible. Ryan walked up to the gate and tried to find a way to open it.
He found a control box next to the gate, the control box was somewhat damaged but he tried to open it anyway. After some fiddling, the light on the control box came on and the gate slowly opened.
They walked into the factory, which was filled with a pungent odor. The factory was filled with all sorts of large mechanical equipment, some of which were still running and making humming sounds.
"Something strange seems to be happening here." Ryan said.
They explored the factory carefully and found some strange symbols and patterns carved into the walls. The symbols looked like some sort of ancient writing and Ryan tried to decipher them but was clueless.
In one corner of the factory they found a locked room. The door to the room had a complicated combination lock.
"There could be something we need in here." Ryan said as he looked at the combination lock.
He began to study the structure of the combination lock, trying to find a way to open it. He used his engineering knowledge to analyze the way the lock cylinder was connected to the lock body, looking for possible cracking points.
The other survivors were on guard around the area as they nervously watched Ryan operate it. Suddenly, the lights in the factory began to flicker, and the sound of machinery running became more urgent.
"Not good, it could be dangerous." Someone shouted.
Ryan ignored it, he was fully focused on cracking the combination lock. Finally, he found the key to the combination lock, and with a slight click, it opened.
They opened the door to the room, and inside was a warehouse filled with all kinds of supplies. There was food, water, medical supplies, and some strange equipment and documents.
"We found it!" Someone shouted excitedly.
But before they could rejoice, danger had descended on the factory. A group of mechanical monsters rushed out of the darkness, their bodies made of metal and mechanical parts, their eyes flashing red as they lunged towards the crowd.
Ryan grabbed his weapon and shouted, "Fight!"
They engaged in a fierce battle with the mechanical monsters. These mechanical monsters were agile and powerful, and their metal claws and teeth were very sharp.
Ryan blocked a mechanical monster's attack with his shield and then pounded towards its joints with his iron rod. He realized that the joints of these mechanical monsters were their weak points, and by attacking there, he could incapacitate them.
The young mother and the others followed suit and they fought the mechanical monsters to the death. During the battle, one of the survivors was grabbed by the mechanical monsters and dragged into the darkness, his screams echoing through the factory.
"Don't give up! We must survive!" Ryan shouted.
They gradually found a way to deal with the mechanical monsters during the battle, using the environment in the factory to maneuver around them and attack them.