Several vehicles quickly gathered together, and everyone inside began preparing for battle.
“The weapons we brought are enough to deal with a small zombie horde. But the situation ahead is unclear, and the zombies seem to be gathering in increasing numbers. I’m afraid…” Liang Qingyun replied, his face full of worry.
Hearing this, Si Yunqi immediately said, “Send two people back to the Capital to report! We’ll follow behind the zombies and act according to the situation. As soon as we find an opportunity, we’ll charge straight in.” He was speaking to Liang Qingyun.
Then Si Yunqi turned to face everyone and declared, “Remember! Our mission this time is to find Third Young Master Chu and Young Master Bai, not to eliminate the zombies! So the moment an opportunity presents itself, head into the city and find them!”
Everyone answered in unison before getting back into their vehicles and following the zombie horde.
Only Si Yunqi and Liang Qingyun exchanged a glance filled with even greater concern. If the zombies attacked the city, Dawn Base would inevitably close its gates and unleash its full firepower. Getting inside under those circumstances would be no easy task.
In that instant, both men prepared themselves for the possibility of dying in this battle.
Inside the meeting room at the Gu residence.
Chu Tian largely ignored Jia Lunxu’s repeated verbal provocations. At a time like this, who had the spare energy to waste on winning an argument with him?
Seeing that Chu Tian refused to respond, Jia Lunxu assumed his opponent was afraid of him and grew even more pleased with himself. Every so often, he would glance at Quan Xiaoyu, apparently hoping to see some kind of reaction on his face.
Quan Xiaoyu had no interest in paying him any attention. Chu Tian had been silent for quite some time. Although he seemed to be daydreaming, Quan Xiaoyu knew that he was using his mental power to observe the situation outside. He was also continually expanding the range of his search.
That was why Quan Xiaoyu was so tense. He stayed close to Chu Tian, ready to prevent any unexpected incident.
Seeing Quan Xiaoyu’s strained, gloomy expression filled Jia Lunxu with delight.
Regretting your choice now, aren’t you? Finally seeing the truth? The man you chose is nothing but a good-for-nothing with a handsome exterior and rotten insides!
None of the changes in Jia Lunxu’s expression escaped Bai Mingxi’s notice. He really wanted to ask whether the man had something wrong with his head.
Unfortunately, he was currently pretending to be Xie Mingxuan, and Chu Tian’s physical body was unprotected while he concentrated on his mental power. Bai Mingxi had no choice but to swallow his sarcastic remarks.
Meanwhile, the General’s daughter seemed extremely dissatisfied that Jia Lunxu was paying absolutely no attention to her. She began pulling out every trick she could think of to attract his interest.
After quite some time, the slightly vacant look in Chu Tian’s eyes finally became lively again. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
This time, while using his mental power to follow Chief Gu’s investigation from beginning to end, Chu Tian had also pushed his abilities to their absolute limit, extending his range beyond the city walls. His original intention had been to find out whether anyone sent by the Chu family was nearby. Unexpectedly, he discovered something else entirely.
How is it? Quan Xiaoyu asked with his eyes.
Chu Tian sighed softly. It seemed that ever since they had entered Dawn Base, fortune had abandoned them.
Very bad. He communicated with the other two through their mental connection. Chief Gu is insisting on keeping us inside his residence, but that’s only to prevent the General from playing any tricks. They’ve already agreed that once all their ability users have successfully advanced one level and the people sent by the An family have been seen off, Chief Gu will make his move and kill us.
Didn’t you already guess that? It’s not the worst news, Bai Mingxi replied.
Right. That’s not the bad news.
Looking at Quan Xiaoyu, who had his eyes wide open as he listened, Chu Tian couldn’t help feeling a pang of affection. He reached out with his right hand, gently rubbed Quan Xiaoyu’s head, then caressed his cheek before continuing.
The moment my mental power extended outside the city, I encountered that mental barrier again.
Su Muxu? Bai Mingxi remembered the man who had escaped yet again. They had failed to kill him twice now.
No. It was those potato-headed creatures! I forcibly broke through their barrier and saw…
Chu Tian suddenly stopped. He seemed reluctant to continue.
Saw what? The other two were gazing into each other’s eyes with such tenderness, but Bai Mingxi was practically dying of impatience.
A zombie siege.
As soon as he said those words, images of the catastrophe that had once unfolded in J City flashed through all three of their minds.
After so much time had passed, the zombies had evolved again. Perhaps their numbers were no longer what they had once been, following the repeated extermination efforts carried out by humans. But that reduction was only relative to their enormous original population. To humanity, they still existed in overwhelming numbers, densely packed and seemingly endless.
Xie Mingxuan was still fast asleep. This time, there would be no zombie king leading an army to their rescue.
There’s something even worse, Chu Tian added.
Bai Mingxi practically wanted to leap over and strangle him. For fuck’s sake, can’t you just tell us everything at once?
I discovered an army of monsters mixed in with the zombies. They’re too far away, and the mental barrier is still there, so I can’t locate whoever is commanding them.
What a bitter disappointment!
They were already so close to the Capital. So close to their families. Even if they could see them just once, that would be enough.
“Do you regret getting involved in other people’s business?” Chu Tian suddenly asked Quan Xiaoyu gently. This time, he spoke aloud instead of using their mental connection. His hand caressed Quan Xiaoyu’s face, his thumb rubbing his cheek with unmistakable tenderness.
After all, getting involved in Dawn Base’s affairs really had been none of their business.
Quan Xiaoyu shook his head. “Some things have to be done by someone. I know what you’re thinking. We’ll just fight our way out together.”
Exactly! What did it matter? They would simply fight their way out together!
As long as the humans didn’t turn their guns on them, escaping the city shouldn’t be a problem.
Chu Tian smiled and took Quan Xiaoyu’s hand. With him by his side, Chu Tian felt reassured. A zombie siege might even be another kind of opportunity. At the very least, the General would no longer be able to concentrate all his firepower on them.
Meanwhile, Jia Lunxu was being pestered by the General’s daughter. Yet in the brief time it took him to glance away and back, he discovered that Chu Tian and Quan Xiaoyu were gazing at each other affectionately again.
He immediately felt as though they had slapped him in the face. He was just about to say something when the meeting room door opened once more.
Chief Gu had returned.
The moment he entered, he gave Chu Tian a hypocritical smile, preparing to say something. He had already worked out his entire speech on the way back. He intended to put on a convincing act of resolutely protecting Chu Tian and the others, making them believe that they were all in the same boat and keeping them calm. Once everything else had been settled, he would take their lives, fulfilling his agreement and deal with the General.
He had planned every detail on his way back.
However, before he could open his mouth, Chu Tian waved a hand and spoke first.
“Chief Gu, there’s no need to say anything. Send someone to check the city gates first. The city is under siege! There’s a massive zombie horde outside!”
Chief Gu’s mind was still occupied with how he would deceive the three of them. When he suddenly heard Chu Tian’s words, he couldn’t process them for a moment.
A full minute passed before he finally exclaimed in shock, “What did you say?!”
“A zombie horde. The city is under siege. There are a tremendous number of them.” Chu Tian repeated the key information.
While Chief Gu was still trying to process this shocking news, Jia Lunxu sneered.
“Come now, Young Master Chu. Are you really willing to try anything to save your own life? What, do you have the ability to predict the future? You know what’s happening outside the city?”
As he spoke, he burst into laughter.
“Then how come you didn’t foresee the danger last night? If you had, nobody would have died yesterday, would they?”
He truly knew how to rub salt into other people’s wounds.
Chu Tian treated him as though he were invisible and continued addressing Chief Gu. “This concerns life and death. There’s no time to waste. Please send someone to investigate immediately!”
Looking at Chu Tian’s resolute gaze and serious expression, Chief Gu found himself believing him almost instinctively. Without another word, he turned and hurried out again.
This time, it wasn’t long before Chief Gu returned in a panic.
At the General’s residence, the General, who had reached an agreement with Chief Gu, was just preparing to withdraw some of the forces he had deployed around the Gu residence.
Of course, he intended to withdraw only part of them. He was worried that Chief Gu might go back on their agreement, so he still wanted to keep something up his sleeve.
However, the order to withdraw had barely been issued when he received a shocking report: a large number of zombies had appeared outside the city, and there were signs that they were preparing to surround it!
The General was horrified.
Since Dawn Base had been established, it had never experienced an attack by a massive zombie horde.
Everyone else thought they had simply been lucky to have occupied such a favorable location when building the base. Only the General knew the truth.
Lucky, my ass!
It was all because of that person.
He didn’t understand what that person did, but he knew the man possessed extraordinary abilities. He even seemed capable of controlling zombies. It was precisely because that person had promised that no zombies would ever approach Dawn Base as long as he remained there that the General had agreed to that utterly inhumane bargain!
Without that person, how could a group of people who had traveled such a long distance from the south have established a base so quickly and easily, then gone on to live so comfortably?
The laboratory had always been a thorn in the General’s side. Yet for the sake of so many people’s survival, he believed the sacrifices were worthwhile. Even now, he refused to admit that he had done anything wrong.
The moment he received the report, the General summoned his most trusted subordinate. Even though they were alone in his office, he still lowered his voice.
“Go and bring him here. Ask him what’s going on.”
His subordinate was also involved in the matter and understood perfectly well who the General meant by him.
Soon, a secret passage opened in the study, and the subordinate quickly slipped inside. There was a hidden tunnel connecting the General’s study directly to the laboratory.
The General paced anxiously back and forth. After thinking it over for some time, he finally decided to redeploy his firepower and ability users to reinforce the city gates in case the zombies really did attack.
To be honest, because of that person, the General’s army had never gained any experience defending the city against a zombie assault. Now, he himself felt deeply uneasy and was placing all his hopes on that mysterious individual.
By the time Chief Gu returned, the redeployment and preparations outside were already underway. The troops stationed around the outer perimeter of the Gu residence had received orders to head for the city gates, taking their heavy weapons with them.
Although no definitive report from the city gates had reached him yet, Chief Gu already believed Chu Tian’s warning was true.
So the first thing he said upon entering was, “What do we do?!”
He was utterly exhausted. The political maneuvering of the past few days had already worn him down, and now a major crisis like a zombie siege had erupted. This was far beyond anything he was good at or capable of handling.
The large-scale movement of military forces filled Chief Gu with a sense of panic. It reminded him of the early days of the apocalypse, when he had fled S City in a wretched state.
“Unite all available forces and defend the city with everything we’ve got.” Chu Tian gave him a single answer, but his tone was firm.
The unusual atmosphere finally made Jia Lunxu realize that something was wrong.
“Are the zombies really surrounding the city? That’s impossible. With him there…”
He abruptly fell silent before he could finish.
Chu Tian suddenly decided to acknowledge him after all. He shot Jia Lunxu a sidelong glance and sneered.
“You’re nothing but a discarded pawn!”
There was no need to ask. The mysterious him was undoubtedly the mastermind behind the laboratory. Jia Lunxu, the An family, Su Muxu, and the General had all been connected by invisible strings controlled by that person.
“Unite all available forces and defend the city… Unite all available forces and defend the city…”
Chief Gu repeated Chu Tian’s words, suddenly at a loss.
He realized that when it came to a situation requiring actual combat, even though he was an ability user himself, he had no idea what he should do or how he should do it!
Chu Tian understood immediately. This man had probably never experienced real combat. After a sigh, he changed his advice.
“You should go find the General first.”
At least the General was a soldier. Surely he would know what to do.
Chief Gu seemed to have grasped a lifeline. Repeating Chu Tian’s words once more, he turned to leave, only for Chu Tian to seize his arm.
“Let us leave this place! We’ll find our own way out of the city,” Chu Tian said.
“No!” Chief Gu blurted out instinctively.
Chu Tian sneered. “You’re not still thinking about your deal with the General, are you? If the zombies break through, you’ll have enough trouble just keeping yourselves alive. Instead of worrying about all that, you should be thinking about how to survive.”
“But…” What if the zombies didn’t attack after all? If he let Chu Tian escape, how would he explain himself to the General?
Chu Tian could tell at a glance that Chief Gu was still clinging to a sliver of wishful thinking. He couldn’t be bothered to reason with him any further and instead spoke in a threatening tone.
“You wouldn’t want us to slaughter everyone here before forcing our way out, would you? You’d be better off keeping more people alive to defend the city!”
Chief Gu shuddered. The arm Chu Tian had gripped was beginning to ache, and he could clearly see the killing intent in the young man’s eyes.
In the end, he gave in.
For some inexplicable reason, he simply believed that if he continued to refuse, the seemingly gentle young man who had always worn a mild smile could slaughter everyone in the residence in the next instant.
As Chu Tian led Quan Xiaoyu away by the hand, he tossed one last remark at Jia Lunxu, who was still being clung to by the General’s daughter.
“Just wait and see how your master abandons you.”
For a moment, Jia Lunxu was practically driven mad with rage.
Discarded pawn! Discarded pawn! Discarded pawn!
This wasn’t the first time!
Why did his life seem to repeat itself over and over, with the most humiliating things always happening just when he was at the height of his success?
The three of them left the Gu residence without obstruction, but things weren’t nearly so easy once they reached the outside.
The General had withdrawn the troops surrounding the residence, but he had still left a squad of ability users behind.
When they saw Chu Tian and the others emerge, the squad was momentarily stunned. Then, without hesitation, they launched an attack.
Their orders were clear: kill those people on sight!
Chu Tian showed no mercy. Without a word, he unleashed a large-scale mental attack.
This was the first time he had attacked humans on such a massive scale with his mental power, without the slightest hesitation or restraint.
More than a dozen ability users had only just activated their powers. Before they could even hurt the three of them, they all collapsed at once.
Their companions were startled, but before they could think things through, a second wave of attackers rushed forward. Those who launched the attack promptly fell as well, face-first on the ground, silent and motionless.
At last, someone understood what was happening and shouted in terror, “High-level mental attack! They have a high-level mental-type ability user!”
His voice was filled with fear.
The remaining men stopped in their tracks, uncertain whether they should continue fighting. Everyone who had fallen had been someone who tried to attack. They wanted to flee, but they also knew that if this was a mental attack, they might not be able to escape either.
Why would a high-level mental-type ability user, the kind usually found only at the Capital Base, appear here?!
Every one of them was thinking the same thing in terror.
Seeing them standing frozen, afraid to approach, attack, or even flee, Chu Tian finally spoke.
“A zombie horde is coming. Go defend the city! If you can’t hold it, then run! Protect your families. At a time like this, nothing matters more.”
With that, Chu Tian led the other two forward without stopping. Along the way, he casually commandeered one of their vehicles.
There was no longer any need to keep up the act. Bai Mingxi quickly tore away the cloth wrapped around him and jumped into the vehicle, returning to his usual light and agile manner.
As he climbed in, he gave Chu Tian a thumbs-up.
“Awesome!”
“Awesome my ass!” Chu Tian replied while driving. “That took a lot out of me. Give me a bottle of water!”
He hadn’t forgotten how, the first time he had gone all out to attack those black birds, he had nearly died.
Of course, that situation was nothing like today’s.
Quan Xiaoyu had noticed it, too. Chu Tian’s temples were visibly throbbing. It was clear that killing so many ability users in a single burst had taken a considerable toll on him.
But if he hadn’t done this, how could he have intimidated the other ability users enough to escape so quickly? Every second counted now. They couldn’t afford to get bogged down in a prolonged battle with them.
The vehicle sped toward the city outskirts. As they passed the “Healing Center,” the three saw the faces of its residents, still heavily made up and completely unaware of what was happening outside.
“Will they survive?” Quan Xiaoyu couldn’t help murmuring with a sigh.
Chu Tian kept his foot pressed hard against the accelerator. He reached out and patted Quan Xiaoyu on the head, but said nothing.
The vehicle raced down the road, startling numerous passersby as it sped toward the city exit.
Please… let us get out before the zombies completely surround the city!