Chapter 79: Zombie Siege (Part One)

Chapter 79: Zombie Siege (Part One)

Wei Yuan thought he might be experiencing auditory hallucinations.

"What did you say?" Wei Yuan inquired.

The three people present all turned their attention towards him, and Qi Chanyang considerately repeated, "Why don't we just annihilate all the zombies?"

Wei Yuan remained silent, "Annihilate all the zombies, what?"

"Wipe them out?"

"What do you mean by 'wipe them all out'?"

"The zombies, of course."

"Who?!"

"Me." Jie Fangcheng pointed at himself, followed by a speechless pause, "What world are you living in, let's go."

He turned to leave. Without any hesitation, Qi Chanyang followed, and Nie Shuangshuang, cursing under her breath, also trailed behind.

"What do you mean 'you'? Am I not a person too? Won't I fight alongside you?? Can you catch up without me??"

Jie Fangcheng quickly corrected himself: "Us, us."

"That's more like it. Do you have any plans in mind?"

"Ah? Do we need a plan? Isn't it about hitting whatever we see?"

Nie Shuangshuang scoffed, "Tch, brute!"

Jie Fangcheng humbly asked, "Then what is your plan?"

"Uh..." Nie Shuangshuang was stumped.

Jie Fangcheng disdainfully retorted, "Tch, brute!"

"I will chop you down!" Nie Shuangshuang drew a large cleaver from her backpack with a swoosh.

Jie Fangcheng casually placed a baseball bat on his shoulder.

Nie Shuangshuang turned her head: "Xiao Yang, right? What's your name? How many times have you cleared levels? Which guild are you from?"

Jie Fangcheng scoffed again, "Tch, coward!"

Nie Shuangshuang pretended not to hear: "Move faster, Xiao Yang! Why aren't you eager to earn points?"

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Meanwhile, Tao Youyuan heard the noise and emerged from another room with a player who looked like a scholarly strategist wearing glasses, just in time to see the trio's retreating figures.

That guy named Jie Fangcheng resembled a street ruffian, swaggering with a bat on his shoulder and one hand in his pocket. His appearance was oddly schizophrenic, ostentatiously flamboyant yet demure, thanks to a red feminine cloak and an even stranger white rabbit carrot headband he was wearing.

Beside him, the "Mad Rabbit" Nie Shuangshuang was wielding a large cleaver, her fiery bob haircut paired with the cleaver giving her a formidable look... well, until she turned the cleaver sideways to check her reflection in it.

Qi Chanyang followed them, looking like a bag-carrying underling.

Despite himself, Wei Yuan couldn't help but follow them.

He couldn't fathom what Nie Shuangshuang was thinking. Had this woman gone completely mad?? Considering their current strength, was she really fooling around with that newbie who had only cleared three levels?? Did she think this was a game?

Damn it!

Wei Yuan cursed softly, yet he too exited the room, heading in the direction where Jie Fangcheng and the others had gone.

Tao Youyuan hurriedly stopped him: "Brother Yuan! Where are they going?"

Wei Yuan replied stoically: "To fight the zombies."

Tao Youyuan paused, "Fight now? It won't be of much use. The NPCs have already prepared to abandon the base. The zombies have evolved over a long period, and now common firearms can hardly defeat them. Our attacks won't have much effect; it's already too late."

"It's because you haven't killed enough of them."

"What?"

"Why not eradicate all the zombies?"

"???" Tao Youyuan looked utterly bewildered, "Eradicate the zombies what?"

"Eliminate them entirely."

"…Eliminate them entirely??"

"The zombies."

"Who??? Who could possibly eradicate all the zombies??"

Wei Yuan sighed, "Alright, enough with the drama. Go inform the person in charge of this base."

"…Inform them about what?"

Wei Yuan sarcastically remarked, "A god has descended upon us, prepare to welcome him!"

.

Despite his sarcastic remarks, Wei Yuan couldn't help but follow Nie Shuangshuang and the others, his worry evident.

Having lived in the base for quite a while, Qi Chanyang was well-acquainted with the place, leading them skillfully upwards.

This human base, established underground, was somewhat rough around the edges, yet overly meticulous in certain aspects.

Like the apartment where Qi Chanyang and others resided; stepping out of it, one could clearly recognize it was indeed an "apartment"… a section sawed off from some building above.

The entire underground base was filled with these segmented rooms.

It resembled a child constructing a crude city on the beach, with imperfect roads and infrastructure. However, the same child also possessed exquisite pre-made blocks, which were forcibly incorporated into the sandy cityscape.

Qi Chanyang explained, "Initially, all thirteen human bases were on the surface. As time went by, the power of the zombies increased significantly, even evolving to harbor special abilities like humans. Consequently, human bases gradually retreated underground. The thirteenth base, located on the easternmost side near the ocean, serves as a critical frontline against oceanic creatures. Hence, the plans to move underground were constantly postponed, only commencing half a year ago. The rapid augmentation of the zombies' power meant they only had time to dismantle buildings from the surface and transport them down with the help of earth manipulators."

Jie Fangcheng murmured, "Like a sunken ship."

Nie Shuangshuang paused momentarily before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, indeed."

It indeed resembled a situation where a treasure-laden ship had sunk into the crude seabed, and human civilization had descended into the earth.

Along their journey, the trio encountered many individuals.

One could tell that Qi Chanyang was a person with a warm heart just from the way he treated new players during the first instance. Now, as they traveled, people constantly greeted him along the way.

“Team Leader Qi, have you received any new missions?”

“Good evening, Team Leader Qi.”

“Team Leader Qi?” Jie Fangcheng echoed.

Qi Chanyang scratched his nose, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Our initial plan was to infiltrate the upper echelons and then move to Base Number One. Unexpectedly, before we could blend in, they chose to confront the zombies in this desperate, all-or-nothing manner.”

The trio moved at a brisk pace, and in their conversation, they had already reached the exit of the underground base.

At the exit was a rudimentary elevator guarded by two NPCs.

Wei Yuan and Tao Youyuan trailed behind them, arriving a bit late.

Once Tao Youyuan caught up, he immediately asked, “Have you gone mad? Do you have any idea what the situation is like outside right now??”

“No idea,” Jie Fangcheng replied, “How would we know the current situation outside if we don't take a look?”

Tao Youyuan turned to Nie Shuangshuang, holding a slim hope that this expert, who had cleared over a hundred instances, would be a bit more restrained.

But he really should have known better.

Nie Shuangshuang agreed, “Exactly.”

The pair continued their conversation without delaying their exit, quickly reaching the elevator.

The two guards at the elevator were taken aback upon seeing the unfamiliar faces of Jie Fangcheng and Nie Shuangshuang, but then recognized Qi Chanyang.

“Team Leader Qi, what is going on…?”

Qi Chanyang was vague, “We're just going up to take a look.”

“Perhaps it's best not to go up,” one of the guards suggested. Before he could explain why, a tremendous noise resembling something crashing resonated from the ground, causing the entire earth to shake.

Once the booming noise subsided, the guard forced a wry smile, “The zombies are besieging us again.”

Since the thirteenth human base was the last to relocate underground, the surrounding zombies, and even those a bit farther away, were unable to detect the human presence deeply buried in other bases, leaving them with no option but to target the yet-to-relocate thirteenth base.

Over the past six months, the base had withstood countless sieges, and now the sturdy outer walls of the base, despite being repaired over and over, were on the brink of collapse.

“Don't worry, Team Liu is guarding above, the plan will surely succeed!”

If the plan succeeds, it would mean their death as players!

Qi Chanyang was pondering on what pretext to use to go up, followed by creating a story to gain the trust of the NPCs stationed above, and finally, figuring out a way to get Brother Jie out…

Before he could formulate a full plan, Jie Fangcheng’s eyes lit up, “Oh, the zombies are here? Isn't this a fortunate coincidence?”

With that said, he acted decisively, stepping directly into the elevator.

Nie Shuangshuang quickly followed suit.

The guards stood agape, entirely unprepared for the pair to bypass them without even a word of greeting.

"Hey!! Stop this nonsense right now! This is a critical time!”

Both of the frantic NPC guards hurried into the elevator, attempting to drag the two out.

The elevator was spacious, and Wei Yuan followed them in, attempting to mediate, but eventually walked in as well.

Tao Youyuan and another player he brought along also entered to try and persuade them, uttering, "Given the dire situation right now, you should at least get a grasp of the current circumstances first..."

Before the sentence was completed, Nie Shuangshuang had already pressed a button.

The elevator began to ascend slowly.

Everyone: "..."

Jie Fangcheng exclaimed, "How did you know that button was for going up?"

The elevator was very rudimentary, lacking not only doors but having only two buttons.

But Nie Shuangshuang pressed a button with a certain confidence, as if knowing exactly which one would make the elevator ascend.

Nie Shuangshuang boasted proudly, "The button either goes up or down. Since it can't go down, I just picked one at random! See, isn't my luck great? Got it on the first try, haha."

"Impressive!" remarked Jie Fangcheng.

Everyone: "..."

The NPC guards turned their attention back to Qi Chanyang.

"Team Leader Qi! What is going on here?! It's very dangerous up there!!”

"Uh," Qi Chanyang hadn't yet formulated a response when Nie Shuangshuang gave a reassuring pat on the shoulder of the nearly distraught NPC.

"Take it easy, we're here precisely to handle dangerous situations. Right, Brother Jie?”

Jie Fangcheng nodded, "Yes."

The NPC looked at Qi Chanyang with a sense of despair.

All Qi Chanyang could offer was a feeble explanation, "Don't worry, they are quite capable."

Jie Fangcheng nodded again, "Yes."

It seems even more desperate now!!

Wei Yuan closed his eyes in dreadful anticipation, sensing that the old Nie Shuangshuang seemed to be resurfacing.

But back then, though Nie Shuangshuang wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, she was undeniably strong. What do they have now?

As they spoke, the elevator came to a halt.

A cacophony of clanking sounds melded with bullets, human shouts, and the roars of some kind of beast, assaulting their eardrums as they emerged.

"West side! We need backup on the west side!!"

"Has the eastern wall been repaired yet?? We need two earth-elemental ability users!"

"Sun Liang, go assist Han Yi!!"

The setting sun bled crimson across the sky.

Wei Yuan's eyes darted around, rapidly assessing the current situation.

His nickname was "Boulder", attributed to his personal skill "Earth's Breath", which allowed him to create solid stone walls around him as long as his feet touched the ground.

Despite the seemingly cumbersome nature of his skill, he was actually a person of great ingenuity.

The rules of this instance were simple, but the hordes of zombie NPCs crawling over the towering walls indicated a sheer volume that compensated for their individual weaknesses.

At that moment, an NPC on the ground spotted them and shouted in rebuke, "What are you doing here?! Get back now!!"

According to the plan, the ability users currently on the ground were the first wave of suicide squads, holding their ground until the next day when the only remaining human aircraft would arrive to disperse poison.

The humans underground were bait, luring these brainless zombies.

The task of the underground ability users was to ensure the survival of as many underground survivors as possible. The longer they held out, attracting more zombies, the greater their victory.

Why would anyone come up from the elevator at this time?? Weren't tasks already divided??

Wei Yuan now fully grasped the gravity of the current predicament.

The zombies were too numerous; their current strength was a mere fraction of what it once was. Even at their peak, facing this many zombies would be a significant challenge.

Observing the human NPCs, even armed with firearms, they struggled to kill the zombies with a single shot. These creatures were exceedingly tenacious.

There was still a way to pass this level; underground, Wei Yuan's personal skill was at its most potent. He couldn't lead many people out, but taking Nie Shuangshuang and, additionally, Jie Fangcheng, they could make a quiet escape.

Wei Yuan stepped forward, positioning himself beside Nie Shuangshuang, "We should retreat. There are too many zombies, beyond our capabilities to handle. We need to think long-term..."

Meanwhile, Jie Fangcheng rolled up his sleeves, smacking a stray creature that had slipped down the wall with a resounding "thwack" from the stick in his hand.

"I'll take the left, you take the right, meet in the middle!" With that, Jie Fangcheng sprinted to the nearly ten-meter-high wall in two strides, then exerted a tremendous force.

A muffled crash echoed as the ground, reinforced countless times by earth-elemental ability users, cracked open, seemingly even affecting the structural integrity of the wall.

Jie Fangcheng shot up ten meters, soaring onto the wall like a rocket. His stick danced in the air, carving out an opening in the sea of zombies before he bounded off the wall with a double jump.

Nie Shuangshuang had originally been restraining herself, attempting to listen to the orders. But the moment she saw Xie Fangcheng crash out like a launched missile, without a word, she spun around and leapt onto the city wall, vanishing from everyone's sight in a blink.

"… Strategizing, huh?"

Wei Yuan was dumbstruck.

Amidst the bloody battle, Commander Liu let out a frustrated "Damn". Standing as the vanguard on the city wall, battling the climbing zombies, he couldn't contain his raging anger at this moment, yelling, "Who are these two? Have they lost their minds...?!"

Commander Liu twisted his neck and turned his head towards the area outside the base, unable to stop himself from swearing once more, "Damn".

The zombies outside, closely packed and numerous, were drawn by the scent of fresh flesh and blood, immediately swarming towards the freshly fallen Xie Fangcheng.

Without uttering a word, Xie Fangcheng swatted a zombie flying before finally landing steadily on the ground.

Then, the zombies surged forward, quickly engulfing his figure.

Just as Commander Liu's rage hadn't yet turned into regret, suddenly, a flash of bright red emerged from the dull grey mass of zombies.

The staff in Xie Fangcheng's hand moved like a sword, his waist bending at a ninety-degree angle, his entire figure resembling a compass breaking free from the gravitational pull of the earth, swiftly drawing a circle.

His flaming red cape billowed, and the zombies swept away by his staff seemed to be made of paper, instantly creating a circular gap around him.

"What on earth is that?!" Commander Liu couldn't help but exclaim.

At that moment, a whooshing sound reached his ears.

Commander Liu spun around violently, only to realize that while he had been astonished just now, a zombie had somehow approached him and was about to attack.

Fortunately, a teammate noticed and shot the zombie down, averting the imminent danger.

"Liu Shanxuan, be more vigilant!"

On the ground, Luo Ying, who was shooting arrows, reprimanded.

Commander Liu hurriedly cleared the zombies around him, with one eye still keeping track of the situation below.

"Damn!" he exclaimed once more, "What on earth is that?!"

"What is it, what on earth is that?!" Having cleared the surrounding zombies, Luo Ying took advantage of the suddenly eased pressure and, with a swing of her hand, her grappling hook accurately caught onto the city wall. She swiftly climbed up and joined in the chorus of astonishment with a "Damn".

Wei Yuan had initially climbed up the right section of the city wall, watching Nie Shuangshuang with worry.

Although many of Nie Shuangshuang's skills had degraded, she had always been known for her speed. Moving gracefully like a flame, she was still perfectly capable of navigating through the hordes of zombies, even if her fire had lost some of its destructive power.

What was she planning to do? With so many zombies chasing her, what could her speed amount to?

Wei Yuan watched her anxiously.

Soon, Nie Shuangshuang appeared from the right, speeding along with a tail of zombies hot on her heels. She darted past the corner, past the tightly shut base gates, and arrived at...

"Damn! What on earth is this???" Wei Yuan exclaimed, his eyes wide and jaw dropped in disbelief.

To the left.

The staff in Xie Fangcheng's hand danced like a wheel of wind and fire... no, it resembled a harvester even more.

With a "whoosh whoosh" motion, he swung the staff, and the zombies lined up in front of him seemed like wheat in a paddy field, swiftly being harvested and falling neatly to both sides.

Behind him, he left a path of harvest that would have made any farmer proud.

"I'm here!!"

With a leap, Nie Shuangshuang landed behind him to regain some stamina, and the zombies she brought along seemed like mindless monsters from a game, charging forward at this moment.

"Good timing!"

This time, it wasn't just at the sides of the road. Zombies were being sent flying into the sky as Xie Fangcheng waved his staff.

The two of them successfully drew the attention of the majority of the zombies, significantly reducing the pressure on the base. Soon, heads began popping up one after another on the city wall.

"Damn! What kind of special ability is this? Is it purely physical strength? Is it metal-based??"

"Nonsense! Look at the perfect circular defense formed around him, this is clearly water-based!"

"You mentioned defense, it must be our earth-based power!"

"Enough, all of you!" Commander Liu interjected.

He held a high reputation in the base. After the death of the general commander of the thirteenth base, he had temporarily taken over the role.

Commander Liu cleared his throat, "Considering his plain and unassuming style, couldn't he be one of us non-evolved individuals without any special abilities?"

"Seriously?!" The crowd retorted with disdain.

At that moment, everyone noticed that Xie Fangcheng seemed to be swinging his staff a little slower below the wall.

"Is he getting tired?" someone speculated. "Look at the ring of zombie corpses at the corner of the wall. After killing so many, he must be exhausted, right?"

Just as Commander Liu was about to order reinforcements, he saw Nie Shuangshuang behind Xie Fangcheng finding something. Swiftly, she pulled out a long spear from her backpack.

Xie Fangcheng immediately grabbed the spear with his right hand, unwilling to let his left hand remain idle, he continued swinging the staff.

With the aid of dual weapons, he instantly transformed from a single-core harvester to a combined harvester, carving out a wide and clear path as he moved forward.

The crowd on the wall: "…"

Commander Liu's mouth gaped open, he slowly turned his head to look at Qi Chanyang.

Just now, he had vaguely seen this squad leader bringing the people over.

"What is this?" Commander Liu asked.

At this moment, he even began to doubt if the figure below the wall was a human at all— they hardly resembled one, harmoniously wielding a gun in the right hand and brandishing a stick with the left; what kind of human does that?

They had been fighting these zombies for many years, and everyone was well aware of the zombies' capabilities.

The only vulnerability of the zombies lay in the center of their brows, where their crystal cores resided. Only by destroying these cores could the zombies be thoroughly eliminated.

Therefore, whenever they attacked the zombies, they would deliberately aim for their brows, as dismantling the zombies into pieces would be futile if the crystal core remained intact, allowing for their resurrection.

But the figure beneath the wall, not to mention aiming, was even turning his head to converse with Nie Shuangshuang behind him.

The wind carried his voice from afar.

"…It's getting late, what shall we have for dinner?"

Jie Fangcheng asked.

A human?

Is this the X-Men or what???

Qi Chanyang found himself caught between laughter and tears, yet there was an odd sensation of exhilaration bubbling within him.

No one had believed him just a while ago; now, even Tao Youyuan was continuously exclaiming, visibly stunned, "No way, no way!"

Qi Chanyang remained composed, his face betraying no surprise, as if accustomed to such scenes: "He's my friend, his name is Jie Fangcheng."

.

Half an hour later.

The heavy gates of the base, which had been shut for half a year, slowly began to open.

Jie Fangcheng carried both the spear and the staff on his shoulders, his red cloak fluttering in the wind.

After clearing the base of zombies, Team Leader Liu approached with the rest, their expressions a complex mixture of emotions.

"You're Mr. Jie, aren't you? Hello."

"Hello, hello," Jie Fangcheng greeted, shaking his hand.

Team Leader Liu looked towards the entrance.

Centered around the base, within a radius of fifty meters, the once dense crowd of zombies had vanished, leaving behind only the harvested corpses of the undead.

The efficiency wasn't slower than a combine harvester reaping wheat.

Team Leader Liu felt a surge of emotions, "Thank you, all of you."

"You're welcome," Jie Fangcheng replied courteously.

Commander Liu shook his hand fervently, "Thank you for your contributions to the Thirteenth Base. If you have any requests, please, do not hesitate to mention them!"

Xie Fangcheng nodded, "There is indeed a small request."

"Oh? What is it?"

Xie Fangcheng said honestly, "We haven't had dinner on our way here."

Commander Liu paused, then realized with an enlightened "Oh!"

The crowd ushered them back underground where word of the recent happenings had already spread, with many casting curious glances their way.

Two hundred and thirty years ago, when the apocalypse first began, humanity held the upper hand with superior weaponry, seemingly eradicating the zombie virus at one point.

However, as time progressed, the terrifying virus continued to evolve, eventually causing one nation after another to vanish.

The human base was established one hundred and forty-five years into the apocalypse. Before its establishment, many people were still scattered across various cities.

The formation of the human base was propelled by a simple reason... The rapid decline in human numbers. If unity wasn't achieved soon, they would merely serve as meals on the zombies' platter.

But establishing a base seemed to only delay the inevitable extinction of humanity. Since the 176th year of the apocalypse, when the last tier-five superhuman fell, the zombies continued to grow stronger, while humanity faced stagnation and decline.

It had been a long time since anyone heard of a decisive human victory like this one.

Commander Liu led them to a house near the entrance before turning around to converse briefly with someone behind him.

The team member hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement.

"Where did you all come from?" Commander Liu finally found the time to ask, "I don't recall having seen any of you before, have I?"

They had prepared for this question beforehand.

Hearing Commander Liu's query, Taoyou Yuan replied, "I have a skill that allows me to summon assistance."

"Oh, I see."

Commander Liu did not probe further.

In this post-apocalyptic world, countless individuals had awakened to bizarre abilities. Although he hadn't heard of "summoning" before, Liu appreciated their help and did not delve deeper.

Soon, the person Commander Liu had instructed earlier returned, carrying several dishes.

"This is our last meal today, everyone dig in without restraint!"

Saying this, he stood up and began to uncover the dishes one by one.

Nie Shuangshuang was also hungry, her chopsticks poised in anticipation of a feast. However, when she saw the contents of the dishes, she froze for a moment.

A plate of bean sprouts, a plate of lettuce, a plate of cherry tomatoes, and a plate of canned food of unknown origin—the mere sight of its color raised concerns about its quality.

The main dish consisted of potatoes stored in a basket.

Nie Shuangshuang and Wei Yuan exchanged a glance.

The scarcity of resources was entirely predictable; Nie Shuangshuang had experienced the early stages of the apocalypse before, but this was during its onset.

This was her first time witnessing a scene from the latter part of the apocalypse.

For the human base that had relocated underground, green vegetables had indeed become the most precious commodities.

Xie Fangcheng didn't comment, instead, he picked up his chopsticks and began enjoying his meal heartily.

Nie Shuangshuang was bemused by his enthusiastic eating, assuming that perhaps the dishes were simply in appearance but had a special flavor.

However, after tasting a bite, she realized it was just ordinary bean sprouts, ordinary lettuce, ordinary tomatoes... and ordinary, expired canned luncheon meat!

Although Liu Shanxing held a high position within the base, describing green vegetables as "precious" hardly did justice to their rarity; he couldn't remember the last time he had these greens.

At this moment, he cherished a piece of lettuce, eating it cautiously.

Meanwhile, Xie Fangcheng had quickly polished off two potatoes and several cherry tomatoes.

Putting down his chopsticks, he noticed Liu Shanxing's enraptured expression and offered a smile.

"Eat without worry, there will be more in the future."

"Eh?" Liu Shanxing looked bewildered for a moment before giving a wry smile, "I know you are very capable, but as you've seen, the zombies are too numerous. We will fulfill our duties at the Thirteenth Base as per the original plan, but you can take my letter to Base One. They need you there."

Nie Shuangshuang furrowed her brows, "But as you mentioned, we are very capable, isn't it unnecessary to make futile sacrifices?"

Liu Shanxing shook his head, "The zombies are truly too numerous, spanning from the southernmost to the northernmost regions. What you repelled today was merely a small wave of a zombie tide. You haven't witnessed a large one. With special ability zombies leading them, possessing various skills like humans, a moment of carelessness could lead to your death at their hands."

"Then we'll just be more careful," Xie Fangcheng stated.

Commander Liu frowned deeply, "You might not grasp the gravity of the situation. The zombies are too many in number, you can't possibly kill them all, can you?"

"Why not?"

Commander Liu hesitated, "There are so many zombies."

"Yes."

"You intend to eliminate them all?"

Xie Fangcheng gestured dismissively, "Drive them out, without leaving a single one behind!"

Commander Liu's mouth fell open, his shock mingled with bewilderment, "That's impossible..."

"Why is it impossible?" Xie Fangcheng replied calmly, "It's not that they can't be killed. If they can be killed, then just kill them all."

It took a while before Commander Liu could respond, still feeling as if he was in a dream, "Are you serious?"

Xie Fangcheng was speechless, rolling up his sleeves and standing up abruptly.

"Come on, why don't you tell me where the most zombies are right now, and I'll give you a demonstration?"

"Demonstration?" Commander Liu felt like his brain had stopped working, his voice sounding somewhat detached, "What are you planning to demonstrate?"

"Don't you believe me? Let me show you what I was talking about just now."

"... What did you say just now?"

"I said," Xie Fangcheng began, "Just kill all the zombies, and it will be fine!"

Thus, after dinner, Commander Liu sent a signal to Base One, indicating a temporary halt to the plan.

When the head commander at Base One inquired about the situation, Commander Liu found his hands trembling as he sent the telegram.

As soon as his message was dispatched, a question mark came back swiftly from the other end.

"Insane? Have you lost your mind?"

Commander Liu couldn't understand why he was so trusting.

The apocalypse had persisted for many years, and while there had been strong individuals among humans, the overarching trend was that these strong individuals would ultimately be swallowed by this quagmire.

"But what if it's true? We are all waiting for a glimmer of hope, aren't we?"

The telegram machine fell silent.

After a long while, a new reply finally came through.

"The 'Civilization Continuation' plan is on hold for one day. Please ensure safety."

Commander Liu felt a lump in his throat.

Under the cloak of night, an old vehicle slowly exited the base.

Xie Fangcheng and Nie Shanshan, along with Tao Youyuan, Wei Yuan, and a person known as Yi Zhenan, nicknamed "Strategist", a player, were in the car, heading towards the first zombie-infested city.

Before they set off, Commander Liu pulled out a handful of shimmering objects from his pocket and handed them to Xie Fangcheng.

"Be careful on the road; prioritize your safety above everything else."

Xie Fangcheng accepted them.

"What is this?" Xie Fangcheng asked.

Commander Liu looked at the sparkling items in his hand, "These are all the crystal nuclei that the base could muster."

Qi Chanyang quietly explained from the side, "Crystal nuclei are the currency in this world. They contain energy, similar to the recovery potions produced by the system, but their effects aren't as potent. In the event of severe injuries, holding onto a crystal nucleus can help absorb energy to aid in wound healing."

"I see."

Just as Xie Fangcheng was about to put them away, Qi Chanyang, with impeccable timing, continued explaining, "These crystal cores are the energy bodies found inside the zombies' heads, right here in the forehead area..."

Before he could finish, Xie Fangcheng tossed the crystal cores back to Liu Shanhen with a disgusted look. He wiped his hand on his trousers and got into the car with an air of disdain.

Liu Shanhen wore a baffled expression, "What got into him?"

Qi Chanyang seemed more familiar with this reaction, considering that during their first instance dungeon, all that was running through Xie's mind was, "where is the mop?"

He gave a resigned smile, "It's okay, you can take the cores back, he doesn't need them."

Yet, Commander Liu insisted on stuffing the cores into Qi Chanyang's embrace.

"Please," he uttered softly.

Please... show the remaining humans that, eventually, dawn will penetrate even the darkest depths.

Humanity will once again stand under the sunlight.

At that moment, a hand patted his shoulder.

The girl with fiery red bobbed hair gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she said, "In reality, we are experiencing the same apocalypse as you are."

Nie Shuangshuang glanced at Xie Fangcheng's retreating figure, her eyes twinkling.

"But I believe, the apocalypse won't last forever."