Chapter 89

Chapter 89

"The city lord?"

Xu Fang's first reaction was to think of someone his boss knew. He turned to look at Shen Xiuzhe, only to find that Shen was also scrutinizing the strangers at the door with a look of unfamiliarity.

"If the boss doesn't know them, what are they here for?"

Xu Fang held the door firmly, showing no respect even to the city lord, and instead warned with caution, "You must be at the wrong place."

The four people behind the city lord frowned simultaneously, clearly displeased with Xu Fang's disrespectful demeanor.

However, the city lord himself, his temples tinged with grey, didn't seem offended and smiled slightly, "You are the special ability users who arrived in Ice and Snow City three days ago, aren't you? One of you is called Shen Xiuzhe, the explorer. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Hearing this, Shen Xiuzhe stepped forward, and Xu Fang immediately made way.

"I'm Shen Xiuzhe, may I ask what this is about?" Unsure of the other's intentions, Shen Xiuzhe remained cautious.

"It's quite cold outside, may we come in and sit for a while?" The city lord glanced at the increasingly crowded street. He was highly esteemed in Ice and Snow City, and even before the apocalypse, he was the lord of this city, trusted and revered by all. His mere presence turned a sparsely populated street into a bustling one.

Lin An, noticing the approach of strangers, had already run to the second floor. He wouldn't come down as long as these people stayed, so there was no worry about his zombie identity being revealed.

"Come in, please."

Leading the city lord and the other four into the living room, Ouyang Dong, wearing an apron, peeked out, saw the unfamiliar faces, and went back inside.

Only Wudu, who was sitting with Grandma Wu by the window, went to pour some boiled water for the guests.

"So, what brings the esteemed city lord to our humble abode?" Shen Xiuzhe, sitting opposite, carried himself with the air of a host, exuding a presence even stronger than the city lord's. In Ice and Snow City, he had only interacted with fellow explorers, who were typically straightforward people. Even someone like Lu Li, who was outwardly pretentious and somewhat secretive, was quite forthright and never schemed behind others' backs.

As for high officials like the city lord, they were the kind of people he normally didn't interact with – individuals who were exceedingly calculating in their words and actions. Shen Xiuzhe found them quite troublesome.

It's too much trouble, so let's leave quickly; I won't be seeing you off.

Unaware of Shen Xiuzhe's true thoughts, the city lord, sensing his impatience, cut to the chase, "I heard you want to take a ship to Baize City."

"Even that's known? It seems this city lord has a tight grip on Ice and Snow City."

"Indeed, I am from Baize City, and naturally, I want to return home."

The city lord sighed, his expression turning serious, "You must be aware of the dangers at sea. The various creatures in the ocean have turned into zombies, a threat far more terrifying than human zombies. If not for Ice and Snow City’s coastal location, the maze, and newly developed potions, we might have been wiped out long ago."

"I know, but returning to Baize City was a decision made from the start, and it won't change."

The city lord, looking at the young man's resolute demeanor, fell silent for a moment, then added, "I know among you, there are fire and plant ability users, and possibly even a space ability user. These are rare talents in Ice and Snow City. I came here intending to recruit you, but it seems I won't succeed. However, I hope you can help out in the next few days while your ship is being built, like dealing with larger zombies during a horde, and perhaps the plant ability user could accelerate some plant growth. We're really short on food here."

Having said this, the city lord even stood up and bowed to Shen Xiuzhe. His entourage looked on in shock, never expecting him to do so.

Despite the city lord's sincerity, Shen Xiuzhe remained unmoved. He avoided the bow and, with sharp, piercing eyes, asked, "Do you know if there are any boats in Ice and Snow City, preferably of good quality?"

"I can help, but there will be a cost."

The city lord understood and immediately mentioned a small, slightly damaged steamer in the city. He promised to have the city's shipwrights work on it urgently and give it to them once ready.

He also promised to expedite the work on the ship they were currently building at the shipwright's, emphasizing that Ice and Snow City, lacking many things, certainly didn't lack shipwrights.

After the city lord left, Xu Fang, who had been silent, expressed his confusion, "Didn’t we already buy and exchange for a boat? Why do we need another one?"

Shen Xiuzhe, watching Lin An sneak down from the second floor, answered Xu Fang's question, "Didn't you hear the city lord? The sea is dangerous. Since he wants our help, having an extra boat is safer. The one we exchanged for isn't very large, and who knows how long it can last at sea without being destroyed by zombies."

Xu Fang: "…Destroyed by zombies?"

He finally remembered, the sea was not their territory; it was full of all kinds of zombie fish, and if the boat were destroyed, they would end up in the sea!

"Two boats might not be enough!"

"Can we ask for more?"

Shen Xiuzhe, seemingly unconcerned about this issue, dispatched Ouyang Dong to follow the city lord's men and accelerate plant growth.

Ouyang Dong returned that evening with a peculiar look on his face. At dinner, he shared how, while working with other plant ability users in the city, he discovered his acceleration was the fastest. What others took one to three days to achieve, he could do almost instantaneously.

"What's the matter, showed off your skills among the other ability users and now everyone's admiring you?" Xu Fang teased while eating.

"Hardly, I'm not like you. I know how to hide my skills. What if the city lord finds out how capable I am and decides to keep me here? So, I only performed slightly faster than the others."

Ouyang Dong indicated a tiny distance with his fingers, "But that's not my main point. Today, several ability users approached me, subtly hinting at the dangers outside, the fate of being devoured by zombies at sea, and their respected status in Ice and Snow City."

"Are they trying to recruit you?" Xu Fang put down his bowl, waving his chopsticks so wildly he almost hit Ouyang Dong, "I approve, stay here and shine. You might even become the next city lord candidate."

"Cut it out, I'm not leaving. I know what it's like out there, having come all this way. I think the city lord's intention wasn’t just to seek help, but to recruit and win us over. And he might try to recruit you guys in the next few days too."

Shen Xiuzhe was aware of this. Ice and Snow City might urgently need plant ability users, but not for fighting zombies. With the maze and potions, they could easily repel each zombie wave, so their presence wouldn’t be of much help.

The city lord's main goal was likely to recruit them, to show them how terrifying the zombie waves from the sea were, and how Ice and Snow City was the safest place.

But he was mistaken. They were not that weak and certainly not open to recruitment.

Xu Fang, of course, was devoted to following his boss. And although Ouyang Dong seemed the most likely to be recruited, having survived alone for six months, repeatedly attempting to break through zombie hordes for a slim hope, it was unlikely he'd be easily swayed.

Shen Xiuzhe: "Keep a low profile these next few days, don't stand out."

Nick sat quietly on his stool, eating. Although somewhat discontent with his mother's actions, Nick was well-behaved and polite. Small, thin, and young, no one would speak harshly to a four-year-old boy, especially since they were only staying for a few days, and his portion was always prepared.

However, every time Nick came around, Lin An would retreat upstairs.

He hadn't encountered Nick in these three days; not needing food, he stayed put, letting Nick be alone.

*

"On the fourth day in Ice and Snow City, the zombies finally arrived."

"From little Nick's words, we learned it had been five days since the last zombie attack. Sometimes, zombies would attack several times a day, making these past few days a rare period of calm."

"Shen Xiuzhe, Lin An, and Xu Fang went outside the city to help, while Ouyang Dong continued accelerating plant growth, and Wudu stayed home to care for Grandma Wu."

"Ice and Snow City is located atop the highest ice mountain in the vicinity. The entire mountain, starting from the base, is filled with winding pathways. Coupled with the strange ice sculptures and icy vegetation above the paths, it’s impossible to see the entire maze from the summit."

"In the distance, a dark tide of zombies surged towards us, mostly consisting of common sea fish that had developed limbs, resembling the axolotls Lin An had seen in books. However, their ferocity and ugliness truly lived up to the name of zombies."

Sharp teeth protruded from the fish's mouth, its bulging eyes and rapidly wriggling limbs adding to its bizarre appearance.

"Sss, this is what they call biodiversity," Xu Fang remarked, somewhat impressed. After facing the Zombie Emperor, his tolerance for zombies had increased significantly. Fish evolving like this seemed almost normal in comparison, definitely better than the Zombie Emperor."

"But seeing them in such large, dense groups isn't exactly pleasant for someone with a fear of crowds like me."

"Among the horde of zombie fish, there were also massive whales, seals, penguins, and the like. Each one looked hideous, either missing fur and skin, revealing bloody flesh, or having severely mutated body parts."

"These marine creatures collectively advanced towards Ice and Snow City, quickly reaching the base of the ice mountain and entering the maze."

"The smaller zombie fish packed the icy pathways into a dense black mass, while the larger whale zombies simply crushed the ice walls of the maze. The walls, barely over two meters high, were no match for the massive whale zombies."

"Seeing more and more ice walls being destroyed, the city lord finally gave the order, instructing the prepared residents to bring out the potions."

"Shen Xiuzhe and the others looked towards the city gate, where a dozen strong, fully armed men emerged, each carrying a metal bucket filled with a viscous green liquid."

Lin An peered from behind Shen Xiuzhe, finding the liquid in those barrels repulsively odorous.

At the city lord's command, those carrying the buckets poured the green liquid onto the road.

The viscous green fluid hissed upon contact, quickly melting the ice below. However, the entire mountain was an iceberg, too thick to be completely melted by such a modest amount of potion.

The water from the melted ice, mixed with the green potion, meandered downwards, accelerating as it dissolved more ice, eventually spreading across most of the labyrinthine pathways.

Fish-like zombies, struggling to climb upwards, reacted violently upon contact with the green potion, thrashing wildly as if plunged into boiling water, desperately fleeing with their uncoordinated limbs. Their escape slowed as their bodies gradually disintegrated in the potion.

Red and black blood mingled with the green potion, flowing downwards, dissolving more fish zombies and their bones.

Subsequent zombies trampled over the partially dissolved corpses of their kin, pressing forward, only to be engulfed by freshly poured green potion at a certain height.

Shen Xiuzhe, Lin An, and Xu Fang silently stood, watching from above as the zombie fish were eradicated, even their remains dissolving into liquid.

The zombie whales, due to their massive size, only had their lower bodies dissolved while climbing, leaving the rest intact.

These whales, unaffected by the potion, became the primary targets for the superpowered individuals clearing the battlefield.

As more potion was poured, the number of zombie fish dwindled, leaving only a few and the colossal whale zombies.

At this point, the city lord ordered his subordinates to distribute bags to all the superpowered individuals.

Upon opening his, Shen Xiuzhe found protective suits intended to prevent accidental contact with the potion and subsequent dissolution.

Xu Fang, examining the thin protective suit in his hand and then the bloodied remains of the zombie fish below, suddenly felt reluctant to descend.

"My goodness, how terrifying."

A single misstep could mean not even a whole corpse remained.