Chapter 59: The Zombie Swarm Arrives

Chapter 59: The Zombie Swarm Arrives

The night passed without incident.

Early in the morning, Shenchi and Cao Kun were brushing their teeth and washing up when they suddenly heard footsteps outside. Shenchi looked out the window and saw several squads patrolling, searching for something. On another familiar car stood a tattooed man with his shirt off.

The tattooed man was injured, with dark circles under his eyes, and he said grimly, "Listen up, everyone! Yesterday, two men came to Chunyi City—one with a buzz cut and one with a pretty face. If anyone knows where they are, tell me now, or I'll feed you to the zombies!"

Everyone immediately shook their heads. The group barged into shops and homes, rifling through them. One of the groups rushed into the hotel.

Shenchi gripped his knife tightly, staring menacingly at the tattooed man downstairs.

Just as the group on the ground floor started running up the stairs, a deep male voice boomed over the loudspeaker:

"Attention everyone! Attention everyone! We've detected a large wave of zombies four kilometers away heading towards Chunyi City. They will arrive at the safe zone in ten minutes! Starting now, all city gates are sealed. No one is allowed in or out. Everyone, get ready for combat!"

Everyone's faces changed, and the tattooed man cursed loudly, shouting, "Follow me!"

He jumped into the car first and drove towards the city gate, while the people he had gathered began urging others to follow.

Shenchi and Cao Kun exchanged a glance, then both launched grappling hooks and swung out the window.

All the ordinary people, except the elderly, sick, and disabled, were gathered in a square not far from the battle zone. When the two arrived, weapons were already set up, and combat personnel were in position. Someone began distributing something. Though it was a bit far, they could see clearly—it was a small, transparent device about the size of a phone, containing an injection syringe and a green spiral-shaped tank.

Shenchi recognized it; this was the C1S9 vaccine.

Cao Kun obviously guessed too, watching those who received the vaccine inject the liquid into their veins, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Time passed quickly, and soon the sound of running feet approached. The two stood on the treetops, seeing many people running towards the safe zone, followed by thousands of zombies.

They kept knocking on doors and crying, frequently looking back at the zombies closing in behind them.

The people inside the safe zone remained unmoved.

Some began coughing blood as they cried, and the armed personnel upstairs retreated a few steps as if seeing something more terrifying than zombies. Some immediately put on masks, and others warned them to leave.

However, behind them were the zombie horde. Within dozens of miles, only this place had people, weapons, and the ability to save them. Where else could they go?

Leaving meant certain death, but staying here gave them a chance. So none of them would leave.

Those inside the safe zone knew that asking them to leave was unrealistic. Since the epidemic broke out ten days ago, suspected infected individuals with no symptoms had been thrown out.

—They were just abandoned trash.

The armed personnel inside the safe zone watched the approaching zombie horde and began shooting indiscriminately at the people and zombies outside the safe zone.

When the first person fell, they still felt fear and scattered in panic. But when the second and third fell, and the zombie horde's claws reached them, they turned from fear to defiance.

They stopped dodging bullets and began violently ramming the iron fence of the safe zone. Those hit by bullets fell onto others, willing to shield them from gunfire.

The heavy machine gun squad and mortar squad moved forward, bombing the densely packed zombie horde from a distance. Grenades were thrown one after another.

Masked men approached the iron fence to shoot their fellow countrymen at close range. Too close to use grenades, fearing they might destroy the gate, otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten so near.

A gap half a person wide opened in the door, and someone tried to squeeze in. Behind him, a woman grabbed two zombies and smashed them on the ground, stomping on them. She was a Level 1 strength mutant, easily smashing the brains of ordinary zombies.

She used a zombie leg as a weapon, swinging it at the approaching zombies. Covered in blood, she had countless wounds from zombie bites and scratches. The others formed a protective circle around a small figure, shielding them even as the zombies pounced.

"Damn, these people are crazy!" The masked man quickly changed magazines and resumed shooting at the zombies and people.

A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl squeezed through the narrow gate, greeted by countless black muzzles.

Her dirty face showed hatred as she dodged bullets and lunged into the crowd, fighting with her bare hands and mouth.

Screams were drowned out by the explosions.

A Level 1 zombie slipped in, and another group quickly dealt with it. Then came endless battles.

Half an hour later, just as everyone thought the zombie swarm had passed, another wave surged in, accompanied by figures flying in the sky!

Six ground-to-air missiles launched simultaneously! Explosions!

But a few black dots still plummeted down rapidly. Inside the safe zone, a fire leopard and two water dragons flew out to engage the Level 2 zombies.

Shenchi and Cao Kun hadn't moved yet when a Level 2 zombie chased by a fire leopard appeared before them.

Cao Kun stepped forward, raised his hand, and a fire dragon roared out!

The tattooed man sneered at them, "You really are here."

Cao Kun smirked, "What, do you fear us so much that you can't sleep?"

"Damn, you're courting death!" The tattooed man sent another fire leopard to deal with Cao Kun, splitting his energy. The fire leopard fighting the Level 2 zombie struggled.

Cao Kun chuckled and sent three fire dragons to play with him, leaving the fire dragon fighting the zombies unaffected.

The tattooed man's face turned green.

Compared to the others, Shenchi was clearly the most delicious target. A Level 3 zombie's sharp claws grazed his chest. Shenchi leaned back, and an ice shield appeared in front of him. The Level 3 zombie's claws scratched across the ice, making an unpleasant sound.

Behind the zombie, dozens of ice arrows shot over!

But a Level 2 zombie blocked the ice arrows for the Level 3 zombie, pinning it to the ground, immobilizing it.

The iron fence of the safe zone couldn't withstand the swarm of tens of thousands of zombies. Soon, many Level 1 zombies squeezed through the gaps, and the mutants waiting nearby sprang into action.

Lu Xingzhou also noticed the appearance of the Level 3 zombie immediately. After a brief word with his uncle, he leaped off the wall and sped towards Shenchi.

There were many zombies around Shenchi. When Lu Xingzhou arrived, not only was he dealing with the Level 3 zombie, but also the Level 2 and Level 1 zombies summoned by the Level 3 zombie, which relentlessly pursued him.

And Cao Kun dealt with the tattooed man and the first and second-level zombies to alleviate Shenchi's burden.

Lu Xingzhou raised his hand, and a wind blade sliced toward the two trembling fire-element ability users. "Xu Zhao, what are you doing?"

Tattooed man: "I..."

Lu Xingzhou showed displeasure. "I don't care how you handle your personal matters, but now, both of you need to behave!"

As Lu Xingzhou spoke, he flew toward the protected third-level zombie, with dozens of wind blades appearing from different directions. Shenchi and Cao Kun acted simultaneously.

Apart from the aberrant types, a third-level zombie wasn't much harder to deal with than a second-level one. However, its difficulty lay in its ability to summon other zombies to protect itself, an endless stream that could exhaust anyone to death.

After more than an exhausting hour, the third-level zombie was finally beheaded through their cooperation, and all the second-level zombies were eliminated. The remaining few first-level and ordinary zombies didn't require their intervention.

Another ten minutes passed, and the speed ability user Lu Xingzhou had sent to check returned, reporting that the zombie horde had left.

Only then did Lu Xingzhou order the cleanup of the battlefield, and the epidemic prevention department began disinfecting everywhere.

The tattooed man returned to Lu Xingzhou's side. Lu Xingzhou asked, "The people you mentioned earlier were them?"

Lu Xingzhou added with some appreciation, "Their abilities aren't bad."

The tattooed man felt annoyed and wanted to say something negative, but the strength displayed by those two just now left him no room for argument.

Lu Xingzhou noticed Xu Zhao's resentment and said, "There's no deep hatred between you; it's just some verbal sparring. It's best if you can reconcile."

The tattooed man became anxious. "But..."

"But?" Lu Xingzhou turned to look at him. "Can you win against even one of them?"

The tattooed man's face turned red.

Shenchi had originally thought that after the zombie horde, Lu Xingzhou and his group would take the opportunity to kill them. But they didn't. Instead, Lu Xingzhou personally came to find them and prepared a sumptuous breakfast.

"Please, have a seat!"

Lu Xingzhou and his uncle, Mayor Lu, sat at the dining table, while the tattooed man stood aside. Mayor Lu greeted Cao Kun and the others politely, but Lu Xingzhou only watched them without moving. After their pleasantries, he said, "I've already understood the situation between you and Xu Zhao. The fault lies with him. Xu Zhao..."

The tattooed man stepped forward with his neck stiffened. "I'm sorry for my inappropriate words earlier."

Cao Kun didn't look at the tattooed man but instead glanced at Lu Xingzhou, tilting his head. "Is that it?"

Lu Xingzhou replied, "That's it."

Cao Kun: "But he said he would kill us."

Lu Xingzhou: "He won't."

Cao Kun: "Can you guarantee that?"

At these words, Lu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes.

Seeing his leader's expression, the tattooed man shuddered, pointing at Cao Kun and cursing, "What do you mean! I will definitely follow the boss's orders!"

"Let's not argue over words," Lu Xingzhou said. "The purpose of inviting you here is twofold: to resolve the conflict between you and Xu Zhao, and to hope that you can stay in Chunyi City. The treatment we can offer you and Mayor Lu is undoubtedly the best."

Mayor Lu nodded. "Yes, yes, we certainly won't mistreat you!"

Cao Kun: "No need. We'll be leaving today."

"The person beside you hasn't answered yet," Lu Xingzhou looked at Shenchi.

Shenchi shook his head.

Lu Xingzhou showed a hint of regret. "What a pity."

The men started eating breakfast. There were a few stir-fried dishes, porridge, soy milk, and fried dough sticks on the table. Having expended considerable energy without eating anything early in the morning, they were quite hungry, but their manners weren't unpleasant.

After finishing, Lu Xingzhou wiped his mouth and said, "Your vehicle has been prepared for you, fully equipped. Additionally, we've prepared something for you as a token of gratitude for your help today."

The tattooed man brought over four boxes containing green spiral mother tanks and syringes.

"This is the first-generation C1S9 vaccine. The vaccine begins producing antibodies ten seconds after injection, providing three hours of effective protection. If you haven't injected the vaccine beforehand, immediately injecting it after being scratched can still save you if the virus hasn't invaded too deeply."

Lu Xingzhou stood up, picked up one of the boxes, looked at it, and then placed it in Shenchi's hands. "If you change your minds later, you can always come back to me."

Author's note:

Thank you, "Bunny Who Doesn't Like White Radishes," for the nutrient fluid. Mwah (づ￣3￣)づ