Chapter 85: Energy Shield

Chapter 85: Energy Shield

Fortress cannons were mounted on the walls of Hongshan Base, but when over three million zombies approached, the people inside instantly lost their nerve. They had never seen so many zombies before; it was like an endless sea of darkness.

The defense of Hongshan Base was unexpectedly weak, and soon the zombie horde easily breached the city. A towering ten-meter-tall Level Five zombie, surrounded by Level Three and Four zombies, flew into the city to feast on humans.

The rear gate of Hongshan Base opened, and crowds and vehicles poured out, heading south. Higher-level zombies lunged for their chosen prey, while lower-level zombies chased relentlessly from behind.

Helicopters and bombers rose one after another into the sky, with ability users glowing with colorful lights flying alongside them. They moved in the opposite direction of those fleeing, constantly firing to hold back the advancing zombie horde.

On the edge, an inconspicuous helicopter turned its nose, but before it could complete the turn, it was struck by lightning and crashed, exploding upon impact.

Jiang Zhendong sat in the helicopter, his fingertips crackling with electricity.

On the other side, Level Two and Three zombies flying towards Shenchi were frozen one by one. Shenchi used the brief moment of suspension to climb up the frozen corpses, ascending into the air, dodging the zombies that lunged at his feet. He turned around, spread his arms, and froze all the zombies within a two-hundred-meter radius into ice sculptures, creating a significant barrier for the zombies.

A fire dragon soared past, catching Shenchi as he jumped down, then flicking its tail to toss him towards Cao Kun. The dragon opened its mouth and spewed a burst of flames, incinerating the corpses into ashes, leaving only a blackened patch of mud.

The fire dragon's head lifted, charging straight for a helicopter in the sky.

The person in the helicopter saw it coming but didn't even have time to react before being swallowed whole by the fire dragon.

A smooth, ribbon-like ice band caught the falling helicopter, guiding it down along the inclined ice until it stopped above Shenchi and Cao Kun.

Shenchi and Cao Kun jumped into the cockpit, with Cao Kun piloting the helicopter. Shenchi pressed the communication button on the bone-vibration microphone headset, saying succinctly, "I saw Jiang Zhendong act. He's in the AA-11 bomber at the front of the group."

Jiang Mian fired his assault rifle continuously, leaping up to mow down a row of heads, angrily shouting, "Are these bastards trying to lure all the zombies to Lu County?!"

Cao Kun cautioned, "Conserve your strength; we haven't seen any Level Six zombies yet."

Everyone and every zombie were running south. Helpless civilians could only be sacrificed here. Shenchi watched as one by one, the fallen zombies got back up, reminding him of the old man in Yushan City who was devoured by thousands of ants.

Beside him, Cao Kun suddenly called out, "Xiao Chi."

Shenchi glanced at him.

Cao Kun looked back, his expression serious. He promised, "In this life, do what you want. We'll face everything together."

Shenchi chuckled, feeling a warmth fill his heart.

He raised his hand, and the air around him reversed—

On the ground, a boy fell and was trampled by countless people, including some stepping right over him. The zombies had already caught up, but the boy did not run or scream; he just lay there crying hysterically, pouring out all his sorrow and pain onto the battlefield.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him up. The boy closed his eyes tightly, thinking he had been caught by a zombie and was about to be eaten.

But the expected pain never came. Instead, someone had hoisted him onto their shoulder, and he felt the jolts of movement as they ran.

His heart pounding, the boy cautiously opened his eyes and saw a bloody claw reaching for the back of the person carrying him. He reached out to push it away, but an ice wall suddenly rose, lifting the zombies into the air and impaling them on ice spikes.

This ice wall separated humans and zombies into two distinct camps.

The boy's eyes widened, and he let out a long howl.

"Hey, kid, quiet down!"

A slap landed on his bottom, and the boy turned to see the face of the man carrying him. He recognized this man; he was the one who had knocked him down and stepped on him earlier.

In the AA-11 bomber, Shen Tian put down his binoculars and shook his head with a smile, "Shenchi, Shenchi, I never thought you'd still have such leisure after all the betrayals. You truly surprise me."

Jiang Zhendong looked at Shen Tian's triumphant demeanor and pulled him close, "According to you, your brother and Ji Kaiwen regained their memories after death. But how did you die?"

Shen Tian frowned, sharing the same confusion, but he couldn't remember.

Three months ago, he woke up from a nightmare and since then relived the apocalypse in his dreams, experiencing events and meeting people almost exactly as they happened in reality, except for Shenchi.

In his dream, Shenchi hadn't come to find him before the outbreak but only appeared months later, mentioned by his aunt and uncle. They also revealed two secrets about Shenchi: one was his dual-element ability, which in the dream was fire instead of ice, and the other was that Shenchi was pregnant!

Thinking about it made Shen Tian tremble uncontrollably. He saw Shenchi with a swollen belly and dreamed of delivering him to Jiang Zhendong, earning a place by his side.

So easily... Shen Tian clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. If he had known capturing Shenchi would grant him this opportunity, he wouldn't have gone through all that trouble, enduring humiliation!

"What are you thinking?" Jiang Zhendong pinched Shen Tian's puffed cheeks, "Why so angry?"

Shen Tian's eyes reddened as he wrapped his slender arms around Jiang Zhendong's neck. His memory only restored up to three days after the zombie siege, when Hongshan Base fell and Jiang Zhendong vented his anger on him, making those days unbearable.

Shen Tian's eyelashes fluttered, wondering why he couldn't recall what happened afterward.

Jiang Zhendong: "Hmm?"

Shen Tian snapped back to reality, cuddling closer to appease him, but his eyes clouded with gloom where Jiang Zhendong couldn't see, "I was thinking about that bastard Shenchi. He must have regained his memories from the past life and is seeking revenge. Otherwise, that car wouldn't have exploded like that. It must be his doing!"

"Just for that?" Jiang Zhendong stared into Shen Tian's eyes, trying to read something.

"Yes, yes..." Shen Tian, under scrutiny, lowered his head, but a hand suddenly gripped his chin, rubbing his thumb against his lips.

Jiang Zhendong smiled, "Let me bite you to relieve your anger. How about it?"

Outside, more people were falling, and they were getting closer to the safety zone of Lu County. In the next moment, after Shenchi and Cao Kun killed a Level Five zombie, the corpse vanished, and the helicopter was suddenly pulled by a powerful force!

Shenchi and Cao Kun both tensed, knowing a Level Six zombie had appeared. They jumped out of the cabin, holding hands, disappearing into thin air just before a gaping mouth could swallow them.

A small girl, no more than five or six years old, stood in a pool of blood, her grayish-white eyes staring blankly. She had a round belly and suddenly opened her mouth wide.

A bomber ahead lost control and flew straight towards the little girl—

The girl's mouth stretched impossibly wide, swallowing the bomber whole!

Instantly, dozens of bombers aimed their firepower at the girl, but she unexpectedly flashed away, flying far out of reach.

The snow-covered road and buildings ahead suddenly sprouted countless green shoots. In mere moments, they grew wildly, shooting out numerous sharp vines that lunged toward the girl!

As the girl retreated, the surrounding zombies rushed forward to shield her.

Jiang Zhendong observed the battle, noticing the continuous arrival of troops from Luye City. He curled his lips and said to Zhao Xiong behind him, "Pass the order down: have our people besiege Luye City's safe zone. The zombies are being handled."

The city gates of Luye City's safe zone opened, allowing countless survivors to flood in. Neither Hongshan Base nor Luye City's safe zone attacked these survivors; instead, they directed their firepower at each other while also dealing with the arriving zombies.

On another side, an ice wall appeared in the air, followed by two figures. Zombies could sense who was the highest-ranked, so as soon as Shenchi and Cao Kun appeared, the Level 6 zombie girl eagerly opened her mouth toward them.

Gu Yibei and others, hidden in the shadows, seized the opportunity when Shenchi and Cao Kun retreated into the space again, unleashing various abilities to attack. With no clear target, the girl began indiscriminate attacks.

On the other side, Jiang Zhendong watched as survivors swarmed into Luye City, then glanced at Shenchi and others leading the Level 6 zombie here, a sneer barely concealed on his lips.

However, before his expression had settled, an unexpected situation arose.

Suddenly, the survivors flooding into Luye City vanished without a trace. The city gates were sealed again by metal and earth ability users. An invisible barrier abruptly emerged, enveloping the entire safe zone of Luye City, not only blocking the zombies' assault but also deflecting all stray bullets back!

Jiang Zhendong jumped to his feet, turning to look at the stunned Shen Tian beside him, saying sinisterly, "What's going on?"

Shen Tian trembled all over, "I, I don't know..."

"You don't know? Aren't you supposed to dream about future events? You dreamed about the Level 6 zombie wave and its characteristics. How come you didn't dream about this?" Jiang Zhendong's expression darkened, "Xiao Tian, are you hiding something from me?"