Chapter 230

Chapter 230

The entire 017 Squad had completed their superpower breakthroughs, doubling or tripling their combat power, which further strengthened their authority over the entire Superpower Corps.

On the surface, the teammates were assigned to different posts. However, when missions outside the base were required, their ten-member squad remained the standard team composition. Depending on the situation, Chu Yi, Tang Ji, and Gao Xuyang might also be included, followed by others.

Field teams leaving the base would not split up—this was a rule Cheng Jing had proposed and Department Head Wang had approved.

As for other superpowered individuals in the Corps being deployed outside, they usually operated alongside the base’s military forces and didn’t require separate leadership—just filing a report was enough.

Thus, when Department Head Wang informed them that the special warehouse for the crystal core power station had been completed and required their squad to discreetly retrieve zombies to serve as a renewable energy source for the post-apocalypse, the team was ready to go after just one night.

The mission plan involved Chu Yi and Gao Xuyang accompanying them, while Tang Ji remained at the base. In addition to his regular duties, he was also required to collaborate with those with antibodies in the lab building to assist in the development of the first-generation antidote serum.

Originally, Yang Kai was also supposed to assist, but this time, he had to accompany Gao Xuyang on the mission.

Cheng Jing and the others had tested it before—when separated from Yang Kai and left alone with others for too long, Gao Xuyang would grow restless and uneasy.

When Yang Kai was present, "Professor Gao" acted completely normal. But in Yang Kai’s absence, he became the Zombie King again, would ignore everyone and seemingly on the verge of losing control at any moment.

Jiang Nian and the professors explained that this was normal. Gao Xuyang kept his human mind, but as the Zombie King, he also possessed certain instincts and traits of the undead.

Caught between these two sides of himself, his attitude toward his partner naturally differed from his attitude toward others.

"Brother Chu, can’t you really take me along? Just stash me in your space, secretly..."

Early in the morning, in the staff dormitory of Laboratory 3, Tang Ji, his hair sticking up in all directions, hovered around Chu Yi, who was about to depart, making his final appeal.

Ever since arriving at the Southern City Base, Chu Yi had been responsible for supervising him—since his superpower had no effect on Chu Yi. Now, they were roommates.

They had always gotten along well, but for Brother Chu to go on a mission without securing him a spot seemed unfair. He wanted to help too!

"No. You’re a key staff member of the lab building and need to be on duty recently. Next time. This is just a zombie capture mission—with the Zombie King around, it’ll be over quickly. You wouldn't be much help."

Chu Yi’s refusal left no room for negotiation.

Tang Ji muttered dejectedly,

"I didn’t expect to make a huge difference... I just wanted to help Brother Nian do better."

Going on a mission with a powerful team meant no worries about safety and lots of action. Getting to see the Zombie King summon zombies in person—who wouldn’t want that?

Chu Yi chuckled.

"Don’t worry. With Jiang Nian’s personality, once the antidote serum is developed, there’ll be plenty of times he'll rope you into his crazy schemes. Alright, I’m off. Remember to report to the lab on time."

With that, he grabbed his gear and headed out.

Tang Ji said offhand,

"Roger that. Be careful out there."

"..."

Chu Yi stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at him.

Tang Ji scratched his messy hair and asked,

"What’s wrong?"

Chu Yi tilted his head and thought for a moment:

"Nothing, it's just the first time someone's said that to me. Just feels a little odd."

He smiled, opened the door, and walked out.

"What?"

Tang Ji frowned, pondering for a while but couldn't see what was so strange about it. Wasn’t that just a normal polite thing to say?

When they first met, he had been a little afraid of Chu Yi—due to his status, Chu Yi carried an air of strict, no-nonsense authority, rigid and impersonal in his dealings.

But after spending more time together, he realized that as long as it wasn't something serious, Chu Yi was actually pretty easygoing.

...

With Gao Xuyang around, whether it was finding zombies or controlling them, everything became effortless. With Chu Yi's army backing them up, they had no fear of any armed factions they might encounter.

Twelve people set off this time in three off-road vehicles.

In Chu Yi's storage space, the number of troops he carried was reduced, replaced instead by over twenty custom-built, extra-long container trailers—used to transport zombies, making sure they got enough in one go.

Gao Xuyang said he could call zombies to the base, but no one wanted to take that risk. It was better to summon them farther away.

Along the way, Teacher Gao used his unique zombie telepathy to sense other zombies. Whenever he found a large gathering, they would head straight there and summon all the nearby zombies.

On an empty, run-down street, they parked the vehicles. Following Gao Xuyang's instructions, Chu Yi lined up ten large trailers along the road before stepping out with his teammates to stand behind a low wall erected by Lu Ningzhou, watching from a distance.

Standing in the middle of the street, Gao Xuyang made a weird guttural noise. Before long, zombies began emerging from all directions.

Their speed wasn't slow, but they weren't frenzied or roaring—instead, they moved like mindless puppets, one by one walking into the open trailers.

The eerie sight gave everyone the creeps. Imagining that this was how zombie hordes formed sent a shiver down their spines.

They only wanted ordinary zombies. Superpower Zombies were taken care of right away, their crystal cores harvested and taken back. So, Gao Xuyang singled out the Superpower Zombies separately.

"Teacher Gao's Superpower range is twice mine... That’s crazy strong!"

Despite the distance, Jiang Nian instinctively lowered his voice.

Everyone, including Yang Kai, let out a sharp breath. Truly, no wonder he’s the Zombie King.

A little over an hour later, all ten trailers were full, roughly packed with over two thousand zombies.

Liao Yu froze the zombies inside solid, while Zhao Lei reinforced the trailers—extra safeguards to avoid any mishaps.

Cheng Jing was responsible for handling the Superpower Zombies and retrieving their crystal cores.

Watching their smooth teamwork, Zhou Rongbin couldn't help but sigh:

"Honestly, with our team's strength, we could easily form our own faction and be local warlords."

The others just laughed, not saying anything.

Chu Yi glanced at them and affirmed:

"It's normal to have such ambitions when you gain great power."

But then his tone changed:

"But I don't think it's necessary. You guys aren't short on supplies, so there's no need to rely on 'tribute' from ordinary people. In fact, you'd even have to share your own resources—it's just not worth the effort, making life harder for no reason. Eventually, the state will take full control anyway."

After saying this, he stepped forward and stored the prepared compartments one by one into his spatial ability. This way, Gao Xuyang could deactivate his superpower without affecting the zombies in the compartments.

"Exactly."

Jiang Nian agreed wholeheartedly. They weren’t oppressed, nor did they lack food or clothing—declaring 'independence' would only bring them unnecessary hardship.

Seeing everyone holding back laughs, Yang Kai added from the side:

"Unless you want to establish a regime and break away from the country, but that approach is more viable overseas. I suggest going overseas for that."

"Snort—"

"Hahaha..."

"Makes sense..."

The group burst into laughter. It was true—the government hadn’t collapsed even during the initial chaos, and now that things were stabilizing, it would only get better. When it came to handling turmoil, the nation had thousands of years’ worth of experience to draw from.

"Alright, let’s go. Let’s move to the next location."

Yang Kai walked over to Gao Xuyang with a smile.

Having deactivated his superpower, Gao Xuyang was now sitting quietly on a curbside boulder. Seeing Yang Kai approach, he spoke up:

"Yang Kai, I’m hungry. I’ve finished all the crystal cores I brought."

Such a large-scale summoning took a lot out of him.

"You’ve worked hard."

Yang Kai pulled out a jar of preserved fruit from his backpack—inside were nothing but cleaned and purified crystal cores. He opened it and started handing them over to Gao Xuyang.

Noticing his teammates watching, Gao Xuyang hesitated, flustered:

"I can eat them myself..."

Yang Kai dropped to one knee in front of him, jar in hand, and shot back, grinning:

"Nope. My treat."