Chapter 112: Save the Saviour (18)
Chapter 112: Save the Saviour (18)
After Ren Zhu shouted the phrase “don’t hesitate,” the people who had been standing still suddenly snapped back to reality. They quickly sprang into action, using all their strength to attack the zombies. As they fought, they realized that they had never felt so exhilarated before.
In previous encounters with zombies, the zombies not only evaded their attacks but also occasionally counterattacked. Slow-reacting individuals would often end up scratched or bitten by the zombies. In such cases, if the scratches or bites weren’t dealt with quickly, those people would eventually become zombie allies and attack their own companions.
But what about now? The zombies stood there like wooden stakes, just waiting to be attacked! They didn’t resist or dodge at all. Some individuals with accurate marksmanship could easily headshot a zombie with a single shot. As for the supernatural beings, they were even more impressive. With their powers, they could target a zombie’s head and take them down instantly.
The more they fought, the more thrilled they became. Some individuals even wanted to rush into the zombie horde and take out as many as they could. Takeda Takeshi, seeing the zombies standing still, pulled a mini grenade out of his backpack and tossed it out after switching it on. The grenade landed in the middle of the zombie horde and instantly obliterated a large group of them.
Seeing this scene inspired others, and one after another, they began using group attacks.
Just as everyone was getting excited, the voice of the person they initially thought was a lunatic, then later a god-like figure, echoed again through the speaker: “It’s about time. The advanced zombies are about to counterattack. Change your strategy and focus on breakthroughs at specific points!”
This statement didn’t sit well with the fierce warriors who were rampaging around. Weren’t they already dominating the battlefield? However, some people, upon hearing this, immediately changed their tactics. They formed groups, attacking and defending simultaneously. Soon, the remaining thousand or so zombies began moving again. Angered, they charged toward the leading brutes who thought highly of themselves. These people had let the previous success go to their heads and were now being bitten on the neck or even having their skulls smashed in before they could react.
The intense battle had now truly begun.
However, due to the advantage of being on their home turf, humans managed to clear out all the zombies around the original base city in about half an hour, and tranquility returned to the area.
Takeda Takeshi breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the nearly five hundred people from his base who had survived, finally breaking into the first smile he’d had in days. He turned to Lei Long and said, “Thank you for coming to support us. Otherwise, we might not have made it to this point.”
Lei Long chuckled, “You’ve joined us now. We’re comrades, so supporting each other is only natural, isn’t it? Alright, you’ve been through a lot these past few days. Go get checked at the gate, rest for a bit, then come to headquarters. I believe you could provide us with some useful information.”
Takeda Takeshi nodded, his expression somewhat difficult to put into words. “…We’re from Xuanwu Base. Our base has already been breached by the zombies. As for the reasons… I’ll need to speak to the person in charge before I can say anything.”
Lei Long nodded, “That’s understandable. Go get checked now.”
As Takeda Takeshi was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the powerful individual who had made that divine-like announcement earlier. A look of keen interest appeared on his face. ” Captain Lei, can you tell me who that impressive person was who shouted just now? Are they a psychic supernatural ability user? Or something else? They’re incredibly powerful!”
Lei Long’s mouth twitched slightly. Well, yes, weren’t they powerful? Even he had only recently discovered that the person who usually looked so mild-mannered and elegant, like a mentor, was such a formidable weapon! He had believed Liu Mingqing’s explanation that this person was a psychic ability user who could disrupt zombie movements. But the guy had slapped his face the other day, and today he almost got his face swollen. Thinking about Ren Zhu, Lei Long inevitably thought of Yi Xiao, with whom Ren Zhu was inseparable. At that moment, Lei Long’s expression turned even more unpleasant. Compared to this telepathic powerhouse who could control thousands of zombies with a single speaker, he disliked the guy who didn’t even seem human and could punch zombies into smithereens even more. It was said that the guy could even make zombies submit and be on guard, not like a powerful supernatural, but practically a zombie king!
Takeda Takeshi saw Lei Long’s constantly changing expression and figured he probably wouldn’t get any answers. Sure enough, after Lei Long’s face changed, he responded, “That’s a powerful figure from our base. You’ll get to know them over time. For now, go get checked.” Takeda Takeshi shrugged; since the person didn’t want to show himself, he wouldn’t force it. After all, in about ten days or a month, he’d probably get a chance to see them again, right?
However, Takeda Takeshi couldn’t have guessed that he would soon get to meet that person.
Quickly, Takeda Takeshi walked towards the first gate of the original base city. After passing through this gate and the moat, they could enter the second gate for potential testing before reaching the inner part of the base. It had to be said that the original base city was indeed one of the four major bases. Both in terms of technology and combat strength, it outperformed them by miles.
But why hadn’t the inspection finished yet? And why had an argument broken out in front?
Hearing the commotion ahead, Takeda Takeshi hurried in that direction and saw a water ability user from their base shouting loudly.
“Why are you preventing me from entering? There’s nothing wrong with my blood test! I don’t have any injuries either! The fact that I can argue with you means my brain hasn’t been eaten by zombies. Since I’m a normal human, why won’t you let me in?! Is this how the original base city treats people? Looking down on those of us from smaller bases who came here for refuge?” A sharp female voice filled with reproach echoed around the city gate. With her scolding, an uneasy atmosphere began to form around the gate. People couldn’t help but press towards the gate, the situation gradually devolving into pushing and shoving, escalating into arguments.
“Stop! Individuals who haven’t passed the inspection are not allowed to enter the base! If you don’t stop, we will use force!” The gatekeepers were doing their duty responsibly, but at this point, their sense of responsibility was the last straw on the camel’s back. Instinctively, everyone assumed that the original base city didn’t intend to accept them. The survival instinct led them to become agitated. Coupled with the woman’s scornful anger, it appeared the original base city was indeed indifferent to their plight, causing chaos around the gate.
Nearly five hundred people in turmoil were a recipe for a disaster.
Both Lei Long and Takeda Takeshi realized the situation was wrong. Unfortunately, no matter how much Takeda Takeshi shouted for everyone to calm down, the agitated crowd couldn’t regain their composure. Their target was that gate, and they absolutely had to squeeze through. People cried out, inadvertently using their own supernatural abilities. Under this cover, someone revealed their sinister, terrifying fangs.
“Why are you making such a mess?! Do you want to turn the world upside down? Stand still for five minutes right where you are!”
This shout was like thunder on a clear day, freezing all five hundred people in their tracks. Some were still muttering and complaining, but they were horrified to find that their bodies couldn’t move. Quickly, they recalled the immobile zombies they had dealt with earlier and tried their best to move their eyeballs, fixing their gaze on the young man who had leaped down from the city wall.
“So, I keep saying no matter what you do, you should be cautious and careful. In addition to that…Stay calm and serious. You should have the unshakable composure to face Mount Tai collapsing without changing your expression. Otherwise, like today, you might be manipulated by ill-intentioned individuals and cause irreparable catastrophic consequences.”
Looking at these people, Ren Zhu couldn’t help but offer some common psychological advice, “You’ve worked so hard to get here; you shouldn’t fail at the last moment. Take this time to reflect on things. If you continue like this, no one will save you in the future.”
After Ren Zhu finished speaking, he walked slowly towards the female supernatural who had initially sparked the conflict. At this point, the woman’s face had turned pale, and she stared at Ren Zhu with a mix of anger and trepidation.
Ren Zhu continued, “You have the smell of zombies on you, and you have a bottle of dried zombie blood in your bag. What were you planning to do after entering the base? Poison the water source of the entire original base city? Or… target specific individuals?”
Hearing Ren Zhu’s words, the nearly five hundred people collectively gasped. Their expressions were incredulous. How could this be true?!
Even the female supernatural herself denied it, “What nonsense are you spouting?! I don’t have any zombie blood! I’m just a water ability user! Even if the original base city doesn’t want to accept people like us, they don’t need such a crude reason to drive us away!”
The female supernatural kept saying “us,” obviously hoping that Takeda Takeshi and the others from Xuanwu Base would stand on the same side as her. However, the people forced to stand were unusually clear-headed at this moment. They understood very well that if things were truly as Ren Zhu described, even collective punishment by standing here wasn’t enough. A thorough search of their belongings, meticulous inspections, all of that would be necessary! The thought of the zombie blood was terrifying.
Everyone fell silent, creating an atmosphere that made the female supernatural increasingly anxious. She attempted to control her body to leave, but she found herself unable to move. With a determined voice, she attempted to say more, but Ren Zhu directly pulled her backpack off, revealing a package of opened South German seasoning secured by a small clip.
“What are you doing with my seasoning? What’s it got to do with you that I like eating this?!” The female supernatural instantly shouted, but her trembling voice betrayed her. The people who were forced to stand exchanged altered expressions. Takeda Takeshi’s eyes turned red as he couldn’t hold back, “Mizuki! Why did you do this?! Do you know how many people you’ve harmed?!!”
Lei Long stood to the side and coldly spoke, “The entire original base city, including the elderly, the weak, women, children, young adults, and various animals, totals to six hundred and eighty thousand lives. If you intend to contaminate the water source with this, you would be directly ending the lives of six hundred and eighty thousand. No matter what reasons you have, you deserve to die a thousand deaths.”
At this point, the supernatural named Mizuki could no longer bear it and started sobbing uncontrollably, “What can I do? I have no choice! I love him! This world won’t accept us. What else can I do? He said, as long as he makes the world like him, we can be together forever!”
Tears shone in Mizuki’s eyes as she continued, “Yes, that’s right! I’m not killing people! I’m changing this world! I’m saving people! Look at this world, how miserable and desolate it is! The human population is dwindling, nearly extinct. Why struggle anymore? As long as we become zombies, we won’t have to fear anything anymore! Isn’t that great, isn’t it?”
The gazes of the onlookers turned from anger to indifference. If this woman wasn’t mad, she was brainwashed by zombies. In her eyes, the lives of six hundred and eighty thousand were worth less than what she described as love. Instead of resisting the apocalypse, people were facing imminent extinction. This woman was simply unworthy of being called human.
Ren Zhu looked at her and asked, “You fell in love with a zombie?”
Mizuki turned her head and yelled, “What’s wrong with zombies?! He’s not an ordinary zombie! He has memories, wisdom, and emotions! He’s just different from us in appearance! He saved me! Helped me find food! He said he loves me. Unfortunately, this world won’t let us be together! He has a way to make others like him, even if they become zombies, they can maintain their intelligence and consciousness. Isn’t that good? Isn’t it? All you need to do is drink his blood!!”
Ren Zhu gazed at the now-mad woman and finally nodded, “That’s quite a plan. However, I think you could have another way to be with him, openly and forever.”
Mizuki’s eyes lit up, “What way?”
Ren Zhu picked up the small packet of South German seasoning and walked towards her.
Mizuki’s expression instantly changed, “What are you doing?! Don’t come over!! Don’t bring that thing over!”
Ren Zhu almost looked at her with pity, “Didn’t you say it yourself? As long as you drink his blood, you can become like him. This way, you won’t harm others, and you can openly be with him.”
“No, no, no, I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I’m so beautiful, and I have supernatural powers. I don’t want to become a zombie! What if it fails? Then I’ll die, won’t I? I don’t want to!”
Ren Zhu’s eyes turned ice-cold and sharp, “So, you’re willing to make others your guinea pigs, aren’t you!!”
In that instant, everyone present was thinking, “Let that woman die already.”