Chapter 118: Save the Apocalypse (24)
Chapter 118: Save the Apocalypse (24)
The zombies’ remarkably obedient behavior instantly widened the eyes of the seven members of the group. Jin Yu, a young boy who particularly admired strong individuals, involuntarily exclaimed in admiration, “Brother Ren, you’re amazing!”
Ren Zhu turned his head with a smiling expression and nodded, “There’s even more impressive thing than this.”
After saying that, he turned to the second wave of approaching zombies and spoke, “Turn around and attack the enemies behind you, don’t let them come up.”
The second wave of zombies hesitated for a few seconds upon hearing this, then obediently turned around and began attacking the zombies of the same kind that were relentlessly climbing up behind them. Their movements were somewhat stiff, but they unmistakably followed Ren Zhu’s command. This ability to control zombies and turn them into their own team members was far more impactful than the earlier scene of zombies rolling down, and it left a deeper sense of shock.
“Goodness gracious, Big Brother! Your psychic ability is unbelievably overpowered! You can directly control their actions? If your psychic ability reaches level ten, can you control an entire city of zombies and make them fight each other? This is the most awesome skill I’ve ever seen! Big Brother, you’re so cool! Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
Ren Zhu pondered for a moment, then seriously answered Gou Jian Fei’s question, “We are a team. If Yi Xiao and I handle all the danger and problems, it would create a dependency and complacency among you. In that case, when you face danger in the future, your abilities in various aspects would be lacking.”
“In summary, it’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.” Teacher Ren provided a stage-wise educational summary, leaving the seven people listening with awkward and stiff expressions.
Mao Gan Cao rubbed his face for a while before speaking, “Big Brother, what you said makes so much sense that I can’t even refute it.”
Zhou Yun and the others rolled their eyes as well. Following Ren Zhu’s guidance, they quickly began meditating and practicing the new Daoist breathing technique that Zhao Tianfu had taught them. This would enhance their physical strength and expand their meridians, allowing them to absorb more energy.
Observing their dedicated efforts, Ren Zhu thought for a moment. Besides the powerful Level 8 Classroom Teacher command skill he had just used, there were several supportive skills he hadn’t used much. The skills like “Classroom Teacher’s Affectionate Caress,” “Classroom Teacher’s Counseling,” and “Classroom Teacher’s Loving Kiss” weren’t suitable for the situation. However, “Classroom Teacher’s Encouragement” could be utilized at this moment.
Thus, when Zhao Tianfu and Song Qiang were trembling from Ren Zhu’s caring and affectionate gaze, they suddenly noticed the child Jin Yu sitting beside them erupting in a joyful exclamation, “Ah! Brother Ren! I suddenly realized that my energy absorption speed has increased! And now I feel incredibly strong and clear-headed! Your encouragement really works!”
Sitting nearby, Gou Jian Fei quickly offered his feedback, “Yeah, yeah, I feel the same! Oh man, I feel like I’ve suddenly become overpowered!”
As for Mao Gan Cao, he absorbed energy while responding and couldn’t help but ask, “So, Big Brother, were you giving us some positive mental suggestions earlier?”
Ren Zhu glanced at him, his eyes full of admiration. Truly, people with keen minds often had advantages in many situations.
Ren Zhu didn’t answer directly, but most of them had a rough idea in their minds. Zhao Tianfu, in particular, felt a pang of surprise as he realized that Ren Zhu’s mental encouragement and suggestions were essentially equivalent to their Daoist technique of spiritual rejuvenation, which would take at least three to five more years of practice for him to master. At this point, Zhao Tianfu couldn’t help but consider recommending his sect to this exceptionally talented individual, but then he thought of the imposing and fierce Zombie King beside him, causing him to dismiss the thought.
Yes, Zhao Tianfu knew Yi Xiao was a zombie. While others couldn’t discern Yi Xiao’s abnormality, as one of the most talented Daoists in their sect, Zhao Tianfu was highly sensitive to anything related to the undead. This was one of the reasons he chose to accompany this team: to supervise Yi Xiao’s condition up close, as the zombie had once saved his life. He had encountered lower-level zombies before, like those with white skin, but it was obvious that Yi Xiao was far more advanced. His appearance was nearly indistinguishable from that of a normal human, except for some stiffness in his movements and a slightly paler complexion. At this level of zombie, Zhao Tianfu didn’t dare to speculate on Yi Xiao’s actual rank. However, regardless of his level, Zhao Tianfu intended to keep a close eye on him. Fortunately, with Ren Zhu, a fellow powerful psychic, present, Yi Xiao, this remarkable zombie, seemed to be causing no issues. In fact, he had been quite considerate along the way: although, this consideration was reserved for only one person.
Understanding this, Zhao Tianfu’s mood improved significantly, and he resumed meditating earnestly. For the next half hour, Ren Zhu skillfully controlled the zombies, directing them to counterattack their fellow zombies. As the zombies began to swarm the building and their rooftop refuge was almost overwhelmed, everyone was back to their optimal state. Each person exchanged smiles with their comrades. Zhou Yun, the only female fighter in the group, spoke up, “Let’s go, let’s continue to relocate! This time, I can hold on for two hours. We should be able to endure until Boss Yi returns!”
Everyone’s spirits were high, and Ren Zhu couldn’t help but smile. However, in the end, Yi Xiao proved to them that they didn’t need to hold out for so long. After about another half hour, Liu Mingqing, whose vision had been enhanced, suddenly cried out in excitement, “Boss Yi is back!”
Everyone paused for a moment, simultaneously realizing that the zombies’ attack had become less coordinated and that they were no longer targeting them as effectively. This was clearly the result of the worm’s command being lifted. Victory smiles appeared on everyone’s faces, and Gou Jian Fei sighed in admiration, “Uncle Yi is amazing!” Jin Yu exclaimed.
Everyone’s attention turned to Yi Xiao, as he had gazed at Ren Zhu with a somewhat irritable expression earlier. However, upon seeing Ren Zhu’s face, his irritation vanished, and he fixed his gaze on Ren Zhu’s face. After a moment, to everyone’s surprise, a tender smile emerged, “Mhmm. Dealt with it.”
It was obvious who he had dealt with. Those softly spoken words made the seven people shudder inexplicably; they felt the fate of that worm had been truly tragic.
“You should have brought it back. Maybe I could have extracted some useful information from it. After all, it should be a creature with intelligence, and my psychic ability might be effective on it,” Teacher Ren still seemed a bit dissatisfied. However, Yi Xiao frowned, “Too slippery, hard to catch.” He said it as if he were talking about catching slippery eels. This comparison once again led to everyone associating the worm with something like an eel, and all they could think of was how disgustingly ugly it was.
Ren Zhu chuckled and shrugged, “Alright, thank you for your efforts. Let’s rest here and then continue searching to the north. Are you familiar with the energy fluctuations of those worms? Can you sense them over a large area? As long as we kill the worm queen, we can stay in the base and wait for them to die. So, don’t feel impatient. This is our final battle.”
Yi Xiao raised an eyebrow, realizing that even his partner had noticed his somewhat bad mood after becoming a Flying Zombie. Apart from his aloofness, he was a bit irritable. Although he knew in his heart that it wasn’t a good thing and genuinely wanted to help humanity through this catastrophe, he was still influenced to some extent by his newfound status as a Flying Zombie. However, the fact that Ren Zhu could perceive this and had been soothing him in a gentle manner made even Yi Xiao, who had a notoriously bad temper, feel that his partner was exceptional, flawless even.
“I’ll make you a cup of Bamboo Leaf Flower Dew to calm your mind and rest for a while,” Ren Zhu smiled and took out an exquisitely crafted tea set, along with bamboo leaves and flower dew that he had acquired from who-knows-where.
Watching the two of them openly enjoying tea and tranquilizing their hearts while throwing dog food to the public under the guise of drinking tea, all six of the others, apart from that boy Jin Yu, were practically turning green in the face. Among them, Song Qiang, the single dog with the lowest average looks, was particularly enraged. He wished he could roar in frustration: This is the apocalypse! For heaven’s sake, it’s the apocalypse! Don’t you two have any sense of crisis? Any sense of the apocalypse?! You’re displaying affection and throwing dog food all around the city in front, back, left, and right of zombies that are howling! Are you not afraid of being surrounded by angry zombies?!!
However, all the roars eventually turned into silent burps. Song Qiang, bitterly disappointed, decided he had to diligently cultivate his powers from now on and then embark on the path of flaunting his affection in front of others after reaching the pinnacle of life! In every aspect.
After enduring more than an hour of this bombardment of dog food, Ren Zhu and Yi Xiao finally finished their tea. In the end, Teacher Ren considerately left seven cups of tea for Mao Gan Cao and the others. Although none of the people present were tea connoisseurs, after drinking the tea, they all felt a refreshing and serene energy rising from within them. Even if one were a fool, it was clear that this was undoubtedly good tea.
Gou Jian Fei glanced at Yi Xiao and couldn’t help sighing in his heart. From Yi Xiao, he had learned a truth: no matter how you look or how imposing you are, as long as you possess an irresistibly superb culinary skill, you’ll ultimately become a winner in life. In every way.
“Alright, let’s continue on our journey. It’s best to find that place before nightfall and then kill the worm queen tomorrow or the day after. Everyone, keep up and don’t lag behind,” Ren Zhu instructed.
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Upon hearing this, everyone nodded and then followed Yi Xiao and Ren Zhu. This time, Yi Xiao was carrying Ren Zhu in his arms, so Ren Zhu didn’t use his upgraded rocket device. Ren Zhu was quite content, lying happily in Yi Xiao’s embrace.
The people who were force-fed dog food: You two enjoy yourselves. Well, we’ve already become numb to it.
The subsequent search was relatively tedious. After flying continuously for three hours, the temperature had noticeably dropped. Vast stretches of desert and ground covered in frost appeared before them. It was now past 8 p.m.
“Brother Ren, let’s rest for a while. The temperature here is very low, and it’s deep autumn now. It’s not suitable for us to continue exploring,” Liu Mingqing spoke up. The faces of everyone were slightly pale at this point due to both excessive use of ability and the cold.
Ren Zhu nodded. “Yes, rest here. Prepare dinner. Yi Xiao and I will scout the area and find a concealed spot to rest. Although there are very few zombies around here, we can’t rule out the possibility of danger.”
Everyone nodded to show their understanding, and then Ren Zhu and Yi Xiao went their way. While not expressing it aloud, Mao Gan Cao and the others couldn’t help but think that they were really overworked here, while these two were flying. Yi Xiao, who was flying, was a bit puzzled. “We’ve searched around this area for quite some time, and you really haven’t sensed any energy fluctuations from the worm queen?”
Yi Xiao’s expression was a bit strange too. “According to reason, I should be able to sense it within a radius of several thousand miles, but I’m really not sensing anything now. It’s as if this area is especially clean.” After saying this, he sneered at himself, “But unfortunately, it’s precisely because of this that something feels off.”
Ren Zhu also smiled and nodded. “Yes, those worms don’t seem particularly intelligent, otherwise, they wouldn’t be doing these conspicuously foolish things. However, what’s most important for us right now is to find their hiding place. So, where do you think… it might be?”
Yi Xiao pondered for a moment before looking downward.
Observing his action, Ren Zhu chuckled. “Great minds think alike. This area, which is underground and can conceal… worms.”