Chapter 426: Hunt
All the squads depended on the base. In their eyes, their only concern was this small patch of land. At most, they’d envy others’ resources—but no one paid attention to the broader situation.
Now, hearing what was happening at other bases, many finally realized how brutal their environment remained.
“Based on the trajectory of these attacks, they are steadily moving northward—likely toward Pingjin Base or even Capital Base. The distances may seem great, but we can’t rule out the possibility of more advanced zombie commanders among them.”
“Capital Base, speaking as the national capital, has proposed that all remaining bases in the country begin urgently clearing out zombies around their perimeters to reduce the risk of devastation during a potential siege.”
“Our base will cooperate with Capital and Pingjin to divide surrounding regions. Starting tomorrow, we will mobilize the entire base to hunt zombies. The base army will lead in two main groups. All A-rank and above ability users are required to participate. B-rank users may join voluntarily.”
After confirming the details, Lu Weiyi closed the folder and looked up. “If anyone has questions, ask them now.”
Still shaken by earlier events, no one spoke—until Ye Jia, the blunt captain of the Frost Society, raised her hand: “Base Commander Lu, will we have ability disruptor support this time?”
“Yes. But keep in mind—disruptors have limited effect on high-level zombies. Don’t rely on them too much.”
Ye Jia flashed an OK sign and said no more.
“How many days will it take? Will there be any… compensation?” asked Chen Xing.
“The duration depends on zombie numbers—determined in real time. No direct compensation, but all crystal cores collected during the operation belong to the squads.”
“Can those cores be exchanged for purified ones?”
Lu Weiyi didn’t respond directly. Instead, he looked at Zhuang Mingxu, since he didn’t know the base’s purification stock.
“Yes,” Zhuang replied. “At a two-to-one exchange rate.”
That was the most favorable rate the base had ever offered—underscoring how massive the cleanup effort would be. Even with their ability users, it was clear this campaign would be a struggle.
There was a low murmur of whispering below. A few more questions were asked, but soon the room fell silent.
“Everyone, go back and think it over. You can sign up later. Registration closes at 8 a.m. tomorrow. We plan to depart at the latest the day after.”
After the meeting, a few familiar squad captains pulled Lu Weiyi aside to discuss the plan and the potential lockdown of the base. They ended up having lunch together.
By the time they were done, it was already 2 p.m. Given the tense times, no one dared to drink heavily—just a couple of light toasts. On the way back, Zhuang Mingxu suddenly asked about the handling of Zhang Hang.
“There are people in the base who aren’t behaving. Since they want to test the waters, I gave them a show of force—scare them into behaving for a while. I don’t think the zombie attacks this time are that simple,” Lu Weiyi said, leaning tiredly on Zhuang Mingxu’s shoulder.
“I’ve heard rumors too. This is something that happens when any base starts expanding—everyone wants a piece of the power.”
“I built this base with blood, sweat, and tears—why should someone else swoop in to reap the rewards?” Lu Weiyi ground his teeth, seething at those with ill intent.
Zhuang Mingxu knew that Lu Weiyi had spent the past year traveling across the country, exhausted. Thanks to his space ability, the entire West Island was now full of underground bunkers and every kind of supply imaginable.
He pulled Lu Weiyi closer and comforted him with a pat. “I’ve already sent people undercover into their ranks. Everything is under control. When they make a move, we’ll wipe them all out.”
Lu Weiyi nodded, still agitated. “I heard Hope Base was attacked by mutated rats in November? Tons of people got hurt?”
“Yeah, we got in touch with Su Yan. He warned us to be cautious—it’s rat season in the fall. After receiving the warning, I had Brother Xiong lead the earth-ability users to dig through every part of the base’s underground. They killed a lot.”
Now that zombies and mutant animals were doing everything to attack humans, even inside bases it was no longer truly safe.
Half Moon Bay didn’t face zombie breaches, but mutant creatures were everywhere. To prevent mutated bees and bugs, no plants were allowed in the populated areas of North Island.
The soil underground was checked regularly by earth-ability users. Watchtowers had also been built to monitor for mutant birds. And because of the coastal location, amphibians often came ashore near the beach and reefs.
To ensure public safety, the base invested heavily—which is why Half Moon Bay remained secure while other bases were constantly hit by unexpected disasters.
Yet those squads who comfortably enjoyed the peace only saw the results, not the blood and sweat behind them. Greedy and entitled, they tried to pluck the fruit. Lu Weiyi was furious and disheartened by their selfishness.
“Don’t be mad. Isn’t it kind of fun to watch them scheme so hard and end up with nothing?” Zhuang Mingxu tried to cheer him up.
“I’m not as twisted as you. I just want them to behave and stop making trouble,” Lu Weiyi replied, then relayed what Dong Hongyuan had said.
“Sounds like their intel is outdated. They don’t know we’ve already sold the manufacturing methods for the ability disruptors and signal blockers to the other bases.”
That brought up more irritation for Lu Weiyi. “Still feels like we got the short end of the stick.”
“We did a little,” Zhuang admitted. The tech hadn’t been used to its fullest value. If they’d sold finished products in bulk, the profit would’ve been enormous. But the pace of mutation among zombies, animals, and plants was accelerating, and humans were rapidly losing their advantage.
Just this past year, the number of dead—both ordinary people and ability users—had significantly increased. Continued losses would only accelerate humanity’s downfall.
“In the end, we’re still all human. At times like this, you can’t just think about personal gain.”
“I know. But giving them the tech and then watching them try to screw us over in other ways—just feels…” Lu Weiyi made a disgusted face, “Gross.”
The higher you stand, the darker the things you see. Lu Weiyi still hadn’t adjusted, but that was unavoidable. Zhuang Mingxu changed the subject.
“How’s the weapon integration going over at Capital Base?”
Over the past year, Half Moon Bay Base had opened many factories, with weapon manufacturing being the most important.
Capital Base had already tested the weapons via Lu Xiao, and when they heard about the zombie sieges, Zheng Yi and Zhao Qiang immediately contacted Half Moon Bay to buy crystal-core-powered weapons. Though they had been doing their own research, their progress was inferior.
Weapons were Half Moon Bay’s foundation. Lu Weiyi hadn’t intended to sell them—but the two squad captains from Capital Base, who always competed with each other, had teamed up to put on a dramatic show in front of Lu Weiyi.
After a few drinks, they tearfully begged him. Lu Weiyi, whose tolerance wasn’t great, got drunk and agreed to the deal. Fortunately, knowing it wasn’t the most honorable arrangement, he hadn’t signed off on an excessive quantity.
The next day, under Lu Xiao’s amused gaze, he had to accept his mistake. He had just returned from delivering the weapons to the Capital a few days ago.
“Not bad. They’re all military or police, nothing difficult,” he said as the two of them returned to Central Island.
By late morning, the news of the Sparks Squad being expelled had spread throughout the base. Military and police ability users had detained the entire squad—both powered and non-powered members—in full view of everyone. After inventorying their supplies, they were forcibly expelled.
At dinner, those who hadn’t attended the meeting immediately asked about the details.
“That squad was clearly just someone else’s pawn,” said Wu Yue, who had frequent contact with the various squads and saw through it right away.
“If they were willing to stand up, they should’ve been ready to face the consequences,” said Zhuang Mingxu, calmly helping Taotao pick up her spilled bowl.
“If Xiao Yi hadn’t spoken first, I would’ve made an example out of them too. The base must not descend into chaos at this time,” he looked toward the department heads.
“If anything happens, we must crack down with force. Once people are scared, they won’t dare stir trouble when it really counts.”
“Makes sense. But for this upcoming zombie hunt, the base should still keep enough people behind, just in case,” Wu Yue suggested.
“Already being arranged,” Zhuang Mingxu replied with a gentle smile, though his eyes were cold.
Wu Yue and Ning Yuan, who had worked with him for years, immediately picked up on his bad intentions. “You’re thinking…”
“Just thinking about how to deal with them,” Zhuang Mingxu cut him off before he could continue.
He had his own plans. Originally, he meant to discuss them with Lu Weiyi, but seeing how angry he had been earlier, he suddenly didn’t want to involve him in such schemes—especially since he himself was the mastermind behind them.
*
The next day, the base submitted the roster of ability users who had signed up. In addition to the mandatory A-rank ability users, over ten thousand B-rank users had also volunteered—quite a solid turnout considering the overall population.
The S-rank users of Team One were split into two groups to ensure that enough strength remained at the base in case of an emergency. The rest of the S-rank users from other squads would all go out on mission.
As for the A- and B-ranks, they were also divided into two rotating teams. Since Pingjin City wasn’t close, the base had to leave enough personnel behind for precaution.
Originally, the plan was for Lu Weiyi and Zhuang Mingxu to each oversee one side, with all ability users split into three parts: one team guarding the base, one clearing zombies in the city center, and one rotating in and out for rest—this made the most efficient use of time.
But given the rising unrest within the base, Lu Weiyi became worried and chose not to remain stationed in the city center. All ability users were split into two rotating teams, a less time-efficient approach but one that allowed him to keep a closer eye on base affairs. They also added more weapon support to make up for it.
*
The first campaign was led by Lu Weiyi himself, with Li Zhuang, Wu Yue, the Gu brothers, Xiong Jie, and Xu Yi on the team.
Although all were S-rank, not all had the same combat prowess. Their powers were more defensive in nature, so having Lu Weiyi watch over them would be safer.
