Chapter 531 | Chapter 532 | Chapter 533 | Chapter 534 | Chapter 535
Chapter 531: Cheng Chuan is Controlled
“You… Lu Xi, watch your tone! Even your father wouldn’t dare—”
“Ha! Someone like you? Do you really think my father would give you the time of day?” Lu Xi felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. After checking it, he said, “The upgrade starts in ten minutes. If anyone wants to back out, now’s your last chance.”
He pointed toward the restroom at the end of the hallway and gave Zheng Miao a sideways glance. “Let’s be clear—your cousin begged us to let you come upgrade. We didn’t drag you here. If you’ve got complaints, feel free—”
He gestured toward the door in a clear invitation to leave. Zheng Miao’s teeth clenched, but she didn’t step out.
When the apocalypse hit, she had been only ten. With her healing ability awakened, her family had sheltered her well. If it weren’t absolutely necessary for her to upgrade now, she would still be hiding in a team, throwing her weight around without risking anything.
Remembering her parents’ warnings before she left, Zheng Miao shot Lu Xi a vicious glare and followed the others to the bathroom.
When they returned, each of the four chose a corner and placed the crystal cores they had brought within easy reach.
They weren’t yet capable of absorbing high-level crystal cores. The ones they had were all standard B-level cores, and they stacked them in front of themselves.
At Dean’s signal, they began absorbing the crystals without hesitation. Even Zheng Miao, who hesitated at first while watching the others start without a second thought, eventually joined in.
Lu Xi, who had been watching her the whole time, sneered and turned toward the window, nodding at Lin Yimu, who stood like a statue overseeing the soldiers downstairs.
Dean, acting like a diligent supervisor, moved around with a monitoring device, occasionally pressing buttons near the ability users. Sometimes he’d quietly leave the room, other times he handed out more water bottles or instructed them to slow their crystal absorption.
The meticulous and professional process gave people an added sense of security. Even Zheng Miao, who had looked panicked at the start, gradually calmed down and focused on absorbing the crystal core.
A few hours later, Dean noticed that Jiang Xi’s energy was becoming unstable. He glanced at Lu Xi, then approached Jiang Xi and handed him the last bottle of water. He reminded him, “You’ve reached the final stage. Drink it all and give it your all to absorb the crystal core.”
Jiang Xi, whose brows were soaked with cold sweat, nodded, gulped down the entire bottle, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
“Almost there. Keep going.”
“Push a little more.”
“You’re nearly done.”
“Just a little more.”
Dean held a device in his hand that emitted occasional beeping sounds. As his voice rang out, it tugged at the hearts of the others nearby. They unconsciously slowed their own absorption, casting glances in his direction.
“The final bit. Hang in there.”
“Good. Almost.”
“Done!”
“Excellent!”
As Dean announced the completion, a gentle yet immense energy radiated from Jiang Xi’s body, washing over everyone without discrimination. A soothing feeling spread from the inside out.
Jiang Xi felt a vast, unshackled lightness, as though he had broken free from some invisible restraint. He turned to Dean with a smile. “I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Dean replied. Then, sensing the instability in the energy of the others, he signaled Lu Xi to settle the group and moved toward the rest.
The four of them had long been on the verge of leveling up. With their zombie energy already reduced to a minimum—especially important for healing-type users—their upgrades were simply waiting to be triggered. Under Dean’s highly “professional” guidance, it didn’t take long for all of them to succeed.
If there was one key factor behind their success, at least 70% of it was psychological.
Zhuang Mingxu understood this well, and that’s why he had Dean put on the most professional act possible. The goal was to convince everyone that their base truly could guarantee a successful upgrade.
Of course, this approach could lead to two extreme outcomes: either all the healing-type squads would band together to attack Half Moon Bay, or they would have no choice but to seek help from Half Moon Bay.
Zhuang Mingxu believed it would be the latter—especially now that they had so many fire-type crystal cores.
With that, Liu Rui’s upgrade was practically guaranteed.
*
Meanwhile, 20 kilometers southwest of the Nanheng base—
Ning Yuan was leading several missing members of Team One through the wilderness. An armored vehicle was speeding through the wild forest terrain, pursued by an endless horde of zombies. The creatures shrieked and struggled, running with a frenzy as if injected with stimulants, hot on their trail.
If the vehicle slowed even slightly, the zombies’ claws and limbs would immediately start scraping at it—nerve-racking and dangerously intense.
After five years, the wilderness had become overgrown. Once-great cities built over centuries had crumbled into ruins, leaving only remnants to prove they had ever existed.
In these uninhabited zones, mutated animals ran rampant, and flocks of mutant birds darkened the skies. Nature’s law of survival of the fittest was on brutal display.
Since the moment they were airdropped here, the group had been under constant attack. And in the midst of this, they had to locate the vanguard of the zombie horde and somehow divert it away from the Nanheng base, steering it instead toward the capital.
Days of nonstop travel had left even the powered individuals completely drained, but they dared not stop to rest.
Inside the cramped armored vehicle, Xiong Jie drove with intense focus, swerving constantly to avoid randomly growing brush. The bumpy terrain jolted the vehicle violently, and they all had to stay tightly strapped in to avoid being flung around.
In the front passenger seat, Gu Qingji controlled a mutated vine extended out of the vehicle, trying to clear a smoother path ahead.
Ning Yuan monitored the situation through the periscope, constantly adjusting the angle. Liu Yang held a radio in the back, repeatedly calling out to the other team. Gu Sheng sat silently with his eyes closed, seemingly resting, as the crystal core in his hand gradually shrank.
At the very back of the vehicle, Cheng Chuan was tightly bound like a dumpling. His eyes rolled back, showing white sclera that occasionally turned black as he struggled. A closer look revealed at least four suppressive energy bands fastened to him.
“Still no contact with Antonio?” Ning Yuan asked, watching the relentless zombies with a furrowed brow full of urgency.
“No,” Liu Yang responded steadily, repeatedly pressing the radio. “This is 01 calling 02, do you copy?”
Only static and crackles answered back.
“Cheng Chuan, are you still conscious? How do you feel?” Ning Yuan called toward the back.
“Heh… yeah…” Cheng Chuan’s forced reply revealed his pain. Black matter occasionally surfaced on his exposed skin but was quickly suppressed again, like two forces locked in a constant chase.
On the first day of the base exercise, Ning Yuan had briefly shown up with his group—only to be secretly and quietly dropped into this region.
When Zhuang Mingxu had insisted on including Cheng Chuan in the team, Ning Yuan had disagreed. Everyone else he brought along had S-rank powers; the only two A-ranks were both psychic. Cheng Chuan had neither powerful abilities nor strong defenses—he was a liability.
But Cheng Chuan could control zombies, and Zhuang Mingxu hoped that, should they find themselves surrounded by the zombie horde, that ability might give them a sliver of hope.
Who could have guessed he would end up becoming their burden?
At first, when they landed and dodged mutant animals and plants, everything had seemed normal. But earlier that morning, after encountering the zombie vanguard, Cheng Chuan had suddenly started acting erratically.
It was as if he had lost consciousness and tried to leave the armored vehicle. If Gu Qingji hadn’t acted fast and restrained him with his mutated vine, Cheng Chuan would likely have already joined the zombie horde.
“Qingji, do you still have any energy band cores left?”
“Only one,” Gu Qingji replied, pulling out a fingernail-sized metal chip and handing it to Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan pulled out one of his spares as well. On the other side, Xiong Jie also offered one up without being asked.
—This was standard equipment for their team.
“Put it on him first and see if it can help him regain some clarity. Maybe we can ask him what happened?” Ning Yuan handed everything to Gu Sheng. “I have a feeling he’s being controlled. Did you sense any psychic-type ability users nearby?”
“No,” Gu Sheng shook his head. Not only did he not sense any ability users, he hadn’t even detected any psychic-type zombies. There were absolutely no traces of psychic power in the area.
“I didn’t sense anything either,” Ning Yuan muttered, glancing at Cheng Chuan with concern. But based on his current state… could it be that the zombie energy within him had finally erupted?
Ning Yuan began to regret bringing him along. “Gu Sheng, turn the suppressor headband to the maximum setting.”
“Copy that.” Gu Sheng toggled several mini switches, and Cheng Chuan’s entire body tensed up before he let out a painful scream.
“Ning Yuan, isn’t this setting a bit too strong?” All of them were using second-generation suppressor headbands, which incorporated research from the Joint Institute to purge zombie energy. The headbands had adjustable levels. For ordinary ability users, clearing out zombie energy only caused slight discomfort—but Cheng Chuan was different.
Because Qiao Nan was a student of Professor Zhuang Aiyi, Xiong Jie had interacted with Cheng Chuan often and understood that Cheng Chuan’s current stability came from a delicate balance between his zombie energy and his abilities.
If that balance was suddenly disrupted…
“I-it’s fine…” After the outburst, Cheng Chuan seemed a little more lucid. But the areas where the suppressor was applied looked like they had been soaked in ink. Gritting his teeth and with trembling muscles, he said to Ning Yuan, “Something… is directing those zombies. He…”
Ning Yuan was shocked by this news and quickly stepped closer to Cheng Chuan.
Cheng Chuan lowered his head, his teeth grinding audibly. “He… is heading… to Jing…”
“The Capital Base?” Ning Yuan asked.
“Then we…” Wasn’t this redundant?
The others exchanged confused glances.
“Can you sense the location?”
“…More than a kilometer away.”
A distance of a kilometer was nothing to a high-level ability user—attacking them would be effortless. But the enemy hadn’t ordered the zombies to attack them.
Chapter 532: Breaking Free
Ning Yuan didn’t know the full picture, and he didn’t dare act rashly. He gave a swift command: “Brother Xiong, turn around and head to our pre-arranged rendezvous point. Liu Yang, keep trying to contact Antonio.”
“Copy.” As Xiong Jie acknowledged the order, he executed a sharp turn and sped in a new direction.
As the vehicle pulled away from the zombie horde, not a single zombie pursued them. Ning Yuan became certain that what Cheng Chuan said was true.
Something was controlling the zombies—with a strength that could override their natural instinct to chase flesh and blood.
“Would increasing the distance help?” Ning Yuan asked Cheng Chuan while gripping the handlebar.
Cheng Chuan shook his head, unsure.
“Let’s try it anyway,” Ning Yuan had no better ideas at the moment.
He looked toward Gu Sheng, who shook his head. “My psychic sense can’t reach beyond a kilometer.”
The vehicle kept driving at full speed for a while. Eventually, Cheng Chuan slumped back, as if a great burden had been lifted. He gasped for breath, and his eyes signaled to everyone that he was okay now.
Everyone in the vehicle let out a sigh of relief.
“Vice-captain, the zombies are heading toward us again,” Gu Sheng’s words stunned everyone who had just been deep in thought. They quickly began scanning the surroundings through various means.
Gu Sheng, whose psychic power had been monitoring the outside all along, added, “Their behavior is different from earlier.”
Ning Yuan had limited visual range, so Gu Sheng explained, “It’s like… when we first encountered them yesterday.”
When they first ran into these zombies, they had been aimlessly wandering, moving very slowly.
Later, they suddenly acted like they were on steroids and chased the vehicle furiously. Ning Yuan had assumed it was because they’d thrown flesh out the back to distract them. But now it seemed…
“The controller isn’t influencing them anymore,” Cheng Chuan suddenly said.
“How do you know?” Gu Sheng asked.
“I took control of the ones closest to us.”
If he could control them, it meant the enemy wasn’t currently doing so.
At that moment, Xiong Jie asked urgently, “Which direction should we go?”
If they kept going, they’d stray farther from the Capital Base.
“…Let’s go back,” Ning Yuan decided firmly.
“The next time you sense external control, we’ll break off again.”
They couldn’t risk luring the zombies somewhere else. Compared to the other nearby bases, the Capital Base had the best chance of surviving a zombie horde.
Xiong Jie quickly turned the vehicle back toward their original path. Ning Yuan peered through the periscope and noticed a change in the zombies’ behavior.
They were still being drawn by the scent of flesh, tightly following the armored vehicle. But some of them were beginning to use their abilities against it.
“Holy shit—!” A one-meter-thick tree root suddenly burst out from the ground in front of them. The speeding armored vehicle was instantly flipped high into the air. Everything inside the vehicle tumbled violently, with various objects smashing into the restrained passengers.
“Why do they have abilities?” someone shouted in shock. Their vehicle had been running an ability disruptor, so theoretically, no abilities should’ve worked for the zombies.
Xiong Jie cursed and quickly regained control, unleashing his own powers. He manipulated the ground to create a tunnel-like escape route in the opposite direction of the crash. With a massive impact, the armored vehicle tilted again before finally crashing down with a jolt—but landing upright.
“The disruptor wasn’t on,” Gu Sheng quickly moved to activate it, but the vehicle was struck again. The fixed disruptor was slammed hard into the metal frame.
Balls of fire and water blades rained down on the vehicle. Even though it had been reinforced by a metal-element user, it was still dented and battered.
Now that the disruptor was confirmed to have been off, Ning Yuan was completely convinced—the zombies had definitely been under someone’s control earlier. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have hesitated to attack at all.
Probably… they had just coincidentally been heading in the same direction the zombies were ordered to go.
They were simply traveling together—nothing more.
There was no time for Ning Yuan to feel awkward. Their current situation was far from good. The previous period of relative peace had given them the false impression that these zombies weren’t very strong. Now that a large-scale assault had begun, Ning Yuan suddenly realized—
These were mostly mutated zombies. Judging from the freshness of their clothes, many of them had likely only recently turned. Their outfits clearly indicated they had been ability users—out on hunting or gathering missions—who were corrupted by higher-level zombie energy and swiftly transformed into ability-type zombies.
This was very bad news.
“Did it open?” Xiong Jie asked.
“…The button was damaged in the impact.” Gu Sheng had strapped himself in and quickly flipped around, trying to see if he could open the jammer from the inside.
“Do we have another one? We won’t last long like this.”
“There’s no backup,” Ning Yuan gritted his teeth. “Don’t bother taking it apart. It’s completely encased in metal—there’s no way to open it.”
They hadn’t brought a second jammer precisely because they’d thought it was safe. They hadn’t expected the button would break.
After another attack from the ability zombies slowed the armored vehicle’s speed, they were completely surrounded by the zombie horde. There was no more chance to break through. Even though the armored vehicle was sturdy, it couldn’t withstand this many zombies for long.
“We have to break out of here,” Ning Yuan said, using his powers through the vehicle’s body to kill a zombie trying to destroy the periscope.
The armored vehicle suddenly swerved sharply and sped up a tall dirt mound. As it plunged from the top, it was caught midair by a net woven from tree branches. The vehicle swung violently a few times before being flung directly into the zombie crowd.
“Qingji!” Ning Yuan shouted, yanking his seatbelt tight.
“Copy!” Gu Qingji replied calmly. At the moment the vehicle reached the highest point of its arc, a massive plant burst from the ground. Several vines grabbed the armored car, lowering it to the ground, while others lashed randomly at the surrounding zombies.
The armored vehicle hit the ground with a heavy jolt. Xiong Jie immediately floored the gas pedal, and the vehicle roared forward.
“Come back now!” Gu Qingji ordered sternly, eyes still closed.
Ning Yuan saw that the mutated vines left behind were already engulfed in flames. The plant thrashed wildly, its branches igniting the surrounding bushes and trees.
He stretched his hand toward the back. Moisture from the air and soil condensed and clung to the burning vines, instantly freezing. But the fire scorched through even the ice, producing thick white steam.
By the time the flames were extinguished, the mutated vines had disappeared from sight.
“It’s back…”
“Shit.”
Ning Yuan’s next question was interrupted by Xiong Jie’s curse. At the same time, the vehicle’s view went black, leaving only the emergency lights inside the cabin to provide a faint glow.
“A zombie with earth-type abilities set a trap,” Xiong Jie explained, already manipulating the soil to push the vehicle back to the surface. Dirt cascaded down, blocking their forward view.
“One o’clock direction. Straight ahead,” Gu Sheng used his mental powers to guide them.
Xiong Jie followed quickly. At this point, the armored vehicle was practically a bumper car.
Attacks from behind continued relentlessly. Abilities of all kinds bombarded them without pause. Even with several people defending, they couldn’t keep up with the thousands of ability-wielding zombies. They were no longer leading the horde—they were its prey.
The vast forest was overgrown with trees and weeds. Mutated animals chased and fought each other, and predators occasionally dove from the sky.
An armored vehicle sped past, leaving deep tire tracks in the soil. Just a few meters behind, a swarm of zombies gave chase. They howled and shrieked, their grotesque limbs reaching forward, eager to devour.
Ning Yuan had no choice but to admit—they had underestimated their enemy.
They had spent so long standing at the top as human ability users, and recently all their focus had shifted to mutated animals. They’d completely overlooked the zombies quietly evolving in the shadows.
“Accelerate,” Ning Yuan shouted, killing another approaching zombie. But he felt the vehicle slowing down.
Xiong Jie still had his foot on the gas, but the speed wouldn’t pick up—it was dropping.
“Something’s wrong,” Gu Sheng said, scanning with his psychic powers. “The wheels are tangled in weeds.”
In just a few heartbeats of delay, the zombies had caught up. The vehicle rocked with the impact of their assault. They could even hear zombies scratching at the roof.
The constant battering had already dented the armored car badly. It couldn’t last much longer. The shaking grew more violent—any moment it could flip over.
Because of the delay, more and more zombies surged forward. Even if they killed the ones clinging to the vehicle, there was no way out.
“I can control them for one minute…” Cheng Chuan said.
“No use,” Ning Yuan interrupted, seeing the vehicle’s metal skin deforming and the periscope rendered useless by zombies. He swept his eyes around the cabin, then barked, “Brother Xiong, go underground—”
Boom!
An explosion detonated at extremely close range. The ground shook violently, and a loud ringing filled their ears.
“Calling 001,” Xing Zhou’s voice came through the radio.
“001 receiving, go ahead,” Liu Yang yelled back, covering his ears.
“Go 20 meters underground. Lay low for now.”
“Copy.”
The ground beneath the armored vehicle suddenly collapsed. Zombies continued to pile on top. A thick tree root smashed into the roof, tearing through the metal and exposing the zombies clinging there.
With their level now much higher, these zombies no longer had bits of rotting flesh falling off. Their skin had taken on a new, eerie texture. Aside from their eye color, pallor, and strange behavior, they looked almost human.
Their white pupils no longer functioned, but their hearing and smell were magnified many times over.
Their black fingernails, caked with flesh and grime, poked through the cracks.
Ning Yuan slashed off a reaching arm. Black blood, thick like oil, dripped down in slow, heavy drops.
Gu Sheng’s psychic web covered the vehicle. As the entire armored car sank beneath the earth, he suddenly released a psychic burst outward, blowing the nearby zombies away. Xiong Jie immediately restored the terrain above them.
The pitch-black surroundings were utterly silent, with only the sound of their deliberately slowed, heavy breathing filling the air.
The vehicle continued to descend at a steady speed and came to a stop after about twenty meters.
Xiong Jie turned on the interior lights and pointed in a direction. “They’re over there, but our vehicle can’t move.”
Chapter 533: Division Within the Academy
“I’ll go check it out.” The underground air was limited, and they couldn’t stay long. Ning Yuan tried to keep his breathing steady as he spoke.
“I’m coming too,” Gu Sheng said, pulling an emergency flashlight from his backpack and following behind.
As they opened the car door, the earth outside shifted back just enough to allow the door to open.
“Weeds got tangled in the wheel bearings. Let’s clear it.”
“Copy that,” Gu Qingji replied, giving a few crystal cores to the mutated vines that had clearly been scorched on her wrist, and releasing them. “Is everyone okay? Any injuries?”
Liu Yang: “I’m fine.”
Cheng Chuan: “Mm.”
Xiong Jie: “All good. What about you?”
“I’m alright.”
No one mentioned the peril they’d just faced, even though each of them had felt the very real possibility of dying there.
Gu Qingji swept the area around the vehicle with her flashlight and muttered doubtfully, “I don’t think the car will last much longer.”
Xiong Jie raised his eyebrows. “They’re here.”
He waved in a direction, and the sealed earth immediately wriggled open into a tunnel. A vehicle of the same model came driving through.
“Car broke down?” Antonio stuck his head out.
“Weeds wrapped around the tires,” Ning Yuan answered as he finished clearing the wheels. “How are you guys doing?”
“Not bad,” Antonio replied. Seeing that they had everything in order, he didn’t chat further. With an earth-element user clearing the path, the two vehicles sped off in a chosen direction.
As oxygen levels hit their limit, both vehicles quickly emerged from the underground and returned to the surface.
There was no time to exchange information. Mutated animals swarmed toward them, and after a difficult battle, they finally managed to escape.
Both teams regrouped in front of a collapsed structure—nothing left but a bare skeleton and some crumbling floors hanging overhead. It looked like it could fall at any moment.
Ning Yuan sat on the car roof, smoking a cigarette, and asked Antonio, who was using his ability to repair the vehicle, “How did you know we were in trouble?”
“We didn’t,” Antonio shrugged. “It just didn’t feel right.”
The two vehicles hadn’t been far apart, and since they were moving at the same speed, they’d been able to stay in contact. But Antonio’s vehicle had a malfunction and was forced to stop.
They’d been bracing for a zombie horde attack, but the massive army of zombies passed them by without a glance, surging toward the distance as if they didn’t even exist.
Being surrounded by that many grotesque zombies made everyone’s skin crawl, but Antonio signaled for them to leave the zombies alone. They dug an underground tunnel and escaped undetected.
Not a single one of the tens of thousands of zombies chased after them.
“I think they were being controlled—or there was something even more tempting ahead,” Antonio said as he repaired the car’s dented surface, absorbing a crystal core Ning Yuan handed him while fixing the cracked roof.
Antonio had tried to contact Ning Yuan to explain the situation, only to discover they were out of intercom range. He had to estimate their direction and try to cut them off—and that’s when he saw them being surrounded by zombies.
“But that’s strange, isn’t it? They’re also ability users. Why did the zombies only attack you?” And clearly, those were ability-user zombies.
Antonio frowned, puzzled.
“They were under control before,” Ning Yuan explained. “Once the control was lifted, their flesh instincts kicked in, and they turned on us.”
He glanced toward Cheng Chuan, who still looked weak. “You think it was a psychic-type ability user?”
Cheng Chuan shook his head. He kept his head lowered for a long moment before finally saying, “It was either someone like me… or an extremely powerful zombie.”
In the heavy silence, he added, “I… I think it’s the latter.”
Holding his head in both hands, Cheng Chuan recalled that overwhelming compulsion to obey—it felt like it was embedded in his very genes.
Zombie energy had definitely changed him. Even earlier, when he was affected by the zombie call, he had the illusion that he wasn’t even human anymore.
He glanced at his darkened skin and felt an inexplicable emptiness inside him, like a wandering soul that couldn’t find its way home. He was an outcast among humans—and among zombies too.
Ning Yuan handed him a cup of water. Cheng Chuan took it and sipped.
The ice-cold water sobered him up a bit. Seeing the worried expressions of his teammates, he smiled. “I’m alright. And… thank you, for earlier.”
He had lost control and nearly hurt them at the start. But instead of abandoning him, they had only tied him up—even when he’d already begun to show signs of zombification. They still tried to help him regain consciousness.
Cheng Chuan, who had just been trapped in his own spiral of doubt, suddenly saw things clearly. He remembered the anxious look in a child’s eyes as he left home. That child was still waiting for him to come back.
That—was his home.
Cheng Chuan described the sensation of being controlled. “First of all, for someone like me, leveling up is extremely difficult.” He had only succeeded under the laboratory’s precise monitoring equipment, maintaining a perfect balance between two energy types in his body. If he had tried to level up based on intuition alone, he would’ve fully turned into a zombie long ago. So the existence of someone stronger than him was almost impossible.
“Second, Base Commander Lu and I experimented with the difference between a psychic-type controlling zombies and me controlling zombies. This didn’t feel the same—and I didn’t sense any psychic energy at all.”
He looked toward Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan replied, “Me neither.”
Gu Qingji, who had been pacing around inspecting the surroundings, also shook her head.
Their team included Lu Weiyi, someone known for wildly imaginative theories. They’d all experienced various supernatural abilities and were extremely sensitive to any kind of fluctuation. Moreover, both Ning Yuan and Gu Qingji had previously come into close contact with SS-level peak psychic power.
If even they couldn’t detect it, then the conclusion was almost certain: the attacker wasn’t a psychic ability user.
So then…
A zombie that can control other zombies.
“Could it be the legendary… Zombie King?”
Lin Mo’s voice drew everyone’s attention. He scratched his head awkwardly. “Haven’t you read any novels? Like Arrival of the Zombie King, I’m the Zombie King, Who Do I Fear… and so on.”
Seeing their genuinely blank expressions, Lin Mo explained, “In those stories, as zombies evolve, eventually one becomes the Zombie King. The Zombie King is immortal and indestructible. Zombies instinctively obey its orders, and it leads them to form a new species, creating a new era.”
“…” Ning Yuan was speechless.
It sounded far-fetched, but since supernatural powers already existed in the apocalypse, he didn’t dare outright deny the possibility.
Especially since…
During a previous meeting in the Capital, Su Yan and the others had indeed mentioned the feeling that a certain zombie was orchestrating the movement patterns of the zombie horde.
“This novel sounds really interesting. Do you still have it? Can I borrow it? Dean would love it,” Antonio perked up with interest, turning away from the discussion to ask Lin Mo about the plot.
“Where are we going next?” Xiong Jie asked the most practical question.
Given the current situation, they clearly weren’t a match for these zombies. Especially in the thick, weed-covered forest, even with their modified vehicle’s reinforced chassis and upgraded performance, it wouldn’t last long.
Moreover, Ning Yuan furrowed his brows. He was about to speak, but after glancing at the others, he swallowed his suspicions and finally said:
“We’ll head to the rendezvous point and wait for the base team to pick us up.”
*
Half Moon Bay Joint Research Institute
As soon as the guide finished speaking, the crowd of visitors looked shocked, then began murmuring and discussing in hushed voices. It wasn’t just the people from the Capital base— even Half Moon Bay’s own reception staff were asking each other about the situation.
“If such an existence really exists, doesn’t that mean zombie energy and superpowers can coexist?” someone asked.
“In theory, yes, but… we don’t have enough data,” the guide replied awkwardly. “We can’t figure out why this situation has occurred.”
“And…” The guide glanced cautiously at Zhuang Mingxu. “He’s not very cooperative with our experiments.”
That very pointed remark instantly turned all eyes toward Zhuang Mingxu.
Zheng Yi directly asked, “Old Zhuang, what’s going on?”
Zhuang Mingxu ignored him and instead looked at the guide with a faint smile. “Whose research team are you with?”
“I’m Professor Zhuo Shu’s assistant, Ding Han,” the man replied respectfully.
At the Joint Institute, professors came from various academic fields and were divided into departments like physics, chemistry, biology, microbiology, and human physiology.
Zhuo Shu was the dean of the biology department.
“If I remember correctly,” Zhuang Mingxu said slowly, adjusting his sleeve, “you’ve collected samples of teeth, hair, blood, muscles, tissue, and even monitored living habits, right? Every new experiment has been supported immediately, hasn’t it? So when you say I’m not cooperating—what exactly do you mean?”
His words were essentially a confirmation: Half Moon Bay indeed housed a semi-zombified human.
“So it’s actually true?”
“Zombie energy and superpowers in one body—what would that even look like?”
“What does he eat? Does he drink blood?”
“Could he turn into a zombie?”
…
Whispers buzzed around the room, but Zhuang Mingxu remained unfazed, his sharp eyes locked onto the man in front of him.
Ding Han didn’t show any fear, looking like a passionate young researcher. He lifted his chin and met Zhuang Mingxu’s gaze. “Base Leader Zhuang, every drug we develop requires countless experiments. We need more than just a few teeth and a bit of blood. We need full cooperation from the subject.”
“The development of anti-zombie medicine concerns the future of humanity. You can’t delay progress just for your personal reasons. Look at how many ordinary people are turning into zombies every day. Think of the ability users who live in constant danger. They need us—”
Ding Han’s impassioned speech sounded like a rallying cry. Zhuang Mingxu merely smirked and let him go on.
While the two confronted each other, someone had already reported the incident to the institute leadership.
Moments later, several men and women in white lab coats came striding down the hallway.
Leading them was the institute’s director, Sun Haicheng, a researcher from Half Moon Bay Base.
Following closely behind was a woman jogging to catch up—Zhuo Shu.
Chapter 534: The Living Corpse Experiment
“Base Leader Zhuang…”
“Dean Zhuo, your assistant is accusing the base of not cooperating with experiments. Tell me—does this reflect your view or is it his personal opinion?” Zhuang Mingxu cut off Zhuo Shu’s polite greeting.
“Uh…” Zhuo Shu, her graying hair slightly disheveled, glanced at Ding Han. She had privately mentioned before that the limited sample size was slowing down progress, but she hadn’t expected Ding Han to raise the issue at this moment—especially in front of members from the Capital base.
Then again… this might be an opportunity.
As researchers, they couldn’t defy Half Moon Bay’s strong authority, but with the Capital team here, perhaps they could push for a compromise.
Having thought it through, Zhuo Shu regained her composure. “It is indeed impacting our progress, Base Leader Zhuang. I suggest you hand over Cheng Chuan to us for full experimental cooperation.”
“Cooperate with what? You’ve already dissected most of his organs, haven’t you? What else do you need?” Zhuang Mingxu asked pleasantly.
Seeing that he wasn’t immediately angered, a few researchers eagerly stepped forward, eyes filled with fanatic light.
“I believe his crystal core might hold the secret to energy coexistence.”
“You want his crystal core? And you?” Zhuang Mingxu looked at another researcher beside him.
“I think the living body itself is the key.”
“And you?”
“I believe the source of the serum isn’t from zombies at all, but from healing-type ability users. After all, we’ve never heard of one becoming infected. Their bodies have powerful regenerative properties—what if zombie energy could be fused with that?”
“……”
As soon as the suggestion was made, silence fell over the room.
Healing-type ability users were now considered the backbone of any combat team — their numbers were limited, they leveled up slowly, and their survival rates weren’t high. Every team did their utmost to protect them.
And now, someone was targeting healing ability users?
Who would be willing to offer up such a person?
The representatives from the Capital base exchanged glances, eventually turning their eyes toward Zhuang Mingxu.
After all, the research institute was currently located in Half Moon Bay, and they had previously promised to fully support it with equipment, materials, and experimental subjects.
Zhuang Mingxu’s smile widened as he caught the implication. His gaze swept over the once proud and aloof scholars, who now stood silent. He raised his hand, signaling for calm.
“We didn’t realize how critically short you all were on supplies. That’s our oversight at Half Moon Bay,” he said, turning to Sun Haicheng. “Dean Sun, please have everyone put their current tasks on hold. Call for a joint research institute meeting. Let’s take a vote on the two proposals that were just brought up.”
“You mean regarding the half-corpses and…”
“The healing ability users?” someone asked in disbelief.
“Of course,” Zhuang Mingxu replied in an affable tone.
Several researchers were visibly shocked, and even members of Zheng Yi’s entourage were taken aback. Never mind the half-corpses — just getting healing ability users to cooperate with such experiments was already a major leap.
From the requests made earlier, it was clear that conducting these experiments would involve unavoidable invasive procedures. Half Moon Bay only had two healing ability users — were they really willing to sacrifice one?
The Capital representatives scrutinized Zhuang Mingxu, silently questioning Zheng Yi with their eyes. But it was some of Zhuang’s own aides who first spoke up.
“Commander Zhuang, both healing ability users are members of the base military. Don’t you think this is something that should wait until Commander Lu returns?”
A military ability user tried to reason with him.
“We’ll vote on it first,” Zhuang said coolly.
His aides exchanged glances but said no more. With Lu Weiyi absent, the entire base was under Zhuang Mingxu’s control. Pressing the issue now would be unwise — better to speak to Ning Yuan privately later and hope for a change in course.
“Commander Zhuang, the research progress at each division is proceeding normally. There’s really no need for this meeting,” Sun Haicheng interjected urgently. As one of Half Moon Bay’s earliest residents and a senior member of the research institute, he was well aware of what kind of person Zhuang Mingxu was.
He had been trying to stop the escalating commotion from the start, but now his concern was etched plainly on his face.
“Dean Sun, you don’t participate in the actual experiments. How would you know what we need?” one researcher shot back.
“Exactly. Out of respect for your position, we usually defer to you, but when it comes to experimental matters, it’s best you don’t interfere. These technical matters require professional evaluation,” another added.
Sun was immediately silenced, helpless in the face of their rebuke.
“Commander Zhuang, they’re just…” Sun tried to reason, knowing these scholars had minds consumed only by research. But he could only turn to Zhuang Mingxu in desperation.
“Dean Sun,” Zhuang Mingxu interrupted, his tone flat but his smile still in place.
Sun’s words caught in his throat. After a long pause, he whispered tremulously, “…They… they are all pillars of the nation…”
Pillars of the nation.
Only those who made true contributions to the country could be called that.
Since the establishment of the joint research institute, it had yet to make any meaningful contribution to Half Moon Bay. The only two major breakthroughs were based entirely on Zhuang Mobai’s earlier work.
Sun’s anxiety did little to sway the others. They conversed in hushed tones and sent assistants to summon representatives from other divisions.
Zhuang Mingxu’s gaze darkened briefly as he tapped out several messages on his phone, then returned his attention to the room.
“You’ll host the meeting shortly. Report the results to me,” Zhuang Mingxu instructed Sun, then turned to continue escorting Zheng Yi to other parts of the facility.
“Commander Zhuang, this laboratory is a joint project created by multiple bases. The Capital Base has the right to know about its progress. Since Major General Zheng is here, wouldn’t it be appropriate for him to attend the meeting and serve as a witness?” an elderly man suddenly spoke up.
It was Liang Ping, head of the Chemistry Division.
“Major General Zheng, do you have time?”
“Heh, well…” Zheng Yi chuckled and looked at Zhuang Mingxu. “I’m here on behalf of the Capital Base to assess the progress of the joint research institute. Of course I have time. It’s just…”
He turned to Zhuang Mingxu. “Would it be convenient?”
Zhuang Mingxu lowered his eyes slightly to hide the cold glint in them. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Then let’s meet in the conference room in half an hour,” Zhuang Mingxu said casually, picking out someone he knew to act as a guide, while he continued introducing the laboratories and experimental progress.
Through the transparent glass windows, one could see all kinds of test subjects: zombies of various levels, mutant animals, and even detained ability users.
Some were free to move, while others were bound to lab tables — their bodies used to test the researchers’ every hypothesis.
The guide rattled off professional jargon as they walked, but Zheng Yi and his group weren’t interested in the details. What mattered to them were the results.
“I want to know — right now — is there anything ready for deployment that’s actually effective?” Zheng Yi cut in, stopping the guide mid-sentence.
“…Nothing at the moment,” the guide admitted.
Zheng Yi was silent for a moment.
“The joint research institute has been running for so long, with over a thousand researchers from all fields, just to study zombie energy. And yet you still have no answers?” He recalled the comfortable living quarters he had seen earlier — so protected and insulated, like a pristine ivory tower — and couldn’t help but feel that all the investment had been wasted.
Fortunately, he still understood his position clearly. After all, aside from personnel, most of the resources in the Capital Base were provided by Half Moon Bay, so the sunk costs weren’t high.
“Heh,” Zhuang Mingxu chuckled softly. “Let’s go see what else our researchers might need.”
There was no point in continuing the tour. However, Zheng Yi was interested in something else. “Old Zhuang, about that half-zombie in your base—can we meet him?”
“That won’t do,” Zhuang Mingxu replied. “Such a rare individual is under strict protection.” From the moment the guide had subtly shifted the topic earlier, Zhuang Mingxu had already guessed that word of this had reached the Capital Base, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.
“He was infected by a zombie and still retains his consciousness?”
“Does he have memory? Has it affected his daily life?”
“Isn’t someone like that dangerous?”
As soon as Zheng Yi asked, the others’ curiosity was piqued, and they all began asking questions.
“Which of the ability users who go out on missions can honestly say they’ve never been touched by zombie energy?” Zhuang Mingxu’s single sentence silenced the room. “He just didn’t manage to completely purge the zombie energy, resulting in an unusual situation. But he doesn’t look much different from a regular human.”
As they spoke, the group arrived at the entrance of the large conference room. Inside, it was packed with people in white lab coats. At the doorway, Sun Haicheng was frowning deeply, still in discussion with several other heads of the research institutes.
“He’s already given everything he can. You haven’t even figured out what’s already been provided, yet you’re already eyeing the rest. Don’t you understand the idea of biting off more than you can chew?”
“Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t want anesthesia to affect the samples, so you cut open his body while he was still alive to take his organs?”
“He’s still alive. He still has consciousness. He’s still a human being. What exactly are you all doing?”
By the end, Sun Haicheng was breathless with anger, but no one around him was willing to compromise.
“He’s a unique case—possibly humanity’s last sliver of hope,” one person said. “Dean Sun, in the past five years, how many ability users have been infected and turned into zombies? How many ordinary people have lost their lives? This might be humanity’s one chance.”
“Yes! If we can fully study him, we might finally develop a way to resist the zombie virus. Isn’t that what you want to see? This is the only way out for people like us!”
“To trade one life for the survival of all humanity—anyone would know what choice to make. I believe, as a soldier, he would be willing to sacrifice himself for the people he swore to protect.”
Their endless arguments had already placed Cheng Chuan on a moral pedestal so high that to refuse would make one seem like a traitor to humanity. Sun Haicheng looked at their faces and suddenly felt utterly powerless.
Chapter 535: Surveillance
He glanced around, then looked toward Zhuang Mingxu, who was slowly walking over, and called softly, “Base Commander Zhuang.”
“I understand,” Zhuang Mingxu replied, recognizing that Sun Haicheng couldn’t accept this. The reason they had made him the dean of the institute in the first place wasn’t because he was especially capable, but because he was a scientist with principles—he would never harm an innocent person.
When Cheng Chuan had first volunteered to cooperate with the research, his squad leader Zheng Jun had accompanied him. After Zhuang Mingxu explained Cheng Chuan’s condition, Zheng Jun had listed all of Cheng’s military achievements, hoping that his friend would be treated with kindness in return for his service.
But Sun Haicheng had only said one thing: “Child, this isn’t your fault. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Ever since then, Sun Haicheng had been present at every sample collection and experiment session, doing everything he could to preserve what dignity remained for Cheng Chuan as a human being.
Zhuang Mingxu looked at the old man’s hunched back and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. “You should rest for a bit.”
“I…” Sun Haicheng looked toward the excited researchers inside the meeting room and sighed deeply. “Let me continue to chair the meeting.”
After all, he still held the title of dean. Zhuang Mingxu didn’t argue and simply gestured for him to go ahead, letting him enter the meeting room first, before he and Zheng Yi’s group sat in the observation area.
Half an hour was enough for the researchers to align their positions in advance. When it came to the matter of Cheng Chuan, over 90% voted in favor—even though they admitted that current samples still hadn’t yielded clear results. It didn’t stop them from wanting to bring the entire person into their labs.
Even the proposal to involve healing-type ability users in the study received over 50% support, despite Sun Haicheng repeatedly pointing out that an additional research direction was unnecessary at this point.
“This isn’t a separate study—it’s just another direction within the same research. Who can guarantee that the key to neutralizing zombie energy won’t lie with the healers?” one researcher rebutted.
Sun Haicheng was so angry he clutched his chest, glancing repeatedly at Zhuang Mingxu—only to see him lounging back, seemingly deep in thought, then nodding in agreement.
Once the results were finalized, someone immediately asked, “Base Commander Zhuang, when can the test subject be delivered?”
Test subject…
Such a light yet chilling term.
“By tonight at the latest. As for the healer, I’ll coordinate with the other bases and decide which one to bring in.”
“Doesn’t Half Moon Bay already have a healing-type ability user?” someone blurted out impatiently.
The room instantly fell silent. Zhuang Mingxu looked over with a faint smile. The speaker quickly tried to cover up their slip. “I just meant we should hurry. We don’t know how long it’ll take for a healer from another base to arrive, and our experiment…”
Zhuang Mingxu didn’t bother listening to the rest of the excuse. “It shouldn’t take long. After all, this is for the good of all humanity. I believe every base, squad, and healer will be proud to contribute.”
By framing the matter as a duty to all humankind, he made it nearly impossible to refuse. The researchers didn’t dare question whether he might back out later. In the end, they could only reply awkwardly, “Just don’t forget—Major General Zheng can testify to this too.”
Even after leaving the research institute, Zhuang Mingxu didn’t bring the matter up again. Instead, it was Zheng Yi who couldn’t hold back and asked directly, “So, what’s the plan?”
“We’ll coordinate with the other bases to jointly screen candidates,” Zhuang Mingxu said calmly. “All the materials and test subjects for the research so far have been provided by Half Moon Bay. I don’t think we need to offer anything more ourselves.”
He looked at Zheng Yi with a smile. “It’s time for the capital to make a move.”
“……” Zheng Yi was speechless.
He was silently cursing when he saw Zheng Miao in the distance, returning with two other healing-type ability users. They were accompanied by the Half Moon Bay base military team and had just arrived back at their lodging.
Upon seeing Zheng Yi, Zheng Miao rushed over, grabbed his arm, and immediately began complaining. “Brother, Lu Xi is so unreasonable! He made us sign a liability waiver before he would help us level up!”
Lu Xi, who had come along, completely ignored her. He nodded at Zhuang Mingxu and calmly walked over to stand by his side.
“You leveled up?” Zheng Yi patted her hand, ignoring her complaint and instead looked at the other two.
The two nodded, their former anxiety replaced by uncontrollable excitement.
Zheng Yi finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Bro~” Zheng Miao tugged at his arm, trying to draw his attention back. “Lu Xi, he—”
“Miao Miao,” Zheng Yi shot her a warning glance, stopping her from saying anything further.
Zheng Miao huffed in displeasure and rolled her eyes at Lu Xi before turning and running back inside.
“Sorry, the kid’s spoiled,” Zheng Yi said to Lu Xi.
Lu Xi just gave a crooked smile and said nothing.
“Kids, after all…” Zhuang Mingxu glanced meaningfully in the direction Zheng Miao had gone and remarked, “Old Master Zheng, you seem to have more healing-type ability users than others.”
Zheng Yi’s expression instantly tightened. He forced a laugh and swiftly ended the conversation.
Zhuang Mingxu’s hint had been too blatant. Once they were back in their room, the members of the Zheng family’s group—who had remained silent in public—immediately began questioning Zheng Yi about his plans.
“We’re not seriously going to be the ones offering up healing-type users, are we?”
The three healers hadn’t yet caught on, but after asking a few questions, two of them immediately turned grim.
Zheng Miao was a core member of the Zheng family. If a sacrifice needed to be made, it would certainly be between the other two.
“Why should it be us? Doesn’t the Blazing Flame Squad and the Guard Squad have their own healers? And isn’t Half Moon Bay more convenient?” Zheng Miao asked snappily. Her tone suddenly shifted as her eyes lit up. She stepped forward and clung to Zheng Yi’s arm. “Brother, let the people from Half Moon Bay go! Then we’ll see how smug Lu Xi can act around me!”
Zheng Miao was too naive from being overprotected. Zheng Yi didn’t want to go into details about the current situation, so he changed the subject. “Why are you always targeting Lu Xi? He’s Lu Xiao’s only son—don’t mess with him.”
“But he’s the one who—” she began to argue, arms crossed.
However, facing Zheng Yi’s calm gaze, she swallowed her words.
“There are plenty of teams in the capital. We’re not the only ones with healing-type users,” Zheng Yi said, not believing it would come to asking elite teams to sacrifice their healers.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured the two other healers, then asked, “Did your leveling up really happen the way they said?”
“Of course not! They had some kind of secret formula,” Zheng Miao cut in before the others could speak. She described everything that had happened during the upgrade process. “I’m telling you, that drink was sweet. Lu Xi and the others insisted it was just ordinary water. Do they think I’m stupid? I can tell the difference!”
Zheng Yi looked to the other two for confirmation.
“I didn’t taste anything. It just seemed like plain water to me.”
“I thought it had a faint, fragrant aroma… hard to describe.”
Zheng Yi snorted. “Seems like Half Moon Bay is still keeping things from us.”
“Still clutching onto their secrets at a time like this. Major General, do you think Zhuang Mingxu doesn’t know the other bases’ intentions? Or is he just not afraid of them?” someone asked.
“What good would knowing do? Like spilling the secrets now would stop others from coveting them,” another teammate said before Zheng Yi could respond. “If they show weakness, it’ll just make others strike faster.”
“Did any of you notice the partially built power lines on the east side of the North Island?”
“Power lines?”
“Yeah, like the ones used for electric railways years ago. I checked a few places—it looks like they’re planning to electrify the transport.”
“You’re kidding, right? The capital base is rationing power. How could they possibly…”
“Don’t forget, their crystal core energy tech is already in use. If they can power fighter jets with it, who’s to say they can’t generate electricity too? Just keeping the electrical grid on these islands running must cost a fortune.”
Everyone fell silent.
Thinking of what Half Moon Bay had already revealed, combined with the tech they might be hiding…
“No wonder people want to make a move against them,” someone murmured.
Zheng Yi didn’t argue. He only said, “Keep a closer eye out this afternoon.”
—
Meanwhile, after parting ways with the reception personnel, Zhuang Mingxu’s face turned dark. He strode back toward Central Island, tapping furiously on his phone.
“Have people been assigned to monitor the research facility?” he asked.
“Yes, a whole squad has surrounded the joint research institute under lockdown,” replied an ability user accompanying him. He was from the Base Army’s Second Squad and had recently been reassigned to act as Zhuang Mingxu’s bodyguard.
Zhuang Mingxu handed him a list, his expression cold and ruthless. “Have someone keep tabs on everyone on this list. Not a single one can slip through.”
“Yes, sir.”
Only after they were gone did Lu Xi ask what had happened.
Zhuang Mingxu let out a dry chuckle, eyes devoid of warmth. “Some people… really think too highly of themselves.”
That afternoon, Zhuang Mingxu excused himself from the tour, claiming he needed to supervise the purification of several high-grade crystal cores. He didn’t accompany Zheng Yi and his group any further.
The group’s original plan to investigate the use of crystal core energy was also derailed. Their escorts used the excuse of not being informed or lacking clearance to deny access.
With the entire island under lockdown and nowhere to go, the group was invited out to sea.
The last time they’d come—when Zheng Yi, Zhao Qiang, and Lu Xiao upgraded—they’d also gone on a sea trip, experiencing the thrill of hunting mutated marine creatures.
With no better options, Zheng Yi was interested in observing how sea mutants were reproducing. Combined with their escorts hyping it up as a special experience, it wasn’t until they were far from the island that they realized—damn it, they’d been tricked into being free labor for clearing out mutant sea creatures.
Due to the presence of an electric grid near Half Moon Bay, the number of mutant birds in the area didn’t seem particularly high. The surrounding sea zones were still maintained from time to time by a few island stations. However, once you left these nearby waters, the situation changed completely.
Mutant birds flew overhead in large numbers, their massive wings capable of sending a person flying into the ocean with a single careless flap. In the water, countless aggressive fish followed closely behind the ships, ramming their heads and tails into the hull, stirring up waves and rocking the entire vessel dangerously close to capsizing.
Despite the chaos, the seasoned ability users, well-versed in maritime operations, cheerfully explained the species of each flying creature as they attacked, even describing the taste and texture of their meat.
