Chapter 64 – A New Method for Building Walls
The group headed downstairs and piled into the car, crammed shoulder to shoulder until they reached the military camp gates. The place looked much quieter than before the New Year. There were still people and vehicles coming and going, but none of the idle wanderers who used to loiter around.
After locking up their car, Luo Xun and Yan Fei entered the camp. Li Tie’s team had gone in ahead. Crossing the small plaza near the gate, they spotted their usual military truck and went over, where their squad leader was already waiting.
Upon seeing them, the captain nodded in greeting. “The materials arrived yesterday afternoon. Looks like we’ll be busy again today.” He motioned for everyone to get on the truck.
Once they were all aboard, the captain pulled out three heavy bags and handed them to the three metal ability users. His face turned serious. “Some of you already know, but for those who don’t, I’ll explain what’s been happening these past few days.”
It was clear he was speaking for Luo Xun and Yan Fei’s benefit. The other soldiers listened quietly, no one interrupting.
“On New Year’s Eve, the number of zombies outside the base surged dramatically, posing a major threat to our outpost monitoring stations and watchtowers. That night, only a few soldiers managed to retreat back to the base or the nearest guard towers in time. The rest… most of them were killed in action.”
The captain’s voice was heavy, and the truck fell silent.
Luo Xun looked at Yan Fei—they both immediately thought of the firecracker sounds that night.
“Since yesterday, the base has ordered the earth-ability users to raise and thicken the outer wall and build stairways leading to the top. The goal is to turn our wall into something like an ancient fortress wall where soldiers can patrol. Yesterday afternoon, a supply team brought back a large shipment of metal materials. Our job is to climb the wall from the inside using those new stairways and build a secondary layer of metal wall on the outside.”
The captain explained that this task would be harder than before. “There’s a huge number of zombies gathered outside the wall right now, with more coming from all directions. We can’t go outside the city to build anymore—we’ll have to climb up from the inside and figure out how to reinforce the outer layer from there.”
The base leadership had brainstormed some ideas, but the exact plan would depend on the metal ability users once they arrived. After all, while the current three-meter-tall metal wall could still hold, if the zombies kept evolving—just like how they’d gone from stiff and slow to agile and powerful—who knew if they’d someday be able to leap right over it? The wall had to go higher, no question about it.
When they reached the construction site and got off the truck, everyone was shocked—the wall had already doubled in height! The inner earth wall now stood a full six meters tall and had been thickened considerably. There were even stairways built at regular intervals along its length.
No one knew if this had been done solely by earth-ability users working overtime, or if ordinary workers had helped as well.
The section where Luo Xun’s team parked was right beside the newly extended base gate. Inside the wall, piles of various metal materials were stacked high.
It looked like the military had hauled over everything from a nearby steel factory.
They first examined the piles of metal materials, then slowly walked up the newly built wall to look outside— and saw countless zombies clawing and snarling, waving their blackened, withered arms tipped with horrifyingly long nails toward the direction where they could clearly smell the scent of human flesh.
“…It’s so far. Can our abilities even reach that distance?” one of the metal ability users frowned, glancing down below. None of them dared to look too long at the grotesque sea of corpses, their shrieks and wails like demons from hell trying to drag the living down.
The new earthen wall was already twice as tall as the original metal one—around six meters high. If they had to attach metal plating bit by bit by touch… how were they supposed to get down there? They had once thought the three-meter wall was high enough, but now, seeing the distance between the zombies below and the top of the wall— those monsters could probably jump and reach it!
And this time, unlike before, there was barely any foothold on the metal wall—only a narrow ten-centimeter ledge to stand on. One wrong move and they’d fall straight into the horde.
Even the captain hadn’t expected the situation to be this dangerous. What made it worse was that the number of zombies outside far exceeded their estimates. If they forced the metal ability users to work from this height, how were they supposed to protect them? No wonder the earth-ability users had been working overtime all day and night yesterday, building the walls higher—the base must have been worried the zombies could leap over the three-meter barricade. But still, couldn’t they have built it up one meter at a time, so people could reach it more easily?
“I’ll go talk to command,” the captain decided grimly.
In this state, it was nearly impossible for the metal users to perform their work. Unlike fire, water, or wind ability users, who could manipulate elements from afar, the metal and earth types had to physically touch the material to shape it. They couldn’t just wave a hand and fling a lump of metal or dirt into place.
Seeing the humans on the wall, the zombies below grew even more frenzied, clawing upward and shrieking, gathering in a dense, heaving mass. Standing above them, Luo Xun and the others felt their scalps tingle. It wasn’t a full-scale siege yet, but if this continued, it was only a matter of time before it became one.
Unfortunately, it was still the Lunar New Year, and since the new walls had just been finished, few were willing to risk going out to hunt zombies or scavenge for supplies.
Luo Xun suddenly looked north, toward the new gate. Beyond it stretched a pre-apocalypse road, and not far ahead at the intersection stood two odd-looking towers— tall and narrow, with small square bases, reminiscent of crude watchtowers from ancient times.
Of course, they served a similar function: the “watchtowers” the captain had mentioned earlier, built to monitor and alert the base of external threats.
But now, that entire road was crawling with zombies. Even around the towers, hordes swarmed and pounded tirelessly at the walls. And on the rooftops above— there were people.
The distance made it hard to see clearly, but Luo Xun was certain—those must be the soldiers who hadn’t managed to retreat in time.
Inside the main gate, a group of armed soldiers was already assembling, clearly preparing to move out and rescue those trapped outside.
Not long after, the captain came running back, slightly out of breath. “I’ve spoken with command. In a bit, they’ll open the gate and send a rescue team for the people trapped outside. When the gate opens, it’ll definitely draw the zombies’ attention— that’s our chance. We’ll concentrate our fire on the ones directly below, and the metal users will be tied with ropes and lowered down to work faster on the wall.”
He immediately ordered everyone to start hauling the metal materials up the wall to save time later.
Luo Xun’s expression darkened. If they did that, the ones hanging from ropes would be in extreme danger.
If there were truly no other option, he could understand it—but this wasn’t an unavoidable situation. There had to be safer alternatives.
He looked down over the edge. There were at least fifty or sixty zombies just beneath their section of wall alone. Even if opening the gate distracted some, most would stay. If any of them attacked the workers dangling from the ropes, how could the guards above react in time? And what if a rope snapped?
Thinking quickly, Luo Xun turned to the captain. “Captain, it’s too dangerous to send them down on ropes alone.”
The captain looked at him, understanding full well he was worried about his “brother.” But he shook his head helplessly. “I reported it already, but headquarters has no other plan for now. This is our best window—while the zombies are distracted. Once the troops clear out the nearby area, things will get easier.”
Luo Xun of course knew the base would send people out to clear the zombies. But the problem was—the undead were still gathering endlessly toward the area, and the outer wall now surrounded a massive perimeter, stretching for kilometers. It was impossible to wipe out every zombie around every section of the wall.
Sure, if the base could mobilize all the survivors to go out and fight, maybe they could clear all the zombies outside in a single day. But that wasn’t realistic right now.
“There’s another way,” Luo Xun suddenly said, “something safer than dangling those three down on ropes.”
The captain froze for a moment, then quickly asked, “What way?”
“Work with the earth-ability users.”
Luo Xun’s suggestion was simple, though a bit troublesome: let the earth-ability users open small gaps in the wall from the inside at designated points, so the metal-ability users could work through those openings to build the outer metal layer.
It would require cooperation from the earth users, and would turn the original three-person task into a three-team collaboration. It also meant partially dismantling parts of the already-finished wall, which would be tedious.
It was a practical and much safer method—but the question was whether there were enough personnel available, and whether it would be easy to coordinate.
After some thought, the captain decided to request approval from his superiors anyway—out of concern for his men’s safety. Ten minutes later, he returned, looking dejected and disheveled—clearly scolded.
“Headquarters wants us to proceed with the original plan,” he sighed. His eyes showed a trace of regret as he looked at Luo Xun.
“They said we don’t have enough earth-ability users… and we’re running low on crystal cores too.”
The current earthen wall was already completed. If they followed Luo Xun’s suggestion—breaking it open, constructing the outer metal layer, and sealing it back up again—it would be redundant labor.
The higher-ups rejected it because the base simply didn’t have enough earth-ability users to “waste” on that kind of detailed cooperation.
And with the limited number of crystal cores, they had already allocated extra to the metal users to help with the work. Now those same metal users were asking for help from others instead of producing results—how could they justify that? Yes, metal users were rare, but they couldn’t just burn through resources like that.
So, the captain had been yelled at and sent back.
The earth-ability construction squads and metal-ability squads were separate teams. Each had their own workload and wanted to compete in speed, eager to finish early. Why would they care if the metal users had trouble reaching the outer side?
Even without a metal shell, the earth wall alone was already solid enough—they could just make it thicker. Why bother complaining and making excuses?
The captain didn’t even need to ask the earth team leads to know what kind of perfunctory answers he’d get. And besides, even his own superiors hadn’t approved the idea.
While this was going on, Yan Fei had been discussing the upcoming procedures with the other two metal-ability users. When he came over and overheard the exchange, he immediately understood that Luo Xun was worried about him. He smiled and said to the captain,
“I might have a method. We don’t need help from the earth users—and we can build the wall from inside, without going down.”
“Oh? What method?” The captain immediately perked up, looking at him with hope.
“Ability conduction.”
Yan Fei had already talked it over with the other two metal users. They confirmed they couldn’t make metal float like he could—something unique to his power. He wasn’t sure if it was a personal trait or something that came naturally at higher ability levels, but they obviously couldn’t just have him floating above the wall doing all the work while the others hauled materials.
Not only would that draw dangerous attention—possibly even get him hauled off to a lab for “study”—he also had a better, safer plan: using conduction to “remotely manipulate” metal through connected pathways.
He’d discovered this special manipulation method while reinforcing windows and doors at home, using the steel rebar embedded in the concrete walls.
From his experience, direct metal manipulation always had a limited range—roughly a ten-meter radius centered on himself, similar to how fire users could control flames within a certain distance, or how Zhang Su could direct gusts of wind around him.
But this range restriction didn’t apply when using conduction: by attaching his mental power to one piece of metal, he could transmit that control through it to reshape or move another connected piece.
And the other two metal users could do the same.
No one quite understood his explanation, but everyone felt it sounded powerful.
The captain was still confused—he wasn’t an ability user, so it was hard for him to grasp the concept. So he went straight to the point: “You two—can you do it?”
The two metal users nodded excitedly. “We tried it! If it’s within about three meters, it definitely works! It uses more mental energy than usual, but it’s doable!”
The captain slammed his hand down decisively. “Don’t worry about crystal cores—we’ll get you more if you run out! Use as many as you need! Safety comes first!”
These were his men—he’d never risk their lives unless there was absolutely no other choice. Even if it meant slower progress than the other squads, he’d rather keep them safe.
Yan Fei’s plan, when broken down, was actually quite simple: use a metal rod as a “pen,” and the pile of metal nearby as “ink,” drawing and layering the material like using a 3D pen to build up the outer wall.
And honestly—what could be easier than building a plain iron wall?
As long as the finished structure was just as solid and smooth as one shaped by hand, it didn’t matter how it was done.
Following Yan Fei’s example, the other two created long, thin iron rods, fusing them with nearby metal scraps.
When they manipulated the metal at their end, the fused section below would respond, gradually merging and thickening the outer wall layer.
It required much greater concentration, but to their surprise, after each rest and energy replenishment, their mental focus grew sharper and clearer. They began to feel every inch of the metal they controlled, seeing it in their minds’ eyes as it shifted under their will— and compared to the old way of “molding” it by hand, this new method felt far more fluid, precise, and exhilarating.
Seeing that the three quickly got back to work—and that they didn’t need to risk being lowered down on ropes but could simply lie on top of the dirt wall and “draw” the outer wall with metal bit by bit—everyone finally breathed a huge sigh of relief.
When Yan Fei took a short break, the captain approached him with a satisfied smile. “How did you come up with this method?” Not only he but also the other team members and the two other ability users were curious. They were all metal-type ability users, yet none of them had ever thought about manipulating metal remotely through a medium without physically touching it.
Yan Fei chuckled inwardly. Ever since he first discovered his metal ability, he had never shaped metal with his hands—it was all through mental control. In fact, the first time he saw other metal users kneading metal like clay, he was the one who had been shocked.
But he didn’t plan to reveal that for now, so he casually came up with an excuse. “When I was reinforcing the bars outside my windows at home, I was worried they weren’t sturdy enough. So, instinctively, I threaded them into the wall to connect them with the steel bars inside the concrete. Later, I was afraid the added weight might be too much for the wall, so I tried reinforcing those rebars as well. That’s when I realized I could manipulate metal this way.”
Everyone suddenly understood. The captain laughed. “No wonder you said you wanted some metal to take home. Don’t tell me you’re planning to reinforce your whole house?”
Yan Fei smiled and nodded, glancing sidelong at Luo Xun. “If there’s enough to spare.”
“Don’t worry,” the captain said, still smiling. “When we head back today, I’ll make sure you get some. They’ll be hauling in more steel in a few days anyway. Just be careful when you take it—don’t let anyone notice.”
“That’s no problem,” Yan Fei said cheerfully. “We’ve got a truck. Just stop by our parking spot on the way back.”
There was plenty of stuff piled up at home already, and ever since Luo Xun mentioned those two ridiculously large water tanks on their rooftop, Yan Fei couldn’t help worrying whether the building could even bear all that extra weight. They lived on the sixteenth floor, after all—if something went wrong with the structure… well, that’d be fun.
Luo Xun had no idea why Yan Fei kept glancing at him. He certainly didn’t realize Yan Fei was fretting about whether the rooftop water tanks he’d bought before the apocalypse might collapse the building. To Luo Xun, nothing was more important than being able to bring home more useful materials.
Yan Fei’s wall-repair operation resumed smoothly. Once the captain saw the three of them working efficiently, he left Luo Xun and two others behind to guard the ability users and handle materials, then led the rest of the squad off to the side—to fight zombies.
The base’s main gate was now open, and an armored team had already driven out to rescue the soldiers trapped in nearby watchtowers. Many zombies around the walls had been drawn away by the commotion, but the human scent coming from the walltop was still too delicious to resist. At least forty or fifty zombies stubbornly refused to leave.
The captain’s goal was to wipe out those remaining zombies completely. Only then could the repair team work without fear. Even though everyone working on the wall had safety ropes tied around their waists, that didn’t make anyone feel entirely safe—what if someone really did fall? Getting clawed by a zombie wasn’t something you could just shrug off.
Each time a few zombies were killed, other soldiers would hook the corpses with ropes, haul them halfway up the wall, cut off their heads, and dig out the crystal cores. It was a slow, tiring process, but at least it yielded results—better than nothing.
Luo Xun helped Yan Fei carry metal materials while keeping a wary eye on the zombies below, occasionally firing his crossbow to pick off a few.
Although the way Yan Fei’s team worked consumed a lot of crystal cores and mental energy, the results were impressive—their efficiency almost rivaled Yan Fei’s nightly routine of turning a lump of metal into fine mesh before bed, though the structural strength still wasn’t quite as high.
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