Chapter 67 — The Second Zombie Virus Outbreak!
After parking the car, Luo Xun and Yan Fei walked side by side into the military camp. Just as they entered, someone by the truck they usually rode in waved at them from a distance.
“Something happened?” they asked, quickening their pace.
“Get in—we need to leave early today.” The captain gestured for the driver to start the engine.
“Yesterday afternoon, a large horde of zombies attacked the base perimeter,” the captain began gravely. “Many of them moved faster and more flexibly than before. They overwhelmed the defenders. Five soldiers were killed, and two metal-ability users…” He paused, eyes heavy. “Both lost. One was killed on the spot; the other was bitten and turned into a zombie shortly after.”
The air in the truck grew heavy. After a long silence, Luo Xun finally asked, “How did they get injured? Did the zombies actually make it inside the base?”
The captain shook his head, but before he could answer, the only other metal-ability user besides Yan Fei burst out angrily: “They weren’t following our method! Team Two had their men hanging outside the wall on ropes! That’s how they lost two people!”
Yan Fei and Luo Xun exchanged a look—shocked, but not entirely surprised. It was risky but understandable: direct contact allowed for finer metal control. They probably couldn’t manipulate metal from a distance, and that limitation had cost them dearly.
“Where’s Xiao Li?” Luo Xun asked, noticing one missing face.
“Headquarters ordered us to transfer one person to Team Two,” the captain replied, his tone still sour. “So I sent him over.” The frustration was clear—not only had the other team’s recklessness caused deaths, but now his own squad was being split to make up for it.
Everyone in the truck was simmering with anger—at the tragedy, at the incompetence behind it, and at the relentless zombie threat outside.
Because Team Two had suffered such heavy losses, the transferred ability user wasn’t just there to help, but also to teach them how to manipulate metal from a distance—an efficient but energy-consuming method they hadn’t mastered before. Their reluctance to use it earlier, claiming it “wasted crystal cores,” had now led to disaster.
“Captain,” someone spoke up, “since Team Two’s down to one person, why not just merge the squads?”
The captain gave a weary sigh. “Base command is worried about overusing abilities. They’ve kept the teams separate all along since it seemed efficient enough. Plus…” He hesitated. “They still haven’t finished studying crystal cores. If overusing them changes ability users—say, into zombies—they want to limit the risk.”
Not long after, the truck pulled up beside the wall. The captain turned back to rally them, “Alright, everyone, stay sharp! We may be down a man, but our efficiency’s always been top-notch—keep it that way!”
With two fewer ability users, the remaining metal-type operatives were given more crystal cores to compensate. As long as their stamina held, they could use their powers freely.
Yan Fei and the other metal user climbed to the top of the wall first, Luo Xun following with his crossbow. He glanced out beyond the barricade and sighed softly—
The number of zombies had grown again.
They were like sharks drawn to blood. No matter how many the defenders killed each day, the next morning the hordes would always return—more of them, hungrier than before.
The situation that occurred yesterday afternoon seemed to have drawn even more zombies from farther away, likely attracted by the scent of fresh blood. The blood spilled among the zombie horde wasn’t something that could be cleaned up so easily, and so it became the perfect lure — waving its little hand and calling out to the zombies: “Hey, everyone! There’s plenty of fresh, delicious food here! Let’s all come feast together!”
When the zombies saw silhouettes appear on top of the city wall, they grew excited once more, waving their arms wildly. Some even tried to leap up and reach the top, attempting to drag someone down to devour — just like what had happened yesterday afternoon.
A soldier’s face turned pale as he fired a shot, killing one of the zombies. But the sound only made the others nearby more frenzied, rushing toward the wall in a wave of violent excitement.
“Alright, calm down everyone. Continue following the original work assignments,” the captain shouted, giving a few quick orders to direct the team’s work.
Not far away, the city gate opened at regular intervals to release vehicles and military trucks heading out on missions.
The design of the outer gate was far more reasonable this time, thanks to the larger number of workers who had joined the construction effort. The entrance to the inner city was divided into two lanes — one for pedestrians and one for vehicles — each guarded by armed soldiers stationed on armored vehicles. The outer gate, on the other hand, had two layers: an inner and an outer section. Between them was a walled-off area — a tall, enclosed courtyard-like space that, once sealed, became completely secure and unclimbable.
Anyone who wanted to leave the city first had to register and enter this “courtyard.” Once enough vehicles were gathered, the inner gate would close, and the outer gate would open. When that happened, all vehicles had to rush out at once. If any zombies managed to slip inside during the process, they would be trapped once the outer gate shut again — and the soldiers stationed on the walls would immediately open fire to eliminate them.
By now, Luo Xun and his team were working quite a distance from the main gate. They could faintly hear the rumble of engines, and every time the gates opened, they would see vehicles speeding out onto the open streets beyond — almost like watching a car race from the stands.
Yan Fei and another metal-type ability user named Sun Shaoyang each grabbed a chunk of metal as if performing a magic trick. The metal seemed alive — in their left hands it flowed and twisted like molten clay, slowly forming into a metal pipe. Their attention wasn’t even focused on it; with their free hands, they continued to pull more pieces from the larger metal blocks beside them, fusing each piece to the growing pipe. The pipe extended downward, longer and longer, until it reached the edge of the metal wall below, where it began to “drip” and merge seamlessly with the structure.
While they were working, Captain Guo was called away again. He returned about half an hour later by vehicle and waited until Yan Fei and Sun Shaoyang took a break before gathering everyone together.
“The earth-type ability users have already raised the inner walls to six meters,” he began, “but since our work isn’t finished — and given the heavy losses suffered by Team Two yesterday — the leadership has decided to change the plan. They’ll now focus on reinforcing and raising the inner walls first, making them a full ten meters high.”
He went on to explain, “The inner walls are in a safer zone, so even if they build them higher, there’s no danger of zombies interfering. They can finish quickly using whatever methods they want. But as for us, we need to speed things up here. We have to finish these outer walls before the earth-types complete their work — and there’s another new assignment waiting for us afterward.”
Several soldiers’ faces darkened. “What kind of task, sir?” one of them asked.
The captain pointed toward the walls. “We don’t have to worry about it for now, but I’ve heard there’s a proposal to install barbs or spikes along the wall after we’re done.”
He pulled out a drawing — it wasn’t exactly traditional barbed wire, but rows of angled spikes extending outward from the walls, the tips pointing diagonally downward. Once installed, they would prevent zombies with strong jumping abilities from grabbing onto the walls and climbing up, serving as an additional layer of defense.
Only the metal-type ability users present had the right to speak on this matter — and among them, the one whose opinion carried the most weight was, of course, Yan Fei, who had recently improved the wall construction method.
Rubbing his chin in thought, Yan Fei said, “It’s not hard to make these spikes themselves, but if we want to achieve the effect shown in this blueprint, the metal walls must be able to bear enough weight. That means the walls have to be thick enough. At their current thickness of only ten centimeters, installing these might actually cause the entire wall to collapse outward.”
A few soldiers couldn’t help but laugh. One of the younger ones joked, “That’s not so bad — at least we’d crush a whole batch of zombies at once.”
The captain scolded him lightly with a half-laugh, then turned to Yan Fei and the others. “So, how thick would the walls need to be if we did install these things?”
Yan Fei spread his hands helplessly. “That, I don’t know. You should report it up the chain, Captain. The base definitely has construction experts who can calculate that sort of thing.”
The captain smacked his forehead — of course. What kind of question was that to ask? His men weren’t professional builders. Their ability was to manipulate metal, not to design structural supports.
“This isn’t urgent anyway,” the captain said. “I’ll ask about it later. Even if they decide to build it, it’ll have to wait until the outer wall is raised to about ten meters before we can consider it. Right now, it’s just not realistic.” He folded the blueprint and slipped it back into his pocket. Seeing that everyone had rested enough, he ordered them back to work.
As Yan Fei and the other ability user grew more skilled, the team’s pace of delivering metal up the wall also sped up. Small pieces weren’t a problem, but the huge steel plates had to be leaned against the wall at an angle and lifted bit by bit as the metal above was used up.
A truck loaded with metal materials was parked beside them, ready to deliver more whenever needed.
The captain quietly considered whether, by the time the wall reached ten meters in height, they should bring in a crane to help lift materials up. At the very least, a bulldozer might be needed to shovel the metal upward.
He had to admit, after losing one person, the remaining two ability users had unconsciously picked up the pace. They took fewer breaks and used every moment to work — the faster they could finish, the better. Once the wall was complete, even though they’d still have follow-up tasks, the safety level of the base would improve tremendously.
On both sides of the wall, soldiers continued to crouch at the top, shooting zombies. With so many zombies acting as live targets, even the worst marksmen had improved drastically; their accuracy was far better than before the apocalypse.
Those assigned to loop ropes and dig out crystal nuclei also became much more efficient. The team worked together seamlessly now, and the number of crystal cores they collected had multiplied several times over.
After working the entire morning, by the time they rode back at noon, everyone — not just Yan Fei and the other metal user — was utterly exhausted. Even those who’d only helped transport materials were worn out. Their squad wasn’t exactly small, but with barely a dozen people, the amount of work was enormous.
They passed through the towering gates of the inner city and returned to the military base. Luo Xun and Yan Fei dragged their tired bodies to the third canteen, picking up lunch boxes to get food.
“The food’s getting worse,” Luo Xun sighed softly. In today’s meal, there wasn’t a single trace of meat — only one small egg between their two dishes.
“Didn’t you hear? The fourth canteen’s already using those fake mini sausages made entirely of starch instead of real meat,” Yan Fei said with a small laugh, tucking the meal boxes into his backpack. “Come on, let’s go home and eat.”
For now, the worsening food quality wasn’t a critical issue. But if they started reducing portions, that would mark a real turning point for the worse.
They got into their car and drove toward their apartment. East of the military base and a bit south of the Hongjing Residential District lay a vast stretch of farmland. Part of it had been fenced off and turned into new housing to accommodate rescued civilians and the families of high-ranking officers. The remaining fields had already been fully plowed — it looked like they’d begin planting soon.
Their route passed through several of the base’s busiest streets. At some intersections, the authorities had set up exchange stations where civilians could trade for food or other supplies. These days, most transactions were done using credits instead of instant noodles, which had served as currency early on. Since noodles and crackers were consumable food items, their value had actually gone up — most people were now reluctant to trade them away at all.
Before long, they saw the tall buildings of the Hongjing complex in the distance. Turning at the next corner, they passed a long line of people queuing for lunch — home wasn’t far now.
Yan Fei, looking a bit drained, closed his eyes to rest.
Luo Xun focused on driving — and for the third time that day, narrowly avoided a suspected “crash scammer.” Yes, even after the apocalypse, scammers pretending to get hit by cars were still around — maybe even more of them now. Some worked in teams: one person would suddenly dart out and throw themselves at a car, while others would rush in afterward, surrounding the vehicle to intimidate the driver into handing over goods or credits.
Luo Xun and Yan Fei had encountered such a group once before. Unfortunately for the scammers, Luo Xun never left home without his hand crossbow. After shooting a bolt clean through one man’s foot, the rest scattered in panic under the threat of more incoming bolts.
Apparently, today’s scammers were new to the area and didn’t know better — otherwise, they wouldn’t have picked this car. To them, the couple’s old, beat-up van probably looked like an easy target. After all, most ability users drove rugged off-road vehicles or at least intact sedans.
Just as Luo Xun was growing irritated enough to consider slamming the brakes and shooting at the fools outside, a sudden scream rang out from the sidewalk ahead.
Yan Fei’s eyes snapped open at once. He and Luo Xun looked toward the street —
Zombies! There were zombies on the street!
Before they could react, another scream came from a different direction!
Meeting each other’s gaze for a brief second, Luo Xun immediately slammed down on the gas pedal. — If it were just one or two people suddenly turning into zombies, he could’ve dismissed it as a random incident. But he had clearly seen that, besides those two, several pedestrians along the roadside also had faces turning an abnormal color!
It was the second zombie virus outbreak inside the base!
Luo Xun instantly came to a conclusion and floored the accelerator, speeding toward the residential compound gates. While driving, he quickly explained to Yan Fei, “I saw a few others on the street whose faces looked wrong too. I suspect this might be similar to what happened at the three bases that were destroyed before!” Although the cause was still unclear, the situation had erupted suddenly and without warning — their top priority was to reach a safe place to survive this crisis!
Luo Xun knew that the Southwest Base had once suffered an internal zombie outbreak, though he wasn’t sure when. Back then, he hadn’t bothered to learn the details — he’d only heard long-term residents mention it in passing. The second outbreak of the zombie virus had occurred not long after the base was first established, but it had been quickly suppressed.
However, in his previous life, that event was already long past by the time he arrived at the Southwest Base. And such incidents had occurred in almost every base — some hadn’t survived and were wiped out completely, while those that managed to endure became the few strongholds that secured a foothold in the apocalypse.
“Mm. You just focus on driving. I’ll handle everything else,” Yan Fei said, his expression turning slightly grim, though not panicked. After all they had been through since the apocalypse began — storms, disasters, countless dangers — one more crisis was something they could face.
He pulled out a handful of crystal cores from his pocket and quickly replenished his mental energy. He had planned to return, rest, and sleep for the afternoon, but fate clearly had other ideas. Fortunately, he’d long since developed the habit of carrying all his crystal cores with him, just in case. A few spares were tucked in his outer coat pockets, ready for emergencies.
Luo Xun and Yan Fei weren’t the only ones who noticed the chaos on the street. After a moment of stunned confusion, the surrounding people reacted quickly — almost everyone who’d made it into the base had lived through “great storms and huge waves” before.
Whether early or late into the apocalypse, most had faced zombies head-on; many had even killed them with their own hands. Still, there were quite a few who, having lived near the base since the beginning and been protected by the military’s swift response, had never directly confronted zombies — so now, panic spread among them.
People screamed and bolted in every direction. The more experienced ability users quickly entered combat mode, while those who’d fought zombies before grabbed whatever they could — pipes, sticks, even chairs — to use as weapons. They struck down zombies that blocked their path while fleeing toward their homes.
Unfortunately, as they struggled and fled, many panicked survivors accidentally injured others nearby. The chaos spread not only because of the zombies, but also from the humans themselves — panic feeding on panic.
When Luo Xun drove up to the entrance of their residential complex, his heart sank — someone had closed half of the gate! Now the fleeing crowd could only squeeze desperately through the remaining open half.
Who closed the gate?!
Well… he could imagine their reasoning: afraid the zombies would rush inside, they wanted to seal the entrance early. But the problem was, not only zombies were behind them — people were too!
A few zombies had already caught up with the crowd, leaping onto those trapped at the gate!
Screams echoed one after another. Yan Fei rolled down the car window just a crack, preparing to use his mental power to control and open the other half of the gate — when suddenly, he spotted a few familiar faces in the chaos. His brow lifted slightly.
It was Xu Bin and his men — the ones who’d once caused him trouble and nearly gotten him killed.
The people who used to follow Xu Bin weren’t thinking about him now; they were pushing and scrambling even harder than he was. Among them was the same female college student they’d seen at the gate a few days ago — the one who’d secretly followed them into the community to find out where Yan Fei and Luo Xun lived. The seductive older woman and the innocent-looking college girl who’d been with her, however, were nowhere in sight. It seemed the group had already split up.
Yan Fei’s hand paused briefly — just in time to see a zombie pounce beside Xu Bin. Reacting instantly, Xu Bin shoved the terrified girl in his arms straight into the zombie’s path without hesitation!
The zombie didn’t care why she was pushed — all it saw was food. With a snarl, it lunged forward and bit down hard. Blood sprayed, and the girl’s piercing scream rattled everyone’s eardrums.
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