Chapter 66 The Plum Gathering
"Mr. Liu, we've arrived."
The car slowly came to a stop, and as the driver opened the door, Liu Yuqiang stepped out.
He found himself in an underground parking garage, surrounded by many similar cars.
"Please follow me."
The driver led the way, and Liu Yuqiang followed to the elevator. He entered, pressed the button for the 3rd floor, and then the driver left before the elevator doors closed.
Liu Yuqiang took the elevator up alone. When the doors opened, he found himself in what looked like a conference room.
"Old Liu!"
"Yuqiang's here."
Several people were already in the room, sitting on comfortable leather sofas. They waved to Liu Yuqiang upon his arrival.
Liu Yuqiang looked over; these were all members of the Plum Gathering, including some of his acquaintances.
He walked over and sat down on an empty sofa, asking, "Has Big Sister arrived?"
"Not yet, probably waiting until we're all here," said an older man with a shiny bald head and round-framed glasses.
After the bald man finished speaking, his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed anticipation: "I hope Big Sister can show us the way."
"..."
Liu Yuqiang glanced at the bald man. This man was Yu Feiwei, the chairman of Firebird Financial.
Liu Yuqiang hadn't interacted much with him, but he clearly remembered that after the first apocalyptic rule was released, and Zhao Jiping announced the hidden rule in the group, Yu Feiwei quickly obtained 30 sobering mints, which had greatly impressed him at the time.
Now, looking at Yu Feiwei, whose eyes held anticipation yet whose face showed a hint of anxiety, he thought to himself, "If this President Yu relied solely on eating candy to get through the ordeal, his mental strength limit is probably very low... Is that why he's so anxious?"
Soon after, the members of the Green Plum Society arrived one after another. After everyone was seated, Big Sister finally appeared.
The main door of the conference room opened from the outside, and two young women with short hair and smart suits entered first. The two women then stood on either side, welcoming the main character into the room.
An elderly woman with a full head of white hair, dressed in handmade cloth, walked in.
Although the elderly woman was not young, she was well-maintained and had a rosy complexion. She walked briskly, her back ramrod straight, unlike many elderly people who are hunched over and listless.
When the members saw her enter, they immediately stood up.
She stood in front of the large screen at the front of the room and said with a smile, "Please sit down."
The members looked at each other, then sat back down on the sofa, their eyes filled with surprise.
Most of them had never seen her face before, and had assumed "elder sister" was just a title of respect, implying she wasn't very old.
But seeing her in person today, even with her good looks, they could tell she was at least over seventy.
"Today is the first time all members of the Green Plum Association have gathered together, and many members are seeing me for the first time. You may be surprised, and I understand."
Despite her age, her voice was very loud, and everyone present could hear her clearly without a megaphone.
"I've invited you all here today for one purpose only: to explain the future of our Green Plum Society."
The eldest sister glanced at the young woman beside her, who immediately understood and used a remote to turn on the large screen, displaying a wealth of data.
Everyone was shocked upon seeing it. This data concerned the population that died under the rules, and included some previously undisclosed information, such as the age and occupational percentages of the deceased—classified data.
The eldest sister said, "This data was compiled by the Countermeasures Research Office. You don't need to ask me how I obtained it; just look at it."
While marveling at the eldest sister's extensive knowledge, everyone carefully read the data. As business leaders, they were used to reviewing financial reports and other data, and quickly grasped the terrifying nature of the figures on the screen.
One figure in particular caught their attention:
"The mortality rate for those over 50 years old is a staggering 93%?!"
Most of those present were over 50 years old, and seeing this "relevant" statistic sent chills down their spines.
"That's right," the eldest sister said. "After entering the post-apocalyptic era, young adults have the highest survival rate. But for people our age, it's down to less than one in ten."
"..."
"You've all survived this long thanks to the methods and resources you've used. But I want to ask, can this last? Your mental strength limits are probably not very high."
"Elder sister!" Yu Feiwei stood up. "My mental strength limit is already in single digits; another decrease and it'll be zero. You're incredibly powerful, please think of a way!"
"Calm down," the eldest sister gestured for Yu Feiwei to sit down.
Then she looked around and said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, the business world is like a battlefield. You're all veterans; do you really want to die so inexplicably? We must use every means to save ourselves and create our own glory."
With that, a video played on the large screen, showing some disturbing images.
The scene appeared to be a prison, with a large number of people imprisoned inside. But it was definitely not an official prison; the guards' green uniforms were a clear indication.
"You may have all heard about the recent kidnappings targeting individuals with high spiritual power across the country," the eldest sister stated frankly. "To be honest, I orchestrated this, and several members were also involved."
Many members were stunned. They had heard about the kidnappings, but they hadn't expected the eldest sister to be the mastermind.
"Why did I do this? It's simple: I refuse to accept my fate." Though her tone was calm, a chilling killing intent emanated from her.
"Why should we, at our age, be the ones to die? If the Fire Thieves won't give us fairness, then we'll have to find it ourselves. I can tell you all, from today onwards, the Green Plum Association will be completely transformed from a business mutual aid alliance into a survival mutual aid alliance, focusing on plundering items related to mental power to strengthen ourselves."
Amidst the shock, Yu Feiwei stood up again and shouted, "I support Big Sister! This is what we should do! Who told the officials to ignore us?!"
He then looked at the other members: "Tell me, after the officials announced a lot of freebies, didn't they take a portion of the business from each of our companies? Old Sun, wasn't your logistics business directly confiscated to transport survival supplies? And Yu Qiang, your company's online game business was also required to meet player demands and give away all the paid items, right?" "
The officials waved their hands and took away a lot of our core businesses, claiming it was to ensure the survival of the masses, but what was the compensation they gave us? Just a mere amount of gold! If they really wanted to give compensation, they should have guaranteed our survival!"
"That makes sense."
"Yes, we don't lack gold to buy anything, what we lack most is a guarantee of survival."
Yu Feiwei's words resonated with many. Liu Yuqiang then stood up and asked, "Big sister, what if the authorities find out you've kidnapped so many people?"
The big sister smiled slightly: "Have you ever heard of someone investigating themselves?"
Liu Yuqiang was taken aback, and the other members were also shocked: Could the big sister's identity be…?
"I'll say it again. Survival is the first priority of all living beings, and anything is reasonable for it. To ensure our survival, we need to spare no expense or means."
"And this is also an opportunity for our rise." The big sister said slowly.
"Before the rules of the apocalypse, no matter how hard you all tried, you were just merchants. But in this era, with proper planning, you might not be unable to put on your own show."
"I've said all I need to say. The rest is only for like-minded people. If you have any objections now, you can get up and take the elevator away. I won't stop you."
After the big sister finished speaking, most of the members were excited and fanatical, showing no intention of moving.
Liu Yuqiang hesitated. He felt that the big sister's ideas were too crazy and wanted to leave as well. But he doubted whether the woman would really let them go after saying all that.
At this moment, two members couldn't help but stand up. One of them said, "Sister, although we respect you, what you're doing is too dangerous! We don't want to go against the authorities, I'm sorry..."
"It's alright," the woman said. "Those who walk different paths cannot work together. Please leave."
The two nodded and took the elevator down.
When the elevator reached the parking lot and opened, they were greeted by a driver—but a driver with a gun.
Bang! Bang!
After two muffled sounds, the dissidents disappeared.
Chapter 67 The Fifth Rule of the Apocalypse
"Boom—!"
A thunderous roar startled Guan Tong from his midday nap.
He sat up, yawning, rubbing his temples and glancing at the doorway: "It's starting again?"
Since Yunhua City initially resolved the urban disaster relief and corpse disposal issues caused by Rule Four a few days ago, it had immediately begun demolishing buildings throughout the city.
Explosions had been frequently heard in the city since then. The official explanation was that they were gradually demolishing useless buildings in key locations to make room for subsequent survival-oriented reconstruction.
As for what would be built after the streets and alleys were leveled, the authorities had not yet given any definite information.
However, Guan Tong had seen a post online claiming that a large number of sturdy, self-sufficient, general-purpose shelters would be built in major cities. This was
because a major problem exposed by Rule Four, "Snow in June," was the severe shortage of qualified shelters.
Many people were forced to live in places like stadiums, shopping malls, and schools. These places were not very effective as refugees in the face of natural disasters.
Therefore, many netizens speculated that the authorities were planning to build a large number of professional-grade shelters. These shelters would have independent water and electricity supplies, store large quantities of supplies, and be equipped with a large number of survival equipment.
Some even posted pictures of the royal shelters of the Somali Empire, demanding that the authorities build a million similar shelters for the public. Of course, this was just talk, and unrealistic.
Guan Tong took out her phone and glanced at it; it was clean and there were no notifications.
On social media platforms, most of the top-ranked discussions were related to the upcoming opening of the Mind Power Development Academy.
Those who wanted to enroll had been rushing to the capital, Yong'an City, in the past few days.
Their thoughts were the same as Xu Xiaotian's; they didn't want to wait until the fifth rule was released before coming. If public transportation was paralyzed again due to the rule, it was unknown how long it would take to recover.
"I wonder if Sister Wang's stomach problem is serious? Did she drive Xiao Na to Yong'an?"
Looking at the capital city entry on the rankings, Guan Tong thought of Wang Yan and Chen Na, the mother and daughter. After they separated in Yunhua on the 9th, they hadn't been in contact since, as they hadn't exchanged contact information.
Guan Tong had considered going to the hospital to see if he could find them, but ultimately decided against it, as their relationship was too casual and not yet at that level.
"I hope everything goes well for them,"
Guan Tong thought to himself as he turned off his phone and opened his personal terminal.
Today was July 31st, the last day of the rule interval. Tomorrow, the Fire Stealers would release the fifth apocalyptic rule.
During this time, Guan Tong had only left the neighborhood once, going to the supply point to retrieve some supplies.
He also collected many useful items from the houses during his daily walks in the neighborhood.
For example, he found a folding bed in one house and moved it to his property management storage room. Although it wasn't as comfortable as a large bed, it was better than a sleeping bag.
He also collected some radios, cell phones, flashlights, power banks, and even a few interesting paper books, which he kept in the storage room to use during his breaks.
You could say this abandoned neighborhood had become his little treasure hunt, but he knew he couldn't live here forever.
The explosions outside were telling him that soon, after the shops along the street were demolished, the next step would be to demolish a large number of abandoned residential areas.
His own residential area would inevitably be demolished and razed as well, so this small property storage room was just a temporary shelter for him.
As for where he would go in the future, he hadn't thought about it yet. Anyway, there's always a way out; the world is vast, and he wasn't worried about finding a place to sleep.
Guan Tong checked his terminal panel.
[Name: Guan Tong]
[Nickname: Shadow]
[Title: Lawkeeper]
[Mental Power: 127 (127) (135)]
[Ascension Coins: 30]
[Overall Bio-Information Evaluation: Excellent]
Due to limited time, he saved 135 points of mental power during this period. This gives him 262 points of mental power available at full strength, which is already quite good.
Guan Tong then picked up the Silver Hunter gun next to his pillow. The small electronic screen on the left side of the handle showed the number of bullets he had been saving since the beginning of July: 50
No. 1 bullets, 15
No. 2 bullets, and 15
No. 3 bullets
. Over the course of a month, he saved a total of eighty bullets, more or less each day. The cheapest No. 1 bullets were the most numerous, while No. 2 and No. 3 bullets were both 15 each.
It wasn't that Guan Tong didn't want to save more, but his mental power was still insufficient.
The high cost of opening the third page of the [Wordless Book] and the storage of reserve mental power had consumed a lot of mental power, and saving these bullets was already the limit.
Thus, Guan Tong felt that he was prepared to deal with the new rules.
Meanwhile, Ascendants around the world were making various preparations during this month-long interval.
Some actively worked to increase their mental power cap, others sought to join powerful Ascendant organizations, and still others spent their days diligently monitoring the terminal market, hoping to snag high-value items at bargain prices.
Of course, a large number chose to give up, most notably those whose mental power had dwindled to zero and who could no longer use their personal terminals.
Mental power and tradable items were no longer of any use to them. They mostly stayed together, eating and drinking as usual, enjoying each day as it came.
Many Ascendants, seeing this, posted complaints online, feeling that those who couldn't use their personal terminals were living much more carefree lives than they were. Of course, such comments quickly attracted a barrage of criticism, with many arguing that this was simply the troubles of the wealthy in a certain sense.
It was like a rich man telling a beggar, "I envy you being able to bask in the sun freely every day, unlike me who has to attend meetings every day"—the beggar would be lucky not to beat him up.
Thus, July 31st ended, and August 1st arrived.
The once bustling world fell silent, and the constant explosions that filled the city temporarily ceased.
Having gone through the previous rules, on the day the new rules were to be announced, people preferred to wait quietly for the Firebringers to make their announcement rather than engage in chaotic, tense discussions.
Guan Tong sat in the storage room, silently awaiting that moment.
At 9 o'clock sharp, the Firebringers' voice rang out.
[Fifth Apocalyptic Rule Announced]
[Apocalyptic Rule Five: Night of the Living Dead]
[Rule Content: From the date of this rule's announcement, the entire world will enter a period of darkness. Large numbers of indiscriminately attacking living dead will invade human activity areas. This rule lasts for 24 hours. During the effective period, each Ascended One must eliminate at least ten living dead.]
[Success Reward: 150 Ascended Coins; an additional 1 Ascended Coin will be awarded for each living dead eliminated during the rule's effective period. Survival until the rule's end will result in a settlement.]
[Failure Penalty: Decrease in maximum Mental Power]
[Note: Having passed the previous trials, this is the "reward level" that all Ascended Ones deserve. Please enjoy it.]
Chapter 68 Hidden Rule Five
The moment the Fire Stealer announced the rules, the once clear sky instantly turned pitch black.
Starless and moonless, it was as if the entire world had been suddenly draped in an impenetrable curtain.
At the same time, strange, piercing screams echoed from all corners of the world.
The sound was like a whistle, sharp and shrill, tearing through the night and reverberating throughout the heavens and earth.
Accompanying this sound, some beings became restless.
In a temporary corpse containment facility in Yunhua City, several staff members were gathered in the break room with the lights on, discussing the newly released rules.
"What are the living dead? Zombies?"
"I don't know… let's wait for the official guide."
"Killing one living dead gives you an extra Ascension Coin at the end! If you kill a hundred or so, wouldn't you make a fortune at the end of the rules?" "
I think I'd be satisfied if I could kill ten and complete the challenge without losing mental energy."
"Me too. The Fire Stealer says this is a reward level, but this is still a post-apocalyptic rule. Can they really let people farm coins so easily?"
Thump!
As they were talking, a loud crash came from the glass door. Startled, they turned to look, and were utterly horrified.
A figure was pressed against the door, its face contorted in a grotesque grimace, its eyes glowing with an eerie, scarlet light. What terrified them most was the gray robe this person wore—the uniform uniform for the temporary corpse containment facility. Had
the dead come back to life?!
"No, no, no, no!"
They immediately realized that if the "living dead" in this rule hadn't appeared out of thin air, but were actually resurrected corpses, then their temporary corpse containment facility would undoubtedly be the most dangerous place they were in!
Thump thump thump thump thump thump!
The next moment, their premonition came true. A large number of corpses in gray robes surged to the doorway, pressing in from all sides, and the glass door quickly shattered under the pressure.
"It's over, it's over!"
In the instant the glass shattered, their minds went blank; they couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance.
"Roar!!!!"
Dozens of undead bees swarmed into the break room, roaring like wild beasts as they pounced on several staff members, tearing their despair and lives to shreds.
At the same time, the shrill cry continued to echo through the night sky.
Soon, it reached beyond the city, to the suburbs, and to the villages and counties.
Those villages that had been submerged and disappeared by the blizzard according to the fourth rule reappeared after the snow melted.
Along with the villages, numerous corpses were also visible, submerged in the meltwater.
Due to manpower shortages in the city, for the past month they had only been able to focus on the final stages of disaster relief and reconstruction within the city. The villages in other areas had been neglected, and many corpses had remained submerged for days.
Now, with the arrival of that shrill cry, these corpses trembled and rose from the water.
Some of them were soaked and rotten, resembling giants; others were incomplete, their limbs broken by collapsed buildings. But what they all shared was a pair of eerie, crimson eyes radiating a red glow.
At this moment, these resurrected undead, after a brief silence, erupted in roars and surged towards Yunhua City, where countless lights rapidly illuminated the darkness in the distance!
...
In the community's property management storage room, after the Fire Thief announced the rules, Guan Tong also heard that piercing shriek. The
sound came from afar in the south, indescribable, and extremely unsettling.
"This rule only lasts for 24 hours, the shortest rule to date... and the Fire Thief specifically called it a 'reward level'..."
Guan Tong felt there was more to it than met the eye. If it were truly a reward level, couldn't they just give each Ascendant a thousand or eight hundred Ascendant Coins? Why use a rule as a pretext?
He looked at the sky, which had turned pitch black in an instant, feeling uneasy. He quickly closed the door, then hurriedly opened his personal panel to check the hidden rules.
Focusing intently on the fifth apocalyptic rule, the color particles quickly recombine, revealing the hidden rule.
[Hidden Rule Five: Source of Transformation]
[Hidden Rule Content: In this rule, eliminating the undead using non-psychic power-related items or abilities will not be counted in the elimination statistics. Besides the undead, a special 'Mother Transformer' exists within a certain area. The 'Mother Transformer' can transform human corpses into the undead by emitting shrieks. Eliminating the 'Mother Transformer' will grant a high special reward and end the undead transformation in that area prematurely.]
[Note: During the 24-hour period of the rule's effectiveness, the 'Mother Transformer' will emit shrieks intermittently, transforming human corpses into the undead. If you decide to eliminate it to end the transformation, please remember that it cannot be killed by non-psychic power-related items or abilities and possesses extraordinary power, making it an extremely terrifying enemy.] The fact that eliminating
the undead using non-psychic power-related items will not be counted in the statistics was something Guan Tong had already anticipated. Not only him, but most people should have been able to guess it after the rule was released.
What truly surprised him was the existence of the "Mother Converter."
After reading the hidden rules, Guan Tong finally understood that the extremely unsettling shriek after the Fire Thief announced the rules must have come from this Mother Converter!
"How many human corpses were converted into the undead with that one shriek?" Guan Tong sensed something was wrong. "So many people died under the fourth rule; so many corpses couldn't all have been cremated. There must be many temporarily stored in morgues or similar places..."
"Moreover, according to the hidden rules, this 'Mother Converter' will emit shrieks intermittently during the 24-hour period of the rule's effect. If humans killed by the undead are continuously converted into new undead, then..."
Guan Tong felt the consequences were unimaginable!
Especially since the hidden rules' notes stated that the "Mother Converter" cannot be killed by anything other than those related to mental power. In other words, even if the authorities discovered its existence and tried to kill it with weapons to end the conversion, they couldn't!
Only an Ascended Being could kill it using mental power-related items or abilities to end the conversion!
Now Guan Tong faced only two choices.
Should he find a good defensive position to hold and eliminate the invading undead? Or should he take the initiative and risk searching for and eliminating the Mother Transformer?
Guan Tong looked at the silver Hunter in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then made his decision.
"The shriek I heard earlier seemed to be coming from the south… that's the direction I need to go."
"But I can't act rashly. I need to figure out the undead's combat strength first."
Guan Tong needed to know: were these undead like slow-moving, limping zombies? Or were they like mad dogs, lunging and biting anyone they saw?
The difference between the two was undoubtedly huge! The danger was on completely different levels.
Chapter 69 Heading South
Before leaving, preparations were necessary.
Since this rule only lasted 24 hours, a lot of food wasn't needed. However, more lighting equipment was required.
"The [Quick-Ignition Stick] that sold for 80 Ascension Coins in the Terminal Ascension Shop before, that's probably for situations like this. But… perhaps it has other uses besides lighting?"
If it was just for illumination, a flashlight would suffice; why spend precious Ascension Coins?
Therefore, Guan Tong thought the [Quick-Ignition Stick] might have other special effects, such as inflicting extra damage on the undead… but since the undead hadn't appeared before the rule was released, the official couldn't test the corresponding function. Guan Tong
hadn't bought the [Quick-Ignition Stick] in the choice between the two; he'd bought the [Multi-functional Protective Suit] instead, so thinking about the former now was pointless. He picked up the flashlight, turned it on, and strapped it to his chest.
A headlamp would be much better; that would be much more convenient. However, Guan Tong walked to the door and glanced outside; some parts of the sky in the distance were brightly lit by lights.
Although the world entered night after the rules were announced, the Fire Stealers did not deprive humanity of its source of light.
At this moment, all the lights in Yunhua City were on. While not entirely brightly lit, most areas with large populations had good illumination and visibility.
Guan Tong looked away, strapped on his flashlight, and slung his bag over his shoulder. A short knife and a crowbar hung on either side of the backpack.
These weren't psychic tools, but they might come in handy sometime. After all, survival was the top priority; if he couldn't even save his life, talking about eliminating the undead to farm coins would be putting the cart before the horse.
Finally, Guan Tong put on a lightweight motorcycle helmet. He had found it in a house in the neighborhood earlier, and wearing it would at least provide some protection for his head.
After preparing, Guan Tong stepped out of the storage room, gripping the Silver Hunter shotgun tightly. This shotgun, containing 80 rounds of ammunition, was his greatest source of security.
His neighborhood was long abandoned, and no one else was there except him, making it both dark and quiet.
Guan Tong heard the occasional roars coming from afar, knowing they were coming from the undead.
He could also hear bursts of gunfire.
Eliminating the undead with ordinary firearms wouldn't earn him Ascension Coins, but it would at least eliminate the threat and protect lives.
Guan Tong walked towards the neighborhood gate, intently observing his surroundings. The neighborhood was eerily quiet, save for the sound of his footsteps.
Just when he thought there were no undead left, two crimson lights suddenly appeared in the darkness near the collapsed gatehouse not far away.
The red was particularly conspicuous in the night. Guan Tong turned, shining the flashlight strapped to his chest forward, and a pale, ferocious-looking undead instantly appeared. The two red lights were its eyes!
"Roar!!!"
At the same time Guan Tong spotted it, it spotted him too, immediately lunging at him like a mad dog.
"Bang!"
Guan Tong raised his hand and fired a No. 1 bullet. Multiple bullets struck the undead over a large area, instantly riddling the latter's upper body from abdomen to head, sending it sprawling to the ground, dead.
"This is the undead?"
Guan Tong examined the corpse on the ground. The corpse was still wearing a robe with a tag bearing the "date of death and name," suggesting it had escaped from a morgue or crematorium.
This made him realize that the undead didn't appear out of thin air, but were actually dead humans resurrected in undead form under the manipulation of the Fire Thieves' power.
After this rule, all corpses would be cremated immediately...
Guan Tong's expression was grim. Judging from the speed at which this undead had been running, it was indistinguishable from a living person. In fact, because it was even more frenzied and fearless than the living, it posed a greater threat. For
an average Ascended cultivator, eliminating ten of these undead to complete the challenge wouldn't be easy. Without useful abilities or items, one would have to rely on setting traps and using tricks; otherwise, a direct confrontation would be risky.
Moreover, Guan Tong felt that his journey would be fraught with danger. If he were to accidentally get surrounded by these undead, even if he could use the Silver Hunter's No. 3 high-explosive bomb for a small-scale emergency clearing, he would still have to be careful not to get himself caught in the crossfire.
But having made his decision, Guan Tong intended to see it through.
He left the residential area and looked south along the street. The scream of the "Mother Converter" was definitely coming from that direction, but its exact location was difficult to pinpoint.
The item in his storage box, the [Guiding Flashlight], couldn't be used to help him find the "Mother Converter" because it didn't have a specific target location.
"Heading south first, that's the way to go,"
Guan Tong thought, not wanting to think too much, and continued on his way.
As he walked south, he stayed close to the buildings on his left to avoid being caught in a pincer movement. After walking for about ten minutes, he saw a dozen or so undead frantically smashing a supply truck a few dozen meters ahead.
Guan Tong was puzzled. It was an unmanned transport vehicle from the logistics department, and there was no one inside. What were these undead doing?
Were they attracted to moving objects? Or by sound?
Guan Tong took a few more steps forward. Suddenly, one of the undead frantically smashing the truck turned its head, its crimson eyes fixed on Guan Tong.
The next moment, the other undead also turned their heads, abandoning the vehicle and charging towards Guan Tong like a horde of madmen!
This somewhat terrifying scene made Guan Tong take a deep breath. He gripped his Silver Hunter ammunition, watching the fifteen or sixteen undead rushing towards him. Once they were within attack range, he decisively opened fire.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
With only a dozen or so undead, Guan Tong wouldn't waste his precious No. 3 ammunition. With just four rounds of the No. 1 missile, the widely dispersed projectiles knocked all the dozen or so undead to the ground, utterly dead.
"How did they find me?" Guan Tong frowned, looking at the dozen or so corpses on the ground. "I was about 30 meters away from them; it couldn't have been from that distance that they heard footsteps… Could it be smell?"
Guan Tong didn't know how the undead could detect humans. He thought it was likely that sight, hearing, and taste all played a role… After considering this, he put on gloves, took some undead blood, and smeared it on his clothes and helmet, so he could verify it if he encountered undead again.
He then went to the supply truck that had been attacked by the undead. He looked inside; there was no one, and no supplies. It must have been intercepted by the undead on its way back to the logistics department after delivering supplies.
"Could it be because it was moving that the undead mistook it for a human?"
Guan Tong thought this was plausible. He looked at the unmanned transport vehicle and considered using it to scout ahead.
He tapped the electronic screen on the side of the vehicle, which displayed the message "Program Error, Stopped Running."
Guan Tong selected the "Manual Intervention" function, then restarted the program, adjusting its speed to the lowest setting and setting its destination to a storage center south of the Security Department.
The unmanned transport vehicle then resumed its slow journey along South Avenue.
Guan Tong maintained a distance from it, ensuring that any undead nearby would be drawn to the transport vehicle first, giving him more reaction time.
Chapter 70 Efficacy and Relief
"First team in position."
"Second team in position."
On the outskirts of Yunhua city, several armed teams arrived immediately after receiving orders to construct a defensive line.
Soldiers set up several large spotlights, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
Due to the haste, professional roadblocks couldn't be set up in time; they could only tie some barbed wire to iron barrels and string them together to block the road.
Behind them were armored vehicles equipped with machine guns and cannons, and several soldiers carrying briefcases were fiddling with equipment; they were all drone operators.
Several operators were controlling military-grade drones, using thermal imaging technology to scan for and monitor targets.
However, one operator quickly discovered that a large number of undead had gone undetected; their bodies were completely cold, rendering thermal imaging ineffective!
"They're here!"
"Roar!!!!"
The roars of the undead echoed as thousands of undead soldiers swarmed in. These were civilians from the surrounding disaster-stricken villages and counties, now resurrected and charging towards the metropolis of Yunhua!
"Fire! We cannot let them break through the defenses and enter the city!"
At the commander's order, several armed squads opened fire.
A deluge of bullets and grenades rained down on the undead army charging through the obstacle courses, annihilating them row by row.
While these undead were fearless, their defenses were not particularly strong. Breaking their limbs would restrict their movement, and damaging their brains would result in complete death.
Therefore, they were unable to break through the powerful firepower of the armed forces. Soon, the first wave of over a thousand undead soldiers was wiped out, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
At this moment, a flamethrower vehicle slowly approached from behind.
The commander ordered that all the undead corpses be completely incinerated with high-temperature flames. This was an order from higher command, intended to prevent any possibility of their resurrection.
Whoosh—!
The flames erupted, and in addition to the smell of gunpowder, the air also smelled of roasting meat. However, this smell made many soldiers feel nauseous and vomit.
Several soldiers looked at the corpses of the undead. One of them said, "It's a pity there's no reward for eliminating them like this."
"Yeah, our orders here seem to be 'annihilate them as soon as possible.' But I heard that the brother units in the east are collectively farming coins."
"Collectively farming coins?"
"Yeah. It seems they require everyone to buy [Basic Weapon Crates]. Then they use firearms and other weapons to destroy the undead's mobility, and then use the melee weapons from the crates to finish them off."
"That's not bad! Farming coins safely!"
Several soldiers were a little envious. At this moment, one soldier said in a cold tone, "So what if you farm them? Have you forgotten that our soldiers' Ascension Coins are uniformly allocated and used?"
"..."
"Attention! A large number of undead are approaching!"
"All personnel prepare—fire!"
...
Buzz...
The unmanned transport vehicle slowly moved forward on the road, with Guan Tong following behind.
The one person and the vehicle had been moving like this for more than ten minutes, encountering several undead along the way. After testing, Guan Tong confirmed that the undead's attack target level was humans > moving objects.
It can detect and immediately attack any human appearing within a 30-meter radius. If there are no humans within that range, it will attack moving objects.
Furthermore, smearing Guan Tong with the blood of the undead was useless; the undead still detected his presence immediately upon entering the range.
After walking for a few more minutes, Guan Tong suddenly heard the roars of a large number of undead coming from a street corner not far away, accompanied by shouts from a large number of humans.
"Quick, block them off!"
"Don't just stand there! Go get more tables!!"
"Damn it, there are too many of them..."
Guan Tong quickened his pace, cautiously circling around to the corner from the other side. Peeking out, he saw hundreds of undead attacking a bookstore.
This bookstore had likely been used as a refuge, housing many people.
However, the bookstore's glass doors were long gone, probably shattered by snow during the fourth rule or bursting due to the low temperature.
The absence of a door wouldn't have been a major problem, but the fifth rule changed everything.
Guan Tong saw that the people gathered there had piled up tables and bookshelves at the entrance to block the undead from entering.
But the undead weren't slow-moving zombies that just reached out and grabbed randomly; their frenzy was on a completely different level.
These undead frantically scratched at the tables and chairs in their path, some even opening their mouths to tear at them with their sharp teeth. Several tables blocking the door were quickly torn to pieces, rendering them useless.
Now, only a few large bookshelves remained to block the undead, but their defense was even weaker than the tables, and they would soon be completely destroyed.
"Make way, let me handle this!"
A young man suddenly appeared with a burning torch in his hand. He walked to the doorway, and the undead who had been frantically tearing down the bookshelves seemed to show some fear, taking a few steps back.
"Is this the 'Instant Burning Stick' sold in the store?!"
"I didn't expect it to have the effect of repelling the undead, that's great!"
"Where did it repel them? Those undead are still in front of the door!"
"It seems that the undead won't attack when you're holding this thing... but I remember each one only lasts for 15 minutes of burning time, right?"
The young man holding the torch appealed, "I'll sell 10 sticks at a time, each one lasts for 15 minutes, which means it can keep us safe for two and a half hours in total! Everyone who has Ascension Coins should buy a few sets and take turns using them, that should be enough..." Before
the young man could finish speaking, the undead who had initially been scared back by the Instant Burning Stick surged forward again and began to attack once more!
"What?!" The young man exclaimed in surprise, "Why isn't it working anymore!"
The Instant Burning Stick's deterrent effect on the undead only lasted for about ten seconds?
Guan Tong, who was hiding around the corner, witnessed this scene and found it somewhat strange. If it had a deterrent effect, the effect shouldn't have lasted this short... Could it be because there were too many people?
Guan Tong thought it was possible. Perhaps the deterrent effect of this quick-burning rod could only protect the user, but not others. If a single quick-burning rod was used to protect too many people, the effect would rapidly diminish.
This was dangerous...
Guan Tong looked at the chaotic crowd in the library. In two or three minutes, their defenses would be breached, and with so many undead rushing in, it would only be a human tragedy.
After a moment's thought, Guan Tong raised the Silver Hunter and adjusted it to bullet number 3.
He aimed at the rear of the undead and pulled the trigger.
"Boom!!!"
The high-explosive bullet exploded behind the undead the moment it was fired. Dozens of undead were instantly blown away and killed. This sudden scene startled everyone in the library.
But they were immediately overjoyed. So many undead had been eliminated. Although there were still twenty or thirty left, they could handle that number and would have more time to build a stronger defense at the entrance!
"Did someone just throw a grenade? Is it the official troops coming to rescue people?!"
"Where?!"
"Hey, you over there with the helmet, was that the grenade you threw?!"
Someone spotted Guan Tong and shouted at him.
Guan Tong simply nodded slightly and continued walking along South Avenue, showing no intention of turning left to find them.
This immediately alarmed everyone; they desperately needed Guan Tong, with his powerful firepower!
"Where are you going? Come and defend with us!"
"Brother, it's too dangerous for you out there. Come inside the library; it's safer if we stick together!"
"Don't go! How many grenades do you have left? Leave us a few!"
Guan Tong ignored these voices. He had used a No. 3 grenade to get them out of trouble; that was enough. Staying to hold out was impossible; he had his own objectives to complete.