“Zombies,” Xu Song didn’t have time to give a secret signal and could only whisper as he ran alongside Yue Zheng.
“How many?” Yue Zheng also knew that there seemed to be something moving inside the office building, but there were too many things to be cautious of at the moment, making it hard to discern the details.
Extending one hand, he made a “six” sign. Yue Zheng nodded and continued following the team, rapidly retreating towards the office building.
Colonel Lu instructed everyone to take out a special spray and apply it to their bodies. Each type of creature, including humans, had its own distinct smell. To prevent the mutated creatures from tracking the scent of humans and mistaking them for prey, they had prepared two bottles of a special spray for each person before heading out. This spray had been developed by the base after the apocalypse to mask the human scent and confuse the sense of smell of these mutated creatures.
Now, everyone had already sprayed themselves with it, but with the mutated creatures converging around them, they needed an extra layer of protection.
As they entered the office building, everyone immediately sprayed themselves. Suddenly, two shadows flew at them.
“Zombies!” Yue Zheng shouted as he met one of them in mid-air. However, the other one flew into the crowd and grabbed a young soldier by the neck. After a long winter, these zombies had become even more agile and had increased their attack power!
The one that Yue Zheng confronted was no different. Its movements became lightning-fast, and its arms, hands, legs, and even its entire body no longer resembled that of a human but instead, a slithering snake.
Fortunately, Yue Zheng and Xu Song had experience dealing with zombies. Yue Zheng’s movements were close to the limit of human perception, and he swiftly used his military knife to sever the limbs and head of the creature.
Xu Song, upon noticing the zombie, generated a protective layer of white light about five centimeters away from his body, thanks to his upgraded fourth-level ability. With his ability, he could create a protective membrane around himself. Additionally, he could continue manipulating fire for attacks.
The white fire dragon, with its silver brilliance, charged toward the black mist that enveloped the zombie after being severed by Yue Zheng. The black mist seemed to grow denser but couldn’t withstand Xu Song’s flames. It twisted a few times within the silver light and then vanished completely.
The soldier who had been grabbed by the zombie at first didn’t react immediately, but fortunately, he was a strength-type ability user. He forcefully broke the zombie’s arm, and others quickly swarmed in to help. Although the slithering zombies still moved around like snakes, they managed to eliminate it within moments.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Vajs jifga! Ktfgf wluta yf wbgf! Pcpegfv qfgrbccfi, agfja sbeg kbecvr bc atf rqba, jcv atf gfra bo sbe, qgbnlvf mbnfg!” Jbibcfi Oe delmxis jrrfrrfv atf rlaejalbc jcv lrrefv bgvfgr.
Ktf rwfii bo ogfrt yibbv mbeiv jaagjma wbgf qgfvjabgr, rb atfs tjv ab yf fzagfwfis mjgfoei jcv mifjc eq atf yibbv lwwfvljafis.
They quickly treated their injuries and cleaned up the blood on the ground. The group proceeded cautiously up the building using the safe passage.
There were indeed zombies in the building, and as they climbed, they encountered two more attacks, totaling three zombies in all. Luckily, the team was now on high alert and spotted them early, swiftly taking down each one as they appeared. There were a total of six zombies in the building. Xu Song sensed that one of them had left and was heading towards the collapsed building, which eased their anxiety.
Each person tried to lower their voices and took care of their wounds, applying the scent-masking agent. Then, they quietly hid behind the glass windows, carefully observing the situation outside.
The first to arrive were small creatures that had been hiding in nearby buildings. They had taken refuge in these structures during the harsh winter, and as a result, they were relatively small in size.
Next, flying creatures that had occupied the skies above also made their presence known. Various species of birds, especially sparrows, flew in the air, observing the situation below. When they noticed the small creatures on the ground, they began to attack. Don’t assume that mutated creatures are inherently friendly and cooperative; they can also engage in predatory behavior. No conflict occurred, but it was purely because they had not encountered each other before, or the disparity in numbers and strength was significant.
Subsequently, black mutated insects that had infested the sewers emerged.
Cockroaches, insects, and rodents—all of these creatures were no longer as weak as they were before the apocalypse. Their sizes had grown astonishingly large. When the mutated birds found the advance forces of the insects, they abandoned the smaller creatures they were attacking and turned their attention to these new threats.
However, the problem wasn’t just one or two insects; they seemed to emerge endlessly from sewers, underground passages, and other sources. Furthermore, these creatures all possessed unique abilities.
The mutated insect army, along with the inexplicably unharmed rat allies, suddenly gained the upper hand and launched an attack on the birds and small animals that couldn’t escape in time. The sounds of sharp screeches mixed with the scent of blood, fur, and feathers, as they were engulfed by the insect horde.
Following these events, the larger animals that had arrived began to retreat upon realizing the dire situation. As humans hid in shelters, longing for the harsh winter to pass so they could find food to satisfy their hunger, the creatures that now inhabited the former human habitats had adapted to a new set of rules in their struggle for survival.
Numbers were the most fundamental rule governing the outcome of battles. In the face of a sea of insects, even the massive mutated elephants would need to retreat.
The group of people stared in shock at the swarming insect horde below, unable to speak for a long time. They had prepared themselves mentally and knew how challenging these creatures could be, but seeing it with their own eyes left them truly awestruck.
The city was now a place where humans no longer held sway. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that there was never a time when humans truly dominated this place.
Even during the era when humans ruled the entire planet, despite inventing numerous powerful pesticides, these insects were never completely eradicated. They had always been there, but the immense size disparity made humans subconsciously overlook their existence. However, due to the worldwide transformations, nothing could stop their mutation and the terrifying threat they posed.
“City life is scarier than the countryside,” Xu Song mumbled as he sat quietly next to Yue Zheng, watching the swarm of insects spreading towards the retreating creatures, now that they had finished devouring all the available food.
Yue Zheng squeezed his hand. Most of their previous operations took place in the wilderness. In rural areas, even with an imbalanced mix of creatures, the situation was not as one-sided as it was in the city. Although there were various types of creatures in the city, apart from the ones that had escaped from the zoo, most were single species such as sparrows, rats, pigeons, and various pet cats and dogs.
The natural predators of these insects were too few in number.
Upstairs, the group of fifty people remained silent. They had ventured into the city before to collect various supplies, but they hadn’t encountered such a massive insect horde before. Now…
“Today, we’ll stay here for the day and prepare. We’ll resume our mission tomorrow,” Colonel Lu reported the situation to the higher-ups via satellite communication and gave the orders.
That night, the group passed the time in silence. Even the soldiers on night duty rarely spoke. They held binoculars and constantly observed the situation inside the office building and outside until morning.
The following morning, they set out once again, moving more stealthily and faster. It was as if everyone had grown wings, not daring to make a sound.
Xu Song remained vigilant, continuously scanning the surroundings for any potential threats. The creatures that were hidden and showed no aggression were of little concern. As for those with the audacity to attack the group, they were swiftly dealt with by the soldiers. It must be noted that even without firearms, the soldiers’ physical skills and movements were top-notch and swift.
After another half-day of travel, the group finally arrived at the entrance of N University. Colonel Lu turned to Yue Zheng, acknowledging that although there were members in the team with enhanced hearing and vision abilities, Yue Zheng’s powers were notably superior.
Listening carefully and observing the expressions of his team members, Colonel Lu inquired, “There are some creatures around, but they seem scattered. At the moment, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
Colonel Lu nodded and then took out a detailed map. He explained, “We’re currently at the East Gate, and our destination is this building. It’s the largest library in N University, and our goal is to access the historical documents on the third floor and the hard drives of several computers inside.”
Yue Zheng asked, “What’s on the first and second floors?”
Colonel Lu elaborated, “The first floor contains the library’s collection of books, while the second floor houses various specialized documents.”
N University had three libraries in total, and this one was the largest in terms of floor space and the variety of documents it housed. The team’s objective was a specific room on the third floor containing essential historical documents. However, they would only be able to take research-related materials with them.
Xu Song glanced at Yue Zheng and thought about the library. It might be an opportunity to find a few books and bring them back for the two children.
Just as he was contemplating this, Colonel Lu informed them, “Assuming there are no unforeseen complications, we will rest here for the night.”
An extra night would be a welcome opportunity!
Xu Song’s eyes lit up at the prospect, as this would give them more time to gather additional books.
Poor little ones, it’s time to go to school..😁 Bet Xiao Shu would join the fun ☺️