Chapter 173.2 – Key (16)

◎ Hi, familiar face ◎

No matter how knowledgeable Zhuang Qingyan was, he was not omnipotent. With Ye Zheng’s experience and wisdom, he was willing to impart some knowledge, making it a valuable treasure for anyone. Unconsciously, the two talked extensively throughout the morning, and Zhuang Qingyan gained a lot.

After taking a sip of tea, Ye Zheng casually said, “Later, go to the City Defense Department for me and supervise the progress of the reconstruction project.”

Zhuang Qingyan hesitated to decline, “General, it may not be appropriate.”

“What’s inappropriate about it? You did it last time, didn’t you?” Ye Zheng dismissed the concern.

“Last time, it was because you were injured, and I temporarily took over. It could only be considered a special circumstance. But today, you are perfectly fine…” Zhuang Qingyan didn’t let himself be drawn into it, calmly pointing out the logical flaw.

Before Zhuang Qingyan could finish, Ye Zheng suddenly sighed and bent his waist, “I’m getting old. Can’t withstand any excitement. I’ve been talking for a whole morning, and my legs can’t stand straight. The City Defense Department is buzzing with machines, oh my heart, I don’t know if it can take it.”

Zhuang Qingyan was speechless. He experienced for the first time what it meant to “make one’s own hands soft.” Helplessly, he responded, “Understood, General.”

Ye Zheng instantly straightened his back, his waist no longer sore, and his legs no longer aching. He seemed poised to eat two more bowls of rice for lunch.

Zhuang Qingyan: “…”

He had no choice but to make a detour to the City Defense Department.

The staff there had long recognized Zhuang Qingyan. When they saw him enter, they quickly stood up and greeted, “Good day, Chief Zhuang!”

On the day of the Crow Tide, he had managed the control panel, displaying dazzling and seamlessly coordinated operations, leaving everyone astonished.

Zhuang Qingyan’s expression remained cold, “I’m not a chief. Just call me Xiao Zhuang.”

“How can that be…”

The employees, being old-timers, loved to observe expressions and guess intentions. Not everyone was qualified to enter the City Defense Department. For example, He Qiuhong had been the second-in-command for so many years, and she still couldn’t make it. She had worked in the City Defense Department since graduation.

Besides Chen Xuerou, who managed for a while, he was the second person in charge. The current young man… was the second person, and the employees secretly glanced at Zhuang Qingyan, murmuring to themselves. It seemed that Ye Zheng had already chosen a successor.

The employee ingratiatingly approached, “Chief Zhuang, I am Old Li responsible for the entry and exit registration…”

“Li Pinggang,” Zhuang Qingyan accurately called out his name, with a chilly look in his eyes, “I personally dislike the title ‘chief.'”

Chief.

The meaning behind these two words always reminded him of some detestable faces in the upper echelons of the Alliance.

Old Li shot himself in the foot and awkwardly said, “Then… can I call you Mr. Zhuang?”

After coming out, Zhuang Qingyan politely declined the warmly offered assistance from the staff and boarded an unmanned bus alone.

When he approached Ning Rong’s laboratory, he suddenly paused.

As an S-level awakener, he was exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in awakened energy. Zhuang Qingyan felt the gaze of two pairs of eyes on him, scrutinizing and assessing.

The Ling siblings wouldn’t be in position so early, so these two people should have been lying in ambush here. It wasn’t directed at him; evidently, they didn’t know he was an awakener. Relying on their higher A-level status, they audaciously observed him.

Pretending not to know, Zhuang Qingyan continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

*

District E172, Huangyuan.

District E was mostly an ecological landscape area, and Huangyuan was once a dense primitive jungle with complex terrain and rich biodiversity.

The footage transmitted by the drone showed that the land in Huangyuan was now scorched, with everything withered. Giant mutated plants were everywhere, and countless faint red figures wandered and howled among the trees. Even inside the starship, one could feel the harsh environment.

Members of V587, including Song Ke, had all changed into protective suits and isolation masks. Although low-level radiation had almost no effect on her, Zhuang Qingyan insisted that she be cautious until the unknown genes were understood.

The starship descended slowly, and the emitted airflow bent large patches of vegetation. Due to radiation, various indicators on the control panel kept fluctuating.

“Look there!” Fang Zhixu exclaimed.

Under their feet, hundreds of zombies were attracted by the intense movement and came rushing towards them. The group took a sharp breath, staring in awe at the scene before them. It wasn’t fear, as V587 was accustomed to storms and challenges; it was just that the appearance of the Huangyuan zombies was beyond their expectations.

Without exception, this batch of approaching zombies all had elongated limbs, entirely blood-red. They were naked, with almost fused facial features, and thin skin revealed clear veins and organ tissues underneath, resembling the “blood zombies” in biochemical movies.

Song Ke estimated that most of these zombies were at level 2 and 3, with particularly strong attacking desires, and no obvious signs of mutant zombies for the moment.

She drew the dual knives from behind and succinctly said, “Clear the area.”

The others jumped down one after another.

Song Ke swiftly maneuvered through the treetops, leaping over the zombies’ heads with the agility of a monkey. With a swift motion, she swung her knife, and blood splattered everywhere.

There were no cameras here, and no other awakeners. There was no need to be cautious; they could kill freely. Even Lu Xiaoyu no longer hid his strength. His six improved mechanical arms danced wildly like snakes, and the integrated spiritual weapons at their ends swiftly harvested the zombies.

Lin Youyou glanced at him, puzzled, “Why haven’t I seen you use your awakened abilities?”

Hackers with awakened abilities had offensive capabilities. For example, they had encountered Lu Xinglan, a hacker whose code could materialize entities with various dazzling and versatile moves. Even Lu Xiaoyu occasionally used his abilities in the lower districts. However, in District B, he seemed to have become completely ordinary, never using his abilities and focusing solely on being a “professional driver.”

Lu Xiaoyu snorted arrogantly as he dispatched the approaching zombies, “Is it necessary?”

Lin Youyou was left speechless and rolled her eyes at him, “Truly a good brother, acting just like Princess Zhuang when showing off.”

These two seemed like they were sealed by a mysterious force. One couldn’t show their face, and the other couldn’t use their awakened abilities.

Song Ke had a thought. She remembered Zhuang Qingyan mentioning that Lu Xiaoyu’s awakened ability ultimately revolved around manipulating data. But any data could be traced back, especially in District B where the terminals were connected to the residents’ shallow consciousness. Elite hackers like Lu Xiaoyu were highly guarded against this.

Fang Zhixu skillfully dissected a zombie’s head and suddenly exclaimed, “Captain, these zombies… don’t have crystal cores?!”

V587 looked surprised. The pace of killing monsters slowed, and they checked several bodies, indeed finding no crystal cores.

At that moment, a distant and eerie howl echoed through the woods. The zombies, as if summoned, abandoned their attacks and quickly retreated. Song Ke’s heart sank; the only one capable of commanding the zombie horde was the Level 4 Zombie King. Judging from the situation, it had given the order to retreat.

Suddenly, a few figures dashed out from among the trees and, unnoticed by V587, dragged the corpses away.

If V587 was surprised just now, now there’s a bit of horror. Group consciousness is not a feature ordinary zombies should have.

“This… Is this also the order of the Zombie King?” Lin Youyou muttered.

Song Ke furrowed her brows. Zombies without crystal cores, a Zombie King that doesn’t show itself; what initially seemed like a simple monster-killing mission now appeared more and more mysterious.

“Ah—!!” A heart-wrenching scream echoed from the front in the jungle.

V587 exchanged glances with the team, all a bit surprised. The previous scream clearly came from a human, implying there was another team aside from them.

This kind of challenging and high-risk mission is rarely accepted by teams in District B because of its high permissions and selectivity. They would rather take on tasks with higher returns. However, lower-level awakeners from the lower districts, due to the harsh environment, have a stronger desire for points and sometimes risk their lives to come here.

Surrounding the District E172, C and D districts are prevalent. If nearby awakeners are not familiar with the Zombie King and think it’s just a slightly more powerful Level 3 zombie, they might underestimate the task.

“I’ll go take a look,” Su Cha signaled and blended into the shadows of the trees with his all-black figure.

A moment later, he returned safely, his expression becoming grave. “There are awakeners ahead, around twenty people, with an average level of C. They collided with the retreating zombie horde and got surrounded.”

Song Ke raised the back of her knife, tilting her head in thought for a second. “Let’s go check it out.”

If there’s no conflict, they don’t mind lending a hand.

V587 quickly approached the scene, hiding in the jungle to observe the battle. Various awakened abilities were chaotically released, strong winds howled, dust flew, and fierce thorns shot through the air. Several awakeners stumbled out, their isolation masks showing faint cracks.

Song Ke focused her gaze at the center and saw a familiar face.

**TN

“Eating someone’s food makes your mouth soft, taking someone’s favor makes your hand soft.” The meaning of this expression is that when benefiting from someone’s generosity or receiving their kindness, one tends to become more compliant or accommodating. It implies a sense of indebtedness and the willingness to be more lenient or accommodating in return for the favors received.

Shot himself in the foot – a person taking actions or making decisions that ultimately harm their own interests or goals; self-destruct