Chapter 176.2 – Key (19)

◎ “History’s strongest zombie tide is coming” ◎

Zhuang Qingyan briskly walked towards Song Ke’s tent, but before entering, he thought of something and lifted his chin towards Lu Xiaoyu. “Hey, come in by yourself. Do we have to wait for you?”

Lu Xiaoyu snorted lightly and followed him in.

Lin Youyou extended her finger, waving it in front of Fan Peng’s eyes. “What are you looking at?”

The honest Fan Peng’s face instantly turned red. “Nothing… nothing…”

He quickly got up, turned around, and almost bumped into Duanmu Qi.

Lin Youyou followed his gaze and happened to see two men and a woman entering the same tent. She shook her head with a wry smile, “Well, the gossip in our team is getting more and more absurd.”

…

Inside the tent, Zhuang Qingyan took out a brand-new light screen and threw it to Lu Xiaoyu. With a serious tone, he said, “Currently, it seems that the fallen leader is very distrustful of humans. So, when your focus is on ‘taking them away,’ the plan is difficult to execute.”

Song Ke tilted her head, thinking. It did seem that way. Every time she mentioned taking them away, Ada would become hostile.

“So, what should we do?” she asked.

“We don’t need to intervene directly. We’ll present the advantages and disadvantages, let her take the initiative,” Zhuang Qingyan replied.

Song Ke’s puzzled expression finally earned Zhuang Qingyan’s long-awaited chance. He lightly poked her cheek, “You said she has a strong sense of kinship and high intelligence. I believe she can make the best choice for her group.”

*

In the quiet valley, the melancholic atmosphere lingered. On this night, eight more zombies exploded due to excessive radiation, adding to the somberness. Countless burying their own kind gathered together, some with numb expressions, not yet understanding what death meant, while others wailed and roared in frustration. Their lives were like flowing sand in an hourglass, visible to the end at a glance. When the countdown ended, no one could resist the arrival of fate.

In the slight commotion, a drone wobbled its way closer to the sky. “Snap!” The flickering light screen landed on the ground, and the zombies roared in vigilance, circling around the unidentified object, occasionally reaching out their claws to scratch it. Ada gave two low calls, and one of the zombies picked up the light screen and brought it to her.

After observing for a moment, Ada carefully opened it. Suddenly, the sound came from the light screen, causing the surrounding zombies to retreat in fear. A holographic projection lit up, and the Alliance map slowly unfolded before their eyes. A deep and pleasant male voice, reminiscent of a news broadcaster, clearly explained, “Currently, the radiation in Huangyuan exceeds 21%, and it is rapidly increasing at a rate of 2% per year. In a year, it will reach 23%, at which point all life will cease to exist.”

Without warning, a grim scene appeared: countless animals and plants lying on the ground turned into ashes. The small zombies cowered in fear.

“Huangyuan has lush vegetation and a flat terrain, but District B is overcrowded. According to the latest information, the Alliance is considering a large-scale cleanup operation and plans to deploy a weather simulation system here in the future as the new homeland for survivors.”

In isolation suits, the exploration team, accompanied by heavy excavators, brutishly entered the jungle, destroying the ecosystem. The zombies howled angrily.

“In comparison, District C26, Fenak, has been abandoned for fifteen years due to its harsh environment, located in the remote east, with no attention for years. The radiation value is expected to stabilize around 17% in the next five years.”

Representations of Fenak slowly appeared, with vast gray expanses everywhere, dust-filled air, and an absence of birds and beasts.

The zombies stared blankly at the deserted area, and their fused facial features made it hard to discern their expressions.

“After daybreak, we will leave for Fenak.” The pleasant male voice spoke with determination.

The last image was a clear route map and a massive countdown, with red flashing dots representing the current location of the light screen.

Ada extended her fingertip, swiped the light screen, and the program automatically played in a loop. When it reached the end, the route map and countdown appeared again.

She pressed the light screen face down on the ground, finally shielding herself from the distressing images. However, it seemed that there was still an illusion in front of her. The small red dot on the map blinked, connecting to a place called hope.

*

At exactly five o’clock, the sun gradually rose. The morning mist retreated from the forest, the first rays of golden dawn spilled down, illuminating the overshadowed Huangyuan.

A brightly painted starship was slowly ascending.

“Will they really be able to keep up?” Fan Peng asked anxiously.

“I don’t know.” Lin Youyou lazily yawned and leaned against Su Cha’s back to catch some sleep.

“Aren’t you worried at all?” Duanmu Qi glanced at her.

“Of course, I’m not worried.” Lin Youyou’s red lips curved slightly, and she pointed casually with her eyes closed. “See, in our team, we have a top-tier intellect, a top-tier warrior, and, well, myself, a top-tier beauty. Even if this plan fails, we can think of something else.”

Duanmu Qi fell silent without words.

“Here they come,” said Lu Xiaoyu, who was at the helm.

Duanmu Qi’s group stood up and crowded by the porthole to look.

Behind the starship, at a distant and endless distance, a blood-red tide rolled towards them. The radiance behind them even surpassed the rising sun on the horizon.

With slender limbs, entirely blood-red, hideously ugly monsters, adult agile zombies carrying small ones on their backs, vigorously chased the starship. The leader running at the front occasionally took out a light screen to confirm, and the red dot on it kept moving towards the destination.

“They really… are coming,” Duanmu Qi felt a mix of emotions, and for some reason, tears welled up in his eyes. This awe-inspiring scene far exceeded the significance brought by the points, and he might not forget it for the rest of his life.

Song Ke clapped her hands proudly, “Get ready! Clear the way! Remember our slogan!”

“V587! Safeguarding your travels!” The team members, giving a face, answered in unison.

In the open wilderness, a dozen or so awakeners were driving away zombies. Overhead, a starship flew by, and a nimble figure flipped to the top, raising a large megaphone and pressing the pre-recorded dissuasion message Lin Youyou had prepared:

“Attention, people on the ground! Fallen ones are passing through. Please do not attack, drop your weapons, be cautious, our friends from afar are very friendly, please do not be afraid. If you have any questions, feedback to our V587! We are here to coordinate!”

“What’s going on?” Someone shouted in confusion.

Following that, the ground rumbled, and the group of awakeners changed their expressions drastically, panicking as they ran to the top of the hill. Then they watched helplessly as thousands of blood-red creatures passed by, completely submerging the zombies they hadn’t had time to kill.

After a moment, the dust settled, and the monsters disappeared, leaving behind several zombie corpses.

The blaring megaphone faded into the distance, “Our friends from afar say they’re sending you a little gift as a gesture of goodwill!”

The awakeners on the hill were bewildered:

“What the heck is that?”

“V587.”

“What?”

“Oh, I said, it’s written on the starship, V587.”

Within a day, the news of “V587” leading a legion of monsters spread throughout the lower-level districts, and various sensational reports emerged:

[“History’s strongest zombie tide is coming, human shelters may be destroyed at any moment!”] [“Traitors! V587 leads thieves in, betraying all of humanity!”] [“Entering the Study of Zombies: Exploring the possibility of humans commanding zombies using V587 as an example.”] [“Two or three things that must be said about V587 and the fallen ones.”]

Most cities were in confusion and chaos, unable to come up with effective countermeasures. Fortunately, Song Ke had evacuated and was commanding in real-time, preventing any malicious incidents. Ada, with her kind, focused solely on the journey, remained indifferent to the external rumors.

By the second day, the public opinion shifted, and there were fewer denunciations against V587. People turned their attention to the peculiar red zombies and wondered about their origins.

The migration route happened to pass through Haimen. Lu Xiaoyu contacted the municipal hall in advance, explained the situation, and the magistrate, Yan Biao, who had a good relationship with V587, immediately issued a city lockdown order, forbidding residents from wandering outside.

However, the fierce people of Haimen couldn’t sit still. If they weren’t allowed to go out, they brought out stools, guarding the first line of defense, cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping, “Heard today there’s some fallen people passing through.”

“They’re called the Fallen.”

“Don’t know, what’s that? Won’t they come in?”

“Don’t worry, we’ve strengthened all three defense lines.”

“This bunch of clueless guys, if they dare to come in, see how I handle them!” Wang Hu, holding a beer bottle, his big gold chain shining brightly, waved his hand with great spirit. They had long moved into a large 500-square-meter apartment, and each of them had a spiritual weapon, with a formidable aura that no one dared to provoke.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!”

With the exclamation of the guards, residents of Haimen stretched their necks to look. Overhead, a cool starship swiftly passed, and the massive fallen ones crossed the plains, congesting the cross-river bridge. Astonishingly, they didn’t even glance at the city gate and disappeared in the dust in an instant.

“Oh my god, is this shooting a movie…” muttered someone from another area.

The people of Haimen suddenly realized the situation. They threw sunflower seeds away, took out their terminals, crazily filmed the scene, and uploaded it to the star network, making a good profit from the traffic.

The human species is inherently diverse. Along the way, there were people from Haimen who joined just for the excitement, and others with malicious intentions hoping to take advantage. Ignoring the warnings from the megaphone, they secretly followed behind the fallen ones, intending to kill a few stragglers for some points.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the attackers released their abilities, the group of monsters didn’t scatter like ordinary zombies. At the front, Ada suddenly turned around, emitting a piercing scream. Thousands of fierce blood zombies swiftly changed direction, cooperating seamlessly, and instantly devoured the attackers mercilessly.

Song Ke hung on the cabin door with one hand. Before she could jump down to assist, the crisis had already been resolved. She curved her eyes, shouting loudly, “Ada!”

Ada seemed to know that Song Ke was calling her. Running cautiously, she looked up with vigilance. Song Ke gave her a bright smile and a thumbs-up.

Ada didn’t respond, but her closed nostrils moved slightly.

So, Song Ke saw a clear expression of “snorting” on her uneven face.

Song Ke: “???”

What does that mean? Was she being mocked by Ada?

Five days later, District C26, Fenak, was just around the corner.