Chapter 330- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (35)
In the following days, Mu Jin tried several times to approach the living quarters of the people from Lecheng Base, looking for an opportunity to make contact or directly rescue Shi Haoyu.
However, each time he saw the group from Lecheng Base, he didn’t spot the man in the gray hoodie who had kept himself completely covered.
After several consecutive attempts, Mu Jin had a pretty clear idea: it was likely that man who had taken Shi Haoyu.
He wasn’t sure what the man’s intentions were, but seeing that the man hadn’t shown his face, it seemed like he was with Shi Haoyu. Mu Jin began to wonder if there was some personal grudge between them.
But before Mu Jin had a chance to take further action, Pingcheng Base suddenly faced a wave of zombies.
Normally, small teams would periodically sweep the area outside Pingcheng Base for supplies, so the number of zombies and mutated plants and animals within a certain range was relatively low. The sudden appearance of these zombies outside the city left everyone puzzled.
Mu Jin and Jian Minghui stood on the city wall, their expressions grim as they looked at the black mass of zombies below.
What concerned Mu Jin most was that the zombies below were not just low-level ones. There were many second- and third-tier zombies, and a few even seemed to have advanced to level four.
The number of zombies was clearly much greater than the number of combat personnel at Pingcheng Base. Mu Jin’s abilities were powerful, but he knew that even ants, when there were enough of them, could crush an elephant. Not to mention, even if he could ensure his own safety, what about the people around him?
Jian Minghui didn’t need to be mentioned, and even Lou Bin and the other members of their team—Mu Jin didn’t want any of them to get hurt. So, no matter how you looked at it, this was going to be a tough battle.
The sudden zombie horde threw everyone in the base into a panic. Nearly all of the combat personnel gathered by the city wall, ready to fight at any moment.
With the zombies surrounding them, escaping Pingcheng Base was completely impossible, so the only option was to fight back against the horde.
What seemed strange, however, was that although the zombies had gathered below the city walls, they didn’t immediately attack. The zombies were drawn to the scent of the living, staring up at the group of people on the walls, clearly restless.
But they only watched. It was as if they had been given orders, not doing anything extra, which caught Mu Jin’s attention.
Looking at the zombies, he feared they had been controlled. Since they had a master, this actually gave them a slim chance of survival.
If their goal was simply to destroy Pingcheng Base, they could have attacked directly, without waiting under the walls. So, even if they couldn’t win against the zombies, at least the lives of the people in the base should be safe for now.
Soon after, Pei Zijin, who had not been seen for some time, appeared before everyone. He turned to look at Jian Zhengqing, Jian Mingyuan, and the others, who were standing in front of him with serious expressions, and smiled. “Hand over control of Pingcheng Base, and I can guarantee all of you will be safe.”
“Pei Zijin, what do you mean by that?”
Hearing Pei Zijin’s words and seeing the smug expression on his face, Jian Mingyuan immediately connected the dots. He realized that this zombie outbreak was probably closely tied to the people from Lecheng Base.
Pei Zijin had actually colluded with the zombies. In the post-apocalyptic world, humans had always fought against zombies. While the zombies’ strength had been increasing, they had never encountered any zombies that could communicate with humans.
So, what method had Pei Zijin used to control these zombies?
Pei Zijin, hearing the question, glanced down at the large group of zombies and casually waved his hand. To everyone’s shock, the zombies below followed his motion, eagerly reacting.
For a moment, he felt a surge of pride, more confident than ever. It seemed as though his actions were directly answering Jian Mingyuan’s question, making it impossible for the leaders of Pingcheng Base not to believe him.
While two groups of people on the city wall were engaged in a difficult standoff, the rest of the personnel inside the Pingcheng base became increasingly panicked. Although the security here was generally good, the large number of zombies surrounding the city still made some opportunistic individuals start to think more actively.
As a result, the base, which had been relatively quiet, became noisy, accompanied by sounds of smashing and arguing. After all, the team that had been maintaining security and order within the base was now concentrated near the city wall.
Shi Haoyu, who had been quietly staying inside the house, also naturally heard the commotion outside. From the villa where he was staying, with its good vantage point, he could clearly see the extensive scene outside.
The villa’s third floor wasn’t very high, and he had had opportunities to come into contact with people outside before. However, he was well aware of how powerful Qianchen was.
Since he knew that escaping wouldn’t be possible and might even involve innocent people, he naturally refrained from making any rash moves. He focused on appeasing Qianchen instead.
But today, the situation at the base was abnormal. Especially when he looked out the window and saw a large-scale riot outside, he realized that something major must have happened within the base.
Seeing this, Shi Haoyu couldn’t maintain his calm any longer. He opened the window and leaned out. Watching the chaotic crowd below, he noticed that the patrols, who had always been responsible within the base, had completely disappeared. He speculated that the Pingcheng base might be facing a major crisis.
He knew it was no longer the time for hesitation, so he stepped out of the window, intending to leave the room and personally check what was going on.
Just as he was about to leave, the door to the room opened again. Qianchen, carrying the food he had specially prepared for Shi Haoyu, walked in and saw the sight of his lover about to jump out the window.
Seeing Shi Haoyu’s actions, the Zombie King felt like his heart had stopped, though his heart had already stopped long ago.
Before the anger of his lover attempting to leave and betray him could take over, Qianchen first thought about how the floor they were on wasn’t very low. What if Shi Haoyu really jumped out and got hurt?
Rather than being angry about Shi Haoyu trying to escape, he was more upset that Shi Haoyu wasn’t taking care of his own body.
Without hesitation, Qianchen immediately rushed over and pulled Shi Haoyu into his arms, his tone angry as he said, “What do you think you’re doing? Why are you doing something so dangerous?”
Shi Haoyu looked at the nervousness and anger on Qianchen’s face. Hearing the reprimand, he calmed down a little.
But he immediately became serious and addressed the Zombie King, saying, “Qianchen, tell me the truth—what is really going on outside? The situation at Pingcheng Base is not right.”
Hearing Shi Haoyu’s words, Qianchen averted his gaze, feeling a little guilty. He knew exactly what had happened outside. Today was the big day for the zombie siege.
The zombies he had previously ordered had all arrived at the designated location, and they were now completely surrounding Pingcheng Base. If everything went according to plan, they should be able to take over the base within the next two days.
Originally, Qianchen had planned to wait until they had completely taken over Pingcheng Base before telling Shi Haoyu, giving him a surprise. But seeing the look on his lover’s face now, the Zombie King couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. He opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain himself.
It was this hesitation that made Shi Haoyu’s heart race. It was clear that Qianchen knew what was happening outside. Since the disturbance had caused such a large-scale riot, could it be that Qianchen was planning to destroy Pingcheng Base?
Realizing this, Shi Haoyu immediately became anxious. He worried about Mu Jin and Jian Minghui, and about his friends and teammates. He had never before felt such a strong urge to break free from Qianchen’s embrace.
Seeing the anger and determination on Shi Haoyu’s face, Qianchen’s concern grew even more. In the end, he couldn’t resist his own feelings and reluctantly let go of Shi Haoyu, fearing that his lover might act recklessly and hurt himself.
Although he released his hold, Qianchen quickly tried to explain, saying, “Yu, Yu, don’t be angry. I just want to make you happy.”
“Make me happy?” Shi Haoyu took a deep breath, unsure of what expression to wear as he faced Qianchen. He could only say sternly, “I’m going outside, immediately.”
This was the first time Qianchen had been treated by Shi Haoyu with such an attitude. He felt somewhat sad inside, but instinctively, he thought it would be better not to go against his spouse’s wishes at this moment.
To put it bluntly, over the past few days, Shi Haoyu’s attitude toward Qianchen had been gradually improving. Qianchen could feel it, and he had a vague sense of happiness. But now, Shi Haoyu’s attitude toward him had changed again, which made Qianchen deeply regretful.
He regretted not consulting Shi Haoyu before taking action, and even his attempt to stop Shi Haoyu from leaving wasn’t as firm as it should have been.
Anyway, as long as he was by Shi Haoyu’s side, it was impossible for him to escape. With these thoughts running through his mind, Qianchen finally nodded at Shi Haoyu and opened the door, following his lover out of the room.
Shi Haoyu moved quickly, rushing out of the villa and running toward the direction where the crowd had gathered. In a short time, he reached the city wall. Once there, he saw Mu Jin, Jian Minghui, and the others, as well as Pei Zijin and his group facing off against them.
But before Shi Haoyu could say anything, Pei Zijin noticed him.
Seeing Shi Haoyu standing not far from him, Pei Zijin’s heart tightened. He realized that his time was running out, so he quickly waved his hand, signaling the zombies to start attacking the people of Pingcheng Base with all their might.
Previously, he had already placed his people inside the base, so it was easy for them to open the gates of Pingcheng Base. The zombies rushed in, and the people from Lecheng Base mixed into the group fighting the zombies, seizing the opportunity to attack the people inside Pingcheng Base.
Mu Jin felt that Pei Zijin’s actions were somewhat sudden, but when faced with an attack, he couldn’t just stand idly by. He immediately joined the fight alongside the others.
The hurriedly arriving Shi Haoyu saw the zombies flooding into the city. He quickly found his position and joined the fray, battling the horde of zombies that had entered the city.
At this point, Shi Haoyu’s ability level had reached level five. He had a large amount of energy stored within him, but since he hadn’t had a chance to practice when his ability level increased, he still felt a bit awkward applying his newly upgraded powers.
On the other hand, Jian Minghui, who was also at level five, was much more proficient. With each of his attacks, mutated plants charged out of the zombie horde.
These mutated plants were incredibly strong and were not afraid of the zombies’ bites or the viruses they carried. They immediately became a significant fighting force within Pingcheng Base.
Jian Minghui’s strength was formidable, something that only those in his team knew firsthand, though others had only heard rumors. Now that everyone could see his power, they realized just how strong he actually was.
In the minds of most people in Pingcheng Base, Mu Jin had always been considered the strongest. Since Jian Minghui was usually with Mu Jin, his abilities were often overshadowed by Mu Jin’s presence.
But now, with Jian Minghui’s spiritual abilities having reached level five, and with his ability to control these mutated plants in battle, he seemed even more powerful. With these mutated plants fighting by his side, Jian Minghui’s combat prowess appeared grand and overwhelming.
Although his combat abilities may not have been stronger than Mu Jin’s, on the surface, he was certainly the one who stood out the most.
However, neither Jian Minghui nor Mu Jin had any interest in seeking attention. Their only goal now was to eliminate all the zombies.
On the other side, after Shi Haoyu engaged in battle with the zombies, Qianchen hid at a distance, watching his lover. Seeing Shi Haoyu’s anxious expression, Qianchen finally realized that he might have made a mistake.
He was conflicted, unsure whether he should intervene, so he kept a close watch on Shi Haoyu. Fortunately, his lover’s recently upgraded level five fire ability, although not yet fully mastered, was still much stronger than the surrounding enemies, so the zombies posed no threat to Shi Haoyu.