Chapter Eighty-Four: The Surge of the Dead

A horde of zombies that had previously wandered aimlessly now seemed to be under some mysterious influence, growing restless and emitting low, mournful moans. The sound, at first soft, swelled rapidly until it became a thunderous wave that shook the skies. Xie Han knew that only when countless zombies moaned in unison could such a deafening roar be produced. This signaled that the once quiet horde was now disturbed—no longer at peace.

That terrifying sound, like a sudden clap of thunder in a clear sky, sent chills through everyone who heard it, making their entire bodies tremble uncontrollably. Even the most seasoned soldiers in the team could not resist the cold dread rising from within; the fear was so overwhelming that their bodies shook as if detached from their own will.

Under the watchful eyes of Xie Han and his companions, the dreadful moaning lasted for about a minute before abruptly ceasing, plunging everything back into silence. Yet, as the sound faded, the distant, densely packed mass of zombies began to stir, their heads bobbing and surging like waves rolling toward the base.

“They’re moving… No, they’re advancing…” Chen Tiaoyuan, sounding as if he’d just awoken from a nightmare or been struck by sudden realization, shouted with a voice thick with unrestrained terror, as if yelling might drive the fear away.

But there was no need for Chen’s warning; everyone could see that the zombies were advancing. Though their speed was only half that of a normal person’s walk, those who had encountered zombies before knew they could not run, but they walked faster than the average person’s pace—just not as fast as a human’s run. Which meant their speed would only increase until it reached its true potential.

The base was only seventeen kilometers away. At an average walking speed of four to five kilometers per hour, a person could cover that distance in three to four hours. But zombies could move at seven kilometers per hour, which meant they’d reach the base in just two and a half hours. For a small squad, that would be enough time to evacuate far away, but for a base with over a hundred thousand people, two and a half hours might be barely enough to evacuate a third of the population—if they were lucky.

Without hesitation, as the zombies began to move, Xie Han seized the radio and shouted, “Commander Yang, evacuate! Evacuate at once! For reasons unknown, these zombies have started advancing on the base. They’re fast—estimated arrival in two and a half hours. Do you hear me? Two and a half hours until they reach the base—”

To make sure Yang Xingjun believed him, Xie Han activated the live video function instead of simply recording. He mounted his binoculars to the camera, giving Yang Xingjun a direct view of the zombie horde through the lens.

Inside the base, Yang Xingjun’s breathing grew rapid as he took in the scene. Without hesitation, he slammed his palm down on a button on his desk, a display screen rising as he quickly entered a set of codes. Just as he was about to hit the confirmation key, he suddenly paused.

Every human is selfish, even one as disciplined as Yang Xingjun. With the collapse of order in this post-apocalyptic world, who could afford to care for others? If he activated the emergency alarm now, chaos would erupt in the base. Under normal circumstances, with enough time, he could organize a calm evacuation. But with only two and a half hours, even leading his soldiers out, gathering food, weapons, and supplies would barely be possible. If panic overtook the base, could he still evacuate safely? With only two thousand soldiers against more than a hundred thousand civilians, true evacuation would be impossible if chaos broke out.

In that instant, Yang Xingjun hesitated, caught in a fierce internal battle. After a long, heavy breath, he murmured, “Let’s say my conscience has not yet been ground away by this cruel world. We’ll save as many as we can. It’s all up to fate now. Alas… that’s over a hundred thousand lives.” With that, he pressed the confirmation key, activating the base’s emergency alarm system.

The moment the system engaged, the entire base was engulfed in the wail of sirens. Yang Xingjun’s voice, almost a roar, blared out: “This is Deputy Commander Yang Xingjun. The base is initiating an emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation now—”

His shout echoed through the radio before the connection abruptly cut off, leaving Xie Han’s team isolated. Yang Xingjun, no doubt, had no time now to think of their small squad.

Xie Han numbly tossed aside the radio handset, his heart a tumult of emotion. He had long anticipated this day and its consequences, but imagining it was one thing; facing it was another. Now that the day had truly come, he was struck by numbness and confusion. Was this really the fate of humanity? Was it truly so hard to carve out a place to survive?

A cold dread welled up inside him. Even if he successfully established a new base, what difference would it make? Could it really withstand the onslaught of the zombie hordes? This was not a matter of tens or hundreds of thousands, but of millions—perhaps, if all the zombies in Wangtian City gathered, over ten million.

What did ten million mean? Even if they all stood still, letting you kill them at will, how many years would it take? And even if you wiped out every zombie in Wangtian City, was that the only city in the country? Was this the only country in the world? From Zhou Ruomeng’s statistics, Xie Han knew clearly that worldwide, zombies numbered in the tens of billions. Relying on blades and bullets alone—it was utterly impossible to wipe them all out.

As if struck by sudden insight, Xie Han removed the bio-agent canister from the back of his powered armor. Opening it, he took out a GGT biological grenade. This grenade was unusual: its warhead was made of transparent crystalline metal, through which a blue liquid could be seen swirling. The dispersal fuse had clearly been modified to atomize the liquid within, while the rear half of the grenade remained a standard design.

Yes, Xie Han finally realized the most effective weapon against zombies might be the very biochemical weapons in humanity’s arsenal. Biochemical weapons, after all, are a form of mass destruction, designed to eliminate enemies in any setting without damaging property. In a metropolis like Wangtian City, a handful of such weapons could instantly render the city a dead zone.

If zombies were like humans, perhaps the skies would already be reclaimed by mankind. But the XR virus, the most mysterious and terrifying to date, caused infected people to mutate, resulting in unpredictable DNA recombinations. These recombinations, along with other inscrutable mutations, rendered biochemical weapons nearly useless against them.

As Xie Han saw it, he was surely not the only one who had realized this. For example, the Wangtian Base had already turned some of its research findings into tangible results, producing GGT bio-grenades. While their efficacy was limited, they nevertheless represented a breakthrough against the XR virus. Yet, to truly crack the XR virus was no simple task. Even a major base like Wangtian, with a well-equipped XR virus research center, had only scratched the surface after three years. For smaller bases and outposts, it was an even more daunting challenge.

In short, biochemical weapons were humanity’s hope against the zombies, and only by ultimately conquering the XR virus could humans truly challenge the undead and reclaim their lost world.

With this realization, Xie Han instantly understood the true value of the base’s XR virus research center. No matter what, by force or by subterfuge, he had to obtain it. Sensing the chaos about to descend, Xie Han finally made up his mind. He shouted to Chen Tiaoyuan and the fifteen others, “We’re heading back to the base at once!”