ATDIWR Chapter 11
by VolareTang Ning wasn’t useless in a fight. She grabbed her small axe and chopped at the zombie. The zombie was thick-skinned and tough; a few chops didn’t hurt it. The deep axe marks were just a minor irritation to the zombie, like red lines left after scratching an itch.
Just then, Ji An, who had dodged, kicked off the wall on his left side with one foot in front of the other. Using the momentum, he shot upwards, raised his machete high, and used all his strength to chop at the zombie’s neck.
The zombie’s head fell to the ground, rolling away. The headless body swayed twice and then fell with a thud.
Ji An stepped into the room, stepping around the zombie’s corpse. He quickly swept his flashlight around. With the brief illumination, he could tell this was likely a laboratory.
The lab benches were askew, some overturned on the ground, others twisted and crooked. The glass test tubes on them were shattered into pieces. There was a lot of large experimental equipment by the wall, and a refrigerator. Some petri dishes were vaguely visible inside the refrigerator.
Ji An observed as he quickly collected all the experimental equipment in front of him.
Just then, Tang Ning’s voice came from the doorway, first with surprise, then panic. “Great, Mr. Ji! This zombie had a Crystal Core in its head, and it’s a gold… Ah! Zombies, so many zombies!”
Tang Ning’s voice was full of terror, extreme panic. Ji An had no choice but to abandon the experimental equipment he had collected halfway and rush to save her.
But as Ji An turned around, a zombie appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
Then there was a gurgling sound, and another zombie appeared to Ji An’s right. In almost an instant, Ji An was surrounded by zombies.
Without hesitation, Ji An raised his machete and chopped at the head of the nearest zombie. With one chop, the machete sunk deep into the zombie’s head. Blood smeared his face. The zombie shook its head but couldn’t shake it off. This seemed to infuriate the zombie, and it let out a more furious groan, lunging viciously towards Ji An.
Ji An pulled, but it didn’t move. Another zombie had already lunged at him.
Ji An gripped the machete embedded in the zombie’s head with both hands, exerted force with his arms, lifted his feet off the ground, and using the zombie as a pivot, he kicked one by one in a circle, knocking over each zombie.
The zombie that Ji An used as a pivot spun in place, looking confused and bewildered for a moment. Realizing what had happened, it seemed to understand something. It immediately bared its teeth like a dog, growling and roaring at Ji An. It swung both arms simultaneously, grabbing viciously at Ji An.
Ji An could only jump onto a nearby lab bench. He exerted force with his arms again, and this time successfully pulled out the machete.
The other zombies he had kicked down also got up now, staggering and lunging towards Ji An.
Ji An rolled off the lab bench and kicked it. The lab bench crashed into the zombies, knocking over the ones that had just gotten up.
The zombies were sprawled all over the place, groaning mournfully.
The zombie that Ji An had chopped a gash in its head hadn’t been hit by the lab bench. It looked at the zombies knocked over around it as if it had seen all its subordinates taken down, feeling extremely embarrassed.
It roared fiercely, spittle flying, then suddenly leaped up with incredible force, soaring high into the air.
Ji An’s heart sank as if hit by a heavy hammer.
Ordinary zombies move slowly, have almost no thoughts, and only know to feed on flesh and blood, thinking about being hungry and eating all day.
Only evolved zombies have thoughts. The higher the level, the more complex their thoughts and the faster their movements.
This zombie clearly had simple thoughts, and judging by its appearance, it should be the leader of these zombies. Its movements were also very agile. It seemed its evolution level shouldn’t be low.
Thinking this, Ji An gripped his machete tightly, ready to attack immediately.
But just as Ji An was extremely tense, the zombie that had leaped up kept going higher and higher, higher and higher, and then because it leaped too high, it broke through the ceiling.
And then, and then its head got stuck in the ceiling and it couldn’t get down.
This, this is quite awkward…
Ji An quietly put away his machete, jumped onto a lab bench, leaped from one bench to another until he reached the doorway. He took advantage of a zombie that had its back to him and was attacking Tang Ning, and chopped off its head with one swing of his machete.
“Mr. Ji, you’re here!” Tang Ning chopped at the zombies while moving closer to Ji An.
“We need to leave here immediately. My ability can be used to its fullest extent outside.” Ji An walked in front, chopping at the zombies’ heads one by one, clearing a bloody path for Tang Ning.
“There must be higher-level zombies here. This is simply a breeding ground. Without humans entering, these zombies can only evolve by devouring their own kind.” Ji An could imagine that these zombies had been devouring each other for seven years, and the remaining evolved zombies would definitely be harder to deal with than those outside.
Fortunately, the first ones alerted were just ordinary zombies and low-level zombies. The two quickly fought their way out, rushed up the stairs, and returned to the surface.
Tang Ning instinctively wanted to lock the door to the underground base, but Ji An stopped her.
“Hide behind me.” Ji An held the axe, facing the exit directly.
Within seconds, two zombies squeezed and rushed up. Ji An stared directly into the eyes of one of the zombies, and that zombie immediately froze, motionless.
Tang Ning leaned half her body out from behind Ji An, raised her hand, and with a swing of her blade, sliced off the zombie’s head.
Ji An almost immediately turned his eyes to the other zombie. That zombie was already in front of them. Their eyes met, and the zombie instantly stiffened, completely still. The sharp blade fell, and the zombie’s head rolled away.
Tang Ning was delighted and went to dig out the Crystal Core from the zombie’s head, but Ji An stopped her. “Don’t move. More zombies will rush out from behind. It’s not safe.”
As he spoke, sure enough, several evolved zombies scrambled and pushed, trying to rush out.
These zombies didn’t know to come out one by one. Attracted by the scent of living humans they hadn’t smelled in a long time, they all wanted to be the first to rush out and eat Ji An and Tang Ning’s brains. As a result, they all got stuck in the doorway and couldn’t get out, baring their teeth at each other.
This gave Ji An an opportunity. Each time, he stared directly at the foremost zombie, ‘petrifying’ it. Tang Ning would immediately cut off its head. If Tang Ning’s reaction wasn’t quick enough, Ji An would do it himself. They cooperated seamlessly, and soon they had dealt with over a dozen zombies.
“A big shot is a big shot! I’ve never felt this good killing zombies before!” Tang Ning said easily.
Some words just shouldn’t be spoken, it seemed. As soon as Tang Ning finished speaking, the zombie horde suddenly became agitated.
Ji An’s heart tightened. He looked up and saw that, at some point, a path had opened up within the zombie horde. The zombies all huddled together in a panic, trembling and pressing against the corners.
Those who were slow to dodge had their heads ripped open by a bloody claw. A shiny Crystal Core lay in the blood-soaked palm. It was brought under the zombie’s nose, and the zombie revealed an intoxicated expression, as if high on drugs, looking as if it wanted to die and ascend.
Ji An’s expression gradually became solemn. The zombie, however, suddenly awoke from its trance, crushed the Crystal Core in its hand, let out a roar, and lunged at Ji An.
Tang Ning shrieked, “It’s a Tier 3 Zombie! What do we do?”
Ji An wasn’t bothered by Tang Ning’s shouting. He stared intently into the zombie’s eyes, ignoring its vicious attempt to grab him, trying to ‘petrify’ it.
This time, Ji An used his full concentration, not even diverting attention to guard against sudden attacks from other zombies.
Just as the zombie was about to grab Ji An, it suddenly froze.
Ji An let out a big sigh of relief. Fortunately, his ‘petrification’ was successful. Otherwise, Ji An couldn’t say for sure who would win this battle with the zombie.
“Wow, that’s amazing, Mr. Ji! You can actually control zombies above your level!” Tang Ning was utterly impressed, almost bowing down to him.
“Stop dawdling, together, kill it!” Ji An ordered.
“Okay.” Tang Ning responded and charged forward simultaneously.
Ji An also picked up his machete and simultaneously chopped at the zombie’s neck.
Just as the two were about to succeed, that zombie suddenly broke free from Ji An’s mental ability. It swung its seemingly withered but actually extremely powerful arms, one on each side, easily sending both of them flying.
Ji An hit the ground hard, the pain in his internal organs felt like they had shifted. Tang Ning was even worse off; she directly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The Tier 3 Zombie staggered, its eyes fixed straight ahead as it walked towards Ji An.
Behind it, several Tier 1 and 2 subordinates followed. Looking around, almost all were evolved zombies. The ordinary zombies had long since scattered and run away.
Fighting was impossible; the opponent had superior numbers and strength. Escaping was even less likely; neither of them had speed abilities and couldn’t outrun the Tier 3 Zombie.
The Tier 3 Zombie spread its arms, took two quick steps, and then suddenly leaped, jumping towards Ji An.
Tier 3 Zombies are different from lower-level zombies; their speed is very fast. They were right in front of him in an instant. Even if Ji An wanted to dodge, he couldn’t since he didn’t have a speed ability.
What’s more, Ji An didn’t think about dodging at all.
He met the zombie’s eyes, staring intently. His pupils began to change, gradually becoming narrower and narrower, turning oval, and finally becoming a vertical slit.
Numerous threads of mental power, fine as spider silk, surged from Ji An’s brain, frantically drilling into the Tier 3 Zombie’s brain.
Suddenly, the zombie that had just been baring its fangs and claws, wanting to eat Ji An’s brain, became quiet.
It lowered its head, stiffened its body, its eyes becoming increasingly vacant. It was completely blank, like a marionette.
“Kill them.” Ji An commanded.
Actually, Ji An didn’t need to speak. He just needed to think with his brain, giving commands internally, and the Tier 3 Zombie would obey.
Originally, the language of zombies is different from that of humans. The zombie wouldn’t understand what Ji An said. Ji An likewise didn’t understand the zombie’s strange calls. Their communication was through mental power, or brain waves.
The main reason Ji An spoke the command aloud was for Tang Ning, so she would know what they would do next and could cooperate in time.
The Tier 3 Zombie received the command and, like a kite with its string cut, rushed out instantly. Facing the lower-level zombies, it ripped out their Crystal Cores one by one with its claws.
The zombie lowered its head, about to immediately absorb the energy inside.
“Give them to me,” Ji An quickly said.
The Tier 3 Zombie looked at Ji An blankly. There was even a hint of shock in its vacant eyes, as if it couldn’t believe Ji An was snatching its food.
Ji An beckoned with his finger, and the Tier 3 Zombie extended its long nails, handing the Crystal Cores to Ji An. The entire action conveyed strong reluctance and unwillingness. During this time, Ji An also felt a pulling from its mental power, seemingly trying to resist.
After all, it was going against the nature of a Tier 3 Zombie, so it was normal for it to resist subconsciously. However, fortunately, Tier 3 Zombies aren’t that mentally flexible. Although they have some independent consciousness, it’s not much. Ji An slightly strengthened his mental control, and the Tier 3 Zombie became obedient again.
“Wow, big shot, you’re the best!” Tang Ning gave Ji An a thumbs-up. “That trick of yours is incredible!”
Two Crystal Cores, although only Tier 1 and 2, could still be exchanged for food and other supplies. Ji An collected them.
The two stood guard at the doorway, waiting for the zombies inside to come out. As one came out, the Tier 3 Zombie would deal with it. If it couldn’t handle one, Ji An and Tang Ning would follow up with the kill.
After a while, no more zombies surged out of the doorway. They didn’t know if the zombies had become smarter or if there were simply no more.
Ji An waited a bit longer, but still no zombies came out. He beckoned to Tang Ning. “Let’s go in. Stay alert and follow it. If anything happens, retreat. Don’t delay.”
“Understood.” Tang Ning immediately replied.
This time, Ji An directed the Tier 3 Zombie to lead the way, and their progress was much smoother. Occasionally, a few zombies escaped the Tier 3 Zombie and ran towards them, but they were dealt with by Ji An and Tang Ning working together.
With the Tier 3 Zombie providing protection, Ji An and Tang Ning advanced easily, collecting experimental equipment room by room. Ji An collected everything, regardless of whether it was damaged or not.
The underground base was truly vast. Besides experiments involving human organ removal, these people also conducted cruel experiments with super bacteria and other things that crossed human moral boundaries.
Without exception, the test subjects were all their own countrymen, which made Ji An’s teeth itch with hatred.
The two people and one zombie went deeper and deeper, arriving at the last laboratory.
The door to the laboratory was ajar. Ji An directed the Tier 3 Zombie to ram the door. The Tier 3 Zombie looked wronged, but it still slammed into the door.
Suddenly, a bone-thin arm reached out. Its nails were so long they were curved, seemingly brittle enough to break on contact, but in reality, they could easily pierce a skull.
Just like that, the Tier 3 Zombie was easily gutted for its Crystal Core by the zombie in the shadows, then fell silently to the ground.