ATDIWR Chapter 47
by VolareThis restaurant was not a traditional Western restaurant. Of course, it had a traditional hall, where many tables were placed in a large room, and someone played violins or pianos on a stage.
The most interesting part was the private rooms.
Walking through the hall to the backyard led to the owner’s private artificial landscape.
Small bridges over flowing water, rugged artificial mountains, winding streams for floating cups.
An artificial lake, about two meters wide, meandered through the entire corridor. Standing inside the wooden corridor and looking out, one could see the clear lake water, the lush green leaves, and the blooming or budding lotus flowers.
What was most interesting was that Ji An actually saw many bright red, approximately one-meter-long mutated koi fish in the artificial lake.
After The Apocalypse, animals mutated. Even the gentlest little white rabbit turned into a violent gorilla-like rabbit, the kind that could kick out someone’s internal organs.
Even docile fish like koi mutated and began to eat people, or rather, meat.
Many people thought koi had no teeth, but this was not the case. Koi teeth are special; they are located in the pharynx of the koi, scientifically called pharyngeal teeth. They are arranged symmetrically in a ‘V’ shape, with five on each side, totaling ten teeth.
As long as a mutated koi grows large enough to swallow a human, they will not hesitate to swallow them.
Some mutated koi misjudged the size of their prey, swallowed them halfway and couldn’t finish, and might even get stuck and die.
Seeing Ji An’s surprise, the Western restaurant owner proudly introduced, “For these few mutated koi, our restaurant specifically hired a beast tamer to oversee them. Later, the dishes will be served by these koi.”
As they spoke, the group reached the entrance of the private room. The private room had a typical Japanese architectural and decorative style. You had to take off your shoes before entering to eat.
Fortunately, Ji An and Gu Jinsheng were both people who could afford the water bill and get water, so they washed their feet every day. Otherwise, the smell of stinky feet might have added a sufficiently flavorful dish of fried stinky tofu.
Ji An discovered that there was also an artificial lake inside the private room. This artificial lake connected to the private rooms on the left and right sides, forming a continuous loop. It not only complemented the artificial lake outside the private rooms but also connected to it, forming a complete circle.
The Western restaurant owner smiled and said, “We will serve your dishes through this artificial lake later.”
Although having a Western restaurant decorated in a Japanese style felt a bit out of place, this could probably be considered a unique characteristic of The Apocalypse.
In The Apocalypse, the decor and what the store sells are not necessarily related.
This was mainly due to the scarcity of ingredients in The Apocalypse. It’s not like if you own a Western restaurant and want to sell steak, there will definitely be a supply of mutated beef today. Nor is it like if you own a Japanese restaurant and want to sell Japanese food, you will have seaweed to wrap rice. It’s even likely you can’t even get rice.
It mainly depended on what ingredients the store could get. Generally, they would make whatever they had. For example, it was very common to eat fried rice and braised pork in a Western restaurant.
As for the decoration style, it was the main feature of the store, highly recommended.
Whether you could eat it or not depended on luck. This was very much The Apocalypse.
So, this could be considered the unique mixed-and-matched decoration style of The Apocalypse.
Ji An and Gu Jinsheng ordered their food, and soon a one-meter-long koi with a tray balanced on its head swam steadily towards them.
To prevent customers from taking the wrong dish, the tray even had a specific room number card on it.
Customers only needed to take the plate, and as for the tray below, the mutated koi would carry it back on its own.
Whether it returned the way it came or swam back through the circular artificial lake depended on the mutated koi’s mood.
“A very interesting way of dining.” As expected, as long as you had money, no matter when or if it was The Apocalypse, life was equally leisurely.
“Very tasteful and artistic,” Gu Jinsheng also said.
Soon, the red wine they ordered also arrived. The red wine was not carried by a mutated koi, but floated gently in a small boat the size of a palm.
In the stern of the small boat sat a fisherman wearing a conical hat, paddling with both hands simultaneously.
Ji An took the red wine, poured a glass for himself, and also poured one for Gu Jinsheng. He raised his glass to Gu Jinsheng with a bright smile and said, “Gu Jinsheng, congratulations on advancing to Tier 6 ability, and I also wish you an early ascent to the legendary top-tier ability, Tier 7.”
“Thank you!” Gu Jinsheng actively clinked glasses. “I also wish you an early promotion to Tier 4 ability and new heights in scientific research!”
Ji An also returned the thanks, and the two simultaneously drank the wine in their glasses.
“You’re in a good mood?” Gu Jinsheng asked.
Since arriving here, the smile on Ji An’s face hadn’t faded, as if he had picked up money.
“Yes,” Ji An smiled.
Ji An was happy with everything he saw and felt today. It was his invention, and they, all the people, even the lowest stratum, were slowly getting better. Hope had appeared on everyone’s faces, along with anticipation for tomorrow.
This was the prosperous future Ji An wanted!
He didn’t care if his name would be remembered by these people; he cared whether more people would survive and whether more people could live better.
Gu Jinsheng seemed to know what was on Ji An’s mind. He looked at Ji An with eyes as gentle as water. Ji An inadvertently met Gu Jinsheng’s gaze and immediately lowered his head, not daring to look.
Recently, Gu Jinsheng’s gaze towards him had become increasingly unrestrained, growing more and more affectionate.
“You, do you remember the children we rescued last time, Xiao Shitou and Little Rose?” Ji An awkwardly changed the subject, appearing slightly flustered.
Gu Jinsheng gave Ji An a meaningful look, didn’t press the issue, and withdrew his gaze, looking out the window. He replied, “I remember. Did you go see them?”
“Mm. Xiao Shitou…” Ji An told Gu Jinsheng about what had happened at the orphanage in the past few days and also told him the story of Yuan Mingan.
“I know, that’s why I let her take care of those children,” Gu Jinsheng said. “As expected, she’s taking very good care of them.”
“I hope one day she can reunite with her daughter,” Ji An sighed.
“May they reunite,” Gu Jinsheng said.
Gu Jinsheng asked Ji An, “Does what happened just now make you feel wronged? Clearly, it’s because of the nutrient solution you invented that everyone’s life has become better, yet you, the greatest contributor, are not recognized by anyone!”
“Not wronged,” Ji An shook his head. “I only wish that tomorrow will be a little better than today, just a little better will do.”
Gu Jinsheng looked at Ji An. “Your glory, one day I will return it to you, letting you stand atop the high tower, receiving eternal reverence.”
Ji An’s heart pounded. It wasn’t because of the scene Gu Jinsheng promised, but because of the emotion Gu Jinsheng expressed so directly. He truly felt from the bottom of his heart that Ji An deserved such treatment and sincerely wanted to help him achieve such reverence immediately.
While they were eating, Ji An’s heart was still somewhat fluctuating. Fortunately, Zhou Qin made a video call shortly after.
As soon as Zhou Qin saw where Gu Jinsheng was, he started making exaggerated ‘wow wow’ noises.
“Boss, you’re actually eating at this Western restaurant! Their environment is super good, very romantic, especially suitable for young couples. It’s just too expensive.” Zhou Qin said this with a pained expression. “Last time someone introduced me to a potential partner, I treated them to this restaurant, it was super expensive, several thousand credit points. Ahhh, that’s not the worst part, the relationship still didn’t work out. I should have known not to go to such an expensive restaurant.”
After speaking, Zhou Qin winked at Gu Jinsheng suggestively. “Boss, you would definitely not go to a place like this by yourself. Tell me, is the person across from you Ji An?”
“Yes,” Gu Jinsheng nodded directly, admitting it cleanly and straightforwardly without any pretense. This instantly made Zhou Qin let out a strange howl.
The two of them were fine, but it completely flustered Ji An, who almost choked on the water he was drinking.
Gu Jinsheng quickly handed him a handkerchief and patted his back. After Ji An calmed down, he said to Zhou Qin expressionlessly, “You scared Ji An.”
Zhou Qin rolled his eyes at Gu Jinsheng. “Boss, you tell cold jokes too! Why don’t you say he scared me?”
The day Ji An’s three arrows directly shocked him was not just him; Zhou Qin could guarantee that at least eighty percent or more of everyone present would have a lingering shadow in their hearts,From now on fearing all mental ability users.
Gu Jinsheng’s face was cold and expressionless, his eyes lacking the tenderness they held when facing Ji An. He said faintly, even coldly, “Get to the point.”
“Got it, got it, big robot. Can’t I call you for small talk unless it’s work?” Zhou Qin grumbled.
Gu Jinsheng didn’t reply, but his condescending gaze already conveyed a meaning that couldn’t be more obvious.
If it wasn’t Gu Jinsheng on the other end, Zhou Qin would have sworn.
Zhou Qin took a deep breath, deliberately mimicking Gu Jinsheng’s expressionless face, and said in a businesslike tone, “Boss, recently many Power Users in The Base have upgraded through private exchange of Zombie Crystal Cores. These newly upgraded Power Users have unstable abilities and want to go out to fight.
I was thinking, since the four of us have also upgraded our abilities, should we also go out to train and stabilize our strength?”
“Okay,” Gu Jinsheng agreed without much thought. “However, not all of us can go out at the same time. How about this: you tally the number of people who upgraded this time. If there are many low-level Power Users, you, I, Kong Zhongcheng, and Wan Xueying will each lead two teams of low-level Power Users on rotations.
Additionally, intermediate and high-level Power Users can form their own teams.”
“Yes,” Zhou Qin replied, then turned and said with a grin, “Then I wish you a happy date, Boss!”
“Thank you,” Gu Jinsheng replied.
After hanging up the video call, Ji An said, “Can I be included in the mission? Although I’m only a Tier 3 peak Power User, I can challenge above my level. You know my capability; I definitely won’t be a burden to The Base.”
“Of course I know your capability,” Gu Jinsheng said. “You’re a mental ability user. Actually, you don’t need to…”
“But I want to go,” Ji An said firmly. “You should know, I’m not some hothouse flower. As much as I like doing scientific research, I equally hate being powerless.”
Gu Jinsheng looked into Ji An’s eyes. Ji An reiterated his determination, “Also, I want to stabilize my ability. My ability has risen too quickly since I came to The Base and needs combat to stabilize it.”
“Okay,” Gu Jinsheng finally agreed.
Deciding to hunt zombies the next day, Gu Jinsheng took Ji An back to rest after dinner, while he went to the command center to confirm the next day’s route and personnel with Zhou Qin.
Perhaps because he had a mission the next day, Gu Jinsheng didn’t return too late, arriving home just after ten in the evening.
Ji An had already gone to bed, but hearing the noise, he got up again. Although there was nothing to do, he came out and greeted Gu Jinsheng.
“Everything is set. We leave at eight tomorrow morning. Ten people in total: you, me, Zhou Qin, Gou Chong, and three Tier 3 Power Users, three early Tier 4 Power Users.”
Gu Jinsheng explained, “There are no high-level zombies in this mission, and with me and Zhou Qin leading the teams, it’s just to give some promising low-level Power Users in the team some training.”
“Okay, I’m fine with everything. I’m a low-level Power User myself anyway,” Ji An said.
“You don’t count.” A Power User who could shoot a Tier 6 Power User into an idiot with three arrows cannot be measured by level. “Go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
Ji An thought they would just eat a nutrient solution and leave early the next morning, but he was awakened by the aroma of food.
Ji An walked out, and Gu Jinsheng said, “Wash your face and brush your teeth. The last dish is almost ready, we can eat soon.”
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Ji An came out and saw two large bowls of mutated beef noodles on the table, filled to the brim.
The mutated beef was cut into large chunks and stir-fried with chili to make a meat sauce, which was poured over homemade hand-pulled noodles. It was a vibrant red, looking very appetizing.
Next to it was a platter of three cold dishes: ham sausage, intestines, and beef tendons, as well as a cold tossed dried tofu dish with oil and spices.
Gu Jinsheng sat down and poured Ji An a glass of water. “Drink some water before you eat. Fortunately, with nutrient solutions now, many ingredients are easier to buy.”
What Gu Jinsheng didn’t say was that the prices were also higher. Clearly, nutrient solutions and gourmet food were starting to cater to two different customer bases. One was for ordinary people, the other for high-end clients.
As nutrient solutions became more widespread, this phenomenon would become more pronounced. But that was fine; luxury high-end consumption would always exist regardless of the era, as long as the common people could eat and stay warm.
“You got up very early, didn’t you?” Ji An was a little embarrassed. He didn’t believe it himself if he said Gu Jinsheng didn’t do it for him. According to Gu Jinsheng’s personality, if it weren’t for him, he would have urged the team members to hurry up and get going. What was the point of eating gourmet food? Just give everyone a nutrient solution on the road.
Such sincerity, no matter who faced it, could not help but be touched.
“Thank you,” Ji An said.
“As long as you like to eat,” Gu Jinsheng said.
After eating, Gu Jinsheng drove Ji An to the command center. Despite eating breakfast, they were not late; a few people hadn’t arrived yet.
Zhou Qin, with his nose like a dog’s, sniffed around Gu Jinsheng and Ji An.
“So fragrant, you guys cooked breakfast. Let me smell what it is.” Zhou Qin sniffed while saying, “Beef smell, and chili smell, stir-fried spicy beef, not like it, should be meat sauce. And what else, ham sausage, intestines, beef tendons, there should be one more thing I can’t smell. The onion smell is so strong, could it be cold tossed dried tofu with onion?”
He got everything right. Ji An looked up at the sky, speechless.
The heavens gave Power Users developed five senses, and Zhou Qin used it to smell what others ate?
Gu Jinsheng was expressionless and unmoved, as if he couldn’t hear anything.
“No way, Ji An, you’re spoiling the boss too much?” Zhou Qin clutched his chest dramatically and said, “So early, with time so tight, you even got up to make beef noodles for the boss?”
“Ji An, your skills are so great, and you’re so brave in combat, yet you’re also so virtuous. Are you leaving any room for others to live?”
The other Power Users present all secretly glanced at their boss, with envy in their eyes, and unspoken jealousy.
Gu Jinsheng finally reacted. He said, “I made it.”
“What!” Zhou Qin’s voice cracked. The other Power Users, who had been secretly peeking at the two, were so surprised by the words that they suddenly looked up at Gu Jinsheng. They turned so sharply and forcefully that several Power Users heard a ‘Kak’ sound in their necks, followed by screams.
Ji An nodded innocently.
Zhou Qin looked disbelieving. “Boss, your hands, besides killing zombies, can they also cook? Can the food you make actually be eaten?”
Gu Jinsheng tilted his head and asked Ji An, “Is it good?”
Ji An nodded obediently like a little hamster. “Absolutely delicious.”
Gu Jinsheng looked back at Zhou Qin. For some reason, Ji An felt like he seemed a little bit smug.
Zhou Qin looked dreamy. “Boss, I seem to remember you couldn’t cook before.”
“Learned.”
“From whom?” Zhou Qin said through clenched teeth. Who secretly taught Gu Jinsheng how to cook but didn’t tell them? Traitor!
“My mom.”
Zhou Qin immediately wilted. “Ah, Auntie? Does Auntie know who you’re cooking for and why?”
Gu Jinsheng frowned. “Of course. I’m not a scumbag who plays with feelings.”
They spoke casually, but only Ji An’s ears were secretly red.
Ji An thought of the scene when he first arrived at The Base and entered the house. At that time, meeting Gu Jinsheng’s mother for the first time, he only felt she was a very gentle woman.
Later, Gu Jinsheng’s mother was so busy that she forgot to greet him and specially came back, even giving him a jar of fish sauce.
That little fish sauce was very delicious; it tasted like the food his former classmates said their mothers made.
Was it at that time that Gu Jinsheng’s mother sensed something? Otherwise, why would she specially come back to greet a stranger like him and even give a gift?
Thinking that occasion could be considered a form of meeting the parents, Ji An’s heart began to pound irregularly.
But they clearly had nothing going on; they were still friends.
Zhou Qin was utterly defeated, tilting his head back and sighing, “No wonder I can’t find a wife, it turns out I’m not working hard enough!!!”
While chatting and laughing, all the Power Users had arrived. Zhou Qin confirmed the number of people, and everyone got into a large van to set off.
Gu Jinsheng and Ji An sat on a double seat. Gu Jinsheng took out a thin blanket from his space and covered Ji An with it.
“Sleep for a while. It’s not a long journey, just a small rural area on the outskirts of Jing Shi. We’ll be there when you wake up,” Gu Jinsheng said.
“It’s okay, I’m not sleepy right now. I haven’t been out of The Base for several months, and I want to see the scenery outside.”
After leaving The Base, there were basically no people to be seen. On the roadside were only broken down abandoned cars and public facilities destroyed by zombies.
Zhou Qin had already planned the route, and on the way, he reviewed it with everyone again. “This time we’re hunting a small group of zombies, only about fifty or sixty in total. The highest-level zombie leader in the group is only early Tier 4.
Most of the Power Users in our team are above Tier 4, with only three at Tier 3. Plus me and General Commander Gu, so we can basically confirm that this trip is not dangerous, more like playing around.”
The atmosphere in the car was relaxed. Indeed, with such a team composition and the level of the opposing zombies, it was truly like a fully charged VIP player meeting a newbie – nothing but ruthless crushing.
“However, the three of you Tier 3 Power Users, don’t be careless. Do not act alone. Be sure to stick close to the Power Users with higher levels than you to avoid getting separated and unlucky enough to encounter zombies higher level than you.”
“Understood, Commander Zhou.”
Zhou Qin chuckled, “As for Ji An, I can only say, any zombie who encounters you should pray for good fortune. Also, if I accidentally get into trouble, please, Master, save my dog life!”
Ji An smiled. He knew Zhou Qin was joking with him; Zhou Qin was not someone to be trifled with. He was already a Tier 4 Power User before and was now a Tier 5 Power User after upgrading.
As of now, the highest observed level for Power Users is Tier 7, meaning that person must have awakened their ability as soon as The Apocalypse began and also had to maintain an upgrade of one major tier per year. That wasn’t upgrading; that was riding a rocket.
Such a speed of advancement was too terrifying, almost impossible. In fact, many people achieved it by using unethical methods.
The first two years, when order collapsed and social norms broke down, were the darkest two years. In those two years, people knew nothing and were completely feeling their way through. Some Power Users discovered that absorbing the crystal cores of their companions could accelerate their advancement without barriers, so they started down that crooked path, and their abilities upgraded very quickly.
Later, as more people did this, time passed. Two years had already gone by since the first Power User absorbed a companion’s crystal core.
The drawbacks of absorbing Power User crystal cores began to expose themselves. The batch of Power Users who advanced the fastest began to become irritable and bloodthirsty, and those with low self-control even started showing symptoms of mental breakdown.
Initially, people thought it was a sequela brought by the abilities and were frightened.
Fortunately, by then some large Bases had preliminarily restored various orders, and a part of the scientific research personnel returned to their positions, reinvesting in scientific research. They then discovered the root of the problem.
Those whose temperaments changed drastically, or even suffered mental breakdowns, were not suffering from sequelae of awakening abilities, but from the sequelae of absorbing Power User crystal cores.
From then on, seeing the tragic state of Power Users who had absorbed Power User crystal cores, some profit-driven Power Users finally became afraid and dared not absorb the crystal cores of their own kind.
Despite this, it still couldn’t deter the petty schemes of some individual Power Users seeking shortcuts. However, China is now basically stable internally, and each Base, large or small, has its own order. They have united to resist the absorption of Power User crystal cores. Even if someone wants to absorb Power User crystal cores, they dare not do it openly, only secretly.
Once discovered, they will be severely punished.
It is truly impressive for someone who upgrades normally by absorbing Zombie Crystal Cores to reach Tier 5 or 6 in seven years of The Apocalypse; they are definitely figures not to be underestimated.
Zhou Qin and Gu Jinsheng continued to give everyone some more instructions, and then the car reached its destination.
Zhou Qin put the car into his space and took out many hand grenades from his space, giving two to each Power User present.
“If you can fight them, try your best to fight them. If you can’t, ask for help from your companions. If you really can’t get help, you can use hand grenades, but the premise is to make sure the area you throw them in won’t blow up your companions.”
At this point, Zhou Qin’s expression became very serious. “Don’t think that if you’re in danger, you can just ignore everything else, including how many companions are there, and just throw a hand grenade and blow everyone up. You might be safe, but what about your companions? Their bodies will be gone.”
“I’m making it clear to you beforehand. Don’t think that you can just do that and get away with it, just because you survived. Our Base doesn’t need such selfish people. In this situation, even if you survive, I can guarantee that you will not get a good outcome.
The consequences will absolutely be ten thousand times more miserable than if you had died directly.”
Everyone in the car shivered at the thought of The Base’s punishment for the Power Users from M-country and R-country who caused trouble.
It was truly terrifying!
“Also, think about your families. The videos and reasons for your execution will be publicly broadcast on mobile phones and television. Can your families bear it? Can they continue to live in Jing Shi Base afterwards?
I can guarantee that even if your families move away, as long as Jing Shi Base says the word, absolutely no Base currently would dare to accept them.
Even if a small, remote Base that doesn’t know about Jing Shi Base accepts them, can it be better than Jing Shi Base?
Right now, a small Base that doesn’t know about Jing Shi Base must be struggling so much, probably in some poor mountain valley, maybe even resorting to cannibalism to survive.”
What Zhou Qin said was not exaggerated at all; these Power Users also knew that Jing Shi Base could do such things.
Since the establishment of Jing Shi Base, with Gu Jinsheng as the General Commander, Jing Shi Base had always maintained such a strict and decisive style, rewarding the good and punishing the bad.
“Alright, the hunt begins now. Everyone get ready,” Zhou Qin said. “Pair up, form your own groups.”
Ji An naturally followed Gu Jinsheng. He was only Tier 3 in ability, a low-level Power User, so following Gu Jinsheng made perfect sense.
Gou Chong followed Zhou Qin, and the remaining Tier 4 Power Users each led a Tier 3 Power User.
After everyone was grouped up, Gu Jinsheng took out blood bags containing animal blood that hadn’t clotted with anticoagulant from his space.
Gu Jinsheng looked at Ji An. “I’ll throw it, you shoot it with your mental power.”
“Okay,” Ji An agreed, quickly condensing a bow and arrow with his mental power.
The Power Users who had just been promoted to Tier 3 and Tier 4 nearby were not core personnel of the command center; they were just lucky enough to follow the big shots this time for training. Therefore, they didn’t know that it was Ji An who had displayed such great power by shooting Cruz that day.
They only thought Ji An was a newcomer who had just upgraded, and might be a mental-type Power User trying to follow the path of a big shot. Thus, they let out exclamations of ‘wow’.
“The mental power arrows I saw on the execution ground that shot the M-country guy were just like this, super powerful. In just three shots, it turned a Tier 6 Power User into an idiot.”
“Is your arrow the same as the big shot’s?”
“Are you stupid? Of course it’s not the same. How powerful was the big shot’s arrow? This arrow would probably only graze someone’s skin.”
“I think so too. In the car just now, I heard Ji An is only a Tier 3 peak Power User.”
“Still need to learn from the big shot. The path he’s taking is not easy.”
These Power Users weren’t trying to discourage Ji An; they simply thought Ji An was a newcomer who admired the big shot and wanted to imitate his path as a mental-type user, without thinking any further.
Ji An didn’t mind. Besides, these people hadn’t said anything malicious. If he didn’t know his own identity, he would have guessed the same.
“Shoot!” Gu Jinsheng threw the blood bag far away without giving any prior warning, like a ‘ready’ or ‘one, two, three’.
His throwing speed was extremely fast and far, but even so, Ji An’s mental power arrow followed closely after his words.
As soon as Ji An fired this arrow, Gu Jinsheng had already thrown the next blood bag. This time there wasn’t even a one-word hint, and it was in a different direction.
Ji An immediately fired a second arrow, not slowing down at all.
The two cooperated like this and burst three blood bags, leaving the Power Users who didn’t know Ji An’s identity completely stunned.
After a long while, sparse applause broke out, gradually growing louder, mixed with cheers.
“Beautiful, Ji An!”
“Well done! The archery is so accurate! Keep practicing like this, and one day you’ll be as powerful as the big shot.”
Another Power User exclaimed, “Are non-combat mental-type Power Users this strong now? If this keeps up, we’ll truly become the non-combat Power Users.”
“They’re coming,” Gu Jinsheng’s ears twitched, hearing the shuffling footsteps from afar. That was the unique, dragging footsteps of zombies.
Actually, they didn’t need blood bags; making a lot of noise could also attract the zombie horde. However, using blood bags was faster, and the zombies attracted that way came intermittently, not in hordes, which was too little intensity for a purely training team like theirs.
The Power Users grouped up in pairs, their expressions losing their earlier jolliness and becoming serious.
Gu Jinsheng unleashed a wind-type ability, scattering the zombie horde. With a breakthrough, he shouted, “Go!”
The Power Users charged forward in pairs. Ji An also charged forward simultaneously; he hadn’t fought zombies for a long time, and this battle was quite exhilarating.
Arrows shot out like meteors, each one taking down a zombie.
He fired seven or eight arrows in a row, each one hitting its mark.
Ji An found it boring, put away his bow and arrow, and manifested a broadsword with his mental power, charging into the zombie horde, thrusting and parrying left and right.
And Gu Jinsheng always protected Ji An’s vicinity, neither too close nor too far, only ensuring Ji An’s safety, not suddenly interfering with Ji An’s combat, purely honing Ji An’s fighting ability.
Perhaps it was because Ji An’s group performed too fiercely, but after fighting for a while, Ji An felt as if the zombies around him were gone, not just fewer, but gone.
He looked over somewhat blankly and saw that the groups led by Zhou Qin and the others also had no zombies around them, and were looking at them with similar confusion.
Zhou Qin was puzzled, “How did it end up with all the zombies running away?”
Ji An pointed to the three relatively weaker groups. “They all ran over there.”
Zhou Qin was suspicious. “Have zombies evolved intelligence now? They’ve learned to bully the weak and fear the strong.”
“Commander Zhou, General Commander Gu, help, we’re surrounded by zombies, quick, save us!”
The three groups of Power Users were completely surrounded by the zombie horde and were gradually becoming overwhelmed.
“Coming!” Zhou Qin responded and charged forward with Gou Chong. Ji An also charged over with Gu Jinsheng.
Ji An manifested a giant net with his mental power, dropping from the sky. It instantly netted ten or so zombies, tossing them into the air. A gap immediately appeared in the zombie horde.
“Run!” Ji An shouted. Two Power Users ran out through the gap. Beside them, Gu Jinsheng and Zhou Qin simultaneously used their abilities to open two more gaps for the Power Users who were being held back by zombies, and they all ran out.
Several Power Users wiped the sweat off their foreheads through their protective suits and said, “These zombies today seem to be much stronger than the same-level zombies I encountered before.”
“And these zombies seem to understand seeking advantage and avoiding harm. They all ran over here to attack us. Previous zombies understood this to some extent, but they weren’t this excessive, completely bullying the weakest among us. There were always some silly ones who would go back and fight the strong ones to the death.”
Indeed, these zombies today were a bit different. Logically, if Ji An and the others stole their food from the mouths of these zombies who only knew how to eat, it should have been like taking food from a hungry wolf’s mouth, and these zombies should have pounced like madmen long ago.
But in reality, after the initial frenzy, these zombies calmed down. It was clear that although they really wanted to pounce and tear at Ji An and the others, they didn’t.
They were staring at Ji An and the others very restrainedly, as if thinking about how to eat them.
Wait, thinking?
Ji An suddenly noticed something was wrong with the zombie horde. “These zombies seem to be able to think?”
Zhou Qin said, “Zombies don’t have brains, do they? How can they think? Have they evolved intelligence?”
“Something’s not right,” Ji An’s eyes scanned the zombie horde. Suddenly, his finger pointed towards a broken house behind the zombies. In the window of that broken house, a zombie stood. It just stood there quietly, silently watching everything that was happening here.
“Zombie King?” Zhou Qin asked.
Everything has a leader, and zombies are no exception. Where there are piles of zombies, there is a Zombie King.
The Zombie King is generally the strongest among the zombie ranks. Other zombies can’t defeat it, so they can only obediently listen to it.
“Capture it!” Gu Jinsheng said.
Zhou Qin and Gou Chong immediately charged out. Gu Jinsheng and Ji An stayed behind to hold off the zombie horde and protect the newly upgraded Power Users in front of them.
The Zombie King seemed to realize that Ji An and the others had spotted it and instantly moved away from the window. Then came a series of strange roars, which caused the entire zombie horde to become restless.
They no longer lingered in battle, even abandoning their physiological instinct to charge back the way they came, and began to retreat in an organized manner.
Some were responsible for covering the rear, others for tying up Ji An and the others. There were even some using tactics, starting to attack the several weakest Power Users, trying to delay Ji An and their advance.
Ji An and Gu Jinsheng had to turn back to save people. In this short time, Zhou Qin and Gou Chong had already charged into the zombies’ lair.
For some unknown reason, Ji An felt that the zombies today were strange. He said to Gu Jinsheng, “Let’s finish this quickly and go find Zhou Qin. I keep feeling that these zombies are acting strangely.”
“Okay, I feel something is not right too,” Gu Jinsheng immediately unleashed his thunder dragon and tornado, incinerating a part of the zombie horde and tearing another part into chunks of meat, leaving behind a ground full of Zombie Crystal Cores.
After dealing with the zombies in front of them, Ji An and Gu Jinsheng immediately pursued Zhou Qin with the other Power Users.
When they arrived, those zombies were fighting Zhou Qin and Gou Chong.
Given Zhou Qin’s strength, facing these zombies lower level than him, he should have been able to kill them easily. However, he was fighting very hard now.
This was clearly not right. Just then, Ji An suddenly noticed something shooting towards Gou Chong from a distance.
“Gou Chong, be careful!” Zhou Qin, who was fighting the zombies, looked up and saw this scene. He immediately shouted a warning to Gou Chong and simultaneously unleashed his ultimate move – Everlasting Darkness.
Overwhelming sand and gravel howled and surged, slamming into the zombies in front of him.
That was not ordinary sand and gravel. Don’t be fooled by their small size; they were summoned by ability. A small particle hitting a zombie’s head could shatter its brain. Hitting its chest would create a bloody hole.
Zhou Qin leaped up, stepping on the stumbling zombies as he rushed towards Gou Chong.
Meanwhile, Gou Chong also discovered something flying towards him. That thing seemed to be formed by a Power User’s ability, but it had no specific shape, like the most primitive ability energy.
He raised his hand and unleashed his wood-type ability to block, but his ability was instantly shattered upon hitting that energy, leaving not even a speck.
Ji An followed by firing an arrow. He didn’t stare to see if his arrow could hit the mysterious force. Instead, he changed the direction of his arrow and shot towards the Zombie King hiding behind the zombie horde.
Gu Jinsheng was protecting the six Power Users who were being fiercely chased and attacked by the zombie horde, unable to spare any effort.
Those zombies seemed to know that the six Power Users were the weakest and attacked them relentlessly. That kind of fighting was not just about fighting to the death or perishing together. Instead, they were willing to die themselves, as long as they could delay Gu Jinsheng by even a step.
This was not disorganized and undisciplined fighting; it was more like a battle with a commander.
On Gou Chong’s side, his own released ability clashed with that mysterious force and was easily neutralized, leaving no trace.
That mysterious force was already close. At the same time, Zhou Qin also arrived, stepping on the zombies. Just as Zhou Qin raised his hand to release his ability, he was suddenly pulled by a great force. The ability he had just released went awry and did not hit the mysterious force.
And Zhou Qin was dragged directly towards that mysterious energy. Seeing that mysterious force about to pierce Zhou Qin’s brain, Zhou Qin had nowhere to dodge.
Zhou Qin’s eyes were wide open, staring disbelievingly at Gou Chong. He couldn’t believe that the brother who had once risked his life to save him from the zombie horde was now using him as a shield!