Chapter 112 – Life-and-Death Marathon (3)
◎ The Fallen Ones ◎
The zombie tide was rapidly receding, and the awakeners chased after them relentlessly, seizing the opportunity to kill a few more to earn some points.
Song Ke watched the back of the Zombie King. Its two pairs of sturdy flesh wings not only didn’t become a burden but instead, in motion, seemed to grant it added strength. With all four limbs in sync, it leaped several times in succession, swiftly disappearing on the horizon, accompanied by a group of lackeys.
It seemed this time they couldn’t kill it. Song Ke spun her dual blades in a graceful dance, then slowly sheathed them on her back.
She returned to the position of the starship, rejoining with Zhuang Qingyan and the others. Soon after, Lin Youyou and Su Cha also returned, but Xu Xing was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Xiao Xing?” Song Ke inquired.
“He was just here, why did this kid leave?” Lin Youyou also found it strange.
“Xiao Xing, where are you?” Song Ke messaged the V587 chat group. After two seconds, Xu Xing sent a crying emoji followed by a voice message. Upon listening, it was the sound of heavy breathing as if running. “Hoo hoo, wait for me!”
As long as he was safe, Song Ke hopped onto the hovering starship, let one leg dangle, assumed a comfortable position at the door, and waited.
The S-level commission to guard Tongwan was directly issued by the Alliance’s awakener headquarters. As long as the terminal’s real-time recording function was activated, the number of zombies killed would automatically be tallied, and corresponding rewards distributed. Song Ke mainly harvested evolved and mutant zombies in this wave. Leaving aside the points, she received a hefty sum of Alliance coins, suddenly rising from being broke to moderately wealthy.
Indeed, S-level commissions were incredibly lucrative, Song Ke thought, silently counting the balance in her personal account.
Not far ahead, several hovercars raced past, chasing the zombie horde, relentlessly attacking them with wide-range abilities.
Song Ke sensed a strong awakened energy and glanced at it, unexpectedly discovering that the awakeners in those cars were formidable, their coordination precise. They were the ones who had initially intercepted the zombie tide’s charge, allowing the armored vehicles of the security team to come out of the city.
On top of one of the hovercars, a tall young man knelt in a standard sniping posture, his face mostly concealed by night vision goggles. He fired his rifle at an incredible speed, almost without aiming. A shot every second, each one blowing off a zombie’s head with specialized explosive rounds, piercing through their foreheads, instantly exploding them like rotten watermelons. The resulting blast scattered chunks of decayed flesh and putrid blood, a display of extreme and brutal aesthetics.
Observing for a moment, Song Ke noticed that this person not only had impeccable marksmanship but also was highly purposeful. Like her, he specifically targeted evolved and mutant zombies. As the hovercar passed by, a series of notifications echoed from his terminal.
“You have killed one Level 3 zombie, 276 regular zombies, earning 5760 points and xxxx Alliance coins.”
“You have killed three mutant zombies, 155 regular zombies, earning 4550 points and xxxx Alliance coins.”
The kill reports inundated the screen.
The man’s black hair fluttered in the night wind, a ruby earring shining brightly from his left ear, hinting at a rebellious and assertive demeanor.
Song Ke waited for about twenty minutes until the zombie tide vanished without a trace, and the pursuing awakeners returned home. Some left Tongwan, while others applied for temporary access into the city. Only then did Xu Xing arrive, leisurely.
“Xu Xiao Xing, were you slacking off?” Lin Youyou teased.
Believe it or not, Xu Xing indeed resembled a little wild boar rolling in the mud. Covered in sweat and dirt, his curly hair stuck to his forehead, looking quite disheveled.
“I-I wasn’t!” Xu Xing panted heavily, his face flushed. The mention of slacking off angered him.
The tornado had blown him over ten kilometers away, and Xu Xing had to run back on foot, panting heavily. If it weren’t for his awakened abilities and a physique surpassing ordinary people, he would’ve collapsed from exhaustion.
Not an ideal place for conversation, the seven of them headed toward the city gate. Most of the awakeners had dispersed by now, leaving a few hovercars parked at the outpost, surrounded by a dozen or so people. Surprisingly, the magistrate of Tongwan, Chen Zuyi, personally came out to greet them. As they approached, they overheard the conversation between the two.
“Yes, Commander He arrived in District C72 recently and upon hearing about Tongwan’s situation, immediately dispatched us for support.”
“Qiuhong is really kind, thank her for me. And thank you, too, for today,” Chen Zuyi sighed.
“You’re welcome,” the young man, contrary to his assertive presence, spoke in a polite and courteous manner. “Commander He specifically instructed that with the increasing frequency of the tide of corpses, Tongwan must be fully prepared. She is stationed in District B and cannot directly interfere with the internal affairs of District C. She could only arrange through personal connections to bring in two professional experts to support your work.”
Two academically inclined individuals stepped out from the backseat of the hovercar.
The young man introduced, “This is Ms. Liu Shu, a B-level engineering awakener. She previously served as the Dean of the Fifth Design Institute and conducted in-depth research on the attack patterns of the zombie tide. She will collaborate with you in redesigning Tongwan’s defenses.”
Liu Shu appeared to be around forty years old, dressed in simple work clothes and carrying a white briefcase, presenting a competent and agile demeanor.
Chen Zuyi urgently needed talent in engineering. Upon learning Liu Shu’s identity, he showed delight and eagerly shook her hand.
“And one more person, Gao Xiangyang, a genetic biologist and also one of the first outstanding graduates of the ‘Lozan Training Program.’ I’ve heard that Tongwan is researching anti-zombification agents, and Dr. Gao’s expertise is in this area. He voluntarily applied to come here for exchange and learning.”
Gao Xiangyang, in his early thirties, was slender. Upon hearing this, he adjusted his high-powered glasses and bowed to Chen Zuyi. “Please guide me.”
“Dr. Gao is too modest. Those selected for the Lozan Program are the top research talents in the Alliance. We should seek advice from you. With your participation, the anti-zombification agent will surely be developed soon,” Chen Zuyi hastily replied, gesturing with his hands.
At that moment, Song Ke’s group approached. Zhuang Qingyan took the initiative to greet Chen Zuyi, “Magistrate Chen, good to see you again.”
“It’s you guys,” Chen Zuyi relaxed his demeanor when facing them, his smile warmer. “Thank you for your support. I’ve said it before, Tongwan’s doors are always open to you.”
Zhuang Qingyan smiled, “We came this time mainly because we wanted to perform surgery…”
“What surgery? If needed, I can help arrange…” Chen Zuyi offered.
As the two conversed briefly, Song Ke noticed something unusual about the scientist named Gao Xiangyang. His gaze casually swept over the group, suddenly halting, fixing intensely on Zhuang Qingyan. His eyes displayed confusion, surprise, gradually turning into disbelief.
Gao Xiangyang’s lips trembled a few times, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately chose to remain silent.
Song Ke followed his gaze, looking over at Zhuang Qingyan’s clean and unmarked face. What could be there to notice?
The young man stood patiently by, waiting for Zhuang Qingyan and Chen Zuyi to finish their conversation before speaking again. “To prevent another zombie tide attack, we will stay in Tongwan for two days. During this time, we are at your service.”
“Not at all, I dare not impose such a request,” Chen Zuyi waved his hand again. “Thank you all for your concern.”
The young man led the group, including Liu Shu and Gao Xiangyang, into the city. Chen Zuyi assigned two subordinates to arrange their accommodation.
As the group moved away, Chen Zuyi relaxed slightly, his expression truly easing up.
“Magistrate Chen, if it’s okay to ask, who were those people? They seem quite influential,” Lin Youyou seized the opportunity to inquire.
“They indeed have quite an influence. They’re from the Northern Base (District B10),” Chen Zuyi explained. “The leader is Yin Xiao, the captain of the awakener team ‘Tustan.’ His strength is close to that of an S-level awakener. He’s quite renowned even in District B.”
“He Qiuhong, the Commander of the Northern Base, shares a bond with me from our college days. With Tongwan in trouble and her conveniently nearby in District C, she dispatched her awakeners to support us.”
From Chen Zuyi’s tone, it seemed that his old college friend not only generously sent technical experts and combat personnel, without asking for payment or favors, but also came to Tongwan’s aid at a crucial time. However, despite this act of kindness, Chen Zuyi deeply sighed for reasons unknown.
*
After entering Tongwan and walking along the central street for a short while, Song Ke witnessed a rather perplexing scene.
Taotao’s mother was pushing a tent stroller, surrounded by enthusiastic locals. Taotao, dressed in new clothes, sat inside, sticking out a pink tongue, smiling with a motherly warmth on her face.
The local residents, crazily stuffing snacks and teething toys into the stroller, almost overwhelmed Taotao with their enthusiasm. “Bang!” Eventually, she couldn’t bear it anymore and activated her field, pushing everyone except herself and her mother away.
Strangely, those pushed away seemed happy, excitedly murmuring strange words to Taotao, who couldn’t understand them. No wonder—Taotao was now the hero of Tongwan, or should it be “hero dog,” having saved the lives of many in the city.
Song Ke struggled through the crowd, waving at Taotao. It had been months; she wondered if Taotao still remembered them.
Taotao’s small eyes spotted her, happily barking twice. It seemed the memory of the mutant dog was pretty good.
After exchanging a few words with Taotao’s mother and arranging to visit Taotao in a few days, Song Ke managed to squeeze out of the crowd. This time, they didn’t need to rent an apartment. Fang Zhixu had to reapply for identification, and then return to the hospital to coordinate the surgery. Therefore, V587 moved into Fang Zhixu’s home.
Finally finding an opportunity to vent, Xu Xing exaggeratedly recounted how the braided zombie had bullied him, deeply indignant.
However, the attention of the others was focused on a different aspect.
“Was its braiding skill any good?” Lin Youyou teased.
“By your account, they only pushed you around and didn’t bite you?” Fang Zhixu expressed doubt, diverting the conversation.
“Are you sure you’re being objective?” Su Cha questioned Xu Xing’s statement.
“I! Am! Sure!” Xu Xing yelled angrily, jumping up and down.
Meanwhile, Song Ke fell into silence.
Zombies with visible decay but coherent thoughts, capable of overcoming the instinct to bite—she had encountered such zombies before. Not only had she encountered them, but she had also saved them. Six months ago, Song Ke had left Fools Wharf in District F177. At that time, Aunt Qing and Xiao Bao had already displayed typical zombie traits, yet for some reason, they retained a hint of consciousness.
“Plan Eternity,” Zhuang Qingyan suddenly spoke, introducing an unfamiliar term.
The others looked at him, puzzled.
“Plan Eternity is a secret research project aimed at mutated organisms. It stimulates constant cell division and renewal by controlling radiation variables within the organism. This extends the horizontal axis of life, awakening unique abilities. When the radiation reaches a stable value, it achieves undying thoughts and perpetuity of the body. The ultimate goal of this research is to accomplish the ‘evolution’ of humanity.”
“If we apply the same concept to zombies, ordinary zombies, the lowest level, are essentially pure failures. Evolved zombies represent a self-rescue attempt of these failures. Even though their decaying bodies persist, they are mindless monsters. Mutant zombies are successes turned failures. Though they awaken abilities, they forever lose their consciousness.”
“The researchers once hypothesized whether there might be a type of zombie possessing both consciousness and a robust body. They named this new species—the Fallen.”
“Unfortunately, research on the Fallen triggered a chain of ethical issues and was swiftly halted. The project members kept it deeply buried.”
“Why?” Song Ke queried.
“Because they started to fear.”
“The fundamental distinction that allows humans to surpass other species is our unique way of thinking.”
“So, when zombies possess consciousness, are they monsters or… a different form of evolved humans?”
