Chapter 116 – Life-and-Death Marathon (7)
◎ This rapper is quite spicy ◎
When news about the finals’ format being a marathon spread, the first ones to become restless were the governing officials in the Eastern region.
With the rampant presence of zombies outside now, unless a city was destroyed or they abandoned their positions to seek emergency refuge, the Alliance’s officials couldn’t easily leave their territories. Even though people couldn’t come to them physically, communication requests bombarded incessantly, demanding Ilya provide a reasonable explanation.
At the top floor of the tower, Ilya rested his chin lazily on his hand, one leg casually propped up while seated on a large leather sofa. The holographic screen shifted scenes, displaying an ongoing video conference where the magistrates from several Eastern districts were engaged in a heated argument.
“Don’t think I don’t know what game you’re playing! Trying to shift the crisis of the Zombie King onto our territories to solve your problems—why should we carry the burden for you while you enjoy your peaceful days? I object! Strongly object!!”
“You’re not even present, what are you objecting with?” someone immediately sneered.
“I…” The first magistrate to speak choked momentarily. His city had already fallen, and he had long fled to District B. Speaking up now lacked any persuasive force.
“We don’t object, we warmly welcome it!” The magistrates from Greenwater City and Reshufu declared, jumping in. Their District D held lower status, they finally had the chance to participate in such a meeting; naturally, they had to maintain a firm stance.
These two cities were currently in dire straits. They didn’t know when the horde of zombies might strike. If the final contestants could eliminate the Zombie King, they wouldn’t oppose it; they’d enthusiastically welcome it, celebrating with fireworks for days.
“Hey, Haimen, say something too?”
The magistrate of Haimen smirked disdainfully. “Be it zombies or humans, if they dare to intrude into my territory, don’t blame the cannons for being blind—they won’t return if they come.”
“You brute!” Greenwater City and Reshufu scolded in unison.
Participants exchanged glances in private. Only a few were aware of the true situation. It was said that Haimen had imported a batch of superpowered weapons from the Northern base, highly lethal and specifically designed to deal with the Zombie King.
The governors continued their arguments, expressing their grievances while conspicuously excluding the initiator of this marathon. No one asked for the opinion of the Ferrara magistrate. They regarded Ilya as an outsider, harboring a sense of wariness toward him. There’s a saying – “Alien minds among our own kind will always be different.” No matter how advanced an artificial intelligence might be, it’s still a machine, not of their species.
Chen Zuyi from Tongwan also attended the meeting. When asked about his opinion on the matter, he diplomatically smiled and said, “Whatever you say is what it is. I have no objections. After all, I’m getting old, nearly seventy.”
“Stop lying, you’re only sixty-one!”
This sly old fox, he could talk his way out of anything. He only cared about himself, especially since Tongwan wasn’t even on the marathon’s route. It was said that recently there was an engineering-type awakener helping reinforce their defenses, so he had nothing to worry about.
Ilya shifted legs lazily and yawned absentmindedly. These were human politicians, each with their hidden agendas, quite amusing indeed.
Regardless of how much they argued, it wouldn’t have any impact on the Throne Race event.
Feeling gradually bored, Ilya rose from the sofa and casually left the top floor. However, in the holographic projection, his image lingered, but his pupils discreetly shifted to a glassy color, his expression more rigid.
The automatic sensing door opened, revealing a magnificent reception room where a woman sat with her back to him, sipping tea from a bone china cup.
Ilya walked around and sat opposite her. “Magistrate He, regarding our cooperation, what are your thoughts?”
He Qiuhong set down her teacup and looked up. She wore black-framed glasses perched on her nose, her hair impeccably arranged. Wrinkles adorned her eyes and two deep lines near her mouth made her look unapproachable, exuding an air of seriousness that demanded respect.
“I can’t make decisions about establishing communication channels with District B for you.”
“Let me correct that, it’s not District B, it’s the Northern Base,” Ilya chuckled.
The Alliance’s 20 District B areas were either controlled by influential families (like B6’s North County and B8’s Erjia) or directly administered by the Central Court (as in B9’s Askar), with only one exception.
B10, the Northern Base, stood outside both power structures. It remained the largest surviving refuge within the Alliance after the apocalypse, housing over a million high-level awakeners and tens of millions of civilians, dubbed as “Humanity’s Last Hope.”
Ilya was a rare democratically elected magistrate and a super AI. Despite Ferrra’s good order, technological advancements, and its unique style in District C, his presence was still excluded by the Central Court.
The information privileges between Districts C and B were vastly different.
Privilege was exactly what Ilya urgently needed now.
“I will report this matter to General Ye,” He Qiuhong said slowly.
Ilya raised an eyebrow. “I thought you, Magistrate He, was the one truly in charge at the Northern Base.”
He Qiuhong’s expression turned cold. “Be careful with your words. I am merely General Ye’s deputy.”
Ilya’s ice-blue gaze fixed on He Qiuhong, his tone carrying implications. “Magistrate He, then I’ll await good news.”
“Oh, Magistrate He, why not stay and watch the competition before leaving?” Ilya casually suggested, “Perhaps some of the contestants might head to the Northern Base in the future.”
“Naturally, the Northern Base welcomes awakeners,” He Qiuhong finally relaxed her tightly pressed lips at the mention of awakeners.
*
Song Ke, Lu Xiaoyu, Su Cha, Lin Youyou, and Xu Xing were ready. Each team in the Throne Race event had a maximum of five members. Zhuang Qingyan had just undergone surgery and was weak, so Fang Zhixu decided to take care of him. Both of their conditions weren’t suitable for participating in the marathon and were kindly “persuaded” by Song Ke to withdraw.
“Have you checked the communication devices?” Zhuang Qingyan asked, feeling concerned.
Song Ke touched the narrow black collar around her throat. “Yeah, the devices are working fine.”
The finals didn’t prohibit communication. The V587 team all wore the mini communication devices developed by Lu Xiaoyu. These operated on an independent frequency, ensuring messages couldn’t be intercepted. With all seven team members simultaneously online, they could communicate at any time.
Zhuang Qingyan circled several cities on the map. “These places currently have no zombie waves. Old Fang and I will find an opportunity to meet up with you.”
“Wouldn’t this be considered external aid? Is it against the rules?” Lin Youyou asked.
Zhuang Qingyan calmly shook his head. “The only rule to clear the marathon is to collect stamps at various check-in points. To win, you must kill the Zombie King. Apart from that, there are no restrictions. You could even take a spaceship straight to the finish line if you want.”
Lin Youyou suddenly realized something. “Isn’t it unfair? Teams like ‘Shunxing Tea House’ have a strong foundation and numerous awakeners under their command. If they clear the path in advance and simultaneously collect stamps while killing the Zombie King, couldn’t they just clear the game directly?”
“Exactly. If they can pull it off,” Zhuang Qingyan replied, “this game was never meant to be fair.”
…
On the day of the finals, the 16 teams gathered at the gates of Ferrara.
As Zhuang Qingyan anticipated, there were quite a few hovercars and steamships present. As soon as the race started, some of them zoomed ahead.
Drones capturing the action closely followed, and the personal live streams of the participants were open for viewers, contributing to the swelling wealth in the betting pools outside.
The starships drew attention due to their conspicuous designs, more suited for long-distance travel rather than this marathon. Song Ke’s group found an off-road pickup truck with Su Cha at the wheel. Though they fell behind in speed, this final race wasn’t solely about speed.
V587 quickly reached the first checkpoint—Rainbow Cloud City in District D140.
Unfortunately, it was a city that had already fallen to the zombies. The outbound direction was clogged with various private vehicles, making progress nearly impossible. Those trapped in the cars not fast enough to escape were restrained by seat belts, roaring in panic. Roaming zombies traversed between the traffic, leaving barely any space to maneuver on the main road.
A steamship conveniently flew overhead, drawing the attention of the zombies. They turned their collective gaze toward the noise, gathering more and growing increasingly agitated. Trying to force through would definitely waste a lot of time.
The team decisively changed course towards the entrance to the city, which had slightly better conditions. Despite some overturned vehicles, they could still manage to pass, albeit barely.
Lin Youyou glanced at the map. “What do you think the check-in point will be?”
Ilya always had ways to challenge people, such as the “flag” in the Mirror Lake race, which turned out to be the crystals of mutant zombies.
“Could it be a Level 3 zombie?” Song Ke speculated. As time passed, dealing with mutant zombies had become less challenging. Would Ilya increase the difficulty for this reason?
“Not very likely,” Zhuang Qingyan’s calm voice came through the earpiece. “The movements of Level 3 zombies are uncontrollable. If they move away from their original positions, the distances between checkpoints would change. I lean more towards a fixed location.”
“Doesn’t that mean we have to search the entire city?” Lin Youyou frowned, finding the workload quite extensive.
Zhuang Qingyan paused. “There’s no need to waste time searching. We can take a shortcut.”
“What shortcut?”
“Head to the highest point first.”
“To the highest point? What for?” Song Ke inquired.
Zhuang Qingyan chuckled lightly, his magnetic voice coming through the earpiece, “Since the finals are being broadcast live throughout, the organizing committee must have done preliminary scouting and filming preparations. No matter where the check-in point is, there will definitely be traces of drones around, and drones produce data.”
“You mean, finding the check-in points from the drones?” Lin Youyou couldn’t hide her surprise.
This, this… was simply a strategy like a bug, a breakthrough method like that of a thief.
According to Zhuang Qingyan’s logic, there would be drones hovering near the checkpoints, leaving behind residual data. Analyzing data was Lu Xiaoyu’s specialty. Using process of elimination, he could easily pinpoint the location of the check-in point.
The highest point in Rainbow Cloud City was the observation tower in the city center, towering over five hundred meters, offering a panoramic view of the entire city. Due to congestion on the main roads, the quickest way to reach it was to take the circular overpass. However, the entrance to the bridge had collapsed, needing clearance.
Just as V587 was about to take action, a group suddenly appeared around the corner. The woman leading them had a doll-like face, sweet-looking. Upon recognizing each other, she was first surprised, then her eyebrows furrowed in anger.
What a coincidence, it was Feng Duona and “Ferrara Star.”
The grudge between V587 and this team could be traced back to Mirror Lake when Feng Duona suspected them of hoarding crystals and aggressively confronted them. In the subsequent arena match, their bassist was knocked out by Lu Xiaoyu in one move. It could be said that “Ferrara Star’s” two times advancing was almost jeopardized by V587.
Song Ke raised a hand, awkwardly greeting, “Uh… Hi?”
Feng Duona gestured with both middle fingers.
Song Ke: “…” Diplomacy failed.
Meeting head-on, they couldn’t avoid a confrontation. With Feng Duona’s lively yell, the band of awakeners struck a combat stance. The guitarist played a vibrant melody, signaling the attack. The bass and electric piano swiftly followed suit, the deep jazz drums setting the rhythm.
The most terrifying part began when Feng Duona started to sing!
“Turning away, unable to say goodbye~ Sea birds~ and fish! Falling in love! Was just! An accident~”
V587 felt their scalp tingling, the piercing discordance hammering their nerves. Xu Xing covered his ears directly, but the noise permeated through. It was like a tired office worker, rudely awakened at 4 or 5 AM by someone banging an old drum, evoking not just anger but a murderous intent.
“Zhuang Qingyan…”
Song Ke wanted to ask if Zhuang Qingyan had a way to quiet them down but shouted for a while without any response.
She glanced at the signal light and realized it was off.
Wow, he and Fang Zhixu had turned off the receivers!!
Song Ke angrily drew her dual blades and charged toward Feng Duona. Su Cha furrowed his brow, seamlessly blending into the shadows.
Simultaneously, Lin Youyou, wearing a mask, took a step forward and cleared her throat.
“Today, we’re ready for everything. We’re here to stay vigilant! North, South, East, West, let me tell you who is your—father!!”
Lin Youyou lowered her voice, completely letting herself go. Her speed of speech was astonishing, uttering strange lyrics. The opponent’s music instantly diminished. Feng Duona seemed choked, unable to sing her off-key and unpleasant love song any longer.
Lin Youyou’s lyrics were not only infectious but also came with a debuff that crushed the opponents’ morale, leaving them lacking enthusiasm.
The guitarist from “Ferrara Star” ceased playing and, with interest, stroked his chin. “Wow, that rapper on the other side is spicy! Hey, you! How about joining our band after the match?”
Lin Youyou, with slightly raised red lips, confidently sang the Killing Part: “…In the eyes of the Black Serpent Warrior, you’re just a turtle, he will release poison mist to wipe you all out!!”
“Ferrara Star” fell completely silent.
Su Cha slipped from the shadows, tumbling out, his neck turning crimson. Following the Sin City, this second time brought an indescribable, immense sense of shame upon him.
