Chapter 125 – Life-and-Death Marathon (16)
◎ We meet again, Song Ke ◎
The girl with braided hair seemed a bit timid in her actions, yet she firmly linked herself with Xu Xing.
At that moment, anyone could understand its significance – it chose the side of humanity, even though it no longer belonged to the “human” category.
The audience squatting in the V587 live broadcast room instantly erupted into contrasting opinions.
“Don’t be naive! How could a zombie empathize with humans?”
“What are you doing? Quickly kill it! You don’t seriously believe a word from a zombie, do you?”
“But I feel… it sounds genuine.”
“Can the holy talk just leave? My whole family was bitten by zombies, and I don’t share the sky with them!”
The discussion about this unique zombie grew increasingly heated. The director realized a new focal point for viewership and switched the drone to focus on Braided Head’s face, capturing the patterns of decay. The grey eyes of the girl blinked without pause as her head followed the movement of the drone. Suddenly, without warning, she snarled fiercely at the camera: “Ahh—!”
Its gaping mouth, contorted face, and menacingly sharp teeth seemed as though they would snap the neck of anyone on the other side of the screen at any moment.
The argumentative barrage in the live chat momentarily froze, replaced by a flood of unintelligible characters. The hyper-realistic experience from the high-definition images left a considerable psychological impact on the audience. It took a while before someone tremblingly muttered, “See… a-a zombie is just a zombie.”
Braided Head’s hands dug into the ground, a hint of triumph flashing across her face.
“Alert the Haimen City Hall to investigate suspicious individuals within the city,” Zhuang Qingyan quickly stated.
“I’ll contact them now,” Lin Youyou summoned the terminal interface.
Zhuang Qingyan then turned to Song Ke, lowering his voice. “Captain, a few words in private.”
Song Ke nodded and walked over. Zhuang Qingyan glanced at the drone and tapped twice on the armrest of Lu Xiaoyu’s wheelchair.
“Private talk, didn’t you hear? Sort it out.”
Lu Xiaoyu rolled his eyes, his fingers swiftly moving. Soon, several drone signals were lost, resembling headless flies buzzing erratically at low altitudes, and the V587 live stream room filled with static, displaying a “technical malfunction” message.
“How do you plan to handle her?” the two walked into a corner, and Zhuang Qingyan asked in a low voice.
His demeanor was very natural, but after spending so much time together, Song Ke was already familiar with the subtle changes in his expressions. Though Zhuang Qingyan used an inquiring tone, his eyes betrayed indifference, indicating that he didn’t care about the life or death of Braided Head.
Song Ke had a vague feeling that every time Zhuang Qingyan talked about the “Plan Eternity” or mentioned the “Fallen,” his emotions became complex. It seemed to mix some kind of hidden disgust and rejection that he couldn’t openly express.
“I’m thinking of finding a more distant place,” Song Ke calmly voiced her thoughts, “and leaving it there.”
In truth, she didn’t have a better solution. Braided Head wasn’t entirely human or a zombie; she seemed more like a new species born after the apocalypse. Although she didn’t attack proactively and was even sent as a spy by the zombie king, humans… wouldn’t accept her.
“Okay, Captain’s decision,” Zhuang Qingyan had no objections regardless of whether Song Ke chose to kill or spare her.
“But there’s one thing. We weren’t cautious when we first captured her. Now, with the Throne Race broadcast spreading, I’m worried that some might become ‘overly’ interested in her, causing trouble for us.”
“Our team isn’t suitable for attracting too much attention,” Zhuang Qingyan said slowly.
Most of the V587 team members carried secrets. For instance, Song Ke’s inexplicable wound-healing speed, Fang Zhixu’s peculiar constitution that prevented zombie attacks, Lin Youyou’s true identity, and Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu…
“Then,” Song Ke quickly made a decision, “shall we find a place to leave her now?”
As they walked back, Xu Xing and Braided Head were lying side by side on the sand, their heads next to each other, drawing.
Lin Youyou gestured toward them, “The communication channel has been occupied. Probably bombarded by viewers watching the live stream.”
Song Ke was about to say something when suddenly, a piercing alarm shattered the night.
“Level one alert! Level one alert! Multiple zombie waves detected approaching. All sentinels assemble immediately!”
Their faces paled. The zombie wave was indeed heading toward Haimen!
They wondered whether this was another feigned attack to deceive them or if it was the Zombie King’s all-out assault.
“Let’s go check it out,” Song Ke decisively took charge.
The SUV restarted. She turned to Braided Head. With no time to arrange her destination, she had to carefully negotiate, “Your appearance might be mistaken for a zombie by others, which is dangerous. Come with us for now.”
“Ah, ah,” Braided Head obediently nodded, hands planted on the ground.
“Braided Head, with me here, I’ll protect you!” Xu Xing beside her patted his chest, making a manly promise.
“Huh? Huh!” Braided Head disdainfully straightened up, towering significantly taller than Xu Xing.
“…?” Xu ‘Shorty’ Xing’s self-esteem collapsed.
On the streets, vehicles rushed by, houses lit up, and the bustling noise echoed continuously.
The SUV halted behind the final defense line, bright lights overhead illuminating the area like daylight. The official armed forces of Haimen swiftly and orderly moved through emergency passages, setting up heavy weapons on the city walls. Despite the temporary nocturnal siege, they remained composed.
In front of everyone stood a massive floating screen, the connected thermal imaging continually emitting alarms, the frequency increasing. From the screen, numerous green radiation sources could be seen rapidly approaching Haimen from all directions. However, the real-time monitoring showed a calm scene, with the high-altitude scanners outside the city patrolling, finding no abnormalities.
A mild late spring breeze brushed their faces, the river’s surface gently undulating, the desolate wilderness quiet and still.
At both ends of the bridge, the tense sentinels gripped their hell scythes, guns aimed squarely at the dark plains.
One minute passed, then two… five minutes elapsed.
The anxious people of Haimen started whispering at first, then gradually the chatter grew louder.
Where were the zombies? Where was the zombie tide?
The same question flashed through everyone’s mind.
Beneath the night sky, the river water began to surge.
Rolling waves formed dark rings, swiftly surging on both sides of the bridge across the river.
A sentinel at the bridge wiped his damp palms, nervousness evident, as waves crashed against the shore.
His determined gaze fixated forward. At any sign of movement on the plains, he would not hesitate to open fire.
Suddenly, the sound of waves hitting the bank behind them. The sentinel shivered, alertly turning the machine gun. Before he could discern what was approaching, five or six drenched zombies leaped from the river, instantly overpowering him, tearing him into pieces!
“Ah—!!” The piercing scream sent chills down everyone’s spines.
What was more terrifying happened next. After the first sentinel’s death, countless zombie heads surfaced on the river, forming an expansive cluster resembling floating gourds. The sight was enough to drive someone with a fear of clusters insane.
Gunners at the bridgehead and city walls unleashed relentless gunfire. The scythes were akin to the reaper of life. Bullets poured out in continuous streams, sinking numerous zombies. Their bodies floated like balloons, yet their numbers were overwhelming. Often submerging to evade gunfire and hindered by the surging water, they made targeting difficult. The rushing currents impeded the firearms’ range, making it impossible to inflict effective damage for a while.
Soon, a horde of zombies crossed the river, sprinting in groups towards the first iron gate.
“Pull the switch! Pull the switch quickly!” yelled the guards within the defenses.
The high-voltage electric grid crackled and the front line of zombies instantly fell, their bodies charred. A strong stench of decay drifted into the city on the wind. However, the following zombies stepped over the fallen, fiercely charging forward. The crisis didn’t cease; from beneath the river’s surface, an unending stream of undead reinforcements emerged!
Humanity, overly confident in the Great River’s protection, never imagined that the Zombie King had trained a zombie army well-versed in aquatic warfare!
“Zombies don’t need to breathe, they don’t require oxygen, they can adapt to extreme pressure, perfect for prolonged deep dives,” Zhuang Qingyan’s gaze turned icy. “But under the right deployment, the Zombie King could silently send his troops. Its capabilities are probably more terrifying than we estimated.”
Song Ke peered out from the car’s rooftop. “Do we need to help?”
Zhuang Qingyan shook his head. “Intervening now might disrupt the counterattack’s rhythm. Let’s wait. Haimen isn’t defenseless.”
The defenders atop the city walls, under immense pressure of life and death, unleashed astonishing speed. Artillery and explosive rounds were launched relentlessly, the destructive power of heavy weapons quickly curbing the zombie assault, completing the first wave clearance, creating heaps of debris outside the defenses.
Braided Head suddenly stuck her head against the car window and made two “Ah-ah” sounds.
Song Ke glanced down at her, realization dawning. “I almost forgot, you have accomplices, eager to cause chaos!”
The dark grey SUV restarted, heading towards the first iron gate.
Between the three defense lines, there was a commercial area. Currently, the emergency passages were congested with people. Officials in charge of evacuation shouted at the top of their lungs, “Safe zones are open! Civilians, retreat quickly! Let the elderly, women, and children go first!”
As the main forces marched through, an officer hurriedly ran towards the control room, preparing to close the emergency entrance. Unbeknownst to him, in the darkness, a few pairs of cloudy grey eyes were fixed on him.
Just as he pressed the control panel, someone within the civilian queue suddenly turned and hurled an unidentified object at him. “Bang” – those gasoline-like items struck the control panel, erupting into flames and causing a series of explosions, resulting in a circuit short circuit.
The high-voltage electric grid outside the city walls sizzled twice before gradually dimming.
The civilians were startled to discover a traitor among them. Panic-stricken, they looked at the troublemakers, then shouted:
“Zombies! Zombies have infiltrated!!”
The high-voltage electric grid suddenly failed, even when the backup power was activated, there was about a minute of silence.
The zombies attacking the city, free from the threat of electric shock, became even more ferocious in their charge. Meanwhile, heavy and chaotic footsteps echoed from the horizon, signaling the arrival of the second wave of zombies on land!
The defense line in Haimen instantly became strained. Sentinels on the bridge over the river frantically sprayed the plains, trying to halt the reinforcements. Meanwhile, zombies from the water seized the opportunity to leap onto the city walls, ruthlessly biting into the humans within the defenses.
Witnessing a sharp decline in armed sentinels and a rapid weakening of firepower, the awakeners in Haimen took action, swiftly rushing to the frontline.
The evacuated civilians also turned back abruptly, looking at the collapsed walls and their kin being slaughtered, their eyes burning with fury.
“Ptew! My ancestors were all from Haimen, born and raised on this land. Even in death, we won’t let you bastards occupy Haimen! Just zombies? We’ll fight you to the end!” The call was echoed by hundreds as thousands of valiant residents of Haimen raised their weapons, engaging in a fierce battle against the zombies.
“Let’s go.” Song Ke and the others lagged behind, unable to identify the Fallen among the crowd.
From the current situation, it was evident that this zombie tide wasn’t a feigned attack; the Zombie King was sure to appear.
Intense fighting erupted outside the city of Haimen. Reinforcements arrived from the sky, teams participating in the Throne Race like “Three Grandsons and One Grandpa”, “Shunxing Teahouse”, and “Guns and Roses” all rushed in.
Several uniquely designed hovercars arrived over Haimen. Yin Xiao leaned out from the top of one, pulling up a sniper rifle with a sigh, “Looks like another overtime shift… again, my luck’s really bad… Huh?”
Yin Xiao swallowed the latter half of the sentence, looked down at his feet, a playful smile creeping up, “Actually, my luck’s pretty good.”
After a minute of silence, the high-voltage electric grid restarted. With their fearless resistance, the people of Haimen managed to hold off the zombies outside the city.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Song Ke yelled at Braided Head, “Hey, don’t wander off! Stick close to me!”
“Ah!” Braided Head replied and obediently followed behind V587.
Song Ke quickly freed a scarf from her hand and securely covered the girl’s face with it.
As she was about to sprint forward, a nimble figure descended from above, landing right in front of her. The man was clad in combat gear, camo pants, high military boots, and wore fingerless sniper gloves—it was Yin Xiao.
“We meet again, Song Ke,” Yin Xiao greeted with a smile. “How about we discuss something?”
“No time,” Song Ke replied bluntly. She didn’t have time for small talk with him.
Yin Xiao shrugged off her indifference and gestured towards Braided Head hiding behind Song Ke.
“You hand this guy over to me, and I’ll help you kill the Zombie King, deal?”
A threatening growl emanated from Braided Head’s throat.
Song Ke frowned, about to respond—when a piercing alarm rang out across the entire city.
…
A few minutes ago.
While everyone’s attention was on the underwater zombies, a group of about thirty individuals dressed in uniforms approached the gatehouse. Upon closer inspection, their movements appeared stiff and uncoordinated.
“Who goes there?” A sentinel raised his gun, sternly asking, but the identical uniforms caused hesitation, preventing them from shooting immediately.
The opposition swiftly lunged forward. The sentinels groaned as their necks snapped audibly.
Scattered bodies lay on the ground as these people silently crossed over, picking up firearms from the fallen.
“Knock, knock—” The leader politely knocked on the door.
The person in charge of the control room opened the video intercom, seeing a sentinel outside with a low-brimmed hat and an eerie tattoo on their chin. “What’s your ID number?” the person asked cautiously. “I haven’t seen you before.”
The individual slowly lifted their head, their cloudy grey eyes staring straight at them.
The person in charge paled, and hastily took a step back, trying to press the alarm button. Unfortunately, it was too late. The next moment, the gates were violently smashed open, dozens of zombies barged in, and blood-curdling screams echoed.
Haimen’s first iron gate was opened from the inside.
