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墨書 Inktalez
"Come over here and kneel in a line! If anyone sticks out or sinks in even a little, I'll chop you to pieces!" Zheng Yifan shouted angrily at the group of captives. There was no need for mercy when dealing with them.
"Did you hear that? Hurry up and kneel properly! This is our leader's mercy towards you. If it were according to our usual style, you'd have been ground into meat paste to feed the dogs by now!" Ten Thousand Steps, his face covered in scars, climbed out of the vehicle.
Although he had only fought against Sui Tie and the others for a few seconds, he had sustained serious injuries. His face was marked with scratches, and he suffered from severe frostbite. If he hadn't already become a Third-Stage Esper, he would have been dead long ago.
Most of the other scientists had frozen to death, and Ten Thousand Steps had taken the brunt of the attacks, countering with his Superpowered Weapon to buy them two precious seconds—those two seconds that determined life and death in battle.
Fortunately, those scientists had already become Superpowered Individuals. As long as their frostbite wasn't too severe, they could gradually recover from even amputable injuries typical of the Post-Apocalypse.
However, one scientist was gravely injured and still on the brink of death, relying solely on the Superpower within him to cling to life. If no one helped him, he would soon perish in a corner.
But Zheng Yifan had ample supplies in his Storage Space—frostbite ointment, hot water, warm towels—all emergency supplies that quickly brought him back to life. As for intravenous fluids, they were unnecessary; the Superpowered Individual's remarkable recovery ability would allow him to heal gradually.
After tending to the unfortunate scientist briefly, Zheng Yifan approached the captives. He looked at them kneeling with their hands on their heads, heads bowed low in fear of retaliation.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, Zheng Yifan was quite surprised inside. These were all legitimate Second-Stage Espers. The fact that so many Second-Stage Espers accepted Ten Thousand Steps' orders without resistance suggested that once their leader was taken down, they would completely lose their will to fight.
"Where did you come from? What is your purpose in coming here? Tell me everything you know clearly. If I am satisfied, I might spare your lives!" Zheng Yifan's words were cold and ruthless, but they were indeed the best response for them—he wouldn't kill them; instead, he might ultimately release them.
"Is... is that true?" Among the crowd of Superpowered Individuals stood an older man who resembled a humble farmer from the Post-Apocalypse. His face was lined with wrinkles that seemed capable of holding chopsticks.
"Of course it's true. Although I'm not an emperor and don't have a king's word of honor, I won't deceive those whose lives are in my hands. Moreover! Do you really think you can still control your own lives?" Zheng Yifan's cold gaze swept over them like a chilling light piercing through.
Everyone instinctively shrank back; even Ten Thousand Steps was no exception. The old farmer-like Superpowered Individual seemed to harbor some doubt. However, upon seeing the two dead Superpowered Individuals on the ground, any lingering skepticism vanished.
Their lives were now in someone else's hands; they could only gamble one last time. If their captor showed mercy and released them, that would be wonderful; if not, they would consider themselves dead from the moment they embarked on this exploration mission.
They had no more thoughts left; each person had set out for this mission with a mindset of certain death. Now it seemed they had arrived at the expected outcome.
However, the middle-aged man looked at his hands lying on the ground. Feeling the heart that seemed to have stopped beating, a wave of madness surged in his chest.
They had long since died; now they were merely living corpses. The blood in his heart no longer flowed, and there were no signs of life within his body. Even the sensation of pain was gradually fading away. They knew they had become no different from zombies—either rational zombies or those with a short lifespan.
With gritted teeth and a stomp of his foot, the uncle tore his clothes apart with all his might.
What came into view was something that Zheng Yifan could never have imagined.
It was a completely decayed chest. The muscles had atrophied, and the fat was oozing out, emitting a faint stench.
The expression on the uncle's face was quite strange. He didn’t want to remember that his body had become this way, but in reality, they could not escape it.
"Actually, using our lives as leverage is pointless. I just hope to return to my hometown and see whether my grandson is alive or dead. He lives in Ancheng; I have no other thoughts. The others feel the same way; we all have family in Ancheng, which is why we applied to come here. We just didn’t expect…” He looked at the rotten flesh on his chest, and something resembling tears seemed to flow down.
But the color was indeed green, quickly sinking into the soil upon hitting the ground.
Zheng Yifan recognized the true nature of that liquid.
Zombie Fluid; they were actually a group of zombies—monsters that still bore human faces but had transformed into zombies inside.
Zheng Yifan stared in shock at the middle-aged man before him, unable to fathom how someone could become a zombie yet retain their human rationality.
How did they survive? Surely only their last shred of obsession remained in their hearts?
Zheng Yifan looked at them and suddenly thought of the warriors of the Chiyou Tribe from the First Vitality Era. The potion they drank before going into battle was what turned them into this. Those warriors were truly fearless, willing to die to preserve their tribe.
It should be noted that during the First Vitality Era, it was actually the best time for humanity; intelligence awakened, and they gained the power of Vital Energy. It could have been a golden age, but battles between tribes destroyed that prime period without a trace. A large number of superpowered individuals and scientists focused solely on combat technology. The victorious Chiyou Tribe possessed not even a hint of scientific advancement; they only altered bloodlines and activated zombie powers, turning people into human bombs.
The warriors fought bravely on the battlefield, yet none returned. What a profound tragedy that was.
Now, the people kneeling in front of him were no different; they had come to Ancheng to scout for their loved ones. Yet, they had been secretly administered that Zombie Potion, turning them into Zombies or half-Zombies.
They lacked permanently active cells, and once their internal strength was exhausted, they would die.
They had once used refined Essence and successfully employed a Catalyst to become Second-Stage Espers, but this still drained their potential. A Second-Stage Esper appeared immensely powerful, yet they hadn't even reached the threshold.
However, it was then that Zheng Yifan noticed the most crucial piece of equipment.
It was a miniature device placed behind their ears, resembling a screw embedded there; this device controlled them.
After several people shared their experiences, Zheng Yifan finally understood the terrifying nature of this device.
After becoming Zombies, they initially retained their sanity, but once this device was implanted, all rationality would be stripped away. Their bodies and minds became like two parallel lines that refused to intersect; they knew what they were doing but could not control their own bodies—not even moving a thumb was possible.
It was as if everything had been handed over to someone else.
Upon seeing this device, Zheng Yifan's first reaction was to use large-scale cannon fodder to eliminate the enemy's living forces.
Once this faction possessed a significant amount of Essence, they would use the Catalyst to catalyze a large number of Second-Stage Espers. With a scale of tens of thousands and unified use of the current devices, the resulting destructive power would be unimaginable. Moreover, this was merely something produced by the Second Vitality World.
In the First Vitality Era, there were also potions that could lead to mutual destruction. After use, each Superpowered Individual would be a high-yield bomb; encountering such a situation would be even more terrifying.
The design scheme and ideas of this faction were almost identical to those of the Chiyou Tribe. Their actions could be considered nearly the same.
However, with the arrival of the Second Vitality Era, Chiyou's power had been significantly restricted. It seemed he could only send out his minions to guide those of the Second Vitality Era, while his subordinates' strength was greatly limited.
In the First Vitality Era, Fifth-Level Espers were as common as stray dogs. Even though most were killed by the Yellow Emperor Tribe, there would always be some that slipped through the cracks.
But now, there were no figures of such strength appearing at all.
There is only one reason that can explain why the entire world's Vital Energy is simply insufficient to support the emergence of Superpowered Individuals at the Fifth Level or even above the Fourth Stage during the First Vitality Era. They hide in some corner, waiting for certain changes that would allow the world to accept them.
They seem like those rejected by the entire world. Perhaps the Shadow World is their hiding place; who knows?
Zheng Yifan gradually understood their situation and learned the name of this Gathering Place.
Tiger Mouth, once affiliated with the military district, is now under the control of high-ranking military officials. They do not know who specifically holds power; they only know to follow orders.
This is a Gathering Place with strict management, where class issues are extremely serious. Everyone has their own label, and people are divided into ten ranks. With each rank increase, the treatment, status, and rights over those of lower ranks differ vastly.
If a Level Ten Survivor encounters a Level Nine Survivor, they possess the ability to dominate everything about them. Even if they kill them, it would only result in compensation of some wealth.
Within Tiger Mouth, the harsh class system drives more ambitious individuals to seek higher treatment and nurtures some crazies. They go to great lengths to elevate their status.
These individuals are organized by leaders from various factions within the Gathering Place to explore Ancheng.
Their goal is the Botanical Garden Area of Ancheng. According to scientists from Tiger Mouth, Ancheng is expected to be a major production area for Essence Fruit.
What they sent were these Zombie Puppets along with two genuine Third-Stage Espers. (To be continued)
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