Chapter 1290

Pfft!

The sharp White Equipment longsword easily pierced a shriveled skull, and as the blade was pulled out, a sticky, turbid liquid immediately clung to it.

Bang!

Stepping on a zombie crawling with white maggots, using the rebound force, the short awakened one wearing a melon‑rind hat skillfully pulled out the longsword, but seeing the sticky brain matter on the blade, he couldn't help feeling irritable.

"Damn, are zombie brains all shit now? Before, you'd pull it out, shake it off, and it'd fall; now a stab goes in and it's as sticky as dog shit."

With a look of disgust, he rubbed the longsword again and again on the female corpse's chest; then, as if thinking of something, his eyes darted, and with a mischievous pfft, he simply stabbed the longsword into the underside of this zombie, seemingly trying to wipe it clean on some spot.

Hehe, just as he was feeling pleased with his clever idea.

Just then, a few seconds later, as he stirred twice and pulled out the blade, a surge of urine‑like stench shot up with the withdrawn longsword, spurted out—a yellowish lump resembling crystallized feces and urine being dragged out in a string.

Instantly, the extremely nauseating odor, like an uncleaned village latrine's sewer for decades, made him gag dry‑heaving; even his nearby teammate's face turned pale, and with one breath he almost vomited.

"What the fuck! Ugh... Zhang Luozi! You fucking... ugh... Are you brain‑damaged?!!"

Bending over, dry‑heaving, the poison‑gas‑like smell directly felled several people.

Hiding in an abandoned café to recuperate, even though everyone knew they couldn't shout loudly here lest they attract a zombie tide, under Zhang Luozi's perverse sense of humor, several people still couldn't help cursing.

Ugh...

My... I fucking... didn't... ugh... expect...

Embarrassed, the short awakened one who had been kicked hurriedly apologized, but gripping his beloved longsword, he suddenly felt an urge to throw it down.

Too disgusting! He never imagined that his impulsive act would be this disgusting.

Keep it down... ugh...

A middle‑aged man who seemed to be the team captain stared grimly at Zhang Luozi, suppressing his anger and nausea; somewhat nervous, he lifted his head to look out the gray‑hazy glass.

"Damn it! If we attract monsters, I'll be the first to throw you out!"

After being scolded a few times, as Zhang Luozi frantically sheathed the longsword, the extremely nauseating smell gradually faded.

Trying to quickly move on, Zhang Luozi gave a dry laugh and hurriedly shifted the topic:

"Boss, once we leave this area, where are we headed next?"

"Should we go to the military or to Faction: Long An? I heard Faction: Long An is recruiting lately and their food seems plentiful; from the war‑zone channel I see many people preparing to go to Linjiang."

Covering his stomach, the man's belly gave a growl; clearly, although the whole team were Awakened Ones, they still didn't have enough to eat.

Although it was clear Zhang Luozi was changing the subject, the squad leader coldly glared at him and then fell silent as well.

Exactly, this is their most important matter ahead.

Go to the Military Region, or to Faction: Long An?

All the third‑rank powerhouses from the major safe zones and gathering places have returned, including a large batch of second‑level Awakened Ones; the originally chaotic situation was brought under control within a few days, for this period's chaos was entirely due to the lack of third‑rank suppression.

Of course, after many safe‑zone leaders returned, they discovered that in their absence someone had harbored ill intentions, naturally resulting in heads rolling.

Forces were reshuffled, some rose, some split.

In this situation, their squad became expendable, a lackey of a dumbass second‑level; after the third‑rank returned, this clueless bunch tagging along with the second‑level in a power struggle could only flee.

"Let's go to Faction: Long An!"

"I heard from the channel that the military's interior seems off; many third‑rank who returned say there are monsters in the military."

"And Lin An is incredibly strong! It's said he was nearly invincible in the tournament!"

Their eyes flickered; as insignificant figures, their only way to get outside news was the chat channel. Although they weren't clear about what was happening in the capital, after the recent abnormalities and the various military regions' eerie silence, everyone felt something was wrong.

Especially, among the returning third‑rank, rumors spread that the capital's high‑level officials were being controlled by monsters.

Amid the panic, many survivors under the military regions had already prepared to flee.

"Faction: Long An? Faction: Long An is a great place, but boss, it's pretty far from us, and I hear the management is very strict..."

As the topic turned to the issue they cared about most, several people couldn't help voicing their opinions one after another.

In their view, the military equaled natural trust and great strength, but now it seems something has gone wrong...

Faction: Long An, I heard life there is like paradise, its strength not inferior to the military's, and its leader Lin An is even touted as the strongest in the world—only, compared with the trust in the official side, it falls a bit short.

Moreover, its management is strict, even stricter than the military's.

"Who cares if it's strict! Even if it's strict, it's better than private factions! Damn, do those third‑rank treat us as humans!? They're living it up while we can't even fill our stomachs!"

"Haven't you forgotten Lao Sun's daughter? He's a proud second‑level, also a vice leader, yet all it takes is one word to hand his daughter over to that bastard! That short winter melon—he almost made Lao Sun pimp him out!"

"Without strength, freedom is worthless! I'd rather have stricter management!"

Hearing his companions still hesitating over Faction: Long An's management, the team captain immediately launched into a tirade.

Perhaps some people love the chaotic apocalypse, but for us little folks we actually crave order. If it weren't for Faction: Long An being far away, we would have already run there!

After being dressed down head‑to‑toe by the captain, the young man who had spoken earlier immediately shut his mouth.

Indeed, they no longer have the luxury to be picky. Surely, if they went to Faction: Long An, at least filling their stomachs wouldn't be a problem, right?

He had seen people bragging on the chat channel: the outer city of Faction: Long An is supposedly so affluent that folks take a bath once a week, and food piles up in the warehouses; the mysterious inner city, meanwhile, leaves endless room for imagination.

After discussing, several people set off toward Faction: Long An with hopeful eyes.

But just as several people and most survivors were preparing to set off, the war‑zone channel suddenly flooded with a large amount of long‑unseen messages in official format.

A Letter to All Nation's Survivors:

"Please, all Survivors of the Huaxia war‑zone, please immediately leave Faction: Long An! If any compatriots are on the way there, please stop moving at once! We are the Supreme Command of the Capital Military! After investigation, Faction: Long An harbors a large number of unknown Mutants! Its leader Lin An feeds on Awakened Ones to strengthen himself!"

"In order to protect the safety of the vast Survivors and to thwart the plot of Faction: Long An's safe zone, our forces will launch a indiscriminate nuclear strike on the Linjiang area in forty‑eight hours! Please, all Survivors, flee as quickly as possible!!"

"Hereby, we warn the Survivors of Faction: Long An who have been deceived by Lin An: please immediately assist the military and provide all information about Lin An!"

A torrent of identical messages poured down like a waterfall, instantly causing an uproar throughout the Huaxia war‑zone.