Chapter 414: Zombie Virus

Heads swarmed on the city wall.

While the first zombie wave's attack was only a probe, Long'an Base's soldiers diverted some manpower, quickly jumping down the wall to drag away corpses.

Trucks, bulldozers.

The forklifts originally used for loading and unloading cargo were also put to use.

"Watch your ammo!"

"Make sure you smash their heads!"

The squad leaders on ropes repeatedly shouted reminders, while the soldiers on the wall held their guns on guard, fearing any not‑yet‑dead zombies might sneak attack.

As resurrected zombies, unless their heads are smashed to pulp, they can still move.

Their tenacity borders on horrifying vitality; even Awakened Ones can fall victim if caught off guard.

Zombie corpses are useful; they can be thrown into the Spirit Energy Tower as 'coal'.

"Received!"

The corpse‑clearing team, fully clad in protective suits, replied in a muffled voice; sweat soaked the heavy suits inside.

No choice; after just finishing battle, they have to move corpses.

Although the physical exertion isn't great, the mental pressure is huge.

In the distance, a vast corpse horde seethed; the huge mutant standing at the heart of the zombie tide was like a silent tower.

Were it not for the system's restrictions, they wouldn't dare clear corpses under the zombie horde's gaze no matter what.

"Speed up!"

"Leave the too‑fragmented corpses to the bulldozer!"

Detailed reminders, the armed squad leader occasionally looked back at the hulking tank that stood like a tower.

"When is the next wave?"

"Tonight, or tomorrow?"

A soldier stepped on the wet, soggy flesh‑mud; even with a gas mask blocking the corpse stench, amidst tens of thousands of zombie bodies the foul odor still slipped like a small snake into his nostrils.

Just as he was about to move a corpse, a skinned arm suddenly protruded from the pile of bodies and grabbed his ankle.

"Ah!"

Taken by surprise, he exclaimed.

He fell heavily into the corpse heap; in the panic he could only see a flattened head, a female zombie with only her upper body left clutching him.

"How can this still be alive!?"

His companion nearby was startled and rushed to his side.

"Save.. me!"

The blasted blood mixed with shredded flesh.

The panicked soldier, like sinking in quicksand, was swiftly dragged into the midst of the bodies.

His bulky protective suit made it impossible to draw the submachine gun on his back.

"Hiss!"

The zombie buried beneath the corpses snarled and clawed wildly; its blood‑filled mouth, half its teeth gone, stretched to the limit as it frenziedly gnawed at his gas mask.

The sudden shock left him unable to react rationally, and the soldier rushing to his aid dared not fire.

The half‑headed zombie woman clung tightly to him, madly biting; the zombie's lips scraped a layer of flesh raw from his mask.

"Everyone, move back!"

"Whoosh!"

On the wall, Gao Tian noticed the situation at once.

Without hesitation, he loosed an arrow uncharged with spirit energy.

"Pfft!"

Precise, a single strike killed.

The feather fletching on the arrow's tail still trembled.

The panicked soldier, seeing the zombie's head pierced, couldn't help but let out a big sigh of relief.

He went limp, sinking into the corpse pile, a wave of after‑fear washing over him.

Fortunately, fortunately Lord Gao Tian acted.

Praises rang out repeatedly.

Just as the squad leader pulled the soldier from the corpse heap, the survivor's body shuddered.

A drop of zombie blood slid slowly down his forehead and then into his eye socket.

Hardly had he time to react when a slight sting appeared, and his heartbeat suddenly stopped.

"I..."

The squad leader's arm stiffened; he saw that drop of blood fall into the eye socket.

"Fall back!"

Out of training instinct, the squad leader roared, raised his rifle and aimed at the soldier's brow.

The other soldiers gathering around heard the cry, startled and about to speak, but noticed the rescued soldier's eyes suddenly suffused with red.

"Don't!"

Terrified, as if plunged into an ice cellar.

The soldier who had been pulled up realized what was happening.

His whole body trembling, he raised both hands high, knelt, and pleaded with a face full of desperation at the captain who had trained alongside him.

"Captain! Don't shoot! I might not be..."

「Ge-ho」

He didn't even finish speaking.

In the brief stalemate of just a few seconds, those who hadn't yet reacted stared wide-eyed as the kneeling soldier twitched.

Damn it!

He's been infected!

One month into the apocalypse, the zombie virus's infectivity gradually increased.

The infection speed, originally half an hour, kept getting faster.

10 minutes...

3 minutes..

30 seconds..

This time, the virus contained in a single drop of zombie blood infected the soldier in less than ten seconds.

A howl, his limbs jerking like machinery.

At the instant the soldier turned into a zombie, gunfire rang out.

「Bang! 」

The bullet fired at close range pierced his skull, the spinning casing trailing a string of blood.

The corpse fell to the ground; the soldier with a '97' tag on his back died under gunfire.

The squad leader lowered his rifle with a face full of grief.

Beside him, the other soldiers who had gathered silently watched the scene.

Ten seconds, a drop of blood.

One soldier became a zombie.

Since Lin An arrived at the academy, this was the first time the base had suffered casualties after the sandworms.

A heavy atmosphere lingered over the battlefield.

Several teammates familiar with the dead soldier moved their lips, wanting to say something.

But at this moment, they could only let out a sigh.

A long-lost feeling.

This is the apocalypse.

On the city wall, Gao Tian slowly lowered his compound bow with a complex gaze, a bitter smile curling his lips.

He recognized that person.

Liberal arts class's Huang Siqui, 21, about the same age as himself.

He had a girlfriend, and their relationship was very good.

To earn more base credit points, this guy always took part in outdoor missions.

He was cheerful and his training was extremely hard.

Who would have thought that even moving corpses, which seemed safe, could kill people.

Ridiculous.

He didn't die in a zombie's mouth, nor at the hands of a mutant.

A living life, killed by a drop of blood.

On the city wall, Huang Siqui's girlfriend stared blankly as the familiar figure collapsed, her medical kit also slipping limp from her hands to fall to the ground.

The reagents in the tote bag rolled onto the ground; the shattered test-tube glass was like her heart at that moment.

「Huang Siqui... 」

The girl, as if gone mad, tried to jump off the wall, but the medic beside her held her fast.

In front of the Spiritual Energy Tower, the dead soldier's corpse was placed alone to one side.

「Lin Dui.. 」

Should we also throw his corpse into the Spiritual Energy Tower?

Gao Tian's expression was complex, somewhat bitter.

The surrounding soldiers silently lowered their heads; most of the zombie corpses at the base of the wall had already been cleared.

「Throw it in. 」

「The Spiritual Energy Tower can process corpses. 」

「As long as the corpse is infected with the zombie virus, it will forever retain toxicity. 」

Lessons learned from blood and tears in a past life.

In the early days of the apocalypse, many forces, after killing the infected, didn't have time to dispose of the corpses.

Even some people, unable to accept a relative's death for a time, ended up causing secondary contamination from inadequately handled corpses.

With these lessons, Lin An naturally wouldn't repeat the same mistake.

「Thud」

A dull impact sound.

After receiving Lin An's signal, the male student's girlfriend finally glanced at that disfigured face and couldn't help but cover her face and cry.

Spiritual Energy Severance.

The soldier's corpse, in the flames, turned into pure energy.

The others turned away, unable to bear it, observing a moment of silence.

After this incident, it also served as a bloody lesson for the base members.

The apocalypse is always the apocalypse; you never know when you'll die.

It was just in the oppressive atmosphere; no one noticed.

Among the corpses burned to ash, a red dot swiftly crawled along the pipe.