Chapter 52: We Become One

On the 23rd floor of Wealth Building's rooftop, fierce winds raged.

"Lin Dui! I'm damn afraid of heights!"

Zhang Tie's face turned ashen as he clung to the steel cable, his body swaying in the gale.

Lin An was ahead of him, and Wen Ya was at the rear.

The three inched forward along the steel cable; beneath them was a massive corpse horde numbering over three hundred thousand, which from this height looked like a dense swarm of ants.

Without doubt, even if one didn't die from the fall at this height, they'd be completely devoured by the bloodthirsty corpse horde.

The steel cable in hand was made by roughly twisting together two thin steel ropes; one end was tied to the rooftop platform of Wealth Building, the other to a bundle of rebar lodged in the top floor of Wan Da Shopping Center.

Wealth Building stands significantly taller than the shopping center, with a gap of about forty meters between them.

Thus, ten minutes ago, Lin An, after several attempts, teamed up with Zhang Tie to successfully establish a 'Sky Road' between the two buildings.

The original plan was to rush straight across the ground plaza at top speed, then enter the mall via the underground parking lot.

This plan was not only dangerous, but also easily detected by mutants within the corpse horde.

Fortunately, Wen Ya's awakened talent provided Lin An with this 'Sky Road' solution, which was also a pleasant surprise.

Lin An helplessly glanced back at Zhang Tie, though he could see nothing.

The three were shielded by Wen Ya's mental power barrier, preventing mutants in the corpse horde below from detecting their movement.

"Climb faster; the weather today is a bit abnormal. A storm is likely."

After the apocalypse, meteorological and geological disasters began to occur frequently.

Lin An couldn't help urging on the weak‑limbed Zhang Tie; for this 1.9‑meter‑tall bald hulk, he really had nothing to complain about.

Zhang Tie grimaced, only able to speed up and follow behind him.

"Once we reach the mall's top floor, don't engage—just get inside first!"

Lin An activated the Judgment Eye; with enhanced strength, he could clearly see the dense corpse horde covering the mall's top floor.

At a glance, the corpse horde numbered no fewer than three to four thousand, packing the small top‑floor platform to capacity.

For this mall run, he didn't bring Mo Ling.

Since they all had mental power barriers, there was no longer any need for Mo Ling to sneak ahead as originally planned.

After all, if unlucky, Mo Ling might directly encounter a Suturer; as a mutant zombie, it would likely attack her.

A symbiote's scent would only be mistaken for a companion by ordinary zombies, but mutants would not be fooled—at most, they'd find it less conspicuous than a player.

Take the Licker, for example—this mutant even eats zombies, let alone Mo Ling, who carries a human scent.

"Got it! Lin Dui!"

Zhang Tie replied in a muffled voice over the team channel; seeing his frightened expression, Wen Ya behind him couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

She felt hardly any fear at all.

All three were Awakened Ones, and with physiques surpassing human limits, their crawling speed was extremely fast.

In just two minutes they neared the mall's top floor.

Zombies swarmed the rebar stuck in the top floor, apparently drawn by the earlier commotion.

The corpse horde suddenly howled, apparently having caught the scent of approaching humans.

But the mental power barrier interfered, preventing them from pinpointing the exact location of Lin An and his two companions.

It was like smelling a fragrance in a blank void.

"Pfft."

Lin An held his breath, landed lightly first, and warily eyed the zombie only a few centimeters away.

The zombie before him howled, somewhat frenzied, its face stripped of skin like a ghoul's, its crimson eyes full of desire.

Like a hound sniffing, the zombie stood dazed, shaking its head wildly up and down, constantly sniffing the air before Lin An.

Though there was clearly a human scent, he couldn't locate its source.

"Damn it, this damned zombie is groping Laozi!"

Everything went smoothly; all three reached the platform. But as soon as they landed, several zombies that had caught the scent lunged at Zhang Tie.

Had Lin An not warned him beforehand, and had he not strained to restrain himself, he would have almost lashed out.

"Lin Dui, this thing still won't let go!"

Their rotting, mutilated hands groped his body; a female zombie even grabbed both hands onto his pants pocket.

Although its facial flesh had completely rotted away, from its attire it was apparent that this female zombie had been young in life.

She wore a skimpy white miniskirt and a cool halter top.

Her clothes were soaked in blood and ripped open, vaguely revealing her formerly fiery figure.

These zombies, shielded by mental power, could sense prey only by touch, but could not identify what it was.

Zhang Tie's face flushed with embarrassment; he dared not strike, so he simply dragged the female zombie along behind Lin An.

The three carefully made their way through the corpse horde, only to see the rooftop iron door battered apart.

Even knowing that refraining from attack would avoid zombie aggression, anyone amidst the corpse horde would still feel tense.

Once the barrier failed at such close range, surrounded by the corpse horde, only Lin An would have a hope of survival; the other two would likely not last even a few seconds.

"How long can the mental power barrier hold?"

The three crept into the iron door, feeling their hearts suddenly relax.

Inside the dark stairwell, the zombie count had sharply dropped, with scattered white bones littering the corners.

Wen Ya paused upon hearing this, then closed her eyes to carefully sense her own mental power drain.

"If kept up, it can last another twenty minutes."

"Although the drain isn't huge, maintaining the barrier for three people means my mental power can't recover."

A silver flicker occasionally flashed in her eyes, after which she continued to replenish.

"If two people can last 45 minutes, I alone should be able to hold out for more than half a day!"

Lin An thought briefly; it seems limited by Wen Ya's mental power, and time is not ample.

"Okay, then we'll split up to search; you and I are a team. Zhang Tie works alone."

Zhang Tie has Bear Transformation and potions to preserve his life; even if he encounters 【Suturer】 he can barely hold on for a few seconds.

And Wen Ya, with a physique attribute of 10 points, would be instantly killed in one blow when facing a top-tier Second-Level mutant.

The air is filled with a rich corpse stench and bloody odor.

The three have already entered the top floor of Shang Cheng; looking around, the sight is shocking.

Originally snow-white walls are covered in dark red handprints, and the human bones, cleaned clean by gnawing, almost pave the entire floor.

One can imagine how desperate the humans hiding in Shang Cheng were in the face of zombies.

A casual step down shatters skulls and fingers.

Hordes of zombies shove and wander; occasionally a zombie steps on metal, making a noise that draws a frenzy from the nearby corpse horde.

"Received!"

Zhang Tie looks grimly at the internal situation, the corpse snake spine coiled around his waist also being held in his hand.

。。。。。。。。。。

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The heavy footsteps of the giant echo on the second floor; each step shakes up the rotting corpses covering the ground.

Low, mournful painful murmurs, mixed male and female, spread outward.

The iron door bearing a fresh-food refrigeration sign is tightly shut; the green paint on the heavy iron door is somewhat peeled and flaky, and the narrow, elongated glass above the door is covered with thick gray grime.

"Is that monster coming again..?"

Inside the small cold storage room are eleven survivors; a woman with tangled hair, her voice hoarse, cautiously asks the man leaning against the glass.

The man removes the cotton from his ear, hears clearly, then quickly puts it back on.

"Shh, keep it quiet."

The sound is like a mosquito; the nervous man glances back at the woman, his eyes full of fear, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Even though it's not the first time seeing this monster, each sighting still gives him immense fear and pressure.

The people inside the cold storage tightly cover their mouths and noses, ears stuffed with makeshift earplugs, eyes full of panic.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The heavy footsteps gradually fade away; only then does the man collapse to the ground, gasping as if drained.

The woman with tangled hair, dazed, walks from behind him to a corner; unnoticed, her chapped lips open and close like a dehydrated fish.

The dirty black cotton in his ear somehow fell to the ground, stained with pus and blood.

The air is murky; the stuffy cold storage room is utterly silent.

The woman, her back to the wall, smiles silently and whispers.

"weareone"

"We have merged into one.."