Chapter 460: Apocalypse Trading System (32)

First Safe Base.

"Dad! Second Uncle! This is bad! The Zombies are about to break in!"

Xie Cong ran in, his face deathly pale.

He had originally intended to go to the Trading Hall to see if there were any small, easy Tasks to pick up.

He didn't dare accept Tasks to go outside and kill Zombies; he had no Ability, so he just wanted to find some leisurely Tasks inside the base to earn some points to trade for a hot bowl of instant noodles or mutton soup.

Some Ability Users had returned from outside and brought back two sheep; he heard they sold one and slaughtered the other, stewing the bones for soup, which could be traded for a bowl for two points.

He had smelled the fragrance from far away.

Not to mention his son crying with hunger, even he himself was craving it terribly.

Who would have thought, before he even reached the Trading Hall, he heard a commotion ahead, mixed with screams.

Someone ran back saying that Zombies had climbed over the wall and bitten a sentry soldier to death; although another soldier immediately shot it dead, looking down, the area under the wall was swarming with Zombies, and more were continuously arriving from afar.

Xie Cong was pacing around in anxiety.

On such a cold, snowy day, he had actually broken out in a sweat.

"Dad, Second Uncle, what should we do?"

Xie Yongguo and Xie Yonghua were so frightened upon hearing this that they stood up:

"What? The Zombies have attacked?"

"Yes! I heard it from the people who ran over to look. They've already gone back to pack up, planning to run. They said staying here is just waiting for death; the current Zombies can run, jump, and climb walls nimbly. Once they break in, we won't even have time to run."

"Then what do we do!"

The Xie Yongguo brothers looked at each other with pale faces.

In this weather, with no other buildings around, where could they run to?

Ever since they arrived at the base, aside from worrying about food and shelter, they had never feared the Zombies again.

As long as they didn't leave the base gates, no matter how many or how terrifying the Zombies outside were, it had nothing to do with them.

They had never imagined that one day the base's high walls wouldn't be able to stop the Zombies and that they would be breached.

Heavens! How were they supposed to live?

If even the official Safe Base wasn't safe, where else was there a safe place?

"Didn't they say this place was easy to defend and hard to attack, a uniquely advantageous location? How could it be breached by Zombies? What about those Ability Users recruited by the officials? Living in such good houses and drawing such high salaries, are they just for show?"

Xie Yongguo said angrily.

Xie Yonghua couldn't spare the time to be angry and turned to notify the women next door.

The women of the Xie Family were so terrified upon learning that the Zombies were attacking that they couldn't even move.

"Mom! Mom! I'm scared!"

"How can there be Zombies inside the base? What are we going to do?"

Xie Yun didn't believe such a large base couldn't stop the Zombies and guessed: "Is it like a fire drill, done on purpose? To raise our vigilance?"

Just then, the base's public broadcast sounded right on time:

"Attention everyone! Attention everyone! The base is under inexplicable siege by Zombies. Higher authorities have issued a distress signal, but it will take time for brother bases to arrive for reinforcements. During this period, all Ability Users must rush to the city walls as soon as possible! Seniors over sixty and minors under eighteen are to enter the Explosion-proof Basement for shelter. All other adult males are to gather at the Trading Hall and prepare for battle at any time. Adult females are to head to the temporarily erected Medical Tent to assist military doctors in caring for the wounded."

"Attention everyone! Attention everyone..."

The notice was broadcast three times in a row.

With every repetition, the faces of the Xie Family members turned a few shades paler.

But the base had the same arrangements for every family, so what could they say?

If they didn't obey, once the Zombies were defeated, the base would surely settle scores with their family later.

At this moment, Xie Yongguo regretted not reporting himself as two years older when he was getting his ID card back then.

He was fifty-eight this year; he was just two years away from being able to hide in the Explosion-proof Basement.

"Yunyun, you and Xiaosheng can go to the Explosion-proof Basement, neither of you is an adult yet!" Xie Yonghua's wife hurriedly urged her daughter, "Hurry up and pack your things, go quickly! Why are you still dawdling?"

"But Mom, I'm scared..."

"Scared of what! Hurry up! Xiaosheng, you hurry too, take your second sister to the Explosion-proof Basement."

Everyone else was an adult and had to follow orders; the men went to the Trading Hall, and the women went to the Medical Tent.

When leaving, Xie Yongguo gave his two sons a look: "You two go check the Explosion-proof Basement; if you can sneak in, come and tell us."

Xie Yongqiang heard this and hurriedly gave his eldest son a look: "Achang, you go with your brother."

However, the officials had anticipated that some people would try to sneak in, so they specifically sent a team of armed female soldiers to check IDs at the entrance of the basement.

When the group entered the base, they had registered their identity information, and each person was issued a Temporary Residence Permit that could record points at any time; once the QR code was scanned, everyone's detailed situation was laid bare.

Sneaking in was definitely impossible.

The people of the Lao Xie family had no choice but to dejectedly mingle with the large crowd of ordinary Survivors and go where they were supposed to go.

Hearing the "whoosh" and "boom" sounds coming from the front, they knew the Ability Users were already at war with the Zombies.

But soon, they heard screams; some people were bitten by Zombies that had climbed the wall, and others were dragged off the wall by Zombies, instantly swallowed by the Zombie Tide.

The Trading Hall was clearly packed with people, yet it was deathly silent.

Everyone was holding their breath, listening to the movement ahead, praying incessantly in their hearts: Hold on! You must hold on until the reinforcements arrive!

"Where are the reinforcements? Didn't they say they had already set out? Why haven't they arrived yet?"

The high-level officials were also waiting for rescue teams sent by other bases.

But the other three bases were located at the South City Steel Structure Factory, the West City Farm Base, and the North City Building Materials Base, respectively, and it would take time to get here.

Especially the West City and North City bases; it would take over an hour to drive here even before the apocalypse, let alone after, especially since it was snowing today.

Traveling in the snow, and having to fight if they encountered Zombies... by the time they arrived, the opportunity would likely have long passed.

The high-level leaders were no longer counting on them; now they were just hoping the rescue team from the Chengnan Base could be faster.

The South City Rescue Team they spoke of was currently ten kilometers away from Diyi Jidi, where they had encountered a Zombie Tide.

The intense, protracted battle had exhausted the Ability Users' abilities.

One after another, they retreated to their seats to wait for their abilities to recover.

Only the soldiers holding guns remained, struggling to hold the line.

Chu Qingyan stood on the roof of the vehicle, shooting dead a Zombie attempting to climb onto the vehicle with one shot, but in the distance, he saw many black dots approaching; it was another wave of the Zombie Tide, dense and packed.

"Old Chu!"

Zhou Chen'an also sensed that something was wrong:

"How could there be so many Zombies?"

"Someone is driving them!"

Or rather, a Zombie King has appeared among the Zombies.

"With so many Zombies, no matter how many bullets we have, it's going to be tough; how are we still supposed to go support Diyi Jidi?"

Suddenly, an Ability User in the vehicle behind them exclaimed.

"Holy crap! What is that?"

"Such a huge Fireball!"

Chu Qingyan shot another Zombie dead and, together with Zhou Chen'an, looked in the direction of the sound.

A Fireball as large as a basketball soared over their heads and landed straight into the Zombie horde, instantly burning down a whole patch.

"!!!"