Chapter 687: Brother, You Okay? (Double Moon Tickets—Readers, Cast Your Votes!)

“But if we just let it keep following us…”

“Team Leader Shen!”

Just as everyone was at a loss, a trembling, excited voice came from nearby.

Turning to look, three battered figures appeared on the ruins. “Ox Frog! Big Chongzi! Mantou!” Shen Linrui waved, excitedly: “You got here fast—come on down!”

“Squeak!”

Lightning poked its head out of Shen Linrui’s pocket and vigorously waved its tiny paws—it recognized the three newcomers and was greeting them.

Because they had changed position, Ox Frog and the others were now much closer, making it far quicker to reach them.

The three of them trudged down from the ruins, looking as defeated and pitiful as deserters, and upon seeing familiar faces, collapsed onto the ground with a thud, tears streaming down their faces as their emotions shattered.

“Team Leader Shen, it was terrifying—so terrifying. That explosion… it was awful. Back then we…”

Before Shen Linrui could ask, Ox Frog began recounting what had happened the previous evening.

Recon squads were organized in teams of five; Ox Frog’s team was tasked with monitoring the massive horde’s movements and harassing it to delay its arrival in the Shanhai Zone, buying time for Shen Linrui’s group to call for reinforcements.

The five-man team split into two smaller units to carry out separate missions: Ox Frog and the other two were driving toward the northwest of the horde, while Pi Dan and Da Chongzi had set up traps on the southeastern open plains—but before the traps were even finished, disaster struck.

They didn’t even hear the explosion—the shockwave, traveling faster than sound, swept across the unprotected plains, instantly vaporizing Pi Dan and San Mu; their bodies were never found…

The three in the vehicle were incredibly lucky—the car rolled several times and tumbled into a roadside ditch. They suffered badly, but survived. When the dust settled, they crawled out and stared, utterly stunned.

“The camp is gone. All our brothers are gone. Why? Team Leader Shen, do you know why?”

The man called Mantou had baby fat on his face; though filthy, his skin tone was noticeably pale—likely the origin of his nickname. He sniffled as he asked for an explanation.

“Enough, enough. We’ll talk about this later. Come on, get up. Let me introduce you to a few friends—these are brothers from the Tianmayu Yama Legion. Say hello!”

Shen Linrui was the commander of the reconnaissance unit; Ox Frog was only a squad leader—there was a clear chain of command between them.

The three had noticed the strangers earlier, but had been too emotionally overwhelmed to pay attention. Now, upon hearing the introduction, they stood up, wiped their tears, nodded, and offered a silent greeting.

Hong Laosi had not joined Tianmayu, but Shen Linrui had included him in the team anyway—no one cared about such minor details.

“The incident happened too suddenly. No one wanted this. Brothers, fate brought us together. I think… Xiao Wu, what’s the status of Zero Zero Four?”

“Same as always. Not moving.”

Duan Wuhu nodded, then pulled out a cigarette and walked toward Ox Frog and the others. “Brothers, to be honest, our mission out here is to investigate the horde that came from Hulushi. Can you tell us in detail?”

Since Zero Zero Four wasn’t moving, they might as well ask right here.

None of the three took the cigarette—they all looked at Shen Linrui.

“These brothers are from the Tianmayu Yama Legion. Their current squad is called ‘Rush to Shanhai.’ They didn’t just come to investigate the horde—they’ve been helping us return and investigate the explosion. They’re trustworthy brothers!”

Shen Linrui gave Ox Frog and the others a fuller introduction to Rush to Shanhai.

After hearing this, the three accepted Duan Wuhu’s cigarettes. Then Ox Frog spoke: “We had no idea why the horde was heading toward Shanhai. We tried multiple times to divert it—all failed. We never expected the explosion’s shockwave would do it.”

The Rush to Shanhai members silently shook their heads. A single toxic zombie exploding—that explained everything. Besides, the shockwave was merely a surface effect; the real reason was likely the complete vaporization of hundreds of people at Dragon Head Camp, eliminating the magnetic field that had been locking the horde’s direction…

As for why it was moving northwest, the answer was simple: the nearest large human settlement to the horde was Tianmayu!

“We strongly suspect the horde is now moving toward our camp. Is there any way to stop it?”

Duan Wuhu frowned.

“If the horde moves in a straight line toward Tianmayu, the biggest obstacle ahead is Mount Zu. Then there’s another, smaller peak, and finally Tianma Mountain… Can they really make it?”

The middle-aged man named Da Chongzi, who had been silent until now, spoke up. Though the distance from Hulushi to Shanhai was 130 kilometers along a flat coastal highway with no barriers, the route from the diversion point to Tianmayu now had three massive mountains blocking the way—except for a small stretch of plain.

“Brother, you know the terrain of Qincheng inside out. Impressive!”

Duan Wuhu complimented him.

“Old Li used to work in geological surveying…” Shen Linrui added.

Li Pingchong nodded. “Professional habit. Just familiar with terrain.”

“With mountains blocking them, the horde either detours, climbs over, or gets split up. Could cliffs cause massive casualties?”

Duan Wuhu summarized his questions.

Lu Yubo shook his head. “Team Leader Duan, I think detouring is most likely. We must resolve this threat!”

“Exactly,” Wu Lue nodded quickly. “Mountains only slow them down. If the horde has locked onto Tianmayu, it’s only a matter of time before it gets here!”

The Dragon Head Camp survivors weren’t surprised by the word “locked”—only Hong Laosi looked puzzled, though he said nothing and listened quietly.

“Actually, I think since the horde is still so far away, why not just set it on fire?”

In the one hundred percent correct version!

Park Chan-yong suggested.

Whoosh.

All eyes turned to Park Chan-yong.

“Little brother, you okay? You can’t even see the giant crater your camp left—still want to light a fire? You think mountains are explosion-proof?”

Zhao Dezhu’s face twisted in disbelief—he thought this guy was truly reckless.

“Forty to fifty million zombies—who knows what kind of monstrous variants are in there? What if one of them can trigger an even bigger explosion? You don’t want to live anymore?”

Lu Yubo felt a wave of frustration. Today had been nothing but helpless situations.

“It’s not necessarily impossible. Even a real nuclear explosion can’t destroy mountains. We could set up delayed ignition devices and use the terrain as a shield—the safety margin would still be high.”

Li Pingchong analyzed logically.

The Rush to Shanhai members stared blankly at the remnants of Dragon Head Camp—so your camp had to get destroyed? Not only do you have a nutjob who likes setting zombies on fire, but even normal people here think fire is a good zombie solution…

“Under no circumstances should we use fire…” Duan Wuhu waved his hand.

“Then… forty to fifty million zombies—we can’t kill them one by one, right?”

Fan Donglu sighed, spreading his hands. He naturally tied his fate to Tianmayu—his own camp was gone, so he needed a new home. This horde had to be dealt with.

“Your camp can muster two hundred fighters? Each one would have to kill over two thousand zombies? Super Saiyan, huh? Hah…”

Zhao Dezhu was good at simple math—he calculated the answer and laughed.

Wu Lue said nothing. He knew there was a solution: Shengtian Original Slurry. This substance’s explosion differed from fire.

According to current scientific understanding, all physical matter within the purple bubble’s range instantly transforms from solid to gas. If explained more mystically, it’s as if the matter is sent to a parallel universe…

No one knew exactly how it worked. All that remained was nothing—not even residue, not even a reaction process. Clean, hygienic, brutally efficient.

But using Shengtian Original Slurry against fifty million zombies…

He didn’t know if the camp had enough in reserve.

(End of Chapter)