Chapter 20: The Mission Outside
At the same time, atop the high wall.
Yan Chuanbai had already given the order to concentrate firepower on the ground below.
All the ability-users were neatly—without a single one left behind—stuck to the wall.
Only the zombies, dragged down by gravity, piled up in layers, surging like a tide of corpses.
A gloved hand waved.
Then came the unilateral slaughter under a storm of bullets.
Blinding bursts of fire shot out one after another.
The ability-users just happened to be in a blind spot of the barrage. On the gray wall, Mo Jiayan and Ye Yi were hanging side by side. Mo Jiayan, bored, swung her legs and tossed down a splash of poison:
“Captain, when can we go down?”
Ye Yi, hanging steady and composed, replied: “When there’s ground for us to stand on.”
“Ew.”
The purge took half an hour.
Qi He and Meng Yan were waiting at the edge of the battle zone. When the gunfire ahead finally quieted, Qi He looked up and met Yan Chuanbai’s gaze. Across the dusk, the latter gave him a nod, and Qi He raised his hand again.
The ability-users on the wall slowly slid down.
The magnetic domains shifted, and the magnetism dissipated.
The ability-users gradually retreated back into the base. Qi He got into the car with Meng Yan, shut the doors and windows, and drove into the base.
Upon entering, everyone still had to undergo the routine inspection.
Qi He got out of the car, passed the instrument scan, and happened to run into Zhou Ziqian. Zhou Ziqian, still dazed, drifted up to him with his mouth agape.
“…How did you manage to stick us up there?”
Qi He, firmly: “By relying on your iron willpower.”
Zhou Ziqian: “…”
He asked, “Do I really look that stupid?”
Qi He marveled at his growth, then tugged at the tactical harness on his body.
“The base equips us all the same—makes sure everyone carries at least one piece of magnetic material.”
Zhou Ziqian: “Wow…”
Just then, an officer walked over and saluted Qi He.
“Mr. Qi, Colonel Yan is looking for you.”
Qi He followed him up to the gray wall.
The towering wall rose like a city’s bulwark. Yan Chuanbai stood on the other side, his upright figure nearly merging with the dense night. Qi He stopped in front of him.
“You wanted to see me?”
Yan Chuanbai turned his head toward him.
Beneath the tightly fastened harness, Qi He only wore a simple T-shirt; the cuff revealed a stretch of forearm, his build seeming even more solid than before.
He asked, “You’ve evolved a new ability?”
Qi He shook his head.
“Not really. It’s always been there—neither coming nor going.”
“…”
Yan Chuanbai said nothing more and looked down.
The military’s specialized team had already gone below, fully suited in protective gear. A blaze roared up, lighting the entire sector. The firelight spilled over his calm features, setting a flicker of light in his eyes.
Qi He studied him for a moment. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s all.”
Yan Chuanbai pressed his lips together. He recalled that moment when the zombie tide came crashing in—how he had rapidly arranged the defenses. Yet faced with the overwhelming horde of mutant zombies, casualties were still impossible to predict.
Even in such a large-scale battle, he had felt an invisible pressure.
Until that instant when Qi He’s figure appeared in the distance, pulling all the ability-users free from the tide of corpses—
The fissure of doubt in his heart seemed to close.
That was why, as soon as the battle ended, he had someone bring Qi He to him.
Qi He said, “Then I’ll be going.”
“Alright.” Two seconds later, Yan Chuanbai turned back. “Those messages you sent me—what were you playing at?”
“…” Qi He: “Which one are you referring to?”
Yan Chuanbai let out a cold laugh. “All of them.”
Qi He’s voice was gentle. “I just wanted to find something casual to talk about.”
Yan Chuanbai looked at him for a few seconds, then his own voice softened. “And I actually believed you. I’ll be waiting to see just how much more you have to say to me.”
…
The base spent three days restoring order.
Clearing away zombies, repairing the defensive walls, running tests, and resettling the ability-users. Fortunately, most people had undergone training and possessed basic combat capability, which prevented even greater losses.
Qi He, returning from the cultivation base, headed toward the research institute.
He knocked on the office door. Inside, Yu Tianxing was reading a report.
“Here, Meng Yan asked me to bring over her research samples.” Qi He walked in. “What are you reading?”
“The report on the zombie tide from a few days ago.”
Yu Tianxing sighed. “This is the first time zombies have attacked a human base in such a large-scale and organized way. We can’t confirm whether they’ve established some kind of psychic link among themselves, or whether higher-level zombies are commanding the assault.”
Qi He broadened the scope. “Perhaps both.”
“…” Yu Tianxing choked, his worry deepening. “What’s worse, zombies have now evolved abilities of their own.”
Qi He thought for a moment. “It could also be fallen ability-users.”
Yu Tianxing fell silent for a while. “I’d prefer it to be that. Because if zombies evolve faster than humans, it’s only a matter of time before the base falls.”
As the two of them stood there, the office door opened again.
Yan Chuanbai walked in, his military cap still in his hand.
His gaze first landed on Qi He, then stopped in front of the two of them. “Both of you are here, good. I’ll make this brief—I need to leave for a few days.”
Yu Tianxing asked in puzzlement, “For what?”
“The military just reported that someone discovered a shelter on the road to the base. They tried persuading the people there to come back with them, but were refused.”
Yan Chuanbai continued, “It’s outside Zone III, no communications. Sending a unit there isn’t reliable, so I’ll go myself to check the situation.”
For a split second, Qi He thought of that distance of a hundred thousand miles, and immediately fixed his eyes on him. “I’ll go with you.”
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze.
Qi He looked straight into his eyes. “You know I can’t leave you.”
Yan Chuanbai’s lips curved, slowly. “You’d better mean that.”
Yu Tianxing: …?
After a brief silence, Yan Chuanbai collected himself again and told Qi He, “You’re staying at the base.”
Qi He shook his head. “Don’t even think about leaving me behind.”
“…”
Yu Tianxing’s eyes darted back and forth, and he quickly eased the tension. “Go, both of you.” He spread his claw-like hands and smiled. “The base ran just fine before you came. With me and Yu Jiang here, it’s more than enough~”
The zombie tide had just been cleared, so there wouldn’t be a second wave for the time being.
Yan Chuanbai hesitated for a moment, then pressed down his tone. “Alright.”
It was too late today; departure was set for tomorrow morning.
The two left the office and walked downstairs side by side.
The bright corridor lights fell across Yan Chuanbai’s face. He asked, “Why must you come with me?” Qi He was about to answer, when he turned and gave a cold laugh. “And don’t tell me that ‘can’t live without me’ nonsense.”
Qi He: “……”
He picked the thread back up. “It’s better to have someone watching your back. Especially once we’re outside Zone III where communications are cut off—anything could happen.”
Yan Chuanbai thought for a moment, as if accepting that reasoning.
Speaking of which, Qi He suddenly remembered. “Right, on the way back to the base after the zombie tide, we ran into someone. He told us the base was dangerous, and warned us not to return.”
Yan Chuanbai raised a brow. “That might’ve been coincidence… or it could’ve been an ability-user.”
Then he zeroed in on the detail. “Just one person?”
Qi He nodded. “Just one.”
In the apocalypse, not many drove around alone anymore. He recalled, “And his shooting style—it had a sort of Buddhist air.”
Yan Chuanbai: “?”
“Everything is emptiness.”
“……”
Yan Chuanbai withdrew his gaze. “If we run into him again, we’ll know what it’s about.”
…
The next morning, they set out.
There was no rush; they took turns at the wheel.
Yan Chuanbai was the first to sit in the driver’s seat. He pulled out a map and tossed it to Qi He, then reached over to tap a spot. “Supposed to be here.”
Qi He glanced at it. It was a village northwest of the base, beyond Zone III.
“Normally, that’d be a twelve-hour drive.”
Yan Chuanbai released the handbrake and started the engine. “Good thing you’re not normal.”
“……”
Qi He muttered to the system: “Lately, Yan Chuanbai’s been very aggressive toward me.”
[Heh. You deserve it.]
They drove on, heading northwest.
They switched drivers twice along the way. With Qi He’s ability, things were much easier—when the road ahead was too rough, there was no need to detour, they could simply leap across.
But using abilities drained mental energy, so most of the time they conserved as much as possible.
Once they passed out of Zone III, the communications signal indeed cut off.
After driving another two hours, they finally reached the village marked on the map, around six in the evening. The wheels rolled over a bumpy dirt road, raising clouds of dust in their wake.
From afar, they could already see a tall earthwork barricade.
Only an earth-type ability-user could have built something like that.
The whole “shelter” was formed from a settlement, with towering earthen walls around it and a large iron gate at the entrance. Yan Chuanbai parked the car outside, and the two of them got out.
The gatekeeper stood up warily and raised his gun. “Who goes there?”
Qi He said nothing.
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze swept over the man’s expression, and he laid it halfway bare: “We’re from the military.”
At that, the other man immediately took two steps back, clearly resistant. “You’re here to conscript us? Forget it—we’re not going to the base.”
Yan Chuanbai didn’t respond for a second. Qi He quickly furrowed his brows in puzzlement, his expression doubtful. “Conscript?” He shook his head. “We’re just passing through. We only want to stay for the night.”
Yan Chuanbai glanced at him sideways: …
The gatekeeper, half-convinced, frowned and thought for a few seconds. “Wait here.”
Then he turned and ran back into the village.
After a while, a group of people came out.
At the head was a man in his forties, all muscle, his exposed skin sun-browned. His shirt was tucked into his belt, and a rifle hung at his side. A few others trailed behind him, looking like ability-users as well.
“Brother Zhou, these are the ones.”
Zhou Shun was an earth-type ability-user; the earthen barricade was his work.
He held the greatest authority here—anyone who wanted to enter needed his approval.
Stopping at the gate, Zhou Shun looked them over. “You two from the military?”
Yan Chuanbai wasn’t in uniform, one hand shoved in his pocket. His lazy posture didn’t look the part, but his build did suggest someone trained in the army. Then Zhou Shun’s gaze shifted to Qi He: pale-skinned and slim, looking even less like a soldier.
—Though, the lines of his arms weren’t bad. Probably just some low-ranking grunt. After all, manpower was scarce in the apocalypse.
Qi He said, “We got separated from our unit. Just want to stay for the night.”
Zhou Shun weighed them cautiously, then motioned for the gate to be opened.
“You can stay, but you’ll need to register your names and abilities. You’re outsiders—if anything happens while you’re here, we need to keep things clear.”
Qi He agreed. “Alright.”
Someone nearby pulled out a registry book. “Name, ability? If you’ve got one, demonstrate it here and now.”
“Qi He. Ability: force.”
The registrar waited a long moment, then looked up. “Force what? Be specific.”
Qi He grabbed the iron gate and tugged—the steel instantly bent and warped. With a gentle push, he straightened it back into place. “Ability: force.”
Everyone: “……”
Zhou Shun: “……?”
The registrar licked his lips nervously and turned to Yan Chuanbai. “And you?”
Yan Chuanbai lowered his eyes. “Yan…” He paused.
Even if Zone III was cut off, there was no guarantee that passing travelers hadn’t mentioned the name of the man in charge of Base I.
He was just about to make one up when, beside him, a voice jumped in instantly—
“Yan Juji.”
Qi He delivered it smoothly, without raising the slightest suspicion.
Yan Chuanbai: “……”
The registrar’s throat moved suspiciously. “Which roast chicken is that?”
Qi He, “……”
He corrected himself, “Ju as in giant, Ji as in base. Ice-type ability user.”
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze landed on him, cold and sharp.
The registrar shivered all over. “Uh… show your ability?”
From underfoot, a thin layer of frost spread outward. Yan Chuanbai said flatly, “There. Now I’ve used it.”
…
With the registration complete, Zhou Shun led the two of them further inside.
“What’s the situation like outside now?”
Yan Chuanbai replied, “Zombie evolution is progressing fast. There are already enhanced and mutated types. They’ve even begun organizing large-scale assaults on human settlements.”
He didn’t mention the part about ability-users. That wasn’t a settled topic yet.
“Oh…” Zhou Shun’s face shifted slightly, though he still curled his lip. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve got plenty of ability-users here, and our defenses are solid.”
As they walked along, it was clear the shelter housed quite a number of people. Different functional areas were laid out in order: wood-type users tended the crops, earth-types handled construction, and combat-types patrolled the perimeter.
People passing by gave them curious looks. “Brother Zhou, newcomers?”
“Just lodging for the night,” Zhou Shun said.
A child waved. “Hello, Uncle Zhou!”
“Oh, out here with your mom, Xiao Hailuo?”
Aunt Tian quickly pulled the boy close. “His name is Tian Xiaoluo, Brother Zhou.”
“…”
Qi He looked around at the settlement. Men and women, young and old, all busily at work. Some were ordinary folk, some ability-users. All in all, it seemed a fairly complete, functioning refuge—
That is, assuming the zombies don’t evolve any further.
Communication with the outside was cut off in Zone III; the people here knew nothing of the changes beyond.
Qi He withdrew his gaze. If they don’t head to a base, it’s only a matter of time before this place falls.
After walking for ten minutes or so, they finally stopped in front of a house.
This part of the compound looked cleaner and quieter.
The entire row of houses was locked up—likely unused quarters. Zhou Shun turned toward them and said:
“Just so we’re clear: you only stay for one night. Once it’s daylight tomorrow, you get back on the road.”
With that, he pulled out a key and opened the door.
Inside was a single room with two beds. “Alright, you’ll stay here tonight. You—uh… Qi Stewed Chicken, and Yan… whatever-he.”
————————————————
Author’s Note:
Qi He: They really are hungry.
Yan Chuanbai: Heh… you’ve got no right to say that.
Shelter residents: Two meat dishes just walked in.
