Chapter 51: Rising Waves
The cold, hard badge glimmered faintly in his hand.
In just a second, Qi He understood — he wasn’t one of the military, but most of the people present were.
Headquarters was granting him the authority to mobilize everyone.
He pinned the badge to his chest. “Understood.”
After fastening it, he seemed to recall something, and glanced thoughtfully at Gong Lianyu. “The highest level of command and dispatch authority, is it…”
Gong Lianyu instantly went on alert, still traumatized from before. “You can’t do this to me!”
Qi He withdrew his gaze kindly. “I was only looking at you.”
“……”
Le Yunyu, unwilling to watch this clowning around, turned to Yan Chuanbai. “Headquarters appoints you as deputy commander… to take over command if necessary.”
The so-called if necessary meant — when the chief commander was no longer able to fulfill his duties.
Yan Chuanbai lowered his brows slightly. “Alright.”
With the formalities over, Le Yunyu stepped back.
Sensing a gap, Guan Shangchun immediately came forward, his bright eyes gleaming as he showed off the ID badge on his chest. “Qiqi, I’ve already been promoted to Super 2S level.”
Qi He was a bit surprised, then pleased. “Not bad.”
Yan Chuanbai’s lips twitched slightly as he casually brushed the [SSSS+] badge on his own chest.
Le Yunyu’s eyelids twitched. “……”
Qi He didn’t notice the undercurrent flowing between them.
For combat efficiency, he first removed the “sprout” from the system, then put his Little Genius watch back on his wrist. Seeing that all combatants were assembled, he gave the order—
“Prepare to move out.”
To concentrate their combat power, Headquarters had dispatched a large helicopter fleet — ten in total, enough to carry everyone.
The helicopter they’d arrived in had already been flown back by subordinates.
Now, the entire team boarded.
Gong Lianyu took the pilot’s seat, while Qi He sat beside him in the copilot position for easier command. He unfolded a map.
In the original plot, Yan Chuanbai had located the source after his mutation by relying on frequency resonance sensing. But now that Yan Chuanbai hadn’t mutated, they could only conduct a manual search, one area at a time.
Fortunately, Guan Shangchun’s perception ability could somewhat make up for that gap.
Following a south-to-north route, Qi He pointed to a marked spot — Hospital X at Point A — and told Gong Lianyu:
“Let’s go here first.”
Gong Lianyu expertly initiated takeoff, eyes gleaming with the thrill of impending battle. “Alright, everyone hold on tight!”
The helicopter surged toward N City at a speed that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
An hour later, they neared the target area.
Looking down from above—
The entire district was deserted. Collapsed buildings lined the streets, zombies roamed aimlessly, and the ground bore scars left by mutant attacks.
In the distance, the hospital’s white tower stood stark against the gray sky.
Qi He spoke. “Guan Shang, do you sense anything?”
“The contamination level’s very high — it feels awful.”
From the back seat, Guan Shangchun leaned forward and pointed toward the hospital building. “Especially in that direction.”
As expected, there was something there.
Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly. In the span of a few exchanged words, the helicopter had already drawn close to the hospital — below, a swarm of zombies and mutant creatures milled about, seeming to radiate the energy they’d absorbed from the contaminated source.
The closer they got, the sharper the sense of it became.
Guan Shangchun said, “There’s a mutant inside the building — around 3S level.”
Only 3S? Too low.
Qi He lowered his lashes, then looked out again. Not far away lay a branch of the river. Even if this wasn’t the ultimate source, it was still constantly releasing pollution — they couldn’t just leave it alone.
If they could eliminate one, they would.
He rose decisively. “All units, prepare for combat.”
Clatter — the sound of gear being fitted into place echoed in perfect unison.
The support-type ability users stayed aboard; Guan Shangchun took over the controls and kept the helicopter hovering. “I’ve learned to pilot at the military base.”
Qi He nodded. “Good.”
The cabin door opened, and a fierce gust of wind roared in.
Qi He gripped the boarding handle and gave the order: “All units except support-types — prepare to drop.”
“Gong Lianyu, copy Yan Chuanbai’s ability.”
Gong Lianyu: “!”
Before anyone could react or argue, Qi He leapt straight out—
Whoosh! The wind caught his coat.
Thud! He landed hard, and several figures followed right after, jumping down one by one. Thump, thump, thump — everyone hit the ground and entered the battlefield.
Qi He took only two seconds to assess the situation, then ordered, “Gong Lianyu, come with me into the building. The rest of you, clear out all external mutants.”
—
Command outside was handed over to Yan Chuanbai.
There were large numbers of roaming zombies and mutant creatures. He kept the area-of-effect attackers, crowd controllers, and shield types with him. After their last team battle, everyone already knew how to coordinate.
Qi He, meanwhile, led Gong Lianyu inside.
Having copied Yan Chuanbai’s abilities, Gong Lianyu now possessed both wood and ice powers — with an added layer of poison.
All the key elements were in place — enough for him to adapt his tactics on the spot.
The two of them moved in single file down the corridor.
The hospital, long since without power, was dimly lit; only faint daylight filtered through the cracks in the damaged walls.
On the front of their tactical vests, a faint red light blinked.
It was a miniature camera issued by the military, meant to record valuable field footage.
Bang! Qi He took out a zombie that had lunged at them from the side.
With his heightened senses, he could clearly perceive the entire area around him. Through the earpiece, a voice crackled over the radio:
“Fifteen meters ahead, ten meters underground.”
Qi He walked ten meters forward and stopped. “Gong Lianyu.”
Gong Lianyu leaned forward. “What is it?”
“Reinforced concrete becomes brittle after freeze-thaw cycles. Start from here—” Qi He pointed down. “Use your ice ability.”
Gong Lianyu gave an impressed whistle and unleashed his power.
Crack—! Within seconds, the temperature fluctuated sharply, freezing and fracturing the concrete.
Judging the timing, Qi He dropped a gravity field straight ahead.
BOOM—!!! A deafening impact resounded as the floor collapsed layer by layer, dust and debris cascading down in clouds.
The red light of the recording camera flickered against the haze.
Qi He looked into the dark, yawning hole below—then leapt straight down.
…
Hospital, Basement Level Two.
This had once been the underground parking lot. The space was vast and empty, the cars long since reduced to twisted heaps of metal.
Thud! Qi He landed and lifted his gaze.
With his senses enhanced, his pupils trembled slightly—he held his breath.
Gong Lianyu landed right behind him, took one look—and swore under his breath:
“…What the hell—!”
Before them, a human-shaped mass of living flesh was squirming.
Countless mutated vines, like nutrient tubes, were attached to the creature’s body — intertwining and weaving into a vast net that spread throughout the underground parking garage.
“…What is that?”
“A humanoid mutant,” Qi He replied.
His gaze shifted slightly — he remembered that this floor also contained the hospital morgue.
There was no time to think about how it had come to be. The mutant had already detected their presence. With a distorted screech, it lunged toward them! The tangled vines that connected it to the walls and ceiling didn’t hinder its movements at all — its gaping mouth split open like a cluster of fleshy tumors, ready to swallow them whole.
“Ice ability — with paralysis.”
Qi He’s tone was calm and steady. “You focus on restricting its movements.”
A strong force pushed Gong Lianyu backward.
Poison-laced frost instantly spread outward, freezing the surrounding vines and the humanoid mutant in place. Gong Lianyu followed the command while glancing back at Qi He. Ice alone couldn’t deal any physical damage — he shouted,
“Then what about you—”
Before he could finish, Qi He vanished from sight.
Gong Lianyu froze for a moment, then looked up.
Qi He’s figure had appeared directly above the mutant.
From that high vantage point, he extended one hand downward.
The moment the creature tilted its head back and opened its mouth toward him—
Bang! All around them, piles of broken cars and scrap metal suddenly shifted, smashing apart the frozen, entangled vines. Jagged steel bars, still coated in concrete, shot through the gaps like spears, thunk— crunch— piercing straight through the mutant’s body.
Qi He clenched his fist — and, under Gong Lianyu’s cover, began methodically grinding the creature to death.
The system was dumbstruck. […I almost forgot. You can manipulate magnetic fields.]
“Buildings usually use hot-rolled rebar,” Qi He said coolly. “It’s not very magnetic on its own — but once it’s twisted and deformed, enormous internal stress fields form… which in turn greatly enhance its magnetism.”
Qi He lowered his gaze, veins standing out on the back of his hand as he curved his lips into a faint smile.
“The environment here,” he said softly, “suits me perfectly.”
—
Shards of ice and splintered vines exploded through the parking lot.
The deafening clang of metal striking metal mingled with the mutant’s shrieks. All around them, heaps of scrap metal formed jagged hills.
Qi He’s figure flashed among the wreckage as the lump of flesh gradually lost all resemblance to a human shape.
Half an hour later, Gong Lianyu’s energy finally began to cool.
Then — with one final, crushing blow — the mutant’s body convulsed and went still. Life drained away completely. All around lay shattered ice crystals and broken mutant vines, frozen and split apart.
Qi He withdrew his hand and called out, “Let’s go, Gong Lianyu.”
With that, he grabbed the other man by the arm and leapt upward, stepping back onto the edge of the collapsed opening.
At the same time, Yan Chuanbai’s voice came through the earpiece: “It’s done.”
“Get out here. Wait for me on site.”
Qi He and Gong Lianyu moved one after the other toward the exit.
Having witnessed an utterly one-sided slaughter, Gong Lianyu was still dazed, murmuring, “…You’re insane.”
Qi He replied calmly, “It was just a small boss.”
A 3S-level mutant was nothing in front of his super-4S-level spiritual power — the gap was a whole tier apart.
But that also meant the battle awaiting them against the 5S-level infection source would be far tougher.
Still, this had been a good test run.
Qi He now had a rough idea of their odds as he walked out of the hospital.
Outside the front doors, his teammates were already assembled, the ground littered with severed zombie and mutant limbs. Yan Chuanbai stood at the front, tall and sharp-edged as ever.
His gaze immediately locked on Qi He. “How did it go?”
Qi He stopped before them. “All handled.”
Le Yunyu, curious, asked, “What was it like down there?”
Gong Lianyu patted the small recording device attached to the front of his tactical vest. “It’s all recorded. Once we’re up there, I’ll show you guys — my footage has the best angle.”
Xi Moqing turned his head, suspicious. “…The best angle?”
Completely unbothered, Gong Lianyu straightened his back with pride. “I contributed plenty too — I just happened to be standing a bit farther away.”
“……”
The sound of the helicopter blades — thup-thup-thup — echoed overhead as it descended.
Qi He called out to the group, “Regroup.”
—
Once they’d boarded the helicopter again, Gong Lianyu resumed the pilot’s seat. The camera feeds were connected to the onboard system, and those in the back crowded together to watch.
Gasps and exclamations erupted one after another:
“Hss—!”
“Whoa…”
“Oh my god—”
“Qiqi~”
At the front, Qi He spread the map open. “Next stop — Point B.”
L Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
About an hour later, the helicopter approached the target zone. The institute was located in a remote area, surrounded by forest — though most of it had already been overrun by mutant species under the spreading contamination.
Qi He looked ahead. “Guan Shang, can you sense anything?”
Guan Shangchun concentrated his mental power fully, eyes shut, brow furrowed. “High contamination levels. Two mutant presences detected, spiritual power fluctuating around 3S.”
…Still 3S-level. So, this wasn’t the place either.
Qi He silently reached his conclusion.
Le Yunyu asked, “So this isn’t the infection source either? Or could it be there are multiple sources, and we’ve already taken one of them out?”
“These two locations might be links in the infection chain—or perhaps the virus underwent further mutation after passing through them. But neither seems to be the original source.”
Qi He couldn’t explain the full reason, so he only said, “The same virus may erupt in multiple places, but there can only ever be one birth point.”
Le Yunyu’s expression grew grave. “If neither of those two are it…”
Then the source most likely could only be Point C.
“Are we still taking care of this one?”
“Of course.”
The helicopter hovered above the research institute. Qi He pulled open the cabin door and glanced over the terrain. “Gong Lianyu, copy Le Yunyu’s ability and stay on the ground with me to fight.”
Then he turned and curved his lips slightly. “The rest of you—go experience what it’s like to face a mutant with mental power.”
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze, a spark of light flaring in his eyes.
From inside the helicopter came a unified response: “Yes, sir!”
The words had barely fallen when the team leapt down in unison.
—
The entire forest zone’s mutants were wiped out.
An hour later, the squad regrouped.
By now, every one of them had firsthand experience fighting a mutant that wielded spiritual energy.
Back aboard the helicopter, the battle footage was projected on screen.
Due to the environment, the mutants here leaned more toward the plant type—one below 3S rank, and one above it, the latter mostly taken down by Yan Chuanbai.
After replenishing themselves with an upgraded nutrient solution, the rotor blades roared back to life, carrying them straight toward their final destination—the chemical and medical waste treatment plant.
…
The facility was located north of F City—right within the newly adjusted operation zone, perfectly overlapping with their last target point: Point C.
In the back row, Shu Ling studied the map. “This waste plant—it’s located…”
“That’s right,” Gong Lianyu picked up her words. Given his background, he was more familiar with such matters. “It’s across the border. This whole area used to be a gray zone before the apocalypse.”
Shu Ling quickly caught on, her brows knitting. “A no-man’s land.”
If the original source of the virus really was in this area, then it was likely due to substandard waste disposal methods. Chemical and medical waste carrying viral material could have been dumped together like some kind of toxic stew—and at some point, the viral strain mutated.
Xi Moqing let out a quiet breath, eyes fixed ahead. “We’ll know once we see it for ourselves.”
…
Before long, the helicopter crossed the border and entered the target zone.
It was immediately clear that this place was different from the previous two.
As far as the eye could see, the land below was desolate and ruined, stripped of all signs of life—not a single wandering zombie or vine-type mutant in sight. It was as if the area itself were a “dead zone.”
Qi He called out as usual, “Guan Shang.”
Guan Shangchun activated his ability, extending it outward—
Suddenly, a sharp, needling pain stabbed into his brain! He grunted, bracing himself against the seat in front of him with a loud thud, his face going pale.
The others cried out, “Guan Shang!”
Qi He immediately ordered, “Stop.”
Guan Shangchun sucked in a breath, drenched in cold sweat.
When he finally lifted his head, his eyes looked close to tears. “I’m sorry, Qiqi… I’m not strong enough.”
Qi He glanced at him and shook his head. “You’ve done more than enough, Guan Shang.”
Shu Ling stepped forward to help soothe Guan Shangchun’s strained mental power, and slowly, the color began to return to his face.
Everyone exhaled in relief—only for a heaviness to settle right after.
Guan Shang’s mental power had been attacked.
—The powerful source of infection was right here.
The waste treatment plant covered an enormous area.
Even the surrounding zones radiating outward were nothing but deathly stillness. The helicopter circled twice, but aside from the crumbling ruins and the unnervingly calm ground, there was no trace of the “source.”
Gong Lianyu leaned against the window, clicking his tongue. “Tch, hiding underground.”
The enemy was hidden, and they were exposed—already at a disadvantage before the fight even began. Keeping the helicopter in the air would only burn through fuel.
Zhuge Dun gritted his teeth. “I can take a hit—should I jump first?”
Le Yunyu shot him a sideways look. “…Let’s not hand-deliver you to your death.”
Guan Shangchun pushed himself upright again. “Maybe I can try once more?”
“No need,” Qi He said suddenly.
He was looking down at the vast, deceptively tranquil expanse below. Then—clang—he threw open the cabin door. The wind howled in, whipping through the aircraft. He turned his head toward Yan Chuanbai.
“You do it.”
Yan Chuanbai raised a brow and stepped forward to stand beside him.
Both of them stood at the open hatch. Qi He met his gaze. “Release your second ability.”
In an instant, vines erupted, sprawling out from the doorway with a thunderous boom!
Yan Chuanbai stood sideways, his thick, muscular vines coiling along the ceiling and floor of the cabin, winding past Qi He’s ankles. In the confined space, the sight was both dangerous and stunningly beautiful.
The others, seeing it up close for the first time, froze in awe—it was far more spectacular than the version Gong Lianyu had copied.
Qi He didn’t pause to admire it. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground below.
“Drop one down,” he said.
The others: “?”
A single vine slithered down with a sharp shhhk.
The helicopter hovered above the barren ground.
Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered, “Shu Ling—maximize his sensory amplification.” Then, turning to Yan Chuanbai, he added, “Raise the vine’s toxicity to full strength. Infuse it with spiritual energy.”
The vine swept rapidly across the terrain below.
For a split second, the earth itself seemed to writhe.
An over–4S-level spiritual energy, combined with a violently potent toxin—it was like a magnet colliding with its perfect opposite.
After several heartbeats of silence—
BOOM!!!
The ground ruptured with a deafening roar. It was as if a massive black hole had suddenly collapsed inward, then burst outward, devouring everything nearby. The soil sank and split, revealing an enormous crater below—a gaping maw staring silently up at the sky.
And beneath it—lay something colossal.
Qi He’s fingers tightened around the boarding handle, his gaze glinting cold and sharp as a blade.
“…Found it.”
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Author’s Note:
Qi He: Yan Chuanbai, lure it out. You’re good at that.
Yan Chuanbai: ? [kisses]
