Chapter 515: The Dilemma of the Followers of the Snow God
Xiao Honglian called Zhuge Qingtian over and shouted,
"Notify everyone immediately! Get back inside the shelter now! A massive zombie horde is approachingâtell them to hide, quickly! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Zhuge Qingtian froze. "A zombie horde?"
Xiao Honglian snapped impatiently, "No time to explain! Just do it, now!"
Seeing the urgency in her expression, Zhuge Qingtian didn't dare to ask more. He rushed to the broadcasting room and announced to everyone at the refinery to evacuate to the underground shelter immediately.
Meanwhile, Xiao Honglian led the elite guards to maintain order and prepare to receive the investigation team.
Inside the refinery, workers scrambled, dropping what they were doing and moving toward the underground shelter. Thankfully, Zhuge Qingtian was smartâhe didnât tell them it was another zombie horde, avoiding panic.
Other factions also received the news at the same time.
Wei Dinghai grimaced. "Again? When the hell will this end?"
He was aboard a ship, hesitating whether to abandon this place and escape with his crew. But after thinking it through, he knew it wasnât realistic.
There werenât many ports where their massive ship could dock. Every other area had its own ruling factions. If they left, theyâd have to battle local forces for territoryâa suicide mission given their current strength.
Gritting his teeth, Wei Dinghai cursed, "D*mn it, we have no choice but to fight!"
Wei Dinghai and Xing Tian quickly responded, saying they would bring reinforcements.
They had no choice.
If the investigation team was wiped out, Jiangnan District would likely conclude that the zombie crisis in Tianhai City was beyond salvation.
And when that happened, Death itself would descend from aboveâdooming everyone to annihilation!
Even if they hid inside their shelters and bunkers, they wouldnât survive for twenty years. They simply didnât have enough resources.
Rather than wait for inevitable death, it was better to take the gamble and join forces with the investigation team to resolve the crisis.
At the shelter, Zhang Yi remained calm as he received the message.
"We're heading over now."
Upon learning that Bian Junwu and his group had fled to Yangsheng Base, Zhang Yi formed a new plan.
He didnât want Bian Junwu and his team dead, nor did he expect them to eliminate the zombie horde.
Because Zhang Yi was the only one who knew that behind all of this was the secret scheming of the Followers of the Snow God.
Only by eliminating Yuan Kongye could this nightmare truly end.
And for that, Bian Junwuâs forces were indispensable.
Standing up from the couch, Zhang Yi changed into his combat gear and carefully checked all his equipment.
After preparing, he called Liang Yue, Uncle You, and a few others to join him in assisting the investigation team.
Everyone had been mentally prepared for a crisis, but no one expected it to escalate this fast.
Zhang Yi had barely returned from the Followers of the Snow God before he was thrown into another storm.
"Don't worry too much," Zhang Yi reassured Fatty Xu and the others. "Stick close to me. If anything goes wrong, I'll use my two Dimensional Gates to teleport us out instantly."
"Weâll escape the battlefield and return to the shelter immediately."
His words were a much-needed morale boost, keeping the team from succumbing to fear. Their expressions steadied.
Having a team leader with a top-tier escape ability? That was the ultimate sense of security!
Winning wasnât the priorityâstaying alive was!
The group geared up.
At the same time, Zhang Yi instructed Zhou Keâer and the others, "Don't just sit around at home. Pack your most important belongings and leave them in the living room."
"If things go south, we'll pick you up and get out immediately."
"Don't take too much. We have plenty of supplies, so each person is allowed only one bag. Got it?"
The women in the house looked worried. Zhou Haimei urged, "We should pack quickly!"
Yang Xinxin, however, remained calm. She didnât have much to bringâjust her laptop.
She raised a finger at Zhang Yi, reminding him, "Brother, donât forget, this is our only chance."
Zhang Yi nodded slowly. "I understand."
There was no time for farewells. Zhang Yi and his team finished gearing up and set off for Yangsheng Base to assist the investigation team.
Standing at the doorway, Zhou Keâer watched them leave, an overwhelming sense of helplessness rising in her heart.
At this point, aside from Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin, no one truly understood the full extent of the crisis they were about to face.
At the Followers of the Snow Godâs stronghold, Zheng Yixian frowned deeply as he read the message.
He stepped over the ruins and entered St. Johnâs Cathedral, where Yuan Kongye was in prayer.
"Itâs bad," Zheng Yixian announced immediately.
Yuan Kongye slowly opened her eyes and turned toward him.
Her gaze was cold, inhumanly indifferent, yet filled with devotion to the divine.
Zheng Yixian spoke firmly, "The situation at Aoshan District has been discovered by the Jiangnan District investigation team."
A flicker of emotion crossed Yuan Kongyeâs face.
Jiangnan Districtâthe very name was a threat to her.
At least for now, it wasnât something she wanted to confront.
"Arenât they supposed to have left Tianhai City? Why are they at Aoshan?"
Aoshan District was remote. After the apocalypse, it quickly became deserted, a dead zone.
When the zombie crisis erupted, there wasnât even an active horde there.
That was precisely why they had chosen Aoshan as the perfect place to hide the zombie swarms.
Even if the investigation team was thorough, they couldnât possibly search every inch of the vast Tianhai City.
That was why Yuan Kongye was so surprised.
Zheng Yixian shook his head. "I donât know. Logically, their search should focus on the five major factions and the surrounding populated areas."
"This is bad news."
Yuan Kongye furrowed her brows. She couldnât tell if this was a coincidenceâor if someone had deliberately led them there.
Zheng Yixian continued, "Now the zombie swarm has been disturbed. Theyâve started attacking the investigation team, forcing them to flee toward Yangsheng Shelter."
Yuan Kongye lifted her gaze. "Could this be a trap? A ploy to lure us in and wipe us out?"
Zheng Yixian couldnât be sure. "Only the Blood Vine can communicate with the White Zombies. From what Iâve gathered, the horde was genuinely startled."
Author's Note