Cloud Raising Little Zombies: Chapter 26

ZOMBIE EMPEROR CULTIVATION

26. This alert is…Zombie siege!

At 7:50 PM, Su Zi’an left the villa alone, chatting with an enforcer as he got into the car sent to pick him up.

Hidden in the shadows, Ye You spread out his mental powers.

With the enhanced mental and physical abilities of an A-level, he skillfully avoided people and surveillance cameras, moving through the base’s alleys as nimbly as a black cat.

【Zai Zai’s moves are too cool! Is this the legendary leaping onto roofs, vaulting over wall?】

【Coach, I want to learn this too.】

【If the game doesn’t go into open beta soon, I’m going to forget this is a game, it’s clearly a special effects blockbuster】

【Get your baskets ready, folks. We’re going grape-picking with Zai Zai.】

【In the apocalypse, a time of scarcity. To pick a fresh grape, streamer Ye Zai sets off before dawn. This time, he’s heading to the Central Tower in the heart of the base to pick the newly grown grapes at the top.】

【??? Is that you, Apocalypse on the tip of your tounge?】

Ye You paid no attention to the jokes in the live chat. He reached the area near the Central Tower before Su Zi’an.

Glancing at the brightly lit Central Tower, Ye You used his mental ability to hypnotize a lone D-level male ability user.

He controlled the ability user, leading him into a dark alley where the cameras couldn’t see.

Ye You removed the ability user’s clothes and put them on himself.

Initially, Ye You planned to disguise himself as Su Zi’an, intending to meet with the base leader in his place.

But since Su Zi’an insisted on going with him, Ye You had to take a more complicated approach.

Su Zi’an would operate in the open, while Ye You remained hidden.

After donning the ability user’s hat, Ye You estimated Su Zi’an’s arrival time, stuffed the red-eyed crow into his pocket, and stepped out of the alley.

Under the dual confusion effects of his mental ability and the morning glory, Ye You walked openly into the Central Tower.

“Sir, which training room do you need?” The female ability user at the front desk asked with a professional smile, addressing the unremarkable ability user before her, who was so ordinary he was easily forgettable.

“The Level 1 Ice Attribute Training Room,” Ye You requested, choosing an option that matched the identity of the person he was impersonating.

“Here is your room card.” The receptionist handed over a small card.

Ye You took the card and calmly turned away, just in time to see an enforcer accompanying Su Zi’an into the building.

Ye You glanced at them briefly before seemingly losing interest and heading toward the elevator.

The enforcer habitually scanned the people in the lobby, finding nothing suspicious, and led Su Zi’an into the elevator.

Sharing the elevator with them was a man wearing a hat, who appeared to be a D-level ice ability user.

As the enforcer moved closer to the elevator, he brushed against the man’s hand and felt an icy coldness devoid of any warmth.

The elevator doors closed.

Since there were other people present, the enforcer refrained from talking to Su Zi’an about the greatness of the base leader.

Gradually, the enforcer caught a faint scent. 

Was it coming from that ice ability user?

Who would’ve thought? A man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, yet he uses such things.

The enforcer couldn’t help but glance at the ability user beside him.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the enforcer’s thoughts froze.

Wait, what was I supposed to do?

Oh, I’m a D-level ice ability user. I need to go to the newly opened training room to absorb crystal energy and attempt a breakthrough to C-level.

On the 30th floor of the central tower.

Base Leader Ji Xuelin sat in the reception room, quietly brewing a pot of tea.

He had been informed as soon as Su Zi’an and the enforcer entered the central tower.

Su Zi’an came alone.

He had also confirmed with the people stationed outside Su Zi’an’s rented villa that Su Zi’an’s brother, the hidden plant ability user, had not left the villa.

Clearly, they hadn’t suspected him for the previous attack.

No matter how strong that person’s combat instincts were, how could they ever guess that the attacker would be the base leader?

Ji Xuelin chuckled.

Suddenly, the communicator on the table beeped.

After the apocalypse, the communication network had been disrupted by some unknown interference, making communication impossible. This device was something he had created using a special sound transmission ability.

Ji Xuelin picked up the communicator.

The name displayed was “Captain of Enforcement Team 3,” whom Ji Xuelin remembered was currently patrolling outside the base.

With a gentle smile, Ji Xuelin answered the call.

“What’s the matter?”

Captain of Enforcement Team 3: “Reporting to the base leader, we’ve discovered a group of zombies moving together about ten miles from the base.”

“Oh? What level are the zombies?” Ji Xuelin asked, a bit curious.

Captain of Enforcement Team 3: “Most are ordinary zombies, but there are also two D-level and one C-level zombie.”

Ji Xuelin immediately lost interest.

“Don’t worry about those zombies. Continue searching for high-level zombies and mutated animals.”

Ji Xuelin didn’t care about zombies or mutated creatures below B-level.

Such weak beings couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes, nor would they possess any powerful abilities.

The captain of Enforcement Team 3 acknowledged the order.

Ji Xuelin then thought of something and instructed them to check the valley where the mutated crows were found before ending the communication.

Ji Xuelin himself wasn’t sure why he had that thought.

Why did he feel the need to have someone confirm the situation in the Crow Valley?

Could a C-level beast tamer, a B-level time ability user, and a suspected B-level hidden plant ability user really take down a red-eyed raven that had already reached A-level?

The fact that two of them returned alive was already quite surprising to Ji Xuelin.

Ding—

The chime at the door sounded, and Ji Xuelin heard the wind ability enforcer say, “Base Leader, Captain Su Zi’an is here.”

“Let him in,” Ji Xuelin replied.

The enforcer led Su Zi’an inside.

Ji Xuelin completely ignored the enforcer and focused his attention on the slightly youthful-looking Su Zi’an. He didn’t bother to stand up to greet him but instead smiled and said, “Captain Su Zi’an, you’re quite young.”

“The Base Leader is the one who’s young and promising,” Su Zi’an replied, exchanging pleasantries with Ji Xuelin while pretending to be excited and curious as he looked around at Ji Xuelin and the reception room, which could definitely be considered a mansion in the apocalypse.

So it really was just the base leader alone—he seemed very confident about taking him down.

After exchanging compliments for a while, Su Zi’an finally took a seat at the base leader’s invitation.

Ji Xuelin didn’t bring up the raven flock or the mission; instead, he asked Su Zi’an about his team while making tea.

Su Zi’an immediately realized that this man was trying to gather information about his brother, so he played along:

“Our team was formed at the beginning of the apocalypse. We’ve been working together for more than half a month. I never expected that this time…”

Su Zi’an sighed with a mix of sorrow and resentment, then finally said, “Now it’s just me and my brother left. Fortunately, I have my brother; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to survive.”

“I heard that your brother is just an ordinary person. For the past half month, it’s been you protecting him, right?” Ji Xuelin handed the tea to Su Zi’an, trying to extract more information.

Su Zi’an: “Of course not!”

“Oh?” Ji Xuelin’s eyes lit up, thinking he had struck gold.

These young men can’t keep secrets. A little bit of coaxing, and they spill everything.

“My brother is amazing,” Su Zi’an continued.

He tested the temperature of the teacup with his hand but didn’t drink the tea. Instead, he began boasting with pride:

“Whenever our food supply ran low, my brother could always find fruits for us. Besides our team’s beast tamer, only my brother could control the mutated animals…”

Su Zi’an listed all of Ye You’s impressive feats, sounding like an obsessed fan, which made Ji Xuelin frown.

Mainly because Su Zi’an’s words provided almost no useful information.

Never mind the whole “My brother has a kind heart and always tries to save injured birds” thing, but Su Zi’an even repeated phrases like “My brother has a pleasant voice” and “My brother is good-looking” with different words at least ten times.

After ten minutes, Ji Xuelin could no longer stand it. He gritted his teeth and said, “The tea has already cooled down; have some to moisten your throat.”

Su Zi’an did feel his mouth getting dry.

Being pressured to drink the tea, he was certain it was laced with something.

But with Ji Xuelin watching him closely, not drinking would surely raise suspicion.

Su Zi’an picked up the teacup.

As the cup touched his lips, Su Zi’an quietly used his time-reversal ability.

He reverted the teacup to a state before water and tea leaves were added, then tilted his head back, pretending to drink it all in one go.

After setting down the cup, Su Zi’an wiped his lips with the back of his hand, which hadn’t touched any tea, and said to the base leader with an apologetic smile:

“I haven’t had tea since the apocalypse started, so I drank it too quickly.”

Ji Xuelin didn’t mind at all.

He had laced the tea with a substance that would dull an ability user’s mind, making them drowsy and easier to hypnotize and control. The more Su Zi’an drank, the better it would be for him.

Ji Xuelin slightly curled his lips, leaned forward with his hand on the table, and stared intently at Su Zi’an.

Su Zi’an wasn’t sure what Ji Xuelin was up to, and as he hesitated to respond, he felt an unfamiliar energy invade his mind.

“You are drinking with me, and now you’re drunk, about to fall into a deep sleep.”

That energy, accompanied by Ji Xuelin’s voice, entered Su Zi’an’s mind.

Wait a minute, I was drinking tea, where did alcohol come from?

Su Zi’an wondered in confusion, but the energy invading his mind made him drowsy, and his eyelids felt too heavy to keep open.

Su Zi’an knew he couldn’t let this continue.

He attempted to use his ability to reverse his state, but suddenly, a familiar mental energy entered his mind, shielding his consciousness from falling asleep.

It’s my Ge…

Su Zi’an felt reassured.

Through his half-closed eyes, Su Zi’an noticed that the base leader across from him didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. Seizing the opportunity, he let himself slump onto the table, appearing to have fallen into a deep sleep.

The smile on Ji Xuelin’s face grew wider, no longer as gentle as a spring breeze but rather tinged with a sense of triumph.

While hypnotizing Su Zi’an, he also took the opportunity to hypnotize the enforcer standing nearby.

Unlike Su Zi’an, a B-level ability user, the enforcer was only C-level and didn’t require any additional drugs for Ji Xuelin to easily hypnotize him.

A wheelchair, remotely controlled by Ji Xuelin, slid out from its hiding place.

Ji Xuelin stood up and slowly moved over to the wheelchair.

He placed his hand on his leg and arrogantly ordered the hypnotized enforcer, “Bring him with me.”

Ye You, disguised as the enforcer, responded, “Yes.”

Ye You’s gaze briefly swept over Ji Xuelin’s legs without lingering.

He knew the man’s mobility was impaired because his legs had been crippled by the thorny rose vines.

In that brief skirmish, the thorns of the rose vines had embedded themselves in Ji Xuelin’s flesh, taking root and sprouting.

Although Ji Xuelin had fled quickly, the roses that had rooted and sprouted in his flesh wouldn’t just disappear.

Ji Xuelin had publicly used abilities like “healing” before in [New Century Weekly], so why hadn’t he healed himself?

Could it be that the abilities he transfers have a time limit?

After that time, the abilities disappear.

Ye You pondered this as he moved to the tea table with a slightly sluggish motion, then carefully lifted the “sleeping” Su Zi’an in his arms.

Ji Xuelin opened the door to the hidden chamber, not even glancing back as he controlled his wheelchair to glide inside.

Ye You followed behind him, carrying Su Zi’an in his arms at a steady pace.

【A princess carry! All those praises from the power bank brother weren’t in vain. The power bank’s at the peak of his life today.】

【Looking at the base leader’s raised chin, smirk, and domineering gaze, I’m torn between laughing and feeling sorry for him.】

【Base Leader: Who led the enemy into the village? Oh, it was me? Well, never mind then.】

【Check out the look in Zai Zai’s eyes.】

【Zai Zai: Grape, keep walking ahead, and I’ll pick you later.】

【Haha, I’m lighting a candle for the base leader in advance.】

Ye You followed the base leader into a room with metallic walls on all sides.

The room was empty except for a strange square platform in the center.

“Put him on it,” Ji Xuelin instructed.

Ye You scanned the platform with his mental power, confirming that aside from a few small mechanisms meant to restrain someone, there was nothing else on it.

He then placed Su Zi’an onto the platform.

Ji Xuelin pulled Su Zi’an’s arms and legs into place, activating mechanisms beneath the platform to securely fasten his limbs and waist.

“Using Su Zi’an as bait, I’m sure I can capture that plant ability user too,” Ji Xuelin murmured, pacing around the platform as he seemed to be planning something.

Ji Xuelin took out a remote control and looked toward the entrance, his finger hovering over a button.

He didn’t press it, but his face lit up with excitement as if he could already picture the scene in his mind.

“Once the alloy door is shut, with no soil and no water in this room, his plant ability will be half-useless,” Ji Xuelin declared, not caring if the “unconscious” Su Zi’an or the hypnotized enforcer heard him as he excitedly revealed his plan.

“And then, it will be time for the gift I prepared for him to make its appearance.”

Ji Xuelin looked toward one of the alloy walls.

It was as if he could see through the wall, envisioning what was inside, and picturing the plant ability user who had confined him to a wheelchair being torn apart and devoured.

A crazed expression took over Ji Xuelin’s face.

After a long while, Ji Xuelin took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions.

He reached out and grasped Su Zi’an’s hand, which was locked in place by the alloy restraints. “A time ability… should be able to heal my legs.”

Ji Xuelin began to channel his ability, preparing to transfer Su Zi’an’s power, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand.

His hand had been grabbed and twisted by Su Zi’an.

Su Zi’an?!

Ji Xuelin found himself staring into Su Zi’an’s open eyes, which were clear and focused, showing no signs of being hypnotized.

In an instant, Ji Xuelin transformed into a cloud of black mist, successfully escaping Su Zi’an’s grip.

The next moment, the mist reformed into his physical body, and Ji Xuelin was once again seated in his wheelchair.

Half in shock and half in anger, Ji Xuelin glared at Su Zi’an on the platform and snarled furiously: “You woke up so quickly, but it doesn’t change anything. You’re already a fish on the chopping block, you can only be slaughtered by me.”

“I see you’re not very old, but you sure do talk a lot.”

Su Zi’an moved his wrists, and under Ji Xuelin’s shocked gaze, he easily broke free from the metal restraints that had secured him to the platform.

The metal rings were twisted out of shape by Su Zi’an, showcasing a strength far beyond that of an ordinary human.

Ji Xuelin knew that ability users who advanced by consuming crystal nuclei would have enhanced physical strength. That’s why he didn’t use simple restraints but instead opted for alloy handcuffs.

Each week, there were those who advanced by consuming crystal nuclei and entered the base, but they were all D or C-level ability users.

Su Zi’an was the only B-level ability user Ji Xuelin had encountered who naturally advanced through consuming crystal nuclei. As a result, Ji Xuelin had misjudged the strength of a B-level ability user’s physical power.

Su Zi’an’s strength far exceeded Ji Xuelin’s estimates.

A black energy orb appeared in front of Ji Xuelin.

He couldn’t let Su Zi’an live any longer.

Whether the bait was dead or alive didn’t matter—Su Zi’an had to die!

Before the energy orb could be released, Ji Xuelin suddenly found himself and his wheelchair ensnared by vines.

In the next moment, the vines lifted him and slammed him violently into the metal wall.

A plant-based ability?

Where did that come from?

The thought only had time to surface for an instant before Ji Xuelin saw the metal wall rapidly approaching him. He immediately transformed into a wisp of black mist.

Maintaining his mist form, Ji Xuelin was shocked to find that the metal door had somehow closed.

The enforcer he had hypnotized was standing at the doorway, holding a familiar remote control. Behind him, green vines were growing and waving like tentacles.

No, this person wasn’t the enforcer—he was…

“Ye You!” Ji Xuelin suddenly remembered the name Su Zi’an’s brother had filled out on the registration form.

Ye You wasn’t one for idle chatter. He swung his vines towards the area covered by the black mist.

Ji Xuelin’s dark-type ability was peculiar.

When he transformed into black mist, even Ye You couldn’t sense his crystal nucleus, as if it had evaporated along with Ji Xuelin into the mist.

The black mist was dispersed by the vines, drifting chaotically in the air.

“Don’t waste your efforts. Your ability can’t hurt me at all,” Ji Xuelin snarled.

The next moment, the black mist swept past Ye You’s side.

There was no attack, but the remote control in Ye You’s hand had vanished.

Ji Xuelin briefly appeared at a distance from Ye You, pressing a button on the remote.

A vine swung towards him, forcing Ji Xuelin to turn back into mist, but the remote was struck by the vine and shattered on the ground.

“It’s already too late. Enjoy the gift I’ve prepared for you,” Ji Xuelin’s voice was filled with excitement and pleasure.

*Click*—

The walls on both sides parted, revealing a group of ferocious zombies in Ye You’s line of sight.

Five B-level zombies, ten C-level zombies, along with a large number of D-level zombies.

Ye You couldn’t help but laugh, “This really is a grand gift.”

He had spent half a month raising just five B-level zombies.

But here, they were gifting him five B-level zombies right off the bat, along with numerous extras. If this isn’t a grand gift, what is?

Ji Xuelin didn’t catch what Ye You said because a sharp alarm suddenly blared from outside.

It was the alarm used to notify the entire base.

And the meaning of this alarm was… a zombie siege!

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 

Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm  incapable of keeping up with a schedule~