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Cloud Raising Little Zombies: Chapter 28
ZOMBIE EMPEROR CULTIVATION
28. A City Base, Garden of Eden In The Apocalypse.
An Qing, the leader of a B-level ability user team.
Two days ago, her team received a mission assigned by the base leader, Ji Xuelin—to welcome a special envoy from the Northern Base.
“Leader, the meeting point is just ahead,” said the fire ability user in the driver’s seat.
An Qing, sitting in the front passenger seat and gazing at the scenery outside the window, responded with a simple “mm-hmm.” She then turned to look at the lethargic people in the backseat and said, “Stay sharp. Haven’t I been feeding you all well enough?”
The slouched ability users in the back straightened up immediately and grinned, saying, “How could that be? With you as our leader, even if the entire world runs out of food, there’s no way we’d go hungry.”
There were many ability user teams at the base, but most of them were called “squads.” Only An Qing’s team was large enough to be called a “group” because they had the largest number of members—nearly ten thousand.
Her team didn’t just recruit ability users; they also took in capable ordinary people.
What gave them the confidence to recruit so many was their leader, An Qing, a B-level plant ability user.
It was well-known that plant ability users were like walking food reserves.
In the post-apocalyptic world, where food was extremely scarce, someone with such an ability was incredibly valuable and couldn’t afford to be harmed in any way.
Whenever An Qing took on a mission, the rest of the team would rush to complete it ahead of her, bringing the rewards back to her so she could focus on leveling up and farming.
Since forming the team, An Qing had never strayed far from the base.
But since this mission was assigned by the base leader and involved welcoming a special envoy from the northern base, An Qing, as the team leader, had to make an appearance. Only then did the team members refrain from completing the mission themselves.
However, to ensure An Qing’s safety, the top 100 combat-capable ability users in the team accompanied her on this mission.
Most of these ability users were battle enthusiasts, and now that they were fully awake, they looked out the windows. Seeing no zombies, they turned back, disappointed.
One person said, “What’s going on today? We haven’t seen a single zombie all day.”
Another replied, “Isn’t it because the meeting point is so remote? Even before the New Century, there weren’t many people around here. It’s normal that there are fewer zombies now.”
An Qing also found this strange.
The meeting point was a gas station on National Highway 101, near the border between the southern province and another province to the north.
Though few people lived nearby in the past, the highway had always been busy.
Ji Xuelin now referred to this time as the New Century, but in essence, it was the apocalypse.
When the apocalypse first struck, people either hid or fled. Those who didn’t hide were driving out of the area.
During those initial days, the highway was packed with vehicles of all kinds, and even now, many abandoned cars could still be seen.
Where there were lots of people, there were lots of zombies.
Some zombies even used certain sections of the highway as hunting grounds.
But now, not a single zombie was in sight.
An Qing suddenly remembered the zombies they had encountered in recent days—those zombies had all been on the move.
They were heading in the same direction from which her team had come.
An uneasy feeling crept over An Qing, as if she had glimpsed something she wasn’t supposed to.
“Leader, we’re here.”
An ability user suddenly spoke, interrupting An Qing’s thoughts.
An Qing looked out the window and indeed saw a gas station.
There was a parking lot beside the gas station, and in it, a helicopter was parked.
“Stay alert,” An Qing ordered.
“Don’t worry, Leader,” said one of the ability users in the back as they quickly got out of the car, positioning themselves a few steps in front of An Qing’s car door.
If someone attacked from the shadows, they could protect An Qing.
Several ability users from nearby vehicles also got out, discreetly surrounding An Qing to protect her.
A wind ability user approached and said, “There are nine people in the gas station, but their levels are uncertain.”
Nine people, one less than the number indicated by the base leader.
An Qing glanced at the logo on the helicopter and confirmed it was indeed from the northern base.
After a moment’s thought, An Qing said, “Let’s confirm the meeting code.”
With that, An Qing used her ability.
The begonia flowers in a nearby flower bed began to grow rapidly, eventually forming a string of numbers.
Seconds later, frost appeared on the ground of the gas station, forming another string of numbers that represented the northern base’s meeting code.
Having established contact with the northern base, An Qing selected a few teammates to accompany her to the gas station.
The northern base’s ability users also emerged from the gas station.
The group of ability users were all carrying bags, seemingly ready to depart immediately, without any intention of discussing details with the A City base personnel.
An Qing appreciated their straightforwardness; it meant she could return to farming sooner.
The leader of the northern base’s team was a middle-aged man in camouflage, walking with a confident stride and a serious expression.
“I am Wan Zhengqi, the captain of the northern base’s official ability user team,” the man said, extending his hand.
An Qing shook his hand, “I’m An Qing from the A City base.”
An Qing didn’t elaborate further; the base leader had already sent her information to the northern base.
Since her team wasn’t part of the base’s official structure, their task was merely to escort these people back to the base, so there was no need for deeper acquaintance with the northern base personnel.
After a brief exchange, An Qing was about to ask about the missing team member when Wan Zhengqi suggested they head to the A City base immediately.
His urgency seemed even greater than An Qing’s desire to get back to farming.
Wan Zhengqi invited An Qing to join them in their helicopter, but An Qing’s team members naturally refused.
An Qing’s combat abilities were not strong, and she lacked extensive combat experience.
Even though these were special envoys from the northern base, mutual trust was limited as the two sides didn’t know each other well.
Noticing the A City base team’s wariness, Wan Zhengqi said:
“Rest assured, we mean no harm. It’s just that the helicopter can travel in a straight line and will get us to the A City base faster.”
“Driving from here to the A City base only takes about two days. Is Captain Wan really that anxious?”
An Qing was puzzled by their eagerness since the moment they met.
Wan Zhengqi paused and asked, “Don’t you know? Zombies from several nearby cities are heading to the A City base. It’s in imminent danger.”
“What?!”
Most of the A City base’s ability users looked shocked.
Some appeared to confirm their suspicions, their expressions becoming anxious or uneasy.
An Qing thought about the zombies she had encountered on the way—those zombies were all heading in the direction they had come from. She suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
“Zombies tend to avoid humans when they move, so it’s normal that you haven’t noticed them.”
Wan Zhengqi knew he needed to clarify things for An Qing’s team to ensure better cooperation, so he signaled for someone to bring out the photos.
An ability user handed the photos to An Qing, and her team members gathered around to examine them.
The photos were taken from above, showing a massive swarm of zombies emerging from various parts of the city, gathering together and moving towards the city’s outskirts.
Wan Zhengqi said, “These are aerial photos taken by our helicopter. Zombies from the three nearby cities are pouring out and heading towards the A City base.
“We’ve already sent someone to the nearest base for help. We should hurry to the A City base now.”
After confirming the authenticity of the photos, an ability user, anxious and frantic, couldn’t help but ask, “Why are so many zombies moving together?”
It was rare for zombies to act collectively.
Even when a group of zombies pursued a person, they each chased independently.
The only exception was when high-level zombies summoned lower-level ones to assist in hunting, but that involved only dozens or hundreds of zombies gathering.
Seeing multiple cities’ zombies acting together was unprecedented.
Wan Zhengqi replied, “If I’m not mistaken, a zombie king must have appeared in the South Sea Province.”
“Zombie King?” An Qing, focused on farming, wasn’t familiar with the term “Zombie King” and was hearing it for the first time.
Wan Zhengqi explained, “According to our research, an A-level zombie has a powerful influence over other zombies, effectively making it the king among zombies, hence the term ‘Zombie King.’”
“A-level zombie? Our base leader is also A-level; it should be fine, right?” asked an ability user.
Wan Zhengqi shook his head. “The strength of a Zombie King lies in its ability to summon and control other zombies.
“We haven’t had time to check beyond the three nearby cities, but it’s very likely that zombies from the entire South Sea Province are heading towards the A City base.”
“The entire South Sea Province? How is that possible?” An Qing’s face turned pale; her family was still in the base.
Wan Zhengqi sighed. “A week ago, I wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told me this either.
“Before coming to the South Sea Province, we had also been to Y City base… Y City base is no more.”
An Qing’s eyes widened.
The ability users beside her fell silent.
Several bases were in contact with each other, and they were aware of Y City base.
Y City base was only one province away from the northern base, making it a close neighbor, and recently it had been competing for the title of the northern’s top base.
Such a large base, gone?
“Y City base had an A-level zombie that led a siege of zombies.
“Zombies from half the province surged towards Y City base, turning it into a dead city overnight. Only a few ability users with flight or teleportation managed to escape.”
The ability users from A City base understood the gravity of the situation and set aside their reservations, choosing to cooperate openly.
Each side selected a few suitable ability users, and along with the captains from both sides, boarded the helicopter. The remaining ability users drove back to the base.
On the helicopter, An Qing asked Captain Wan Zhengqi, “Can you tell me about the zombie siege at Y City base?”
Wan Zhengqi nodded, “Of course, but I don’t know much.”
Wan Zhengqi continued, “Y City base had been researching how to restore humanity to zombies, with a focus on a psychic zombie.
“Unlike ordinary zombies, this psychic zombie was very intelligent and adept at disguising itself.
“It cooperated with the research, gained the trust of the research team, and was provided with crystal nuclei, which elevated it to A-level.”
“It’s an intelligent zombie,” An Qing said.
Wan Zhengqi had never heard this classification before but found it quite fitting, so he asked, “Is this how you classify zombies at your base?”
An Qing nodded. “Our base has categorized zombie types and abilities.
“Intelligent zombies are mostly psychic. They possess nearly human-level cognitive abilities and have strong control over other types of zombies.
“Once encountered, they must be killed; they should never be allowed to grow stronger.”
Wan Zhengqi sighed. “If Y City base had communicated with your base earlier, such a tragedy might have been avoided.”
The tragedy had already occurred, and there would be no chance to undo it.
Seeing the horde of zombies still heading towards A City base below, An Qing calmed herself and began discussing the action plan with Wan Zhengqi for after they reached A City base.
The winding, roadless route meant that by the time the helicopter set off in the morning, it had arrived outside A City base by dusk.
However, the sight of A City base at this moment almost made An Qing and the others think they had come to the wrong place.
The base was surrounded by dense orchards, with ripe apples, oranges, persimmons, and other fruits hanging from the trees, looking exceptionally tempting.
There were even rice fields within the orchards, where golden waves of rice swayed with the breeze.
The asphalt road at the city gate was as clean as new, with lush green grass and blooming flowers lining the roadside.
Through the helicopter windows, the sweet scent of flowers and fruit seemed almost palpable.
Inside the base, flowers and fruit trees were everywhere.
Residents carried baskets or pushed carts filled with fruits or rice.
If it weren’t for the zombies still coming from the distance and the thick horde of zombies at the back of the base, the people in the helicopter might have thought they had entered a paradise rather than a post-apocalyptic world.
“What’s going on? Wasn’t it supposed to be a zombie siege?”
The ability users were all bewildered.
There were zombies, but what were they doing?
Queueing to enter the city? Plowing fields? Moving bricks? Building houses???
The northern base’s ability users focused on the zombies, while only An Qing and her team from A City base stared in shock at the orchards and rice fields.
They knew that before they left, there hadn’t been any of these things outside A City base.
An Qing was particularly stunned.
As a plant-type ability user, she understood just how difficult it was to create such large orchards and rice fields.
Could it be that the base had recruited an A-level plant-type ability user?
But what about those zombies?
The group exchanged confused glances and decided to enter the base first.
The helicopter moved again, flying over the base’s city walls.
In the next moment, the helicopter seemed to be pulled by something, unable to move.
Everyone saw the red roses growing outside the window.
Hundreds of meters up in the air, where did the roses come from?
An Qing immediately thought of the A-level plant-type ability user and looked outside in surprise.
A phoenix made of intertwining vines flew out from the base.
Standing on the phoenix was a young man with jet-black hair, blood-red eyes, and pale skin that faintly reflected light. He looked as though he had stepped out of a fairy tale, like a rose fairy.
Even his voice sounded as if carried by the wind through ice crystals, clear and mesmerizing.
He said, “No unregistered individuals are allowed to enter the base.”
Then, the helicopter, along with everyone inside, was suddenly yanked down by the vine-covered roses.
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