After resting at the villa for a night, the group continued their journey. No one wanted to bring Lily, Allen, and Sanchez along, but they were sly, sleeping on the top floor landing so anyone who wanted to leave would have to step over them.
"Are we leaving?" Lily asked, still shaken and unable to sleep soundly all night.
"Yes, we're leaving," Feng said coldly. "There's only one road to the safe base. I won't stop you from following us. But I must make one thing clear: you, Allen, Sanchez, you're no longer part of our team. We have no obligation to protect you. Whatever dangers you encounter on the road, you must handle yourselves. If you can't, then that's just your fate."
"No, you can't do this!" Lily screamed. "Feng, have you forgotten? You're a soldier. You were ordered to find survivors and bring them back to the base!"
Feng paused, seemingly wanting to argue with her, but Qi Ze impatiently urged, "Why waste words with her? Just start the car."
"Yes." Feng, without realizing it, followed the boy's command, running to start the flying car.
Watching the five of them drive away, Lily crouched down and cried. Allen and Sanchez, who had been hovering around her, didn't even bother talking to her, simply dragging her into the car and following after them. They knew Feng was cold on the surface but warm-hearted inside. He talked tough, but he couldn't bear to see others in trouble. If they encountered infected on the road, Feng would definitely help. Even if he didn't, they could lure the infected toward him. After all, Qi Ze's little monster only ate infected, so they'd be helping him find food for free.
The nearest safe base to the administrative area was built on a plain, isolated by a sturdy protective membrane with dense artillery platforms around it, capable of killing the infected that attacked. But this method could only eliminate lower-level infected. The remains left behind were consumed by higher-level infected, making them stronger. More terrifyingly, as their level increased, they regained consciousness, becoming smarter and more cunning.
Dealing with intelligent monsters wasn't easy. If the situation continued to worsen, humans' living space would only shrink. Moreover, maintaining a massive protective membrane required several tons of high-purity energy stones every day, which was unrealistic given the attacks on this planet.
How long could the safe bases remain "safe"? Everyone worried about this question but dared not ask it out loud. Feng felt conflicted, glancing between his brother and Cassio's large jar, tentatively asking, "Qi, do you think this disaster will pass?"
"Yes," Qi Ze answered with his eyes closed.
"You're truly optimistic," Feng said, surprised that his heavy heart lightened somewhat. As they spoke, the flying car entered a small town. A monster jumped out from an abandoned building, intending to land on the roof and rip open the steel panel to devour those inside the cockpit, but Feng narrowly avoided it.
The monster hit the ground, shaking its muscular body and massive bony tail before unfurling a layer of wing membrane hidden under its arms and flapping loudly. Cassio looked back, horrified. "My God, they've evolved again! They can fly!" Now, not even flying cars or airships could escape the monsters' pursuit.
"Damn it! Is there no mercy from Heaven?" Feng cursed fiercely.
"Brother, Lily and the others are under attack," An said, looking back.
Feng instinctively slowed down but heard Qi Ze casually say, "If you want to save them, we'll split up. Cassio and I don't need the flying car. You can do as you wish."
To save or not to save, the dilemma weighed heavily on Feng's mind, causing him unease. He glanced at his brother's innocent face and gritted his teeth. "Let's go. Ignore them!" If it were just him, he would have gone down to rescue them, but with his brother here, he couldn't selfishly risk his brother's life.
"Then speed up," Qi Ze commanded.
Feng immediately pressed the power button, causing the engine to roar at full capacity. The monster had just grown bat wings and hadn't learned to fly freely yet. It barely chased them for a few miles before giving up. It turned around and saw another monster attacking another flying car, immediately rushing over to compete.
Lily shouted Feng's name, but she realized he was already far away, not even sparing her a glance. She tried to hide behind Allen and Sanchez but was thrown out as bait. While two monsters pounced on her, the two men pressed the acceleration button and fled... --
A medium-sized city near the safe base had become a nest of infected. Lower-level infected, under the control of higher-level ones, continuously besieged the safe base, consuming human resources and energy. Their corpses became nutrients for higher-level infected to continue evolving.
They established a special hierarchical system. Low-level infected wandered the streets, while higher-level ones resided in high-rise buildings. Those who owned a villa alone were at the king level. They had wings on their backs, horns on their heads, and thick, powerful tails secreting poison.
If viewed from above, one would notice that cities overrun by infected were increasing, often situated along the path to a safe base.
A ten-person squad stopped at the edge of a city. They paced back and forth, unsure what to do.
"Boss, are we going in?" one of them asked.
"We've come this far, how can we not go in?" the burly leader cursed. "Damn it, I wonder which idiot designed the control program, forbidding flying cars to fly high. It would be great if we could just fly over."
"The sky is reserved for airships and cruisers. Wouldn't it be chaotic if flying cars flew up there too?" a woman with a soft appearance comforted him. "Boss, there must be abandoned airships in this city. Let's go look for one. If we're lucky, we might be able to reach our destination in two hours."
"Alright, let's go!" the burly man waved his hand.
The group drove into the city along the low-altitude track, but within half an hour, they regretted their decision. They hadn't anticipated that the entire city was already occupied by the infected. Infected were everywhere on the streets, in high-rise buildings, and in single-family villa areas. Five flying cars raced down the streets, their bodies riddled with scratches from the infected, on the verge of breaking down.
"Damn it, did you see that? Some of the infected can fly! They've grown wings! What's the point of finding an airship? They can still follow us!" the burly man cursed angrily.
Despair spread in everyone's hearts, but they clenched their jaws, forcing themselves to stay strong. Suddenly, the lead flying car collided with a winged infected, the hood dented and the engine exploded, falling onto the street and surrounded by lower-level infected.
The burly man quickly steered the wheel, dodging the flying infected and diving next to his companions' flying car, firing to cover them. However, before his companions could crawl out of the car, the flying higher-level infected jumped onto the burly man's car roof, forcefully stomping it down.
"Hurry, hurry, go support the boss!" the remaining three flying cars didn't take the opportunity to escape but instead circled around, firing at the higher-level infected. The gunfire attracted more lower-level infected but posed no threat to the higher-level one. It spread its ten-meter-long bat wings, sweeping aside the three flying cars, its crimson eyes filled with cold intent.
Explosions echoed through the streets, plumes of smoke rising into the sky, visible for thousands of kilometers around. Waves of infected, high and low, kept coming.
The burly man hid behind the car door, firing and cursing. "Idiots, did I ask you to support me? I clearly said that whoever fell should fend for themselves, don't count on me to save you! Did you think my words were just hot air?"
"Boss, aren't you a man of your word? Why did you go to save Annie and the others earlier?" a team member retorted.
"Do you still dare to talk back?" the burly man's eyes reddened with anger. "Now, all ten of us are in the hands of these monsters. Either we'll become a pile of shit in their stomachs or turn into infected ourselves. Are you happy now? I'm damn unlucky to have such stupid teammates. Seeing the vehicle ahead crash, couldn't you run away yourselves!"
"What's the point of running? We die together. Brothers, forget about the lower-level infected. Take out all your ammunition and aim at the winged infected. Even if we die, we'll take one down with us!" someone yelled, immediately gaining everyone's agreement. They adjusted their gun barrels or cannons, aiming at the bird-like creature.
The bird-like creature's bat wings appeared extremely thin but were tougher than super-alloy. Bullets struck them with a series of bangs, failing to leave even a scratch. It swatted bullets away, deflected particle cannons, and tore at the flying car beneath it with black claws, drooling from its gaping mouth, as if extremely hungry.
"Don't shoot, quickly close the windows and doors," the burly man said over the communicator. "It's useless. Ordinary thermal weapons can't deal with it. Brothers, we'll stay in the car and breathe as much air as possible. Later, when it breaks through the steel plates and comes in, we'll swallow our guns and die rather than turn into infected and harm our fellow countrymen. Everyone agree?"
"Agreed," everyone shouted in unison. Soon, someone began crying softly, their voice filled with despair and sorrow. More people were affected, silently shedding tears.
The burly man's eyes reddened, but he quickly regained his composure, scolding, "Cry your ass off! If I had a neutron bomb, I'd stuff it in my own belly and blow myself up with these monsters! Men shed blood but not tears. We won't show weakness even in death!"
The crying immediately stopped. Outside the car window, countless infected gathered, but due to the higher-level infected's intimidation, they didn't dare snatch prey privately. Their crimson eyes stared straight at them, filled with murderous intent and hunger, devoid of human emotion. Being watched by so many eyes, not just the team members but even the burly man felt uneasy.
The higher-level infected with bat wings clearly possessed intelligence. It could easily destroy the vehicle, but it didn't do so. Instead, it slowly paced on the roofs of the vehicles, scratching one car with a claw and then the other, instilling fear and frustration.
For these higher-level infected, killing wasn't solely to satisfy their hunger but also to fulfill their pleasure. This was the difference between having intelligence and lacking itâthey didn't improve; they became even more cruel.
The burly man was about to explode with anger, pointing at the higher-level infected and cursing nonstop, wishing he could use all the vilest words on it. Before turning into monsters, higher-level infected were still citizens of Kurt, unable to understand the national language? It spread its huge wings, flapping them loudly. Its thick tail, made up of sections of bones, slowly rose, revealing the black bone spike at the tip.
The bone spike aimed at the burly man's forehead, moving forward slightly and then retracting, as if ready to strike. The burly man wasn't intimidated by this threat, continuing to curse incessantly. His team members joined in, hoping to verbally assault the infected to death.
The infected emitted an angry shriek, the bone spike suddenly rising high as it fully extended its wings, preparing to kill everyone. But in the next moment, it turned into ashes on the ground. The burly man and his team members were stunned, looking around to find that the street, previously surrounded by lower-level infected, was now nothing but a pile of black ash.
"What, what happened? Did we really curse them to death?" the burly man said in disbelief.
"P-probably?" the team members opened the car doors, stumbling out as if sleepwalking. Then they let out another cry of surprise. Ten meters away at the street corner stood a tall man, several purple vines disappearing into his palm. He removed his military cap, nodded slightly, and then walked away.
The burly man hurriedly called out, "Wait, friend, did you save us just now?"
The man didn't respond, walking further away. He was alone, without weapons, companions, or transportation, relying only on his legs. Yet, his figure was both calm and elegant, as if strolling in his own backyard rather than on the streets of the end times.
The burly man didn't dare to block him and could only watch him leave, then calling to his team members, "Find more flying cars. The explosion just now will surely attract nearby infected. We need to leave immediately." But the rest of their journey was eye-opening. The city originally overrun by infected inexplicably had many dead zones. These zones had no living creatures, only ashes covering the ground. Following the path of ashes led to a smooth arrival at the next intersection.
"How terrifying! How high is that wood-type ability user's level? He almost single-handedly eliminated half the city's infected," a team member exclaimed, looking at the streets covered in black ash.
"What's so scary about that? In my opinion, this is fantastic!" the burly man hadn't been this relaxed in a long time, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face. "I estimate that the expert is at least a 5S-level wood-type ability user. If our country could have a few more experts like him, one day we could eliminate those monsters. The Huaxia Empire defeated zombies thanks to powerful ability users, and so can our Kurt Empire."
"5S level, oh my God! I can hardly imagine it!" a team member exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Just look at the ashes outside to imagine it. Instantly exterminating an entire district of infectedâthat's the strength of a 5S-level ability user. No, perhaps he didn't even use his full strength. We struggled in our car, but he walked. And judging from his route, he seems to have reached the safe base and retraced his steps. See, he almost circled around every main street, probably searching for someone," the burly man analyzed.
"Boss, can we follow him? I feel safer staying by his side than entering the base," the youngest team member hoped.
"Forget it, stop daydreaming. Experts have bad tempers. Pissing them off is more dangerous than encountering infected. I noticed his appearance and clothing earlierâhe's probably Huaxian. Our Kurt Empire has just mobilized troops to surround Huaxia. Have you forgotten so soon?" the burly man patted the youth's head.
"I haven't forgotten. The truth is that the war was a mistake. Rumors say that Mu Ran brought this virus from a Second Class Civilization and maliciously spread it in the Black Eye Galaxy. He's a genocidal extremist, the most evil person! We should help Huaxia eliminate him instead of becoming a tool in his hands."
This statement left everyone silent. The burly man came from the military and had access to more information than ordinary people. He had already received confirmation from intelligence departments that the virus was indeed maliciously spread by Mu Ran. If not for their own predicament, the Kurt Empire would have sent troops to attack the base Mu Ran established in the asteroid belt long ago.
But now, a grave mistake had been made, and no country could escape.
"If Mu Ran stood before me, I would tear him apart, just like the infected tear apart my fellow countrymen!" After about five minutes, the burly man spoke hoarsely. The others wore expressions of grief and anger.
The group followed the ash-covered roads, unknowingly exiting the city. Because the process was too smooth, they only remembered an important matter upon reaching the next cityâthe airship search!
"Damn it, how could I be so stupid!" the burly man smacked the steering wheel in frustration. His team members hurried to comfort him. "Boss, don't panic. That expert probably cleared out this city. Let's enter and not look for anything else first, just for the streets covered in black ash."
"That's right, follow those streets, and the danger level won't be too high," someone agreed.
"Let's find the streets first, then the airship," the burly man had no choice but to proceed this way. However, they obviously forgot that the expert traveled on foot and was searching for someone. He had left the city days ago. The streets he had previously cleared were quickly taken over by infected from other regions, increasing the danger level instead of decreasing it.
So, half an hour later, this group was once again trapped in a dead-end alley, with a higher-level infected standing on the car roof. This time, however, it wasn't one but a male and female pair. They had run out of shells in the previous city, and knives were ineffective. The burly man and his team members could only hide in the car, continuing to yell curses, targeting the reproductive organs of the two higher-level infected repeatedly.
The female infected had a more violent temper, digging her nails into the car roof and tearing the steel plates. The burly man hurriedly shouted, "Brothers, don't forget to save the last bullet for yourself!" Saying this, he raised the gun barrel and stuffed it into his throat.
But before he could pull the trigger, two ropes suddenly lashed out, wrapping around the necks of the two higher-level infected and dragging them away swiftly. At the same time, numerous tiny flea-like things burrowed into the eyes, ears, mouths, and noses of the lower-level infected, causing them to scream and roll on the ground.
The burly man stared dumbfounded at this scene, the gun still stuck in his mouth, looking incredibly foolish. If not for a teammate patting him, he might have accidentally pulled the trigger in shock, sending himself to heaven.
"What happened? Did we curse these monsters to death again?" He spat out the gun, hardly daring to believe his good fortune. Of course, he was well aware that monsters couldn't be cursed to death. Someone must have saved them again.
However, this guess turned out to be wildly off the mark. The one who saved them wasn't human but an even more terrifying monster. The two higher-level infected had disappeared, but the lower-level infected they summoned rapidly shriveled into dry husks. Soon, these husks began to tremble, and basketball-sized blobs of flesh emerged, writhing and fighting each other.
Dust was kicked up everywhere as they thrashed about. The burly man, who had intended to get out of the car to investigate, didn't dare to move. Thrashing, thrashing, thousands of meatballs fused into one, towering three to four meters high. Tentacles extended from its body, lashing the street and leaving deep grooves.
"Where did this monster come from?" the burly man anxiously asked. "Infected are already terrifying enough. Why would there be such a monster now! Is Heaven trying to wipe out our Kurt Empire?"
Undoubtedly, this meatball fed on infected, occupying the top of the entire Black Eye Galaxy's food chain. Its appearance foreshadowed an even greater disaster to come.
"Boss, a-another one is coming!" the youngest teenager cowered in the burly man's arms, trembling.
An even larger, stronger, and fatter meatball struggled to squeeze into the alley entrance, wrapping its tentacles around the original meatball. The two blobs opened their gaping mouths, biting and plunging their tentacles into each other's bodies, desperately sucking. However, instead of perishing due to mutual destruction, they merged into an even larger mountain of flesh, filling the entire alley. It lifted the layers of fat on its face, revealing tiny black eyes that fixated on the people in the car.
It picked up a car and shook it, seemingly trying to dump out the people inside. The burly man was shaken until he was dizzy and spitting foam. When he thought he would die from a concussion, a clear voice sounded, "Ball-Ball, release them. We should go."
The giant meat mountain dropped the flying car, swaying its body left and right, retreating from the alleyway at an excruciatingly slow pace. After struggling for over an hour, it had only retreated a few meters, growing somewhat anxious. It chirped and squeaked for a while, then started kneading its fatty flesh with its tentacles, tossing a lump out, tossing a lump out, quickly slimming down successfully. It rolled out, and the fatty flesh it tossed around immediately transformed into small meatballs that crazily lunged at it, merging with it instantly.
A slender young man walked beside it, indulgently saying, "Next time, don't squeeze into narrow places. You'll get stuck."
The meat mountain and the young man slowly walked away, and the burly man finally picked up his jaw, anxiously calling out, "Wait!"