Chapter 60

Wen Jiuze could feel the anxiety in his heart, but the more anxious he was, the calmer he became.

Taking some ammunition and weapons, Wen Jiuze boarded the speedboat alone. He stood at the bow, steering with one hand, holding a weapon with the other, prepared for anything.

The zombies in the river were like layers of lily pads floating on the surface, some of them decayed, but even with the noise, they would only raise their rotting faces from the water, not reacting much to the absence of humans.

They were drawn to the sound, but since they couldn’t sense any humans, only a few climbed onto the boat.

Wen Jiuze raised the barrel of his gun and shot a zombie trying to climb aboard in the head.

The body fell back into the water, pushed away by the speedboat, splashing gray-black water onto the boat’s side.

The river had been heavily polluted even before, but now, with so many zombies floating in it, the water had turned an inky black and was completely unusable.

If someone were to drink this water, they would likely be infected by the virus.

After passing the collapsed bridge, the speedboat approached the Donghai City riverbank. The closer to the shore, the more zombies piled up.

Since there were no more living humans in Donghai City, the zombies from the other side, where the endless sea began, were slowly migrating toward the shore in pursuit of any humans.

Once these zombies, who couldn’t swim, covered the entire river surface, the millions of zombies in Donghai City would follow the path created by the “predecessors” and begin to step onto the land across the river, migrating like geese flying south to places where humans still existed.

As Wen Jiuze neared the shore, the speedboat could no longer move. He jumped off, carrying his gear, and began walking toward the shore, stepping on the piled-up zombie bodies and the rotting black water.

The feeling of stepping into decaying flesh, where the bodies occasionally twitched beneath him, was absolutely horrible.

To humans, this was a swamp of death.

Captain Shen Zhang had told Wen Jiuze that during a previous operation, the team had failed to retreat successfully and left behind vehicles and some weapons in Donghai City.

Wen Jiuze’s goal now was to find a usable vehicle and head to the biological research institute that Wen Yi had mentioned.

Donghai City had turned into a very strange place.

In the city center, the prosperous areas were still full of zombies, aimlessly wandering like headless flies.

In the central area, many zombies had begun migrating outward, gathering near the exits, making it difficult to enter the city or reach the center. Only the middle region had the fewest zombies.

The vehicles left behind by the team were in that area.

Wen Jiuze found the vehicles abandoned by the team and ignored the bloodstains dragged across the cars. He climbed into an open vehicle and checked for any usable supplies.

Starting the engine, he followed the map provided by Wen Yi and drove straight toward the biological research institute.

Donghai City appeared to have gone through major chaos, with streets clogged with cars, trapping countless zombies in the middle of the roads.

Many neighborhoods and building entrances had barricades made from discarded items, indicating that the people here had fought hard, but unfortunately, Donghai City, now an isolated island, hadn’t allowed them to hold on for long.

Countless roadblocks covered every street, and many roads were completely destroyed or blocked.

Wen Jiuze switched to one route after another, but eventually found that there was no way forward. He had to clear a path.

He grabbed his weapon and got out of the car, using explosive bombs to draw the wandering zombies, driving as many of them as possible into one street.

Next, he climbed up the buildings on both sides, calculated the right positions and angles, and set up explosives to blow part of the buildings at both ends of the street, blocking the zombies from the whole street.

He achieved the best results with the least amount of ammunition.

The team members stationed on the other side of Donghai City’s big river could hear the distant explosions and the occasional sound of collapsing buildings.

This massive noise continued from day to night, only pausing briefly.

None of the team members managed to sleep that night. The few special recruits who had mocked Wen Jiuze at first were now silent, unable to say anything after hearing the thunderous sounds.

The soldiers, too, listened to the noise, feeling the sting of their precious ammunition, which they usually used sparingly during missions.

Captain Shen Zhang was still dealing with the ship issue. He couldn’t help but wonder: Had they equipped Wen Jiuze with so many weapons and ammunition?

No, but Wen Jiuze has a knack for improvising with whatever is available. In the apocalypse, resources are scarce, but he is exceptionally skilled at scavenging and utilizing people effectively.

Donghai City is so large that there are guns, ammunition and usable weapons in many places. After some minor processing and modification, they will be enough for him to blast a path through.

Everything he found was free for the taking, so Wen Jiuze didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret.

He only cared about the most efficient way to get things done—pushing forward with brute force.

After clearing the zombies and moving the cars blocking the road, Wen Jiuze found a bulldozer for road work. Without hesitation, he used it to push the cars aside.

Whether it was small cars worth a few tens of thousands or luxury cars worth millions, all the vehicles, along with the zombies trapped inside, were casually pushed aside, clearing the path.

The road, once littered with the remains of countless lives, and the death zone that had stopped the previous two teams, was turned into another kind of “Zombie Death Road” by Wen Jiuze’s explosions and bulldozer push.

It took him two days and nights, but he managed to clear a direct path to the Biological Research Institute.

The team led by Shen Zhang had not yet caught up, but Wen Jiuze didn’t care. He was used to working alone and didn’t need anyone’s help.

Past experiences with the convoy told him that more people didn’t necessarily make things go more smoothly. In fact, it could lead to delays and internal struggles.

He preferred to control the progress of the mission himself, completing it in the shortest time possible.

Entering the Biological Research Institute to retrieve the items was the most troublesome part of the mission.

Covered in dirt, Wen Jiuze flexed his stiff fingers and took a toolbox to open the institute’s door.

Captain Shen Zhang was a methodical person. He always planned everything carefully and considered possible escape routes. His reliability was why General Hao had assigned him to complete this mission.

Because they had learned from the previous failed and dangerous missions, even with Wen Jiuze on this one, Captain Shen had made meticulous preparations. He ensured that if Wen Jiuze failed, the mission could still continue.

However, Captain Shen never expected that, just as he had successfully led the team to cross the river and reach East Sea City, ready to advance, Wen Jiuze would return.

Wen Jiuze had driven back with the task items—valuable laboratory equipment and data.

Captain Shen: “…”

We just got off the boat?

He was momentarily speechless, and Wen Jiuze impatiently urged, “If you’re not sure, you can check.”

“If everything is fine. Just go back.”

He hadn’t taken any extra items, and none of the task items were left behind. He strictly stuck to doing only what was required.

Captain Shen, still a bit disoriented, checked the items.

Was that it? The mission was complete?

His confusion didn’t show on his face, though. He even reminded the soldiers to carefully move the items onto the ship to be transported back.

Back at the shore, as they prepared to head back to the Beizheng Base, one of the soldiers muttered, “Did we just come here to carry stuff? What did we even do?”

Captain Shen snapped back to reality, giving the soldier a pat on the back and smiling, “Isn’t that good? We’re all going back safely.”

Some soldiers, watching Wen Jiuze return to his seat, couldn’t help but say, “I wish I were a zombie like that. Completing missions seems so easy.”

A few special talents who hadn’t had a chance to show their skills sat down groggily and were returned the same way.

Who would have thought that what was supposed to be a months-long mission would be completed in less than a month? The most time-consuming part was simply the journey.

It felt like a tough exam where the hardest questions were open-book, and all they had to do was copy the answers.

On the way back, Wen Jiuze still wore his usual cold, unapproachable expression. However, this time, the atmosphere on the vehicle was much lighter. The soldiers were smiling, and some even dared to chat in front of him.

When the team took a break, Wen Jiuze went to the nearby river to fetch water and cleaned himself off twice.

Wet and cold, he raised his arm to sniff, still sensing an odd smell on himself.

After several washes, Wen Jiuze stood up from the river, got dressed, and picked up a small red box beside his clothes. He opened it, checked inside, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

He wondered if Xue Ling was getting along at the base or if she had been excluded.

At that moment, Xue Ling was preparing to leave with a hundred-man team to head to the northwest.

This was an unexpected, urgent mission.

The day before, the base had received word that Professor Ji Shiping was still alive, but trapped in the ancient city of Long’an.

With his qualifications and status, even Rong Langjia would address him as a senior.

When the apocalypse began, he was already nearing 80, yet still working tirelessly.

He was one of the first to research the zombie virus and had suggested that the virus might have come from outer space after the meteor shower. Ji Shiping had proposed studying the meteorites to find a way to combat the virus.

Most of the meteorites had fallen in the northwest, but Ji Shiping didn’t want to wait in the northern base for soldiers to bring back meteorite samples.

He believed every second counted and, without hesitation, took a few students and, under the escort of soldiers, headed for the northwest.

It had been three years since that trip, and the Beizheng Base had lost contact with them. Later search parties couldn’t find any trace of them, and after some time, it was assumed that they had sacrificed their lives.

The soldier who had returned was one of the original team members sent to protect Ji Shiping. He came back with two comrades to report and seek help, having encountered numerous dangers on the way. In the end, he was the only one who made it back alive.

He brought news that Ji Shiping had remained in the northwest, initially at a desert research institute, then relocated two or three times. During that time, he continued to research the zombie virus and the meteorites, making significant breakthroughs.

However, his age and prolonged work had taken a toll on his health. Exhausted, he had fallen ill, and with the halt in his experiments, they were hit by a massive zombie wave.

They took Professor Ji Shiping and several researchers out of their original base and hid in Long’an Ancient City.

“We’re short on supplies, and the most critical issue is the lack of doctors and medicine. Professor Ji’s condition is worsening.”

The soldier’s face was full of concern. He feared that by the time they reached their destination, Professor Ji might not last.

General Hao and Professor Rong  Langjia held an emergency meeting overnight to decide who would head to the northwest.

This mission would involve two hundred people, carrying supplies, weapons, doctors, and medical vehicles.

Wen Yi also planned to visit her teacher, aiming to exchange research findings between the two sides and assist with the studies.

Professor Ji was too important, so General Hao personally asked Xue Ling to join the team. Having her there would make many things easier.

Xue Ling agreed, but she had one concern: “If Wen Jiuze comes back, he might lose his temper. If he does anything inappropriate, please don’t blame him.”

General Hao reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry. We understand the concerns and dissatisfaction of family members. We’ll handle it properly!”