024 Escaping the Base

Before Shen Shiwei could speak, Shen Heng had already hurried back.

At this moment, Lu Sui and Song Yingjun were standing inside the greenhouse, bracing tables against the entrance to hold back the tide of zombies. However, with more and more zombies surging forward, their combined strength was nowhere near enough to hold them off for long.

Song Yingjun managed a smile. "Captain, since the three of them have escaped, I’d say my mission was accomplished quite well, wouldn't you?"

Lu Sui didn't answer, offering only a low grunt of affirmation. The veins on his hands, which were gripping the table legs, were bulging, and his knuckles had turned bone-white. Within less than a minute, both men began to falter. The zombies' assault grew increasingly fierce; those in the back began clambering over the corpses of their own kind, rising high and snapping their jaws as they lunged toward Lu Sui and Song Yingjun. With both hands occupied by the tables, the two men had no way to defend against the attacks from above.

Yet, just as the zombies pounced, they seemed to be caught by something invisible, their bodies suspended in mid-air. Had there been time to look closely, one would have seen a thin, shimmering shield hovering above the two men.

Song Yingjun glanced up at the zombies in astonishment, and as if realizing something, he struggled to turn his head to look behind them. Wei Qing stood not far behind them, his hands raised high, a faint light flickering between his palms. After only a dozen seconds, Wei Qing’s arms began to tremble uncontrollably, beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his lips turned pale. He felt as if the shield was draining his very life force; he was at his breaking point.

Fortunately, Shen Heng arrived just in time. He rushed past Wei Qing, stepped onto a nearby stool, and leaped into the air, smashing the zombie away with a single punch. Wei Qing collapsed, dropping to one knee with his head bowed, gasping for breath. Shen Heng moved in to steady the wobbling table.

Lu Sui frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "You must leave immediately. We can't hold them much longer."

Shen Heng, his eyes locked on the zombies looming inches away, retorted, "I don't think I can just abandon you like this."

"It's our duty!" Song Yingjun shouted. "Get out of here!"

"No!"

Lu Sui remained silent, his eyes downcast. For some reason, he felt a strange power within him waiting to be unleashed. Instinctively, he pushed with all his might, desperate to shove the zombies back. In the next second, an invisible force surged from his hands, and the zombies before them were sent flying backward.

The resistance in front of them vanished, and Song Yingjun nearly toppled forward with the table. Fortunately, Shen Heng grabbed his collar with quick reflexes and pulled him back.

"What was that?" Song Yingjun asked, dazed, staring at the zombies that had been thrown back over a meter away.

Lu Sui tugged at Song Yingjun’s clothes. "What are you staring at? Run!"

The group hurried toward the exit with Lu Sui bringing up the rear. He looked down at his own hands, and as the zombies charged again, he thrust his palms forward with all his might. Once more, the zombies were blasted away by a burst of elemental force. Lu Sui, however, was left severely drained by the effort.

By the time they reached the car, Lu Sui was the last to scramble in. He took a giant stride into the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and ignited the engine. The black vehicle roared away like a gust of wind just as the zombies surged toward them. The undead continued to give chase, but the road ahead was flat and wide, allowing Lu Sui to floor the accelerator. Soon, the zombies were left far behind.

The group in the car finally caught their breath.

"You should take a look at this," Shen Shiwei said suddenly, handing Song Yingjun a blue smart watch.

Song Yingjun took it, examined it, and asked in confusion, "Where did this come from?"

Shen Shiwei could hardly explain that while she was putting away two boxes of ammunition she couldn't bear to leave behind, she had accidentally collected the watch off a zombie's wrist as well. She had only discovered it while counting the supplies in her space earlier.

"Found it on the ground," she said. She leaned forward and tapped the watch screen. A broadcast began to play.

"Emergency, emergency. Everyone, report to the auditorium on the third basement level immediately."

"Mommy, do we have to go too?" a child’s voice asked, clear and naive.

The broadcast continued, "This is for everyone. I repeat, every person in the base is to gather at the third basement level auditorium."

The broadcast fell silent, followed by the sound of a chaotic crowd. Soon, the noise from the watch subsided.

"It is with great regret that I inform you we have lost contact with headquarters. Aside from those in the quarantine zone, people have begun to turn into zombies for no apparent reason. I..."

"Ahhh! Why have the Mayor's eyes turned white?"

"His hand! He's been bitten!"

Screams erupted from the crowd, though they were soon drowned out by the voice on the microphone.

"...There is no hope left. Research has discovered that the zombie virus exists within every one of us. Not only will I turn, but you will too! Therefore, I am locking everyone in here. At the very least, it will prevent further danger to the survivors outside."

"We can't get out! The doors are locked! Stay here, all of you. Sacrifice yourselves for the sake of those who might survive..."

"No! Let me out!"

The sounds of panic, weeping, and gnashing teeth intermingled, eventually fading into the low, guttural growls of zombies and the rhythmic thudding of bodies against doors.

Song Yingjun pressed the stop button. Silence fell over the car, save for the hum of the engine.

"At least half of those people could have survived," Song Yingjun said quietly. He then keyed the radio to send a message to other bases, though, as the recording implied, they had lost contact with everyone else. It was unclear if the signals were down or if the other bases had suffered the same fate.

"The mayor spoke so grandly," Shen Shiwei remarked, "but in reality, he just didn't want anyone else to live once he’d been bitten."

Shen Heng nodded. "With the time they spent gathering everyone, they could have helped the other survivors escape."

"He wasn't that kind of person," Lu Sui said abruptly. "He must have had an unspeakable reason."

"Is he a friend of yours?" Shen Shiwei asked, clearly unconvinced. "He killed so many people, and you still believe him?"

"There was a line in the recording," Lu Sui said. "He said the virus exists within every one of us. That is why people were turning into zombies for no apparent reason."