Chapter 99
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 99: "Zombies"
Zhuang Mian didn’t have time to think too much. She squinted her eyes and counted carefully, relieved to find that none of her team members were missing.
Over the time they had spent together, she had grown fond of these spirited young teammates, some of whom she had even met briefly at the academy.
As Zhuang Mian descended from the city walls, the large gate below slowly began to open.
The residents of the outer city had initially wanted to charge forward, but upon seeing dozens of dark gun barrels and a few unfriendly faces wielding unusual weapons, they abandoned that reckless thought.
The crowd lined up, and after undergoing checks of their saliva, eye color, and heart rates, they were each allowed into the city.
Although the process was slow, it gave these people a glimmer of hope for refuge within the city.
Moreover, since there seemed to be no significant changes behind them, their earlier discontent gradually faded as they waited in line.
Zhuang Mian joined her team and volunteered to assist with the checks.
Ji Yongxing took out Zhou Zhuo’s identity badge and successfully broke away from the main group to head towards the research institutes.
As for El and Li Rui, they volunteered at the city gate under Zhuang Mian’s informant status.
After all, without formal jobs or qualifications, their identities couldn’t stand up to scrutiny. Not wanting to wait aimlessly in the open, they chose to do what they could to show their worth.
In the endless array of odd jobs, El constantly deepened his understanding of using his powers, trying to break through the invisible barrier.
As for the one-armed Li Rui, he felt fortunate; recovery didn’t mean the absence of pain, and having finally escaped his struggles, he approached his work with a sense of repaying kindness.
—
Southern city walls of the outer city, Fresnel team.
The battle had continued intermittently for nearly an hour.
The extraordinary beasts seemed to have gained some intelligence compared to before; now they had even learned a bit about feigned attacks.
Many extraordinary beasts charged up the city walls fearlessly, drawing most of the firepower before starting to retreat.
Meanwhile, another group of extraordinary beasts quietly climbed up the walls hundreds of meters away.
Fortunately, the observers closely monitoring the surveillance were very alert, and upon noticing the problem, they quickly broadcasted a warning.
At that moment, Wang Xiao was covered in his own blood and that of the extraordinary beasts, making him look like a messenger from hell.
His previous special training had brought him into better combat mode.
He began to learn how to conserve his stamina and recovery during battles instead of just relying on his abilities to endure.
The basic combat strategy of the Fresnel team had not changed significantly from before; the five members worked together very well, successfully eliminating the extraordinary beasts that had climbed onto the walls multiple times.
After repelling another wave of attacks, just as they were about to catch their breath, they suddenly heard their names over the battlefield broadcast.
“Team 25, report to the city defense officer immediately upon hearing the broadcast.”
The announcement rang out three times, leaving everyone looking at each other, baffled by what was happening.
In a hurry, they rushed to the assembly point, where they encountered a city defense officer with a grim expression.
“Is there something urgent?”
Fresnel’s tone was not as gentle as usual; he completely misunderstood the purpose of the command.
Every second the well-coordinated superhero team spent away from the frontline could result in unnecessary casualties.
The others wore similar expressions, their faces far from friendly.
At that moment, the city defense officer had lost the usual reverence he held for superpowered individuals.
He directly waved General Wencheng’s order in front of everyone, explaining the situation in the outer city while playing a ten-second tutorial on identifying the Infected.
The crowd, initially somewhat agitated, gradually calmed down, their excitement replaced by a sinking feeling of disbelief.
How could something invisible on the extraordinary beasts have silently infected so many people through Sleepless?
Were those people still salvageable?
Were they even human anymore?
One after another, these unavoidable questions flashed through everyone’s minds.
Seeing that the group had grasped the gravity of the situation, the city defense officer continued,
“I called you here because this matter cannot be known to the soldiers.
“Or rather, the longer they remain unaware, the better.
“The battle on the walls is already grueling; if they learn that they have no retreat and that their families might be in danger, it will be difficult for them to keep fighting.”
He glanced around at the group and added,
“That’s why I called you here to discuss this. You must assign at least one or two people to hold the steps leading up from the city wall, to either stop or kill those Infected.”
The city defense officer’s lips slowly stopped moving as he noticed the strange expressions on the faces of those before him.
Fresnel’s team, being newly trained, relied heavily on the synergy between teammates.
Each member’s role was indispensable; for instance, Beacon’s abilities were deeply intertwined with the Puppet Master’s.
If they were separated, the Puppet Master could easily fall victim to a sneak attack from their own side.
Obscure’s abilities, though not particularly remarkable, wouldn’t be of much use in holding back the Infected either.
Only Fresnel and Wang Xiao could deal significant damage or stop large groups of enemies in a short time.
Yet, they were also the team’s primary damage dealers.
As everyone hesitated, a loud crash suddenly echoed from within the walls.
Everyone turned to look, and there stood a fat man with blood-red eyes, bulging veins, and drool dripping from his mouth, charging at the military camp’s gate.
The two soldiers on guard had already aimed their guns at him.
But the fat man seemed utterly indifferent—or perhaps he didn’t even notice the gun barrels, as if his eyes were fixed solely on the tall wire-mesh gate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After three failed warnings, the two guards opened fire.
Blood mist erupted from the fat man’s body, and he let out a roar that was anything but human.
Shockingly, despite sustaining several penetrating wounds, his movements remained largely unchanged.
He continued to charge at the gate, over and over.
Even more terrifying, behind him, on the nearby street, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of people with similar symptoms were advancing toward the military camp’s gate.
Those on the wall watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to say.
It was the Puppet Master who spoke first, her voice trembling as she asked,
“Those… those must be the Infected, right?”
No one answered; the truth was self-evident.
“One last question,”
Wang Xiao said, forcing himself to remain calm as he looked at the city defense officer.
“Does ‘up above’ mean to kill or to block?”
The city defense officer thought for a moment before replying,
“The research institutes are undoubtedly working hard to develop an antidote, so logically, the priority should be to block them.
“But in battle, military necessity comes first. Since they pose a threat to the defense of the city walls, they can be killed outright.”
