Chapter 126.1 – Life-and-Death Marathon (17)
◎ Good Brother and Bad Brother ◎
The artillery purchased by Haimen was the most popular hot weapon at the Northern Base, equipped with automatic loading and ballistic calibration functions. Its only flaw was the extremely high demand on the operator; it required a single person to complete angle measurement, distance measurement, aiming, and then firing, for precise strikes against the enemy.
Training a qualified gunner required a huge cost, and after the city walls were breached, the zombies seemed to have a collective consciousness, targeting these elites as their primary attack objective.
Two silver-white wheelchairs quietly ascended the defensive structure. Lu Xiaoyu flipped over several zombies gnawing at the remains of the gunners, stopping in front of a row of artillery positions. With lowered eyes, he studied for two seconds, adeptly corrected the ballistic deviation, aimed, and fired—
Boom!
Boom!
Boom boom!
Six shells consecutively shot, landing in the most densely packed central area of the zombies. Each cannon blast created deep craters in the ground. Lu Xiaoyu’s calculations were almost flawless; hundreds of zombies were blasted away, some directly reduced to putrid mush.
Lu Xiaoyu’s silver hair fluttered as all six arms moved in unison. He resembled the legendary sea monster from ancient times, effortlessly controlling even the Hell Scythe. Swiftly adjusting the gun barrels, he switched to single-shot mode. Bullets sprayed out, blowing apart zombie skulls and turning bodies into sieves. The pressure on the city wall immediately lightened.
“Thank you, brother!” The surviving gunners, their faces covered in blood, shouted their gratitude towards him.
Lu Xiaoyu nodded gracefully.
Those gunners staggered back to their positions, steadfastly holding the line.
Lu Xiaoyu glanced down, noticing the smell of gunpowder all over him. In contrast, Zhuang Qingyan who was following him was like a noble prince, moving as if on a leisurely stroll, his clothes untouched by dust. He maneuvered his wheelchair around the bodies on the ground, afraid of even a speck of blood staining his attire.
That picky and fastidious countenance mirrored his youth. Anyone familiar with him wouldn’t mistake it.
Lu Xiaoyu extended a mechanical arm, intentionally handing over the dirtiest Hell Scythe, playfully tossing it into Zhuang Qingyan’s lap.
“Do you know how to use it? If not, I can teach you. It’s because you didn’t take the firearms course.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s brows were so tight that he could pinch a fly. He grabbed a slightly cleaner piece of cloth from the ground, wiped the gun barrel’s black-red bloodstains, loaded live ammunition, and aimed at Lu Xiaoyu’s head. “Fire your cannons, less talk.”
Lu Xiaoyu huffed in a tsundere manner, completely focused on controlling the six artillery pieces.
Zhuang Qingyan adjusted the gun’s aim but kept his gaze fixed on his face. “I’ve noticed, you’ve been more agreeable lately.”
Lu Xiaoyu’s movement imperceptibly paused for a moment. Using the standard Alliance language with a peculiar tone, he retorted, “Oh, dear friend, I’ve always been agreeable. It’s just that you don’t understand me enough.”
“Did you steal money from Song Ke? Moved it to your own account?” Zhuang Qingyan arched an eyebrow.
“Are you insulting my character?” Lu Xiaoyu practically had ‘You’re ridiculous’ written all over his face.
“Tch—”
“Boring.”
The two glared at each other, then turned their heads away.
Lu Xiaoyu was like a human artillery, rapid-fire cannons booming down onto the battlefield, silver snakes dancing, zombies flipping.
Amidst the deafening noise, he suddenly spoke, “The Plan Eternity… Is that the one?”
“Which one?” Zhuang Qingyan replied casually.
“The one where you were so ecstatic, shouting everywhere, ‘Finally, I can participate in the project with that person,’ is that it?” Lu Xiaoyu didn’t look at him. “I could hear your ghostly cries even when I was sleeping on the fifth floor that day.”
Zhuang Qingyan fell silent for a moment before retorting sarcastically, “You’re the idiot. At least I didn’t oversleep and miss an exam.”
—He didn’t deny it.
Without lifting his head, Lu Xiaoyu continued swiftly while killing zombies, “Regarding the Plan Eternity, when you explained it, you mentioned many concepts—humans, zombies, awakeners, mutant zombies, evolved zombies, the fallen… But regardless of the species, they all have fatal flaws, and in your logical chain, there happens to be a crucial missing link.”
“—Also the most perfect link.”
“As you’ve said, the initial intention of the Plan Eternity was to create the most perfect genes. Its results should have eternal life, immense abilities, while retaining consciousness and intelligence, achieving a thorough evolution of humanity. I want to know, did this research succeed?” Lu Xiaoyu asked persistently.
“Ever heard a saying? Curiosity killed the cat,” Zhuang Qingyan said lightly.
“I only know that curiosity is the staircase to human progress. Since you joined Qinglan, you disappeared from Liuboni and when we met again…”
Lu Xiaoyu finally found a moment to glance at him, scanning him up and down, ultimately resting on his legs, recently healed from serious injuries.
“Well, it’s unexpected.”
“Since you care so much about this project,” Lu Xiaoyu asked again, “I’m genuinely curious, did your research succeed?”
This time, Zhuang Qingyan took a long time to contemplate before slowly responding:
“Once.”
Even Lu Xiaoyu couldn’t hide his immense surprise, but Zhuang Qingyan didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“Just once.”
“Fourteen years ago, there was a nuclear leak in Loak, followed by an explosion. The entire Qinglan Research Institute was devastated, including the project researchers, all experimental subjects, and… the local storage hub that contained all the data for the Plan Eternity.”
“Since that day, the results of this research could only be declared a failure.”
“The data can be recovered,” Lu Xiaoyu remarked dismissively.
“That hub was pulverized into fragments. Not even the tiniest nail-sized piece could be reconstructed, not even by someone like you,” Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes held a chilling coldness. “Moreover, do you think the Central Court didn’t anticipate this?”
“How much data was in the hub?” Lu Xiaoyu inquired.
“Exceeding three thousand zettabytes,” Zhuang Qingyan replied.
“Three thousand zettabytes of data,” Lu Xiaoyu clicked his tongue twice. “That number sounds quite terrifying.”
He then maneuvered another round of six cannons to fire simultaneously, taking advantage of the automatic reloading break, seemingly casually glancing at Zhuang Qingyan.
“You think, is there anyone whose brain works exceptionally well, capable of memorizing all the data?”
“I say,” Zhuang Qingyan’s tone was icy, “if you don’t start firing again, the zombies will get too close.”
Both of them simultaneously raised their weapons and began firing.
At that moment, a piercing alarm sounded, and the first iron gate of Haimen opened.
*
After the defense line was breached, the tide of zombies found a clear direction of attack, rushing relentlessly toward the iron gates, fearing to fall behind.
From a vantage point, the dense horde of zombies appeared like moving black ants, devouring Haimen at an alarming pace.
At this critical moment, dozens of armored vehicles rolled out from within the city. Yen Biao, the magistrate of Haimen, stood at the forefront, holding a megaphone, roaring, “Push forward—artillery and rifle hands must not retreat!”
“Behind this gate are our parents, wives, children, our homeland! Not a step backward!”
“Haimen can’t afford any failure. Even if we’re to die, let’s die charging forward!”
The soldiers of Haimen, their eyes reddened, fervently agreed, fiercely spraying the oncoming zombie horde with gunfire and continuous bombardment.
The armored vehicles thundered across the land, crushing the zombies attempting to breach the defensive line into pulp. Yen Biao mounted a Hell Scythe on the vehicle’s roof, roaring wildly as he fired repeatedly, ejecting shell casings like a torrential stream.
Whether awakener or ordinary person, sentinel or civilian, intense battles erupted throughout Haimen’s city walls, streets, and alleys. Even women and children weren’t hiding at home, spontaneously aiding in transporting ammunition, providing frontline support.
The most striking in close combat were hundreds of warriors wielding azure-colored weapons, including Wang Hu and his bodyguard. They fearlessly swung at the zombie heads, resolute and swift in their actions. Empowered by mysterious weapons, their combat prowess was off the charts.
“Damn it! I just bought a 500-square-meter flat in the city and haven’t even renovated it. You bastards want to destroy my new home? No manners!” Wang Hu cursed while punching and kicking.
When everyone’s determination to defend the city merged into a unified force, it was truly fearsome.
Two currents of zombies at the riverbank and bridge quickly retreated. The path paved with decayed flesh and shattered bones extended from the iron gates to the riverbank, making it impossible to distinguish between the dead in battle and the zombies.
And District D135, Haimen, astonishingly held back the successive waves of zombies all on its own!
*
Tustan’s group attack took advantage of the high altitude to clear an open space, while Yin Xiao shot and instantly sniped the approaching zombies.
“I’ve taken the commission from above to take it to the Northern Base.”
“If you hand it over to me, I assure you I won’t let you lose. It would be a win-win for us.”
“No need.” Song Ke’s heart sank. As expected, Zhuang Qingyan was right. The existence of Braided Head attracted attention as soon as it was exposed.
Yin Xiao sighed in distress, “From my personal perspective, I really don’t want to conflict with you.”
While the two conversed, Braided Head turned its head, catching sight of several uniformed figures heading towards the iron gate. They skirted around the frontlines and vanished from sight.
Braided Head stood up abruptly, a hint of urgency flashing in its eyes.
It changed direction and, without a second thought, headed after those few individuals.
“Hey!” Its sudden attempt to escape caught Song Ke off guard. She couldn’t grab it, and Braided Head had already charged into the battlefield.
“Sister, I’ll go after her!” Xu Xing beside her said and promptly followed Braided Head.
Song Ke: “…” Neither of them is easy to handle.
Yin Xiao chuckled and shrugged, “See, even if you protect it, it won’t appreciate you. A zombie is a zombie.”
The door of the floating car swung open, and the Tustan awakener leaned out and yelled, “Yin Xiao, stop flirting around! I’m still waiting to finish up and go back to sleep!”
“You’re just fooling around! Can’t you do something serious?”
A wild beauty with deep red curls blowing bubble gum pushed past her teammates, clasped her hands, and flirtatiously whistled, “Hey, Captain, can you do it?”
“Get lost! Kill those zombies!”
“Do you guys have to slander your captain like this? I’m still the captain!” Yin Xiao turned around, laughed, and scolded a few words, then turned to Song Ke helplessly. “Did you hear that? I have no other choice.”
As he finished speaking, he suddenly flashed past Song Ke, chasing after Braided Head.
“Sorry, it’s an urgent mission. I have to act.”
Why is he so rude? He didn’t even finish speaking before running off? Song Ke began running after him.
