Soldiers retreated in an orderly fashion from the southern part of Yanjing City, and the snowflakes in the sky gradually lessened. Over three hundred soldiers perished in this operation, falling to mutated zombies. On the zombie side, at least a million were killed, as the entire first level of the cave beneath the battlefield was filled with poison gas, leaving ordinary zombies with no escape.
Cheng Ke was quite satisfied with this operation. Despite the heavy casualties, it had dealt a severe blow to the zombies. If the poison gas action continued for a period, all zombies in the southern region of Yanjing would be eliminated. With all ordinary zombies dead, the remaining corpse kings and mutated zombies would be unable to form a horde. It was possible that all zombies could be wiped out before winter ended.
Cheng Ke felt a sense of relief, muttering to himself, "Fortunately, the number of mutated zombies under the corpse kings was only five thousand. If it had doubled, this operation would have been a complete disaster, and the tactic might not have been repeatable."
Cheng Ke also found it strange. According to satellite observations, there were at least twenty thousand mutated zombies in the southern city area. However, only about five thousand mutated zombies appeared in today's battle. Could the corpse kings be brewing a new plan?
After the army withdrew from the southern battlefield, many zombies wearing tight armor, along with mutated zombies, emerged. Before coming out, these corpse kings had witnessed the tragic scene on the first underground level. Countless zombies lay sprawled in the tunnels, all killed by poison gas in their sleep. The zombies' original complexions were pale, but after being affected by the poison gas, their skin turned purplish-red or dark blue. Some zombies even foamed at the mouth, filling the entire tunnel with a terrifying atmosphere.
Upon seeing the situation on the first level, the corpse kings quickly ordered the mutated zombies to block off the areas filled with poison gas. If the poison gas were to spread, wouldn't it kill more zombies?
Even mutated zombies would die if they inhaled the poison gas. The corpse kings dared not approach the area, fearing they might perish if they were not careful.
After emerging from the tunnel, Scarred Corpse King looked at the mess on the ground and shook his head helplessly, saying, "It seems we are doomed. This is the 'salami slicing' tactic; they cut off a piece today and another piece tomorrow! In another ten-odd days, all our ordinary zombies in the southern underground will be dead!"
The other corpse kings couldn't help but retort, "It's not as serious as you say. In a few days, when the snow stops, if these humans dare to provoke us, we will launch a horde and kill all of them, making them afraid to continue releasing poison gas!"
Scarred Corpse King shook his head and said helplessly, "It's impossible, it's impossible. Today's battle was just a probing action by the humans. They found it effective, so they will act quickly. If we expect to form a horde after the weather clears, it will be too late!"
Scarred Corpse King's mind was relatively clear; he knew how the future battles would unfold. Fighting in the snow meant only mutated zombies could be deployed. However, all these corpse kings were concerned about their own safety, so none were willing to exert themselves. The five thousand mutated zombies that were finally assembled failed to inflict significant damage on the humans.
"If there were a few thousand more mutated zombies, the situation might have been rewritten. Humans would have been terrified. If half the people died, the rest would have collapsed on their own," Scarred Corpse King lamented. If it weren't for so many incompetent teammates around him, the outcome would not have been so disastrous.
Mutated zombies lay scattered in the snow, their heads severed. These heads were brought back to Yanjing as trophies and would be used to produce evolution potions to cultivate enough ability users.
...
In the evening, Shen Feng saw that the snow in the sky had lessened and took advantage of the situation to leave the city. He headed to the mountains tens of kilometers west of the city. While the zombies could not move in large numbers, Shen Feng intended to continue his revenge.
When Shen Feng arrived at Pocket Valley, he saw many bonfires in the valley. Shen Feng initially thought there was a fire, wondering why there were so many flames in the valley.
But upon closer inspection, Shen Feng was stunned. The flames in the valley were not from a fire but from individual bonfires. Sitting around the bonfires were mutated zombies, many of them holding various weapons. Some held swords, some held clubs, and some even held firearms!
Shen Feng stood on the mountaintop looking down. Fortunately, his eyesight had been enhanced, allowing him to barely see the scene in the valley. Countless mutated zombies were making fires in the valley, and many of them were even roasting food.
Shen Feng cautiously descended, thinking, "These mutated zombies' intelligence seems to be increasing. They are holding guns, likely captured. If they learn to make weapons, won't humanity's advantage be lost?"
When Shen Feng reached the valley, he used "As Swift As Wind" to climb a tree. Finally, he clearly saw what these mutated zombies were roasting, and he felt a wave of discomfort, almost vomiting!
The mutated zombies were roasting, and they were roasting their own kind. Ordinary zombies were dragged out, bitten to death with their gaping mouths, and then over twenty mutated zombies would rush forward, tear them apart without a word. Some would tear off a palm, others a buttock, then skewer them on sticks to roast. The most prized part of a zombie was its brain, which only the strongest mutated zombies could consume.
Only strong-type zombies and tank-type zombies were qualified to eat zombie brains, as ordinary mutated zombies could not defeat them.
Shen Feng watched this scene from the tree, feeling an indescribable disgust. He had never even eaten monkey brains, always feeling that eating primates was too much, a case of harming one's own kind. Shen Feng refused to eat animals that resembled humans because of a personal barrier.
But now, the mutated zombies in the valley were wantonly eating their own kind. The meat on the sticks sizzled over the flames, and a strange aroma permeated the air.
Shen Feng could no longer bear it. If he didn't deal with these mutated zombies, he couldn't get near the cave. These mutated zombies were utterly inhuman. Such ferocious zombies should not exist in this world. Thus, he immediately jumped out and shouted, "Acting on behalf of Heaven!"
With that, Shen Feng charged forward. His clothes billowed, his hair scattered, and dozens of wind blades appeared, slashing at the surrounding zombies who were roasting food. Even dogs wouldn't eat their own kind, but these zombies had gone mad enough to roast their fellows! Such behavior was naturally an outrage against Heaven and humanity.
If Shen Feng had seen them eating their own kind out of necessity for survival, he wouldn't have been so angry. But he saw the mutated zombies roasting, and their faces seemed to show smiles. They communicated with roars while roasting, showing no guilt whatsoever. Such behavior was worse than that of beasts.
The moment Shen Feng appeared, he controlled his wind blades to kill dozens of mutated zombies around him. The remaining mutated zombies, seeing this, immediately dropped the meat on their sticks and picked up their weapons, charging at Shen Feng. Many zombies also grabbed rifles and aimed at Shen Feng.
Shen Feng quickly used "Wind King's Barrier" to shield himself. At this moment, over a dozen bullets flew towards Shen Feng but were blocked by the barrier. These firearms were weapons left behind by a reconnaissance team last month, which eventually fell into the hands of the zombies. Ordinary zombies could not use firearms, but mutated zombies, possessing intelligence, had learned to use them.
After the bullets hit Shen Feng's barrier, they instantly created cracks in the transparent barrier. The number of bullets was relatively small, making it difficult to break Shen Feng's defense. Shen Feng targeted the mutated zombies firing the guns and instantly charged forward, using wind blades to kill those firing zombies. Without the threat of long-range weapons, the remaining mutated zombies, no matter how many, could not threaten Shen Feng's safety.
Shen Feng, with "Wind King's Barrier" activated, charged towards the cave. Mutated zombies continuously rushed at him but could not threaten him. Shen Feng only needed to unleash wind blades to kill the surrounding zombies. As a fifth-tier ability user, Shen Feng's stamina was incredibly abundant. He felt he could cut through a small zombie horde.
Shen Feng knew his weakness: being attacked endlessly in a confined space. This was what happened when he was trapped in the underground cave. Narrow terrain affected his movement, and endless attacks forced Shen Feng to expend energy. Once in such a situation, he would be in danger.
But now, Shen Feng was rampaging freely in the open valley. Wind blades could be condensed around him at any time, and there were no zombies among them that could withstand Shen Feng's attacks. The reason for so many mutated zombies in the valley was likely that the corpse kings sensed danger and wanted to set up sufficient defensive forces outside the ventilation shaft. However, the corpse kings never expected Shen Feng's combat power to be so formidable. Thousands of mutated zombies attacked Shen Feng frantically, yet they couldn't even touch his clothes.
At this moment, Shen Feng was venting his resentment. Wind blades shot out, killing the surrounding mutated zombies. The mutated zombies advanced in groups, using the corpses of their own kind as shields against the wind blades. Shen Feng did not intend to fight these clustered mutated zombies. He used "As Swift As Wind" to move to the sides. Shen Feng began to kite them, specifically targeting the weak areas of the zombie formations. The zombies were completely unable to resist Shen Feng's onslaught.
Shen Feng controlled the wind blades to form around him, constantly shooting them out, killing zombies one by one. He was also gradually approaching the cave at the bottom of the valley. Shen Feng did not notice that the ground he passed over was already covered with a thin layer of liquid. In the cold weather, much of the liquid had frozen and solidified, but in some special places, the liquid was still slowly flowing.
When Shen Feng approached the cave, he prepared to challenge the corpse king. If the corpse king refused to fight, Shen Feng would block the cave entrance, preventing the zombies from using this valley for ventilation, thus cutting off the air supply and suffocating the zombies inside.
However, at this moment, a torch was suddenly thrown from above the valley. The bright torch fell, instantly alerting Shen Feng.
Shen Feng used "Furious Wind," and a wind blade shot out rapidly, cutting the torch directly. However, the torch did not extinguish but fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered in flames. The fiery red light illuminated the entire valley, and the area at the bottom of the valley was almost entirely engulfed in flames.
Shen Feng had no time to think. He quickly erected "Wind King's Barrier" and began to escape. He was filled with doubt and confusion: "What is going on? Aren't the corpse kings afraid that these flames will burn up more oxygen in the cave?"
Shen Feng was rapidly retreating, but at this moment, the mutated zombies surrounded him. They were incredibly fierce, grabbing their weapons and attacking Shen Feng. Shen Feng only wanted to escape the sea of fire and had no time to entangle with these zombies. He transformed into an afterimage, dodging the encirclement and pursuit of the zombies, and fled the valley.
On one side of the valley, Corpse King Ma Jingshuang quietly watched the scene, a grim expression on his face. "I didn't expect this, I didn't expect this. A person who was supposed to die is now standing before me. This ambush has failed. Let's switch to another ventilation shaft and transfer quickly, waiting until spring."
A corpse king beside Ma Jingshuang heard this and couldn't help but question, "By spring, can we really break through Yanjing? That seems impossible."
Ma Jingshuang turned and looked at the questioning corpse king. He smiled first, then said decisively, "There will be no problem. Trust my plan. Once spring arrives, victory will be within our grasp!"