The infected on the ground also displayed astonishing coordination and intelligence.
They no longer charged mindlessly like before. Previously, a poison bug breeder had accidentally injured teammates by exploding amidst the horde... and a colossal tank had recklessly trampled its own allies...
The entire zombie horde's configuration seemed meticulously designed.
First, poison bug breeders unleashed a barragem of toxic spit from a distance, a blanket strike.
Then, colossal tanks charged the formation, completely disrupting the front-line defenses and the survivors' lines.
This was immediately followed by countless crawlers, attacking to finish off the weakened survivors!
The zombies encountered by survivors in the past were all mindless. Thus, as long as humans showed even a little unity, they could successfully defeat the horde.
However, the current situation was clearly beyond what the survivors had anticipated.
Countless streams of poison rained down on the defense line. Dense poison bugs, with their strong corrosive properties, crawled out of the toxic puddles, ferociously tearing at the survivors.
Although their individual combat strength was limited, they successfully disrupted the survivors' formation.
Following this, dozens of colossal tanks began their charge.
Saiyed's giant shield phalanx, in the face of the towering colossal tanks, was shattered like a toy.
Survivors were sent flying one after another.
Of course, during this battle, some colossal tanks also sustained heavy damage.
However, they inexplicably retreated to the rear, recovered from their injuries shortly after, and rejoined the fray.
Wailing Ones gained a new skill: [Flash Strike]. They could instantly appear behind enemies within a 5-meter radius, usable once per minute!
A dozen Wailing Ones moved like phantoms through the survivor ranks, slaughtering them...
Hundreds of survivors were controlled by [Parasitic Spine], frantically killing their own comrades...
Saiyed and Assam were still fighting based on the combat power and skills of the infected from the first 30 days of the apocalypse.
Momentarily, casualties were heavy, and formations were in disarray.
Fortunately, each camp had powerful individuals at or above the High Awakener level.
They leveraged their superior abilities to push back the infected who had breached the defenses, barely preventing a total collapse.
Both sides were locked in a fierce battle.
"I've never seen such a tactical zombie horde before; it's like a well-trained army!" Zhang Wenwen remarked.
"Indeed, zombies feel no pain and know no fear, which makes them far more terrifying than insects! If they were organized and disciplined like insects, they would be an incredibly formidable fighting force!" Xiao Guanghan agreed.
"If I'm not mistaken, that Wailing One in the distance must be the one controlling the infected!" Zhang Wenwen pointed to a Wailing One on a distant rooftop.
"Controlling the horde? If it's her controlling the horde... then what is controlling her? Is it possible that if she's killed, these hordes will revert to their scattered state?" Xiao Guanghan murmured to himself.
...
In front of the Raven A083 Weapons Research Center building.
Zhang Chen stood at the building's entrance.
A glass door blocked his path.
Zhang Chen knew that these buildings were protected by energy shields on the outside.
Therefore, he didn't resort to brute force. Instead, he took out his staff pass and swiped it at the entrance.
*Beep! Welcome, Senior Researcher Yang Haishan!*
*Zzzzt!*
The energy barrier in front of Zhang Chen automatically parted to create an opening the same shape and size as the door.
Zhang Chen reached out and patted Er Pang.
The latter immediately and understandly shrank to a smaller size.
He followed Zhang Chen and Xiao Bai inside.
As the door behind them closed, the energy barrier once again enveloped the entire building.
The building's interior was paved with clean, tidy, milky-white marble tiles. The surrounding walls were coated with a metallic-sheen paint, giving the entire building a sense of advanced technology.
The reception desk was unmanned.
However, the desktop was remarkably clean and orderly, as if someone had just tidied it.
The entire lobby was vast and open, with a clear view. At the far end, a floor-to-ceiling window spanning five stories was emblazoned with a large Raven logo.
"Where should I even start in such a massive building?"
"I wonder if this place is like other Raven labs, where the surface buildings are just a cover, and the main laboratory is underground!" Zhang Chen whispered to himself.
Xiao Bai, of course, didn't share Zhang Chen's concerns. She was like a tourist on an excursion,
curiously looking around and curiously touching things.
"Dad, come quickly, what's this?"
Xiao Bai pointed at a waist-high scale near a wall.
The device resembled the old-fashioned analog scales often found outside pharmacies.
It had a flat base with a track that seemed capable of movement.
A long rod extended from the base, topped with a circular control panel.
As Xiao Bai spoke, she lightly tapped it.
*Zzzzt zzzzt...*
The scale's screen flickered and quickly displayed a cartoon smiley face.
"Welcome to T15 Intelligent Navigation Robot, please present your pass!" the scale said in a stiff voice.
"Here you go!"
Zhang Chen swiped his pass on the robot.
"Identity verification successful, welcome Senior Researcher Yang Haishan, we are glad you are alive!"
"Detected that this is your second entry into the A083 Weapons Research Institute. According to the mission work schedule you set before leaving, your task this time is to activate and transport a cleaner. Do you wish to proceed with this task?" the robot asked, displaying a smiling face on its screen.
"Yes!"
Zhang Chen replied casually.
After all, he was entering this building blind.
It would be better to let this robot give him a tour and perhaps find some useful weapons.
"It would be even better if there was information about the natives!"
"Okay, initiating Cleaner prerequisite task, pathfinding. Please follow me!"
The robot's tracks could move in any direction around its base, making it extremely agile.
It then moved towards a wall. The wall rippled, and the robot simply vanished before it.
"Huh?"
Zhang Chen only then noticed that this wall was a virtual reality projection, not a real wall.
Upon closer inspection, one could see dust particles floating in the air, reflecting light, forming a virtual wall.
"Wow, this is fun, Dad, come quick!"
Xiao Bai giggled and rushed after the robot, then poked her head back out.
She retracted her head, then poked it out again, repeating the action several times.
At first glance, it looked like Xiao Bai's head was attached to the wall.
This strangely reminded Zhang Chen of places where people liked to hang deer heads, wolf heads, and the like on walls...
"The technology in this world is truly far more advanced than Earth's!" Zhang Chen marveled inwardly, simultaneously feeling a strong sense of curiosity about this "cleaner" transport mission!