Chapter 35: Journey to Huan'an (5)

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

The piercing Air Raid Siren continued unabated, its sharp sound tearing through the sky and piercing the air. As if summoned, the Zombies roared as they dragged their stiff bodies step by step toward the source of the sound, gradually converging. This was the largest Corpse Horde An Sheng had witnessed since the calamity began—or rather, it was more appropriate to call it a Corpse Tide, as the densely packed Zombies surged into the building called the Power Building like a tidal wave. Upon closer inspection, various forms of Mutated Creatures could be seen intermittently mixed within the horde, using it as cover to swiftly enter the Power Company building.

“There’s no way to break through head-on. There are too many—I’d be exhausted to death before I could kill all the Zombies here, not to mention the many Mutated Creatures!” An Sheng didn’t dare to overestimate himself; such a scene was truly shocking. He estimated that only a Lord like Medusa, who could control large numbers of Mutated Creatures, could move freely in and out of such a Corpse Tide. While An Sheng could transform into his Demon King Form and blend into the horde to enter the building, how would the survivors get out?

“Indeed, our only option now is to find a way to establish an escape route from above.”

Nie Chong untied his backpack and took out the Launcher. Their only method was to use the Launcher to create an aerial slide as an escape path. However, this approach also carried significant risks. All the windows of the Power Company building were fitted with Color-Changing Glass, making it impossible to see inside from the outside. Moreover, the entire Power Company was now surrounded by Zombies, which were desperately flooding into the building. If they entered recklessly and an accident occurred, An Sheng might have the ability to protect himself, but Nie Chong would have no way to escape unscathed. Additionally, even with the Launcher, they had to find a suitable location. After all, the rope length of the Launcher was limited, and their current position exceeded its maximum range. They needed to get closer to the Power Company building and find an appropriate spot to use the Launcher.

“I can transform and blend into the Corpse Horde to enter the building. But once I transform, although my aura will repel most low-level Mutated Creatures, it might also attract more powerful ones. Should we take the gamble?!”

An Sheng’s concern was justified. Mutated Creatures had a strong sense of territory. Apart from suppressing others through Rank, the only remaining method was to thoroughly defeat them with strength, just like when he encountered Pighead Three. Both An Sheng and Pighead Three were Advanced Mutants capable of releasing Blood-Colored Pheromone. An Sheng had subdued Pighead Three with his strength, earning his allegiance. However, in the current situation, if they truly encountered an Advanced Mutant, An Sheng would inevitably be held back. At that point, relying solely on Nie Chong’s strength would make it impossible to ensure the survivors’ safety.

“Let’s take the gamble. We’ve come this far—we must do our utmost!”

Sometimes, one must be bold when faced with a challenge; hesitation leads to no great achievements. Besides, could their luck really be that bad?”Alright, you go hide in the building closest to the Power Building. If I succeed, I’ll contact you via walkie-talkie.” An Sheng took the Launcher from Nie Chong and slung it over his back along with his Nepalese Kukri.

He was about to pass through the Corpse Horde and enter the building. Although Zombies wouldn’t actively attack Mutants, accidentally bumping into these mindless creatures would still provoke their attacks. Navigating through the Corpse Horde would inevitably be fraught with obstacles, especially since the Zombies were now overwhelmingly numerous and densely packed.

Removing his upper garment, An Sheng made a deep cut on his forearm. While the Demon Form was powerful, it tended to ruin clothing, so unless absolutely necessary, he preferred to remove his shirt before transforming. As a thick, blood-colored pheromone mist spread through the air, An Sheng in his Demon Form emerged within the crimson haze. Without delay, he leaped from the over twenty-meter-high building, landing with a forward roll to dissipate the impact force, then swiftly charged into the Corpse Horde.

The scent of An Sheng as an Advanced Mutant caused the lower-level Mutated Creatures mixed within the Corpse Horde to stir restlessly, many scattering in panic. This scene unfolded exactly as An Sheng had anticipated—without these creatures posing a threat, his rescue mission would proceed much more smoothly.

Once inside the Corpse Horde, the Zombies around An Sheng began to attack him. However, compared to their behavior toward humans, Zombies were relatively gentle toward Mutants who shared the same origin Virus. They typically responded with low growls or pushes from their stiff arms, never resorting to their most powerful weapon—their teeth. In their instinct, only fresh meat could compel them to open their foul mouths; what they did wasn’t truly an attack but rather an attempt to feed.

After entering the Corpse Horde, An Sheng’s progress slowed to a crawl. Standing over two meters tall, he towered conspicuously among the Zombies. He moved like a farmer wielding a sickle to harvest wheat—his Nepalese Kukri was the sickle, and the Zombies’ heads were the crops awaiting harvest. After countless swings of his Kukri, An Sheng finally made it into the Power Building. The lobby was also packed with Zombies, and it took considerable effort for him to break through their encirclement and reach the stairwell leading to the upper floors.

The stairwell door had a large hole in it, clearly made by some Mutated Creature. It was uncertain whether the creature was still inside the building, but An Sheng had no time to worry about that now. Having gone to such great lengths to enter the building, he was determined to find a way to rescue the survivors.An Sheng dashed up the stairs while releasing as much pheromone as possible to repel the Mutated Creatures infiltrating the building. This was a gamble—as he had said, such a method was a double-edged Sword. It could drive away Mutants but might also attract more formidable beings. Yet, An Sheng had no other choice now. The arrow was nocked, the bow fully drawn—there was no turning back. Fortunately, he encountered no Mutants along the way. Although many Zombies had crawled up the stairs, they posed no threat to An Sheng. When he reached the landing between the eighth and ninth floors, the upward passage was tightly blocked by piles of debris. To proceed further, he would have to clear a path; otherwise, advancing was impossible.

An Sheng could force his way through with brute strength, but he refrained. This defensive barrier was undoubtedly erected by the survivors above. Removing it would allow the Zombies to climb up. Yet, without clearing the passage, he himself couldn’t reach higher floors. However, if the stairs were impassable, there were other ways. The elevator shaft was a viable alternative. With the power supply cut, the elevator was useless, but the shaft led straight to the rooftop.

With little effort, An Sheng pried open the elevator’s outer door and swiftly climbed up the steel cable. In the past, this would have been impossible, but after his mutation, An Sheng’s strength had reached astonishing levels. Even without any technique, relying solely on raw power, he could scale the vertical cable as effortlessly as walking on flat ground. Unbeknownst to him, a slender figure appeared at the shaft’s entrance after he ascended. It was a hunched, diminutive man, about 1.3 meters tall, with eerily long arms that hung below his knees, giving him the appearance of an ape. Several Zombies, detecting the sudden human presence, charged at him with guttural roars. The man smirked sinisterly, his ape-like arms sweeping lightly through the air. Two silver flashes later, the Zombies’ heads rolled like balls across the corridor floor. Dark brown blood splattered across the man’s face and body, yet he remained unmoved, even seeming to relish it. The short man gazed up the shaft, a sinister smile twisting his pale face, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.