Was it intentional baiting? Lu Yin narrowed his eyes, hoping he was overthinking.
After Kang Dafeng's incident, everyone's nerves were even more frayed.
A day later, the convoy stopped by an abandoned toll booth. Their mission had begun: this section of the road was damaged and needed repair.
"Report, battle detected five miles out. Five evolved humans encountered an attack by mutated beasts," a soldier reported.
Lu Yin ordered a rescue.
Half an hour later, the five evolved humans were brought in. They were five men, each disheveled and ragged, and judging by their appearance, hungry.
Lu Yin didn't allow anyone to give them food. Those who dared to venture into the wilderness to hunt mutated beasts had to be prepared for death. Lu Yin was not a saint; food in the army didn't come easily. If worst came to worst, there were mutated rats everywhere they could eat.
The five evolved humans were isolated outside the toll booth, staring enviously as the soldiers fired their guns. After a while, one of them requested to see Lu Yin.
Lu Yin stood on the roof of the toll booth, looking around.
Below, the evolved human, his face ashen, said, "This, my lord, could you please give us some food? We can exchange it for information."
Lu Yin looked at him. "Speak."
"You'll give us food?" the evolved human asked expectantly.
Lu Yin said coldly, "Are you bargaining with me?"
The evolved human's expression changed. He said fearfully, "Dare not, dare not," then continued, "Actually, we brought enough food, but it was stolen yesterday by a Sky-level powerhouse wearing silver-white battle armor."
Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "Continue."
The evolved human swallowed, his throat a little dry, but he continued, "In Jinling, near us, there's only Figure Saint Zhou Shan, a Sky-level powerhouse. But that person could fly. I guess it's because of that battle armor. After that person stole our food, he was going to kill us to silence us, but then he suddenly decided, like a madman, and excitedly flew east."
Lu Yin knew these people had encountered Aodhan. Suddenly decided? It must have been the personal connector linking up, right? Could he be in contact with other descending students? This was not good. It was already difficult for Zhou Shan to fight off Aodhan. If there were other students intervening, Zhou Shan might not be able to hold out.
"Give them some food," Lu Yin ordered, then sat down, looking up at the starry sky.
What exactly am I worried about? Jinling? Or those survivors? I am always an outsider, not native to Earth. Frankly, I'm just like Yasta and those others, but the time spent living on Earth has gradually made me accept this new identity.
I only have two and a half years of memories. My past memories are blank, and in these mere two and a half years of memories, most of them are of Earth. Earth, it can be considered my home.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. It's a pity I'm not an absolute powerhouse; I can't save the Earth. But I can save some people within my capabilities.
Thinking this, Lu Yin dialed Zhou Shan's communicator, telling him about his speculation regarding Aodhan.
Zhou Shan said gravely, "I understand. Repair the road as quickly as possible. I want to know how the others are doing. That group of students is not simple."
Lu Yin cut off the communication. The others? The other six saints?
"I hope Liu Shaoge isn't dead, otherwise, who will I take revenge on?" Lu Yin muttered coldly to himself.
That night, the sky was covered by dark clouds; there was no starlight.
Lu Yin was a little disappointed and slept inside the armored vehicle.
In the middle of the night, a startled scream woke everyone up.
"Boss, zombie tide! A zombie tide has been detected!" Zi San shouted anxiously.
Lu Yin got out of the armored vehicle, jumped onto the roof of the toll booth, and looked around. In the darkness, countless wandering zombies approached from all directions.
"Everyone immediately activate defenses! Light the flames and throw them out!" Luo Yun shouted.
Before long, the zombie tide began to impact the toll booth. The ground was scorched. Countless burning objects were hurled onto the ground, flames raging, and heat waves swept in overwhelmingly.
"Be careful! Don't let the flames get near the toll booth, or they'll burn all of you!" Luo Yun shouted.
Machine guns fired in all directions. The night, which should have been quiet, erupted with earth-shattering noise.
Nearly ten thousand soldiers were slaughtering zombies far outside. Machine gun bullets swept, only steel sabers remained. Occasionally, soldiers were grabbed and injured, or even pulled into the zombie horde, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The five rescued evolved humans watched in horror. This was military combat, far more brutal than they had imagined.
Luo Yun wielded her steel saber. An Earth-level powerhouse was incomparable to ordinary evolved humans. One swing of her saber and the fierce energy could tear apart more than a dozen zombies. Although she was a bit timid, she was still very fierce in combat.
Lu Yin likewise wielded his iron rod and leaped into the zombie horde. A single strike often cleared a wide area.
The best way to deal with such a zombie tide was actually hot weapons, but unfortunately, Jinling had too few hot weapons left. If those armories hadn't been destroyed, and missiles had swept through like wildfire, no number of zombies would have been enough to kill.
Lu Yin was slaughtering zombies when the walkie-talkie on his waist blared an alarmed voice, "Boss, the southwest direction is about to collapse!"
Lu Yin was startled. He jumped up, stepping on zombie heads, and rushed towards the southwest direction. Indeed, countless soldiers were being massacred there. What was happening?
"Boss, there's a strange zombie that's very powerful. Even the Human-level captains can't stop it," Zi San reported. He was still standing on high ground, observing.
Lu Yin landed, aimed at the convergence of soldiers and zombies, and fiercely chopped down with his iron rod. A visible slash ripped through the air, tearing the ground, and simultaneously killing dozens of zombies, creating a clear demarcation line on the ground.
Within the demarcation line, countless soldiers retreated, looking fearfully ahead. Just moments ago, no less than 50 of them had died.
Crack! The iron rod in Lu Yin's hand broke into two halves.
As Lu Yin's strength increased, the iron rod naturally couldn't withstand his single strike.
"Vanguard Commander, watch out!" someone exclaimed.
Around them, zombies surged like a tide. Their numbers were simply endless, at least a hundred thousand, covering mountains and plains.
Lu Yin's Heavenly Star Technique circulated around his body. The Star Energy formed a qi wave that vibrated outwards. Within a 10-meter radius, there was nothing. All zombies were pushed back. Only one long-haired zombie withstood Lu Yin's energy impact, standing firmly on the ground, staring dead at Lu Yin.
"Boss, it's him. He's killed quite a few soldiers," Zi San's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Lu Yin looked at the zombie in front of him in surprise. This was no ordinary zombie. This zombie had intelligence.
Zombies developing intelligence was a dangerous and treacherous prospect, but it had indeed appeared.
Lu Yin looked in surprise at the zombie barely 2 meters away from him. Those crimson eyes gave him a sense not of dullness, but of thought. This zombie was thinking.
Before Lu Yin could think further, the long-haired zombie suddenly rushed forward, its two claws reaching out to grab Lu Yin.
Lu Yin dodged. The claw wind swept past, tearing open zombies 10 meters away.
Earth-level strength, and far superior to Kang Dafeng and Luo Yun, comparable to Zhao Yu.
Lu Yin stared at the long-haired zombie's attack trajectory. It had structure. Although chaotic, it was flawless. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Lu Yin would never have believed that what was attacking him was a zombie.
After several continuous attacks yielded no results, the long-haired zombie growled, turned around, and left, actually escaping.
Lu Yin stared at the white silk threads on the long-haired zombie's back. What is this? Spider silk? Suddenly, Lu Yin remembered his speculation from earlier in the day. It was this zombie that had attracted Kang Dafeng to that building. This zombie definitely had intelligence.
Lu Yin had no time to think more. He fiercely swung the broken half of the iron rod, piercing the void and embedding it in the long-haired zombie's abdomen. The long-haired zombie roared, turned its head, stared at Lu Yin, then fled south.
The surrounding zombie tide suddenly roared, as if stimulated, and all blocked Lu Yin's front.
Lu Yin shouted, "Zi San, tell me the position of that zombie!"
Zi San's voice came through the walkie-talkie, "Boss, he turned a hundred meters away, fled west, on the path we came from."
Lu Yin's leg muscles flexed. His figure disappeared directly. At his original spot, a blurry afterimage was engulfed by countless zombies.
Zi San watched this scene in shock. Was this a battle technique? So miraculous.
Lu Yin at maximum speed broke out of the zombie tide's encirclement, chasing along the path they had come from, but the long-haired zombie's traces were gone.
"Boss, I can't see it anymore," Zi San said.
Lu Yin stopped in place, his back to the toll booth, and took out his personal connector. He tested combat power. The connector kept flickering. Near him, there were many combat power readings from surrounding mutated beasts, but there was one very powerful combat power, nine hundred ninety, already reaching peak Earth-level. It must be that long-haired zombie.
Lu Yin followed the direction of the personal connector. As long as he dealt with that long-haired zombie, the zombie tide should end. If he hadn't guessed wrong, that zombie should be the Zombie King. It was commanding the zombie tide to surround and eliminate his army. Kang Dafeng was just the first.