As the Corpse King in the western region of the city was killed, the zombie tide outside the west of Yan Jing City instantly became chaotic. Without the Corpse King's control, the zombies reverted to their previous state, losing their cohesion and scattering in all directions. The zombies that were attacking the city also retreated, as if they had lost their target.
The mutated zombies were the first to react. They possessed simple intelligence and knew how to avoid harm. Once no longer controlled by the Corpse King, they bolted. They dared not rush towards Yan Jing but instead fled towards the mountains behind. Rushing the city walls was a dead end, but fleeing into the mountains offered a chance of survival.
The mutated zombies' fear was understandable, as the ground beneath the city walls was littered with too many corpses. For a long time, the zombies had been relentlessly attacking Yan Jing. The soldiers inside the city couldn't clear the bodies, and the headquarters couldn't organize civilian laborers in time. Outside the city, zombie corpses were piled layer upon layer, making the area several hundred meters high, significantly taller than other regions.
Flames had been burning on the battlefield, and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air as the zombie corpses ignited, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. Even ordinary zombies would flee in such a situation, let alone mutated zombies. Faced with a scene resembling hell, they immediately lost their will to fight.
The soldiers on the city walls were the first to notice the change in the zombie tide. Before this, zombies had surged forward like a tide, with one wave immediately following another. Although the zombies couldn't breach the city walls, the pressure they exerted was immense, especially their method of digging trenches to advance, which put direct pressure on the soldiers.
Watching from the city walls as the trenches dug by the zombies drew closer and closer was torture. The city used incendiary and white phosphorus bombs to fight back, killing many of the zombies digging the trenches. However, as soon as the flames died down, new zombies would continue digging, showing no intention of giving up.
As the trenches drew nearer, the sense of impending danger grew, becoming unbearable and creating immense psychological pressure.
Then, today, the zombie tide suddenly lost its command and became chaotic. The boundless zombies began to retreat, trampling each other in the process, causing casualties among their own ranks.
"What's going on? Are the zombies not going to attack anymore?" The soldiers stared blankly at the zombie tide outside the city, unable to believe that the zombies had abandoned their assault and were preparing to retreat.
Some of the more experienced soldiers suspected it was a trap set by the Corpse King. They believed that if they charged out, the Corpse King would surely turn the zombie tide back to devour their army, concluding that the Corpse King was at his wit's end and resorting to such a crude tactic.
While the soldiers speculated, only Chu Chaoyan and Guo Pinming knew what had happened.
Guo Pinming and Chu Chaoyan were on the city walls directing the battle when they suddenly noticed the chaos in the zombie tide. They immediately understood that the decapitation operation must have been successful, as the zombie tide wouldn't have become so disordered otherwise. Both of them became overjoyed.
"The City Lord must have succeeded. It appears the end of the battle is brought by the City Lord. No one has ever accomplished this before!" Guo Pinming laughed, his spirits lifted. After his entire family was killed by zombies, he rarely smiled, maintaining a solemn expression. Now, seeing Shen Feng achieve victory and the zombie tide of tens of millions collapse instantly, he couldn't help but laugh.
Chu Chaoyan also proudly lifted her head and said, "This is my man, a hero who stands tall and upright. No one can compare to him."
Shu Daping, standing nearby, overheard their conversation and, confused, quickly asked, "What are you two talking about? Do you know why the zombies are retreating? Tell me quickly."
Shu Daping didn't understand what they were discussing. He hadn't been involved in Shen Feng's plan, and everyone involved was under strict secrecy. Therefore, Shu Daping was still in the dark.
Chu Chaoyan no longer wished to conceal it. Since the zombies in the west had collapsed, the next targets were the north and east. Shen Feng, who had carried out the decapitation operation, must have moved on to the next destination. Revealing this now wouldn't affect their actions; instead, it would ensure Shen Feng received credit.
"To tell you the truth, Shen Feng, along with people from the Ability Administration, went on a decapitation operation! Do you know why the zombie tide in the west collapsed? That was Shen Feng's first target! Next will be the north, and finally the east!" Chu Chaoyan said triumphantly.
Hearing this, Shu Daping stammered, "You, you're saying... Shen Feng did this? Really... really?"
"Why would I lie to you? When Shen Feng and his team return, everything will be clear. I wonder how headquarters will reward Shen Feng? A mere City Lord of Yuzhou is no longer enough for him. They should give him a new, imposing title!" Chu Chaoyan mused to herself.
Shu Daping was stunned for a moment. He then remembered that with the zombies in disarray, such a significant event must be reported to headquarters. He quickly contacted his superiors, reported the entire sequence of events, and awaited further instructions.
Meanwhile, the number of mutated birds in the sky above Yan Jing also decreased. Originally, tens of thousands of mutated birds dropped zombies or corpses daily. However, after a single visit to Yan Jing, the number of mutated birds began to decline, as if they had abandoned their aerial assaults.
...
In the northern and eastern regions of the city, there were still many zombies. The north, in particular, was the Yanshan mountain range, with its complex terrain making it difficult to attack, thus preserving the largest number of zombies, over twenty million. The east had lost more than half of its zombies, leaving eight million, all of whom were commanded by Corpse Kings.
Corpse Kings could emit special electromagnetic waves that could travel long distances, even connecting across the thousand-mile journey from Yan Jing to Rong Cheng.
The siege of Yan Jing by 180 million zombies was also facilitated by these electromagnetic waves. The Corpse Kings communicated with each other through these waves, eventually deciding on the plan to besiege Yan Jing and force humans to negotiate. Once a Corpse King died, its electromagnetic waves would instantly disappear. This meant that the disappearance of the electromagnetic waves indicated the Corpse King's demise.
The Corpse Kings in the north and east simultaneously detected the significant disappearance of electromagnetic waves from the west. Subsequently, the remaining waves also vanished. Upon receiving this news, the Corpse Kings were stunned. Forty-odd Corpse Kings hiding in the third underground level – could they really be killed? Had humans deployed new weapons?
The plan to besiege Yan Jing was originally conceived by Ma Jingshuang. However, Ma Jingshuang was now dead. The electromagnetic waves he emitted before his death were brief, containing only a short message: "Enemy ability users detected, come rescue me quickly!"
With the instigator dead, the other Corpse Kings were in an uproar, completely unsure of what to do now. Should they continue attacking Yan Jing or flee quickly?
The Corpse Kings deliberated. Originally, with over a hundred million zombies surrounding Yan Jing, the zombie tide stretched for hundreds of miles, a truly formidable disaster. However, after more than four months, more than half of the zombies had died. Continuing the direct confrontation was not feasible; it was better to flee while they still could.
"Let's lead the zombies north. Once we cross the northeast, we can enter the Russian territory," one Corpse King suggested.
Upon hearing this, another Corpse King immediately objected, "Are you an idiot? That place up north is so cold, can we survive? We're almost freezing to death in the northeast, and you want to go even further north? Even if we don't freeze to death, we'll starve."
"Going south is a dead end. Do you think I want to do this?" The suggesting Corpse King retorted indignantly. At this point, there were no good options, and they could only take things one step at a time. While the south offered a bright future, they had to be able to get there. Not only could they not enter Yan Jing, but even if they continued south, they would be blocked by the Yellow River.
In the end, after several discussions, the Corpse Kings realized that their only option was to head north, at least to leave the country. Otherwise, they would eventually be killed by humans. By going north, they could at least grow corn, and survival would not be difficult.
Before leaving, the Corpse Kings did not forget to impede their enemies. Since the ability users could track Ma Jingshuang's whereabouts, they might also be found. Therefore, they had to stop the enemy's advance now, or they might encounter danger on their escape route.
Some Corpse Kings quickly moved to the western region and issued orders to the scattered zombies: kill all humans they encountered!
The previously scattered zombies instantly coalesced. Some zombies discovered the twenty-odd people on the mountain, and they swarmed towards them. The zombies would unquestionably carry out the Corpse Kings' orders as long as the Corpse Kings remained within the maximum control distance. The strength of a Corpse King directly influenced the number and range of zombies it could control. The stronger the Corpse King, the more zombies it could control. Currently, the strongest Corpse Kings could control over ten million zombies.
At this moment, Xiao Sheng and his companions were on the mountain, dividing the spoils. Dividing spoils was a complex matter; if not done fairly, it could lead to conflict, making fairness paramount.
Suddenly, Yue Hengyi shouted, "Everyone, be alert! We're surrounded, run!"
Yang Chang and Lu Xian, hiding behind a large rock, were smoking, planning what kind of treatment they would receive upon returning to Yuzhou. They had heard that Chang Jianyi planned to reward meritorious officials with buildings in the city. Buildings that were once worth millions were now being awarded one by one; Chang Jianyi was indeed generous.
"When we get back to Yuzhou, we'll all receive generous rewards. I'll also start a family for the Yang clan. Since no one is watching now, I'll marry two or three wives and switch them every night," Yang Chang said casually, exhaling a smoke ring.
Yang Chang was now alone. He had previously tried to find his parents but received no news, so he had given up. He was a bachelor, and as long as he was fed, the whole family was fed. The most important thing now was to continue the Yang family lineage.
Lu Xian leaned against the rock, envisioning the future. "You people are so worldly, always thinking about fine clothes, good food, and many wives. My interests are more refined. I want to find a talented woman to marry, preferably one who understands music and painting, and with whom I can discuss our hobbies."
The two were boasting behind the rock when they suddenly heard Yue Hengyi's shout, startling them. They wondered, "Surrounded? How is that possible?"
The group quickly became vigilant and looked down the mountain. Tens of thousands of zombies were now rushing towards the small mountain. The foot of the mountain was already swarming with zombies. The zombies roared and charged up the mountain. These zombies looked emaciated, but their numbers were overwhelming.
Zhang Zi took out a satellite phone from her person and said, "I brought a satellite phone when we left the city. Let's request support from headquarters now and have them send helicopters to pick us up."
"That won't do," Jin Zijue quickly said. "If helicopters come to pick us up, we won't be able to keep any of these spoils. We have to rely on our own strength to fight!" He understood clearly now that since they were dividing the spoils, they couldn't give too many Corpse King heads to their superiors, or they wouldn't have any left for themselves.
"Then let's not fight, let's break out quickly and head into the Taihang Mountains. We can come out again after the zombies disperse," Xiao Sheng said, too lazy to argue further. He led his people into the mountain range. Fortunately, the number of zombies at the foot of the mountain was not large, and the twenty-odd ability users easily broke through from there.
However, for the time being, the group wouldn't be able to return to Yan Jing. The roads leading to Yan Jing were completely filled with zombies. With such a vast number of zombies, they were no match for them.
Yang Chang and Lu Xian were somewhat reluctant, sighing, "It's a shame about the Corpse Kings in the north and east. If we let them escape, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
"Let's escape first. Perhaps the Corpse Kings still intend to attack Yan Jing. There might be another chance for a decapitation operation," Xiao Sheng quickly consoled them.