After escaping the valley, Shen Feng looked back at the sea of flames within, his heart still pounding. He felt a chill of fear, realizing the sudden inferno was clearly an ambush. He was fortunate to have been able to use his "Wind King Barrier" to withstand the scorching flames, otherwise, he would have been reduced to ashes.
When the flames finally died down, Shen Feng re-entered the valley to investigate. He unexpectedly discovered an unknown liquid scattered across the ground. A sniff revealed no scent, yet the liquid was flammable. He then recalled a specific type of mutated zombie: short and stout with a protruding belly. These zombies would explode upon the slightest impact, their bellies filled with oil with an extremely low ignition point.
Now, Shen Feng understood. He muttered to himself, "The Corpse King must have known I would return, so it set a trap for me, scattering so many mutated zombies in the valley to lull me into a false sense of security. But as soon as I approached the cave, I would be engulfed by flames."
The mutated zombies in the valley retreated one by one. Shen Feng then summoned countless wind blades and sent them into the cave. Before the blades could travel ten meters, they struck the wall. It seemed the ventilation shaft had also been blocked. The Corpse King could no longer be found in this cave.
Witnessing this, Shen Feng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "A truly formidable opponent. Its speed of relocation is too great, and it even managed to set a trap for me during its escape. Truly impressive."
This valley was essentially the ventilation outlet for the entire western underground cave system. However, upon sensing danger, the Corpse King had decisively relocated, blocking the ventilation shaft. Such an action was akin to a warrior severing their own limb – an act of resolute sacrifice that few could muster.
It was conceivable that without fresh air replenishment, many zombies in the three-tiered cave system would suffocate. With the ventilation blocked, the reduction in zombie numbers was inevitable.
Shen Feng felt dejected. Although he had killed hundreds of mutated zombies, he hadn't obtained a single Corpse King's head. Compared to yesterday's gains, today's harvest was meager.
In the end, Shen Feng had no choice but to return to Yan Jing, preparing to find an opportunity to track down the Corpse King and exact his revenge. Otherwise, killing any number of ordinary or mutated zombies would not suffice. Only by killing the Corpse King and ensuring no more zombie tides threatened Yan Jing would his revenge be complete.
Upon returning to Yan Jing, Shen Feng discovered that a group from the Psionic Administration had come to find him for drinks. It was already late at night, yet they were still waiting at the base. Judging by their demeanor, their moods were also grim, with everyone wearing a somber expression.
"What are all your faces like? I don't owe you any money, do I? Why is everyone looking so glum?" Shen Feng asked, bewildered.
All those present from the Psionic Administration were people Shen Feng knew – all the fifth-tier psionics. They had come to drink with him, bringing along a mountain of ingredients for hot pot. Even more daunting was that Fang Qinghao held over ten bottles of high-proof liquor, the kind that could cause gastric bleeding if one drank too much.
Seeing this setup, Shen Feng immediately became wary, suspecting they were all there to get him drunk.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Sheng looked up and waved at Shen Feng, saying, "Little brother-in-law, come join us for hot pot and drinks. We've been waiting for you, don't just stand there."
Shen Feng found a seat. The location was the same as last time, by the streetlights near the city wall. After sitting down, Shen Feng couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you all? Did your operation not go smoothly?"
Shen Feng recalled that a group had gone out to battle in the snow today and assumed they were upset about the unsuccessful operation. Thinking about it, it was quite possible, as an unsuccessful operation would imply the war would not end quickly.
However, Xiao Sheng shook his head and replied with a sigh, "The operation went very smoothly. It's not that. We heard some news that headquarters is planning to establish a new psionic organization, and they didn't inform us beforehand!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng immediately understood and chuckled, "Oh, that's nothing to worry about. Think about it, you are affiliated with the Psionic Administration. Headquarters can only deploy you, not directly manage you. Therefore, headquarters naturally wants to have personnel they can directly command. What are you worried about? Your importance won't change because of this new organization. You're worrying about nothing!"
Jin Zijue, also in a foul mood, downed a glass of white wine and said indignantly, "If it were just a new psionic organization, we wouldn't be angry, at most we'd be a bit uncomfortable! But do you know who they've selected for this new organization? A bunch of second-generation elites! People born into privilege!"
Shen Feng looked at Jin Zijue and then at the others around him, noticing that even Zhang Zi and Qin Ke Wei were drinking. These people were genuinely angry.
Yue Hengyi, still relatively calm, said to Shen Feng, "Shen Feng, let me tell you this. Ever since the higher-ups learned that Corpse King heads could be used to create psionic potions, the military secretly dispatched soldiers to kill over a dozen Corpse Kings! The potions made were all secretly allocated, not to meritorious soldiers or generals, but to the children of high-ranking officials! Hmph, we fight for our lives, soldiers sacrifice themselves on the battlefield, and in the end, these spoiled brats get all the potions. What kind of justice is this?"
Shen Feng didn't know what to say. He thought about his own plans to obtain psionic potions, which also involved giving them to his family. In light of this, Shen Feng was also berated by Xiao Sheng and the others.
Xiao Sheng said while drinking, "If it's just to balance us out and create a new agency, I have no objections. In fact, it means our human combat power has increased. But the allocation of psionic potions is problematic. Why should these people, who usually hide in cities, enjoy themselves while we face death? They're nowhere to be seen when it comes to fighting for our lives, yet they're at the front of the line when it comes to distributing psionic potions. It's unfair!"
Qin Ke Wei patted Xiao Sheng on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't say so much, be careful someone overhears. Shen Feng, you heard what happened today, but please don't mention it to anyone. Who are we to them if not 'their own'?"
Shen Feng nodded and casually replied, "I understand that. I was treated differently when I was in Rongcheng. To put it nicely, I belonged to the civilian forces. To put it bluntly, I was a bandit leader!"
Zhang Zi sighed helplessly and said, "Shen Feng, let me put it this way. We in the Psionic Administration were discovered and gathered from the civilian populace. But that was because the laboratories at the time couldn't produce psionic potions. Now that the laboratories have discovered how to create acquired psionics, our importance has plummeted. Furthermore, after working tirelessly for half a year, we're called 'mud legs' for a simple reason: we're unreliable. We were recruited because of our psionic abilities, while those officials' children are the true 'insiders'!"
Hearing this, Shen Feng finally understood. He could only shrug and start eating the hot pot. In essence, these people felt resentful and treated unfairly, which was why their moods were so bad. Shen Feng was sympathetic, but as he was not part of the system, he couldn't fully grasp their feelings. However, he could imagine the feeling of being treated differently.
Shen Feng accompanied the group for hot pot, but since he had a low tolerance for alcohol, he didn't drink. Although no one was causing trouble, he didn't want to make a fool of himself by getting drunk.
It wasn't until the early hours of the next morning that Qin Ke Wei left with a group of drunken individuals. They still had to go into battle that day.
Shen Feng highly doubted their combat effectiveness. They had been drinking since late last night, and after more than four hours, as dawn began to break, they were still expected to fight. He wondered if they would fall asleep during the battle.
Shen Feng's concerns were clearly justified. After the group followed the army out of the city to battle, they began their shirking. The fifth-tier psionics, led by Xiao Sheng and Qin Ke Wei, staggered across the snowy ground, swaying with every step, making one doubt if they would collapse.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Jue and the others immediately understood. If their captain and vice-captain were slacking off, why should they fight desperately? Thus, they also put in minimal effort, harboring ill intentions: "Headquarters thinks we're not their own people, right? Fine, we won't fight desperately either. Let your second-generation elites do the fighting!"
The special forces soldiers saw this and immediately frowned. Why were the leaders of the Psionic Administration different from yesterday? Yesterday, they fought with vigor, but today, they were just swaying lazily. Wasn't this a drastic change?
The special forces soldiers, having consumed evolution potions and all being first or second-tier evolvers, possessed keen senses. Upon noticing something amiss with the Psionic Administration personnel, they immediately reported it to Commander Cheng Ke, "The psionics' condition today is not right. They seem to lack any fighting spirit!"
Before Cheng Ke could speak, Gong Changfa chuckled, "Haha, I thought these people were truly all-pervasive. It seems they're nothing special. The next mission should be handed over to us, the Chosen Bureau!"
Gong Changfa's earlier mockery of the Psionic Administration personnel wasn't due to genuine arrogance or boorishness, but a deliberate act!
Gong Changfa knew that the Psionic Administration had been established for a long time, and it would not be easy for his newly formed Chosen Bureau to gain recognition. Unless they could replace the Psionic Administration in their missions, they would remain second-tier forever, merely serving under the Psionic Administration with no hope of advancement.
However, the Psionic Administration would not yield. After all, they were the predecessors, having fought with psionics for half a year. Headquarters also trusted them and assigned them important missions. As long as they made no mistakes, the Psionic Administration's position would be exceptionally stable.
Gong Changfa had deliberately spoken boastfully and mocked them yesterday, intending to provoke the psionics of the Psionic Administration into action. If they acted, they would be making a mistake. With a mistake, it could be amplified, giving Gong Changfa the justification to have his Chosen Bureau replace the Psionic Administration!
Unfortunately, Qin Ke Wei had not erupted in anger yesterday in response to Gong Changfa's provocation. She had led her subordinates away without engaging in conflict.
Gong Changfa had thought he would need to devise other schemes against the Psionic Administration. But now, it seemed the Psionic Administration was making a mistake on its own, choosing to slack off during battle. If they weren't actively participating, who else would be dealt with?
Gong Changfa smiled at Cheng Ke and said, "Well, I'm going to make a phone call to see if the psionic issue can be resolved."
Cheng Ke secretly shook his head upon hearing this, thinking, "Let's just hope the newly formed Chosen Bureau has decent combat power, otherwise, the battle casualties will be significant."
Cheng Ke was unaware of the internal power struggles among the psionics. He only cared about whether he could lead his soldiers to wash away their shame. Only with proud achievements could the humiliation of past failures be erased. Cheng Ke, who had once suffered defeat due to zombies and plagues, desperately needed victory.
It was no longer snowing today, but the ground was covered with residual snow that had not melted. In such cold weather, zombies could not engage in large-scale combat. Cheng Ke continued to direct his personnel to seal underground exits and pump poison gas into the underground caves.
It proved that gas attacks were the most effective. Large numbers of zombies could be killed effortlessly, and in such severe weather, zombies could not move in large numbers. Taking advantage of the current situation to attack the zombies would encounter less resistance.
Therefore, the armies deployed today were not only in the south but also in the eastern plains. They systematically pumped poison gas underground, killing the zombies one by one. All soldiers wore gas masks. Although the poison gas would not easily leak out, it was always good to be prepared.