Just as Shen Feng couldn't understand the Corpse King's thoughts, the higher-ups in Yan Jing also couldn't fathom what was going on in the Corpse King's mind. Outside Yan Jing, the zombies were as numerous as cow hair, no, even more than cow hair. Among them, there were at least two hundred Corpse Kings. With so many intelligent Corpse Kings, it was impossible for them to have no plan at all.
Experiments had proven that Corpse Kings retained memories from their previous lives, meaning their thought processes were very similar to humans. Things that humans could conceive of, Corpse Kings surely could not be unaware of.
Thus, Yan Jing began a multi-faceted investigation to understand the Corpse King's ultimate objective. However, their efforts were in vain. The area occupied by the zombies was simply too vast. Various groups had gathered around Yan Jing, and the zombies showed no preference, occupying any available space in forests or swamps.
A vast expanse of zombies, stretching over tens of thousands of square kilometers outside Yan Jing, had gathered. Their numbers and the sheer scale of their occupation were unprecedented.
Ultimately, the higher-ups could only conclude that the Corpse Kings were unwilling to sacrifice their zombie subordinates. Attacking the city walls with such a large number of zombies would come at a tremendous cost, and it would not be worth it. Especially for weaker Corpse Kings, if they depleted all their subordinates, they would eventually be at the mercy of others. Therefore, the zombie forces had delayed launching a full-scale assault.
Shen Feng paid no mind to these matters. Upon arriving in Yan Jing, he could only fight patiently. Defending Yan Jing was a relatively simple task for Shen Feng's side. His soldiers had ample ammunition, which was perfect for honing their marksmanship.
One day, Shen Feng stood atop the city wall. The wall was exceptionally tall, and numerous cameras were installed at the battlements, providing a comprehensive view of the situation outside. Smoke and gunpowder filled the air below the wall, but the zombie horde had retreated. Currently, several waves of zombies attacked the city walls daily, but each attack was repelled without exception. The zombies did not press their attacks relentlessly, retreating after each wave.
These limited attacks felt more like probing actions, testing the defensive capabilities of the city walls and the organizational capacity of the zombie forces.
Shen Feng gazed at the scenery outside the city, then leaned on the parapet, murmuring, "I truly hope the zombies continue to act like this. Then Yan Jing could hold out for a year without issue."
Just then, Chu Chaoyan approached, arms crossed, and said, "Shen Feng, pay attention. Recently, there's been a Rank 3 evolutionist in the city who has been challenging ability users. I heard many ability users have been defeated, and perhaps you'll be the next one challenged."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng asked in surprise, "Didn't the authorities prohibit private duels? What changed?"
Chu Chaoyan whispered, "It's said to not be a private duel. That evolutionist is actually from the Yan Jing Laboratory. The authorities have always supported the laboratory's research, so they won't interfere with this matter."
Shen Feng shrugged indifferently, "It's fine. I'm a Rank 4 ability user. Just a Rank 3 evolutionist challenging me, I don't care. I am the fastest man in the world."
Lu Xian, overhearing Shen Feng, couldn't help but remind him, "City Lord, being faster isn't always better for men. Sometimes, slower is better. Do you understand what I mean?"
Shen Feng smiled and nodded, "I understand, I understand!"
Lu Xian then elaborated, "Especially at work, faster isn't always better. Because the higher-ups will constantly compress your work hours. If you want to slack off, then slower is better. Everyone slacking off together to stretch out their work time is the optimal solution."
"I see," Shen Feng nodded.
Shen Feng had almost misunderstood.
As Shen Feng was chatting with those around him, someone suddenly came to deliver a message: "City Lord, some ability users are here to see you. They say they are your friends."
Shen Feng shrugged, "Don't talk nonsense. As a shut-in like me, where would I have friends? Especially in Yan Jing, I've never been here before. What friends would come looking for me?"
Chu Chaoyan said nervously, "Don't forget, Yu Renshu is from Yan Jing. What if she returned to Yan Jing? Wouldn't she have found out your whereabouts and come to look for you?"
Shen Feng thought about it and realized it was indeed possible. He then called out to Yang Chang and Guo Pinming, "Yang Chang, and Old Guo, you guard the city wall. I need to leave for a bit."
Thinking that Yu Renshu might be the one looking for him, Shen Feng's heart grew warm. It had been a long time since he had seen her. He wondered how Yu Renshu was doing. If it really was her, he had to ask her clearly why she had left without saying goodbye.
However, when Shen Feng reached the base of the city wall, he saw a circle of bodyguards surrounding a few people. There were at least a dozen bodyguards, and Shen Feng recognized the people being protected as individuals from the Ability User Management Bureau, whom he had met in Rong Cheng.
At this moment, the bodyguards on the periphery were still driving away the surrounding soldiers: "Get back, get back. This is not a place for you to be."
Xiao Sheng's eyes lit up when he saw Shen Feng appear, and he enthusiastically called out, "Shen Feng, Shen Feng, we're here! Come over quickly!"
Shen Feng frowned and said, "A pig can't eat fine grains. You people look very noble. I can't afford to offend you. Goodbye, perhaps we'll meet again."
Shen Feng hadn't felt anything was wrong initially. It was just the people from the Ability User Management Bureau looking for him. But when he saw the numerous bodyguards around them, he felt a sense of disgust. Did becoming an ability user make one superior? To the point where ordinary people weren't even allowed to approach? This was an unparalleled sense of nobility.
Xiao Sheng became anxious upon hearing this and quickly shouted, "Shen Feng, you've misunderstood! You've truly misunderstood! Come back quickly, brother-in-law, come back quickly!"
Shen Feng frowned. He was about to leave, but he didn't expect Xiao Sheng to insult him so much. He drew his sword and walked forward, asking, "What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you take advantage of me? Do you think I'm easy to deal with? Watch your mouth!"
Xiao Sheng said with a fawning smile, "You've really misunderstood. We have so many bodyguards not because we're putting on airs, but because of unspeakable reasons. Also, I know your sister Shen Yu, and we are already boyfriend and girlfriend. If all goes well, we'll be getting married next year."
"Married?" Shen Feng was greatly surprised and asked, "How come I haven't heard about this? And what is the reason you're looking for me?"
Shen Feng had never heard of this from his family. When he went to Rong Cheng before, he hadn't heard that his sister had a boyfriend, but in the blink of an eye, he heard she was getting married. He couldn't help but doubt whether this news was true.
Fang Qinghao also explained, "Shen Feng, we're really here to see you for an important matter. If it's convenient, let's find a quiet place to talk."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "Alright, let's talk in a nearby open space. While there are no zombies attacking the city now, I can still talk with you. Once the zombie tide appears, I'll have to go fight again."
Afterward, Shen Feng followed everyone to the open space. The bodyguards immediately dispersed, clearing an area for them to talk. Besides Shen Feng, six Rank 5 ability users from the Ability User Management Bureau were present. Shen Feng's attention was drawn to the unusual phenomena surrounding these individuals. After a long time, their changes were truly significant!
Beside Xiao Sheng, clusters of blue flames swirled. Around Fang Qinghao, a stream of water revolved. Jin Zijue's body would occasionally emit crackling arcs of electricity. Looking at Zhang Zi, although there was nothing unusual around her, if one looked down, they would notice that with every step she took, her footprints left behind a trail of frozen ice. As for the remaining two, there were no visible anomalies around them, but upon approaching, one would suddenly feel their footsteps become heavy and the ground sink.
"The six of you, I know you are all exceptionally talented. I also know you are the strongest individuals in the Ability User Management Bureau. However, I want to say, you don't need to show off your abilities. Please retract them, alright!" Shen Feng was somewhat displeased. These people appearing before him seemed to be flaunting their advancement to Rank 5 ability users, which made Shen Feng feel uncomfortable.
Shen Feng also had enough evolution bases, but he hadn't rushed to use them. Otherwise, he would also be a Rank 5 ability user now.
Xiao Sheng explained, "Brother-in-law, it's not that we're unwilling to retract our abilities, but we can't! Ever since we became Rank 5 ability users a few days ago, our abilities have become somewhat uncontrollable. Therefore, we had to disperse the surrounding people to prevent anyone from being accidentally injured by us. And that's why you saw what you just saw."
"Don't use that title. You and my sister aren't married yet. Just call me by my name. As for your current state, I don't understand why either." Shen Feng spread his hands helplessly, indicating he was powerless.
At this moment, Zhang Zi spoke, asking nervously, "Shen Feng, why haven't you advanced? You clearly have many evolution bases. You can definitely evolve to Rank 5. Do you know of some danger, which is why you haven't advanced to Rank 5?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I haven't advanced because I want to use the evolution bases when danger arises. You are all ability users who have grown up in a greenhouse. You certainly don't understand the evolution methods of ordinary people like us. We use them when we are on the verge of death, as it can save our lives." Shen Feng quickly defended himself. Clearly, these people suspected that the evolution bases had problems, which was why they came to probe for information.
Qin Kewei frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly said to his companions, "I think we might have evolved too quickly, which is why this situation has occurred. After all, we evolved from Rank 3 to Rank 4, and then to Rank 5, all within a month."
Yue Hengyi shook his head helplessly and asked, "But is there anything wrong with our evolution? The laboratory poured the most resources into us, which is why we evolved to Rank 5 in the shortest time. Who would have thought that such a problem would arise during the evolution process?"
Jin Zijue simply lay on the ground, the arcs of electricity crackling around him. "Life is always full of surprises. We thought we were the first ability users to break through to Rank 5, but who would have expected such a problem to arise."
At this moment, Shen Feng suddenly had an idea and quickly asked, "Have you guys not been on the battlefield these past few days?"
Xiao Sheng directly replied, "No. Aren't guns and cannons the main forces on the battlefield now? Why would we go to the battlefield? And there haven't been any enemies appearing for us to fight one-on-one."
Shen Feng suddenly clapped his hands, confirming his idea. "This must be the reason! You haven't been on the battlefield, so you haven't trained your abilities. At least, the time spent using your abilities has decreased. Thus, you suddenly gained greater power, but you haven't trained your abilities, which has led to a mismatch between your skill level and your powerful abilities."
The six people exchanged glances, seeing doubt in each other's eyes. It seemed what Shen Feng said made sense. Could it really be the reason Shen Feng mentioned?
"Do you have any evidence?" Zhang Zi asked first.
"No!" Shen Feng smiled. "However, I've read many novels, and this is how it's often described. A sudden surge in power without corresponding mental fortitude. Many novels are written this way, so I think that's the reason."
"Damn it, you're trying to fool us with things from novels. Do you often train your abilities?" Xiao Sheng couldn't help but ask.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng sat down on the ground, leaned back, and confidently said, "What do you mean by the world's number one Rank 4 ability user? I run dozens of kilometers every day using my abilities. Is this level of training enough?"
Xiao Sheng nodded and said to those around him, "According to Shen Feng's explanation, it must be that we've used our abilities less frequently. It seems we also need to use our abilities more. Hopefully, we can control our abilities."
Jin Zijue glanced at Shen Feng, then suddenly sat up from the ground and asked, "Shen Feng, have you gotten anything good recently? Good things need to be shared."
Jin Zijue believed that Shen Feng must have consumed something good, otherwise, he wouldn't be acting like this. Perhaps, besides evolution bases, some other combination was needed.
Seeing Jin Zijue question him like this, Shen Feng felt a bit displeased. "Be careful. It won't be good if I catch you doing something wrong."
"I..." Jin Zijue heard Shen Feng say this and immediately recalled the humiliation he experienced in Rong Cheng. He had almost become a eunuch then. He didn't expect Shen Feng to bring up such embarrassing matters in front of his companions.
Jin Zijue thought for a moment, stood up, and said to Shen Feng, "Let's spar. It's a good opportunity to test whose abilities are stronger."
It turned out that Jin Zijue, unable to out-argue Shen Feng, was preparing to resort to force. After all, he was a Rank 5 ability user. In a fight, he wouldn't be worse than Shen Feng, right?