The relationship between hunter and prey can shift frequently. For instance, if someone goes hunting for a tiger and manages to obtain its pelt, crafting it into a comfortable chair would surely earn them widespread admiration and worship. However, it's not uncommon for a hunter to become the prey, being devoured by the tiger instead.
The people of Yanjing City did not expect that within a single day, the explorer team would be completely wiped out. If it weren't for Zhang Jue's ability to fly, no one would even know what had happened underground. The exploration devices that were previously equipped on everyone were actually the most crucial element. They would periodically emit signals that were detected by satellites. Over the past five days, countless signals had appeared daily, each indicating safety. But now, not a single signal was detected!
Upon hearing the news that the explorer team was in danger, Yang Chang and Guo Pinming panicked. They were both worried about Shen Feng underground. What if something happened to the City Lord? Wouldn't the five thousand soldiers be left leaderless?
"The City Lord is already a fourth-tier ability user. He'll definitely be alright. He will survive. We must believe in the City Lord!" Yang Chang said with difficulty.
Guo Pinming nodded and added, "The City Lord's speed is unmatched. I heard someone escaped from underground. The City Lord can definitely escape too. We shouldn't worry too much!"
Yang Chang and Guo Pinming both spoke words of support for Shen Feng, but their words only made them doubt themselves more. The more they worried about Shen Feng's safety, the more they felt compelled to say comforting things, as if speaking them repeatedly would turn danger into safety for Shen Feng.
Despite saying they believed in Shen Feng, neither of them felt confident. They knew that thousands of people had entered the underground to explore the tunnels, and now only one person had emerged alive. It was easy to imagine how terrifying it must be underground.
Ultimately, Yang Chang and Guo Pinming could only gaze into the distance from the city walls every day, hoping to see Shen Feng's figure. This was the only thing they could do. They could not abandon their posts and could only continue to guard the city walls.
Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi began to flee the moment they encountered danger. Fortunately, Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi's abilities allowed them to navigate the underground with ease. Qin Kewei instantly opened a passage to the surface. However, at that moment, a mutated zombie with an unusually large upper body emerged from the side of the opening. It pushed a giant boulder towards Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi underground.
Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi did not expect such a thing to happen. In the passage they had created, a digging-type zombie suddenly appeared and used a boulder to attack them. Under normal circumstances, they could have blocked the boulder. However, they overlooked one crucial point: after Yue Hengyi used his ability, the triple gravity affected everything around them.
The boulder appeared in the straight passage and accelerated as it rolled down. Upon entering Yue Hengyi's created super-gravity field, its speed instantly increased, and its kinetic energy tripled. The two-meter-diameter boulder hurtled towards them.
"Block it together!" Qin Kewei shouted urgently. Yue Hengyi responded to her suggestion, extending his hands to block the rolling boulder.
*Thump*. Four arms collided with the boulder, and the immense kinetic energy acted upon them. The impact of the boulder sent them flying backward instantly, crashing into the earthen wall. Their exploration devices were strapped to their backs, and this impact shattered them.
More boulders rolled down the passage. Qin Kewei grabbed Yue Hengyi's arm and quickly dodged. Yue Hengyi dared not use his ability again. If he were hit by the boulders a couple more times, he would truly be finished. The increased gravity would only amplify the boulder's kinetic energy. Yue Hengyi had to retract his ability and flee with Qin Kewei.
Seeing that they could not leave the underground in a short time, Qin Kewei chose to do the opposite. She created a passage downwards and led Yue Hengyi into it, sealing the passage behind them.
After entering the lower passage, Yue Hengyi was panting, his arm muscles aching. He had almost broken both arms while blocking the rolling boulder.
"Sister Qin, I've held you back. If it weren't for my ability slowing you down, you should have escaped by now!" In the dark space, Yue Hengyi apologized under the flashlight's beam. He knew his ability had been a hindrance and was too troublesome.
Qin Kewei reached out and patted Yue Hengyi's head, smiling. "Silly boy, why do you think that? We're teammates. Everyone makes unexpected mistakes. Don't blame yourself for a small error. Besides, aren't we doing alright?"
Seeing Yue Hengyi reminded Qin Kewei of her younger brother. Yue Hengyi's youthful face resembled her brother's before the apocalypse. Unfortunately, after the apocalypse descended, her brother had turned into a zombie, and her entire family had become zombies. After standing in the rain, she had awakened her abilities. To free her family, she tearfully killed the zombie versions of her family members.
Therefore, even though they were in a dangerous situation, Qin Kewei could not bear to blame Yue Hengyi.
However, Yue Hengyi could not accept this. If he had performed better then, if he could have easily killed the zombies, if he could have controlled the range of his ability's release, wouldn't they have already escaped the underground? Their current predicament was entirely his fault.
Thinking this, Yue Hengyi punched the earthen wall fiercely, emitting a dull sound. *Bang*. The sound of him hitting the wall echoed. Yue Hengyi resolved in his heart to perform well and protect "Big Sister."
At this moment, Qin Kewei frowned. From the sound of him hitting the wall, she detected something unusual. "Wait, it seems there are passages around us!"
If it were a solid wall, the sound would not be hollow. But the sound Yue Hengyi made when he punched the wall was muffled, indicating that there were passages behind the wall.
Thinking this, Qin Kewei used her ability to open a new passage to the side. Immediately, they saw a dark space diagonally below them. In this space, there were many zombies running around. They quickly turned off their flashlights and quietly listened to the situation in the underground space.
"So, the underground passages have two levels. This lower level is also zombie territory!" Qin Kewei said in shock as she sealed the passage.
Yue Hengyi slapped his forehead. "No wonder we couldn't find the zombie king or mutated zombies for so long. They were hiding on the second level! Even if we searched the entire first level, we wouldn't find any trace of the zombie king!"
Both of them realized they had fallen into a misconception, always assuming the underground space had only one level without careful consideration. Given the vastness of the underground space, having only one level would be too simplistic.
Qin Kewei thought seriously and then said in a low voice, "Let's continue to investigate further down. When the zombie riot ends, I'll open a passage upwards, and then we'll escape together!"
Qin Kewei did not want to miss this opportunity to investigate the zombies' details. Since they had discovered a second level of space, they had to pursue it. If they could find the zombie king, a single grenade could finish it, which would also weaken the zombie king's command ability.
Yue Hengyi naturally followed Qin Kewei's orders and quickly said, "Let's do as you say. We still have enough drinking water and food for several days."
On Wang Ao Ye's side, he was also desperately defending against the zombies' attacks to buy time for Zhu Kai to create a passage to the outside world. However, the zombies were becoming stronger and more ferocious, eventually even exhibiting mutated zombies, launching a frenzied assault on Wang Ao Ye.
This was Wang Ao Ye's first battle as a fourth-tier ability user, and he encountered such a dire situation, which immediately ignited his fighting spirit. Under the illumination of the flashlight, Wang Ao Ye waved his hand, summoning countless grains of sand before him. These loose sands instantly formed swords, which he thrust and slashed at the charging mutated zombies.
*Swish, swish, swish...* Countless mutated zombies were pierced through by the sand-formed swords and fell to the ground, their dark red blood staining the earth.
At this moment, Wang Ao Ye sneered and said to his subordinates, "See clearly? This is the strength of your boss, me! No matter how many zombies come, I will kill them all! Especially in such a narrow tunnel, it's like one man guarding a pass, preventing ten thousand from advancing!"
Wang Ao Ye's stamina was long-lasting, and he felt no signs of exhaustion. Since becoming a fourth-tier ability user, he seemed to have entered a new realm. He had a new perception of his abilities, and the entire world seemed different. His combat style also became simple and brutal, yet incredibly effective. With a wave of his hand, he would surely kill the mutated zombies.
At this time, Hu Lixue also looked at Wang Ao Ye with envy and said, "The boss's strength is naturally immense, and we admire him greatly. We believe that under your leadership, we will surely escape this ordeal and achieve great things in the future!"
Wang Ao Ye greatly enjoyed such flattery. He was the boss, and it was natural for his subordinates to admire him. Otherwise, what kind of boss would he be? As a boss, he had to possess great strength!
However, at this moment, a round zombie flew towards Wang Ao Ye. Wang Ao Ye's gaze was sharp, and he waved his hand, creating a sand sword to kill the zombie. He coldly shouted, "These zombies are truly pathetic, even trying to ambush me!"
Hu Lixue, using the flashlight, clearly saw the zombie that had been killed. She was instantly shocked and pointed at the ground, saying in horror, "Boss, you killed a self-detonating zombie. These zombies are filled with flammable oil. Be careful of fire!"
Wang Ao Ye looked down and found that indeed, a lot of oil was flowing from the zombie he had just killed. However, he remained unfazed and said seriously, "Don't worry. There's no fire around here now, so this oil won't ignite."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong zombie emerged from the end of the distant passage. This zombie held a lighter in its hand. After lighting the lighter, it casually threw it over, and flames erupted. The seven ability users now had to face the threat of fire.
"Damn it! Let's go, let's go! We need to get rid of these zombies first, otherwise, we won't have time to create an escape passage!" Wang Ao Ye panicked. He hadn't expected the zombies to have mastered fire attacks. If he didn't escape quickly now, wouldn't he be burned alive here?
The group quickly retreated, preparing to find a quiet place. However, the zombies continued to pursue them. For every batch of zombies they killed, another batch appeared, seemingly endless. If they stayed put, it would surely be a dead end.
Shen Feng's situation was much simpler. Fortunately, Shen Feng had previously killed all the zombies in the passages he had passed through. For the time being, Shen Feng would not suddenly encounter zombies. However, Shen Feng encountered trouble while escaping the underground with Lu Xian. This was because whenever Shen Feng reached an exit, that exit would immediately be blocked. It seemed as if zombies were always one step ahead of Shen Feng, blocking the exits.
Shen Feng thought, this wouldn't do. Every time he reached a place, the exit would be blocked. If this continued, there would eventually be no escape route. He had to leverage his advantages. If it was a race of speed, his speed would not be inferior to any zombie!
"Lu Xian, get on my back. Zhao Yan, I'll carry you! Now I'm taking both of you with me!" Shen Feng decisively made his decision.
Lu Xian was taken aback and said, "Isn't that inappropriate? You are the City Lord, my superior. It's not right for you to carry me!"
"Stop the nonsense. Can you keep up with my speed?" Shen Feng, too lazy to explain, bent down and let Lu Xian climb onto his back. Lu Xian, not caring about formalities, quickly climbed on, letting Shen Feng carry him.
Then, Shen Feng carried Chu Zhao Yan and started running. He unleashed "Wind Following," transforming into a gust of wind and running continuously. Lu Xian and Chu Zhao Yan could only hear the whistling wind in their ears, but they couldn't even open their eyes. The speed was too fast; if they opened their eyes, they would easily get dust in them.
Shen Feng made a decision: "I roughly remember a few exits in the surrounding area. I will place you each at an exit later. We will split up and go our separate ways. At this point, whoever can escape is a victory. I suspect zombies will come to hunt us soon!"
Lu Xian quickly nodded and said, "Don't worry, City Lord. If I get out, I will definitely find people to rescue us. If we all get out, we'll find a place to gather and return to Yanjing together. This place is too dangerous!"
It was fortunate that Shen Feng had been more cautious and remembered the surrounding underground passages and exits, allowing him to find an exit in the shortest possible time. This was why Shen Feng could find an opportunity to leave the underground. His biggest concern now was that every opening would be blocked. If the zombies blocked the openings only after he approached them, then there would still be a chance. As long as he was faster than these zombies and left before they blocked the openings, it would be enough.
Shen Feng sprinted through the spacious tunnel, aiming for the distant opening. With "Wind Following" activated, his speed far surpassed others. At this moment, Shen Feng's speed was imperceptible to the naked eye, which was also the limit his body could withstand. If his speed were to break through further, it would exceed the speed of sound.
Shen Feng quickly rushed to a previous opening, where a faint light could still be seen. He quickly put down Lu Xian and said, "Run quickly, be careful that the opening gets blocked!"
Lu Xian did not dare to delay. The moment his feet touched the ground, he ran towards the opening. Just as he escaped the underground, a large hole suddenly opened in the side wall of the cave. A digging-type zombie emerged and pushed rocks from above to block the passage.
A smile appeared on Shen Feng's face. "It seems my method is feasible. Although this passage is blocked, at least there's a chance to escape!"
Shen Feng conducted an experiment. He didn't believe his luck was so bad that every exit he found would be blocked. He tested it with extreme speed and confirmed that mutated zombies were blocking the openings underground. The zombie king couldn't possibly block all the openings; otherwise, they would also die of oxygen deprivation.
Shen Feng switched Chu Zhao Yan to his back. He had already discarded his backpack. To carry two people, he had to abandon some essential items, otherwise, his speed would be affected.
At this time, Shen Feng once again pushed his speed to the limit, approaching other openings. However, Shen Feng's plan did not work this time. As soon as he reached an opening, soil and rocks instantly collapsed, directly blocking it. Not only that, but as Shen Feng continued towards other openings, he encountered similar situations.
At this point, Shen Feng was confused. He couldn't understand why the openings he wanted to reach were always blocked in advance. Could zombies move through the soil faster than him? Impossible, right? His speed was already beyond normal human reach, and even sports cars couldn't catch up. But how could zombies block the openings one step ahead?
Just then, Chu Zhao Yan spoke. She said seriously, "Shen Feng, to reduce the weight, let's throw away our exploration devices. These things weigh about two pounds and will reduce your speed."