Chang Jianyi heard Shen Feng's insistence on going on an adventure, but found herself unable to utter any words of dissuasion. She knew that Shen Feng yearned for a brighter future, which was why he was willing to risk everything and strive for a better outcome. If he could successfully locate the Corpse King and execute a decapitation strike, then Luzhou would be secured, and Shen Feng would truly hold a position above all others. However, danger also loomed large. Should he fail, everyone would be forced to flee, becoming refugees wherever they went.
In the end, Chang Jianyi could only whisper, "Then be careful."
Chang Jianyi was reluctant to part with Shen Feng, as the enemy horde consisted of tens of thousands of zombies, with over a hundred mutated zombies among them. Facing such a vast number, even an ability user like Shen Feng might not return alive. Thus, beyond words of caution, she could say nothing more.
Shen Feng nodded and patiently said, "Don't worry, I will return safely. I still want to build a secure base and have a grand wedding with you."
Chang Jianyi's eyes welled up with tears, rendering her speechless. She merely lowered her head, afraid to respond.
Shen Feng then found Yu Renshu and Guo Pinming within the base and explained his combat plan: to create a diversion. If they could locate the Corpse King again and kill it, the base's crisis would be resolved. The zombies in the vicinity had been forcibly gathered by the Corpse King; once it died, the remaining zombies would gradually disperse and be incapable of coordinated attacks. This would allow the base to defeat them one by one.
Guo Pinming immediately agreed to Shen Feng's suggestion. For him, as long as he could kill zombies, it was enough. Whether it meant scaling mountains of blades or descending into seas of fire, he was willing. Zombies were the culprits who had destroyed his family, and killing them would be a form of revenge for his loved ones.
However, upon hearing Shen Feng's plan, Yu Renshu quickly shook her head, refusing to participate. She explained, "I am a researcher; my combat ability is not strong. I won't go. Going would be suicide!"
Shen Feng's anger flared upon hearing Yu Renshu's words. "When you were enjoying the preferential treatment from the Self-Aid Association, did you not consider yourself a researcher? You gained abilities and used them for yourself. Now, at this critical juncture, you want to back out? That's not how things work! If you don't go, I'll hit you!"
"Then hit me!" Yu Renshu pointed at Shen Feng's nose and retorted, "You and Chang Jianyi coerced and tempted me, stole my mentor's research data, and then snatched my research findings. You frequently used me and then discarded me, treating me with utter disregard. Now you expect me to risk my life with you? You must be dreaming!"
"You say I treated you so poorly? Then let me ask you, when Ren Jing betrayed you and you were stabbed more than a dozen times, who saved you? Wasn't it me? I painstakingly stitched up your wounds and then administered ten bottles of evolution potions. Why don't you mention that I saved your life?" Shen Feng was furious at Yu Renshu's defense. He still hadn't settled the score for her using senior students as test subjects, and now she claimed to be wronged. It was truly shameless.
"I... didn't I provide you with timely intelligence?" Yu Renshu also remembered that Shen Feng had saved her once before, but she needed to justify herself at that moment.
Shen Feng then shifted his offensive, pointing at Yu Renshu's nose. "Then you are ungrateful. As the saying goes, 'A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring,' and 'He who is ungrateful will be struck by lightning.' How can you claim you don't owe me anything at this moment? I find it utterly baffling."
Yu Renshu naturally knew that Shen Feng had fabricated the latter part of the saying. However, she was now being morally blackmailed by him. Yu Renshu considered herself a person who always distinguished between favors and debts. Being spoken to like this by Shen Feng left her speechless, as if she truly hadn't repaid his kindness.
Thus, Yu Renshu could only reluctantly agree, "Then I'll help you this once, and we'll be even. Don't use this to threaten me again!"
"Of course. What kind of person am I? I always keep my word. As a gentleman, I would never threaten you," Shen Feng said, finally breathing a sigh of relief upon hearing Yu Renshu's agreement. It seemed his plan could proceed.
Afterward, Shen Feng gave Chang Jianyi a final instruction: "If you absolutely cannot hold them off, then take everyone and retreat. We will find an opportunity to regroup."
Shen Feng worried that his final gambit might not locate the Corpse King, in which case the base would eventually be breached. In such a scenario, his senior sister must escape. As long as the green hills remained, there would be wood to burn. Even if the base was overrun, they could simply rebuild another one later.
After giving his instructions, Shen Feng took Yu Renshu and Guo Pinming onto a small boat and landed downstream, aiming to avoid detection by the zombies. Shen Feng's plan was simple: since the Corpse King also feared danger, he would exploit this. He would have Yu Renshu and Guo Pinming create a significant threat, instilling fear in the Corpse King. This way, the Corpse King, feeling threatened, would undoubtedly gather forces to protect itself, as it was instinctual! Shen Feng's task was to rush forward and finish it once the Corpse King's direction was identified!
The three of them landed downstream and began to discuss their next course of action. To make the Corpse King feel sufficiently threatened, they needed to display overwhelming power and create a truly shocking spectacle. If their actions were merely flashy, the Corpse King would likely laugh and hide, never feeling threatened.
Yu Renshu finally said with resignation, "My ability's destructive power is limited, and I need water to use it. Fortunately, we are by the Yangtze River, so I can unleash my full power. I can start with a move called 'Water Overwhelms Jinshan,' which involves using a ten-meter-high water wall to flood everything. However, I can only use it once!"
Upon hearing Yu Renshu's words, Shen Feng felt that such a single-use ability was rather weak. He sighed, "Your ability is truly too weak, but as long as it works, it's fine. A ten-meter-high water wall sounds pretty good!"
Yu Renshu felt a touch of indignation at his assessment. "Your ability also can't kill zombies, and you can only use it for acceleration or to push enemies away. Why don't you say your ability is weak?"
"My ability can be used repeatedly, which is completely different from yours! Your ability is gone after one use! A three-second man," Shen Feng quipped with a smile.
Seeing Shen Feng's playful grin, Yu Renshu felt an urge to punch him. Did he just think his ability was superior to hers? What a shameless fellow. How could abilities be compared?
Guo Pinming, watching the two bicker, suddenly felt a bit superfluous and interjected, "President, after the water subsides, I'll drive a car into the zombie horde. Then I'll use my ability to detonate the fuel tank and wrap myself in iron. After that, I'll have no combat power left. Then it will be up to you, President!"
Shen Feng confidently replied, "Don't worry. Once the Corpse King appears, I'll rush over and kill it immediately. Then, victory will be ours!"
After finalizing their plan, the three separated. The combat strategy was to create a diversion, with Yu Renshu and Guo Pinming as the primary combatants. Shen Feng's mission was to snatch the enemy general's head from the midst of thousands, the most dazzling and eye-catching battle, and a mission with a nine-in-ten chance of death.
Yu Renshu, using the cover of roadside bushes, crouched low and approached the dam. Guo Pinming went to find a car nearby. Guo Pinming had no high demands; any car that could move would suffice. As for the key, he could fashion one on the spot with a spoon. Guo Pinming knew that both the President and Yu Renshu had developed their own skills, but he still hadn't figured out how to use his ability. He could only feel that his control over metal was decent, but the range was extremely limited.
Shen Feng used "Swift as the Wind" to accelerate, directly reaching a tall building in the center of the zombie horde. From his vantage point, he could observe the commotion among the zombies below, and most of the mutated zombies could be seen here. Sometimes, by observing the movements of the mutated zombies, one could infer what the Corpse King was thinking. Shen Feng stood on the rooftop, watching the zombies below, awaiting Yu Renshu and Guo Pinming's actions. Currently, only ability users could interfere with the advancing zombies; other evolved individuals were truly incapable, as charging into the boundless zombie horde might be easy, but charging out would be impossible.
Just then, the mutated zombies within the horde began to move. Strong-type zombies and tank-type zombies were gradually approaching the front lines. Unbeknownst to them, fifty mutated zombies had appeared on the front lines, including ten tank-type zombies, with the rest being strong-type and spitter-type zombies.
At this moment, the strong-type zombies were continuously moving towards the front lines, pushing aside ordinary zombies in their path to the sides.
The mountain-like tank-type zombies led the charge, directly ascending the dam and advancing over the corpses of other zombies. The ten tank-type zombies reaching the dam immediately plunged the combat team members into despair. They had managed to hold off the zombie onslaught on the dam, only for many mutated zombies to surge forward at once. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly withstand the zombie offensive?
At this point, Yang Chang had already led four hundred people to retreat and rest. Li Minghua was leading the combat on the dam. Having been led to the brink of death by Ren Jing, he had only managed to survive with over twenty brothers. The remaining more than three hundred brothers had all perished. The remaining twenty-odd individuals had all been rewarded with evolution potions by Shen Feng, thus becoming evolved individuals. However, at this moment, the numerous evolved individuals were exhausted. In their defense against the zombies, they had killed at least five thousand zombies, yet the zombies continued to pour in relentlessly.
When the mutated zombies appeared in their sight, the combat team members were completely at a loss. They were all utterly exhausted, while the fifty-plus mutated zombies opposite them were full of vigor. With this imbalance, victory was utterly impossible!
Chang Jianyi, seeing the mutated zombies appear on the battlefield, immediately judged the Corpse King's actions. It seemed the Corpse King was preparing for a desperate final push, hence sending out so many mutated zombies at once, aiming for a decisive victory!
Chang Jianyi knew that the three hundred men led by Li Minghua would not be able to withstand so many mutated zombies. She turned and shouted loudly, "Cao Fuli, take the three hundred men who are resting over there and join the fight to block the mutated zombies!"
Cao Fuli was also an evolved individual and had previously commanded a brigade of one hundred men. With Yang Chang resting, Li Xiang guarding the granary, and Guo Pinming already deployed to the battlefield, the only suitable person to step up was him. It could be said that Chang Jianyi's decision was a case of choosing the tallest among the short, merely finding a suitable person to lead. However, at this moment, this was the only course of action; there was no time to find a proper commander.
Cao Fuli immediately led the men who had retreated to charge forward. The combat team now had over sixty evolved individuals, barely able to withstand the mutated zombies' assault.
Shen Feng discovered something strange among the mutated zombies: all the zombies on the front lines lacked speed-type zombies. These zombies were all hidden within the horde, completely motionless, as if they had not received orders. This was very peculiar.
"Could it be that these speed-type zombies are serving as the Corpse King's protective force? Because speed-type zombies are the fastest, if anything unfavorable occurs, they can reach the Corpse King's side in the shortest amount of time! Therefore, speed-type zombies must not be sent into combat!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
Shen Feng carefully observed the positions of the speed-type zombies and found that there were over forty of them, distributed throughout the zombie horde, vaguely forming a circle. At the center of the circle was a small, low-rise building. And at this location, there wasn't a single mutated zombie around, which was why Shen Feng hadn't paid it much attention before.
"Could it be that the Corpse King is hiding over there?" Shen Feng began to speculate.
If speed-type zombies were protecting the Corpse King, the center of the circle would be the easiest point for rescue. Therefore, the Corpse King might be hiding inside the small building.