Zhang Chen's Void Walk only applied to himself.
So Mo Ran and Xiao Ruan were both lying on Er Pang's body, hidden in a corner.
The dark night was incredibly satisfying, with shadows everywhere.
Zhang Chen felt as if he had entered a free world, able to traverse at will and observe everything in the real world.
Rumble!
Soon, an explosion came from the direction of the Waterfall Bridge.
Then, the massive bridge structure collapsed section by section, and large pieces of reinforced concrete deck smashed heavily onto the water, creating loud splashes.
Splash... Thump...
"Roar~"
"Wail..."
"Ugh..."
"Hiss... hiss..."
Soon, the previously quiet city was instantly filled with the cries of infected and mutated creatures, one after another.
The sleeping city suddenly came alive.
Xu Ruina, along with the Cleaners, stood on the rooftops of different buildings, overlooking the city's ground.
Swarms of Crawlers and Hulks were rapidly charging towards the Waterfall Bridge, wailing.
Many Crawlers jumped directly out of the building windows, screeching as they climbed and leaped along the walls.
Crawlers and Hulks, as advanced zombies, were all in a strengthened state. Only the normal zombies, as if suffering from senile dementia, had lost their previous powerful bursts of speed and frenzy. They ambled slowly through the streets.
Soon, thousands of Crawlers poured onto the streets, running at breakneck speed.
A few unlucky normal zombies had their brains pierced by the sharp claws of the Crawlers, their bodies easily flung aside.
The Hulks, arrogant and disdainful, crushed through groups of zombies, their massive bodies pressing down on the zombies' fragile bones, emitting creaking sounds of breaking bone.
The Weepers moved like ghosts, constantly weaving through the tide of corpses.
The number of zombies increased, but strangely, their movement became increasingly orderly.
From chaotic jostling, they transformed into orderly marching.
The Hulks walked in the center of the road, while the Crawlers formed long lines on both sides of the Hulks, marching slowly.
The Weepers stood on the rooftops, covering their faces with their hands, casting long, thin shadows under the moonlight.
"A total of 312 Hulks, 125 Weepers, 9532 Crawlers..."
Xu Ruina muttered to herself.
At this moment, her eyes, along with the eyes of the Cleaners, and the infected on the ground, were all blood-red.
"I didn't expect I could actually control the Cleaners..."
Xu Ruina rejoiced in her heart.
The Cleaners possessed abilities similar to Xu Ruina's in controlling zombies, but the number of infected they could control and the precision of their control were far inferior.
Although Xu Ruina's control ability was formidable, her power alone was ultimately limited.
Now, combined with the abilities of these 98 Cleaners, it was equivalent to Xu Ruina's control power skyrocketing by nearly a hundred times.
A wondrous power surged from the bodies of the Cleaners into hers, as if something had awakened...
Now, she could clearly sense all the infected in the entire city, knowing where they were and what their level was. Even if Xu Ruina closed her eyes, she could see what they saw...
This feeling was truly marvelous!
Looking at the vast numbers of infected below, arrayed like legions, Xu Ruina inexplicably felt a surge of pride and accomplishment!
"These... are my legions?"
"If my abilities were even stronger, wouldn't I be able to control all the infected in the world?"
Xu Ruina murmured to herself.
She was immersed in her fantasy for a while before withdrawing.
She remembered the task Zhang Chen had given her: to prevent other bugs from causing trouble, and at the same time, to let the infected test the strength of that unknown monster.
Xu Ruina steadied herself and ordered several Cleaners to deploy infected troops on the main roads leading into the city, blocking the paths.
Then, she turned her gaze back towards the lakeside road.
With the infected under control, the intersection became instantly quiet.
Even the sound of the lake water gently lapping against the shore could be heard clearly.
The convoy that had followed Zhang Chen had successfully entered the city.
However, they hadn't dared to venture far.
With monsters filling the city, going further would be no different than courting death.
So, they shrewdly settled down in a hotel beside Yingbin Road.
"Honey, aren't you sleeping yet? With a strong person here, we should be safe tonight!"
The woman changed into a bathrobe in the hotel room and walked to the man's side.
"This... this is... unbelievable... Have you ever seen such a scene?"
The man's face was ashen, his voice trembling slightly as he pointed at the Crawlers on the road outside the window.
The woman glanced curiously and almost screamed in fright.
She saw over fifty Crawlers standing in neat formation on the road, completely still, not even making a sound.
The orderliness of this formation and the execution of the Crawlers were comparable to the world's strongest armies!
"I... I've never seen this either... Could it be... someone can control the infected?"
The woman said in surprise.
"I don't know... But... these people are indeed very strong. Ten packs of instant noodles and ten bottles of water were really worth it!"
The man said excitedly.
He also wished he had the opportunity to become a strong person.
But because he had to take care of such a large family, he couldn't travel far, let alone venture into dangerous places.
Up until now, his strength had only reached the point where he could deal with two strengthened Crawlers simultaneously.
This was more than ten thousand miles away from his ideal.
The man knew very well that if things continued like this, by the time the third stage of the apocalypse arrived, his strength would be completely eliminated by the world, reducing him to the bottom of the food chain.
If he died, then this entire family would ultimately die too...
Might as well...
Suddenly, the man felt a pair of hands gently massaging his shoulder.
The woman said softly:
"I'm going to sleep first, you should rest early too. You've been driving all night and are very tired, don't stay up late!"
With that, the woman yawned and returned to her room.
The moonlight shone on the man's face, cold and icy...
The Crossroads...
Zhang Chen's arrangements were all in place, and Shirley and Er Pang were hidden in their designated positions.
Now they were just waiting for the monster to arrive.
A gentle breeze blew, accompanied by the sound of the lake, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
Ten minutes passed...
Twenty minutes passed...
Thirty minutes passed...
Xiaobai, sitting on the ground, was getting sleepy and yawning continuously.
"When will the fun arrive? Xiaobai is so sleepy!"
As soon as she finished speaking, they heard a faint singing sound from afar... It sounded like a woman softly murmuring and humming...
It's here!