"Right, spread the word: Wuming City is offering bounties for high-level zombies. If any organization or individual can provide information on a level six or above zombie, they don't need to kill it. Just tell us its approximate location, and Wuming City will reward that person, or someone in their team, with a direct upgrade to level seven."
Lu Heng fiddled with a crystal in his hand. He was short on high-level crystals and wanted to accumulate some to try absorbing them, to see if this was the key to unlocking the other channels in his space.
There were definitely no high-level zombies near Wuming City anymore. They had completely suppressed the development of zombies in the surrounding areas. The zombies active nearby were almost all eliminated before they could even get close to Wuming City.
However, in other provinces and more distant areas, places where Lu Heng and his group hadn't intervened in zombie development, high-level zombies were bound to appear.
"Well, some people might see high-level zombies, but it's not guaranteed they'll survive to report the news."
Lin Yu put away his notebook and looked at the crystal in Lu Heng's hand. He didn't understand why Lu Heng was still collecting high-level zombie crystals.
He knew about the demon crystals Lu Heng possessed, which served the same purpose as these crystals. Lu Heng had already upgraded to his current level using demon crystals, and he wasn't lacking in them.
Lu Heng had also revealed that he had a large quantity of demon crystals of various levels. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to upgrade all the soldiers in the city using them.
That was a considerable amount of demon crystals, and Lin Yu had been shocked for a long time when he first heard it.
Logically, Lu Heng shouldn't need zombie crystals from the apocalypse anymore. He could completely rely on demon crystals to increase everyone's level.
However, demon crystals weren't sold to the public in the apocalypse, nor had anyone seen others trading them.
These demon crystals had been distributed per person back then, and they had sent trusted individuals to supervise the upgrades.
He felt that Lu Heng's current efforts to kill zombies were simply driven by a desire to eradicate these terrifying creatures from Earth.
"Right, how's the research on those giant bees coming along?" Lu Heng put away the crystal. He wished this thing could be replicated infinitely in his space like demon crystals.
"It's preliminarily concluded that they've simply mutated, much like wild beasts evolving into mutated animals. However, their original body size was small, and their internal energy was insufficient, so they didn't evolve the substance known as crystals."
"Hmm, that's what I initially guessed."
After a moment, Lu Heng looked at Lin Yu again. "Last time we went out to search for those abandoned military bases, we only found one. Have you arranged for people to search other locations?"
"Not yet. Searching externally is somewhat difficult. Our personnel can handle the zombies outside for now, but we need to travel long distances and require aerial transport. However, there are restrictions on where planes can land."
Even helicopters had difficulty operating in many areas. Moreover, the zombie levels had increased, and they would actively seek out the source of aircraft noise, with zombies possessing ranged attacks directly targeting planes in the sky.
Many military bases from before the apocalypse were built very discreetly. Even if there were landing spots, Lin Yu and his team analyzed that those areas would also be plagued by zombies.
"Then I'll go take a look."
Although they had recovered a significant amount of military ammunition last time, no one would complain about having more. With sufficient firepower and the current city walls, they could completely suppress zombie sieges.
"Are you still bringing people with you?" Lin Yu didn't have time to go himself, but he remembered Lu Heng mentioning it would be better to bring someone who could pick locks.
However, that was last time. Lu Heng didn't have metal abilities then. Now, facing those metal doors again, he could handle them completely.
"No need. It'll be more convenient for me to go alone. If anything happens, I can return to my space."
"Alright then."
Indeed, if Lin Yu hadn't accompanied him last time, Lu Heng could have returned to his space to rest and wouldn't have had to endure eating in a space with a strange smell. Thinking of that, Lin Yu instantly lost his appetite.
...
Pingcheng.
In the command center's conference room.
Zhao Kai had gathered all the high-ranking officials in Pingcheng. The matter he wanted to discuss with Lu Heng had also been pre-approved by these individuals.
Although Zhao Kai, as the supreme commander of Pingcheng, had the final say, due to years of camaraderie, he still sought the opinions of his subordinates on many significant matters.
The conference room door was tightly shut. Zhao Kai had also cleared everyone else from the building. If someone were to throw a bomb here at this moment, Pingcheng would likely become a chaotic city without leadership. However, Zhao Kai was always strict in his management of the city, so such a scenario was unlikely.
"As you can all see, I've assembled everyone. So, there are some things I need to tell you. Last time, we wanted to integrate with Wuming City. Today, City Lord Lu has agreed. Sigh! Old Wang, don't get too excited yet. They aren't agreeing without conditions."
Clearing his throat, Zhao Kai relayed Lu Heng's proposal to everyone present. The high-ranking officials, upon hearing it, reacted much like Zhao Kai did when he first heard it. Apart from excitement and happiness, they had no objections.
Lu Heng's considerations were entirely reasonable. Given the current situation of human survivors versus zombies, following Lu Heng was the only viable path.
They had now focused on killing zombies and obtaining crystals to collectively improve their levels, but many problems remained. The biggest obstacle was that they realized the correlation between upgrading and resources like food too late.
They had missed the best opportunity for initial upgrades, making it somewhat difficult to venture out and kill zombies. Under the guidance of intelligent zombies, completing missions without casualties was very challenging.
"Well, I'll arrange for people to start the statistics shortly. I guarantee that no unauthorized individuals will be included," Old Wang excitedly made a pledge and intended to take on the task.
"I'll go and tally the remaining military supplies. I also guarantee that the quantity and physical items will be accurate," another senior leader stepped forward.
"Alright, there's no need to get so excited. Sit down, sit down and talk," Zhao Kai waved his hand, signaling everyone to calm down.
It was understandable that everyone reacted so strongly upon hearing that Lu Heng had agreed. The zombie siege last time had also resulted in some casualties.