Chapter 145 - 106: Document

Chapter 145: Chapter 106: Document

He could only press the talk button again and say simply, "I was just following the original orders, focusing on observation and training. Sorry to make everyone worry."

His tone was flat, showing neither pride nor complaint, as if he were discussing the most ordinary of matters. This attitude, in fact, made the others on the channel feel he was even more unfathomable.

After giving a few perfunctory answers to questions like "What kind of skills are you training?" and "Any new discoveries about the zombies outside?", Xu Mo stated that he needed to get back to his observation log and ended his debut on the walkie-talkie.

Although he stopped talking, he didn’t turn off the walkie-talkie. The channel’s discussion about this "hardcore dude who’d been in seclusion for half a month" continued for quite a while before gradually returning to its usual rhythm of idle chatter.

Xu Mo turned down the volume on the walkie-talkie, letting it become part of the background noise. He sat back down in front of the observation port and resumed monitoring the surrounding zombies.

He listened to the people on the channel talk about their frustrations with being stuck in a game, complain about the monotonous food, share amusing zombie anecdotes from their respective zones, or exchange tips on how to pass the time inside the fortresses...

This trivial, ordinary, and even somewhat boring chatter formed a stark contrast with the silent, dangerous ruins outside his window. At this moment, Xu Mo gained a deeper understanding: although he was alone in a perilous place, he wasn’t completely cut off from the world. Above this dead zone existed a weak yet tenacious network of humanity, connected by radio waves.

He was still the same watchman who preferred quiet, but knowing he had "neighbors" created a sense of belonging to a group that diminished the faint loneliness he’d felt before.

After that day, Xu Mo felt as if time passed a little faster. His disciplined training and regular reports still formed the skeleton of his life, but keeping the walkie-talkie on and listening to the "neighbors" he’d never met shoot the breeze about everything under the sun became the flesh and blood that filled it out.

Xu Mo usually didn’t join the discussions, serving only as a silent listener. He listened to them argue until they were red in the face over a puzzle in a single-player game; listened to them reminisce about the taste of some pre-apocalypse snack; listened to them trade notes on which observation port angle offered a view of a more "spectacular" zombie comedy; he even listened as some sentimental fellow hummed an old, off-key song with forgotten lyrics late at night.

These sounds dispelled the silence in the fortress, a silence so thick it was almost tangible. They also gave Xu Mo a faint sense of connection to the larger human sanctuary out there.

Of course, Xu Mo’s gaze was more often directed toward the deep ruins in the distance, trying to find any trace of the "respawn" mechanism. The zombies on the ground were like chess pieces manipulated by an invisible hand. Their numbers would build up to a certain point, then suddenly decrease, only to be replenished by a new batch from deep within the ruins. This cycle repeated endlessly, as if it would truly never end. Such bizarre regularity was more unsettling than chaos itself.

Faced with this situation, Xu Mo started considering whether he should go out and investigate for himself one day.

Inside the fortress, Xu Mo’s AWM sniper rifle would only roar to life under one condition—when a Venom Type zombie appeared within his line of fire. These mutants, capable of long-range corrosive attacks, were too great a threat. If their numbers increased, or if they evolved stronger spitting abilities, they could potentially pose a threat to the fortress’s concrete shell and firing ports.

As for the other common zombies, or even the Agility Type and Strength Type, Xu Mo wouldn’t waste a bullet as long as they didn’t attempt an organized assault on the fortress.

Xu Mo remembered clearly: his core mission was observation, not extermination.

The days passed one by one in this vigil accompanied by background noise. Then, one early morning, just as Xu Mo had finished his Qi Collection and was about to start his morning exercises, a grave voice came from the walkie-talkie on his desk, breaking the usual routine of starting the day with idle chatter:

"Hey, is anyone awake? This is Old Liu from B-04. You guys need to check below your fortresses. Something’s not right. The number of zombies gathered here is way higher than usual. It looks like... they’re surrounding us?"

Old Liu’s voice carried clear confusion and a hint of barely perceptible tension.

His words were like a stone tossed into a calm pond, immediately sending ripples across the walkie-talkie channel.

"B-04, this is A-11. Same here. I wouldn’t have even noticed if you hadn’t said anything."

"E-09 confirming. Zombie density has increased significantly. Tallying rough numbers now."

"G-05, same..."

The channel was instantly flooded with confirmation messages from the other fortresses. The lazy morning atmosphere vanished, replaced by a growing, heavy tension.

Hearing this, Xu Mo’s gaze sharpened. He quickly walked to several observation ports at different heights and orientations, especially those near the base of the fortress, and peered down carefully.

Sure enough.

The zombies that had previously only been wandering sporadically around the fortress had now clearly increased in number. At a rough glance, at least forty or fifty had gathered below Fortress C-07 alone, and the number seemed to be slowly growing.

Xu Mo pressed the talk button, his calm voice joining the channel: "C-07 confirming. Abnormal zombie gathering below the fortress. Approximately fifty in number. Behavior pattern has changed, showing initial signs of encirclement."

His report was concise and precise. A brief silence fell over the channel.