Chapter 160 - 112: Flock of Birds

Chapter 160: Chapter 112: Flock of Birds

Although Xu Mo was fully prepared for the potential appearance of a second-tier zombie, things didn’t develop in the direction he expected.

For the next few days, a strange calm persisted around the fortress. The number of newly "spawned" zombies seemed to have decreased, and the wandering first-tier mutants had returned to their previous state of sporadic appearances. No further signs of large-scale gatherings or abnormal evolution were observed.

This calm, however, only made the thorn of suspicion regarding the second-tier zombie dig deeper and more covertly into Xu Mo’s mind. He refused to believe the problem was solved. It was merely a façade, the calm before the storm—or perhaps, a more advanced predator had learned to hide better.

Life fell back into a familiar rhythm: observation, reporting, and training. The only difference was a new habit Xu Mo had developed. He kept his walkie-talkie’s public channel on at all times, adjusting the volume to a level where he could clearly hear conversations, but it was just background noise that wouldn’t interfere with his cultivation.

He wasn’t doing this to join the idle chatter. Instead, he was clinging to a sliver of hope, wishing to catch any possible clue about the second-tier zombie from the fragmented reports of the other hundred-plus Observers.

After all, 144 pairs of eyes were monitoring this area. Any anomaly was bound to be discovered in some corner.

However, more than ten days passed, and most of what came over the walkie-talkie was unrelated to any threat.

At first, it was recollections of harrowing experiences when the apocalypse first began, or thrilling stories of the zombie hordes that had besieged the Jiang City Shelter in its early days. Although these topics were heavy, they at least provided some historical context and survival experience, so Xu Mo listened attentively.

But gradually, as the external threat became less pressing, the boredom and oppression of long-term confinement began to take their toll. The direction of the conversations started to stray, and their tone gradually became less than proper.

Some of the more extroverted or lonely Observers began sharing their "profound" reviews of certain "artistic films" they had seen before the apocalypse, or engaging in "academic" discussions about certain female stars.

At these times, however, a voice would often crackle over the walkie-talkie with the response, "The law is not to be trifled with," though no one knew which Observer it was.

Hearing this, Xu Mo could only shake his head in resignation, but he still didn’t turn off the walkie-talkie.

’It wasn’t that he enjoyed listening. It was mainly to "critically analyze" this behavior—this refusal to forget base pleasures even in such harsh conditions—and to use it as a reminder to himself to remain clear-headed and self-disciplined.’

’That’s right, he was listening critically!’

And so, in this cycle of days—sometimes tense, sometimes boring, and sometimes requiring "critical listening"—time slipped by quietly.

「One morning」

Just as Xu Mo awoke from a deep, meditative slumber, he heard an excited voice come over the walkie-talkie:

"Brothers and sisters! Today’s a day to remember! We’ve officially been cooped up in these ’luxury private rooms’ for a whole month!"

"Holy shit! For real? A whole month? I feel like it’s only been half that!"

"Yeah, time flies, but it also crawls by..."

"A month... I wonder how my family’s doing..."

The channel instantly filled with a chorus of sentiments. Some were excited about having made it this far, others lamented how quickly time had passed, and some expressed their longing for relatives in Jiang City.

Hearing this, Xu Mo realized with a jolt that he had already spent a full thirty days and nights in this fortress, C-07. He couldn’t help but think of the house with a courtyard he had rented in Jiang City’s Inner City. He wondered what it looked like now, after it had been sealed off.

Xu Mo reflected on his past month:

He had maintained constant daily observation and logging, witnessing the tidal "spawning" and "receding" of zombies. He had experienced the chaos and danger of the minefield and promptly discovered the hidden threat of their accelerated evolution.

He had successfully acquired a Barrett Heavy Sniper Rifle and its ammunition, greatly enhancing his long-range sniping capability. His suspicions about the second-tier zombie’s existence had never faded, and his curiosity about the secret of the source within the ruins of the Red Star Industrial Zone grew daily.

He had originally planned to explore the area, but the potential threat of a second-tier zombie had kept him from making the trip.

Furthermore, his cultivation of the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training had continued without a single day’s interruption. The foundation of his Cowhide Realm had been honed to an incredibly solid degree. His qi and blood were vigorous, and his physique was far stronger than that of an ordinary person.

At this thought, Xu Mo’s brow furrowed slightly.

Over the past few days, he had a nagging feeling that his Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training was reaching a new stage.

Starting about four or five days ago, during his morning and evening Qi Collection, Xu Mo clearly felt a change in the interaction between the absorbed wisp of Rising Sun Purple Qi and his own qi and blood.

Previously, this energy would bolster his qi and blood, making him feel it surging powerfully within him.

But now, when the energy entered his body, there was no longer a distinct "bolstering" sensation. Instead, like a trickling stream, it silently seeped into his limbs, bones, and organs.

The sensation was wondrous. The energy wasn’t dissipating; it felt more like a deeper level of fusion and permeation.

His body felt like a huge, dry sponge, greedily absorbing this energy and undergoing some kind of fundamental transformation.

With no master to guide him, Xu Mo couldn’t be sure if this was the proper sign of breaking through to the Iron Bone Realm or if he had encountered a problem. The only thing he could be certain of was that after each Qi Collection session, he felt no discomfort. On the contrary, he felt exceptionally energized, his body felt clear and unobstructed, and he was in better shape than ever before.