Chapter 190 - 122: Influence

Chapter 190: Chapter 122: Influence

"It’s only speculation at this point." A middle-aged officer in the front row, his high rank evident from his epaulets, tapped the table and took the floor. "The intelligence department is accelerating its analysis of this mysterious individual’s identity and motives. Based on his actions thus far, he’s shown goodwill toward our combat personnel. But we can’t determine whether he’s a lone powerhouse who has been wandering the industrial zone for some time, or someone embedded within our own system under some kind of cover." His gaze swept, intentionally or not, over everyone present who might have ties to the front lines.

"Regarding his motives, our preliminary judgment is that they aren’t malicious. However, we must remain vigilant while also staying open to the possibility of contact." Another man, a researcher, pushed up his glasses. "I recommend that all frontline units, particularly the Observers and action teams around the Red Star Industrial Zone, attempt to show goodwill and establish communication if they encounter this individual again—on the condition that they can ensure their own safety. But they are strictly forbidden from provoking or attempting to track him, so as to avoid unnecessary conflict."

The meeting continued, and the attendees began discussing the mysterious man’s likely area of activity, his behavioral patterns, and whether he might be connected to the "Source" within the industrial zone. Various theories and analyses were exchanged in hushed tones throughout the room. As the ones who had witnessed him firsthand, Lu Chuan and his four men provided more details, but the mysterious man’s true identity remained shrouded in mystery.

「Red Star Industrial Zone, Fortress C-07.」

Xu Mo, of course, knew nothing about the events unfolding in Jiang City. He was completely unaware that his formidable performance during the rescue of Lu Chuan’s squad was being repeatedly reviewed and analyzed by people there. Xu Mo’s life remained routine: Qi Collection in the early morning, training and adapting to his strength in the forenoon, observation and logging in the afternoon, and making his routine radio report in the evening while listening to the idle chatter on the public channel.

After fully adapting to the power of the Iron Bone Realm and confirming the advantage of concealing his aura for stealth, Xu Mo began venturing out for a period each day. His activities radiated outward from Fortress C-07, as he cautiously explored the ruins, familiarized himself with the surroundings, and sketched out more detailed maps of the terrain and resource points.

He usually couldn’t be bothered with lone or small groups of common zombies, but if he came across a level-one mutated zombie, he would act quickly to eliminate it and then incinerate the corpse.

This served both to accumulate combat experience against zombies and to test the practical power of the Iron Bone Realm. It also reduced the number of potential mutation sources in the area—it was, in a way, like cleaning up his own ’backyard’.

This lifestyle—a routine punctuated by proactive strikes—was quite satisfying for Xu Mo. The sense of security brought by his strength, combined with the feeling of control from gradually expanding his manageable territory, diluted the inherent oppression of the post-apocalyptic world.

However, the peaceful days were soon shattered by new discussions on the public radio channel.

That afternoon, just as Xu Mo finished dealing with a Strength Zombie hiding in an abandoned workshop and was incinerating its corpse, he heard several Observers talking in confused tones over the radio.

"Hey, have you guys noticed? It seems like there are fewer mutated zombies wandering around these past two days," came the voice of an Observer from Zone B.

"I’m getting that feeling too. I used to see a few level-ones wandering around every day, but I’ve been watching for half the day today and have only seen some common ones," another voice chimed in.

"You don’t think they’ve all gathered in the core zone, do you?" someone speculated.

"Speaking of which, I think I saw a black shadow yesterday. It was incredibly fast—WHOOSH—and it was gone. Its build didn’t look like an Agility Zombie, but it was definitely no slower than one. Could it be a new, advanced type of zombie?" a nervous, uncertain voice asked.

Hearing the term "advanced zombie," Xu Mo immediately became more alert. ’Has the Red Star Industrial Zone spawned something new again?’

But the Observer’s following description made the corner of Xu Mo’s mouth twitch.

"It was all black, its movements were terrifyingly fluid, and it moved through the ruins as if they were flat ground. It’s a shame it was too far away; I couldn’t make out its features..."

’All black? Incredibly fast? Moving nimbly through the ruins?’

’Why does that sound so much like me when I’m out and about? So, I’ve been spotted by an Observer from another fortress and mistaken for a new, advanced mutated zombie?’ Xu Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He also made a mental note to be more careful about staying hidden on future excursions. He had to avoid the direct line of sight from other fortresses to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings, or worse, hostility.

This little episode about the "high-speed black zombie" quickly passed, but the discussion on the channel continued. Soon, another topic captured the attention of Xu Mo and many other Observers.

"Hey guys, have you been paying attention to the sky? I’ve noticed that there seem to be a lot more birds lately," an Observer with a higher-pitched voice asked.

"Birds? Are there still birds in this godforsaken place? Weren’t they all either infected or scared away?" someone asked doubtfully.

"It’s true! I’ve seen them too! Not only are there more of them, I saw a few whose sizes were clearly off. Their wingspans are huge, and their feathers are a weird color. They’re definitely mutated!" several people immediately chimed in to confirm.

"That’s right, I’ve seen them here too. They started showing up in small numbers about three or four days ago, but there are way more today. They’re circling right above my fortress, and it’s giving me the creeps," said an unsettled Observer from Zone D.

"Same here..."

"Me too..."

By a rough count, at least six or seven Observers from different zones had reported a similar phenomenon—an abnormal increase in the number of birds, and the appearance of clearly mutated specimens.