Chapter 146 - 145: Infighting

Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Infighting

Ye Qingzhou wished they weren’t dead as much as anyone, but when Cyan Bird was concentrating on the drone, she was only controlling its flight path via commands and couldn’t watch the monitor. Naturally, she hadn’t seen the two towering tentacles.

The distance was too great. Even the drone couldn’t get close enough to get a clear shot of the inside of the armored vehicle.

But against a monster and a horde of that magnitude, once a vehicle broke down, it was impossible to escape—even in a main battle tank.

Ye Qingniao sat alone in front of the monitor, frowning as she watched the footage the drone had just recorded.

"Sis... this figure... what is it?"

She extended a finger, pressing it against the paused screen.

This was footage from shortly after the drone reached its closest vantage point. It had taken the convoy considerable time to reach the gas station, set up the power, and deploy the drone.

Magnified several times, the image was grainy and pixelated. White lines of static from electromagnetic interference flickered across the screen.

Aside from the two colossal tentacles, which pulsed with a faint green light before plunging straight into the black fog at their base, the rest of the scene was a wash of light and dark green. There were the indistinct shapes of zombies, tree stumps glowing with white-hot embers, and the broken-down armored vehicle, its engine bay billowing white smoke.

Right where Cyan Bird pointed, at the hatch of the armored vehicle, its back to the camera, a pixelated silhouette emerged. It began to sneak toward the monster in the park...

During the live feed, Ye Qingzhou had been so focused on the movements of the monster and the horde that she hadn’t zoomed in, and had therefore missed the figure.

"This... a Mutated Zombie?"

Ye Qingzhou said uncertainly.

The figure flickered in and out of view on the screen, but its path was constant, heading straight for the monster.

Before it, an even taller figure had entered the black fog.

"Our theory is that the ’Tree’ attracts Mutated Zombies to its roots to evolve. This should be another Mutated Zombie that was drawn to it..."

Ye Qingzhou frowned and spoke calmly. The research institute at the Jishan Quarantine Zone was not entirely unfamiliar with this type of creature; they had already made some basic observations.

But she had already watched the entire recording and knew it didn’t explain what happened next. The slight tremor in the hand she used to grip her pen betrayed her inner turmoil...

But unlike the previous figure, which was clearly a Mutated Zombie, a sudden change occurred not long after this new one entered the black fog.

The two colossal tentacles suddenly began to writhe and slowly lowered. Meanwhile, sporadic flashes of light erupted from within the black fog.

Before long, the figure reappeared on the screen. This time, it was moving at extreme speed—it came flying out...

It crashed into a zombie, killing it instantly. Then, it pulled something out and made a clumsy, yet familiar, motion...

Ye Qingzhou’s pupils contracted, and her body subconsciously leaned forward slightly.

Even Ye Qingniao and the technicians who were helping her remove the sensory equipment held their breath, their eyes glued to the monitor.

Four motes of white light flashed, and the entire screen went white...

"Gunfire!"

"It’s a person!"

Several people exclaimed at once.

"It’s Uncle Zhou! He’s not dead!"

Ye Qingniao jumped up from her chair, ripped the remaining electrode pads from her forehead, turned, and ran back to the armored vehicle.

In a short while, a fully equipped "special forces soldier" emerged from the vehicle.

Though the camouflage fatigues were ill-fitting, the straps were tightened at every joint. Her pant legs were bloused into high-top combat boots, giving her a sharp, professional look.

Her tactical vest was laden with several magazines. On her belt, a quick-draw holster held a silenced pistol. In her hands, she carried a standard-issue rifle, also fitted with a silencer.

This rifle had no stock; otherwise, with her height, it would have been difficult to brace it against her shoulder to fire.

But the lack of a stock was irrelevant. With a constitution that was in no way inferior to that of an elite soldier, she could handle the weapon with ease.

"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Wang, let’s go!"

As soon as Ye Qingniao got out of the vehicle, she began rallying the troops, beckoning to the two soldiers by the armored car while she herself jogged towards an assault vehicle.

"Colonel Ye... Cyan Bird?"

The two soldiers she had called over walked hesitantly to Ye Qingzhou, looking for confirmation.

Ye Qingniao had grown up in the Jishan military camp. She’d been around firearms and equipment since she was a child. Even her mannerisms were a carbon copy of her grandfather’s.

The elite soldiers who had broken out of the Jishan Quarantine Zone with Ye Qingzhou were all battle-hardened veterans from the military district. They had watched Cyan Bird grow up over the years and treated the young girl as if she were their own.

To say nothing of the immense responsibility weighing on their shoulders: to escort this group to the Linjiang University Quarantine Zone at all costs.

"If Colonel Zhou is alive, we absolutely have to try and save him. This team isn’t the same with him as it is without him..."

The middle-aged man known as Uncle Wang approached Ye Qingzhou and said in a low voice.

His voice was hoarse and dry, and his bloodshot eyes were etched with exhaustion. But when he looked at Ye Qingzhou, his gaze was firm, filled with an elder’s concern.

"Qingzhou, of the old-timers who came from Jishan, there are only six of us left. Counting you and Cyan Bird, that makes eight in total..."

"The researchers from the institute don’t count as combat strength. The other twenty-something armed personnel are just constables and able-bodied civilians we’ve picked up along the way... Only Colonel Zhou can keep them in line..."

"Right now, Colonel Zhou, Captain Zheng, and three of our own brothers are missing, their fates unknown. I also think it’s necessary to investigate... It’s just that kid, Cyan Bird..."

"What are you dawdling for!"

Seeing Wang Zhong and Ye Qingzhou muttering over there, Ye Qingniao said impatiently,

"Speed is paramount in war! Don’t stand there whispering about me. Is there anyone here more suited for a rescue mission than me!"

"Wang, you all go together. When you reach the edge of the horde, you and Zhang Wenyuan find cover and let her go on her own... The mission isn’t that important anymore. The people are what’s most important. Go..."

Ye Qingzhou’s brow furrowed slightly as she scanned the crowd. Aside from a few soldiers evacuating civilians from the bus to search for supplies and shelter for the night, the rest of the people were staring in their direction, apathetic.

Even though some of them had heard the news that Zhou Chaoxian might not be dead, not a single person came forward to ask.

She might hold the rank of colonel, but she was a technical officer, merely attached to the unit. In terms of actual authority and commanding people, she was no match for a twenty-year career soldier like Zhou Chaoxian.

The sight of that calm, decisive figure in the video left her in a bit of a daze. ’Could it be that Zhou Chaoxian really isn’t dead?’

Clinging to this sliver of hope, she agreed to Ye Qingniao’s decision, letting the three of them go scout in the direction of the explosion, at the edge of the zombie horde.

"You must ensure your own safety. Especially you, Cyan Bird, you..."

"Every person is a part of this convoy’s fighting strength. Every bullet is a resource for this convoy,"

Zhao Cheng walked out of the dark hall of the gas station, a sharp glint in his eyes and a knowing smirk on his face.

Several young men followed him. As he spoke, they fanned out into a semicircle. Their weapons hung at their sides, seemingly casual, but a closer look revealed the safeties were off and the muzzles were subtly aimed at the group in the center.

A few others moved to block the armored vehicle, cutting off the other four people.

"Colonel Ye, Colonel Zhou always praised your calm judgment. Should you really be wasting manpower and resources to rescue a few dead men? Surely you know better than that."