Chapter 22: The Fall of the Guicheng Safe Zone

Lu Li pricked up her ears to listen to their conversation, holding the child in her arms a little tighter.

"Are the mutated flora and fauna outside the Qingshan Safe Zone stable? Are there any traces of elephants? Is the perimeter wall secure?"

"From the Guicheng Base? Your base has always been stable, hasn't it? How could it suddenly fall?" A young man, preparing to return to the city, leaned in upon hearing this.

The person who had spoken earlier immediately shut his mouth, his gaze scanning the young man’s waist.

"Would some leftover nutritional paste do? I can't bear to give you a fresh one, but at least I won't be curious anymore!"

The man hurriedly reached out to accept it. Upon checking, he saw it was "Generation 20"—the cheapest and most foul-tasting nutritional paste, but it was better than staying hungry. He didn't complain; he squeezed the remaining paste directly into his mouth, gulped it down, and then, with the packaging still dangling from his mouth, began to recount the tale vividly.

"At first, it was just continuous heavy rain. Compared to usual, the duration of this rain wasn't that long, but during that time, the safe zone was plagued by both a rat infestation and an insect plague."

"Isn't it said that it was flattened by a giant elephant?"

"Hmm... not exactly, I suppose? In the area where I was, I didn't see anything like that. On the day the safe zone wall was breached, I was busy killing rats and cockroaches. The rented room I was living in was leaking rain, too..."

"And then, did you escape the attack of the dodder vines because of the flood?"

The man grew both terrified and bewildered as he spoke. "Those yellow, thin, long vines that grow extremely fast—they said those were mutated dodder. I had never seen them before, neither inside the safe zone nor while out on missions. That plant was truly terrifying, utterly sinister."

"I was washed out of my home by the flood. As I rose and fell in the water, I caught a glimpse of a faint, flickering yellow on the side of a rooftop. Then a wave hit, and by the time I surfaced again, the roof had been completely consumed and covered by it."

"I saw it with my own eyes: a person wearing the insignia of an ability user was instantly swallowed by it. I don't know what he was trying to do—he was climbing along the wall—but it seemed like he wasn't careful, and his hand touched that splash of yellow. His arm was instantly entangled. He couldn't shake it off or pull it away, and the vine wound its way up, quickly covering his entire body. Finally, the yellow vine bulged and pulsed; the man struggled inside, unable to escape, until he gradually stopped moving."

Recalling the scene, the man shuddered in lingering fear.

"So, it wasn't an elephant; it was the dodder that breached the wall."

"No! Some people saw an elephant stomp the perimeter wall down."

"I know!"

A woman rushed over, hand raised. Her lips were chapped, and her eyes were bloodshot. A bystander handed her some filtered water. The woman smiled in gratitude; there was only enough for a single gulp.

"I worked as a nanny for a wealthy family. While working, I overheard them talking on the phone about how mutated dodder seeds had suddenly taken root outside the safe zone. The military sent several batches of people to eradicate them, but failed, and they showed signs of spreading toward the safe zone."

"The upper echelons of the Guicheng Safe Zone didn't take it seriously after learning the situation, believing that dodder was just a parasitic plant and, no matter how it mutated, it wouldn't pose a threat to humans or animals."

"My boss, who lived alone and cherished her life, felt that the new leadership was incompetent and didn't align with her values, so she started moving her assets to run away. That’s how I got fired."

"I’m just a laborer. If even the wealthy boss at the top felt it wasn't safe, why should I stay? I tried to discuss it with my husband, but he disagreed. After arguing for several days, the moment we stepped out of the safe zone, we saw giant elephants directly crashing through the perimeter wall."

"It wasn't just one; it was a herd! They charged toward the safe zone without any warning. There was no time to stop them, and the wall collapsed immediately. The car we rented was flipped over. My husband and child both died! If they had only listened to me and left earlier, maybe nothing would have happened! Waaah..."

As the woman wailed, the listeners looked on with pity, no one daring to speak.

Lu Li touched her hands, which were covered in puncture marks, and silently reminded herself not to view the world through the perspective of her previous life. Even though she was now a zombie, she must not underestimate any mutated creature in this post-apocalyptic world.

Just then, Lin Yan ran over, beaming. "Lu Li, what kind of strength mutation do you have, or what are your specialties? Only those with abilities get priority."

"Let's go! I'll take you to check."

In truth, Lu Li didn't want to go. She wasn't sure what the testing involved and didn't know if it targeted zombies. She had just seen a group of people being kicked out and placed under strict military surveillance.

Lu Li waved her hands, trying to hand the child to her so she could bolt. She wasn't going; she wasn't a refugee!

The boy held on tightly, and Lu Li didn't dare use too much force. Lin Yan simply smiled and linked her arm with hers. "Don't be shy! We'll be in the same safe zone from now on. If you need anything, just come find me!"

"Hehe! Big sister, you're so pretty! And your skin is so good, so fair! But are you not feeling well? I really love your soft, delicate appearance; it makes me want to protect you!"

Listening to Lin Yan’s heartfelt, fan-girl laughter, Lu Li felt a headache coming on. While she liked being complimented, being told she was pretty? Was there something wrong with the aesthetics of the people in this apocalypse?

Did she look pretty, with her pale, sickly complexion, looking as if she were ready to pounce and eat someone at any moment? This Lin Yan must have never read a book or studied history!

Even though she was a zombie missed by the authorities, had her parents never seen her true kin, or had they failed to educate her?

Lin Yan pushed Lu Li to the front of the long line.

Forced to cut in line, Lu Li endured the fiery glares of the people around her, her toes curling so hard she felt she could dig out a castle.

"This is the strength-based ability user I mentioned earlier. There are some minor issues, so I'm not sure about the extent of her ability."

At the makeshift outdoor desk, the man who had just been on the high platform had changed into a protective suit. Wearing rimless glasses, he looked expressionless, tired, and numb as he went through the motions. "Name? ID?"

Lu Li pursed her lips, wanting to make room for the person behind her.

"Brother!" Lin Yan tapped the desk, glaring at the man.

The man snapped out of his trance and signaled for a resting colleague to switch places. Seeing his colleague take over his duties, he stood up and took off his glasses to rub his sore, bloodshot eyes.

"So you're the mute one? How about your ears? Are you deaf?"

Very well, he was certainly blunt!

Lu Li pressed her lips together, determined not to make a sound. She gestured to indicate that her hearing was fine.

The man studied her, clearly not understanding. "Hmm... after the apocalypse, most people with congenital or acquired defects have been eliminated. Although sign language has become popular due to the necessity of survival in the wild, which school of sign language is this?"

Lu Li's own school!

Lu Li wanted to let out a "hiss" to scare him half to death, but she didn't dare.

Borrowing paper and pen from a staff member who was multitasking and quietly observing the scene, Lu Li wrote down her full name with a flourish.