Chapter 010: Steel Fortress No. 56

Moreover, he was already struggling to protect himself. This time, being captured, the most important thing was to behave consistently with the other zombies. Otherwise, once others discovered that he could speak and retained his original thoughts, what awaited him would not be the bonds of blood but a bloody dissection knife. Furthermore, he heard terms like "Level 2 Zombie" and "Level 3 Zombie" from those people, indicating that humanity had gained a certain understanding of zombies and had made precise classifications.

Just as he was thinking, Li Lang felt the metal box beneath him tremble, and then three gray-armored warriors also stood up. With a hissing sound, the hatch opened.

"Do you really take the gray-level warriors seriously? Have you ever thought about why this lowest-level kinetic armor we wear is called gray-level? As the name suggests, gray-level is just advanced cannon fodder." Zhao often saw Wang Gang speak, and immediately there was another round of retorts.

The material of this metal box is unknown. Although Li Lang felt completely drained of strength while lying inside, he sensed the box's indestructibility, which was undoubtedly only slightly inferior to the bullets of the blue-armored warriors

Zhao Chang and Wang Gang found it uninteresting, exchanged glances, and both closed their eyes to rest.

In the mid-21st century, following the outbreak and conclusion of the Third World War, the existing world order was established. In light of the vigilance against the recurrence of global conflict, particularly with the increasing maturity of space technology, space stations and nuclear warfare emerged as the most threatening forces. During the global arms race at the century's end, in order to protect against these anticipated wars, various countries undertook nearly identical secret operations, discreetly creating different numbers and levels of "Ark"-like cities, thereby preserving a significant portion of their living forces in the event of an attack.

Now, these cities originally prepared for nuclear war and space stations have instead become oases in this global biochemical catastrophe

They did not know what kind of waves this conversation stirred in Li Lang's heart

Zhao Chang! Wang Gang stood up with a shout, putting on his helmet and assuming an attack posture. On the other side, Zhao Chang was equally unyielding, directly activating a miniature laser cannon embedded in the chest of his armor, clearly ready for a fierce battle

At this moment, a "Yun-50" transport aircraft was trailing a long cloud tail in the sky, heading towards Fortress No. 56

Fortress No. 56 has arrived

"Zhao Chang, Xueqing has already made it clear to you, why are you still entangled in this?" A young man beside him couldn't help but interject. He was also an admirer of Li Xueqing and naturally hoped to use this opportunity to strike at his rival. "How long have you been pursuing Xueqing? You started right after everyone moved into Fortress 56 when the zombie frenzy began. You know what your situation was back then, don't you? Do you still have any shame?"

"Do not be so heartless, Xueqing. I have been deeply devoted to you; how long have I been pursuing you?" Zhao Chang indeed had a thick skin and leaned in closer.

Those two individuals also chose to withdraw at the right moment, after all, no one truly wants to engage in a fight, as that would violate the wartime emergency regulations, and in such a case, one would not even know how they might meet their end

"Xueqing, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight?" The lean man had barely taken his seat when he shamelessly asked the beautiful woman.

"We are about to arrive at the base. I command you to sit tight in my capacity as the leader of Special Operations Group No. 3; otherwise, I will not hesitate to expel you from the group," Li Xueqing said coldly, as if all that was happening had nothing to do with her

The other two immediately fell silent, fully aware that Li Xueqing was able to become the team leader due to her outstanding abilities and ruthless nature. Normally, their minor squabbles were inconsequential because Li Xueqing simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention. However, if they truly provoked her, it was likely that during the next mission, she would take a cold shot from behind.

Baise City, originally located 300 kilometers northwest of City A, is one of the hundreds of small to medium-sized cities that survived the biochemical catastrophe in the Red Star Republic. Unlike City A, where 90% of the population was infected, Baise City managed to survive tenaciously after losing 40% of its population due to relatively timely warnings. Now, it is home to hundreds of thousands of residents, and the former military industrial city has been transformed into an impregnable steel fortress. A silver-white alloy wall, 50 centimeters wide and 20 meters high, encircles the entire city, topped with a large transparent polymer dome that isolates the city completely. From a distance, it resembles a giant pot lid covering the ground. Each entrance is guarded by a strong military presence, and nearly every 100 meters, there is an operational energy weapon, ready to eliminate any threats or intrusions within a kilometer of the city in an instant. These are merely the visible defenses; no one knows what devastating weapons lie behind the thick walls and underground.

After Li Xueqing finished speaking, she closed her eyes to rest. Wang Gang, after being quiet for a moment, asked: "Xue... Group Leader, what exactly is Dr. Luo Haide researching? Why does he need so many secondary and tertiary zombies? Moreover, why have we gray-level warriors been mobilized? And what is in those metal tubes? The smell of blood is so strong?"

Wang Gang, stop pretending! Aren't you just relying on the fact that your father is a commander of a fortified unit? Your whole family has come out, while I have been toiling away fighting zombies, and in the end, my family has met a tragic fate, leaving no remains. Now you won't even let me pursue women? Isn't it true that you have feelings for Xueqing as well? Zhao Changyue's anger grew as he spoke, and it seemed he was about to resort to violence. He was extremely selfish; although he had no feelings for his wife and they argued all the time, and due to his own issues, they had no children, she was still his wife. Losing her like this ignited a deep-seated rage within him. At that moment, seeing Wang Gang, the high-ranking offspring he despised, ruining his chances, he was on the verge of exploding.

One must find a way to escape, but unfortunately, my body is still weak and unresponsive. Otherwise, I would definitely seize the opportunity to jump from the plane; only by taking control of my own fate can I truly feel at ease.

Li Lang was rapidly digesting and analyzing the information he had just received in his mind. He never expected that this global biochemical crisis would be so severe, with the world's population, originally seven billion, reduced to only one billion! This is likely the greatest disaster in human history. He wondered if they could survive this ordeal. Then he shook his head and smiled coldly; what did it matter to him how humanity fared? Not to mention that he had already become a zombie, even when he was still human, who had ever helped him during his frequent brushes with death? He shook his head and smiled coldly again; what did it matter to him how humanity fared? Not to mention that he had already become a zombie, even when he was still human, who had ever helped him during his frequent brushes with death? All his relatives, especially his parents, had already been harmed by this society, or one could say by all of humanity. Although he could not claim to harbor collective hatred towards them, he also had no sense of a savior's awakening.

One can only wait and see what happens after entering the fortress, hoping that the defensive measures will not be too stringent, so that I, as a Level 2 zombie, can escape. Li Lang silently prayed in his heart, but he also understood that he was being delusional. Since the remaining humans had already established a defensive posture, how could they possibly relax their guard?

Furthermore, this is the last time; if anyone disturbs my rest again, they will bear the consequences. Having said that, Li Xueqing ignored the two men with troubled expressions and closed her eyes.

Three gray-armored warriors outside were sitting on several metal boxes, chatting idly. Through the mesh air intake of the metal boxes, Li Lang could vaguely see the three individuals outside

"I have no time, Zhao Chang. Please be aware that this is during the execution of the task," Li Xueqing said coldly

Hmph, you are truly capable, always fighting among yourselves. The world has less than one billion people left, and the Red Star Republic has only two hundred million remaining. Most survivors have lost their loved ones. Zhao Chang, stop bringing up your emotionless wife and parents all the time. If you were truly a filial son, would you have run away to mhetushu.com? Wang Gang, I know your father is the commander of the Fortress Fifteenth Regiment, but do not forget that since you have donned the kinetic armor and become a member of the action team, you must listen to me. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to eliminate you on the next mission." Li Xueqing said expressionlessly, as if she were looking at two corpses

At this moment, they had already removed their helmets. The three individuals included a young man in his twenties with a resolute face, a lean man in his thirties, and finally, a woman with long hair. This woman was sitting right on the metal box where Li Lang was located. He squinted up at her; she appeared to be no more than in her early twenties, and her profile revealed that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman. What made her even more captivating was the military aura that emanated from her entire being. Li Lang stole glances at her curvaceous figure. Although he still felt weak all over, he surprisingly sensed a stirring below his abdomen. He couldn't help but smile wryly, feeling puzzled within; after being a zombie for so long, he thought he had become impotent, yet he found that this particular ability had surprisingly remained intact.

The current Baise City, while completing its transformation of identity, has also changed its name; it is now called "Fortress No. 56," which belongs to the human-level fortress among the three levels of fortresses in the Red Star Republic.

Li Xueqing ignored the two of them, speaking as if to herself: "Luo Haide is researching a biological agent that can halt the activity of the T virus within zombies. The metal canister contains the byproduct of his research—blood essence. He doesn't know its specific function, so this time it is used to attract zombies while conveniently conducting an experiment, achieving two goals with one action"