Chapter 244: The Zombie Tide Ends
The one-eyed zombie started to fantasize, "Yeah, yeah, what if I can get to the Eighth Rank! I haven’t leveled up in years!"
Seeing the two of them about to step out the door, the zombie with the missing finger grew frantic. He scrambled after them, squeezed in between the two, and threw his arms over their shoulders.
He pleaded shamelessly, "Take me with you! Take me! I can dish it out and I can take it!"
The remaining zombies grew restless. They wanted to go too but were too proud to ask, though they were itching with anticipation.
Just before heading out, Owen Warren turned back and invited them, "Why don’t you all come along? There’s strength in numbers. But... what about what you promised that person?"
Hearing this, the zombies were overjoyed and said with contempt, "Bah, who gives a damn about some human! What’s more important than leveling up? Let’s go, let’s go!"
A few zombies were still hesitating, but they were yanked along. If they were going, they were all going together. What was the point of being left behind alone!
And so, the seven zombies marched out of the factory together.
From a distance, Frost Shaw and the others saw this. "Didn’t we say we’d pick them off one by one?" one asked in confusion. "We can’t fight that many at once!"
Frost Shaw guessed, "He’s probably trying to lure them away."
They watched as the seven zombies retreated into the distance.
「Half an hour later」
Lily Hart sent a message in the group chat: [No new zombies are pouring in. We’re doing our best to deal with the rest. Good job, everyone!]
Atop the wall, Elder Shaw also breathed a sigh of relief. For about an hour, no new zombies had joined the fray, which greatly eased the pressure on them.
But the number of remaining zombies was still immense, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.
Still, at least there was now a light at the end of the tunnel. Rallying everyone, Elder Shaw directed them to drive the zombies out in one final push!
At the crack of dawn, Elder Shaw leaned on the wall with both hands, watching as the last zombie was slain. He surveyed the area and couldn’t see a single zombie left standing.
Only then did he finally, truly breathe a sigh of relief.
He slowly turned, and a trusted aide helped him down from the wall.
’But... why isn’t the Vanguard Squad back yet? Did something happen to them? But the only reason this tide let up is because they took care of The Zombie King...’
Inside the lottery shop, Lily Hart let out a sigh of relief. She had been inching the RV forward little by little, almost to the base of the wall. She hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Frost Shaw and the others hadn’t returned right away; instead, they had tailed Owen Warren.
As the sun climbed high in the sky, Frost Shaw’s group returned, stepping into Lily Hart’s view bathed in the morning light.
She waved at them excitedly, and Roman Rowe enthusiastically returned her wave. Frost Shaw was a step behind them, but everyone else couldn’t help but break into smiles.
Once they were aboard the RV, Lily Hart asked, "What took you so long to get back?"
Owen Warren answered succinctly, "I led those zombies away."
But he didn’t dare say how.
Lily Hart gave him a thumbs-up. "And then what? Where’d you lead them? How did you deal with them in the end?"
Owen Warren recounted what happened. He’d simply led them far away, running them in circles, until he finally just gave up and played dumb, claiming he couldn’t find the place anymore.
He gave each of them a fingernail as a consolation prize.
The zombies had actually accepted it happily, not minding in the least. They were even understanding. ’Treasures like this can’t be sought, only stumbled upon!’
And just like that, Owen Warren parted ways with them, promising to call them next time he found "it."
"That’s it? What did you use to lure them?" Lily Hart asked, curious. "I’ll have to try it next time."
’Don’t even think about it!’ Owen thought. ’You’re the biggest lure of them all!’
Owen Warren stammered, at a loss for words. Frost Shaw noticed his reaction. Looking thoughtful, she guessed it had something to do with Lily Hart.
She stepped forward and chimed in, "It’s probably a zombie secret."
Lily Hart thought that made sense and didn’t press the matter.
...
Having just come down from the wall, Elder Shaw returned to his room to wash up before bed when he suddenly received a message from the Vanguard Squad’s captain.
[Elder Shaw, requesting backup! We’ve fallen into The Zombie King’s trap!!]
Quincy Shaw jolted upright. ’Doesn’t the end of the zombie tide mean The Zombie King has already been dealt with...?’
’What’s there to send backup for? Don’t tell me there’s another Zombie King we haven’t seen.’ Elder Shaw sighed.
He hurriedly put on his shoes and jacket, preparing to find people to send as backup, when suddenly, his Light Brain vibrated again.
It was a message from Lily Hart. [Elder Shaw, my people have lured away six Zombie Kings. That’s why the zombie tide ended.]
She wasn’t the type to be an unsung hero; when credit was due, she claimed it.
A video followed. It was a bit long. After watching it on fast-forward, Quincy Shaw’s expression became very grave.
The video highlighted a single, crucial point: these zombies were acting on orders from someone behind the scenes who had promised them a reward.
’Who could it be?’
The face of Quentin Carter flashed through his mind, along with the memory of how he had repeatedly suggested they demand supplies from Lily Hart during the battle.
’Could it be him? Does he even have that kind of power?’
’I vaguely recall that Quentin Carter is backed by The Mysterious Clan... which I think is... the White Family!’
’But is the White Family the only one pulling the strings behind the zombie tide? Could several clans have joined forces? And what is their goal?’
’Lily Hart? Or Central Command? Maybe... both.’
They just can’t stand seeing ordinary people prosper. They’re always trying to stir up trouble, sometimes for no reason at all.
His hurried steps slowed as he began to consider the Vanguard Squad’s plight. He guessed they were being controlled by people from The Mysterious Clan.
’They must have had their Light Brains stolen. Someone is mimicking the captain’s tone to request backup, trying to get me to keep sending out High-level Superpower Users.’
’It’s a ploy to weaken our forces, bit by bit, so they can achieve their ultimate goal.’
He weighed his words and carefully crafted a reply: [Well done. The zombie tide has been repelled. Please return to Central Command as soon as possible. You are needed here.]
Elder Shaw was exhausted. He was getting on in years, and he hadn’t slept a wink, running on pure willpower.
Now that the tension had suddenly eased, waves of drowsiness washed over him, but he didn’t dare sleep. He had to wait for the captain’s reply.
[Understood. We’ll be back as soon as we can,] the captain replied.
Elder Shaw breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed The Mysterious Clan hadn’t become so depraved as to start killing innocents wantonly.
He summoned his aide and had him stand guard, telling him to wake him up the moment the Vanguard Squad returned.
The aide acknowledged the order, and Elder Shaw, finally feeling secure, drifted off to sleep.
...
Back in the lottery shop, after sending the video to Elder Shaw, Lily Hart also went to bed.
Even though her mind was filled with a million questions, she couldn’t fight the overwhelming sleepiness. She was out the moment her head hit the pillow.
She woke to pitch darkness and absolute silence. Lying in bed, Lily Hart felt a little disoriented.
For a fleeting moment, she felt like she was back in the civilized world, before the apocalypse had ever come. Like it was just a normal weekend.
She felt that specific, inexplicable loneliness that comes from sleeping from the afternoon into the evening, waking up feeling as though the whole world has left you behind.
Her Light Brain started vibrating frantically, instantly pulling Lily Hart back to reality. She raised her wrist with a sigh.
It was messages from Roman Rowe, Frost Shaw, and the others, all asking if she was awake, if she was hungry, and if she wanted to come down for food.
She patted her empty stomach, scrambled out of bed, quickly splashed water on her face and rinsed her mouth, then hurried downstairs.
Downstairs was bustling with activity. Everyone was gathered together—some were cooking up a storm, while others were laughing and joking around.