Chapter 357: Chapter 357

The horror of the Zombie disease lies in the fact that although the organism loses its consciousness, every part, every cell, becomes an independent entity. Thus, it is not immortal but is instead composed of hundreds of millions of active bacterial units forming a single entity. Even if its head is severed, the head can continue to search for food, and other parts can also continue to feed. They constantly strengthen and evolve, eventually becoming the invincible Third Generation. Under the microscope, each part teems with countless claws and mouthparts.

The Third Generation had successfully evolved self-healing. The most terrifying aspect of these bacteria is their self-sacrifice to strengthen the collective. Bacteria that survive this sacrifice become immune to various forms of damage and evolve to be even stronger.

Although a hippo typically weighs three to four tons and is three to four meters long, these were no longer hippos but monstrous beings internally composed of countless formidable bacterial entities. Therefore, the six people circling them and continuously strafing their heads and eyes with light machine guns in an attempt to incapacitate them were completely mistaken.

Killing them was impossible; the bullets sprayed into them only destroyed a thousandth of their skin and flesh, barely impacting the overall situation.

They couldn’t be led away. Even if eighteen people attempted to handle a single monster, they’d find them immensely strong, irritable, fond of living in muddy marshes, and eager to eat fresh flesh and blood—these humans were simply delicious food!

Those who foolishly got close to the hippos, trying to emulate Jing Shu by cutting off a leg to carry away, were eaten by these monsters. The flesh and blood of their victims quickly replenished the damage the monsters had just received. The group had made hardly any progress in killing them; in the blink of an eye, their attackers became healing potions for the monsters, rendering all their efforts futile.

Jing Shu was amused. These super-large creatures are indeed challenging to deal with and have no obvious weaknesses, she thought. If one must point out a flaw, then the fatal flaw of these Zombie creatures, ultimately bacterial entities, is their need to feed.

If there is continuous food, these creatures will only get stronger. Rotting meat, fresh flesh, any living organism—even insects from the mud and plankton—served as their food. Essentially, any creature that evolved into this type of monster in the apocalypse could survive.

But if starved for a few days, the bacteria would initiate a self-preservation mode where some would consume their own kind. The creatures would rapidly weaken, and in about ten days, they would have cannibalized themselves to complete death.

"Did you get that recorded?" Jing Shu patted Little Black.

"Hey, I got it all recorded," he replied. "But I don’t understand, what’s the use of recording this?"

Tan Ke turned his head to look at Jing Shu. "So, what’s your plan now?"

Jing Shu smiled and said, "These are precious research materials. To complete a mission, you have to go all out."

Besides, they had to prove that these men weren’t killed by them but by the monsters. After all, these men were appointed by higher-ups, and their deaths needed a proper explanation.

Thinking about picking peaches? Are my peaches so easy to pick?

Tan Ke frowned, just about to ask how recording videos related to research materials, when the monsters suddenly became enraged. It was as if they could suddenly ’see’ people and even understood ’coordinated attacks.’

"Oh damn it, shoot them! Just kill them!"

"They’re coming towards us! Oh my god, how are they so fast? How did they get up here?"

The monsters, previously focused only on foraging, went berserk. It was terrifying, catching these people completely off guard.

These mercenaries had no special abilities, nor the speed of world-class sprinters. Many were quickly bitten to death. A few lucky ones managed to escape, but not far, as Lingling precisely picked them off. Thus, the entire team of eighteen was wiped out.

It was truly a classic case of biting off more than they could chew, and in the end, they paid with their lives.

"Alright," Jing Shu announced. "It’s our turn to step in."

Truth be told, how to get these living monsters to the Underground Black Market was a problem Tan Ke and his companions had just been considering. They could either use iron chains to drive them to the market or place them on carts and haul them back.

But unexpectedly, Jing Shu first lured the hippos to the foot of the mountain with chunks of flesh from the dead mercenaries. Then, she tied the remaining flesh to the back of a large truck, leading the hippos in a single file line by continually enticing them forward.

By occasionally tossing a piece of meat, the hippos gleefully followed the truck, seemingly as tireless as perpetual motion machines.

Lingling was constantly wiping down an AK-47, while Tan Ke and the others also found new weapons. In the blink of an eye, all the weapons from the eighteen-person squad fell into Jing Shu’s group’s hands.

It’s often said that war quickly brings wealth, and robbery is always the fastest way to make money. Unfortunately, most of these firearms were fairly old and no match for the weapons Tan Ke and his companions initially possessed. Nevertheless, these weapons filled the entire truck and would fetch a decent price at the Black Market. Currently, however, bullets were more valuable than guns.

After four hours, having used up all the human flesh as bait, they finally led the three huge hippos to the Underground Black Market. As they passed through the slums, the dwellers stared at the large truck with terrified expressions, while Little Black continually drew attention with his loud calls.

They indeed created a significant spectacle. The Black Market authorities summoned over a hundred people to welcome these giants and secretly moved them to another location.

This time, at the Underground Black Market, they met a ’Noble,’ George.

With his portly belly, George watched the entire video and couldn’t help but clap thunderously. His words, as translated by Little Black, were: "Look at how excellently this mission was executed! Congratulations to your Mercenary Team for obtaining a B-level reward for this mission, totaling 8,000 Black Market Coins. The Black Market welcomes capable mercenaries. As for those other teams... oh heavens, may Heaven bless them."

Jing Shu’s team was promoted to a B-class Mercenary Team, likely the fastest promotion in the history of the Underground Black Market. News spread quickly: the other three mercenary teams had perished completely. In contrast, this sole returning Asian Mercenary Team had only one member severely injured; the rest were lively and unscathed.

Crucially, the video from the Asian Mercenary Team proved that the monsters had devoured the other mercenary teams. Yet, these same ferocious monsters had been obediently herded back by this Asian team.

"I told you, those people in the Asian Mercenary Team are Devils! They know terrifying Cup Skill!"

Jing Shu and her companions didn’t much care for the rumors in the Black Market. After Jing Shu stitched up Monkey and treated his wounds, they faced the problem of where to stay overnight. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥

The Underground Black Market, unlike Stone Garden, didn’t offer earthquake-resistant protection and could collapse at any time due to the increasingly strong earthquakes. However, its environment was much better than the slums outside. In the slums, despite the filth and squalor, residents at least had a chance to escape during an earthquake.