Chapter 400: Chapter 400

"So that's how the original owner's base was destroyed in the previous life?"

No wonder such a powerful base, equipped with heavy weaponry, was wiped out just like that. Turns out there was a "traitor from within"!

Hearing the conversation of the few people, the system was rendered speechless.

"What the hell! They're still pulling this kind of crap at a time ?"

"Being screwed over by one's own people is common, but creating such a formidable enemy for oneself, that's a rare kind of screw-up!"

Look at this huge base, utterly destroyed because of a screw-up.

The system silently grumbled to itself.

"Maybe they didn't see it as an enemy, but rather as their own magnificent creation?"

Biting into a remaining piece of big melon from her space, An Ning didn't seem to care. This kind of person...

Although he lost control of it later.

"However, while he is indeed a high-level zombie, fundamentally, he is still human, possessing a human mind, right?"

"Then why would such a person directly side with the zombies and raise the butcher's knife against humans?"

The system couldn't understand.

"Because those who are not of our kind, their hearts are bound to be different."

"After all, no matter how advanced a zombie is currently, its bloodthirsty instinct remains unchanged. The virus's infectiousness to humans after a bite also remains unchanged. Viewing it as a food chain is quite common."

"Whether good or bad, have you ever seen the upper and lower ends of a food chain coexist peacefully?"

Even if they appear harmless and friendly, once humans gain power, their first instinct would be to find a way to eliminate the other side.

So, why not strike first and destroy the gradually strengthening human civilization?

Whether willing or not, after becoming a zombie, he had no other choice.

"Knowing this would happen, they still created these 'things'... those people must be insane!"

The system was shocked once again. How could people be this crazy!

"Perhaps they were clinging to a sliver of hope?"

But more than that, An Ning's gaze grew slightly complex:

"The human pursuit of power and authority has remained unchanged since ancient times. This is especially true for those who climb high only to fall hard.

So we should be thankful now that there is no such thing as crystal cores inside ability users' bodies..."

But perhaps, this might not necessarily be a blessing either?

In any case, accompanied by the constant stream of bad news from various regions, the entire Blaze Base quickly entered a state of full-scale martial law.

An Ning, as a rare third-stage wood-type ability user, was of paramount importance. Along with Shen Qing, she was designated as a key protected asset, arranged at the very rear of the base, basically in a state ready for evacuation at any moment.

Occasionally, when Lu Ting went out to investigate the situation, a specialized ability user team would be stationed nearby to guard them.

With them were some children from the base and some other rare ability users.

Everyone understood that the possibility of victory in this battle was extremely slim.

A group of half-grown children gathered in one place, yet within the entire area, the sound of children crying or making a fuss was rarely heard.

Children in the apocalypse were often the most sensible. Whether ability users or not, they often had to go out hunting or gathering supplies to survive. Very few had parents who could stay by their side.

Sometimes, their parents might not return for ten days, half a month, or even forever. Under such conditions, even the most unruly children became much more well-behaved.

For example, at this moment, in the large hall, nearly a hundred boys and girls of varying sizes mostly sat obediently at the dining tables, quietly eating their breakfast with their heads down.

They didn't ask much about their parents' whereabouts.

Seeing this every day, even the usually carefree Shen Qing fell into silence much more often, needing to hold her daughter tightly at night to fall asleep.

The wrinkles between the brows of the Shen elders also noticeably increased. An Ning could even see that these two had already begun to treat each present day as if it were their last.

"Qingqing, your father and I have lived to this age. Whether in our youth or now, we've enjoyed whatever fortune there was to enjoy. Being able to be by our children's side in our old age... even if we were to die now, we'd have no regrets."

"If that day truly comes, Qingqing, remember to protect yourself and Ning Ning. You don't need to worry about us..."

One ordinary evening, while getting up for water, An Ning heard the grandmother holding her daughter and speaking slowly.

The grandmother came from a wealthy background and, like her own daughter, had hardly suffered hardship in her entire life. Even at a time , she remained dignified and gentle, her hair neatly combed.

This was the first time An Ning had heard her speak with such firmness...

Amidst the pervasive anxiety, several months passed in the blink of an eye. An Ning continued her daily routine of cultivating and resting on schedule, occasionally contributing a wave of fruits and vegetables.

However, it seemed that after a round of clearing and attacks, the zombies had completely quieted down. Recently, large-scale zombie sieges had become extremely rare, and even their activities within the region had decreased significantly.

Unfortunately, apart from a small portion of ordinary people, the feeling that rose in everyone's hearts was not relief.

"If things are abnormal, there must be something sinister afoot!"

In the conference hall, Base Leader Zhou's brow was tightly furrowed. The same expression was mirrored on the faces of all the listeners present.

Even Lu Ting had stopped leading teams to investigate the nearby areas recently.

Under the special magnetic field of high-level zombies, many surveillance devices had completely lost their intended function.

This surprise attack came very quickly.

At night, the family finished their dinner in silence as usual. After washing up, just as An Ning was preparing to enter meditation, the vines she had left at the city gates earlier transmitted information.

The first to breach the defenses were a group of third-stage zombies, moving at extreme speed. The high-level leader behind them showed no mercy either. With a wave of his hand, most people fell in neat rows before their alarm devices could even function.

Clean and efficient, clearly demonstrating exceptional leadership ability.

It was An Ning who quickly manipulated the vines and triggered the base alarm.

That night, the moment the alarm sounded, almost everyone in the base instantly opened their eyes.

The leader seemed puzzled, pausing for a moment as he fixed his gaze towards the source of the alarm. In the blink of an eye, countless more zombies swarmed forward in a full-scale assault.

As for that leader, he soon vanished from sight.

A zombie possessing adult-level intelligence?

As anticipated, this battle was devastatingly one-sided.

Especially Lu Ting, who was leading the charge. Originally, as a fourth-stage ability user with the highly offensive lightning-type ability, dealing with one or two fourth-stage zombies shouldn't have been a problem...

Furthermore, under these circumstances, capturing the leader first to demoralize the troops should have been the strategic decision.

However, this time, including Lu Ting, everyone had miscalculated.

"H-how... how could this be?"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, accompanied by a massive flash of purple lightning, the first to fall from the sky was not that zombie leader, but...

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

It's over. That was the only thought in everyone's mind.

Secondly, isn't it a zombie? Where did that lightning in its hand just now come from?

What kind of monster did those bastards create!

However, now was not the time to consider these things. At this critical juncture, Base Leader Zhou quickly led an elite team forward to provide support. With everyone united, scorching flames mixed with towering earth walls shot skyward. Although they didn't hold for more than a few breaths, they at least bought Lu Ting some time to catch his breath.

Amidst the ferocious, spreading flames, Base Leader Zhou shouted with all his might. Lu Ting clenched his fists tightly, but under the immense drain, the lightning in his hands had already lost its earlier sharp, overwhelming force.

Yet, in the very next second, a powerful green light shot straight into the sky. With a speed no one had anticipated, it hurtled directly towards the leader at the forefront.