The underground laboratory was quiet, but tension hung thick in the air.
A heavy door separated the usual experiment site from the hallway leading down from the metal entrance above. If they wanted to proceed, they’d need to clear out the zombies lurking here first.
“Ho… ho!”
Lu Yunfei raised his hand, a fireball surging forth to engulf the lunging zombie.
“Hey!” Another zombie in a tattered lab coat staggered into view.
Everyone froze.
The people inside… had really turned into zombies.
Among them, one short figure in a lab coat stood out. It was Xiao Ren—the same man they had been complaining about earlier.
Gu Chi inhaled deeply, forcing calm into his voice. “Yunfei, Mu Yu, deal with the ones at the door. Song Shi, support them.”
They weren’t just here to search for survivors—they also had to protect the laboratory data. With both Yunfei and Mu Yu using fire-based powers, keeping them outside was the safest option to prevent accidental destruction.
“On it.”
“On it.”
“Lin Xun, you’re with me.”
Gu Chi glanced at Chi Ying. “Stick close.”
She nodded silently.
As zombies surged toward them, Gu Chi summoned ice blades. Crimson blood burst from their skulls as the blades struck—but none of the undead fell.
The blades, which should’ve pierced through their brains, now only embedded halfway. The zombies, unfazed by pain, stumbled forward with relentless hunger.
Behind him, Lin Xun raised his hands. Vines erupted from the ground, coiling around arms and ankles, slowing their advance.
Gu Chi’s expression darkened. He conjured more blades—this time, doubling the power.
The whistling of ice cut through the air. One by one, zombies collapsed.
Chi Ying noted the precise placement—the blades now pierced clean through.
“Double your power,” Gu Chi instructed.
Lin Xun gasped. “They’ve grown stronger way too fast…”
With focus, Lin Xun covered the path ahead in thick vines. All the zombies blocking the way were entangled.
Gu Chi moved quickly. In moments, the vines were slick with blood, and the area momentarily cleared.
He stepped forward, peering through the crack in the next door.
Then he froze.
“Captain Gu?” Lin Xun called.
“…Too many,” Gu Chi muttered.
Lin Xun rushed to his side.
Beyond the door, no larger than 200 square meters, fifty or sixty zombies paced restlessly. And not a single trace of a living soul.
“Step back. Use your power to hook the handle.”
“What are you—”
“It’s too slow to handle them one by one. Too dangerous.”
Lin Xun quickly pulled Chi Ying back and manipulated vines to the door.
Gu Chi retreated a dozen meters. “Open it.”
The door creaked open. The zombies caught the scent of fresh prey—and charged.
“Ho…. ho!”
Food!
“Ho ho ho ho!”
Outta my way—it’s mine!
Gu Chi stood alone in front of the wave. His eyes glowed ice-blue, and a halo of frost bloomed around him, wrapping him head to toe.
Chi Ying shivered as the air temperature dropped ten degrees in an instant.
Everything behind Gu Chi remained as usual—just colder. But in front of him? A wall of frost swept over the area. Ice coated the ground and walls in thick sheets.
Every single zombie froze in place, encased in glittering ice.
Chi Ying squinted. Dead?
Gu Chi spoke, answering her silent question. “Their vitality’s strong. Unless you decapitate them, they’ll rise again.”
He turned. “This ice will hold them for a while. Search for survivors.”
The team followed.
Gu Chi entered the lab, clearing out the few still-moving zombies before scanning the room.
“Mm…”
A dull thump came from under a desk—a ball of a man tumbled out.
“H-Help…” he stammered.
Alive.
They all breathed easier.
He must’ve hidden beneath the table the entire time. Lu Yunfei helped him up. “Anyone else alive?”
The man stuttered, clearly shaken. “I—I don’t know. We were fine before! One of our team went out to collect corpses… got bitten. Then… the zombies attacked…”
“They’ve never worked together like this before,” Lu Yunfei frowned. “Why now?”
“They’re evolving,” Gu Chi said flatly. “Physically, and mentally.”
He added, “Professor Yu theorized this. If correct, one of them may become a leader. Others will follow.”
He turned to the survivor. “Send any preserved data to headquarters.”
The man shook his head. “Most data updates automatically, but the core results… they’re with the team. I only collected samples…”
His voice cracked.
Song Shi gently consoled him. “You surviving is already a miracle.”
Chi Ying’s head tilted. She’d heard something—faint, nearly impossible for normal people to detect.
Front left… a bit further…
There.
A large, snow-white oval cabin—just big enough for one person.
She leaned closer.
There it was again—barely audible scratching.
She turned. “Gu—”
She paused, unsure how to address him. Captain? No, she wasn’t his teammate. But just “Gu Chi”…?
She frowned, decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, and called out boldly: “Gu Chi!”
“…?”
He was startled—not just at the volume, but at hearing his name. No one had called him that since the outbreak. Even the Human Alliance referred to him as “Captain Gu.”
Still, he stood and walked over. “What is it?”
“There’s someone in there,” Chi Ying said, pointing to the capsule.
“You sure?”
“There’s definitely a sound.”
He closed his eyes, listening. Nothing.
Chi Ying pointed at the capsule, unimpressed. “Closer.”
Gu Chi leaned down.
Chi Ying reached out and gently pushed his head toward the surface.
There—scratching.
He straightened up, eyes alight.
It was the sound of fingernails.
He searched along the side and found a hidden button.
With a hiss, the hatch opened. Inside, an older man gasped desperately for air, his face red and purple from oxygen deprivation.
“Teacher!” the surviving man cried out.
Gu Chi moved to open the next capsule.
“No one else,” Chi Ying said quietly.
“You sure?”
“None of the others make a sound.”
Gu Chi hesitated but still tried opening the next.
“It’s useless, Commander Gu,” the old man rasped. “I was sealed in by my last student. I’m the only one.”
Gu Chi lowered his hand.
“Song Shi, check their condition and stay by the access door. If Professor Lin shows symptoms from the lack of oxygen, report immediately.”
“Got it, Brother Gu.”
“To the rest: finish off the frozen zombies. Cut their heads. Don’t waste the crystal nuclei—collect them all. Understood?”
“Clear!”
“Understood!”
“Aye, Captain Gu!”
Chi Ying bit her lip.
He must be feeling something probably suffocated with guilt. But he didn’t show it.
Commander…
So this is what it means to be a commander.
The author has something to say:
The next chapter restores the sand sculpture style~
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1