Chapter 37: Even the Most Powerful Awakened One Is No Match for a Zombie Horde

Over an hour later, Tang Jinchuan and his two subordinates finally stirred.

A blinding agony throbbed behind their eyes—a crushing pressure that felt as though a stampeding elephant had trampled their skulls a dozen times over. The two burly subordinates remained on the ground, eyes wide with lingering terror as they scanned the silent shadows.

Forcing himself upright, Tang Jinchuan channeled his dwindling fat reserves to manifest a fleshy buckler. He crept toward the warehouse, every muscle coiled tight.

However, the warehouse was entirely empty.

The Broodmother's bloated, mutated carcass was gone. The suffocating layers of spider silk that had choked the building were reduced to fine, gray ash. If not for a few charred strands clinging to the corners, Tang Jinchuan would have thought the mutated Broodmother was nothing more than a fever dream.

He couldn't see the Formation flags Chu Xuan had planted.

Ever the pragmatist, Chu Xuan had layered a minor concealment Formation over each banner. Beings with weak spiritual energy couldn't pierce the illusion, leaving the array completely invisible to the naked eye.

The two subordinates leaned heavily on each other, trembling as they hobbled to Tang Jinchuan's side. Seeing the scoured warehouse, they let out long, shuddering breaths.

"Brother Tang... looks like we rode that expert's coattails," one whispered.

"No kidding. If he hadn't torched that mutated Broodmother, we'd be spider food by now."

"The swarm is wiped out. We can actually check the buses."

Hearing this, Tang Jinchuan's spirits surged. "Right! Move fast!" he ordered. "We'll give the boss a full report on what happened here once we're back."

Fortune finally smiled upon them.

Inside the warehouse sat three buses, largely intact and ready to drive. Two others had minor damage but could easily be repaired with spare parts lying around. Better yet, they discovered a massive stockpile of gasoline and diesel—the exact fuel they desperately needed for the evacuation.

"Five whole buses. The three of us can't drive them all out of here," Tang Jinchuan declared, waving his hand. "We head back to the company immediately and bring a crew."

By dusk, they arrived back at the Black Vanguard Security Company.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly grim. Wang Gangjian, Wang Yong, and Song Dayi looked like death warmed over.

Tang Jinchuan strode in, beaming with triumph, but his smile faltered the moment he saw them. His gaze locked onto Song Dayi, whose left arm ended in a bloody, hastily bandaged stump. Tang's face hardened.

"What happened? Did it go south?" Tang Jinchuan asked.

Wang Yong let out a bitter laugh. "My run to the factory went smooth enough, but I only managed to salvage one working heavy truck. But Old Song..."

Song Dayi, his face ashen and slick with cold sweat, kept his voice low. "I ran into two high-level Zombies. My entire squad was slaughtered. I lost an arm and barely made it out alive."

Wang Gangjian rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy sigh. "One truck. It's nowhere near enough. If we don't have the space... we'll have to draw lots."

He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

Drawing lots. The words tasted like ash. More than half the members of the Black Vanguard Security Company were old brothers-in-arms who had bled for him long before the apocalypse began. Leaving them behind to be torn apart by the dead was a line he didn't want to cross.

Tang Jinchuan broke the heavy silence with a low chuckle. "Wipe those funeral looks off your faces. I brought good news."

The three men looked up, stunned. "How many buses did you find?"

Tang Jinchuan grinned mischievously. "Take a guess."

Wang Yong thought for a second, holding up two fingers. "Two?"

Tang Jinchuan shook his head.

Song Dayi raised three fingers. "Three?"

Tang Jinchuan shook his head again.

Wang Gangjian frowned, a spark of irritation in his eyes. "Don't tell me it's just one. That's not good news, Tang."

"Wrong again," Tang Jinchuan laughed. "Five!"

The three men froze. A second later, ecstatic joy erupted across their faces. Five buses!

If they packed the aisles and squeezed everyone in tight, they could easily fit the entire company. They might even have enough room left over to haul extra Supplies!

"Old Tang! You better not be pulling my leg!" Wang Gangjian roared, surging to his feet.

"I checked them myself," Tang Jinchuan said, his tone turning serious. "All five are in solid condition. We've got spare parts, and more importantly, we found enough fuel to get us all the way to the Linjiang Army's territory."

The Linjiang Army's main stronghold was located around Longjiang City, the provincial capital. While the straight-line distance from Donghu City was only about 500 kilometers, the apocalypse had turned the highways into a meat grinder. Detours, blockades, and ambushes meant the actual journey would be far longer.

Having surplus fuel was the difference between life and death.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Wang Gangjian was grinning from ear to ear. "At first light tomorrow, we take a crew and secure those vehicles!"

Even Song Dayi's pale face regained a fraction of its color at the news.

"Old Tang, did you run into any trouble?" Wang Yong asked, noticing the lingering tension in Tang's shoulders.

Tang Jinchuan's expression darkened. "We did. If it wasn't for sheer, dumb luck, none of us would have made it back."

The room tensed. "Spit it out," Wang Gangjian urged.

Tang Jinchuan recounted everything that had transpired at the bus depot. He described the suffocating webs, the mutated Broodmother, and the sudden arrival of the mysterious expert.

By the time he finished, the three men were dumbfounded. Silence hung heavy in the room.

"Sword Riding?"

"Controlling Zombies? And commanding fire?!"

"He casually severed the silk you couldn't even dent after dozens of strikes?"

The three exchanged wide-eyed glances, their minds reeling. What kind of monster was this? Did Donghu City really harbor someone with that kind of terrifying power?

"Controlling Zombies..." Wang Yong muttered, a sudden spark of realization hitting him. "Wait. Back on the highway. Remember the wolf pack? It was wiped out by an Awakened One who could control the dead."

It had been months since the wolf pack incident, but the memory was burned into their minds.

Wang Gangjian slapped his thigh, the pieces clicking together. "You're right! It matches perfectly!"

"Are you saying it's the same person?!" Song Dayi gasped, his eyes lighting up. "That means a top-tier Awakened One has been operating in Donghu City this entire time!"

A wave of awe washed over them. An Awakened One with that kind of destructive capability had to be at least Level 2. Maybe even a legendary Level 3 Awakened One.

But as quickly as the elation came, it faded, replaced by the cold, crushing reality of their situation.

Even the most powerful Awakened One was no match for a Zombie Horde.

General Ye of the Linjiang Army was a Level 3 Awakened One. He had once carved a bloody path through a swarm of infected to rescue sixteen researchers from a Life Sciences Institute. It was a legendary feat. Yet, even a god of war like him wouldn't dare step alone into a true horde of tens of thousands of Zombies.

As the old saying went: Enough ants can strip an elephant to the bone.

An Awakened One's spiritual energy wasn't infinite. Once their reserves ran dry, they were reduced to fighting with just their physical bodies. Against a tidal wave of rotting flesh and gnashing teeth, they would be dragged down and devoured just like anyone else.

Furthermore, not every Awakened One possessed combat-oriented talents. Even a Level 3 Awakened One would eventually be overwhelmed.

When the Zombie Horde finally crashed down on Donghu City, that mysterious expert would have to run for his life, just like the rest of them.

"Don't overthink it," Wang Gangjian said, his voice dropping to a solemn gravel. "The evacuation plan remains unchanged."

"Understood," the three men replied in unison.

One day later.

Five buses, one heavy truck, and four reinforced cars idled outside the Black Vanguard Security Company.

The headquarters had been stripped bare. Every weapon, every drop of fuel, and every sack of grain, rice, and flour had been loaded onto the vehicles.

Under Tang Jinchuan's strict coordination, the surviving members boarded the buses in an orderly, silent procession.

With a final, sweeping glance at the ruins of their old life, Wang Gangjian gave the order. The engines roared to life, and the convoy rolled out, heading north into the unforgiving wasteland.