The Fall of Grey Bear City

With such a powerful pet, the path to advancement became much easier. Now, facing three zombies at once probably wouldn't be a challenge.

Of course, this was under the condition that Shaun didn't need to resort to tricks. Looking at the big, silly orange cat beside him, Shaun felt like he could easily take on it multiple times.

"Meow!" After the mutated orange cat advanced, it looked at him with an eager expression, constantly wagging its tail, savoring the memories of the fourth-tier crystal nucleus.

Shaun's mouth twitched slightly. "You're a cat, why are you wagging your tail?!"

The mutated orange cat realized it had caught Shaun's attention and became even more excited, pouncing on him.

"Damn!" Seeing the giant body that was several meters long, Shaun quickly dodged. At the same time, he made it stay still, obediently in its place.

"Do you have no concept of your weight?" Shaun muttered. "If you press down on me, I could get injured or even crushed."

Looking at the cat's pitiful expression, Shaun nodded with satisfaction. "Although it's a bit heavy, its combat power is incredible. I can rely on it in the future. It's a pity that my control skill doesn't work on the cat. If I could use my three status-related skills on it, I could probably take on ten at once!"

Just then, another notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Host triggered a random mission: 'Fall of Grey Bear City!'"

"Mission Description: As a fifth-tier elite zombie, you are now the top existence among the zombie race. However, high-level mutant beasts are still a huge threat to ordinary zombies. Hunt and kill mutant beasts of at least the third tier and turn Grey Bear City into a paradise for zombies."

"Mission Duration: One month!"

"Mission Difficulty: Unknown!"

"Mission Reward: Unlock the entire city map, and zombies within Grey Bear City will receive a 10% increase in combat power!"

"To improve mission efficiency, some functions of the entire city map have been activated in advance, and all high-level mutant beasts have been accurately located!"

Shaun was stunned. He hadn't expected to trigger such a random mission. However, the reward...

"What does this have to do with me?" He mumbled. "I've already cleared out the high-level mutant beasts in Grey Bear City. What do I need a combat power increase for? Unless I can take the zombies out of Grey Bear City."

But as Shaun pondered, he realized that this reward would be very useful for the zombie race. If humans or mutant beasts were to attack Grey Bear City, this reward would play a significant role, granting a 10% combat power increase to millions of zombies.

Moreover, with the full city map function, it would be unrealistic for anyone to invade Grey Bear City. Both offensive assaults and invasions would be virtually impossible, making Grey Bear City an impenetrable fortress. With his exceptional intelligence, Shaun could lead the zombies to establish a true zombie base.

As the zombie race grew stronger, the effectiveness of this bonus would become more terrifying.

"This is a must-do mission!" Shaun decided. After making some preparations, he noticed that his system interface displayed a map. There were over ten red dots on it, and he was represented by a green dot.

Those red dots were undoubtedly the third-tier or higher mutant beasts—fourth, fifth, or maybe even sixth-tier.

Shaun wasn't sure if there were sixth-tier mutant beasts. Once he completed this mission and advanced again, he would find out if there were sixth-tier elite zombies.

With his strength about to surge again, he could consider going out to explore the world. The world was vast, and he wanted to see it.

In peacetime, he had no chance to explore, but the apocalypse had given him that opportunity.

Shaun decided to start by clearing the city center and gradually radiate outwards. On the map, there weren't many red dots near the city center, just three high-level mutant beasts.

Four-tier, five-tier, or perhaps even a six-tier mutant beast. Shaun faced fourth-tier mutant beasts without fear now. He shook his head slightly and gave the mutated orange cat a signal.

However, the cat remained indifferent, constantly licking its fur. At the same time, it suddenly shook its body, throwing Shaun off its back.

Shaun issued another command, and the orange cat entered the clothing store at a leisurely pace.

Inside the mutant spider, there was an instant surge of excitement, but it had no desire to fight. The orange cat had already reached the fifth tier of mutation, and it was definitely not something it could deal with.

The mutant spider, following the ceiling, attempted to escape from the clothing store. The orange cat yawned slightly, and its cat claws suddenly extended. It leaped forward, approaching the mutant spider in an instant and cutting it with a swipe.

A sound rang out, followed by a gush of blood. Shaun only saw the mutant spider's body split in half and drop to the ground. The orange cat approached, its nose twitching as it swallowed the crystal core from the mutant spider's body.

Shaun felt excited. Gathering the spider's venom glands, he led the two zombies to feast on its flesh and blood. Obtaining evolutionary points without having to fight was truly fortunate. The spider's flesh felt exceptionally tender, making it perfect for his stomach.

The mutant orange cat didn't seem interested in the flesh and blood of creatures lower in rank than itself. It disdainfully licked its own fur while casting a scornful glance at the three zombies.

Shaun, after finishing the meal, threw the remaining parts of the mutant spider to the group of zombies. Having a few more elite zombies would only be beneficial.

So far, he hadn't observed any instances of zombies turning on each other. Despite their diminished strength, the zombie community remained quite united.

The trio, consisting of Shaun and his three zombies, continued their journey. This random task was incredibly time-consuming, as battles could be resolved quickly, but traveling across the entire city consumed a considerable amount of time. One month passed quickly, and Shaun had been clearing out the various mutant creatures in Grey Bear City during that time.

Two months had now passed since the apocalypse began. Two months might pass in the blink of an eye in peaceful times for humans, without any significant changes in their quiet lives. However, when the apocalypse arrived, everything changed dramatically within a short two months.

The order of the past had crumbled, and new rules were established. Due to the Blood Moon, all zombies had reached at least the fifth tier. Even elite-class zombies were now commonplace. Some lucky zombies had infected dozens of people or consumed the bodies of mutant creatures.

In human history, there had never been any natural or man-made disaster as terrifying as this.

The peaceful era, once known as a golden age, was now referred to as the Blood Moon Era. A new era had dawned.

Many survivors spontaneously gathered together, forming survivor bases. However, only two were truly massive: the Hope City in the north and the Bright City in the south. They had a total population of several tens of millions.

In just two months, with the help of modern weapons from the peaceful era, humans had established these two incredibly secure gathering places. But they were still in a precarious situation.

The stench of flesh and blood from tens of millions of humans was impossible to conceal, shining like a volcanic eruption in the dark night. Countless zombies instinctively began surrounding the human bases. The scenes from zombie apocalypse movies had become reality.

Fortunately, both massive survivor bases were established in major cities with highly developed infrastructure. They possessed incredibly powerful weapons and well-trained soldiers who continuously pushed back the zombie horde.

However, the breakdown of communication systems had rendered many modern weapons useless. This was not the primary issue, though. What was truly despair-inducing was the existence of mutant creatures.

High-tier mutant creatures were massive, with extremely tough exoskeletons. Most modern weapons had little to no effect on them. If hordes of mutant creatures attacked simultaneously, it would be a nightmare for any survivor base.

Every encounter with mutant creatures resulted in numerous casualties. These monsters were the real threat to humanity.

Moreover, mutant creatures continued to evolve. With each passing day, survivors faced more terrifying mutant creatures. But hope and despair were always intertwined. The road's end could be either hell or heaven. Nevertheless, humanity had to keep moving forward.