Chapter 37 – The Outbreak of War 开战

Lin Yuan was immersed in his new attempts with his wood-based supernatural ability when suddenly, the cold voice of the Jiuchong Ring rang out in his mind, "Host, a new additional mission has been issued. Mission content: Assist humanity in restoring civilization construction until it meets the evaluation criteria of the Jiuchong Ring system. Only after the mission is completed can you leave the current plane."

Lin Yuan was startled and frowned. "Hey, what's this extra mission about? I'm no savior. Let me go once it's over."

The Jiuchong Ring's tone was as cold as ever, "Host, if you choose not to complete the additional mission, even if you finish the main mission, you won't be able to obtain the teleportation permission."

Lin Yuan complained reluctantly, "Can't you at least tell me what the criteria are in advance?"

Jiuchong Ring replied, "Help build up the Capital City and restore at least half of pre-disaster functions like food, medical, education, security, and power."

Lin Yuan was speechless, "Well, it seems I'm completely tied to this world... I really have a fussy life."

He sighed, but a spark of fighting spirit ignited in his eyes, "However, since I have to do it, I might as well do it well."

Ten months later, Lin Yuan turned 19 years old. During this period, he gradually got used to his wood-based supernatural ability. Under the guidance of the Jiuchong Ring's missions, he became an indispensable part of the agricultural construction in the Capital City. With his wood domain ability, he improved soil on a large scale and sped up crop growth, supporting post-disaster food supply.

Lin Yuan's ability gradually elevated his status in the Capital City, but he still remained low-key and kept assisting silently behind the scenes. The Jiuchong Ring also gave him brief affirmations of his performance several times, although its attitude was still cold.

In these ten months, the activities of zombies relatively decreased, and most of the frictions between humans and zombies were small-scale conflicts. Lin Yuan had only experienced some minor battles. Meanwhile, the research institute's medicine for restoring zombie-virus-infected humans to normal made a small breakthrough.

Lin Yuan learned from the researchers that there were still two key problems with the medicine:

Insufficient durability of the medicine's effect: The medicine could only keep the recovered person in a normal state for 3 to 5 days, after which they would lose control again.

Extremely high production difficulty: Although the World Tree in the research institute could currently provide raw materials, the output was far from enough for large-scale supply.

Lin Yuan thought about these problems and felt a faint unease.

...

On this day, just as Lin Yuan returned to his residence after finishing his work at the research institute, snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky. The temperature in the Capital City dropped sharply, and it was enveloped in a cold atmosphere.

The alarm sound of the Jiuchong Ring rang out in his mind, "Warning! Warning! A large number of zombies are approaching the Capital City from three directions! Each zombie army is led by a high-level lord zombie."

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat and he quickly asked, "High-level lord zombies? Just how strong are they?"

The Jiuchong Ring replied, "According to the monitoring information, these three lord zombies not only possess intelligence but also have unique supernatural abilities. Judging from their characteristics, it seems that they all have a pair of blood-orange bat wings behind them. Preliminary estimates show that their combat power is comparable to that of a top supernatural ability user, or even stronger."

Lin Yuan's heart sank. He muttered, "Damn, this is gonna be a huge problem."

...

The official authorities soon received the intelligence, and the entire city fell into a tense state of preparing for war. The radio kept broadcasting information about the zombie army and at the same time called on the citizens to cooperate with the official defense plan.

The army and supernatural ability users quickly assembled and began to build temporary defensive lines on the outskirts in the three directions. Although humanity had regained some vitality in these ten months, facing such a huge horde of zombies, people still felt a sense of fear.

Lin Yuan and Cao Yuwei were walking on the street. Watching the busy soldiers and superpower users nearby, they were filled with mixed feelings. Soon, Jiang Tianming, Jiang Yulian, and Xiao Hei joined Lin Yuan.

"Lin Yuan!" Jiang Yulian's voice came through the wind and snow, "The official authorities are gathering supernatural ability users to discuss countermeasures. Get ready quickly!"

Lin Yuan responded. He turned to look at Cao Yuwei, "Auntie, do you want to come along? Given the current situation, we might need your help."

Cao Yuwei was silent for a moment and then nodded, "Okay."

After the two joined up with the Jiang siblings, they went together to the emergency center set up by the official authorities. In the conference room, the official representatives, supernatural ability users, and several people in charge with a say in various fields were having a tactical discussion. A large map lay on the table, showing the three directions where the zombie hordes were coming from.

"Listen up, everyone," an army supernatural ability user pointed at the map and said, "We expect that three zombie hordes will reach the northern, eastern, and western defensive lines respectively within three days. Preliminary estimates show that the number of each zombie horde is over 50,000, and each horde has at least one lord zombie."

There was an immediate intake of breath in the conference room. Even the supernatural ability users who were used to seeing zombies couldn't help but be intimidated by this huge number.

"This defensive line is crucial. If breached, the whole Capital City will be in danger!" The army superpower user went on, "We need all superpower users to help, especially those good at large-scale defense or support."

At this time, Cao Yuwei stood up and said calmly, "My spatial supernatural ability can be used for material dispatch and emergency evacuation. I can transfer heavy equipment or the wounded back from the front line in the shortest possible time."

An official in charge of logistics at the table quickly nodded. "Great. We really need a spatial superpower user for logistics. If you can, store more supplies. Resources will be scarce when the battle starts on the frontline."

Cao Yuwei nodded, "I can do that."

Three days later, the first wave of the battle began. Cao Yuwei's spatial supernatural ability played a huge role on the battlefield.

She "connected" the material warehouses of the Capital City with the front-line defensive positions and efficiently transported weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies through her spatial ability. Compared with ordinary transportation methods, her ability greatly shortened the supply time.

When zombies breached part of the defense line, she swiftly moved dozens of wounded soldiers to safety via a spatial passage, preventing more casualties.

Before the battle started, she took the initiative to store a large amount of water, food, and medicine, and these resources became an indispensable support during the battle.

During a break in the battle, Cao Yuwei came to Lin Yuan's side and watched him use his wood-based supernatural ability to repair the damaged defensive line. She handed him a bottle of water and asked, "Are you tired?"

Lin Yuan took the water, wiped his forehead and said, "I'm okay, but... my ability seems a bit weak."

Cao Yuwei smiled, "Believe in yourself. You can do it. Your ability is more powerful than you think."

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then scratched his head, "Auntie, you're really becoming more and more like a commander."

Cao Yuwei patted his shoulder. In a relaxed yet concerned tone, she said, "Just follow the commander and keep at it."

...

During the brief calm after the first wave of the battle ended, Cao Yuwei gradually showed her crucial role in the team. She was not only the guarantee for logistics and supplies but also a stabilizing force in the team. Lin Yuan, Jiang Tianming, and Jiang Yulian also became more and more reliant on her, and of course, there was also Xiao Hei who followed the Jiang siblings.

However, when the snowflakes began to fall again, the mood of the entire team tensed up once more. Lin Yuan stood in the snow, gazed up at the gray sky and muttered, "This snow's a bad sign."

As the snow fell heavier and heavier, the atmosphere in the entire Capital City became more and more oppressive. This snow came suddenly and strangely, making people feel uneasy. The voice of the Jiuchong Ring sounded again:

"Host, pay attention! According to the system's speculation, this snow may be related to the abnormal movement of the zombie horde. Be careful that the abnormal weather may limit your wood-based ability."

Lin Yuan frowned. "The weather's abnormal. The upcoming battle will be tougher than we thought."

At the same time, the zombie hordes that hadn't launched an attack in the distance began to approach again. The three lord zombies appeared. Their blood-orange bat wings were especially creepy in the snow.

=====================

林远正沉浸在刚刚对木系异能的新尝试中,突然听到九重戒冷冷的声音在脑海中响起:"宿主,新的追加任务发布.任务内容:协助人类恢复文明建设,直到达到九重戒系统的评估标准,任务完成后才能离开当前位面."

林远一愣,皱眉道:"喂,你这追加任务什么意思?我可不想成为,什么救世主,任务完成了就让我离开."

九重戒语气一如既往的冰冷:"宿主,如果你选择不完成追加任务,就算主任务完成,也无法获得传送权限."

林远不甘心地抱怨:"就不能先告诉我标准到底是什么吗?"

九重戒回答:"协助首都城建设,至少恢复50%的灾前文明功能.包括但不限于:食物,医疗,教育,治安,电力等基本运作."

林远无语:"好吧,看来我是彻底绑定这个世界了...真是操心命啊."

他叹了口气,眼中却燃起一丝斗志:"不过,既然已经要干,那就干漂亮点吧."

十个月后,林远已经19岁了.这段时间里,他逐渐适应了自己的木系异能,并在九重戒的任务指导下,成为首都城农业建设中不可或缺的一员.他利用木之领域的能力,大规模改良土壤,催生作物,为灾后食物供应提供了重要支持.

林远的能力让他在首都城的地位逐渐提升,但他依然保持低调,一直在背后默默协助.九重戒也几次对他的表现给予了短暂的肯定,尽管态度依然冷冰冰的.

这十个月中,丧尸活动相对减少,人类和丧尸的摩擦多是小规模冲突,林远也仅仅经历了一些小型战斗.但与此同时,研究所中那种能够将感染丧尸病毒的人类恢复正常的药剂也取得了阶段性突破.

林远从研究人员口中得知,现在药剂只剩下两个关键问题:

药效持续性不足:药剂只能让恢复者保持3-5天的正常状态,之后会再次失控.

生产难度极高:目前研究所内的世界树虽然能提供原材料,但产量远不足以大规模供应.

林远思索着这些问题,同时感觉到一股隐隐的不安正在逼近.

...

这一天,林远刚从研究所完成工作回到住处,天空忽然飘起了雪花.首都城的气温骤然下降,笼罩在一片冰冷的氛围中.

九重戒的警报声在脑海中炸响:"警告!警告!大量丧尸正在从三个方向逼近首都城!其中每一支丧尸大军都由一只高阶领主丧尸率领."

林远心头一凛,急忙问:"高阶领主丧尸?具体有多强?"

九重戒回答:"根据监测信息,这三只领主丧尸不仅拥有智慧,而且都具备独特的异能.从特征来看,它们的背后似乎都有一双血橙色的蝙蝠翼.初步估计,它们的战斗力足以媲美一个顶级异能者,甚至更强."

林远心中沉重,低声咒骂:"该死的,这下麻烦大了."

...

官方很快得到了情报,整个城市陷入了紧张的备战状态.广播不停地播报着关于丧尸大军的信息,同时号召市民配合官方的防御计划.

军队与异能者迅速集结,开始在三个方向的外围构建临时防线.尽管人类在这十个月中恢复了不少元气,但面对这规模庞大的丧尸群,依然让人心生恐惧.

林远和曹雨薇走在街上,看着周围忙碌的士兵和异能者,心情格外复杂.江天明,江玉莲和小黑也很快来到了林远身边.

"林远!" 江玉莲的声音夹杂着风雪传来,"官方正在召集异能者商讨应对方案,快准备一下!"

林远应了一声,他转身看向曹雨薇:"小姨,你要不要一起去?现在的局势,可能需要你的帮忙."

曹雨薇沉默片刻,点了点头:"好."

两人和江家姐弟汇合后,一同前往官方设置的应急中心.会议室里,官方,异能者和几位在各方面领域有话语权的负责人,正在进行战术讨论,一张巨大的地图铺在桌面上,标出了丧尸群逼近的三个方向.

"大家听好了," 一名身着军装的异能者指着地图说, "我们预计,有三支丧尸群将在三天内分别到达北,东,西三处防线.初步估计每一支丧尸群的数量都在五万以上,且每支都至少有一只领主丧尸."

会议室里瞬间响起一片抽气声.即便是见惯了丧尸的异能者们,也不免被这个庞大的数字震慑.

"这一次的防线至关重要,若被攻破,整个首都城都将陷入危机!" 军装异能者继续道,"我们需要所有异能者出力!特别是擅长大规模防御或支援的能力者."

这时,曹雨薇站了出来,冷静地说道:"我的空间异能可以用于物资调度和紧急撤离.我可以在最短时间内,将重型装备或伤员从前线转移回来."

会议桌旁一名负责后勤的官员立刻点头:"这很好,我们确实需要一个空间系的异能者协助后勤和支援.如果可能,我们希望您也能协助储存更多物资,毕竟战斗一旦开始,资源会变得非常紧张."

曹雨薇点点头:"我可以做到."

三天后,第一波战斗打响.曹雨薇的空间异能在战场上发挥了极大的作用.

她将首都城的物资仓库与前线防御阵地 "连接" 起来,通过空间能力高效运送武器,弹药和医疗物资.相比普通的运输方式,她的能力大大缩短了补给时间.

当防线某处被丧尸突破,她迅速将数十名受伤的士兵通过空间通道转移到安全区域,避免了更大的伤亡.

在战斗开始前,她主动储存了大量的水源,粮食和药品,这些资源成为战斗中不可或缺的支持.

战斗间隙,曹雨薇来到林远身边,看着他用木系异能修复破损的防线.她递给他一瓶水,问道:"累了吗?"

林远接过水,擦了擦额头的汗:"还好,不过...感觉我的异能有点弱."

曹雨薇笑了笑:"相信自己,你可以的.你的异能,比你想象的更强大."

林远愣了一下,随后挠了挠头:"小姨,你真是越来越像个指挥官了."

曹雨薇拍了拍他的肩膀,语气轻松却带着关切:"那你就听指挥官的话,继续努力."

...

在第一波战斗结束后的短暂平静中,曹雨薇逐渐展现出对团队的关键作用.她不仅是后勤和物资的保障,更是团队中稳定的力量.林远,江天明和江玉莲也都对她越来越依赖,当然还有跟着江家姐弟的小黑.

然而,当雪花开始飘落,整个团队的心情再次紧绷起来.林远站在雪地里,抬头看着灰蒙蒙的天空,低声说道:"这场雪,不会是好兆头."

随着雪越下越大,整个首都城的气氛也越来越压抑.这场雪来的突然且奇怪,让人感觉不安.九重戒的声音再次响起:

"宿主,注意!根据系统推测,这场雪可能与丧尸群的异动有关.小心异常天气可能对木系能力的限制."

林远皱眉:"果然,这天气也不正常.看来,接下来的战斗会比想象中更棘手."

与此同时,远处还没出击的丧尸群又开始逼近了,三只领主丧尸的身影若隐若现,它们背后的血橙色蝙蝠翼在雪中显得格外诡异.