Chapter 36: The Situation is Grim

"Follow me."

"Alright..."

The wind howled, and heavy snow filled the air. The temperature held steady at a brutal negative seventy degrees Celsius in a world of ice and frost. The two of them, one in front of the other, arrived at the entrance of a street-front shop.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then raised a hand to the closed rolling shutter door.

With a sharp crack, the lock shattered. The shutter door rolled upwards with a loud, rattling clamor.

After stepping inside, bathed in the beam of her light, Lan Ya's footsteps faltered.

"Are you going in? What are you standing there for?" Chen Yuan's voice came from behind. His gaze shifted, and he took in the scene inside.

It was a shop that specialized in "QQ Lingerie." The walls were adorned with various articles of clothing made with a minimal amount of fabric.

This scene, this situation... never mind. He wasn't in the mood.

The corner of Lan Ya's mouth twitched. The heavy snow had completely covered the sign. But they were already here. It seemed inappropriate to break down another door, since it was someone else's property. Gritting her teeth, she stepped inside.

After they were both in the shop, Lan Ya reached out and pulled the shutter door closed again.

In the small, ten-square-meter space, a man and a woman stood in silence, watching each other.

"Ahem, so, can you talk now?" Chen Yuan was the first to break the silence. The woman's formidable armor left him with absolutely no funny ideas.

Lan Ya nodded slightly and sat down cross-legged. She reached up with both hands and removed her helmet.

Chestnut-colored hair cascaded down, revealing a set of delicate features. Her skin was fair, so flawless it seemed it would break at a touch. A pair of pale blue eyes gave her an exotic charm.

This was the first time Chen Yuan had ever been this close to such a beauty. Usually, this was a benefit reserved for scrolling through dYin. Now, it had manifested in reality.

I admit, my previous conclusion was a bit hasty! I am, in fact, interested in this!

Lan Ya, perhaps feeling stifled by the helmet, took a deep breath, two long plumes of white mist jetting from her nostrils. "This helmet was suffocating me."

Chen Yuan nodded. If you don't want it, you can give it to me. I don't mind being suffocated.

"Alright, let's get down to business," Lan Ya said, putting the helmet back on before continuing. "The Hunter Squads are combat teams trained by the officials, specifically to deal with the current situation. I don't know why you've never heard of us, but from your performance, you don't seem like an idiot. Oh, except for shooting that arrow at me. That was pretty stupid."

The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. How was I supposed to know about any Hunter Squad? I just transmigrated here! He didn't think shooting the arrow was stupid, though. In that situation, who would have thought she was an official agent?

"So, you didn't bring me here just to insult me, right?" Chen Yuan replied, annoyed.

Lan Ya let out a small laugh, a complete departure from her earlier demeanor. Then, she looked at him, her expression turning serious.

"That wave of zombies you just encountered—those were just Ordinary zombies. Consider yourself lucky."

Chen Yuan froze. Zombies are zombies. The moment you add the word 'Ordinary,' it means something is not ordinary at all.

"So, there are 'not ordinary' ones, right?"

Lan Ya nodded grimly. "So far, we have classified the zombies into two types: Ordinary and Advanced."

Chen Yuan held up two fingers, his face a mask of disbelief. "These things have tiers now?"

Lan Ya shook her head. "Not exactly tiers. Based on my two days of reconnaissance in Jiangcheng, I've discovered there are about ten thousand Ordinary zombies, and several hundred Advanced ones. The difference is, the brains of those Advanced zombies possess a certain capacity for thought. They act according to a set of rules, not just for the sake of feeding. And... even I find them quite troublesome to deal with."

Hearing this, a grave look entered Chen Yuan's eyes. It sounded absurd, but he could see no reason for her to lie.

"So, where did these zombies come from? And what is the official plan to handle them?" This question had been bothering him for a long time. Now that he had met an insider, he naturally had to ask.

Lan Ya's sharp, armored finger tapped the ground. She then said in a deep voice, "That information cannot be disclosed to you at this time. What you need to do now is find a camp and hide. Wait until I've handled the situation here."

"Hey, wait a minute. Can you be a bit clearer? And I don't want to join a camp," Chen Yuan said with a helpless expression. It seemed they had talked a lot, but the amount of useful information was limited.

Lan Ya was taken aback. That's right. This kid had his robot dogs and his explosive arrows. If he had enough supplies, he really wouldn't want to be cooped up in a camp.

"Alright. If you don't want to go to a camp, then go home and hide. Try not to go out as much as possible."

Chen Yuan nodded seriously. "So, you're planning to deal with this many zombies all by yourself?"

"Ha. You guessed it," Lan Ya said, feigning a relaxed tone.

Chen Yuan stared into her eyes through her visor. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. In that moment, he saw a profound sense of helplessness within them.

After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but ask, "You alone... you probably can't handle it, right?"

A flicker of something passed through Lan Ya's eyes. Her expression turned heavy. "Handle it or not, I have to. If we don't stop them in time, and the shelter in Jiangcheng is breached, I'm afraid this entire city will fall. At that point, the situation will be irreversible."

Chen Yuan nodded. If they were just Ordinary zombies, they could be hunted down slowly. But now, with the addition of Advanced zombies that could actually attack the shelters... he knew how many people were in those places. If even one was breached, it would create nearly ten thousand new zombies. As she said, when that time came, Jiangcheng would be completely lost. And the massive horde of zombies would inevitably surge towards other cities. Their numbers would grow and grow. In the end, the entire planet might just become a zombie planet.

Chen Yuan let out a deep sigh. What kind of mess is this? I don't want to be a transmigrator anymore. Can I go back to being a corporate drone?

"Why don't you request backup from your superiors?"

Lan Ya shook her head. "The situation in Jiangcheng is likely the same in other cities. There is no extra manpower."

In truth, after scouting Jiangcheng, she had realized this mission was incredibly difficult. One person against more than ten thousand. Even with her indestructible armor and nuclear battery, this was no simple task. She now had two choices: either she could first eliminate the smaller, scattered groups of zombies and then hit their main hive, or she could go straight for the main hive. But no matter which option she chose, she would be surrounded.

Request backup? Sorry, the other team members were probably even busier than she was.

"Uh..."

This time, Chen Yuan was well and truly floored. He felt his own situation had just become incredibly dangerous.

"Tell me your plan," he said, his voice serious. "Maybe I can help."

It's not a matter of wanting to help. I have to. With the situation as it was, he no longer had a choice.

Either he helps, and they solve this zombie problem.

Or, he waits for the situation to spiral out of control and dies alone in his safe house.