25: Chapter 25 Three Lines of Defense

On the cliffside clearing, the sounds of metal clashing and sharp shouts rang out incessantly.

The girls were paired up, engaged in intense offensive and defensive drills.

"Too slow! Zombies won't give you time to pose!"

Xia Jin stood outside the sparring circle with her arms crossed, her red eyes sharp as knives.

Her reprimand made the sparring girls tense up even more, and their movements took on a fiercer edge.

Although it was exhausting, they knew that Xia Jin's strictness was to give them a better chance of surviving.

Meanwhile, Qi Yun stood at the cliff's edge with Bai Yu, overlooking the only path leading uphill.

"Calculations show that by relying on this natural barrier, our defensive efficiency is 317% higher than on flat terrain."

Qi Yun nodded in agreement; this was the reason he had chosen this place as their base in the first place.

Compared to other Tribes that needed to guard against zombie threats from all directions,

they only needed to guard this single direction from their high vantage point to remain safe.

"Have you come up with any plans?"

Xia Jin had finished her supervision at some point and walked up to Qi Yun's side with the others.

"Yes."

Qi Yun pointed down the mountain, outlining his three lines of defense:

"The first line: the forward reconnaissance and hunting zone."

"I will identify key nodes in the forest below the slope, with Bai Yu analyzing the positions with the highest reconnaissance efficiency."

"After the battle starts, I will periodically use teleportation for reconnaissance."

He turned to look at Xia Jin and the core combat members, his eyes burning:

"If the initial zombie horde is small, we will take the initiative! We will form three-person squads, and I will relay intelligence in real-time via the Space Imprint so you can perform precise, targeted eliminations!"

Upon hearing this, a flash of bloodthirsty excitement crossed Xia Jin's red eyes, and a sharp curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Interesting. Hiding in the shadows and picking them off one by one."

"Much more fun than stupidly waiting for them to rush up."

This plan clearly satisfied Xia Jin, who favored offense.

"The second line: the wooden barricade."

Qi Yun's finger moved to the start of the slope, where the forest was dense and the terrain began to rise.

"We need to transplant a large number of trees there, arranging them in a staggered pattern to form an airtight wooden barrier."

"The gaps between the trees will be filled with wooden planks to create a wooden wall."

"We will leave only one gap in the center to guide the zombies to attack us through it."

"This way, they won't be able to use their numerical advantage to surround us."

"We only need to concentrate our firepower to deal with the enemies pouring in from the front gap."

Xia Jin nodded; this plan was pragmatic and effective.

Concentrating firepower and reducing the defensive surface area was the key to resisting the strong with the weak and fighting many with few.

"The third line: the multi-dimensional defensive network on the slope."

"If the zombie horde is too large, we will retreat to the top of the slope and use rolling stones and logs to block them."

"Finally, there is the wooden house beneath our feet, our last bastion."

His gaze swept over every face gathered before him, his voice steady and powerful:

"But everyone, our goal is not merely to shrink back in defense and barely survive."

"Our core objective in the early stages is to turn them into fuel for our upgrades; zombies may well be the weakest enemies we face in the future."

"We must seize this opportunity, utilizing our geographical advantage and preparation to turn them into stepping stones for our growth!"

"Zombie Butcher!"

Chen Xiaolin's eyes lit up as she repeated it in a low voice, her fists clenched.

"Right! Kill them all!"

Shu Qianxue also mustered the courage to shout.

The other girls also had fighting spirit ignited in their eyes.

The psychological difference between passively waiting for death and actively hunting is worlds apart.

"But, Qi Yun, finishing all this in one day might be too difficult."

Ke Yun looked down at the dense forest and steep slope with some concern.

"Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be impossible."

Qi Yun smiled slightly and turned his gaze to Bai Yu, who was standing quietly to the side.

"But we now have Bai Yu's [Mass Control]. She can significantly reduce the weight of objects."

"As long as the plan is sound and the division of labor is clear, completing the basic defensive fortifications before nightfall is entirely possible."

The girls were invigorated.

Under Xia Jin's efficient command, the girls quickly sprang into action.

They all threw themselves into the intense construction of the defensive line.

Every drop of sweat shed now was to ensure they could still open their eyes safely when the sun rose tomorrow.

Qi Yun opened the chat channel at this moment.

Under the zombie crisis, every Tribe was trying their best to survive.

【Tribe 03: A single tree cannot support a house; when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken! Tribe 03 once again proposes forming a Survivor Alliance!】

【Tribe 03: We have united with other Tribes to establish joint defense and upgrade our rooms into wooden houses.】

【Tribe 03: Unity is strength! Those interested, send a private message!】

This Tribe 03 seemed to have considerable organizational ability and appeal.

The proposal for an alliance was quite attractive in the midst of despair.

【Screw your alliance, who knows if you're trying to annex us!】

【I'm willing to join, just send you a private message?】

【United? How are resources divided? Who risks their life? Easy to say!】

There was never a shortage of voices of doubt and division in the channel.

An alliance meant shared trust, but it also meant concentrated risk and power struggles.

Qi Yun watched these messages scroll by indifferently.

He had never considered joining any alliance, entrusting the safety of the girls to the unity of strangers.

He opened the channel now with a clearer, more ruthless purpose.

It was time to drop an information bomb of sufficient weight.

【Qi Yun: Friendly reminder, a significant portion of zombies are currently sleeping beneath your feet.】

【When the time comes, they will break through the ground.】

As soon as Qi Yun's message was sent, it immediately caused an uproar.

【Holy crap!!! What did you say?! Beneath our feet?! Underground?!】

【Bullshit! Alarmist! Trying to disrupt morale!】

【Wait, 01 Tribe?! The one that wiped out Tribe 14?!】

【@Qi Yun! Explain yourself! Where did you get this information?!】

Qi Yun had no intention of explaining; whether they listened or believed was entirely up to them.

He released the intelligence about the underground zombies, certainly not out of kindness.

He did this so that other Tribes would be busy with their own affairs, reducing the risk of the girls being attacked.

At the same time, the more Tribes that survived the early stages, the more they could share the burden of the zombie numbers.

Moreover, the remaining time was only enough for them to clear out some zombies that were too close to the base.

After a while, information about underground zombies appeared in the channel.

【01 Tribe's message is true! We really found zombies beneath our feet!】

【Thanks to 01 Tribe for the warning, we will remember this.】

【Uh, sorry, boss, I was wrong.】

The skepticism and curses from before turned into apologies and thanks in the blink of an eye.

Qi Yun closed the interface and also threw himself into the Tribe's defensive line.

At the same moment.

In a cave deep within the island.

The Calamity Li sat cross-legged in the shadows deep inside the cave.

A faint, almost invisible purple halo swirled around her.

Beneath her skin, which was pale to the point of transparency, a faint light seemed to flow.

She kept her eyes closed.

But her perception covered the entire cave and even extended outwards.

Underground.

Her subjects were waking up.

She could hear the sound of them crawling out of the soil.

A faint, icy curve appeared at the corner of Li's mouth.

But the next second, the smile froze.

Her deep purple eyes snapped open.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the thick rock walls, looking toward several other directions on the island.

Over there—

Several long-dormant auras were slowly fluctuating.

"Heh."

Li exhaled softly.

That breath condensed into white mist in the cold air of the cave.

"Even you have been awakened?"

She stood up slowly.

The hem of her tattered white robe brushed against the ground without making a sound.

Walking to the cave entrance, she stopped and looked toward the direction of the cliff.

She sensed a familiar aura over there, that ant who dared to be frivolous with her.

"Interesting."

Li whispered to herself.

"Will you be the first batch of dust to be crushed?"

"Or are you pebbles capable of causing a small splash?"

She turned around and walked back into the depths of the cave.

She sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.

The purple light around her lit up again, becoming a bit more intense than before.

Recovery would still take time.

And this play had only just begun.