87: Lingchuan University Base

On this day, the long-silent radio frequency of Xijiang Province was finally pierced by an inspiring signal—a large-scale base established by civilians had successfully sent out a radio announcement to the whole country!

The signal source came from Lingchuan City, adjacent to Lujiang City. Relying on the efficient organization of young students and the high survival rate in the early days of the apocalypse (a unique age advantage), Lingchuan University had become a solid fortress. The students not only firmly controlled the campus but also cleared the surrounding areas for supplies. Most amazingly, the "skilled craftsmen" of the School of Mechanical Engineering had actually "hand-crafted" a piece of radio equipment capable of covering a wide area. The signal claimed that the Lingchuan University Base had gathered more than eight thousand survivors, with college students as the main force, and more than thirty Evolvers had been born! Their leader, Tang Qi, had reached Rank 2 and was known as the "Dragon Warrior." He possessed the terrifying Superpower to transform into a five-meter-tall Thunder Dragon, whose sharp claws could easily tear through steel-like zombies, and whose mouth could spit out destructive lightning breath! In addition, the base had three renowned and powerful Evolvers: Logistics Officer, who possessed the Superpower of healing water; Li Mu, who could summon forest elf archers; and Yan Shi, who could call forth the Flame Lion King to assist... Lingchuan City, Lingchuan University.

Tang Qi was sitting cross-legged on the slightly messy floor of his dormitory, carefully wiping a yellow crystal core he had just harvested, which still had dark red bloodstains. The light coming through the window illuminated his sharp profile and focused eyes. On the day the apocalypse arrived, the scene of the dormitory manager turning into a zombie and banging on the door seemed to be right before his eyes. In his panic, he threw his computer at the pouncing zombie, and the electric current accidentally paralyzed it. At that moment, he used a stool to deliver the fatal blow and was lucky enough to obtain the destiny-changing crystal core, awakening the powerful Thunder Dragon Transformation. Now, he was the spiritual pillar and the strongest combat force of the base, but he had long since handed over the tedious management affairs to others, focusing on improving his strength and hunting zombies.

"Senior," a crisp voice softly broke the silence of the dormitory.

The door was pushed open, and Logistics Officer walked in. She wore a simple light green T-shirt and neat white paratrooper pants, yet they could not hide her slender figure; her steps were as light as the wind brushing against willow branches. The tips of her pale blue hair shimmered in the light, and a faint blue glow flowed deep within her irises. She was the indispensable hydrotherapist of Lingchuan University—Logistics Officer.

"Is something the matter?" Tang Qi opened his half-closed eyes, and tiny electric arcs seemed to flash through his deep pupils.

"The base's food... is running low again." Logistics Officer's voice carried a hint of subtle worry, her brow furrowed slightly, and her fair fingers subconsciously tightened around the hem of her shirt. "Senior Yan Shi suggested organizing people to go out and find food."

"The consumption is still this fast?" Tang Qi whispered, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the floor. Lingchuan University was not an agricultural college, after all; it had no ready-made farmland or production facilities. Thousands of mouths relied entirely on scavenging surrounding supermarkets to survive. This food bag was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

"Is there any news from Lujiang Base on Li Mu's side?" He looked up, his gaze questioning.

Logistics Officer shook her head gently, her pale blue hair swaying. "We broadcasted the news of the base's establishment, but... we haven't received any official response yet." Her tone held a hint of helplessness. They had long known about that massive official base in Lujiang City, which had tens of thousands of people and fully restored production lines, even claiming to be able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of citizens. However, the other party was fully occupied dealing with the million-strong Zombie Tide in Lujiang City, and they were clearly unable to help with the request for aid from Lingchuan City.

"Call Yan Shi and Li Mu over." Tang Qi stood up, his tall figure appearing exceptionally upright in the small dormitory, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "We'll find a way ourselves first, go somewhere further to try our luck, and meanwhile... wait for news from the officials."

"Alright, Senior," Logistics Officer replied and turned to leave. At the door, she paused slightly and looked back deeply at Tang Qi. Her gaze was as clear as water, yet it seemed to contain a thousand words, with an unmistakable hint of admiration and concern flowing within.

Tang Qi was no blockhead; he saw the affection in the lady's eyes as clearly as a mirror. However, with the ruins not yet cleared and zombies surrounding them, how could he talk about romance? When the apocalypse ends, if your heart remains the same, I will surely not fail you... Tang Qi personally led this search operation. He selected fifteen Evolvers, including Yan Shi and Li Mu, as well as more than fifty physically strong students who had been strengthened by crystal cores. Logistics Officer was left at the base—the four Evolvers with special Superpowers were the base's pillars of stability, and someone had to stay behind. Among the thousands of survivors at Lingchuan University, many had consumed crystal cores, but those who ultimately succeeded in awakening special abilities were few. Besides the four "pillars"—Tang Qi, Logistics Officer, Yan Shi, and Li Mu—there were only about thirty Evolvers who had awakened basic abilities such as speed, strength, defense, or partial body enhancement. This was already the limit that could be reached, given that Tang Qi's team had selflessly contributed most of the crystal cores.

"Old Yan, Old Li. Is the target set?" Tang Qi asked in a deep voice, sitting behind the driver's seat of a modified school bus. A convoy consisting of two large school buses and five civilian SUVs let out a low roar, ready to go. Outside the windows were team members with tense expressions but a glimmer of hope.

"There's one closer," Li Mu spread out a simple hand-drawn map, his finger pointing at a marker. "Go along Yuejin Road and Chongxi Road for about seven kilometers, and there's a 'Shuoguo Supermarket.' If we don't go there, we'll have to go another six kilometers deeper into the city center. There are more supermarkets there, but..." He paused, his expression solemn. "Lingchuan's urban area has a population of seven million! Even by conservative estimates, there are over five million zombies now. What's the situation in the city center? Is there a monster like a 'Corpse King' entrenched there? No one knows." When he mentioned the words "Corpse King," his voice lowered involuntarily, as if afraid of disturbing some invisible horror. The news of the Zombie Tide attacking the city at Xingyang Base on the radio, along with the information about the "Corpse King," hung over everyone's hearts like a shadow.

Yan Shi folded his muscular arms, his rugged face also clouded with gloom. "The city center is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den! Our little bit of resources isn't enough to fill the gaps between their teeth."

As Tang Qi listened, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an icy hand. A Corpse King... such a terrifying existence that could command millions of zombies was definitely not something they could provoke now. He was the only Rank 2 Evolver in the team, and the fifty Rank 1 crystal cores required to advance to Rank 2 had almost exhausted most of the base's accumulation. Training another Rank 2? Absolutely impossible in the short term. Charging into the city center would be no different from seeking their own destruction! He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning emotions, and made a decisive call: "We're going to Shuoguo Supermarket! Safety first."

Hearing this, the team members in the vehicle relaxed their tense nerves slightly. They checked their equipment: self-made crossbows and compound bows from the School of Mechanical Engineering gave off a tight string sound; polished spears, hand shields welded with iron sheets, machetes, and fire axes glinted coldly. Many people had thick books or magazines tied to their bodies as crude armor. Although most were cold weapons, the Molotov cocktails, explosive bottles, and homemade bombs "hand-crafted" by the "pharmacy students" of the Medical School were carefully placed in special boxes, emitting a pungent smell of gasoline and sulfur—these were their true "trump cards" against the zombie hordes.

The convoy started, and the roar of the engines broke the silence on the outskirts of the university town. Fortunately, Lingchuan University and several nearby vocational schools were located on the edge of the suburbs. The convoy moved along the predetermined route. Along the way, only scattered zombies were attracted by the engine noise and stumbled over, only to be quickly knocked flying by the lead SUV or accurately picked off by the crossbowmen on the roof. The road was relatively clear, which eased the tense atmosphere in the cabin quite a bit, but everyone still gripped their weapons tightly, their alert gazes constantly scanning the desolate and dilapidated street scenes outside. They knew that the real test was still ahead.