In the blink of an eye,
Nearly a week had passed since the apocalypse began.
With no maintenance and the unintentional destruction caused by zombies and other mutated creatures, numerous signal stations and underground cables had been damaged.
The network had collapsed.
Only satellite television, text messages, and phone calls remained, barely sustaining communication between people.
Over the past few days,
Messages from the outside world were transmitted via text, reaching all those who still held onto their phones.
Through these, Zhang Yang learned much about the changes taking place outside.
The most significant news, however,
Was that an official shelter had finally been established in the area where Zhang Yang resided, complete with formidable armed forces and a number of Evolvers offering protection.
According to the promotional message in the texts, the shelter had successfully repelled several waves of zombie attacks in the past few days.
They were now preparing to expand, rescue more survivors, and reclaim lost territories.
The operation was named the "Revitalization Plan"!
Moreover,
To bolster survivors' confidence in the shelter, the officials published a list of the top ten most powerful Evolvers within the shelter, declaring that with these individuals present, they could surely rescue their fellow humans, eliminate zombies, and reclaim the city.
The list was as follows:
Number 001: Zhao Jie, Shadow-type Evolver, Second Tier;
Number 002: Zhao Yalin, Psychic Power Evolver, Second Tier;
Number 003: Xu Cong, Strength Evolver, First Tier;
...
As Zhang Yang read, a sly smile slowly spread across his face.
"Is this it?"
It wasn't that Zhang Yang considered himself invincible, but rather, these Evolvers, who had been hailed as the saviors, were scarcely impressive.
The large shelter had at least a thousand members, with nearly a hundred Evolvers.
Yet among the top ten strongest, only two had barely reached the second tier, and the rest were all first-tier.
It may have appeared impressive,
But in the eyes of true powerhouses, they were little more than insignificant weeds.
Dealing with these individuals would be no challenge for Zhang Yang. He wouldn't even need to lift a finger—he could send Tyrant, and that would be enough to handle most of them. Their threat was nothing compared to that of a heavily armed, numerous force.
Zhang Yang was curious to see how this so-called "Revitalization Plan" would play out,
Wondering how the shelter's residents would execute their grand strategy.
However,
The thought of the army brought another idea to mind, one he hadn't had the chance to pursue until now.
Perhaps now was the time to try.
So,
He left his villa and headed to an open square within the neighborhood.
"Tyrant!"
With a single command, Tyrant was instantly at his side.
Upon hearing his master's command, Tyrant, who was patrolling nearby, immediately perked up his ears and came rushing over like a loyal dog hearing its owner's call, his towering form charging toward Zhang Yang.
"Boss, you called for me?"
Indeed,
After a few days of evolution,
Tyrant had gained the ability to speak.
From a silent brute, he had evolved into a more articulate, if still somewhat foolish, underling.
Behind him, a group of several dozen other zombies, each with a bit more intelligence, followed close behind, bowing slightly to show respect to Zhang Yang, the Zombie King.
Zhang Yang looked over Tyrant and the other zombies.
They could be considered his personal guard.
Not only were they physically strong, but their minds had also evolved to the point where they could understand simple commands and perform basic tasks.
Today, Zhang Yang decided to upgrade the weaponry for his personal guard.
He reached into his panel space and pulled out a collection of crossbows, swords, and knives.
Commanding his zombies to grab the weapons, he demonstrated how to use them and allowed them to practice and learn.
The idea of having zombies wield cold weapons was certainly unconventional, perhaps unprecedented,
But it wasn't without potential for success.
Zhang Yang watched as the zombies tentatively experimented with the weapons, trying and failing, but gradually improving.
Three days later,
Having successfully reached the fourth tier, Zhang Yang returned with Tyrant to inspect the progress of his zombie guard's training. To his satisfaction, the results were as expected.
After several days of trial and error,
The zombies, though still mechanically stiff in their thinking, had begun to learn.
Most of them had successfully mastered basic weapons like knives, guns, and clubs.
Some of them, particularly those with swords or other more advanced weapons, had even managed to develop some basic combat techniques—suggesting that in their former lives, they might have been martial artists.
Zhang Yang called one of these martial arts-trained zombies forward,
And after a careful inspection,
He recognized that this zombie had potential and could be further developed.
Thus,
He tossed a chunk of fresh meat toward the zombie.
Naming it "Blade Tyrant," he officially took it on as one of his subordinates.
Blade Tyrant nodded heavily, honored to be counted among the Zombie King's trusted lieutenants.
With Blade Tyrant joining his ranks, Zhang Yang had gained another capable underling,
Although Blade Tyrant was still at the first tier,
He was certainly strong enough to deal with the shelter's top ten, no problem.
Next, Zhang Yang turned his attention to the zombies wielding crossbows.
As a more complex cold weapon, only about a third of the zombies had succeeded in mastering them,
While another third fumbled clumsily, accidentally releasing the bowstring or triggering the trigger to their own detriment, ending up dead.
Their sacrifice, however, contributed to the growth of their fellow zombies, who fed on their remains, gaining strength.
Zhang Yang was unconcerned by this,
As the progress his guard had made was already satisfactory.
After all,
Zombies wielding weapons would surely make anyone tremble.
Imagine if some clueless survivors happened upon this place, thinking they might still have a chance to survive,
Only to suddenly be confronted by a horde of zombies, all armed with knives, swords, and crossbows.
The sight would be truly… entertaining.
Zhang Yang decided to set a new rule:
If any ordinary survivors ventured into his territory, only one would be spared, the rest could be dealt with as he saw fit.
Upon hearing this,
Tyrant, Blade Tyrant, and the entire guard were filled with excitement.
Their eyes glowed crimson with hunger.
They couldn't wait to drag some humans back for fun and feast on them.
Fortunately,
They didn't have to wait long.
...
That day,
A group of people walked down the streets, entering the upscale Deep Lake Longjing neighborhood.
This team, from the official shelter, was led by two semi-evolved Evolvers, accompanied by three sturdy young men, a typical team sent out to search for supplies and rescue survivors.
Their mission:
To scavenge for supplies.
However,
It seemed that the previous teams had already searched the area thoroughly, or perhaps other factions had beaten them to it.
In any case,
They found no supplies in the area.
All the small shops, supermarkets, and convenience stores in the nearby streets were empty.
If things continued this way, they would return empty-handed, unable to fulfill their mission, and perhaps even without food.