These people hadn't expected their savior to directly ask for such information as a condition for his help. Xu Nuo's news was something everyone had heard bits of, but actual facts were scarce, given his reputation as the most powerful and mysterious Taoist in the apocalypse.
However, one of them did have some information on Xu Nuo and shared it with Park Su. From what he heard, Park Su knew it was a place where many people gathered.
As a human, he would have certainly gone to check if Xu Nuo was there, but as a zombie, getting there was fraught with difficulties.
He thought, since he was stuck in this zombie identity with no chance for human interaction, these days were only driven by the hope of seeing Xu Nuo one more time. Even so, this existence was painful for him!
Especially after having been reborn for two months, the longing to see Xu Nuo became more intense, particularly after receiving this news. The desire grew stronger.
In a world without Xu Nuo, there was no hope for him. He didn't want to just keep increasing his zombie level because, even if he surpassed all other zombies, what then?
He'd still be leading this endless, aimless life among the dead, far from human society, with no ambition to rule or become a zombie king!
If there was anything left undone, it would be seeing his mother one more time, and even in death, he wanted it to be at Xu Nuo's hands.
With this conviction, he finally spoke to the people still looking somewhat disheveled in front of him, "I've heard there's a gathering of tier-five and six zombies in the outskirts of Base B. Their numbers are significant, making it difficult for regular ability users to handle. I want to go and see if I can help. If Xu Nuo is there, the success rate would be much higher.
So, I'd like you to help me extend an invitation to him. Of course, I'll provide compensation. If I'm still alive when he arrives, I'll repay the favor he once did for me. Would that be alright?"
As he spoke, he pulled out two zombie cores from his clothes and tossed them over.
The people saw a flash of light and instinctively caught the flying objects. Looking down, they saw they were tier-three and four zombie cores. They found it somewhat strange.
They weren't sure what he meant but then heard him say, "This is for your trouble. Please handle this for me." They already owed him a great debt, and even without this compensation, they would have done it. Moreover, the task he proposed was for the benefit of Base B's ability users, inherently a good deed.
Since he was so polite about it, they naturally assured him they would fulfill his request. Park Su didn't have high hopes for their assurance but saw it as a chance nonetheless.
He also thought that Xu Nuo often went to dangerous places, so spreading this news would alert all ability users to the presence of tier-five, six, or even higher zombies around Base B, potentially drawing Xu Nuo there.
Park Su had encountered other tier-five zombies before, and none had the intelligence he possessed. He could control their actions through his mental power. As for tier-six zombies, their oppressive presence did hinder him, but their intelligence was minimal compared to his, allowing him to trick them and escape their influence.
Over this period, consuming the cores had given him a sense that his zombie tier was about to change, hinting at a possible breakthrough. Once he reached tier six, dealing with other tier-six zombies would be less daunting, but to achieve what he spoke of, becoming a tier-seven zombie would be ideal.
This would allow him to lead a group of zombies to Base B, where he believed such a significant force could handle the zombies he'd bring.
After parting ways with those people, Park Su hunted zombies more efficiently, heading directly towards Base B. In about ten days, he fully ascended to tier six, and along the way, he saved two more groups of ability users, spreading his message about Xu Nuo again and giving them cores as payment.
Since he didn't fear zombies, he managed to find quite a few supplies in towns, including clothes to cover himself thoroughly, making it less obvious he wasn't human.
He found a half-abandoned vehicle in town, which made his journey to Base B smoother. However, upon arrival, meeting his mother proved challenging due to the zombie virus detection protocols. So, he wrote a letter at night, saved another ability user, and asked them to deliver the letter to his mother.
Sure enough, by noon the next day, he met her at the agreed place, with two bodyguards who were ability users, though not threatening to him. Park Su felt disheartened when their abilities were accidentally revealed, indicating how little protection the Park family provided, given the known presence of high-tier zombies around Base B.
His mother, however, didn't care about these details. Overjoyed to see him, she rushed over, her voice tinged with tension, "I knew you'd come back; I knew you'd come to see me. But why don't you want to go inside? Are you avoiding him? It's okay, even after the apocalypse, he's had more women around, but you and Park Wen are still his only sons! He still talks about you sometimes, so if you go back, you'll surely be valued again."
Park Su remained well-covered, pulling his mother close and speaking to the two bodyguards, "I have some things to discuss privately with my mother. Could you give us some space?"
The bodyguards, however, were firm in their refusal to leave, which immediately told Park Su that his mother's status in the Park family was not high. He even suspected these bodyguards were more there to monitor their meeting than to protect his mother, which made him feel even more ashamed. His decision to leave had evidently led to her living poorly; if her life had been good, she wouldn't have aged so much in these years, especially compared to the last memory he had of her when he was reborn.
Back then, although she had her worries, she was still vibrant. Now, she looked truly like a woman in her fifties.
But Park Su didn't mind the bodyguards' refusal to leave; he had ways to make them leave, like orchestrating an attack by tier-five zombies.
As expected, when the zombies approached, the bodyguards abandoned them to save themselves. His mother, surprised and panicked, wanted to pull Park Su to run but then noticed his empty sleeve under the tight clothing.
Park Su stopped her, "Mom, don't worry, they won't attack us."
His mother, not caring why the zombies wouldn't attack, grabbed his arm, asking what had happened to it. Park Su apologized and then removed his outer layers, revealing his condition.
Seeing him like this, his mother burst into tears, "How could this happen? How could you become a zombie? How did you lose your arm?"
Looking at his distraught mother, Park Su couldn't explain how foolish he had been to trust others so easily, leading to this fate. He had to be cautious even in affectionate gestures, fearing his nails or any part of him might infect her with the zombie virus.
He couldn't provide much for his mother now, but on his journey, he had collected many zombie cores, which could make her life somewhat easier. He handed her a bag full of tier-three and four zombie cores, enough for a significant improvement in her living conditions.
If he had eaten these cores, he could have forcefully advanced to a tier-seven zombie, but he felt he had never done enough for his mother. Since he was here with the intention to die, he wanted to leave something behind for her.
Thus, he decided that besides hunting zombies, he would gather resources for his mother's future. He would also inquire about Xu Nuo's whereabouts from his mother.
His mother didn't understand why her son was asking about Xu Nuo again but helped him inquire, bringing news of Xu Nuo each time she visited her son weekly.
For over a month, Park Su collected as many tier-three and four cores as possible for his mother, while consuming the tier-five cores himself.
He needed to elevate his zombie tier faster and higher in this period to attract more zombies to this area. The higher the tier of the zombies coming here, the quicker he could advance.
This effort also solidified the rumors he had spread among the nearby ability users. His hard work paid off when, on the brink of becoming a tier-seven zombie, his mother brought news that both thrilled and worried him:
Xu Nuo had come to Base B!