IABI – Chapter 104 Humanity’s Counterattack (5)

Mr. Yu and Yu Shaozhao took two seconds to react before realizing that the one who had said that was the only woman among them.

Mr. Yu, being more inscrutable, showed no change in expression. Yu Shaozhao’s lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to smile, but he restrained himself, making his expression look a bit strange.

“It’s not that no one has thought of doing that,” Yu Shaozhao said. “In fact, the entire human society has realized that as long as the Zombie King is controlled—or eliminated—the world can be saved.”

“You know his name is Lou Chen,” Chi Xin said with a smile. “That means you’ve already investigated him to some extent, right? Then you should also know that although he bears the title of Zombie King, in essence he is still a human.”

“So what if he’s human?” Yu Shaozhao curled one corner of his mouth coldly, not even glancing at Chi Xin. “Professor Jing even believes that the key to developing a vaccine lies in him. Everyone knows how important he is, yet even after dispatching humanity’s most elite warriors, we couldn’t harm him in the slightest.”

The Hughes father and daughter knew that Lou Chen held the key to a vaccine because this matter had involved them from beginning to end. Yet Professor Jing, with no prior knowledge, had been able to deduce this result—worthy of his status as C Country’s chief authority holding dual top honors in medicine and biology.

Chi Xin rolled her eyes. Seeing that face—so strikingly similar to Yu Xiang’s—wear such a mocking expression really made her a bit uncomfortable.

Jing Xiubai tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, pondered for a moment, then asked, “Brother Yu, up to now, what methods have we used against Lou Chen?”

Yu Shaozhao glanced at Mr. Yu.

Mr. Yu’s eyes—those same subtly flirtatious eyes he shared with Yu Xiang—held a thoughtful glimmer as he swept a light gaze over the three of them. “Tell them. They’re all our own children. Old Jing doesn’t worry about these things anyway. Rather than letting them hear bits and pieces from others, it’s better we tell them ourselves.”

Mr. Yu didn’t place much hope in them, but his mind was clear.

He knew this was not the time to conceal information.

Yu Shaozhao turned his gaze back, his tone heavy. “He possesses extremely strange abilities. The teams of ability users we sent couldn’t get close to him at all. Even those who were lucky enough to make it back alive seemed to suffer enormous mental trauma, becoming almost witless, no longer capable of fighting.”

“Lou Chen’s ability is psychic,” Jing Xiubai said. “Not something ordinary ability users can contend with.”

Yu Shaozhao nodded. “Whether through ambush or frontal assault, we gained nothing at all—only massive losses of combat power. To be honest, as of today, we’ve already… tried every method we could think of, yet we still can’t prevent the sacrifice of our soldiers.”

As he spoke, the man who appeared stern and cold unconsciously clasped his hands together. The faint tremor in his voice betrayed how little calm he truly felt inside.

“This isn’t right,” Chi Xin said thoughtfully. “Lou Chen’s ability is powerful, but it’s not invincible. Among the ability users, are there any whose physical attributes have been enhanced? They should be more—resistant—to his psychic attacks…”

Before she could finish the word resistant, Yu Shaozhao let out a heavy snort.

His knife-like gaze cut across Chi Xin’s face. “Do you think we haven’t tried? So many ability users rushed to the battlefield one after another to defend this city. But no matter what kind of abilities they had, the outcome was all the same…”

His fingertips began to tremble slightly.

Yu Shaozhao took a deep breath, his tone returning to cold indifference. “At present, the only way we can stop him is by continuously sending people out—and the ending just keeps repeating itself.”

Though Chi Xin had been rudely interrupted, she wasn’t angry.

From this brief exchange, she could hear the pressure this man was bearing.

As someone in power, facing a formidable enemy, for the sake of letting more people survive, he could only choose to pile up lives.

He did his utmost to mask his guilt with coldness so that when he issued orders, others would believe in his resolve.

None of the three younger ones were fools. Amid such intense emotions, they unanimously chose to remain silent.

Instead, Mr. Yu’s voice sounded. “Shaozhao, you seem to have forgotten one person.”

Under the gazes of the three youths, Mr. Yu smiled faintly. “The only one who has ever engaged the Zombie King at close quarters—and managed to injure him.”

“Yes, and the price he paid was equally severe,” Yu Shaozhao said expressionlessly. “Even if he’s been promoted to the rank of major general, the brain damage and the ruined internal organs will follow him for life—assuming there’s much of a life left.”

Chi Xin’s five fingers gripping the armrest tightened abruptly. She leaned forward, almost anxiously asking, “Wasn’t Xiao Li just discussing matters with you earlier? How could he be injured so badly?”

Both Mr. Yu and Yu Shaozhao looked at her in surprise. Yu Shaozhao asked in confusion, “You… know Xiao Li?”

Chi Xin pressed her lips together. Yu Xiang cut in, “We’re talking about serious matters. You speak first.”

“He is indeed gravely injured. Medicine is powerless— even Uncle Jing couldn’t save him,” Yu Shaozhao actually followed his junior’s lead and answered. “But he successfully crushed a zombie tide that nearly destroyed the base, severely injuring the Zombie King. He hasn’t appeared again for several months now.”

“If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have had this chance to recuperate,” Mr. Yu sighed. “Shaozhao, your prejudice against Xiao Li really should be corrected.”

“Father, if I were prejudiced against him, I wouldn’t have agreed to awarding him a medal,” Yu Shaozhao said. “But his indulgence in letting his subordinates tear the base apart from within—I truly can’t understand that. At a time like this, isn’t that basically acting as a traitor?”

“Regarding what Brother Yu said earlier, if Xiao Li is the person we know, then perhaps there’s some misunderstanding here,” Jing Xiubai said proactively, seeing Chi Xin’s stunned expression. “Have you two spoken with him?”

“Talk about what? Just youthful success and youthful arrogance,” Yu Shaozhao sneered. “Major general is indeed an impressive rank—enough for him to stand against us head-on and vie with us on equal footing.”

Chi Xin frowned, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.

She let out a soft sigh.

After all, the time she had known Xiao Li wasn’t long. Though in her memory, that tall boy in a white T-shirt—smiling shyly yet brightly—didn’t seem like the kind of traitor Yu Shaozhao described, without knowing the full picture, she couldn’t defend him either.

“So it really was him who condoned it?” Yu Xiang said without much surprise. “That guy—what’s-his-name—was he one of his subordinates?”

“Have you met Lian Tianrui?” Yu Chengzhao glanced at him. “He’s the most unruly one of the bunch.”

“I did run into him—and almost got shot dead by him,” Yu Xiang embellished the story. “If Chi Xin hadn’t pulled me back at just the right moment, his bullet would’ve blown my skull open.”

Mr. Yu and Yu Chengzhao didn’t know about this incident yet. The moment they heard it, both of their faces darkened simultaneously.

“He actually dared to do that?!” Yu Chengzhao slammed his palm onto the armrest, heavy anger gathering on his face. “It’s already been reiterated time and again that refugees must not be turned away without cause. Does he want to add a few more lives to his conscience?”

“Add?” Chi Xin caught the word. “So… he’s done this more than once already?”

“Judging by how practiced he was, it’s hard to believe this was his first time,” Jing Xiubai said calmly.

Yu Chengzhao’s chest rose and fell sharply twice before he turned to Mr. Yu. “Father, this matter must be discussed with Xiao Li again. If this kind of indulgence continues, this base will fall apart completely and lose all capacity to resist.”

“I know,” Mr. Yu replied, his voice suddenly sounding much older. “I’ll talk to him again.”

Yu Chengzhao fell silent with a gloomy expression for two seconds, then abruptly asked, “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“How could I be?” Yu Xiang replied at once. “I already said it—Chi Xin saved me.” He seized the moment to advertise for her. “Saving me is nothing to her anymore—it’s as routine as eating and drinking.”

Chi Xin silently endured the urge to roll her eyes.

It was unclear whether Yu Chengzhao believed it or not. He ignored Yu Xiang’s antics, pondered for a moment, then stood up. “Yu Xiang, I’ll have A-Qing take you to the guest rooms to rest. No one knows when the Zombie King might strike again. All of you behave yourselves—no acting on your own.”

“Hey—” Yu Xiang let out an anxious sound, turning back again and again to look at Chi Xin.

He’d finally managed to drag the War God over here—couldn’t these people show a little strength?!

Unfortunately, Yu Chengzhao didn’t hear his inner frenzy. “Go. I have matters to discuss with Father.”

Yu Xiang looked at his dad, then his brother, then Chi Xin. He pressed his palms together and gave Chi Xin a pleading look.

“Brother Yu,” Chi Xin finally couldn’t bear to see Yu Xiang caught in the middle. She stood up and called out softly.

Yu Chengzhao paused.

The gazes of all four people in the room fell on Chi Xin.

“Whether I can deal with Lou Chen—even if Yu Xiang talks himself hoarse, no one would believe it,” she said slowly. “But it doesn’t really matter. I don’t need your belief. If the zombies are determined to take this base, there will definitely be another attack. When that happens, whether for public duty or personal reasons, I will capture him. I only ask that you not treat him as some mere specimen—give him the dignity of his own kind.”

Yu Chengzhao looked at her, narrowing his eyes.

“Little girl, I’ve tolerated you again and again for Yu Xiang’s and Xiubai’s sake. Has that made you think I’m easy to deceive?” He wasn’t angry, but every word revealed his distrust. “I don’t understand—what do you gain by lying to me? Is this some peculiar youthful vanity? This is not the time to play around. Behave yourselves and don’t cause trouble for us—including you, Yu Xiang.”

He shot a warning glance at the troublemaker, then looked at Jing Xiubai, his expression easing slightly. “If I remember correctly, Xiubai is an ability user, yes? We need warriors like you.”

Yu Xiang froze, then showed an incredulous expression, as if he couldn’t believe his brother would say something like that.

He impulsively took a step forward, only to be grabbed firmly by Jing Xiubai.

Jing Xiubai shook his head at him.

Without solid evidence, no matter how much they said, it would never be taken seriously.

Yu Xiang shook Jing Xiubai off. His face took on the same cold indifference as his brother’s, and he even let out a sneer.

That made the three of them look even more alike.

Suppressing his anger, he was about to pull Chi Xin away when her slender, pale hand gently clasped his.

He froze again, lifting his head to see Chi Xin’s calm, gentle profile.

Though the contempt and doubt were directed squarely at her, she showed no sign of anger. Instead, she infused her tone with a quiet strength, making every word she spoke sound measured and incisive.

“You don’t believe me, and you don’t believe Yu Xiang either,” she said. “In your hearts, Yu Xiang is just a mischievous child who causes trouble—someone you’ve never believed could contribute anything to a war. Isn’t that right?”

“Don’t think that just because you’re someone Yu Xiang likes, you can act however you want here,” Yu Chengzhao said coldly. “Miss Chi, you’ve crossed the line.”

Yu Xiang stared at him in disbelief, hurt plain on his face.

“…Chi Xin, let’s go,” he said hoarsely. “Xiubai and I never should’ve brought you here.”

Chi Xin looked at him with concern, then nodded. “Alright.”

Chi Xin hadn’t expected that a family capable of raising someone like Yu Xiang could resemble, so closely, the traditional clans of her own country in her previous life. With a trace of anger simmering beneath the surface, she grabbed one person with each hand and turned to leave.

“A-Qing, take them to rest!” Yu Chengzhao called out behind them.

A response came from the doorway: “Yes, Chengji.”

Chengji? Chi Xin realized that this must be the official title of the city’s administrator in this world. The unfamiliar term once again reminded her of how different this world was.

But whether it was different or not—human lives were still real.

Just as they were about to step out the door, the lights in the building abruptly went dark. Immediately after, a piercing alarm rang throughout the entire structure.

Chi Xin and the other two had just returned and didn’t know what the sound meant, but the secretary called A-Qing went deathly pale.

“Chengji!” he shouted, his voice trembling at the end.

Chi Xin turned around to see grim expressions on Mr. Yu’s and Yu Chengzhao’s faces.

A powerful sense of foreboding surged up. Beside him, Jing Xiubai voiced everyone’s guess:
“Could it be that something’s happened at the city walls?”

“I knew they wouldn’t keep quiet for long.” Yu Chengzhao’s expression darkened. “Father, you stay at headquarters and take command. I’m going to the walls.”

Mr. Yu looked at his son with an indescribable gaze. “…Be careful.”

Every time there was a sortie, before the people returned, who could guarantee that the one who died wouldn’t be their own loved one?

But neither he nor Yu Chengzhao would ever try to dissuade the other.

This was the city they protected. This was their responsibility.

Yu Chengzhao gave a brief nod, passed by Chi Xin and the others, and headed straight out.
“Xiubai, if you’re willing, come along.”

Yu Xiang struggled for a moment, then still shouted, “Brother! Aren’t you a civil official? Going to the front line yourself is too dangerous!”

Yu Chengzhao stopped. On that broader back compared to Yu Xiang’s rested a weight as heavy as mountains.

“This is also a city I’ve defended with my own blood. I’m willing to die for it,” he said.

Chi Xin’s expression shifted slightly. The faint trace of negativity she’d just felt toward him vanished in an instant.

She strode after him. “Take me with you. You won’t regret it.”

“Now is not the time to fool around,” Yu Chengzhao said heavily.

“Big Brother, I know you don’t really trust us, but the battle situation is urgent. Just treat it as using a dead horse as if it were alive—try once,” Yu Xiang followed up, his face stripped of its usual flippancy. “Take us.”

“You’re unbelievable…” Yu Chengzhao shot him an angry look, utterly helpless. “Take your little girlfriend back to the room. Be good.”

Just as Yu Xiang was about to flare up again, he added, “I’m going to fight with my life. You stay here with Father. My last bit of selfishness is not wanting both sons of the Yu family to fall here. Do you understand?”

After saying that, he ignored the stunned Yu Xiang, didn’t urge Jing Xiubai either, and turned to leave in long strides.

“Yu Chengji has never forced anyone onto the battlefield,” Secretary A-Qing said quickly. “The rooms are on the east side. You should listen to him—otherwise he’ll be upset.”

With that, he hurried after him.

Chi Xin turned to look at Yu Xiang, who was standing there dumbfounded. “So? Still going or not?”

“Going!” Yu Xiang clenched his teeth. “Why wouldn’t I? Do you think I came all this way just riding around sightseeing? I’ve killed zombies, seen mutated beasts, nearly died in a sandworm’s mouth—why would I be scared of a small scene like a zombie siege?”

“Yu Xiang,” Jing Xiubai asked, “are you going this time to prove something to your brother, or because you want to go yourself?”

Yu Xiang looked at him, a hint of a smile appearing first in his eyes. “You really do know me, brother.”

Jing Xiubai neither confirmed nor denied it.

“But I have to say,” Yu Xiang continued, “your understanding of me is outdated. I don’t need to prove anything to him. Whether he looks down on me or not has nothing to do with whether I want to go to the battlefield.”

He glanced at Chi Xin. “Sister Chi, what do you think?”

“Me?” Chi Xin didn’t know how the topic had suddenly turned to her. She pointed at her own nose and laughed amid the piercing alarms. “When have I ever been far from the battlefield?”

The three exchanged smiles.

Chi Xin reached up and pressed the earpiece she had never taken off.

“Everyone whose blood is boiling—assemble at the city walls.”

The entire base came alive—but not with liveliness.

The shrill alarm continued to spread through the base. Countless armed soldiers stood atop military pickups, long convoys speeding toward the walls.

Civilians without combat capability hid inside buildings, pairs of terrified eyes peering out from behind windows.

Chi Xin locked onto a pickup. As it passed in front of her, she hooked a hand onto it, braced herself, and vaulted straight into the truck bed.

Before the people inside could react to the sudden appearance of a girl, two more thuds followed—Jing Xiubai and Yu Xiang leapt in as well.

“You—who are you people?”

Chi Xin looked up and realized that none of the people in the truck wore military uniforms, and their ages varied. From their bearing, they weren’t soldiers.

Jing Xiubai saw through it at a glance. “An ability-user squad?”

“Huh? You know us?” A baby-faced young man looked surprised. “I thought we were pretty famous in the base, haha.”

When he smiled, two little tiger teeth showed.

“Wen Qiu, don’t chat with just anyone. We haven’t figured out these three’s identities yet,” another young man said warily, a ball of fire forming in his suspended hand. “State your identities now, or don’t blame me for being rude.”

The three exchanged a look. Chi Xin smiled back. “We’re your comrades-in-arms.”

“Comrades? You’re ability users too?” Wen Qiu couldn’t help asking again.

Among the three, the only true ability user, Jing Xiubai, also raised his hand. A small spiral of ice appeared above it.

The tension on the faces of the ability users eased.

“You should’ve said so earlier,” the fire user let out a breath. “Sorry—no one told us.”

With a major battle imminent, no one had the mind for small talk. Once their identities were confirmed, they rode the rest of the way in silence.

The city walls were completely different from the quiet of the morning. Soldiers had sealed the area layer by layer, wave after wave rushing up to hold the line.

Through the thick walls, the zombies’ howls and stench were clearly audible. From the heavy sounds and dense gunfire, it was obvious the situation was far from optimistic.

“An ability-user squad!”

As the truck passed, it caused a brief stir.

A major with insignia quickly walked over and greeted the fire user. “Captain Jian, we’ll be relying on you a lot this time.”

“What happened? It’s been weeks since there was such a big operation,” Captain Jian asked.

Major Yan Wei gave a bitter smile. Even as he tried to steady himself, his expression remained grim. “The Zombie King… has appeared.”

“What?!”

All the ability users were shocked.

“Wasn’t he seriously wounded by Major General Xiao? Has he already recovered?” Fear flickered beneath Wen Qiu’s surprise.

Yan Wei felt bitterness rise in his mouth. He was about to speak when he caught sight of three figures trying to slip away behind the ability-user squad.

“!” His eyes went wide, his voice nearly cracking. “Second Young Master?!”

The ability-user squad was startled.

They all looked at their three “ability-user comrades.” Everyone in the base knew whose man Yan Wei was. For him to call someone “Second Young Master”…

“Ah.” Yu Xiang slapped his forehead. “Yan Wei, go assign your tasks. Just pretend you didn’t see us.”

“Wait, Second Young Master!”

Amid Yan Wei’s shout, the three bolted, charging straight toward the top of the city wall.

“We don’t have time to listen to their command structure,” Chi Xin said. “We have only one objective—Lou Chen!”

They surged onto the crowded top of the wall, and the view opened up abruptly.

Endless zombies poured out of the forest, layer upon layer, stretching without end.

In that instant, Chi Xin felt as if time rewound, back to her first day in this world.

The same mountains of corpses, seas of the dead, the city wall on the brink of collapse.

She slowly clenched her fist.

“Boom—”

A violent impact rang out. Someone roared hoarsely, “Kill the ones below! Don’t let them pile up!”

It seemed the zombies were under higher-level control now. With sheer numbers, their siege tactics were clearly more sophisticated than those used against Base L back then.

They charged fearlessly, wave after wave, hurling themselves at the wall. One wave died, another stacked on top—back and forth—until the zombies surging from behind were almost able to reach the top of the wall.

Chi Xin tossed Yu Xiang a heavy machine gun and fixed her gaze on the distance.

“Find Lou Chen,” she said simply.

“Ah!”

A sudden scream pierced the air. Chi Xin turned to see a soldier operating a defensive turret desperately trying to kick away a zombie clinging to his leg.

But there were too many. Kick one off, another lunged up immediately—then two at once—dragging him to the ground.

“Ahhh!” He screamed, a fierce look on his young face. “Even if I die, I won’t let you get up here!”

Instead of retreating, he surged forward, trying to drag the two zombies down off the wall with him!

A hand grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

He sat on the ground in a daze and looked up, just as the morning sun fell straight down, gilding the girl before him with a radiance like that of a god.

After pulling him up, the girl casually took over his turret.

“I’m here,” she said.