IABI -Chapter 117 Humanity’s Counterattack (18)

Due to several days and nights without sleep, Jing Xiubai’s complexion looked as if he were about to ascend to immortality.

He wasn’t surprised to see Chi Xin and the others outside the door. He went straight to the point: “I’ve discovered some information. Where is Brother Yu?”

A few minutes later, the leaders of the major bases, along with Mr. Yu, gathered in the conference room.

Mr. Yu glanced around and asked Yu Shizhao beside him, “Where did that brat Yu Xiang run off to again?”

Yu Shizhao’s expression paused imperceptibly for a moment, then he replied flawlessly, “He’s been assigned tasks now. He’s not running around everywhere like before.”

Mr. Yu nodded in satisfaction. “He’s grown up. Not bad.”

Yu Shizhao showed no hint of a smile, sitting there coolly while waiting for everyone to arrive. Since this had always been his temperament, Mr. Yu noticed nothing unusual. Seeing this, Chi Xin quietly averted her gaze.

When everyone had arrived, all eyes turned toward Chi Xin, who sat at the head of the table. She wasn’t one for bureaucratic formalities and spoke directly:

“I called everyone here late tonight because there’s an urgent matter to discuss. Jing Xiubai discovered some clues through satellite surveillance. To avoid wasting time, he’ll explain it to everyone himself.”

Chi Xin nodded to Jing Xiubai. He stood, turned on the projector, and brought up a satellite map.

“This is the Kass Mountains. I believe everyone knows that Raphael once gathered his legions here.” Jing Xiubai pointed to the eastern part of the screen. The mountainous terrain was clearly displayed, but above it was a dense, dark mass—almost covering the entire mountain range, a black, oppressive swath.

The leader from Q Base, who had arrived later, asked in shock, “These black areas… are they all zombies?”

“Not necessarily zombies,” Jing Xiubai replied, “but they’re definitely things that obey his orders.”

A wave of uproar rippled through those who hadn’t known about this.

“Quiet.” Chi Xin tapped the table lightly with her fingertip. Her gaze never left the projected image. “This alone isn’t enough to cause panic. Keep listening.”

With her speaking, no one dared disobey. They suppressed the unease in their hearts and continued listening.

“I’ve been trying to locate Raphael’s hiding place,” Jing Xiubai continued. “But he’s very cunning. Where the army gathers isn’t his true location. After repeated reconnaissance over the past few days, I’ve confirmed one place.”

He circled a red dot on the map. “He’s here.”

Everyone’s expressions, including Chi Xin’s, tightened.

The man who had plunged the world into chaos and committed countless atrocities had finally been dragged out of his rat’s nest.

Chi Xin gauged the distance to A Base and frowned. “According to the scale, that’s at least over a thousand kilometers from here, right?”

“1,782 kilometers,” Jing Xiubai answered precisely.

Xiao Li understood what Chi Xin was thinking and spoke for her. “At that distance, with our current lack of transportation, a direct expedition isn’t feasible.”

“Impossible,” Fan Fu objected outright. “Even ignoring whether we can sustain the massive supply consumption along the way, most of the people here are ordinary civilians. Even with water-type ability users, how long can they last on the road? I’m afraid before we even reach halfway, half the people would already be dead.”

Several faces showed clear anxiety. The Q Base leader added, “Miss Chi, we know you’ve never been afraid of trouble. Taking the initiative is probably what you want most. But given the current situation, it’s not that you’re afraid—it’s that we are.”

“What’s everyone in such a hurry for?” Qiu—Chi Xin Fan Club’s top supporter—Zhu waved her hand unhappily. “Miss Chi hasn’t even spoken yet. Why are you all worrying blindly?”

“It’s not that we doubt Miss Chi…” the Q Base leader said awkwardly.

“Enough arguing,” Yu Shizhao said, looking at Chi Xin. “Qiu Cheng is right. Let’s hear what Miss Chi has to say. Whatever the plan is, we’ll follow it.”

Everyone quieted down, all eyes turning toward Chi Xin.

While they argued, Chi Xin had remained seated, neither moving nor interrupting. Her expression barely changed. Now that it was quiet, she spoke calmly:

“Do you all really think I, Chi Xin, am the kind of person who only plays at personal heroics while disregarding other people’s lives?”

The accusation was too severe. Everyone was alarmed and hurriedly denied it.

“In that case,” Chi Xin shifted her gaze to Jing Xiubai, “why don’t we first hear our strategist’s suggestion?”

Jing Xiubai had listened in silence the entire time. Seeing that Chi Xin hadn’t lost her composure over the doubts, but instead tossed the issue to him, a fleeting smile crossed his lips before he returned to a serious expression.

“If he kept hiding there, we might have no choice but to take the initiative. But—” As he spoke, he switched to another satellite image.

On this image, large swaths of shadow were moving away from the eastern Kass Mountains. The red-circled location also showed signs of shadow approaching.

“This… this is?”

The direction of the shadows was obvious. Chi Xin narrowed her eyes and sighed softly. “They’re moving toward here.”

“That’s right,” Jing Xiubai said. “Raphael already knows that the world’s surviving combat forces are converging here. Humans fear long distances, but zombies don’t. He’s chosen to strike first.”

Silence fell.

“You mean… an unknown number of zombie hordes are heading this way right now?” another base leader asked quietly.

That sentence ignited fear.

Amid the panic, Chi Xin’s light laughter was especially clear.

When everyone looked at her, they were steadied by the sharp, resolute look in her eyes.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Chi Xin said. “The problem you were all worried about has been solved by Raphael himself. Now there’s only one question—how do we confirm whether Raphael himself will come?”

Jing Xiubai looked at her deeply. “There’s no concrete evidence, but based on my speculation, it’s more likely that he’ll come in person.”

“And why?”

“Think about it. The world’s combat forces are all gathering here, including the Chi Xin he’s coveted for so long. If he destroys this place, it’s essentially extinguishing the last hope of humanity.” Jing Xiubai spoke slowly. “For an ambitious man with a clear objective, wouldn’t he personally witness the achievement of his goal, once he believes success is guaranteed?”

The speculation was reasonable. No one spoke.

Unconsciously, their gazes once again converged on Chi Xin. Whether they’d arrived early or late, she had already become their absolute pillar. At moments like this, they instinctively sought reassurance.

They wanted to see her issue decisive orders, to see her calm, unhurried confidence, to see her unwavering belief that victory would be theirs.

And Chi Xin met their expectations.

“Let him come,” she said lightly. “Then I think the next thing we should discuss is troop deployment inside and outside the city.”

The meeting lasted until late into the night.

Midway through, A-Qing and several staff members brought in supper. They didn’t even pause to eat, finally hammering out a new response plan.

Chi Xin wasn’t well-versed in this area, so she didn’t insist on participating, instead listening carefully. Occasionally, her gaze would drift to the frozen image on the projector, her head tilting slightly.

A question lingered in her mind.

After the apocalypse, satellites gradually fell from orbit due to the lack of human control. The last remaining satellite of A Base had been maintained only through enormous manpower and resources, making information gathering extremely difficult.

From the time Chi Xin issued the assembly order until now, at most a month had passed. The massive influx of people hadn’t even been happening that long. How had Raphael obtained the information, adjusted his strategy, and decided to attack proactively?

But a question was just a question. With Raphael’s monstrous abilities, perhaps he had developed his own satellite or some equally outrageous method. Without understanding it, Chi Xin couldn’t draw conclusions.

When the discussion finally ended, dawn was already breaking in the east. Chi Xin was about to tell everyone to go rest when the conference room door burst open and a soldier rushed in.

Xiao Li immediately stood. “What happened?”

The soldier clearly hadn’t expected so many big shots to be in one room. His eyes darted nervously before he snapped to attention and saluted. “Major General, bad news! Warships have appeared off the rear coastline!”

Warships?!

Everyone froze in shock—everyone except Chi Xin, who met Jing Xiubai’s gaze. Both showed expressions of sudden realization.

“How many? Are they hostile or friendly?” Xiao Li frowned. “Prepare for battle!”

A soft hand rested on his shoulder.

“No need to panic.” Chi Xin’s calm voice soothed them. There was no trace of panic on her face—only a hint of joy. “Prepare a welcome. Our friends have arrived.”

“Friends? What friends?”

“At a time like this, who could possibly have warships?”

Whispers spread. Chi Xin ignored them and walked up to the soldier. “Take me there.”

The soldier looked overwhelmed with honor.

Seeing Chi Xin leave with him, the others couldn’t suppress their curiosity and followed.

They arrived at the rear city wall, facing the boundless sea. Zombies rarely crossed oceans, so defenses here had always been relatively lax. That was why the appearance of warships had thrown them into confusion.

Chi Xin was already standing atop the wall, binoculars raised, gazing into the distance.

“Miss Chi, may I ask who these friends are?” Fan Fu forced a smile onto his round face.

“Friends who might turn the tide of this war.” Chi Xin smiled and handed him the binoculars.

Startled, Fan Fu peered through the high-powered military binoculars. In the distance, a massive warship—clearly enormous even from afar—cut through the shimmering water like a ferocious white shark. Several smaller warships followed behind it.

Anyone standing there could tell these weren’t toys cobbled together by military enthusiasts, but genuine behemoths meant for real battlefields.

Gasps rang out. Chi Xin maintained her smile and, as the fleet drew closer, raised a flashlight and flashed it at a steady rhythm.

The lead warship answered with a long blast of its horn.

Now, no one could doubt it—they truly were reinforcements.

“Do you know of any bases that are coastal?”

“No, and even if there were, could they really field this many warships?”

“Even if they could, supplying enough energy for them would be impossible.”

“Who on earth are these people…?”

Amid the speculation, Chi Xin signaled to open the rear gate and summoned the inspection personnel.

The warships docked. As people looked up at the towering vessel, a staircase slid down. A man with silver-streaked temples and sharp, star-like eyes descended.

Behind him followed many familiar faces—Yan Lin, Da Guang, Skinny Monkey…

They were no longer wearing tattered prison uniforms, but identical, neat outfits. Upon spotting Chi Xin, Skinny Monkey even winked at her exaggeratedly.

The man walked straight up to Chi Xin, lowered his head slightly in a respectful bow.

“Chi Xin, I’ve come as promised,” he said.

“Huo Lai.” A smile appeared on Chi Xin’s face. “You brought so many people—what about the oil fields?”

“They’ve been properly arranged.”

Huo Lai’s hawk-like gaze swept past her, meeting countless curious looks. Even though he maintained a perfect exterior, Chi Xin could still sense his discomfort.

His hands remained clenched the entire time.

“Let’s do the virus screening first,” Chi Xin said with a smile, deftly helping him out. “Though I doubt there’d be any virus where you’re concerned. With so many people standing around, it might cause misunderstandings.”

Everyone agreed. As the screenings proceeded, Huo Lai’s group’s identities were also explained.

Donglu Fort Prison had been shrouded in mystery even before the apocalypse. Aside from A Base, the leaders of other bases regarded them with a certain awe.

Chi Xin and Jing Xiubai needed no explanation. Yu Shizhao, due to resource exchanges, had long corresponded with Huo Lai. Now that they finally met in person, the two talked animatedly, as if old friends.

This only deepened everyone else’s sense that A Base’s connections were profound and unfathomable.

And the most enigmatic figure of all was the young woman at the center. No matter how many outstanding individuals surrounded her, none could dim her brilliance.

Even when she was simply smiling and listening.

“I didn’t expect you’d bring so many people,” Chi Xin said frankly. “After all, you have food and drink over there, wanting for nothing. I originally thought tricking Huo Lai alone into coming would already be a success.”

She was speaking honestly, but everyone else took it as a joke and laughed obligingly.

“To be honest, we did hesitate,” Skinny Monkey grinned. “Our identities are special. Wouldn’t it be better to just wait for the world to end and reap the benefits? But then we thought… Yan Lin, you say it.”

Shouldered by Skinny Monkey, the burly, tower-like man stiffened. He glanced at Chi Xin, then quickly looked away. A faint flush showed through his dark skin.

“We just felt… we’re also part of this world,” Yan Lin said awkwardly. “If the world’s going to be destroyed, we bear responsibility too. And the warden said the one leading the team was you. I thought—might as well gamble. Even if we die, at least we’d be martyrs, not criminals.”

“Exactly,” Skinny Monkey added. “Good thing the warden still has some assets. The gas and oil at home can keep these big guys running, so our entrance isn’t too shabby.”

Just listen to that—“at home.”

What could anyone else say? They could only offer polite, awkward smiles.

Chi Xin felt warmth well up in her chest. “You’re not criminals. Back on the island, you already proved your courage. No matter what, since you’re standing here, you’re heroes.”

With her direct acknowledgment, smiles bloomed on the faces of the Donglu Fort group.

“There’s one question, though.” Chi Xin tilted her head and looked at the silent Huo Lai. “The route Jing Xiubai gave you wasn’t meant for sneaking in through the back, right? A fleet like this coming up from behind—if I hadn’t been here, you’d have been greeted by artillery.”

The seemingly casual question plunged the atmosphere into sudden silence.

“Hm?” Chi Xin looked around, puzzled, then pointed to the most straightforward person. “Yan Lin, you answer.”

“Uh…” Yan Lin hesitated, sneaking a glance at the increasingly stiff-faced Huo Lai. “Actually… before we set out, we didn’t expect that the warden would be… directionally challenged.”

What?

The revelation that the dignified, impressive Huo Lai was actually terrible with directions created such a contrast that Chi Xin burst out laughing.

The others didn’t dare laugh, but Huo Lai’s face stiffened even further. He stood rigidly for a moment, then cut in sharply, “Where is Lou Chen? Take me to him.”

Getting back to business, Chi Xin reined in her smile. She glanced at the others. “I’ll take you there. Have your people follow Brother Yu’s arrangements.”

“Miss Chi, please allow me to come as well,” Yu Shizhao said. “I’m… not at ease.”

Chi Xin fell silent for a moment. “Brother Yu should go too. Xiao Li, you and Uncle Yu handle the arrangements. That’s an order.”

Meeting Chi Xin’s gaze, Xiao Li nodded. “Understood.”

With things settled, Chi Xin took Huo Lai and Jing Xiubai and drove toward the research institute. Along the way, she briefed Huo Lai on the situation.

“So,” Chi Xin asked with quiet anticipation, “do you have a way to separate them?”

Huo Lai hadn’t expected such dire circumstances. He frowned deeply, thought for a moment, then said, “Human consciousness is extremely complex. I’ve seen Lou Chen’s power before—it’s not easy to control. Before seeing them, I can’t say whether it’s possible.”

The answer was within expectations. Chi Xin didn’t show disappointment. She sighed softly, watching the car drive through the dawn light.

Yu Shizhao stared out the window, his expression hidden.

Jing Xiubai drove fast but steadily. They reached the research institute quickly.

The moment she stepped out, Chi Xin sensed something was wrong. She grabbed Jing Xiubai, stopping him from entering, and raised a hand to halt Yu Shizhao and Huo Lai as well.

Jing Xiubai, sharing a deep tacit understanding with her, immediately prepared for combat, positioning himself in front of Yu Shizhao and asking with his eyes, What is it?

Chi Xin shook her head, staring at the silent, pitch-black entrance of the institute.

Something was very wrong.