Chapter 97: The Clue

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The night had deepened, and more than half of the city lights in the inner city had gone out; this city was finally settling into sleep. At the boundary between the inner city and the outskirts, the guards had just changed shifts, but they felt wide awake. Earlier, the zombie attack had stirred the upper echelons of the corporation; they could no longer afford to be careless or let any mistakes slip through. The first line of defense, the main gate, was still under construction. The city’s future construction workers were laboring intensely; each hoped to finish soon and leave this place. For now, they were like exposed bait, enticing the zombies lurking across the moat with ravenous eyes.

From the thick darkness in the distance, a figure approached. At such a late hour, who would still be leaving the city? The guards grew suspicious. As the man drew nearer and they caught sight of his features, a chill ran through them, pure terror gripping their bodies. It was none other than the white-haired, heterochromatic fiend who had broken into the city just hours ago!

Bullets were useless against him. They had nearly exhausted all their ammunition trying to stop him, yet he moved unhindered. They immediately reported the situation to the corporation’s headquarters and were ordered to hold their ground; the rest would be handled by others.

But now, the fiend had returned, looking fresh and unbothered... Had the corporation taken any action, or had they failed as well?

“I’m leaving the city,” Yi Chen said openly, reading the fear in their eyes.

Each guard thought to himself: does he think this place is some kind of playground, where he can come and go as he pleases? Yet none had the strength to stop him—not then, not now.

While they hesitated, Yi Chen produced a special pass. After a few seconds’ reaction, one guard cautiously stepped forward to verify—it was authentic and valid. The control room door opened immediately.

Now that he had official clearance and everything was according to regulations, any attempt to block or cause trouble would only make them look foolish. Some things, when they can’t be understood, are better left alone.

Yi Chen exhaled in relief. He had no desire to stir up trouble; avoiding unnecessary conflicts could save much time and effort. After all, he had business to attend to.

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Zhou Shiwen, chairman of Future Group, had entrusted him with the urgent task of locating the infiltrator. Yi Chen was now fairly certain that the infiltrator had somehow slipped into the inner city. But the inner city was vast and full of unsuspecting civilians. How to identify a stealthy infiltrator without causing panic or chaos was a daunting challenge.

He clearly couldn’t do it alone; he needed more eyes and ears.

Controlling zombies again was impractical. Besides the time and effort required to manage them, it would be impossible to conceal such an operation. Just imagining a horde of zombies surging into the inner city would terrify countless people.

Yi Chen thought of the Lynx Battalion stationed on North Mountain.

First, the Lynx Battalion was fiercely loyal to him, having passed several tests without any sign of wavering or betrayal—truly trustworthy.

Second, due to their biological traits, the lynxes’ reconnaissance and sensory abilities far surpassed ordinary zombies, even exceeding his own sensitivity, making them highly capable of exposing the infiltrator.

Finally, the lynxes were small, resembling native stray dogs, swift and agile. Normally, they would go unnoticed, making them ideal for scouting the inner city.

Yi Chen was confident he could utilize them effectively.

After communicating, he learned that Zhou Shiwen was result-oriented: as long as no incidents were caused during the process, Yi Chen had free rein to act.

Yi Chen crossed the river by boat, the pungent stench of decay and lingering tar stinging his nostrils. The zombie attack from a few hours ago was clearly a diversion orchestrated by the infiltrator. They had taken away Ouyang Hong and other infected, likely intending to use them for some purpose.

Regarding the whereabouts of Ouyang Hong and the others, Zhou Shiwen claimed to have means to track them but did not elaborate. They would advance on two fronts and share information as soon as any news emerged.

Over the past days, the number of living people in the outskirts had diminished drastically. After passing several blocks, Yi Chen detected no signs of life.

The number of zombies continued to grow; some wandered the streets idly, others crouched together competing for scraps. When Yi Chen passed by, they briefly paused—either stepping aside or nodding in acknowledgment. Once he left, they resumed their previous behavior.

Yi Chen walked on numbly. In the past, he would have casually dispatched them, but now he saw little point. Killing one or two, even a group, would not change the fate of the outskirts.

From the moment Future Group abandoned the outskirts, certain outcomes were inevitable.

Even those still alive could only struggle to survive on their own—fighting zombies, sourcing food and water.

Now, the seeds of destruction had been sown within the inner city. If action was not taken swiftly, it would not be long before the inner city fell to the same fate. When that time came, Nanchuan would truly perish.

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Cheng Xianglong and Wang Lu were still in the outskirts. Yi Chen had initially planned to bring them along but changed his mind.

Without a vehicle, those two living humans would be irresistible bait, drawing a horde of zombies the moment they stepped onto the street.

He could break through the encirclement alone, but they were ordinary people; the risk was too great. The temporary shelter’s gate bore a salted fish for deterrence—at least it kept zombies at bay. It would likely hold until morning.

At dawn, he would update Zhou Shiwen and request vehicles and personnel to escort them safely into the inner city... Yi Chen quickened his pace and pressed onward.

The moon shone bright with few stars, making the North Mountain night feel all the more desolate. Whether due to its elevation or fewer decaying corpses, the air quality here was notably better than in Nanchuan city.

Yi Chen established a mental link with dozens of lynxes, which soon appeared obediently and neatly on a clearing before him.

He left nearly ten lynxes behind to guard the place and issued commands to the others: “Little ones, follow your king out of the mountain!”

The lynxes immediately sprang into action, trailing silently behind him down the mountain.

Their steps were light, their bodies blending seamlessly with the darkness, ghostlike. Without exceptional eyesight, one could hardly detect their movements.

Beep, beep, beep—the phone on Yi Chen’s person rang, shattering the rare silence.

It was the communicator Zhou Shiwen had left with him. Yi Chen wondered whether Zhou Shiwen, like his son, had tampered with the phone, perhaps installing a tracking device to see where he was.

He did not mind. Even if the other side knew he was on North Mountain, they wouldn’t know what he was doing. The existence of this lynx battalion could still be concealed.

However, Zhou Shiwen calling at this hour suggested urgency.

“Yi Chen, my people have located the infected,” Zhou’s voice sounded weary.

“That quickly?” Yi Chen was surprised; Chairman Zhou’s scouts were impressively efficient.

“Ouyang Hong had previously implanted tracking devices on those infected. We traced the signal—it’s showing at the Grand Theater.”

Yi Chen remembered the Grand Theater—it was where their crawler hunting squad had met for the first time. It was there that Zhang Lei had tried to kill him by dropping a massive chandelier.