Chapter 201: The Dock, the Formidable Gu Da

The dock was desolate, with only scattered figures moving about. The only ones present in large numbers were zombies, shuffling in batches, their clothes tattered and their movements vacant.

Out on the murky, black water, various ships and vessels were moored. Among them, two large ships anchored farther from the dock in deeper water were today’s ultimate targets.

According to intelligence, one was loaded with oil, the other with coal.

But this wouldn’t be easy. First, there were too many zombies. Second, who knew what was lurking in the water? By now, people had explored and occupied some areas on land, but the water and the skies remained forbidden zones. The former was terrifying because of the unknown; the latter was a bit better—mutated birds were still relatively rare and mostly concentrated above forests. Still, even a small bird could be dangerous if you were flying a plane, and besides, there was no real need to be up in the air.

If it weren’t for these two obstacles, those two ships would have been divided up long ago.

Bian Changxi quietly estimated the distance. It was too far—her vines couldn’t possibly reach. Even if she could touch the ships, she might not be able to store something that big in one go. She could probably fit them in her space—after all, in her previous life, her warehouse had held more rice and wheat than the ships’ volume—but she’d tried before: taking in something too large at once created resistance, making her dizzy.

It seemed even her all-purpose farm space didn’t support such outrageous methods. She’d have to do things the old-fashioned, step-by-step way.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. The immediate priority was to lure away or eliminate the zombies—this was the first hurdle.

Under Gu Xu’s orders, everyone spread out, hiding behind the tallest obstacles they could find—shipping containers, vehicles, and other cover. From behind these, it was hard to get a clear view of the zombies’ layout, so Gu Xu sent Milk out to scout. Unlike humans, Milk—whether due to some special ability to hold its breath or to confuse zombies—could walk right through the zombie horde without attracting attention, darting between boxes and vehicles, occasionally making noises on purpose. This would draw out zombies hiding in the shadows, bringing them into view.

Soon, Gu Xu had a good grasp of the zombies’ positions and told Bian Changxi to put away some obstacles as instructed.

Bian Changxi’s “space” had two main advantages: it was huge, and she could use her vines to collect things, unlike other spatial abilities that required direct hand contact.

Her vines whipped out with a whoosh, quickly storing away the designated items. The view instantly opened up—fewer barricades, but enough left for cover as they advanced, avoiding a direct confrontation with the zombies.

The zombies sensed something was wrong. The more sensitive ones sniffed the air and began shuffling over with low growls.

Gu Xu raised his hand, using a small black brick-like walkie-talkie to issue the attack order.

Not bad—yesterday, Luo Jiuqing’s Team 2 had finally developed the communication device. It was still pretty crude: short range, poor quality, easily broken, and prone to losing signal. There were plenty of issues, but it was a real breakthrough.

As the first test user, Gu Xu took all six prototypes for himself and his team. With a hundred people divided into five squads, each squad leader got one, and Gu Xu issued orders through them.

At the order, the five squads sprang into action.

First, vines and water whips shot into the air, binding the more dangerous-looking zombies. Powerful ice attacks rained down, freezing zombies in place. Sand and earth flew over, knocking zombies down and burying them.

No one here was stupid—on the contrary, they were all battle-hardened veterans. Faced with a horde, they didn’t just charge in for close combat. They restrained as many zombies as possible from a distance. Unbeknownst to Bian Changxi, this tactic was inspired by her—she was always binding things with her vines, and after seeing how efficient it was, everyone started doing the same. Now, if they could tie something up, they did. Even those with wind or metal abilities, who couldn’t bind directly, sometimes brought nets or ropes just in case.

But it wasn’t just about binding zombies. Suddenly, a cluster of crackling lightning arcs appeared in the air above the zombies. Thunder rumbled, and in a flash, a dozen zombies were electrocuted to a crisp.

The fire users weren’t to be outdone. They’d prepared all night for this operation. Now, they pulled out mini oil sprayers from their belts, and with a twist, diesel sprayed out in a wide, radiating mist, dousing the zombie horde from a distance.

Then, fireballs and blades of flame flew out, igniting roaring blazes—a truly spectacular sight.

Not to be left behind, the wind users whipped up strong gusts, fanning the flames even further, making the fire burn hotter and spread wider.

The metal users, who hadn’t had much to do yet, hurled razor-sharp blades and shards, cutting down zombies before they could react.

Speed, strength, and enhancement types either dashed out to slaughter zombies on the edges or took up guns and started shooting.

Bian Changxi was nearly speechless the first time she saw such a tightly coordinated fighting style.

It was almost shameless—no hesitation, just kill first and ask questions later.

But the results spoke for themselves: aside from using up some energy bullets, there were almost no casualties.

Of course, zombies weren’t stupid. They wouldn’t just stand there and take it. After being hammered and seeing their numbers drop, they howled and charged faster.

The distance between the humans and zombies wasn’t great to begin with. As soon as the zombies closed in, everyone decisively switched to close combat, drawing weapons or even charging in barehanded, powers flaring.

Watching their ferocity, Bian Changxi thought to herself: worthy of being called elites—they fought with fearless determination, but their actions were orderly and coordinated. Each moved quickly but not chaotically, and though they seemed to act independently, they always had each other’s backs.

Their black uniforms were no ordinary gear, either. The fabric was exceptionally tough, with extra reinforcement at vulnerable spots. They wore gloves, special helmets, and goggles—armed from head to toe, but without sacrificing mobility.

Gu Xu had gone to great lengths for today’s operation. After all, they’d be in close contact with zombies, and any scratch could be fatal—a risk too great to take lightly.

At the same time, this was also a test of the new uniforms.

Gu Xu and Bian Changxi didn’t join the main fight, instead standing outside the fray, stepping in only when things got dangerous. Gu Xu also directed the attack from time to time.

Chen Guanqing didn’t join either. He stood not far from the two, watching the dock’s perimeter.

Such a commotion was sure to attract more zombies, and sure enough, soon a large crowd surged down the road toward them.

A faint excitement flickered in his eyes, mixed with a hint of darkness. A barely perceptible wave of black energy radiated from him—undetectable to the naked eye, but any sensitive ability user could feel it.

The energy swept toward the zombies. The ones at the front seemed to sense something, hesitated, then gradually slowed down, even seeming to want to turn back.

It was almost like an infection—more and more zombies behind them started acting the same way.

One, ten, a hundred...

Soon, a whole mass of zombies was just piling up there.

Gu Xu’s eyes flashed with surprise and admiration.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He shouted, “Miao Yuan, blast them!”

A young man standing outside the main fight—Miao Yuan, the lightning user who’d nearly roasted Gu Xu by accident last time—immediately unleashed a thunder strike without hesitation.

ROAR—

BOOM—

Before the thunder, a zombie let out a loud, commanding roar. It was hidden among the horde, easily overlooked, but its voice was filled with a power and authority ordinary zombies lacked—it was clearly a high-level, commanding zombie.

That roar snapped the entranced zombies out of Chen Guanqing’s influence, and they immediately turned vicious, about to charge. But the next moment, thunder crashed down, and in a flash, that area was cleared—only fragments and ashes remained.

The high-level zombie seemed enraged, throwing its head back and howling. The zombies behind it surged forward. Miao Yuan struggled to keep up with the lightning strikes as the zombies spread out, making his attacks less effective. The others noticed the crisis and sent a squad to help.

Gu Xu snorted coldly, tossed a “Be careful!” to Bian Changxi, and dashed out at full speed. He leapt from car roof to car roof, his black combat suit cutting a sharp, unstoppable figure—covering ten meters in the blink of an eye.

With a wave of his hand, a pillar of fire shot up under the high-level zombie, engulfing it completely. The zombie howled in agony. With another gesture, Gu Xu launched a blazing firebolt like a meteor, aiming straight for the zombie’s head.

The zombie reacted quickly, grabbing another zombie to use as a shield and blocking two firebolts.

But Gu Xu seemed to have anticipated this. With a sudden motion, his five fingers clenched, and the firebolt that had pierced the shield zombie’s head exploded, blasting its skull to bits.

The intense heatwave staggered the high-level zombie. At that moment, a fiery chain appeared in the air, moving at terrifying speed. The zombie barely had time to look up before the chain crashed down, splitting it from head to toe, smashing half a meter into the concrete below.

The ground shook.

Silence.

Everyone on Bian Changxi’s side who witnessed this was left momentarily stunned. Bian Changxi smacked her lips, patting her racing heart.

What a display!"