Chaos Erupted

Settlement Area, Zone 2.

A burly man wailed as he crashed through a tent. He staggered two steps before collapsing to the ground, twitching nonstop.

One side of a tent bulged outward, then finally tore open. Two Zombies sprinted out, roaring as they pounced on the people nearby.

Zone 13.

A woman clutching a baby stumbled toward the Command Headquarters building. Behind her, a Zombie was hot on her heels.

At their respective speeds, it was only a matter of time before it caught up. But right now, no one was going to help the mother and child.

Zone 26.

Several tents went up in blazing flames. Cries and screams rose and fell amid the chaos.

Some citizens panicked and curled up inside their blankets, praying the Zombies wouldn't find them.

But many more chose to take their fate into their own hands and flee their tents amid the confusion.

Anyone with even a little sense headed toward the military camp. Many citizens, frightened out of their wits by the sudden turn of events, darted around the settlement like headless chickens, only making the chaos worse.

The confusion spread like a plague.

The settlement was far too densely populated. People had noticed the danger, but there was simply no way to address it in such a short time.

So once Zombies appeared in the settlement, the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

Of course, amid all the panic, there was a group of people who remained calm.

More precisely, some members of that group had deliberately caused the chaos in the settlement.

"Doo-doo da doo~ doo-doo~ doo-doo da doo~ bam! Bam! Bam!"

A young man in a gray hooded sweatshirt hummed a little tune as he sauntered toward the Research Center.

Compared with the panicked crowds fleeing around him, he looked so relaxed that he seemed to belong in a different world.

A young man with a multicolored, spiky hairstyle crouched on top of a tent, holding a hand over his brow as he surveyed the area.

Most people shaded their eyes this way to block the sun. But it was the middle of the night, and he was dressed in a full suit, making the whole scene look bizarrely out of place.

Three men in black suits gathered together. Notably, despite it being the middle of the night, they still wore sunglasses, making them look especially strange.

One of the bald men spoke up. "Boss, something's not right. We only caught three infected, didn't we? From all this commotion, I'd say there are infected in seven or eight places."

"Pfft. It's obvious plenty of other people had the same idea as us." The boss pursed his lips. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. We're trying to draw the military's attention, so the more chaos, the better."

The bald man was getting nervous. "No, Boss. I'm worried even the military won't be able to control the situation. There are tens of thousands of people gathered at this military base."

Research Center building.

"What's going on outside?"

Zhou Zongming frowned and hurried to the window to check.

It was already late at night, and visibility was poor. All he could tell was that the settlement had erupted into chaos.

He had no idea what exactly had happened.

His confusion didn't last long. Two phones rang, one after the other.

Zhou Zongming and the Rapid Response Force captain exchanged a glance, immediately realizing the situation was dire.

They answered their phones at the same time. As they listened to the information coming from the other end, Zhou Zongming's expression turned grim.

He hurried to the isolation door and slammed his fist against it, his voice ice-cold. "Who the hell did this?!"

His instincts told him Agu knew the reason—and might even be connected to the chaos.

But Agu merely smiled mockingly, not bothering to reply.

Even if they didn't show it openly, most deathmatchers subconsciously felt psychologically superior to the "natives." The only difference was how strongly they felt it.

The situation was urgent. With Agu clearly unwilling to cooperate, Zhou Zongming naturally wasn't going to pin all his hopes on him. He turned and began issuing orders to the Rapid Response Force members.

"He's skilled. Leave four men here to keep watch. If he comes out of the isolation room, don't bother reporting it—kill him on the spot.

"Lao Yang, take your men and seal off the passageways between every zone in the settlement. If necessary..."

Zhou Zongming paused, then continued, "If necessary, you're authorized to open fire on any citizens who try to force their way through. Hold your positions until Second Company and Third Company arrive to clear out the infected."

The settlement had been divided into forty zones and held nearly fifty thousand people.

So far, Zombies had appeared in eight zones, but the situation hadn't yet reached its worst.

Zhou Zongming understood perfectly well that once he gave this order, the citizens in the zones where Zombies had appeared would be left to fend for themselves.

There was no other choice. It was obvious which mattered more: fifty thousand people or a few thousand.

When the time came to make a hard choice, he couldn't afford the slightest bit of misplaced compassion. Otherwise, not only would those few zones be lost, but the thirty-odd others would be impossible to save as well.

Soon, everyone in the Rapid Response Force had left the Research Center, except for the four members stationed in the lab to watch Agu.

After most of the others had gone, Lu Bai, who had remained silent the whole time, finally stood and walked to the window.

"Ke Jianghao probably isn't your real name, is it?"

Zhou Zongming glanced at Lu Bai. He had plenty of questions he wanted answered, but the timing couldn't have been worse. He needed to go direct things at the scene.

"I'll settle things with you after this is over. Things are chaotic enough already, so you'd better stay here and stop causing trouble."

He didn't have anyone restrain Lu Bai. He left after saying that, hurrying away.

The vast laboratory fell silent once more.

Lu Bai silently watched the scene outside for a while, then let out a long breath and turned to Agu inside the isolation room. "I doubt those four can stop you, but it doesn't matter. Go ahead and see if you can escape."

In the current situation, his warm, friendly smile only sent a chill down one's spine.

The four men on guard were displeased by Lu Bai's blatant contempt for them.

But before they could voice their objections, they were horrified to see Lu Bai plant one hand on the window ledge and vault out with ease.

The four men stared at one another, frozen in place as they witnessed it.

One of them nearly popped his eyes out. "Th-this is the fifth floor, isn't it?"

Bang!

Lu Bai crashed down from the fifth floor, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.

With Blood Rage bolstering him, he didn't even need to roll to absorb the impact.

"I can't keep owing people favors. I did it to put my mind at ease, but this is going to be way too hard to repay."

He straightened up and muttered with a hint of self-mockery.

Then his expression turned serious. He stomped the ground, and with the violent force surging back up from the earth, he shot forward.