" Laoliu has hundreds of clones in Nanyang City." Shen Laosan looked at Wang Ye, who was on the verge of collapse, but remained calm. "Each clone looks exactly the same, but they all have extremely different structures. For twenty years after Fifth Laowu left, we have been dealing with Laoliu's puppet clones. Every day, his clones would appear in a different form, making it impossible to track his location."
Wang Ye: "."
"But once we figure out the source, it'll be easier to pinpoint it." Shen Laosan raised his head slightly, and in that instant, Shen Laoliu's previously wary expression froze.
His body was even more stiff than Wang Ye's. If you looked closely, you would see a thin layer of frost on his joints, making him look like he was frozen.
" Mysterious Water?" Shen Laoliu's eyes widened, but he only managed to utter those two words before his entire body was covered in black frost, rendering him completely immobile, including his most vital parts.
"When?" Wang Ye asked the question on behalf of Sixth Master Shen.
"When we clink glasses," Shen Laosan said with a smile, looking at Wang Ye, "I can't track down Laoliu, but I know he'll definitely make a move against you. As long as I tamper with you beforehand, I can pinpoint all the brothers who are planning to attack you."
Wang Ye: "."
"Surprised, aren't you?" Shen Laosan pointed to Wang Ye's leg. Wang Ye looked over and was immediately stunned. There were several eyes there, but they were frozen in place, just like Shen Laoliu's.
Wang Ye smiled bitterly. He thought the Shen Family family wouldn't dare to make any rash moves, but he didn't expect that at the banquet on the first day, everyone would have taken advantage of him.
"Let's go, to Liuzhou." Shen Laosan turned around and said, "This is your only chance to survive."
"With so many spell arrays activated, are you aware of the risks of rashly using Flying Star, senior?"
"Of course I know the risks," Shen Laosan laughed. "But I'm not a coward like Laoliu. Just start it with peace of mind. Even if something goes wrong, Laoba and I will die with you. You won't lose out!"
Wang Ye curled his lip, recalling Chen Qing's words, "What a waste!"
As terrifying auras drew closer, Wang Ye knew he was no longer in a position to continue the conversation.
With hands forming a hand seal, Flying Star instantly appeared!
As he started up, he suddenly glanced at his log and saw the unfinished sentence from his conversation with Chen Qing.
Who says it can't?
Your Flying Star
Wang Ye: "."
So bro, could you reply a little faster next time? Don't always leave things unsaid!
--
"Tsk, why aren't you replying?"
In Yangzhou City, Chen Qing frowned as he looked at Wang Ye, who hadn't replied for a long time. Even back in the internet age, he disliked guys who would log off without a word.
Of course, Chen Qing couldn't do anything if he was forcibly taken offline. From the moment Wang Ye entered Nanyang City, Chen Qing knew that his Flying Star would definitely be used by the Shen Family. But in the end, Chen Qing had a rough idea of who would be able to use Wang Ye. He worked with data and valued probability. Based on the information about the Shen Family brothers' techniques, the only ones who could take control of Wang Ye first were probably Shen Laoqi and Shen Laosan.
But whichever it is, as long as he dares to use the Flying Star to enter the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, his deal with that woman will be considered complete.
"Sir, Chishui County is just ahead."
Chen Qing nodded, then flew up and looked around. Unlike Yangzhou City was shrouded in black mist, clearly indicating that it had not evolved a large number of living corpses capable of walking in broad daylight.
"Sir, why don't we go directly to Yangzhou City to provide aid?" In the Fighter Camp, the tallest man couldn't help but ask.
"First of all, we don't have enough people," Chen Qing shook his head. "And the cost-effectiveness isn't high either."
The group paused, clearly not understanding what "cost-effectiveness" meant.
" Yangzhou is different from Nanming Prefecture and our Liuzhou. It only has three thousand garrison troops, and they are all soldiers who have not fought in years. It is impossible for them to defend Yangzhou City."
Chen Qing sighed. This kind of biohazard mode might be a well-worn trope in many games in later generations, but in ancient times it was a truly devastating blow. Even a seasoned general would have a high chance of failing when encountering this kind of thing for the first time, let alone a small place like Yangzhou.
Yangzhou was one of the seven prefectures along the Yangtze River in Jiangnan. While its status and port prosperity were far inferior to Liuzhou and Nanming Prefecture, its outstanding textile industry still gave it a certain position in the Jiangnan commercial circle. The imperial court naturally stationed troops there, but not many.
Because of its remote location and the fact that the Black Dragon Naval Force was blocking the large river in front, Yangzhou didn't really need to waste too many troops. Most of the generals who came here to serve were good-for-nothing sons of noble families in the capital. They used their family connections to get a prestige and then go back to get a decent military post.
This is already the accepted norm; under such circumstances, it would be a miracle if Yangzhou City could even hold out.
Anyone who's played Resident Evil knows that if such a crisis can't be defended head-on, then the more densely populated the area, the more dangerous it becomes. The poorly defended Yangzhou City is now a breeding ground for zombies. Chen Qing estimates that it probably fell on the first day, with the city's million inhabitants already turned into zombies. Yangzhou has become a breeding ground for zombies devouring each other. Even if he were to summon all five thousand fighters under Xu Hu's command, he wouldn't dare to launch a direct attack on Yangzhou City.
Moreover, capturing it would be of little significance; not only would the losses be enormous, but it would be almost impossible for any survivors to remain in Yangzhou City.
Conversely, since a large number of zombies will occupy Yangzhou City, the number of zombies diverted to the surrounding counties will become very small, and there will be more survivors in the countryside. At this time, the natural strategy to adopt is to surround the city from the countryside.
"Let's go into town." Chen Qing led the group into Chishui County.
Chishui County, located along the river, was the most likely county to be attacked in the first wave. Sure enough, upon entering, one would find a desolate scene after the attack, with dried blood and some mummified corpses scattered everywhere. Some of the county's residents had already died before they could turn into zombies. The elderly, women, and children were the most numerous. The zombie worms needed strong bodies, and many of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled would be abandoned by the zombie worms the moment they were bitten, but they would not survive.
Instead, they would actually be treated as food and eaten alive until they died.
These fighters had seen this scene many times before. Those who could be promoted to level two fighters were all outstanding individuals who had followed Xu Hu in numerous rescue operations in county towns and rural areas. But every time they saw it, they still couldn't help but curse angrily.
"These damned beasts!"
"Start cleaning!" Chen Qing ordered.
The surrounding fighters nodded in agreement, rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a fierce battle.
According to the plan, they were to wipe out all the zombies still hiding in the houses throughout the county and completely clear out the county. Chishui County had a population of no less than 100,000. After deducting the county residents who escaped and the zombies who wandered out, there were definitely tens of thousands of zombies entrenched in the county.
It's a very troublesome task for dozens of people to clean up tens of thousands of zombies. Fortunately, it's not a direct confrontation. By taking advantage of the zombies' aversion to sunlight, they can clean up room by room. It's a gradual process, and as long as they spend enough time, they will eventually be able to clean it up.
Just as they were about to make their move, the fighters suddenly spotted several suspicious figures and immediately frowned, shouting, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
After a moment of hesitation, several young and strong villagers came out timidly.
"Which village are you from?"
The villager in the lead asked somewhat hesitantly, after all, although Chen Qing's warriors were not armored, they were all as strong as calves, and the twenty-odd men standing there had a stronger aura than hundreds of Ministry of War, making people feel intimidated just looking at them.
Ordinary people would probably avoid such a sight, but after experiencing those monster attacks, they are actually more attracted to strong fellow monsters.
Chen Qing, after observing the villagers opposite him, roughly guessed where they came from. He then announced loudly, "I am the Prefect of Liuzhou, an official appointed by the imperial court. I have been ordered to come here to provide assistance. Are you residents of Chishui County?"
Upon hearing that they were from the imperial court, all the villagers finally felt relieved and stepped forward to kneel and bow. "Sir, we are from Hong Village, Chishui County."
"It's so dangerous outside these days, what are you doing running around this county town?"
"We... we've come out to find food!" the leader stammered excitedly. "Our villages are mostly textile villages, unlike the larger hamlets in the South Village, which have good farmland. We don't usually store much food. We know there are many man-eating monsters in the county town, but we have no food. So we can only go into town in groups of three or five to see if we can find something to eat to take back."
Chen Qing was stunned. Was this the legendary post-apocalyptic scavenging team?
"You've all suffered," Chen Qing said, her voice softening and her tone becoming gentle.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately broke down. The leader's eyes turned bloodshot, and he gasped for breath, "These past few days have felt like a dream. Man-eating monsters bite anyone they see, and the wives and children who are bitten also turn into monsters. My child... he's only four years old! Why did you take so long to come, adults?!"
One sentence instantly stirred up everyone's sad memories, and dozens of young men couldn't help but cry. Their cries grew louder and louder until they all collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly.
Chen Qing remained silent, and the surrounding fighters also kept quiet.
They've all experienced this kind of despair, so they can understand it very well.
Looking at these people, Chen Qing didn't know what to say for a moment.
This is nothing!
The horror I designed has only just begun.
The game planner has been turned into an NPC; what does it mean to reap what you sow?
Chen Qing understood this perfectly at this moment. He had no idea what kind of mental anguish his mother was going through in Nanming. He didn't even dare to ask Wang Ye to find his relatives, for fear that his family would be used by the Shen Family to scheme against him.
After all, the most dangerous place in the entire Jiangnan right now is actually Nanyang City, which has no living corpses.
"I'm sorry you've suffered," Chen Qing said again, his tone utterly sincere. "I'm late, it's my fault, but I guarantee that from today onwards, you are safe. Go back and tell your families and friends that Chishui County is safe!!"