Ch 128: TGCIR

The feasibility of a nuclear bomb was the final conclusion reached by Old Master Wei after extensive simulations.

If the zombies could stay within a fixed range as Xia Jinshi planned, without spreading further, then launching a powerful nuclear bomb at that area, turning it into a wasteland, would indeed be a permanent solution.

To minimize the environmental and biological impact of this nuclear bomb, a no-go zone needs to be established. This zone must be capable of being cleaned of radioactive elements over time and eventually rebuilt. The area Xia Jinshi selected for this is a coastal location on the eastern side of the map.

The invitation J City Base sent to all other survivor bases wasn’t just to showcase their plan. The main purpose was to address the most significant obstacle they had encountered so far: for some unknown reason, the zombie hordes had become restless, and their movement speed had significantly slowed down.

If everything is ready but we get stuck at the final step because of the zombies, then all the sacrifices and preparations made so far will have been in vain.

To clear this area, J City Base had already relocated all the survivors from the nearby harbor to their base, and the Research Institute sacrificed many of its personnel during this process.

The relocation journey was marked by blood and tears. Now, with the prospect of ending the apocalypse dangling in front of them, some could still tell themselves that their lives would soon return to normal.

Although they were reluctant to leave their already built, safe, and stable shelters, resulting in conflicts and disputes, the vast majority eventually moved with minimal belongings to the designated base, abandoning this coastal land.

If in the end they are told that their sacrifices were in vain, one can only imagine how much more questioning Xia Jinshi will face.

Additionally, Old Master Wei had another concern: “The zombie horde is growing like a snowball. We all know that the lower the level of the zombie, the lower its intelligence, but high-level zombies aren’t much less intelligent than us. Would they willingly be caught without a fight? Even though Yanzhou is the zombie king now, with so many zombies, it’s impossible for him to control each one individually. In this situation, if there’s any slip-up and the lower-level zombies rebel, what awaits us is certain death.” He sighed in agreement and shook his head. “I think our plan is still too risky and reckless.”

Li Weilan listened seriously to his analysis.

Xia Jinshi’s approach was extremely stubborn. Over time, they had all understood that he only cared about the outcome and didn’t mind the methods used or the innocent people harmed in the process.

This was also true for his goal of ending the apocalypse.

He sought fame and honor, not caring about who he might harm along the way.

He could even laugh off accusations of cruelty by saying the end justifies the means.

Therefore, even if Fu Yanzhou’s situation was as precarious as a lone boat in a stormy sea, what mattered to him was only the success or failure of the plan.

Li Weilan immediately realized the deeper intention behind sending the invitation letters to all the bases, which mentioned the time and place. He frowned, “Is he trying to use all of us to plug this gap?”

“I’m afraid so,” Old Master Wei nodded. “Of course, this also indirectly proves that Yanzhou’s situation is indeed very dangerous.”

Shen Cheng watched Li Weilan’s stern profile and, after Old Master Wei left, couldn’t help but ask, “Lanlan, should we help them?”

Given the shared fate of humanity, of course, they should help.

But considering all the things Xia Jinshi had done along the way, it made her hesitant to let him get his way.

“If it can end the apocalypse…” Li Weilan’s profile seemed to freeze, his face serious as he weighed the situation, emotions churning within him.

Shen Cheng saw the turmoil in his eyes.

She understood the answer: this was Xia Jinshi’s open scheme.

Li Weilan didn’t immediately give a yes or no answer. He simply looked up and asked Shen Cheng through the screen, “Do you want to go? Is it okay, Chengcheng?” His voice had a hint of gentle warmth.

Looking at the man waiting for an answer on the screen, Shen Cheng blinked, her eyes showing a touch of warmth: “Of course.”

As the end of the game approached, Shen Cheng, who had not yet found a way to that world, was extremely anxious.

The travel pack in the system store had not refreshed, and there were no new ways to cross worlds. Shen Cheng recalled that each time they crossed into each other’s world, it was when they were facing danger—when she crossed to Li Weilan’s side, she was in danger, and the last time, she was nearly pushed off a building. She even suspected that these opportunities to cross over required both of them to be in life-threatening situations.

But the threat to their lives was not something they could test.

One couldn’t just try jumping off a building in real life to see if they would end up in the current world, right?

Having found no way to cross over, Shen Cheng speculated that there were two possible outcomes for the game when it reached the end of the apocalypse: either the game would completely end and the server would shut down, or new ‘game modes’ would appear. However, the ‘store’ in the game seemed beyond her control, so it was impossible to determine which outcome would prevail.

While Li Weilan contemplated ending the apocalypse entirely, Shen Cheng’s mind flashed with thoughts of expanding Noah, farming, and step-by-step growth.

Even though it might take many years, or even generations, to bring about a peaceful world, at least she could still see her boyfriend through the game, even if they were separated by a world.

If the game truly disappeared and the server shut down, where could she find Lanlan?

That was a future Shen Cheng couldn’t bear to face.

But she quickly realized the flaw in her thinking—in that world, even though it was relatively peaceful now, the post-apocalyptic wasteland was still a ‘difficult to survive’ environment for most people.

All she saw were the increasing numbers in the base, but out in the apocalypse, people were still starving, freezing, or being eaten by monsters every day.

The birth rate of children was extraordinarily low. If this rate continued, future generations of humans might be only a fraction of the current generation.

They were fine now, but what would happen when they grew old and frail?

Perhaps this urgency to end everything was also why Xia Jinshi and the others were in such a hurry.

“Lanlan,” Shen Cheng called gently, her eyes fixed on the small face on the screen as she reached out to virtually hold his hand. “We will help. I hope all this ends soon.”

She swallowed her fears.

Li Weilan, perceptive as ever, heard the urgency in her breathing and the pauses in her speech, and instantly guessed her concerns.

Her worries were his worries too.

But based on his understanding of this ‘game,’ it seemed to have some degree of consistency.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard a surprised “huh” from her side. It seemed something had happened, and her voice abruptly disappeared.

This had never happened before.

Even if a call was interrupted, she would usually say something before hanging up, but this time it seemed something urgent had occurred, so urgent that she didn’t even have time to bid farewell.

As he waited anxiously, Shen Cheng returned after more than ten minutes, her voice tense: “Lanlan, we’ve discovered an unexplained virus, and it’s already being reported in the news.”

Li Weilan was stunned.

He remembered when his world’s authorities failed to manage the spores and experiments, all the experiences and knowledge were shared with their government.

In his world, it only took four months from the discovery of the spores to the onset of the apocalypse.

But in Shen Cheng’s world, everything had been peaceful. He had thought the crisis had been averted by government intervention. His worry for Shen Cheng’s safety overshadowed all other thoughts, but at that moment, he suddenly heard a mechanical voice from somewhere:

“Completing the ‘zombie apocalypse’ will grant another cross-over opportunity. When spatial abilities reach level 10, it will be possible to close the opened spatial rifts.”

This announcement echoed three times in Li Weilan’s ears. It seemed to be broadcasting directly to him, as Shen Cheng did not seem to hear it.

Li Weilan’s heart surged with emotion, and he immediately resolved to end the crisis in his world. He urgently told Shen Cheng, “Do you have money on hand?”

Shen Cheng was startled but quickly nodded.

“Search for emergency survival kits in our world,” Li Weilan instructed.

Shen Cheng searched and found densely packed food items, small cans that could provide a meal for an adult, and didn’t take up much space. They could be stored in a pile at home.

Li Weilan continued, “Is this the first time the virus has been reported?”

His voice was calm and steady, which gradually eased Shen Cheng’s panic. In the game, her character was strong and resilient, but in real life, she was a particularly weak girl!

Fortunately, her boyfriend was an expert in surviving the apocalypse, so he should be more capable than others: “Yes, it’s the first time I’ve heard about it.”

The outbreak was reported in the northern part of Russia, in an uninhabited area.

The first to be discovered was a zombie monkey. Initially, people thought it was just a sensational title like “zombie monkey” to attract attention, but seeing the creature’s appearance, she realized it looked exactly like what She had seen in the game!

It wasn’t a mutated monkey but a zombie monkey full of aggression and infection!

As the saying goes, when you see one cockroach in the kitchen, there are usually hundreds hiding.

So seeing a zombie monkey made one suspect that the virus might have already started spreading.

“Don’t panic,” Li Weilan calmly instructed. “Since it was first reported in another country, this is good; it means we still have time to prepare. The first thing is to change your assets.”

He gave detailed instructions on what to change and how to convert her resources into essentials. Finally, he said, “Prioritize food, water, and fuel. We know more than anyone else over there, so you will be able to survive safely.”

While preparing, he needed to quickly end everything here and rush to her side.

He couldn’t imagine her facing all this alone.

For now, her side still had order, and everything was manageable.

Li Weilan looked up, gazing towards the unknown heavens, as if seeing the deity who controlled their fate. He had a strange, unsubstantiated suspicion that maybe the deity, tired of seeing their world receive so much help and still progressing slowly, was urging them on.

Perhaps this was a push to hasten them, a reminder to not get too comfortable and to hurry up and finish their tasks?

That’s why there was such a clear hint and such perfect timing.

With determination, Li Weilan struck his fist against the base wall and instructed the others in the base, “Gather everyone. We’ll help J City Base drive the zombies to the eastern coast.”

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