Chapter 454: Tianhai City is Full of Trash—Except Me
Bian Junwu’s voice was calm yet icy, sending chills through the hearts of the five faction leaders.
“So, it’s come to this, has it?”
Zhang Yi couldn’t help but swallow hard, his expression grave. This outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected.
If Tianhai City’s zombie crisis became too severe, threatening nearby cities, Jiangnan District’s best course of action would undoubtedly be to cut their losses.
It was like treating a festering wound—when medicine fails, surgery becomes the only option.
In this scenario, Bian Junwu’s investigation team was the “medicine.” But if the medicine failed, the “surgery” would be...
Zhang Yi’s thoughts trembled at the implications.
It meant Tianhai City would be abandoned entirely!
As the gravity of Bian Junwu’s words sank in, the others realized the same thing. Silence fell over the room.
Even Xiao Honglian, known for her fiery temper, couldn’t find a rebuttal.
After all, Jiangnan District had the power to wipe them out with the press of a button.
Bian Junwu, satisfied with their reactions, said coldly, “From this moment on, all armed forces within Tianhai City must unconditionally follow our command!”
Xiao Honglian, Wei Dinghai, and Xing Tian exchanged complex looks, fully aware they lacked the leverage to challenge Jiangnan District.
But then Zhang Yi spoke up, his voice calm yet firm.
“I’m willing to support your operation,” he said, drawing everyone’s attention.
“However, as you’ve stated, the investigation team came here because local forces couldn’t handle the zombie and rat swarm crises. That’s why you had to intervene and take command.”
“But what if we can handle the problems in our respective territories ourselves?”
A sly smile played on Zhang Yi’s lips.
His words stunned the entire room, all eyes now fixed on him.
“Zhang Yi, what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me you think your little shelter can handle such a massive zombie and rat swarm threat!” Xiao Honglian sneered, disbelief written all over her face.
Wei Dinghai leaned back in his chair and added mockingly, “Ah, the arrogance of youth! Zhang Yi, don’t let your ambition drag us all down.”
Even Xing Tian chimed in, “Didn’t you say your situation was dire? Stop bluffing and just listen to them.”
Zhang Yi’s grin widened as he replied lazily, “You think I’m joking?”
“No, I’m afraid not. In fact, the zombie and mutated rat crises in the area surrounding our shelter have already been resolved.”
His confident statement left everyone dumbfounded.
This wasn’t child’s play. Zhang Yi’s tone and demeanor made it clear he wasn’t bluffing.
If he was telling the truth, it meant that while the rest of them were desperately battling zombies and rats, Zhang Yi had been calmly watching from the sidelines.
The faction leaders’ expressions turned as sour as if they’d just swallowed something vile.
“I don’t believe you! How could your tiny group manage that?” Xiao Honglian slammed her fist on the table, glaring at Zhang Yi.
She desperately wanted him to admit he was joking or that his shelter had also suffered heavy losses. After all, her own base had been devastated.
Why should he get off easy?
Even Bian Junwu looked at Zhang Yi with curiosity.
Zhang Yi maintained his composed smile and said, “I’m being truthful. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to investigate for yourselves.”
Bian Junwu asked, “How did you accomplish it? I’m genuinely curious.”
Everyone was watching Zhang Yi now. Despite their frustration, they were eager to learn how he had dealt with the zombies and rats.
Zhang Yi’s smile faded as he intertwined his fingers and leaned forward.
“Here’s how it happened,” he began seriously.
“Zombies are drawn to humans as food, so they naturally gather where people are concentrated. In Tianhai City, where do you think the most people are? Obviously, in the areas you all control.”
“My shelter, on the other hand, is sparsely populated, with fewer than ten people in total. It’s located on the outskirts, far from the city, which naturally attracts fewer zombies.”
He frowned slightly before continuing, “That said, our battles with the zombies were still brutal.”
“After extensive observation, I discovered that the zombie horde was being directed by a Zombie King. The Zombie King is intelligent and capable of creating new zombies.”
“Only by killing the Zombie King can you destroy an entire zombie nest.”
“As for the mutated rats, they share a symbiotic relationship with the zombies. Once the zombies are eliminated, the rats lose their purpose and stop attacking humans.”
“So, we took a gamble and entered the subway tunnels, using every weapon we’d obtained from West Hill Base.”
“After several days of fierce fighting, we finally killed the Zombie King, resolving the zombie crisis in our area.”
Zhang Yi’s explanation was a mix of truth and omission. While most of what he said was accurate, he deliberately left out how he had used his spatial abilities to flood the subway tunnels with seawater from the East Sea, freezing the zombies in place.
Revealing this secret would only invite pressure from the other factions and Jiangnan District to use his abilities to help them.
But Zhang Yi didn’t believe that flooding the subway would completely eradicate the zombie threat. Powerful creatures like the Bronze Armored Zombies were unlikely to drown, let alone the more cunning Zombie Kings.
Rather than risk his shelter’s safety and resources, Zhang Yi chose to let the other factions exhaust themselves fighting the zombies.
After hearing his account, the others were filled with both envy and frustration.
It was true that Zhang Yi’s shelter had a geographical advantage, being in a remote, rural area with few subway lines passing through.
Still, they couldn’t replicate his success.
Bian Junwu studied Zhang Yi with an intrigued expression.
He thought to himself, This Zhang Yi may have the smallest faction, but he’s the first to resolve the zombie crisis in his area. Truly a hidden talent.