Chapter 512: The Truth
Baili Changqing’s suggestion was instantly rejected by Bian Junwu.
“No! Right now, we absolutely cannot let anyone else get involved.”
His expression was ice-cold as he spoke in a low voice, “If this isn’t a natural disaster but a man-made one, then we have to suspect that the mastermind is one of the five major factions!”
Everyone in the investigation team fell into a heavy silence.
“Someone’s been raising these zombies? But who?”
“Could it be Zhang Yi? I think he’s the most suspicious!” Wu Di frowned.
Given Tianhai City’s current situation, Zhang Yi did seem like a prime suspect.
He was the only faction leader who hadn’t suffered any losses in the zombie crisis.
“There’s always a cause and effect. But Zhang Yi has no reason to do this.”
“He doesn’t lack resources to survive in the apocalypse, and his people are all alive and well.”
“More importantly, he willingly gave us intel on the zombies. If he’s not insane, he’d never deliberately provoke us—the representatives of Jiangnan District!”
Wu Di crossed his arms, his brows furrowing even deeper.
“But if not him, then who? Besides him, all the other factions in Tianhai City have suffered heavy losses.”
“If it were them, they wouldn’t have deliberately triggered a zombie horde to wipe out their own forces, right?”
Meng Siyu spoke up, “Could it be some unknown force?”
Bian Junwu remained silent.
They had no intelligence on the matter, so there was no way to draw a conclusion.
“We’ll go to Aoshan District and see for ourselves. Once we’re there, we’ll know what’s really going on.”
After Bian Junwu and the others left, Zhang Yi sat on the couch in the living room, flipping open and snapping shut a silver metal lighter.
The flame flickered brightly, its blue hue thin and sharp like a military dagger.
Outside, snowstorm raged endlessly, but inside the shelter, it was as warm as spring.
Staring at the flame, Zhang Yi pondered for a long time before finally deciding to come clean with his people.
The investigation team had already been tricked into heading to Aoshan District.
That meant the hidden zombie horde would soon erupt.
That meant the true final battle of Tianhai City was approaching.
If everything played out as Zhang Yi expected, then the battle outside the Bai Xue Jiao stronghold had been just a carefully staged act. But this time, the pressure would escalate to an entirely different level.
If he lost control even slightly, the entire Tianhai City would be destroyed by the undead tide.
Zhang Yi needed to keep everything within his grasp.
At the very least, he had to ensure the survival of himself and his people.
At worst, he had to make sure he survived.
“It’s time. They need to be mentally prepared.”
With a final click, he shut the lighter and turned to the shelter’s AI assistant, Xiao Ai.
“Xiao Ai, notify everyone in the shelter to gather in the living room.”
“Understood, message sent!”
Moments later, Xiao Ai’s voice echoed throughout the shelter.
“All shelter residents, please gather in the living room immediately.”
Hearing this, many exchanged curious glances.
Most of them still believed the zombie crisis had been resolved.
Zhang Yi only called for a full meeting when something serious was happening.
Only Yang Xinxin’s eyes flickered darkly as she wheeled herself away from the control panel.
A few minutes later, everyone had gathered in the living room, their eyes locked on Zhang Yi.
“Zhang Yi, what’s going on?”
“Did something happen again?”
Anxiety crept into their hearts.
They thought they had survived the worst and could finally enjoy some peace.
But Zhang Yi’s solemn expression told them otherwise.
Without any buildup, he got straight to the point.
“This zombie crisis in Tianhai City isn’t a natural disaster—it’s man-made.”
“There’s a massive conspiracy at play, and every single person in Tianhai City has been dragged into it.”
His voice was calm but carried undeniable weight as he revealed everything.
From Zhou Ke’er’s discovery of Yuan Kongye’s multiple superpowers to his own uncovering of the massive zombie horde hidden in Aoshan District.
The situation was too complex, the plan too far-reaching. Zhang Yi had to break it down carefully so they could grasp the full picture.
By the time he finished explaining, half an hour had passed.
The room was filled with an eerie tension.
Everyone wore strange expressions.
It felt like they had just listened to a suspense thriller full of unexpected twists and turns.
If they hadn’t paid close attention to every detail, they wouldn’t have been able to untangle the web of events.
“Take your time processing the details of the story,” Zhang Yi said. “For now, just remember this—Yuan Kongye and Bai Xue Jiao’s ultimate goal is to destroy all the factions in Tianhai City and harvest our superhuman powers.”
“As for what they plan to do afterward, that’s none of our concern. Our real problem is figuring out how to eliminate her first.”
Sitting nearby, Yang Siyah’s face had turned pale.
She rubbed her arms as goosebumps prickled her skin.
“Then… she definitely has to kill me?”
【Death Return】 was an ability that only activated when a superhuman implanted with Ice Soul was slain.
And in this shelter, Yang Siyah was the only one with Ice Soul.
Her powers were mostly supportive, but extremely useful.
And to Yuan Kongye, whether she killed one or a thousand, it didn’t matter.
There was no reason to spare Yang Siyah.
Zhou Ke’er secretly felt relieved that she hadn’t implanted Ice Soul back then.
She also realized that Zhang Yi had been protecting her all along.
Zhang Yi reassured Yang Siyah, “For now, you don’t have to worry. If things play out as we expect, Yuan Kongye’s plan won’t succeed.”
Liang Yue asked worriedly, “But if what you say is true, then Yuan Kongye has already absorbed the abilities of at least a dozen superhumans… maybe even dozens or hundreds! Who could possibly stop her?”
Zhang Yi clasped his hands under his chin.
Everyone turned to him curiously.
Zhang Yi said his name with conviction.
This was precisely why he had gone to such lengths to ensure the investigation team stayed.