RIACMET chapter 122

 

“…”

Bang, bang, bang!

Clang!

Boom!

Every time the zombie with mutated arms or the swollen one charged at the metal wall Zhao Lei had raised, they collided with a sound like steel crashing into steel.

The bloated zombie’s body had clearly reached the highest enhancement level: a bronze body and iron bones.

It was completely immune to conventional weapons.

“So damn strong!”

Zhao Lei raised a sheet of metal and reshaped it into solid spikes to counter the charge. Even he was caught off guard by the force. The space was too tight; it was difficult for anyone to unleash their full superpower potential.

“Careful,”

Liao Yu reminded him, pressing his hand to the nearby wall. His ice-type ability activated, instantly freezing the walls and floor ahead into layered ice.

There were too many zombies to freeze them all, so they relied on these thick ice barriers to slow them down long enough for Jiang Nian’s purification to weaken their charge and reduce impact damage.

The key was that they were underground.

Fighting zombies was one thing, but if the structure collapsed, they’d all be buried alive.

After Liao Yu sealed the space with ice, Zhao Lei fell back. Jiang Nian spread his purifying power in a controlled direction while Huang Qian quickly summoned vines to bind the zombies’ limbs.

Lightning and fire burst from Cheng Jing’s hands in waves, targeting the enemies with precision while ensuring the destruction didn’t spread.

One side of the corridor held a medicine warehouse, and the other held a dangerously tilted fence. If the fight escalated in either direction, it would be a total disaster.

Still, the two zombie tanks kept roaring and charging, flames and lightning crackling across their bodies. The other zombies caught in the storm were incinerated or purified one by one. Soon, the hallway was filled with waves of heat and agonized screams.

Liao Yu’s ice walls groaned and cracked under the pressure.

Bang!

Finally, the swollen mutant’s legs gave out as its skin was licked by fire, and it slid helplessly across the slick floor.

Jiang Nian had disrupted its energy flow just in time to prevent a full recovery. Even an iron body couldn’t survive long against Cheng Jing’s fire and lightning.

With the lead zombie down, the others collapsed like dominoes.

Cheng Jing raised his hand and carefully controlled the spread of flames. Liao Yu reinforced the ice wall beside him to keep the fire from reaching the medicine warehouse and to stop burning zombies from rushing in.

Meanwhile, Huang Qian, Zhao Lei, and Lu Ningzhou pulled back their vines and spikes, each mindful not to destabilize the structure.

Gradually, the zombies’ roars faded, leaving behind a mixture of black ash and shattered crystal core dust on the floor.

It was hot and suffocating. As the fire devoured oxygen, Jiang Nian activated his purifying ability and pulled out a portable oxygen detector.

Luckily, just as the indicator needle edged into the red, the impromptu cremation ended. Once the two toughest opponents were dealt with, the rest were easy pickings.

The main issue wasn’t danger; it was the confined space, which made everything ten times more intense.

Ding—

The female zombie’s crystal core was finally disinfected. Jiang Nian scanned the surroundings, made sure it was safe, and ran forward. Liao Yu, ever thoughtful, gently calmed him down on the side.

Jiang Nian turned and gave him a big thumbs-up, then bent down to collect it.

It was a transparent, diamond-shaped core with several tiny pores inside. There was nothing flashy about it on the outside, but its structure was incredibly rare.

Jiang Nian stared at it for a while, then turned to Cheng Jing.

“Brother Jing, can I hold onto this crystal core for now?”

“Go ahead.”

Cheng Jing nodded. Of course he was excited, too, but their top priority was still the medicine. Everything else could wait until they escaped.

Besides the two enhanced mutant zombies, only this core had a complete crystal core left. The rest were reduced to scattered fragments.

High quality, low quantity.

Bang—

Bang, bang, bang!

Just then, muffled gunshots echoed from the surface.

Everyone looked up at once. The moment they tried to focus, the sound disappeared.

A few minutes later, one or two more shots rang out—maybe someone on the surface had encountered a wandering zombie.

Cheng Jing tapped his walkie-talkie, but unfortunately, there was no signal.

The sporadic gunfire continued.

“Let’s move faster.”

Zhao Lei ordered, and everyone split up to search the medicine storerooms.

There were ten in total: five for Western medicine and five for Chinese medicine, including traditional patent prescriptions.

The good news was that no one had made it down here since the earthquake collapsed the building. The bad news was that the place was clearly mid-renovation and didn’t have as full of an inventory as a proper hospital.

On top of that, the zombie infestation had destroyed most of the interior, especially the storerooms for Chinese medicine.

Only a few vacuum-packed items had survived being trapped underground after the extreme cold thawed. Everything else was mildewed, rotted, and contaminated.

As they opened the doors, a foul mix of rotting zombie stench and bitter herbs hit them in the face.

By comparison, the Western medicine storerooms, which were mostly filled with sealed boxes, were in far better shape.

Still, it was just a warehouse, no matter the condition. They had gotten more here than at most other places.

The team managed to secure fifty boxes of medicine in various sizes, mostly Western drugs.

Jiang Nian purified everything thoroughly to remove any possible zombie contamination.

As for the filth on the outer packaging, there was no time to clean it. They just wrapped it in sacks and dumped it into the storage rings.

In preparation for this run, Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing had emptied nearly all of their ring space.

They even redistributed some supplies to their dorms and shops ahead of time. With help from Yang Kai and Zhou Li, they temporarily set up a small underground stash for emergency storage.

When working with trusted allies, secrecy and security increase.

If they could fill the car and the ring’s storage to the brim, they’d consider this trip a complete success.

“…”

After checking the second floor, Zhao Lei and Lu Ningzhou spotted the stairwell to the lower level.

But the stairs had collapsed, completely blocking the way.

Jiang Nian looked down, and that glimmer of curiosity rose again. He kind of wanted to explore.

“If you want to check it out, Brother Nian,” Lu Ningzhou offered, “we can try using our powers.”

Zhao Lei nodded in agreement.

But Jiang Nian shook his head firmly.

“No, don’t waste your superpowers. There’s nothing worthwhile down there. It’s just a cold storage area. It’s been abandoned for too long to be useful. Besides, if it’s connected to a morgue, it’ll be a nightmare to clear out.”

You could go take a peek if you really wanted to, though. But there’s no need to go out of your way. They had completed their objective and had even picked up an unexpected treasure.

No point in pushing their luck.

Cheng Jing agreed, then waved his hand to signal an order.

“Pack up and get ready to move out. Just a light resupply.”

He checked the time. Over six hours had passed since they entered the hospital.

At that time, the adrenaline had kept their hunger in check. Now that the tension was easing, their stomachs started growling.

Still, this wasn’t the place for a full meal. Everyone grabbed an energy bar, some compressed biscuits, and a special drink.

After a quick recharge, it was exactly 3 p.m.

The group began their ascent, aiming to reach the surface by 5 p.m.

The climb out would take about two hours.