RIACMET chapter 203

 

After Cheng Jing’s superpower cleared the path, the main force entered one by one. Only then could they see what lay within clearly.

Guanshan Prison was once a small, heavily guarded prison. Before the apocalypse, it held over a thousand inmates, and supervisory personnel were deployed according to real-time needs during various operational phases.

Its buildings and security infrastructure were all within standard parameters.

The layout formed the Chinese character “回” (“return”), with four-story buildings inside the wall and a square-shaped open activity yard in the center.

Originally, the prison was strictly regulated and clearly divided, but since its conversion into a shelter, it had become completely unrecognizable.

The scene captured by the drone was nothing like the reality they now witnessed beyond the gate.

On the ground, only the outer frame of the ″回″ layout remained. Some buildings had been destroyed and flattened; others had been cut in half to expand the open central area.

Now, that open space—the largest part of the entire prison—was densely packed with zombies, except for some scattered ruins and debris.

At first, they thought the number was just higher than their own group, but now, even a conservative estimate put the number in the tens of thousands.

Just looking at them sent shivers down their spines.

“There are way too many… damn it!” Zhao Lei, usually calm and composed, couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

Cheng Jing turned to Yang Kai and gave a command:

“Contact headquarters. Explain the situation here. Have the intelligence department cross-check nearby aid requests and similar calls to recruit and protect survivors. There’s no way we’re the first to receive this information—they used us as bait.”

A zombie force of this scale couldn’t have been formed just from passersby or the original prison inmates.

In the chaos of the early days, reliable information was scarce and thorough verification was impossible—perfect conditions for exploitation.

“Got it.”

Yang Kai nodded, pulled out his phone, and started contacting base command. This place was an ideal zombie trap. A fortified prison converted into a shelter would seem like salvation to ordinary people with nowhere else to go.

But once you stepped inside, you’d be drawn into a world of illusions—and probably never know how you got infected.

Seeing the swarm of zombies, the word “zombie horde” suddenly surfaced in Jiang Nian’s mind. Startled, he muttered,

“We might have run into a zombie king.”

Anyone who could control so many zombies and conjure such powerful illusions wasn’t an ordinary superhuman.

Everyone’s hearts tightened at that thought. But it was the only logical explanation.

Cheng Jing and Chu Yi raised their hands, signaling for everyone to hold their position and not charge in recklessly.

The most important thing was to control the gate and then unleash their full force from a defensible position.

Earlier, he’d said there was no need for mortars or Gatling guns, but now he had to eat his words. He immediately had them brought up and positioned for assault.

“…”

With Jiang Nian’s support, his teammates’ offensive capabilities increased: greater range and more destructive power.

Thick smoke rolled across the ground, dust and debris flew into the air, and the zombies charged madly—only to be blasted apart by a mix of heavy firepower and superpowers. They disintegrated into ash.

To maximize the purification effect, Jiang Nian held back from a full offensive, focusing instead on defense and amplifying his teammates’ output.

With his blessing, Cheng Jing felt his superpowered core begin to stir. His body temperature rose, and a burning, tingling sensation spread through his dantian. His spirit surged with boundless energy; he felt like he could fight forever.

With so many zombies and such an intense use of superpowers, a breakthrough seemed near—but the current environment was far from ideal.

ROOAAAR!!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the front, making everyone’s ears ring. Then, as if receiving a silent command, the horde of zombies began to retreat like a receding tide and disappeared entirely beyond the edge of the purification field.

“…”

As the smoke cleared and the last of the zombies vanished, the team regrouped and moved forward, stepping over the chaos under Jiang Nian’s protective aura.

Soon after, however, Jiang Nian noticed something odd about Cheng Jing. His sharp gaze locked on Cheng Jing, and he grabbed his arm and asked,

“Brother Jing, what’s wrong with you? Are you overusing your power? You’re drenched in sweat.”

The rest of the team looked over in concern—something was definitely off.

“I’m fine.”

Cheng Jing wiped the sweat from his brow and quietly informed Jiang Nian and the others,

“My superpower might be about to evolve. From now on, I’ll try my best to stay within your purification range, Nian Nian. I’ll let you know when I reach the tipping point. When that happens, everyone except Chu Yi should stay away from me.”

“All right. If anything feels wrong, let me know in advance.”

Jiang Nian patted his shoulder, feeling excited and anxious. Even if this place really did house a zombie king, Brother Jing’s superpower could handle it, especially if the zombie king advanced. With teamwork, they could control the situation.

The teammates nodded and relayed the message before continuing forward.

The zombies they had just wiped out were ordinary—just decoys in the illusion. Their real target was the manipulator behind the scenes.

Just as they reached the midpoint of the prison, dense fog suddenly rolled in ahead of them.

Jiang Nian tried to test it to see if it was an illusion, but his superpower was blocked. A strange wave of energy was interfering with it, preventing it from spreading forward.

At the same time, the walkie-talkies carried by Chu Yi and the others began emitting sharp, crackling distortions.