Volume One: Mutation Chapter Eighteen: Safe Zone No. 16
After bidding farewell to Zhang Chu, Liu Cong set off for Safe Zone 16. With his speed, it would take about three hours of full-speed flight to reach Safe Zone 16 from G15. Along the way, Liu Cong kept pondering how to kill that enormous white serpent. Everyone said that to kill a snake, you had to strike at its weakness, but who could say where the weakness of this mutated giant snake was? Compared to the snake’s body, which stretched over a hundred meters long, Liu Cong’s black and white divine swords were nothing more than toothpicks. Even if he stabbed with all his might, he would probably only scratch its surface.
The thought gave Liu Cong a headache—were all big creatures this troublesome?
After flying for a while, the sky ahead had already gathered with thick, black clouds. Some were even darker than others, drifting quickly across the sky—a speed only discernible from high above. Below, scattered humanoid zombies and small mutated creatures roamed the earth.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Cong decided to cut straight through the clouds. Only by doing this could he reach Safe Zone 16 before the white serpent arrived. The sky was blanketed with dark clouds; taking a detour would cost too much time. Liu Cong first manipulated the air to envelop himself in a flowing layer, pushing the clouds aside as he entered. It worked! Liu Cong was quietly delighted and pressed onward.
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Inside a grand hall, both sides of a long conference table were filled with people watching a projected image with grave expressions. The image showed a colossal white snake, over a hundred meters long, moving slowly toward their location.
A middle-aged man could no longer remain seated. He stood and looked at the man at the head of the table. “Director Zhou! There’s no way our firepower can handle this mutated snake. Not even GB explosives can hurt it—our guns are even more useless! We should evacuate! If it wants to bask in the rain, let it. We can just find someplace without rain, can’t we?”
Director Zhou glared furiously at him. “Where would you go? It’s the rainy season—do you want to get drenched in black rain out there? Do you want to become a monster too? Hmph!” He looked around at the others and said sternly, “Let me make this clear: the only way to survive is to stay in the safe zone! There are monsters everywhere outside. Anyone who wants to go out and die, go ahead—but if anyone tries to take a civilian or a soldier with them, I’ll shoot them on the spot!”
After being scolded, the middle-aged man looked embarrassed. “I’m just thinking about everyone’s safety. With a snake that size, this whole safe zone isn’t enough for it to toy with us. We can’t just sit here and wait to die!”
His words sparked unrest; others at the table began to chime in. “He’s right, Director Zhou. The monster will be here soon and we can’t fight it off. Even if you want to stay, you can’t expect the rest of us and over ten thousand people in the safe zone to wait for death with you!”
“That’s right, it’s urgent. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late! If we leave now, maybe we can get out of the rain zone before it starts!”
Director Zhou’s face grew stern. “Only the roofs here have anti-corrosion coatings. Nowhere else does. If you leave the safe zone and get caught in a single black rain, even inside a car you won’t survive. Not to mention the mutated creatures lurking outside the walls!”
This sobered the crowd, who had been terrified speechless by the giant white snake. Images of horrific scenes from the disaster’s early days flashed through their minds, and no one mentioned leaving again. They slumped in their chairs, defeated and hopeless.
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Seeing their reaction, Director Zhou considered for a moment before speaking. “Running isn’t an option, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do.”
“Oh, Director Zhou! Things are this dire—please don’t keep us in suspense. If you have a plan, tell us so we can have some peace of mind!”
“Yes, please tell us!”
Director Zhou smiled mysteriously. “You all know about the Sword Immortal from G15, don’t you? Headquarters has dispatched him here to deal with this. With him, I’m confident our Safe Zone 16 will remain secure.”
The crowd’s faces lit up with hope. Who didn’t know by now about the Sword Immortal from Huaxia? The video of him slaying the giant wolf with a single sword strike had gone viral worldwide. People everywhere were talking about it. Rumor had it that the public in America was demanding their government send vampires and werewolves to join the fight! But the American government had remained silent on the matter—what did that mean?
It meant the Huaxia Sword Immortal was the world’s only true supernatural being. All those others were fictional—they simply didn’t exist!
Director Zhou’s secretary leaned over and whispered, “Director, is it really Sword Immortal Liu? Will he actually come?”
“Little Deng, I’ve already spoken with headquarters. They assured me that Sword Immortal Liu is on his way and will arrive before the serpent reaches us. All we have to do is provide fire support when he arrives!” Director Zhou spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, giving the crowd a much-needed dose of reassurance. At this moment, nothing mattered more than maintaining morale.
“That’s wonderful, Director! We’re saved! We should tell the public right away so they can also wait for rescue with peace of mind!” said a man with a small mustache, sitting beside the director.
“Little Deng, draft a notice for the broadcast office. Let’s spread the news and lift everyone’s spirits,” Director Zhou instructed.
“I’ll do it right away!” Secretary Deng replied sweetly and left to write the announcement.
Soon, every household knew the news. People emerged from their rooms, sharing the joyful tidings. The video of Liu Cong slaying the giant wolf was played over and over, as if watching it one more time would give them a little more courage.
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On the outskirts of Safe Zone 16.
Originally a small county town nestled halfway up a mountain, this place had been designated a safe zone after the disaster. In the early days, the authorities mobilized military and construction resources, recruiting workers and equipment from all over. They marked out 120 safe zones across the country and began construction. Safe Zone 16 was one of them. Surrounded on three sides by massive walls, its outer fortifications were designed like a dam, twenty meters high—five or six stories tall. To protect against black rain, the outer walls were lined with steel plates coated with a special anti-corrosion layer.
Now, beneath the towering walls, a dense horde of zombies had gathered, howling and battering at the barrier, with some small mutated creatures among them. The battlements were crowded with fully armed soldiers, their faces etched with worry as they looked down at the teeming masses below.
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A soldier spoke anxiously, “Commander Zhao, with so many T1-level mutants, can our walls really hold?”
The commander, Zhao Meng, lived up to his name—muscular and imposing. His voice was steady. “Don’t worry. These walls are solid. Unless they can climb, they’re no threat. Once more of them gather, we’ll wipe them out!”
Boom!—
A sudden clap of thunder lit up the black sky. The heavy clouds blotted out all light, pressing down with suffocating weight. Where a few figures could once be seen on the street, now none remained. People stayed in their rooms, peering anxiously through windows at the oppressive sky. All households had hurried to raise their special rain guards, lest the black rain corrode their homes.
In a small house, a woman turned off the electric light, lit a candle, and huddled in a corner with her young daughter.
“Mama, will there still be monsters that eat people after the rain stops?” the little girl asked, her childish voice trembling.
“Don’t be afraid, darling. We’re safe here—no monsters can get in,” her mother soothed. “And anyway, Superman Uncle will protect us.”
“Will Superman Uncle really come?”
“He will. He definitely will.”
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In the conference hall, Director Zhou’s eyes were filled with worry. The surveillance feed showed the area outside the walls packed with mutated creatures drawn by the black rain. Countless T1-level mutants were visible, along with larger ones scattered among them—likely the T2-levels mentioned in the reports. So many had arrived even before the rain began, and now a giant mutated serpent was coming as well. What would happen once the rain started?
There’s a saying: “After a long drought, a timely rain is a blessing.” But this region had always been dry, and it hadn’t rained in ages. Once it started, there was no telling how long it would last—perhaps days or weeks. If that happened, Safe Zone 16 might become anything but safe.
The next moment, Director Zhou did what everyone in the safe zone was doing: he gazed at the photo of Liu Cong, sword in hand, standing in the sky—and silently prayed.