Apocalypse Gachapon

Perhaps none of the people living here had ever imagined that one day, the Holy City—which they believed to be impregnable—would be breached.

But cruel reality dealt them the heaviest blow.

The news that all four city gates had fallen swept through the city like a hurricane, stunning everyone who heard it.

Many refused to believe it at first, but when they saw zombies, genetic lifeforms, and other creatures that didn’t belong here, they were forced to accept it—at the very least, it proved the enemy had truly broken into the city.

Having dominated West Asia for so long, the people of the Holy City had developed a blind sense of invincibility, which was one of the reasons for their downfall. Yet, in some ways, they were similar to Cloud Peak—they were unwilling to submit.

Especially to Easterners, whom they looked down upon for certain reasons. Of course, in some eras of the pre-apocalypse, they had looked down on the entire world while holding control over resources.

Cloud Peak had never intended to make these people kneel at their feet. After breaching the four gates, the other directions remained quiet, merely occupying the walls. Only the western gate saw genetic warriors and ranged attack units pour inside.

Guang Yao and Liang Chuyin stood atop the blood-soaked walls, watching the flood of genetic warriors below. The tension and excitement from earlier had faded.

“Is this… really okay?”

Guang Yao turned to the Internet Celebrity, a question in his eyes.

For this assault on the Holy City, Ye Zhongming had ordered every single genetic warrior to be deployed. Even though Guang Yao and others had deliberately avoided getting too close to the two laboratories to avoid suspicion, they knew this was Cloud Peak’s entire stockpile.

Even with the zombies temporarily gathered by Talking Lady and Brain Child, their numbers wouldn’t exceed 200,000.

Meanwhile, the Holy City had a population in the millions.

This wasn’t the peaceful era, where civilians would surrender once the military collapsed. Now, everyone was a soldier—the size of the population directly translated to the size of the army.

Breaching the gates was just the first step. What came next was the real challenge.

200,000 against a million? Even if they somehow won through a miracle, what about the losses? Would it be worth it? Rebuilding such a force would take who knew how long.

Don’t assume that just because Cloud Peak had a genetic lifeform assembly line, they could do whatever they wanted. Everything had a cost. While the two laboratories provided Ye Zhongming and Cloud Peak with achievements that made others green with envy, they also required a constant blood transfusion—materials, equipment, potions… in short, money, or rather, magic crystals. The two labs were gold-devouring monsters, surpassing even level-nine in their appetite.

Once Ye Zhongming ascended to the skies, Cloud Peak’s income would plummet, forcing them into a period of financial austerity. In such conditions, replenishing these genetic warriors would be difficult.

The influencer smiled. “I don’t know either. But if Zhongming says so, he must have his reasons.”

“Actually, I think this is a process of… refining the essence and discarding the dross.”

After more than six years in the apocalypse, Liang Chuyin had transformed from a naive girl into a strong, independent woman. Her face remained youthful, but her mind had matured.

“Look, the genetic warrior army now has a unified command—something we could never have achieved before. But they’ve never fought together in actual combat. This is the perfect opportunity to test them. There will be losses, but their combat effectiveness will multiply afterward. And with fewer numbers, the commanders’ burden will lighten.”

Guang Yao nodded in understanding.

“It’s the same with the zombies. Talking Lady no longer wants a horde of followers—just a few high-quality bodyguards. After this battle, she’ll release most of them. What a waste of magic crystals! Better to use them up here and let us collect the spoils. As for the rest, even Brain Child can’t control that many. It’s like…”

She paused, organizing her thoughts.

“Psychic lifeforms are strange. Once they reach a high level, like Talking Lady and Brain Child, their abilities lean toward ‘precision’ rather than ‘quantity.’ Numbers become a burden.”

Her explanation wasn’t perfectly clear, but Guang Yao got the gist.

The influencer suddenly grinned. “Oh, and those damn rats are here too. Zhongming said they can establish a colony here afterward. The second-generation Rat King was thrilled.”

“Spreading your legacy is a man’s dream, huh? Even rats care about that?”

Guang Yao decided to head to the front lines. Talking to the influencer required a big imagination, and he wasn’t quite up to the task.

The Holy City was engulfed in war.

Only Cloud Peak’s ranged attack units had entered the city, protected by the genetic warriors. They only intervened against tough targets—either directing Exquisite Floating Balls for precision strikes or sniping from afar.

The rest remained on the walls, having barricaded the breached gates with various weapons.

Inside the Holy City, it was now a brutal melee between humans and mutated lifeforms.

The slave armies, intended as reinforcements, arrived too late—the gates had already fallen. Instead, their clustered formations made them prime targets for zombies and genetic warriors.

Ye Zhongming, observing the battlefield through various means, felt a pang of pity for these disabled soldiers now locked in chaotic combat with his forces.

They were all crippled.

Limb disabilities affected combat effectiveness, so the Holy City had drugged them with intelligence-damaging potions, turning them into mindless drones who only followed orders.

To ensure control, they had also poisoned their eyes, robbing them of night vision.

And when they needed to fight, they were injected with performance-enhancing drugs—which, given the massive doses, inevitably caused permanent physical damage.

The slave armies would not live long.

Under their commanders’ orders, they attempted to assault the walls, only to find Cloud Peak holding an absolute advantage. The defenders rained death from above, inflicting heavy losses—not just in the east, but on all fronts.

Soon, the retreat order came. The slave armies pulled back, and Cloud Peak did not pursue.

“Broadcast a message to the entire city. Tell them to surrender.”

An hour after the gates fell, Ye Zhongming issued the command to all his forces.

Soon, the call for surrender spread through the Holy City.

Ten minutes later, reports began trickling in—people were actually surrendering.