Chapter 695 The Energy Crystal

"I will return within an hour."

"Bring the leaders responsible for City A’s defenses. We also need Professor Tang, Professor Wu, and Professor Song."

"I understand."

Before ending the call, Ye Xuan added, "Send an urgent warning to the three bases scheduled to be attacked first."

"What reason should I give?"

"Say a military reconnaissance team discovered a large zombie movement along the routes leading toward them."

Commander Shen understood why he didn’t want to reveal the maps.

They didn’t know how many human settlements had been infiltrated. If word spread that City S had fallen and the attack plan had been discovered, the Zombie King might change its strategy before they could prepare.

"I’ll handle it."

The call ended.

Chu Miao took out the twenty-seven crystal cores containing black lines and placed them on the table.

The jade box holding the death-energy stone remained sealed.

Even with several layers of protection around it, a faint chill could still be felt nearby.

Chu Hao pulled a chair away from the box.

"I don’t think that thing should stay where people eat."

"This is a conference table," Chu Miao reminded him.

"We have eaten here before."

"That is because you brought food into the meeting."

"Meetings can be long."

Lei Ying sat several seats away and nodded.

"I agree with him. That thing ruins the appetite."

Chu Miao looked at the two men.

"Then neither of you needs to eat during the meeting."

They stopped talking.

Ye Xuan’s lips curved slightly as he sat beside her.

My wife had become even more unreasonable after advancing.

Of course, he was wise enough not to say that aloud.

While waiting for the others to arrive, Chu Miao removed the power-of-law crystal they had received near the gateway and placed it beside the sealed jade box.

The crystal reacted immediately.

A soft blue light appeared on its surface, while the jade box began vibrating.

Everyone became serious.

"The energies are responding to each other," Ye Xuan said.

Chu Miao strengthened the seals around the box.

"The realm scar might truly be a passage between this world and the Immortal Realm."

The power-of-law crystal had formed inside the Soul Ring near the ancient gateway. If it reacted to the condensed death energy, both might have originated from the same damaged passage.

"But why would death energy come from the Immortal Realm?" Lei Ying asked.

"The Immortal Realm isn’t filled only with immortal energy," Little White replied from beneath the table.

Everyone looked down.

The white tiger had made itself small and found a comfortable place near Chu Miao’s feet.

It rested its head on its paws.

"There are battlefields, forbidden lands, demonic regions, and places where millions have died. Some death energy there is much stronger than this."

"Then the crack might be connected to one of those places?" Chu Hao asked.

"Maybe."

Little White closed its eyes again.

It had answered enough questions for the moment.

The Black Tortoise was resting inside Ye Xuan’s contract space and showed no interest in joining the discussion.

An hour later, Commander Shen entered the conference room with several military officers.

Professors Tang, Wu, and Song arrived behind them.

Professor Tang hadn’t even taken his seat when his eyes landed on the crystal cores.

He changed direction and walked straight toward the table.

"What happened to these?"

"We found them inside high-level zombies in City S," Chu Miao explained. "They all contain traces of condensed death energy."

Professor Wu adjusted his glasses and leaned closer.

"Were the zombies stronger than others at the same level?"

"We did not fight them directly," Ye Xuan said. "They died during the lightning tribulation."

Professor Song looked up.

"How many zombies were in the city?"

"Tens of millions."

"And all of them died?"

"Yes."

The professors stared at Ye Xuan.

His expression remained calm, as if tens of millions of zombies being eliminated during his breakthrough was nothing unusual.

Professor Tang pulled out a chair.

"I suddenly feel that our research progress is unnecessary."

"Your research is still useful," Chu Miao comforted him. "Most people cannot summon a Divine Transformation lightning tribulation whenever they encounter a zombie horde."

"That does not make me feel better."

Commander Shen placed a communication device in the center of the table.

"The warnings have been sent. Two bases have already started preparing their defenses."

"What about the third?" Chu Miao asked.

"Red Maple Base."

Commander Shen’s expression wasn’t pleasant.

"Their leader said his scouts haven’t detected any unusual zombie movement. He believes we are trying to frighten them into giving up part of their supplies in exchange for military protection."

Lei Ying frowned.

"Who has the energy to trick him for a few bags of rice?"

"Someone who thinks everyone else is as greedy as he is," one officer replied.

Commander Shen had already dealt with Red Maple Base several times.

Its leader rarely cooperated with others unless there was an immediate benefit for himself.

"Send him a final warning," Grandpa Chu said as he entered the room with Father Chu and Mother Chu. "State the expected direction of the attack and the approximate date. Keep a record proving that the warning was received."

Everyone stood to greet him.

Grandpa Chu waved them back into their seats.

"If he still refuses to prepare, we cannot force him. But the ordinary survivors inside shouldn’t die because of one man’s arrogance."

"We could send a small team to observe the area," Commander Shen suggested. "If the horde appears, they can warn the survivors directly."

"Do that," Chu Miao agreed. "But the team should not enter the base. They must remain far enough away to retreat."

She would save those she could, but she wouldn’t sacrifice her own people to protect a leader who refused to listen.

Commander Shen nodded and assigned the task to one of his officers.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the doors to the conference room were closed.

The map of the country was spread across the center of the table.

City K sat in the middle, marked by three circles and a crown.

Commander Shen studied the symbol for a long time.

"So the Zombie King is here."

"That is our current conclusion," Ye Xuan said.

"And City S was only one of its strongholds?"

"Yes."

Commander Shen looked at the many cities connected to City K by dark lines.

"How many more strongholds are there?"

No one answered immediately.

According to the markings on the map, there were at least twelve.

City S had contained tens of millions of zombies.

If the other strongholds held similar armies, the total number would be terrifying.

Professor Tang broke the silence.

"We should not assume every city contains the same number. We need evidence."

"That is why we called this meeting," Chu Miao said. "We have six days before the first planned attack. During that time, we must confirm how much of this map is accurate."

She pointed at the routes leading from the marked zombie strongholds.

"We should send reconnaissance teams here, here, and here. They should not engage the zombies. Their only task will be to observe and report."

Commander Shen nodded.

"We can use drones for part of the search."

"High-altitude drones," Ye Xuan added. "The intelligent zombies may recognize ordinary surveillance equipment."

Professor Wu picked up one of the notebooks recovered from City S.

"We should also decode the radio signal. If we understand how the generals communicate, we might be able to listen to their orders."

"Or send false ones," Lei Ying said.

Several people turned toward him.

Lei Ying sat straighter.

"What? My ideas can be useful too."

Professor Song considered it seriously.

"If their signals use a consistent code, interference might be possible. However, we would first need enough recordings to identify the pattern."

Commander Shen wrote it down.

The discussion continued for several hours.

They arranged scouts, strengthened City A’s checkpoints, ordered medical examinations for suspicious newcomers, and increased patrols around the water and power facilities.

They also agreed that news about City S would remain confidential for now.

Near the end of the meeting, Professor Tang carefully opened one of the crystal cores beneath a protective cover.

The thin black line inside moved.

It wasn’t a crack.

It twisted slowly through the core like a living thread.

Professor Tang’s face changed.

"Everyone, step back."

Before anyone could move, the black thread struck the inside of the protective cover.

A dark mist spread across the transparent surface.

The nearby ability users immediately felt the energy inside their cores become sluggish.

Lei Ying raised his hand.

A small flame appeared above his palm, but it was much weaker than usual.

"What is this?"

Professor Tang stared at the mist.

"It suppresses superpowers."

Chu Miao looked at the twenty-six unopened cores on the table.

The Zombie King had found more than a way to strengthen its own army.

It might also be preparing something that could weaken humanity’s strongest fighters.