Chapter 699: Attack On Bases

"It keeps looking toward that building."

Ye Xuan pointed at an old hotel near the center of the town.

Most of its windows were broken, but dark fabric had been hung across the top floor, blocking the drone’s view.

Unlike the other buildings, no ordinary zombie entered it.

Chu Miao extended her spiritual sense toward the town.

The distance was considerable, but after reaching the Divine Transformation stage, it didn’t create much difficulty for her.

Her spiritual sense passed over the zombies and entered the hotel.

A moment later, she withdrew it.

"There are eleven intelligent zombies inside. The strongest is level eight."

The observation team members looked at her in surprise.

They had been watching the town for hours without confirming whether an intelligent zombie was present. Chu Miao had discovered eleven without moving from the cave.

The team leader quickly asked, "Did they notice you?"

"No."

Chu Miao had only swept her spiritual sense across them briefly. With the difference in strength, the zombies wouldn’t know they had been observed.

"One of them has a radio," she continued. "It might be communicating with another stronghold."

Ye Xuan returned the tablet to the team leader. "Monitor the hotel. If the intelligent zombies leave, report immediately."

"What do we do now?" Yang Leo asked.

"We go to Red Maple Base," Chu Miao replied.

Gu Fan looked toward the town. "Shouldn’t we eliminate the intelligent zombies first? Without them, the ordinary zombies might scatter."

"They could send a warning before we kill them," Ye Xuan said. "The Zombie King would know we discovered this gathering point and might redirect the other hordes."

They needed to alert the survivors and prepare an evacuation route before exposing themselves.

If they attacked now, the horde might move toward Red Maple Base immediately.

Chu Miao turned to the observation team. "How long will it take the zombies to reach the base?"

"On foot, less than five hours," the team leader replied.

"Then we need to make sure the people inside are ready to leave before we touch this army."

They left two additional soldiers at the observation point and continued toward Red Maple Base.

It was already dark when the convoy reached the main highway.

From a distance, they could see bright lights above the base walls.

Red Maple Base had electricity, and its defenses looked stronger than Chu Miao expected. The outer wall was nearly eight meters high, with metal plates covering the concrete. Guard towers stood at regular intervals, and several heavy weapons had been mounted above the gate.

The walls could withstand an ordinary zombie horde.

Unfortunately, ordinary hordes didn’t wait quietly in abandoned towns while intelligent zombies planned their attack.

The military convoy slowed as it approached the entrance.

Dozens of survivors were gathered outside the gate. Some carried bags, while others held children or supported elderly relatives.

The guards had refused to let them leave.

One middle-aged man shouted from the crowd, "We are not asking you to protect us. Just open the gate and let us go!"

A guard standing above the entrance pointed his weapon downward. "The base is under temporary lockdown. No one can enter or leave without Leader Zhou’s permission."

"Why are you locking us inside if there is no zombie horde?" a woman demanded. "You said City A’s warning was false!"

Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd.

It seemed the warning hadn’t remained secret.

Someone inside the base had heard about it and told the other survivors.

Instead of allowing those who believed the warning to leave, Zhou Qiang had closed the gates.

Chu Miao’s expression cooled.

Pei Ming looked at the crowded entrance and sighed. "This is worse than I expected."

The convoy stopped fifty meters from the gate.

Several guards immediately walked toward them with weapons in hand.

Their leader glanced at the military symbol on the vehicles before speaking, "Red Maple Base is not accepting visitors. Turn around."

Ye Xuan stepped out of the vehicle.

"We are here on Commander Shen’s orders."

The guard’s attitude became less aggressive, but he didn’t move aside. "Leader Zhou has already spoken with Commander Shen. We do not require military assistance."

"You have over forty thousand zombies gathering northwest of your base," Ye Xuan said. "More are arriving every hour."

The survivors near the gate became silent.

The guard’s face changed.

He looked around before lowering his voice. "You shouldn’t say that here."

"Why?" Chu Miao asked as she left the vehicle. "Are the zombies waiting for it to be a surprise?"

A few survivors turned to look at her.

The guard frowned. "I am following orders. If you want to speak with Leader Zhou, wait here while I report your arrival."

"How long will that take?" Chu Miao asked.

"I don’t know."

"Then open the gate and let these people leave first."

"I cannot do that."

"Why not?"

"The base is under lockdown."

Chu Miao looked at the frightened survivors. "Were they told about the lockdown before coming to the gate?"

The guard didn’t answer.

That was enough.

Zhou Qiang had dismissed the military warning publicly while quietly preventing anyone from leaving. He either believed the zombies might be coming or feared losing laborers and resources if people fled.

Neither reason improved Chu Miao’s opinion of him.

An elderly woman pushed through the crowd and approached them. "Are you from City A?"

"Yes," Chu Miao replied.

"Is a zombie horde truly coming?"

"Yes."

The woman tightened her grip on the hand of a little girl beside her. "Can we survive if we stay here?"

Chu Miao looked at the wall before answering honestly, "That depends on how many zombies arrive and whether the people controlling them have prepared other methods. I cannot promise that this base will remain safe."

The little girl clung to the elderly woman’s leg.

The survivors began talking among themselves.

The guard leader became anxious. "Stop frightening people! No horde has appeared within our patrol range."

Chu Miao turned to him. "By the time it enters your patrol range, you will have less than five hours to prepare."

"We have strong walls."

"So did many bases that fell."

The guard opened his mouth but failed to respond.

At that moment, the heavy gate began to open.

A group of well-dressed ability users walked out.

The man in front was tall and broad, with metal armor covering his arms and chest. He appeared to be in his late forties and carried himself with the confidence of someone accustomed to giving orders.

Zhou Qiang looked at the military vehicles before his gaze settled on Ye Xuan.

"You came a long way for a zombie horde that does not exist."

Ye Xuan’s expression remained calm. "We have confirmed over forty thousand zombies gathering nearby."

"Then why haven’t you killed them?"

"Because more are coming."

Zhou Qiang gave a humorless smile. "Or because there are no zombies and you need an excuse to take control of my base."

Chu Miao studied him for a moment.

Then she looked at Ye Xuan and asked, "Ah Xuan, can stupidity be considered a superpower?"

Several people coughed.

Even some of Zhou Qiang’s guards lowered their heads to hide their expressions.

Ye Xuan answered seriously, "No. It doesn’t help anyone survive."

Zhou Qiang’s face darkened. "Who are you?"

"Someone trying to prevent thirty thousand people from dying because their leader values his authority more than their lives."

Metal began spreading over Zhou Qiang’s hands.

The soldiers behind Chu Miao immediately raised their weapons.

Ye Xuan didn’t move, but the air around him became heavy.

Zhou Qiang’s ability stopped halfway.

For the first time since leaving the gate, uncertainty appeared in his eyes.

Before anyone could speak, Ye Xuan’s communication device rang.

The observation team leader’s urgent voice came through the speaker. "Instructor Ye, the intelligent zombies have left the hotel."

Ye Xuan looked toward the dark road behind them. "Where are they going?"

"Toward Red Maple Base. The entire horde has started moving."

The survivors heard every word.

Fear spread through the crowd.

Chu Miao looked at Zhou Qiang, whose earlier confidence had finally begun to crack.

"You wanted proof," she said. "It is on its way."