Chapter 145 The Corpse Tide Is Coming!

"You..." Xue Feng wanted to ask about Bai Lu'er's ability.

However, on second thought, asking that question felt a bit inappropriate.

Given that Bai Lu'er had already shared so much valuable intelligence with him, she had been more than generous. He shouldn't push his luck by prying too deeply. Otherwise, he might seem suspicious.

Just at that moment, someone stumbled into the room, running for his life.

"Boss, it's bad! The zombies outside... there are so many zombies! They look even stronger than before, and they're slamming against the barricades!" The man's face was completely drained of color, and he was gasping for air.

"What! Could it be a horde?!" Bai Lu'er's expression shifted instantly.

Hu Bo nearly lost his footing, only managing to stay upright by grabbing onto the sofa.

"A zombie horde? Does White City have zombie hordes too?" Xue Feng couldn't help asking.

"There was one on the west side before—thousands of zombies! They attacked the survivors' base there like wild beasts, and it took two days for them to disperse! I can't believe another one is appearing after just a single week!" Hu Bo's voice trembled.

"Quick, quickly organize a defense! This should just be the vanguard of the horde. We need to reinforce the fences before the main force arrives!" Bai Lu'er stood up immediately and issued her orders.

"Yes!" The man dashed outside without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm sorry, but for now, you won't be able to leave. Still, I hope you can help us defend against the horde, or else everyone will die." Bai Lu'er looked at Xue Feng, her eyes filled with a pleading gaze.

"Alright," Xue Feng nodded.

Truth be told, Xue Feng also wanted to see what this zombie horde was all about. He wondered if it involved another Tier 4 mutant. Xue Feng deeply coveted the crystal core inside a Tier 4 mutant's brain—those were exceptionally rare items!

He had already started consuming crystal cores himself, though so far he had only taken Tier 2 mutant cores. Eventually, he would undoubtedly need the core of a Tier 4 mutant.

Furthermore, Xue Feng wanted to observe how such a large base handled a zombie horde. Treating this as a learning experience would certainly come in handy for him down the road.

Bai Lu'er was already hurrying outside.

The horde was approaching from the west, not the main entrance. Ever since they had first monitored the signs of a horde, Bai Lu'er and her people had been bracing themselves for this exact scenario, drafting their plans well in advance.

The moment any sign of a horde appeared, everyone was required to mobilize together to reinforce the perimeter fence.

Therefore, when Xue Feng followed Bai Lu'er outside, he saw numerous people carrying tables, chairs, and various other objects, frantically attempting to shore up the barrier.

The park's fence consisted of iron bars standing over three meters tall, which usually sufficed against ordinary zombies. Yet, under the influence of the horde, each and every zombie had become abnormally ferocious, crashing desperately against the metal bars.

Right in the middle of this critical crisis, Xue Feng noticed the dozens of elderly individuals—including the man previously addressed as Elder Qin—leisurely carrying small stools and sitting right at the entrance of the villa.

One by one, they lit up cigarettes, watching as the others fought desperately to strengthen the defenses.

"Elder Qin! Please hurry up and organize the others to help reinforce the wall!" Hu Bo grew frantic at the sight. He had never imagined that Elder Qin and his group would remain idle at a time like this. Not only were they doing nothing, but they were actually sitting back and watching the show!

"You young people can handle it. We old folks won't get in your way and cause trouble," Elder Qin said indifferently, showing not the slightest intention of helping.

"No one thinks you're in the way! If you really can't run, even carrying things slowly would be fine," Hu Bo pleaded, his voice bordering on desperation.

"Hmph! Without us old folks, where would you young people be? If it weren't for our hard work in the past, where would you get your good lives now? And yet, doing a tiny bit of physical labor has you whining and complaining," Elder Qin curled his lip, letting out a mocking scoff.

It wasn't just Elder Qin; the other elderly people around him chimed in one after another.

"We passed the age for making contributions a long time ago. It's time for you young folks to move your muscles."

"Just defend against the zombies properly and don't let them break in."

"Are you saying that if we don't work, you're just going to stop defending?"

The seniors chattered away noisily, all adopting the exact same attitude as Elder Qin. Or rather, it was precisely because they had Elder Qin backing them up that they dared to be so brazen.

Hu Bo felt an urge to march right up and slap Elder Qin across the face. When the defense plan had been drawn up earlier, everyone had unanimously agreed that the seniors, including Elder Qin, had to pitch in with the work as well.

Yet now, they were just sitting here spewing sarcasm. Hu Bo finally understood the raw anger the burly man had felt earlier, but he knew time was of the essence. He couldn't afford to waste a single second here, so he could only bite his tongue and press on, following closely behind Xue Feng and Bai Lu'er.

By this time, Xue Feng and Bai Lu'er had reached the western wall.

With just a single glance, Xue Feng concluded that the fence wouldn't be able to hold off the zombies. Even with various items propped up against the back, the structure was already beginning to sway precariously.

These zombies were just as savage as the ones Xue Feng had encountered previously, possessing the destructive power of wild beasts.

"Bai Lu'er! Look at Zhang Tao and those men—they didn't come over at all! Are we supposed to rely purely on women at a time like this?" A middle-aged woman rushed up to Bai Lu'er to complain, her brow furrowed tightly with intense anger.

"Why aren't they here?" Bai Lu'er noticed it as well.

Zhang Tao and his group numbered around sixty people, all adult males. Originally, they had been construction workers on a building site, hailing from the same hometown and coming to the city together to find work.

When the apocalypse broke out, a massive swarm of zombies had trapped them on an unfinished high-rise building. Although Zhang Tao was an awakened ability user, he had no way of escorting everyone out safely on his own, so he had ventured out alone to seek rescue.

He happened to encounter Bai Lu'er, who subsequently led her people to rescue the rest of the workers. Because these men were strong and robust, they had naturally become the backbone of the base.

Now, seeing the complete absence of Zhang Tao's faction, Bai Lu'er frowned.

"They're just a bunch of lazy bums! They eat more than anyone else, and yet they're completely useless!" the middle-aged woman shouted indignantly, clearly harboring deep resentment toward Zhang Tao and his crew.

"If they've all left, would that make you happy?" Xue Feng asked indifferently.

He had already grown rather tired of this middle-aged woman, whose behavior could only be described as that of a gossiping shrew.

"Left? If they had the capability to survive out there on their own, why would they have ever come to beg us for help in the first place? We're their saviors!" the woman said with absolute confidence, as if Zhang Tao's group was utterly dependent on them, viewing herself and the others as the supreme benefactors of those men.

"Boss, it's bad! Zhang Tao and his men hijacked the vehicles from the garage and drove away with a ton of supplies!" Just then, a bruised and battered man came running toward them—it was the warehouse guard, and judging by his appearance, he had clearly taken a beating.

"What?!" Bai Lu'er stood frozen in utter shock.