Chapter 517 – High-Risk Level

At first, Ling Mo was just casually flipping through the files. But as he pulled out document after document, his eyes began to light up.

The Air Force Corps, which managed to outshine both the Falcon and the F Team among the three major powers, indeed had some genuine capabilities.

They utilized their aerial power to collect a vast amount of intelligence that ordinary people could never obtain.

Almost all the information about the surroundings of X City was stored in this small archive room.

At this moment, he was looking through a report titled “Summary of Post-Cataclysm Conditions.”

Compared to Ling Mo’s own understanding and experiences, this report was evidently much more detailed.

“Global collapse… This was already known… Estimated population loss of up to 80%… What? 80%?”

Ling Mo rubbed his temples and then turned the cover to check the date: “Oh, no wonder, it’s a report from the third month post-cataclysm.”

Even though it was a record from a few months ago, it still held significant relevance now.

He made an excuse to his main body for taking a “nap,” then leaned against Ye Lian and closed his eyes, fully immersing himself in the reading.

This was the first time Ling Mo approached the disaster from a more macro perspective.

Three months after the Cataclysm broke out, it was already difficult to see signs of human survival around X City.

Looking around, zombies were everywhere.

They occupied numerous buildings and streets, appearing harmless, much like the slow, mindless zombies often depicted in most films…

But as soon as any living creature came near, or even just a sound or a scent emerged, they would instantly transform into unstoppable beasts.

These monsters, with their incredibly tenacious survival skills and extraordinary combat abilities, quickly replaced humans as the dominant species, becoming the rulers of these steel tombs.

The survivors could only hide among the ruins, in places that couldn’t be exposed to light, living like rats.

On the other hand, traces of secondary disasters like explosions and industrial leaks were visible everywhere, whether in the city or the suburbs.

From a distance, these places looked like scars imprinted on the world, impossible to erase.

Compared to the growing strength of the Zombies, humans, though seeking ways to survive, found the path incredibly arduous.

Production had not yet resumed, weapons were severely lacking, and the survival of ordinary people was difficult. Even the advantages of superhumans were not significant.

The despair conveyed between the lines made Ling Mo’s brows furrow tighter and tighter.

“Sigh…”

Ling Mo skimmed through the report, sighed, and put it back.

“Huh? The second edition?”

Just as he was about to look away, he noticed another report and quickly pulled it out.

This report was from last month…

Opening the first page, Ling Mo was immediately drawn to the subtitle: “Summary of Environmental Changes.”

The title was straightforward, but the content was shocking to Ling Mo.

“…The virus does not affect plants, which was our common understanding over the past few months. However, based on the current intelligence, this is not the case… Large numbers of corpses and water source pollution are causing drastic environmental changes… The climate has changed significantly, and plant growth has also undergone substantial changes…

Flying over certain areas, we discovered that some plants were growing extraordinarily quickly. From above, some regions looked like primeval forests…”

“…Environmental changes favor the survival of Zombies and mutation beasts. Particularly, the number of mutation beasts has increased dramatically…”

For us, this poses risks, but also a tremendous opportunity for survival…

The recovery of production could accelerate further, but the growth of mutation beasts must be monitored…”

“Primeval forests… a dramatic increase in mutation beasts, this is terrible…”

After quickly scanning this, Ling Mo’s gaze turned complex as he moved on to the next section: “This should be about Zombies… Ha, it really is.”

The second subtitle: Summary of Zombie and Mutation Beast Evolution.

“Since their appearance, Zombies have been continuously evolving. The most prominent ones are referred to as Senior Zombies. Currently, Senior Zombies are classified into:

Mutation Zombies (characterized by blood-red eyes, normal facial features, distinctly different from the grotesque appearance of ordinary Zombies, very low intelligence, poor judgment, limited activity range);

Advanced Zombies (appearance similar to Mutation Zombies but with significantly higher intelligence, basic judgment abilities, fixed hunting areas, and a habit of storing food);

Special Zombies (eyes evolve from completely blood-red to having only red pupils, which glow at night. Intelligence improves markedly, behavior is no longer restricted to typical Zombie patterns, showing more complex actions, but still primarily hunt humans. Stronger Zombies among them can suppress other Low-Level Zombies, even displaying simple command and control abilities);

Superior Zombies (appearance similar to Special Zombies but with deeper blood-red eyes, no other distinct features. They start to exhibit personality traits, more complex behaviors, intelligence close to that of ordinary humans);

Variation Zombies (distinct physical mutations, appearing in various regions and spreading quickly. Generally low intelligence but several times stronger than regular Zombies. Each group of Variation Zombies has a Leader Zombie responsible for the group’s expansion and reproduction, with high intelligence and formidable combat abilities);

Note: This classification of Zombies was provided by a superhuman collaborating with Falcon Camp…”

“So detailed!” Ling Mo nodded. “Special Zombies are Leader-Level, and Superior Zombies are dominant level… And hey, I actually made it into their notes!”

This page ended there. As Ling Mo turned to the next, his pupils contracted.

Enhanced Zombies (discovered during a search in Cuihu, resulting in the loss of two helicopters for close observation, specific strength unknown, classified as high-risk level, marking Cuihu as a red alert zone).

“They’ve already encountered Zombies above the dominant level! And… they took down two helicopters?!”

Losing the first one might be due to underestimating the enemy, but how was the second one brought down?

Moreover, “high-risk level” was rarely seen in the memories Ling Mo had acquired from the Regimental Commander.

As for “red alert zone,” this was unprecedented in Air Force Corps records and had a very simple meaning: If you don’t want to die, stay away.

“Cuihu…”

Ling Mo carefully searched his memory and finally pinpointed the general location: “It’s already near the neighboring province…”

He stared at the words “enhanced zombie” and silently rolled his eyes: “Even I could come up with a better name…”

“Bang!”

At that moment, a soft noise came from outside the door, and Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly set the report down.

Grabbing a chair, he slowly approached the door.

There was no peephole on the door. Ling Mo leaned against the doorframe and called out softly, “Tom?”

No response…

After listening for a moment, he freed one hand to grasp the doorknob and slowly turned it.

“Creak, creak, creak…”

The door made a series of soft creaks, sounding particularly clear and grating to his ears.

As the door slowly opened, Ling Mo tightened his grip on the chair.

When the door was halfway open, Ling Mo saw a pair of legs.

Someone was lying on the ground, and from Ling Mo’s angle, he could only see below the knees.

And those shoes were unmistakably Tom’s.

“Tom!”

Ling Mo’s heart tightened, and he quickly pushed the door open.

But just as he reached Tom, he suddenly froze and stopped in his tracks.

A figure appeared behind Ling Mo. In the dim light, he saw a shadow overlapping with his own…

“I wonder if the Regimental Commander could spare a moment to talk with me?”

The speaker’s tone was gentle, almost as if asking for a favor, but Ling Mo felt as if a venomous snake was watching him.

He slowly turned around, glaring at the person.

“It won’t take much of your time.”

The intruder crossed his arms and smiled faintly.

His unremarkable features and extremely calm eyes made him seem sincere.

“You should know me, from Fire Base, Jianqi.”