ocean-life Chapter 109 Discovery
Chapter 109 Discovery
Chapter 109 Discovery
Perhaps because he had a clear goal, Xu Mo felt that time was passing more slowly. Xu Mo even occasionally had the illusion that he could hear the invisible second hand in his mind crawling slowly, and each second was stretched out to an exceptionally long time.
The area intercom's public channel remained open, and according to the previous agreement, theoretically, all 144 fortress garrison members were online at this moment. However, the channel was completely silent, with only a faint, almost negligible background noise indicating that the communication line was still functioning.
No one spoke, not even a cough to clear their throat. An invisible, shared tension permeated the airwaves, and everyone held their breath.
Xu Mo's gaze pierced through the observation hole, looking out of the fortress. The thick darkness, like indelible ink, completely swallowed the distant ruins, obscuring all light. Only his fortress, C-07, stood like a few lonely lighthouses in a dark ocean, emitting a faint but persistent glow.
Xu Mo adjusted his posture and shone a powerful flashlight beam through the narrow observation hole below. The beam pierced the darkness, striking precisely several zombies lurking near the fortress base. Their rotting skin appeared even more grotesque and terrifying in the bright light. Startled by the light, they emitted increasingly agitated and hostile low growls, futilely stretching out twisted arms towards the source of the beam.
After this oppressive silence had lasted for an unknown period of time—
"Zzzzz—D-03 calling, anomaly detected in area D-3, zombie horde moving outwards. Repeat, D-03."
An anomaly has been detected in the area; zombies are moving towards the outskirts of the Red Star Industrial Zone.
A slightly hurried voice suddenly broke the silence of the public channel, coming from Fortress No. 3 in Area D.
This report was like the first stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples that stretched far and wide.
"L-01 confirmed. At the edge of area L, the zombies are simultaneously turning and moving towards the outer perimeter."
"B-04 has discovered the same situation. The overall movement of the horde has changed, and their target is pointing towards the outer perimeter."
"G-07 report: Similar phenomenon observed —"
"H-12 confirmed————"
In an instant, the walkie-talkie was flooded with confirmation messages from different areas and fortresses with different numbers. The voices varied, some were calm, some were surprised, and some carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement, but they all clearly pointed to the same fact: the behavior patterns of the zombie horde had changed.
Xu Mo's spirits lifted, and he immediately adjusted the angle of his flashlight beam to track the movement of the horde of corpses below the fortress.
Sure enough, the zombies that had been wandering aimlessly and even scratching at the fortress seemed to have received some kind of invisible command at the same time. Their movements were stiff but their goals were clear. They turned around and began to move slowly and steadily in the opposite direction from the core ruins of the Red Star Industrial Zone—that is, the general direction leading to the Jiangcheng Shelter.
At the forefront of the horde, Xu Mo could even clearly see two Level 1 strength-type mutant zombies, each noticeably larger and with arms mutated into bone hammer shapes. They were like vanguards clearing the way, using brute force to push aside smaller debris blocking their path, paving the way for the ordinary zombies behind them.
Picking up the walkie-talkie, Xu Mo reported the situation to the other party as well.
"C-05 reports: A large number of zombies have been observed pouring out from the core area, passing through the flank of my fortress, and flowing towards your outer area." The message came from the C-05 fortress, which is closer to the core area.
"F-08 also discovered that the scale of the corpse flow is quite large and is spreading outwards."
"A-12 confirmed: A horde of corpses has been discovered on the outskirts, with no end in sight —"
More information was gathered from the fortresses in different locations. While observing the situation in his own area, Xu Mo quickly integrated and pieced together the information in his mind.
Through this series of reports from different angles, a relatively clear picture gradually formed in Xu Mo's mind: the zombies were not attacking a specific fortress or location, but rather exhibiting a holistic and diffuse movement from the core area of the Red Star Industrial Zone to the entire surrounding area, including the direction leading to Jiangcheng.
These zombies were like a reservoir overflowing, or like worker ants in an anthill carrying out a massive migration.
Moreover, reports from the various "L-12" and "K-12" fortresses located on the outermost edge of the array indicate that the horde of zombies is spreading outward in a fan shape, rather than concentrating in a few specific channels to form a zombie horde with a clear attack target. This spread appears more "natural" and is more consistent with the characteristic of a species instinctively expanding its living space after its population becomes excessive.
"This at least suggests that there's probably no mind-controlling mutant like a Level 2 zombie leader behind this disturbance," Xu Mo quickly made a preliminary judgment. "Otherwise, they should have coalesced into one or more forces, forming a more powerful zombie horde, instead of spreading out relatively dispersedly like this. This seems more like a natural expansion behavior caused by the number of zombies in the core area accumulating to a certain threshold, or a lack of living space, resources, or space itself."
This speculation brought Xu Mo a slight sense of relief; there was no evidence of a higher-level, more organized threat, which was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.
As for the specific purpose of these zombies spreading outwards, where they will eventually go, and how much pressure they will put on Jiangcheng, these are no longer the primary issues that he, as a frontline observer, needs to figure out immediately.
"All fortresses, following the predetermined procedure, will report the observed movements, size, and main types of the zombie hordes."
"Key information such as the direction of movement was compiled and reported to the command center via an encrypted channel. Over." The steady voice of the representative stationed in Area A came through the walkie-talkie, summarizing and issuing instructions for this collective observation operation.
Everyone responded that they had received the message, and order was restored in the channel. Afterwards, everyone exchanged a few words of thanks and reminders to "stay vigilant," and then gradually reduced their calls, as occupying a public channel for an extended period of time was not advisable.
As required, Xu Mo concisely and clearly summarized his observations, including the estimated size of the zombie horde, its direction of movement, and the types and numbers of the observed Level 1 mutants, and then reported them back to the Jiangcheng Command Center.
After doing all this, Xu Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
Outside the window, the faint sounds of the zombies moving hadn't completely subsided, but Xu Mo's mind gradually calmed down. He had completed his mission for the night; as for what followed, that was Jiang Cheng's problem to deal with.
With a sense of relief, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Xu Mo had just finished his morning exercise when a notification came through the area walkie-talkie from the representative stationed in Area A. This time, Xu Mo heard it clearly; the voice belonged to A-02: "Comrades, command has notified you that an important communication will be broadcast through a dedicated radio channel at 11:00 AM today. Please tune in on time. To reiterate, 11:00 AM, important communication, please tune in on time."
Although A-02's tone remained calm, there seemed to be a subtle hint of seriousness within it. Xu Mo's heart stirred slightly, guessing that it might be related to the unusual zombie activity reported last night. However, judging from the other party's steady tone, it shouldn't be any sudden bad news.
At 11:00 AM, after a brief pause, a steady, powerful, and somewhat authoritative middle-aged male voice rang out on the radio: "Comrades and soldiers who are holding the forward observation posts in the Hongxing Industrial Zone, hello. I am Lu Mingyuan, the head of the forward command post under the Military Commission of Jiangcheng Shelter."
The opening remarks were concise and powerful, directly stating his identity.
"First of all, on behalf of the Military Commission of Jiangcheng Shelter and all the citizens, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude and highest respect to you. Thank you for your dedication and high vigilance in such extremely difficult and dangerous conditions."
Lu Mingyuan's voice was clearly transmitted through the radio waves to each isolated fortress.
"Just last night, you promptly and accurately discovered and reported the unusual movement of the zombie horde spreading outwards on a large scale. This intelligence is extremely valuable. Based on the information you provided, we quickly made an assessment and immediately activated the emergency response mechanism. Currently, the outer defense forces and rapid reaction forces of Jiangcheng have begun to assemble and will establish interception lines along the zombie spread path to carry out targeted clearing and blocking."
Lu Mingyuan's tone carried an undeniable certainty: "It was precisely because of your early warning that we gained precious preparation time, allowing us to nip this potential zombie horde threat in the bud at a lower cost, greatly reducing the risk of the zombie horde directly attacking Jiangcheng's outer defense perimeter. You are Jiangcheng's first line of sight, and the heroes of Jiangcheng's safety!"
This affirmation and commendation filled all those stationed in front of the radio station with a warm feeling and a sense of pride. More than half a month of solitary vigil, spent day and night with death and the eerie, seemed to have found its value at this moment.
Lu Mingyuan then said a few words of encouragement, urging everyone to remain vigilant, pay attention to their own safety, and make persistent efforts to make greater contributions to ultimately uncovering the secrets of the Hongxing Industrial Zone and safeguarding the safety of Jiangcheng. The communication then ended.
The radio station fell silent, but the public channel of the local walkie-talkie suddenly became lively.
"Did you hear that? Commander Lu personally awarded him."
"I knew last night's stay-at-home orders were worth it! We did a great job."
"Haha, looks like we guys who squat in the toilet are actually quite useful after all."
"Of course, we're the first line of defense."
The channel was filled with excited discussions and triumphant banter, the atmosphere more enthusiastic than ever before. Even the usually quietest people couldn't help but speak up, their voices brimming with barely concealed excitement.
Xu Mo's lips couldn't help but curve into a slight smile; this feeling of being recognized and having his value realized...
Awakening can indeed bring immense comfort and motivation. He briefly responded in the channel, sharing this joy with everyone.
However, Xu Mo quickly recovered from these emotions. Rewards and recognition were important, but they couldn't change the fact that he was in danger, nor could they directly improve his strength. The zombies outside still existed, and the secrets of the Red Star Industrial Zone remained hidden.
Xu Mo turned off the walkie-talkie, shutting out the noise from the outside world, and walked back to the open space in the center of the observation room, slowly assuming the stance of the "Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training".
As the zombies spread outwards on a large scale last night, the daytime scene indeed changed. Xu Mo looked out through the observation hole and saw that the density of zombies around the fortress had decreased significantly, and the suffocating sense of encirclement that had been there before was gone. Even the scratching and roaring sounds that had been lingering under the fortress base had become much sparser, leaving only a dozen or so ordinary zombies that moved exceptionally slowly and wandered around unconsciously.
However, this "peace" did not last long. Xu Mo keenly noticed that new, staggering figures began to appear one after another at the edge of the deep, beast-like core ruins in the distance. Like worker ants crawling out of their nest, they moved stiffly and slowly, spreading aimlessly towards the outer area, including the C-07 fortress where Xu Mo was located.
The "refreshing" process didn't stop; it just changed to a new batch of "faces," continuing this perplexing cycle.
This scene heightened Xu Mo's curiosity about the very center of the ruins. What exactly was hidden there? Was it a massive underground lair? A bizarre device capable of transforming corpses? Or some kind of interdimensional rift they hadn't yet understood, capable of endlessly "producing" zombies?
"Where does the energy come from for such high-frequency, high-volume refreshes? What is its material basis?" These questions swirled in Xu Mo's mind. Unfortunately, this was clearly not a question he could answer with his current limited observation methods and a single tower. This might be one of the goals Jiangcheng aimed to achieve by establishing these observation posts, but it was by no means something that could be accomplished overnight.
Suppressing his deep-seated curiosity for the time being, Xu Mo's life returned to its usual routine: meticulous observation, timely reporting, and unwavering rigorous training.
The world outside the fortress seemed to have experienced a minor turmoil, but inside the fortress, the passage of time remained stable and regular.
Then, Xu Mo waited for the 48-hour countdown in his mind again, which silently returned to zero once more.
【00:00:00】
Xu Mo took a deep breath and stood in front of the bedroom door marked with the word "Ammunition Depot".
As the soft light shifted, the scene before my eyes changed in an instant.
Xu Mo stepped into a space filled with the mixed smells of gunpowder and metal. It looked like a storage warehouse, about the size of a classroom. The lighting wasn't bright, but it was enough to see inside.
Rows of sturdy metal shelves were neatly arranged, with ammunition boxes of various sizes and colors stacked on them, ranging from pistol bullets to rifle ammunition belts. The variety was extensive, and the reserves seemed quite ample.
On one side of the warehouse, there were even several gun racks against the wall, displaying some standard rifles and shotguns. Although they weren't particularly high-end, they were all in good condition.
Normally, seeing such "abundant" supplies might have pleased Xu Mo. But at this moment, his gaze was like the most precise radar, quickly scanning the labels on the shelves and the inscriptions on the ammunition boxes, frantically searching for that specific target—the words "12.7×99mm" or ".50BMG".
Xu Mo moved quickly along the shelves, his fingers tracing the cold boxes.
5.56, 7.62, 9mm...
Xu Mo's pace quickened as he searched the warehouse from one end to the other, checking every shelf. Surprisingly, he couldn't find the 12.7×99mm ammunition he needed. The warehouse contained pistol rounds, rifle rounds, shotgun rounds, and even some specific caliber sniper ammunition, but it lacked the 12.7×99mm large-caliber ammunition he required, which theoretically should be compatible with heavy sniper rifles like the Barrett.
"What's going on?!" Xu Mo was speechless.
As the 60-second countdown in my mind rapidly ticked away, there was hardly any left.
We can't go home empty-handed!
The thought flashed through Xu Mo's mind, and he rushed to the area where sniper ammunition was stored, his eyes locking onto a box marked .338 Lapua Magnum. This was the armor-piercing round used by his AWM, and its power was equally impressive.
As the countdown ended, Xu Mo returned to the fortress's bedroom, clutching a backpack full of .338 armor-piercing rounds.
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