Chapter 52 of 81
Chapter 52
16 min read4,081 words
Boom! Boom! Boom!
That night, the entire cities of Sydney and Canberra were enveloped in the thunderous roar of artillery fire. In the combat command room, everyone was busy. General Soros had given a death order, harsh and unfeeling, but everyone understood it.
This war against the zombies had completely overturned everyone's understanding of them. Even though the base's research on zombies had never stopped, no amount of calculations and studies could compare to what they had witnessed firsthand.
The king controlling the zombie army, the X-type zombie that could manipulate magnetism—everything was reshaping everyone's worldview, making them realize for the first time that it would not be as easy as they had imagined to completely eradicate the zombies.
"Damn it, damn it! Where is he?! Could he have already escaped from Canberra?"
Someone couldn't help but shout angrily, their eyes red.
He had originally wanted to say that such intense bombardment had turned all of Canberra into a wasteland, with explosions and flames that could melt an entire steel city. Li Mu might already be dead. But he swallowed those words and reluctantly gave another answer.
In his view, such intense explosions had flattened the entire city. Li Mu had either escaped or died in the explosion; there was no third possibility.
Dr. Manhattan's face was expressionless, his eyes bloodshot. Hearing the man's roar, he didn't turn his head but said coldly, "He can't escape."
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan pointed to a frozen image on the screen. "See? He has already devoured another king, and before that, he devoured the giant zombie suspected to be M4. After such consecutive devouring, No. 4000 is likely to enter an evolutionary hibernation."
"No, it's certain. He must have also devoured the X-type zombie; otherwise, it wouldn't explain why the X-type zombie, after being controlled by No. 4000, disappeared without a trace."
"Three zombies of the same level, or even those with a higher degree of evolution, can provide No. 4000 with enough superior genes to put him into an evolutionary hibernation. So, he is either already dead in the bombardment or hiding in some corner of the city, waiting quietly for his transformation."
"Once he wakes up from his hibernation..."
Dr. Manhattan's unfinished words made everyone shudder. The previous Li Mu was already extremely terrifying. If he evolved further, no one could imagine what kind of nightmare it would be.
"So, we must find him immediately, alive or dead."
Dr. Manhattan's words were decisive and left no room for doubt.
General Soros looked deeply at Dr. Manhattan. It was the first time he had seen such unwavering determination in Dr. Manhattan's eyes.
Dr. Manhattan did not respond to General Soros's gaze. His lips were tightly pressed, and his face was ashen. He knew better than anyone else how terrifying Li Mu was. After all, in the original data about Li Mu, he was not initially a king.
"He is special."
Dr. Manhattan's voice was very soft, almost inaudible. "No. 4000, the only special existence, a zombie capable of evolving both physically and mentally. Who knows, after devouring the X-type zombie, whether he will also develop psychic abilities..."
Thinking of this, Dr. Manhattan became even more determined to kill Li Mu. Because he knew Li Mu's uniqueness, he could not rest until Li Mu was dead.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Terrifying explosions continued to bloom in the ruins of Canberra. The artillery fire raged with the intent to turn the entire city into a basin, never stopping. Under such continuous bombardment, even the blood in Canberra had dried up. Over a million zombies were completely obliterated, leaving not even fragments of flesh, utterly annihilated.
But the artillery fire did not cease. The entire Lake Burley Griffin had already breached, the water flooding and then evaporating from the artillery fire. The lake had sunk by a third, exposing wet mud, which was then shattered and dried by the artillery fire, turning into dust that enveloped the entire sky over Canberra.
The smoke was endless, and the artillery fire never ceased. From the computer screen, the entire Canberra had disappeared, leaving only a gray haze. This dust would linger for over a month, completely transforming the once prosperous capital into a desolate wasteland.
When the sky brightened, in the combat command room, the people who had been awake all night, their eyes bloodshot, suddenly someone shouted in excitement, "I found him!"
His words caused a stir, and everyone's spirits were lifted as they looked at him.
"Dr. Manhattan's words reminded me. I searched for possible hiding places in Canberra according to your suggestions and conducted a regional search..."
Under everyone's gaze, the person was somewhat excited and stammered.
"I only want the result. Where is he?!"
Dr. Manhattan rudely interrupted, his eyes red, roaring.
"Griffin Lake, he's in Griffin Lake!"
The person's words made everyone suddenly realize.
"Right, it can only be there!"
"Besides there, he has nowhere to hide!"
Dr. Manhattan did not speak, and General Soros's face was expressionless. Without them speaking, someone immediately presented the data on Griffin Lake.
Griffin Lake is an artificial lake, and the entire city of Canberra is almost centered around this lake, spreading outwards. The lake is 35 kilometers in circumference and covers an area of 704 hectares. The shallowest part is two meters deep, and the deepest part is 18 meters.
Even though the entire Canberra had become a wasteland, the lake still existed, though it was now a mess compared to its former beauty.
"He's in there."
Dr. Manhattan pointed to the now altered Griffin Lake on the computer screen, pausing for a moment. "Lock onto No. 4000's position immediately and open fire with full force. Let the lake and he be buried together!"
"Also, where is the tank division?"
"They have gathered 30 kilometers outside Canberra and are ready to enter at any time."
"Good. Prepare the tank division. After three rounds of artillery fire, enter Canberra immediately. At all costs, drain the lake and I want to see No. 4000's body."
The order was given, and the entire forward base immediately sprang into action like a wound-up clock, precise and swift. The gun barrels turned, and a new round of artillery fire was directed at Griffin Lake in Canberra.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The artillery fire, carrying terrifying flames, rained down from the sky. The red mutant parrot flapped its wings in terror at the bottom of the murky water, its claws desperately gripping Li Mu.
At this moment, Li Mu had already entered an evolutionary hibernation. Even the cold lake water could not extinguish the intense heat of his body.
The lake was boiling, and the flames were burning. The red mutant parrot was almost knocked unconscious by the massive shock waves, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth. It clung to Li Mu in terror, roaring silently.
Your Majesty, if you don't wake up soon, we will die, we will die!
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