Chapter 6

In the passage ahead, the chaotic sounds gradually grew louder, and the distinctive putrid stench of zombies became even more intense. Turning a corner, one could see a train that had tipped over, blocking most of the passage. The subway carriages were already rusted beyond recognition, with holes in the body and shattered windows.

Through the broken windows, one could see two zombies in the outermost carriage rummaging around, searching for something to eat.

Su observed the surroundings for a moment, then moved silently, picking up a few rusted iron pieces and a thin wire. He quietly retreated to the passage, stretched the wire across the center, and arranged the iron pieces on the ground. Then he picked up an iron piece, rolled it into a cone, and quietly approached the train.

Ding!

Su gently tapped the side of the carriage. The tapping sound was not loud, but to the zombies' acute hearing, any sound that did not harmonize with the environment was like a thunderclap. The two zombies immediately stopped searching for food and turned around, just in time to see a figure disappear from the window. In the eyes of the zombies, which were driven by animal instincts, any moving object was a delicious prey.

With a roar, the zombies charged towards the end of the carriage with agility that rivaled that of hunting dogs. The leading zombie leaped forward, smashing through the broken window and forcing half of its body out. As soon as its head emerged, it eagerly looked around, trying to find the prey.

With a soft thud, the conical, sharp iron piece stabbed upwards from below, easily piercing its throat and even cutting through most of its neck bone!

Su slowly stood up, ignoring the zombie that was futilely trying to pull the iron piece out, and walked towards the passage.

The other zombie, blocked by the obstacle, had already lost patience. It roared, grabbed the leg of the leading zombie, and pulled it back into the carriage. The sharp glass on the window frame cut several deep wounds into the leading zombie's body, and dark red blood mixed with internal organs flowed down. But neither of the zombies cared. The zombie with the pierced throat was nearing the end of its life, while the other one hurriedly squeezed out of the window, just in time to see Su's back disappearing around the corner.

The zombie stretched its neck and roared fiercely, then suddenly exerted its strength, its hard, clawed feet stomping on the ground, and it rushed through the passage corner like a gust of wind!

The zombie, which had almost run off the ground, suddenly flew into the air! It swung back and forth in the air before falling heavily onto the wire. As soon as it landed, it howled in pain! On the ground, several iron pieces with sharp points had deeply pierced its back, and its chest was almost cut in half by the wire hanging in the air.

With a crisp click, Su released the safety of his gun. He walked past the zombie that was struggling unconsciously on the ground, not even glancing at it. He looked up briefly, then lightly leaped, rising more than two meters and landing on the roof of the abandoned train.

A cold light flashed in Su's green eyes, and he suddenly exerted his strength, running along the train at a speed far exceeding that of the zombies! Even at such a speed, he almost made no sound. From behind, it seemed like a black mist was slowly drifting away.

Bang! Bang! Two thunderous gunshots shattered the tranquility of the subway passage. Inside the train carriage, the heads of the two zombies were almost blown off by the force of the bullets!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four more gunshots rang out in quick succession, and Su had already reached the end of the train. Without pausing, he leaped off the roof. In mid-air, there were several light clicks, and by the time Su landed, his gun was already reloaded.

He exerted more strength, increasing his speed, and the ten-meter-long passage was crossed in an instant. Su seemed to turn into a gentle breeze, brushing past four zombies running towards him!

Su suddenly stopped, his body twisting stiffly, and he fired three shots in quick succession!

Three zombies fell to the ground. The other zombie turned around in time and roared, charging at Su!

Su looked at the zombie calmly, not moving. The zombie charged forward a few meters and then fell headfirst.

Su's right hand, which had somehow already grasped a black-painted tungsten steel dagger to prevent reflection, had sliced open the zombie's side rib in the moment they brushed past each other.

Su turned around and looked towards the direction the four zombies had come from. At the end of the passage, two more zombies appeared, strangely carrying the corpse of an adult aggressive mole rat. From their bloodshot eyes and drooling mouths, Su could tell they were hungry. However, they did not touch the food in their hands. This was completely inconsistent with Su's understanding, as zombies were always driven by their hunger and had no concept of restraint. If given enough food, they would likely eat until they burst. Not only these two zombies, but also the four that had just run over, had clearly been suffering from hunger, as evidenced by their emaciated bellies.

Would zombies actually not eat food that was right in front of them?

Bang! Bang! Bang! Su put away his smoking gun and approached the two zombies that could no longer stand. This time, one of his shots had missed, hitting the chest instead of the forehead, so he had to fire another shot. At a distance of over ten meters, the accuracy of the modified gun was a big issue, and his good luck did not help much this time, failing to finish the job in one shot.

Zombies, made of flesh and blood, were no match for gunpowder and metal. At such close range, no matter where they were hit, they would end up with a large hole more than twenty centimeters wide.

With a click, Su reloaded his gun, then walked among the zombies, carefully observing them. Zombies were incredibly resilient creatures, and even if half of their bodies were blown apart, they might still be able to leap and bite.

The two zombies carrying the mole rat were noticeably thinner and older than the four in front. From Su's experience with zombies, these two were already in the stage where they still had the ability to move but their strength had significantly declined. Moreover, what made Su's green eyes narrow was that the four zombies in front had more and sturdier clothing than the two behind. There was not much difference among the four.

Everything was clear now. The four zombies in front were specialized in hunting and fighting, while the two older ones were responsible for carrying and other miscellaneous tasks. This was a very organized division of labor, with the stronger and more capable zombies getting more food and better clothing. The older zombies had to do the dirty work and did not get enough food. More importantly, these zombies were no longer completely driven by instinct; they had started to understand restraint!

This meant that these zombies had formed a community with clear division of labor and distinct hierarchy, completely different from the zombies Su had killed in the abandoned train. Su had encountered a hunting squad.

"I hate smart things," Su stood up straight and thought to himself.

These zombies reminded him of the alpha wolf in the valley, whose eyes, filled with shock, confusion, anger, and curses, were still etched in his mind at the moment of its death. These zombies had clearly formed a clear organizational structure, far more advanced than the chaotic and primitive organization of the corrupted wolves. There must be a leader with intelligence among the zombies. For Su, this was definitely not good news. In the underground passage, zombies were already difficult to deal with, and organized zombies were even more dangerous.

Whether in the turbulent era or the old era, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Eliminating a nest of organized zombies would cost far more than a basic gene evolution agent. A hunting squad of six zombies meant that the nest likely had more than thirty, and killing so many zombies would earn him an evolution point.

Perhaps the N11 base already knew about the intelligent zombies in this passage, which was why they were willing to pay such a high price to have him clear it. Su thought of Turner and Tony's sincere smiles, a shadow passing through his mind. But he quickly dismissed the thought. After passing through many settlements, Su had learned not to expect anything.

Su looked into the dark passage, his green eyes piercing through the endless darkness, searching for the zombies. He was a hunter first and foremost, and he needed to complete the task before anything else.

At the end of the passage, it was almost pitch black, and even Su's low-light vision could only see about five to six meters. Lighting up in such an environment would be almost suicidal, and he certainly would not do that.

Su exhaled lightly, a faint mist seeping out from under the bandages. He gently pulled down the bandages on his face, revealing a sculpted, straight nose and skin as smooth as ivory. The unique putrid smell of zombies permeated the dark passage. The stench was especially strong here, indicating that this was a frequently used area by the zombies. For ordinary people, it would be impossible to move in such a heavily scented area. This was also a way for the zombies to mark their territory.

He identified the scents, and hundreds of data points flowed through Su's consciousness, ultimately locking onto the scents of the six zombies lying on the ground.

Su wrapped his cloak tightly around him and moved silently into the depths of the passage like a ghost. The scents of the six zombies guided him towards their nest. From the strength of the scents, it was clear that these zombies had been out hunting for at least two days.

The passage was uneven, and some parts seemed to have been intentionally placed with empty cans. These simple traps did not affect Su, but they slowed him down.

Su suddenly dashed forward, then leaped up, pressing himself against the corner where the wall met the ceiling. Like a gecko, he moved silently forward.

Rounding a corner, Su lightly leaped down, landing silently behind a zombie crouching in the corner. The zombie held a metal pipe, its eyes emitting a dull red glow, staring into the dark passage.

Su reached out and gently patted its shoulder.

Roar! A low growl came from the zombie's throat as it turned its head! But before it could react, the sharp serrated edge of the dagger in Su's right hand cut through its throat, almost severing its entire neck.

Su bent down and gently placed the zombie on the ground. From the feel of its muscles, he could tell that this zombie was stronger and more resilient than any he had encountered before. The tip of the metal pipe was carefully sharpened, indicating that this was a sentry. The only good thing was that the zombies did not yet understand the need for two sentries.

Su looked towards the end of the passage, where a half-built sandbag wall stood, but fortunately, no zombies were guarding it. Behind the wall was a large room, and through the half-open door, a flickering firelight could be seen. Inside, the zombies' roars, both low and high, could be heard.

These newly intelligent mutated creatures often had a leader who was far more intelligent and powerful than the others. The best way to deal with them was to kill the leader, and the rest, being less intelligent, would naturally fall into chaos. A group of instinct-driven creatures and an organized army had vastly different levels of danger.

Su stopped, gently pulling up the bandages on his face to cover his nose, then slowly walked towards the zombies' nest. He moved faster and faster, almost running by the time he reached the door!

Creak! He suddenly pulled open the heavy iron door and rushed into the zombies' nest!

This was a large hall, several hundred square meters in size, with over thirty zombies scattered around. Some were lying down resting, a few were cooking aggressive mole rat meat in a pot in the corner, and a pair of zombies were panting and roaring, busy mating in another corner. In the center of the hall was a conspicuous large bed, on which sat a female zombie. She was wearing a complete set of old-era business attire, a pencil skirt, and her skin, unlike other zombies, was not covered in large, dark spots and wrinkles. Her skin was smooth, and her appearance resembled that of an old-era businesswoman. Compared to other zombies, she was slightly smaller and sat with proper posture, her legs crossed, like a typical office lady.

However, from the way the other zombies cautiously avoided this bed and the brighter red glow in her eyes, it was clear that she was the queen of the nest!

The sudden noise of the door being pulled open made almost all the zombies instinctively look towards the entrance, but the entrance was empty!

At the moment the door opened, Su suddenly crouched and exerted his strength, dashing several meters forward as if he had teleported, already in the center of the hall. By the time the zombies looked towards the entrance, they saw nothing. In the moment of their confusion, Su had already moved three more meters forward!

Su's pupils rapidly contracted, forming a strange cross shape. This cross aligned perfectly with the black barrel of his gun, aimed at the queen's forehead!

In the entire hall, only the zombie queen did not look towards the entrance; instead, she saw Su. Her mouth suddenly opened wide in shock, her eyes filled with terror, and she dared not make any movement!

Seeing her deer-in-the-headlights expression, Su's finger on the trigger hesitated. He stopped his forward momentum, and the gun began to lower.

The zombie queen's eyes suddenly glowed with a bright red light, and she bared two inch-long fangs, charging at him faster than a regular zombie! Her face was contorted in a grotesque manner.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang... Six bullets were fired almost simultaneously. The first bullet pierced her neck, and the other five bullets cut a curved line along her collarbone, completely severing her head from her body.

Su slowly put away his gun.

The zombies in the hall finally reacted, their eyes bloodshot, and they roared hysterically, charging at Su like mad.

Su retreated like he was gliding on water, just in time to avoid the zombies' charge, then he ran at a rapid and fine pace towards a muscular zombie guarding the door. He suddenly extended his left hand, grabbing the metal pipe the zombie was swinging down!

Su casually twisted the pipe, bringing it into his own hands, then he lunged into the zombie's embrace, pushing the much taller zombie back rapidly until its back slammed heavily into the wall beside the door.

Su's body contracted, and he gracefully slipped out of the zombie's embrace, flashing out of the door and disappearing into the dark passage. The zombie had a deep, inch-long wound in its chest that seemed to go all the way through.

The zombies in the hall roared madly and rushed towards the door!

A strange, sharp whistling sound suddenly filled the air, and the metal pipe used by the zombie flew into the hall at an incredible speed, piercing through three zombies before finally losing momentum and clattering to the ground, bouncing a few times.

Even with the zombies' ferocious nature, they were momentarily stunned, and a sense of instinctive fear began to spread through the hall. They hesitated, some already avoiding the door.

A drop of bright red blood suddenly flew from the darkness outside the door, landing on the ground in the hall and forming a small crown shape.

Roar!! The zombies suddenly became agitated, their extreme hunger for fresh blood overwhelming their fear, and they charged out of the hall, following the passage deeper into the underground.

They did not know that the dark world was always Su's domain.

Dull, heavy gunshots occasionally echoed, traveling along the winding passage.

Ten minutes later, Su slowly walked into the hall. The hall, which had been occupied by the zombies, was originally a subway station waiting room. Now, there were no more subways, and no one was waiting. Su walked to the central large bed, paused, picked up a magazine on the bedside table, and flipped through it. It was a May 1997 issue of *Fashion*, clearly well-preserved.

Su put the magazine down, walked to the zombie queen's corpse, and gently touched her face. The red glow in her eyes gradually faded, and the luster in her pupils disappeared. Su took out a ten-centimeter-long, exquisite aluminum box, carefully opened it, and removed a surgical knife, removing the zombie queen's eyes and preserving them in the aluminum box.

He had obtained the genes from her eyes.

Infrared vision was the next ability Su wanted to acquire. The zombie queen's ability in this area was clearly much stronger than that of ordinary zombies, perfectly meeting Su's needs. As long as he accumulated 8 evolution points, Su could use the zombie queen's genetic sample and eye structure to evolve infrared vision.

Su followed the stairs in the hall upwards until he was stopped by a wire mesh door. He moved the debris blocking the door, then shot the rusted lock, and pushed open the wire mesh door.

After walking another ten meters, Su's green eyes narrowed slightly as a bright ray of sunlight shone on his face. After spending so much time in the dark, the sunlight made his eyes a bit uncomfortable.

After a moment of adjustment, Su walked out onto the ground. The "metro" sign at the top of the stairs was still clearly visible, not completely blurred by time.

Su looked around and saw a vast wilderness to the west and countless skyscrapers hidden in the mist to the east. It appeared to be a suburban subway station. There were no particularly threatening mutated creatures around. This subway station and the surrounding area were likely the hunting grounds of the zombies in the hall, and it was unlikely that other creatures would have settled here. Although zombies feared sunlight and rarely moved on the surface, they ruled the night, and when extremely hungry, they would wander through the city under the cover of darkness.

Su took out a map, marked the subway station as safe, and at the same time, a precise and accurate map was retrieved from his memory. The corresponding area on the map gradually lit up, and as Su's gaze swept over it, the outline of a large city gradually became visible.

With this, the N11 base's mission was finally completed.