Li Gui was timid, constantly fearing danger lurking nearby, yet his mind was sharp, capable of clearly recalling his surroundings. Shen Feng followed the coastline, and before long, he spotted a country road. Though called a road, it was a humble cement path, long neglected and overgrown with weeds.
If this were in China, the ring road would undoubtedly be asphalt. Here, however, it was merely cement, too narrow even for trucks, likely intended for tractors.
This situation was understandable. Not every country prioritized infrastructure development, especially places like Tasmania. A functional ring road was sufficient; spending more on construction would invite opposition from taxpayers.
"We've found a road. Let's follow it and see what we find," Shen Feng said, proceeding along the road flanked by tall trees.
After walking for over ten kilometers, dusk began to fall. Shen Feng saw the outline of a small town in the distance and quickly exclaimed, "Look! There are houses! We have a place to stay tonight."
Yue Hengyi was also delighted. "I want to sleep soundly! We've been sleeping in makeshift shelters and on rocks these past few days. If we find a spring bed, that would be ideal."
"Mr. Shen, Mr. Yue, this town has zombies. Look closely, there are too many of them! We should go around!" Li Gui, upon seeing the wandering figures outside the town, immediately panicked. With so many zombies milling about, walking into the town would be suicide.
Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi seemed not to hear Li Gui's plea, continuing to approach the town. As they walked, they discussed, "Who will make the first move later?"
Yue Hengyi patted his chest. "Brother Feng, leave it to me. Little zombies don't require your intervention. I can handle them all by myself!"
The three slowly approached the town. However, as they drew nearer, Li Gui's steps grew progressively slower, gradually falling behind the two in front. This was his small stratagem: if the situation turned dire, he would bolt, and the zombies might not catch him.
Yue Hengyi noticed the subtle movements of the person behind him and muttered, "The fellow behind us wants to run. Should I break his legs? We saved him, and instead of acting as a translator obediently, he wants to escape. This is ingratitude."
Shen Feng shrugged and shook his head. "Don't bother with him. If you break his legs, will you carry him? Once we've killed all the zombies, he'll see reason and follow us!"
Yue Hengyi considered this and agreed. The ancestors said to persuade people with virtue; one should make others follow willingly. Breaking someone's legs would be too forceful.
The zombies in the town were still wandering, searching for anything edible. Whether it was fallen fruit or a suddenly appearing rat, as long as it was edible, the zombies would snatch it and stuff it into their mouths. The town was not large, with a population of just over two thousand. After nearly two years, the zombies, in their hunger, had even devoured each other, reducing their numbers to just over a thousand.
Upon seeing humans, the zombies' eyes lit up, and they charged towards Yue Hengyi and Shen Feng like famished wolves.
As they ran, the zombies let out roars. The zombies inside the town, hearing the commotion, rushed out. Zombies always relied on numbers to win battles. Disturbing one zombie was equivalent to provoking a horde.
Li Gui hid in the roadside grass, which was a meter high. As long as he crouched, he would be difficult to spot.
"Why haven't these two escaped yet? They're about to be surrounded by zombies!" Li Gui muttered to himself, watching the two in the distance. "I shouldn't have followed these two. If we had gone west, we wouldn't have encountered these zombies."
Shen Feng left a message: "Keep it up. I'm going to search the houses for supplies and see if I can find food and other daily necessities!"
With that, Shen Feng unleashed "Swift Wind Movement" and dashed out. He tapped the ground with his toes, leaped onto a rooftop, which, like the others, was designed with a pitched roof to prevent rainwater accumulation. Shen Feng moved as if on level ground across the rooftops, entering houses through windows to search.
Yue Hengyi remained, facing the approaching horde of zombies. He observed that there were no mutated zombies among them. This formation of zombies was easily dealt with.
"Roar..." dozens of zombies first charged from all directions. These were fresh flesh and blood, and eating them would stave off hunger.
Yue Hengyi stood still, watching the zombies draw closer.
Li Gui witnessed this and exclaimed, "Is this kid scared stiff? He looks only about twenty. He must have never seen such a scene! He'll surely be killed by the zombies. And his companion just ran off, how shameful."
In Li Gui's mind, Yue Hengyi was a youth paralyzed by fear. Zombies were terrifying, and even from a distance, he himself felt apprehensive upon seeing them. How much more so for this young man facing ferocious zombies.
As the zombies neared Yue Hengyi, about to touch him, he finally acted: "Triple Gravity Field!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the charging zombies instantly fell to their knees. Under the immense gravitational force, their knee joints shattered, and even moving felt agonizing.
"Crack... crack..." the zombies fell to the ground one by one, bearing the triple gravity. They couldn't even walk. They felt as if a heavy person was pressing down on them, making it impossible to move. The zombies' bones groaned and then snapped. The immense gravity was more than they could withstand.
Yue Hengyi grabbed two zombies, stacked them, and sat on them, appearing quite relaxed.
Zombies from the town continued to surge forward. These zombies were very hungry and would gnaw at anything edible. When extremely hungry, they would even eat their own kind. Now that humans appeared outside the town, they were clearly a delicacy, and hunger fueled the zombies' charge.
However, within a fifty-meter radius around Yue Hengyi, the triple gravity field was active. No matter how many zombies charged, they were suppressed to the ground by the gravity they experienced.
Even powerful sea beasts could not withstand continuous gravitational effects, let alone zombies. Upon charging, they immediately collapsed. "Huff... huff..." the zombies' panting grew labored. Their lungs, squeezed by the gravity, made breathing difficult. Broken bones might not kill, but suffocation certainly would.
When Yue Hengyi had free time, he cast his gaze to the ground, watching the ants crawling and murmuring, "One, two, three..."
The ants' movements were unaffected. Insects were too small, and their strength was immense, capable of lifting objects many times their body weight. With only triple gravity acting upon them, the ants' movements were unimpeded.
Yue Hengyi only needed to continuously maintain his ability to kill the endless stream of zombies emerging from the town. In his spare time, Yue Hengyi enjoyed counting ants.
Li Gui, hiding in the grass, saw this, his eyes widening. Watching the scene unfold in the distance, he couldn't help but exclaim, "God, am I dreaming? Why do these zombies kneel and fall as soon as they charge? Does this young man have magic?"
Li Gui stared at the entrance of the town, completely stunned. Why were the zombies he encountered so ferocious, yet in front of this young man, hundreds of zombies couldn't get close, seemingly collapsing automatically within a certain area? Zombies piled up on the ground, gradually forming a circle.
Li Gui finally regained his senses. He wasn't dreaming; everything he had seen was real. The once invincible zombies had almost all fallen.
"Hero, hero! I had diarrhea just now. You can't leave me behind!" Li Gui instantly emerged from the grass, fabricated an excuse, and then ran towards Yue Hengyi.
Li Gui finally understood. The two Chinese people he had been with for the past two days were indeed heroes with immense power. He had never personally witnessed an ability user before; they were too rare, only heard about on the radio. Now, seeing an ability user's power firsthand, he immediately conceived the idea of clinging to them.
Yue Hengyi casually turned his head, looking at Li Gui running towards him. A hint of disdain flashed across his face. He thought, "These foreigners are so cheap. Unless they see the facts with their own eyes, they don't believe what others say. Now that they see how strong we are, they immediately follow."
"Li Gui, don't come closer. Stay where you are, or you'll also kneel," Yue Hengyi said calmly.
Li Gui had not yet entered the gravity field but was already very close. He was just an ordinary person. Once he entered the gravity field, he would inevitably be crushed to the ground by the immense gravity.
Li Gui looked at the circle of fallen zombies around him. Although he didn't know what had happened, he knew that if he entered this invisible circle, he too would likely fall.
At this, Li Gui's eyes darted around, and he immediately knelt on the ground. He knew some basic Chinese etiquette; kneeling represented submission.
"Plop," Li Gui knelt on the ground under normal gravity and said sincerely, "Heroes from China, please accept my kowtow. I am willing to follow you forever. God can bear witness, I will surely be useful."
"Oh, really?" Yue Hengyi's expression was unreadable. He didn't think an ordinary person could help him much, but he didn't refuse either.
Frankly, Yue Hengyi disliked spineless individuals and fence-sitters. Li Gui was precisely such a sycophant. Although Yue Hengyi didn't show it, he looked down on the man and would replace him if a better translator appeared later.
Just then, Shen Feng appeared on the rooftop, holding two cans of luncheon meat and shouting, "Little Yue, I found food! Hurry up and finish the zombies, then we can eat!"
Upon hearing that food had been found, Yue Hengyi immediately became excited. He quickly increased the gravity to five times. Instantly, the zombies found it even harder to breathe. Their fragile bones, like ribs, snapped on the spot. Ten minutes later, all the zombies were dead.
The town had over a thousand zombies. Yue Hengyi had effortlessly eliminated half of them. The remaining zombies were still in other parts of the town.
Yue Hengyi didn't intend to venture further into the town. As long as the zombies nearby were killed, it was enough. As for the zombies in the farther reaches of the town, they wouldn't approach this area anytime soon. It was time to eat.
"Let's go! Time to eat. I wonder what delicious food awaits me," Yue Hengyi called to Li Gui behind him and walked towards the small building where Shen Feng was.
Shen Feng was in a detached villa, a two-story building with a garden and a swimming pool, clearly a residence for the wealthy. Although Tasmania was a bit remote, living here offered a tranquil environment, making it a pleasant place for a holiday getaway.
The swimming pool was overgrown with moss, and the water had turned green, with leeches visible within. The garden was choked with weeds, neglected, and the villa had fallen into disrepair.
Yue Hengyi entered the villa and immediately saw Shen Feng by the yard, burning firewood. There was no electricity or gas here, so cooking required firewood. Fortunately, Shen Feng had found a stove, making it possible to cook with firewood.
"Brother Feng, what did you find? Can I see?" Yue Hengyi asked, patting his stomach.
Shen Feng pointed to the items beside him. "Half a bag of flour, over thirty catties. A dozen cans of luncheon meat, all unspoiled. Also, a barrel of peanut oil and half a barrel of soybean oil! They were hidden in the room and haven't gone bad."