Shen Feng and over twenty people discussed plans inside the tents for an entire night, finally settling on a strategy. This was a decapitation operation specifically designed for the Corpse King. If the Corpse King could be killed, the war would inevitably end. The most crucial element was to locate the Corpse King through Chai Kefu's anomalous ability to sense it.
If Chai Kefu, even at the fourth tier, could not accurately pinpoint the Corpse King's location, then everything would be in vain. They could only hope that his sensory abilities would greatly improve after breaking through the evolutionary barrier. As long as they could accurately find the Corpse King, the combined strength of the esper present would surely be enough to kill it.
When the sun rose again, twenty-seven espers were ready. Chai Kefu, upon waking, found his sensory abilities greatly enhanced. His perception of electromagnetic waves within a kilometer had improved, while his sense of further distances was only vague. This meant Chai Kefu had to go outside the city to detect the Corpse King's location on-site.
Shen Feng placed the extraterrestrial element from the petri dish into a small bottle, tied it with a red string, and hung it around Chai Kefu's neck. He said seriously, "Take good care of this small bottle and return it to me when the war is over. If you lose it, you'll have to repay me with your flesh."
Chai Kefu smiled and asked, "Mr. Shen has such tastes? May I ask where you prefer your flesh from?"
Shen Feng pointed to Chai Kefu's chest and smiled, "I like the flesh from your heart. I'll cut a piece off then, I presume you won't object?"
Chai Kefu's expression suddenly became strained, and he could only reply, "I will definitely take good care of this small bottle, Mr. Shen, please rest assured."
When Chai Kefu saw the small bottle hung around his neck, he was very excited. Wasn't this thing capable of producing esper potions? If he secretly pocketed it and claimed it was lost during battle, Shen Feng couldn't do anything to him. But now, Shen Feng had clearly stated the consequences, and Chai Kefu had no choice but to consider the danger to his life.
Shen Feng was still not at ease. He casually drew a wind blade, instantly creating a smooth cut in the ground, then smiled and said, "If you think you can withstand my attack, then you can do as you please. Imagine a wind blade suddenly shooting out from the darkness; can you withstand it?"
Chai Kefu's smile was somewhat forced. At this moment, he abandoned the idea of pocketing the item, as offending Shen Feng would have truly dire consequences.
As the sky brightened, the zombie horde attacked the city walls again. Shen Feng's group had no choice but to exit from the southern city wall. Outside YanJing City, three sides were covered by an endless zombie tide. Going down would mean being attacked by zombies, which was not a wise move.
As they left the base, Chu Chaoyan waved vigorously at Shen Feng. Her eyes were full of anticipation. She knew Shen Feng was going to do something dangerous, and she could only watch.
"Suddenly seeing the willow colors on the roadside, I regret asking my husband to seek noble titles." Chu Chaoyan watched Shen Feng and the others' figures recede into the distance, her heart filled with a sense of loss. On one hand, she hoped Shen Feng would be a peerless hero, and on the other, she worried about him encountering danger. This contradictory feeling was like the poem written by Wang Changling.
After Shen Feng and the twenty-plus people left the city, the soldiers on the southern wall immediately reported the matter to their superiors. In the eyes of ordinary people, these espers were leaving the city with bags and baggage, and they were taking the southern route, where there were the fewest zombies. It could be said that leaving the city was like taking a smooth road. Leaving at this time, were they not trying to escape?
"Don't worry about them. Shen Feng is leading this. He still has over five thousand people left here, so he wouldn't just leave." After hearing about the matter, headquarters did not believe these espers were fleeing. In their opinion, Shen Feng was the least likely to flee. Shen Feng held most of the military strength of YuZhou in his hands. If he fled himself, he certainly wouldn't be able to stabilize the situation, so he must have taken his people on a secret mission.
Headquarters did not intend to pursue the matter, but that did not mean they would pretend not to see it.
Someone immediately called the direct leader of the Esper Administration Bureau and began to complain: "We heard that the Esper Administration Bureau has a secret operation, but the leader is Shen Feng. This is very strange. Do the Esper Administration Bureau's operations require outsiders to interfere? Or has the management work of the Esper Administration Bureau been taken over by an outsider?"
The Esper Administration Bureau's reply was very official: "Currently, the actions of espers are not mandatory orders. Espers have the ability to decide their actions independently, so we have not interfered further. We appreciate your notification of this matter, and we will strengthen management in the future."
The leader of the Esper Administration Bureau naturally felt uncomfortable. The actions of nearly half of the Esper Administration Bureau's members were carried out without notifying their superiors. Did this show a complete lack of team spirit?
"These espers recruited from the public are ultimately unreliable. They are disorganized and undisciplined in their actions. It seems that in the future, laboratory resources will need to be appropriately tilted towards the Chosen Bureau!" the leader of the Esper Administration Bureau thought to himself.
The strategy of checks and balances was necessary. It existed everywhere. A single dominant entity was always unsettling. Therefore, after the laboratory discovered the method for producing esper potions, the government established the Chosen Bureau precisely to prevent all espers from being in one organization.
After Shen Feng left YanJing City, he began to circle around. The Corpse King was hiding behind the zombie tide, and finding the Corpse King was not an easy task. First, they had to avoid the zombie tide, otherwise, if tens of millions of zombies rushed forward at once, with only twenty-plus people, they would surely be utterly annihilated.
Zhang Jue looked at the countless mutated birds overhead and frowned, "With so many mutated birds, if they attack us, won't that be a big problem?"
Shen Feng also found this strange upon hearing this and muttered, "Logically speaking, zombies and birds shouldn't be able to communicate, so zombies and mutated beasts are also enemies. But now, zombies and mutated birds are cooperating, which is not right."
Firstly, communication between humans and other animals is inherently difficult. Elephants are intelligent enough, but communication between humans and elephants is also simple. Often, elephants cannot understand complex commands. At this moment, mutated birds and the Corpse King being able to cooperate in battle is absolutely unusual.
Xiao Sheng quickly said, "Stop thinking about these problems. We should hurry on our way. The sooner we kill the Corpse King, the sooner the war can end. It's already been over four months, and if it drags on, no one can stand it."
After Xiao Sheng finished speaking, he quickly led the people on their way. Killing the Corpse King was now the most important thing. Spring was precious. If the planting season was missed, crop yields would decrease. Furthermore, zombies were rampant in many areas, so the battle had to be ended quickly to free up additional troops to recapture other regions.
The group bypassed the zombie tide, which was dozens of kilometers wide outside the city, and finally entered the western mountains. According to Chai Kefu's senses, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the Corpse King were located in the mountains here.
The group did not arrive at their destination until noon because the distance was too great. Shen Feng could reach the destination in tens of minutes, but others could not. Their speed was not outstanding, especially Chai Kefu, who was responsible for leading the way. Without him, they couldn't find the Corpse King's location, but his speed was not to be complimented. Basically, any fourth-tier evolver could surpass him. It seemed all his abilities were sensory, and he had no advantages in terms of physical fitness.
After finally reaching the mountain, Chai Kefu, holding the small bottle, ran all over the mountain. At this time, the espers also took out their weapons, ready to fight the Corpse King. Now was the time to prepare.
Finally, Chai Kefu took a deep breath and stopped halfway up the mountain. This was in the midst of the mountains, surrounded by towering peaks, and there were many caves on the mountain, which were hiding places previously dug by zombies.
"I can sense that the zombies are below me. The amount of electromagnetic waves coming from below is at least forty, and the waves are very active," Chai Kefu said with a frown.
Chai Kefu speculated that all the Corpse Kings in the west had gathered together. This was a good thing. As long as they were gathered together, they could be wiped out in one go.
Qin Ke Wei said, "Move aside, move aside, watch my skills. I'll blast open a passage directly. You all get ready to fight."
After saying this, Qin Ke Wei immediately bent down and placed her hands on the ground. In an instant, the ground began to sink, and a deep well going downwards gradually formed. Perhaps Qin Ke Wei's combat power was not very strong in normal times, but when it came to changing terrain, her abilities were unparalleled.
"Chirp..." While Qin Ke Wei was creating the passage, a sharp cry suddenly came from the sky in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be mutated birds. They appeared like a dark cloud, flying towards the mountaintop. There were many of them, at least tens of thousands!
"Damn it, these are mutated birds! Our position has been exposed!" Fang Qing Hao couldn't help but curse. He didn't expect that after traveling tens of kilometers, and now that they were about to find the Corpse King, their tracks were exposed. With so many mutated birds flying over, and only twenty-plus people here, they were completely outmatched!
Shen Feng's expression also turned grim. He looked towards the direction of the horizon. The sky was filled with dense mutated birds, and the leading large bird was even more unusual. Its body was twice as large as the other mutated birds. It was a mutated red-crowned crane, and the other mutated birds were all flying in formation with this red-crowned crane.
"It seems that the red-crowned crane at the front is the bird king, and the other birds are flying with it!" Shen Feng said in a deep voice.
Chai Kefu frowned as he looked at the distant horizon. He actually sensed electromagnetic waves from the red-crowned crane, and was immediately puzzled, "Why are there electromagnetic wave senses on the red-crowned crane as well? Could it be that both the red-crowned crane and the Corpse King have extraterrestrial elements in their bodies?"
The group had no time to think about this and began to consider countermeasures. The situation had reached a critical juncture, and they could not give up at this moment.
"What should we do? The passage hasn't fully opened yet, and the mutated birds are about to arrive. What should we do?" Everyone began to discuss heatedly, and a decision had to be made quickly regarding the current predicament.
Qin Ke Wei gritted her teeth and said, "You must stall for time for me. Just half a minute more!"
Shen Feng suddenly grabbed Zhang Jue and said seriously, "Carry me into the sky to intercept the mutated birds. I've seen you carry Li Xiankang before, so you can carry me too."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jue's face turned green, and he shook his head like a fan, refusing, "No, no, absolutely not. Think about it, it's just the two of us, and the mutated birds are endless. Even fighter jets can't do anything against so many mutated birds, let alone us!"
"Listen to me. In this situation, only we can fight. My ability is wind. I can provide support for you in the air and disrupt the flight of the mutated birds. You are the only one among us who can fly. If you don't step up, who will?" Shen Feng quickly said.
Xiao Sheng also stepped forward and said earnestly to Zhang Jue, "Zhang Jue, I know you're timid, but Shen Feng is right. For the sake of the overall situation, for the final victory, we must fight with all our might. I believe Shen Feng can protect you."
"Your belief is useless. It's not you who has to go into the sky. It's me who has to fight. There's nowhere to hide in the sky. If we're surrounded by mutated birds, it's a dead end. It's easy to say!" Zhang Jue couldn't help but say. He didn't believe Shen Feng could protect him in the sky.
At this moment, Shen Feng sneered and said, "Zhang Jue, you're too cowardly! I really don't know how you got into the Esper Administration Bureau. I think you shouldn't have grown wings, but two boards. Tuck your limbs in, and all problems will be solved!"
Zhang Jue had never been insulted like this before, and his face immediately turned red. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is it wrong for me to be afraid of death? You're so capable, then go fight yourself! Why do you want me to carry you?"
Shen Feng continued to sneer, "Heh, if I could fly, I wouldn't bother talking to you. As an esper, you're greedy for life and afraid of death, afraid to take risks, and you falter at critical moments. You don't know anything except how to escape."
"Don't forget, I am your savior. Is this how you treat your savior? Instead of being grateful to your savior, you mock me repeatedly. You're not even human!" Zhang Jue, unwilling to be outdone, retorted.
Shen Feng's face darkened, and he asked, "Then what else have you done besides this? When the mutated birds attacked YanJing from the air, did you fly up to fight? No! Did you save anyone? No! You're just a selfish person who tries to take advantage of every opportunity for personal gain. Once or twice is fine, but if you keep doing this, who would want to deal with you? If it weren't for my eleven-year-old brother-in-law here, I wouldn't have asked you to do this."
Zhang Jue was subjected to a barrage of criticism, his face turning green and red. He then looked at his companions, who were all looking at him with contempt. It seemed Shen Feng was right; the people in the Esper Administration Bureau disliked him, this cowardly fellow.
"Alright, alright, I'll go fight, I admit defeat!" Zhang Jue said through gritted teeth. He had now decided to go all out. No matter what, he had to salvage his reputation, otherwise, even if he returned to the Esper Administration Bureau in the future, he would still be looked down upon.