The streets around the TV tower had been cordoned off by the military, preventing anyone from approaching and keeping zombies at bay. Those who ventured too close were warned to leave, but the response to zombies was far more enthusiastic, with searing bullets sent their way, delivering a volley of lead.
Unable to approach the TV tower directly, the mutated zombies resorted to their old habits: entering the sewers. They used the underground network to reach the vicinity of the TV tower, subsequently bringing hostages inside.
As the hostages were carried by the zombies, they continued to resist. However, it was futile. The strength of the mutated zombies far surpassed that of ordinary humans. The hostages were eventually brought to the TV tower and tied up separately within the rooms. For those who proved disobedient, the mutated zombies bit them, directly infecting them and turning them into zombies.
Shen Feng, Yang Chang, and Lu Xian arrived near the TV tower and personally witnessed zombies entering a sewer. They immediately realized that this was a shortcut. If zombies could pass through here, so could they!
"Follow me. We'll attack the TV tower from underground. Lu Xian, activate your thermal sensing and don't expose us!" Shen Feng whispered to the two behind him.
After being rejected by Shen Feng, Zhang Jue did not lose heart. His wife was still upset, and if he didn't find an ability potion to ease their relationship, wouldn't they end up in a cold war for ten days to half a month?
Thus, Zhang Jue sought out other ability users. After searching, he chose Li Xiankang. Li Xiankang's ability was to control carbon elements, and he was powerful, but he was stuck at the third-tier ability user stage, unable to break through the evolution barrier. The two hit it off, agreeing to rescue hostages and kill the Corpse King.
Li Xiankang gritted his teeth and said, "I've been stuck as a third-tier ability user for a long time. No matter how much mutated beast meat I eat, I can't advance. I regret it so much. If I had traded with Shen Feng, I would be a fourth-tier ability user now!"
Zhang Jue understood this sentiment. No matter how talented a person was, if they encountered an evolution barrier and couldn't find an evolution base, they would never be able to evolve further. Therefore, for Li Xiankang, he didn't need an ability potion; instead, he valued the evolution base offered as a bounty reward more.
Zhang Jue's back had an opening in his clothes, with two slits in the fabric. His wings passed through these openings and extended outwards. His wings provided ventilation in the summer and warmth in the winter, and he could take flight anytime. The only drawback was that lying flat to sleep could cause them to be pressed.
Zhang Jue flapped his wings and soared into the sky, while Li Xiankang leaped up and crouched on Zhang Jue's back. To maintain his balance, he grabbed onto Zhang Jue's back clothes. The two flew towards the TV tower. To obtain the bounty, these two were truly risking it all.
The army was still blocking the streets, and chaos reigned in the city. However, the soldiers near the TV tower remained unmoved. Their mission was not to clear out zombies but to block the Corpse King's escape route and seize opportunities to rescue hostages. As long as they could block the Corpse King and prevent him from roaming freely, the mission was effectively completed.
In fact, many people had their sights set on the bounty issued by headquarters. No one would complain about having too many ability potions and evolution bases; even if they couldn't use them, they could give them to friends and family. In times of chaos, having a bit more self-preservation ability was beneficial.
Over a dozen ability users had their eyes on the TV tower, and they all focused their targets on the Corpse King. The criteria for completing the bounty were simple: take the Corpse King's head to headquarters, and the bounty would be considered complete. Specialized personnel would then deliver the ability potions and evolution bases to the successful mission completers.
These individuals displayed their unique skills, each using different methods to infiltrate the TV tower. Shen Feng arrived later, but he remained undetected throughout. Lu Xian's ability was formidable, covering an area of over a kilometer, and he could accurately sense any heat source.
From a great distance, Lu Xian could detect zombies hidden within the TV tower, allowing them to either take detours or assassinate them. They moved without revealing their presence.
Shen Feng could operate silently, but others could not. Wang Ao Ye, along with his two subordinates, charged into the TV tower. Fortunately, Hu Li Xue, an ability user, accompanied them. Her ability was hypnotic waves, and she had been continuously emitting these waves, hypnotizing both mutated zombies and humans. Their progress was completely silent.
However, Hu Li Xue overlooked the mutated zombies hidden in the shadows. The hypnotic waves she emitted were blocked by the cement walls. The mutated zombies in the shadows quickly banged on their iron basins, and the "clang, clang, clang" sounds instantly echoed. The mutated zombies on higher floors were instantly alerted and hurried to notify Scar Corpse King, who was located on the tenth floor.
The TV tower had over thirty floors. Normally, climbing without an elevator would be exhausting. However, the power supply to the TV tower had been physically cut off, making elevators unusable. Those who had infiltrated the TV tower could only climb floor by floor. The Corpse King had been alerted and knew that someone had entered the TV tower.
Scar Corpse King remained calm in the face of the situation and issued an order, directly instructing his subordinate mutated zombies to grab over a dozen people and throw them out of the windows. He then had two people with loud voices placed by the windows. The two captured individuals were terrified, watching their previous dozen colleagues being thrown down from the building. In the blink of an eye, these people had become a bloody mess. If they didn't call for help, wouldn't they be next?
When the two were escorted to the window position, they immediately shouted, "Help! I don't want to die! I'm still young, I've never been in love, I've been working overtime all the time, my salary is meager, and I haven't enjoyed life yet!"
"Don't attack! The zombies will really kill us, stop it! I'm bullied by my wife every day after I got married, I don't even dare to save private money, and I have to bum cigarettes from others."
"Please, help us! Don't provoke the zombies. Although our lives are miserable, we still have to go on."
"I haven't seen my son get married and establish his career yet. If I die like this, I will die with regret!"
The soldiers blocking the streets in the distance first saw over a dozen people fall from the building, and then saw two hostages being brought to the window to shout. They had no choice but to come forward and explain.
"Brothers and sisters inside the TV tower, listen to me!" A man in a suit emerged from among the soldiers. He was a negotiator who had previously been responsible for persuading people who wanted to jump off buildings. At this moment, his appearance presented a suitable opportunity.
The man in the suit walked to a distance below the TV tower with a loudspeaker and shouted, "As Duke Tai Shi said, everyone will die eventually, but their death may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. Please consider the bigger picture and don't make things difficult for us. You must believe us, and we will remember your contributions in the future. After the war is won, we will hold a solemn memorial service for you, and hundreds of thousands of people will thank you for your sacrifices!"
When the two people at the window heard what the people below said, they couldn't help but curse, "You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about, a memorial service? If we all die, even erecting a tombstone is useless. Stop the babbling and quickly tell everyone inside the TV tower to retreat!"
"Two brothers, listen to me!" the man in the suit continued, "This is a troubled time, and you must also have a broader perspective. Sacrifice is inevitable. For the country, for Yanjing, and for the majority, please be understanding."
"I understand your grandma! It's not you who is being killed, so you speak without pain!" The people at the window couldn't help but curse. Their lives were hanging by a thread, and the people outside were still making sarcastic remarks, actually wanting to sacrifice the hostages in the TV tower. How could this be?
The man in the suit continued to speak into the microphone, while the rescue operation inside the TV tower continued. Over a dozen ability users launched their attack simultaneously, and within moments, they had broken into the seventh floor!
Headquarters would certainly not stand by and watch the hostages be killed by zombies, but negotiating with zombies was impossible. The battle had reached a fever pitch; negotiating now would be a complete waste of effort.
Therefore, headquarters decided to employ a tactic that zombies excelled at: a diversion. They had people call out from the front to attract the zombies' attention, but secretly, they sent their most elite ability users to assassinate the Corpse King and rescue the hostages. As long as the Corpse King died, the hostages would be safe. The number of mutated zombies inside the TV tower was at most over six hundred. The sewer manholes had been blocked, so the mutated zombies inside the TV tower could not increase in number.
Scar Corpse King initially thought that the humans below were willing to negotiate when he heard the sounds from downstairs. However, he soon felt that something was wrong. Based on the reactions of the mutated zombies below, the human offensive had not stopped; instead, it had intensified.
At this moment, the Corpse King realized that the people shouting from downstairs were merely trying to distract him. The humans had no intention of negotiating; they were launching a full-scale assault!
"Then let's perish together. Let's see who can bear the consequences of a betrayal!" Scar Corpse King sneered. He knew that his current operation was fraught with danger, but even at this moment, he wanted to take as many people down with him as possible.
The Corpse King hardened his heart and ordered two of the shouting individuals to be thrown out of the window.
"Ah..." The two were thrown from the tenth floor and immediately let out screams.
However, there were many ability users inside the TV tower, and they each had their own mission: to prioritize the safety of the hostages!
Thus, on the eighth floor, an ability user stood by the window. When they saw someone falling, they immediately reached out and rescued the person from the eighth floor. Fortunately, the ability users had powerful reaction capabilities; otherwise, it would have been impossible to catch them while they were falling.
The Corpse King continued to throw humans out of the window. After throwing over thirty people, he felt that something was wrong. Why was there no sound of humans hitting the ground? He dared not approach the window, knowing that if he got close, snipers might open fire.
Meanwhile, the main force of the ability users had already advanced to the ninth floor, their speed astonishing. Dozens of mutated zombies were killed in the blink of an eye. The Corpse King was forced to make a choice: whether to fight against so many ability users.
Scar Corpse King weighed his strength slightly and chose to leave the TV tower. However, before leaving, he was determined to make the humans pay a price!
The mutated zombies were immediately mobilized. Some of the spray-type zombies entered the rooms where the hostages were held and sprayed large amounts of acidic liquid, which instantly began to corrode the hostages' bodies. Screams erupted from the rooms.
Even stronger zombies grabbed self-detonating zombies and forcefully threw them against the walls of the rooms where the hostages were held. The self-detonating zombies, apart from the oil within their bodies, contained almost nothing else. Upon hitting the walls, they immediately exploded, and the oil within them flowed freely. The Corpse King walked outside the room, lit a match, and threw it in.
In an instant, fierce flames erupted within the room, and the fire quickly spread to the entire tenth floor.
The captured hostages were actually held on the tenth floor and above, to prevent anyone from easily rescuing them. Now that the ability users were launching a strong offensive, the Corpse King decided to go all out. Negotiations were useless, so he would kill the hostages, and he had already prepared an escape route!
Upon seeing the TV tower catch fire, the commanding officers on the street put down their binoculars and sighed, "Rescue failed. Now, it depends on whether we can capture the Corpse King. We cannot let the Corpse King continue to roam the city, or the casualties will become even greater."
In fact, the commanding officers also felt the difficulty. They could not allow zombies to continue to exist in the city, especially the Corpse King! However, as soon as they attacked the Corpse King, the casualties of the hostages were inevitable. With the loss of hostages, the commanding officers would inevitably bear the blame.