Chapter 85: A Timely Rain, or a Master of Schemes?

“These zombies can talk?”
Lu Kai was somewhat astonished.
He knew that even zombie monkeys could speak, and that humans could regain their consciousness, but it was still hard to believe.
So far, blue zombies and the like hadn’t been able to utter a word or display human intelligence. Yet now, this new breed of red zombies had appeared, clearly exceeding all their expectations, their power impossible to conceal.
“There’s nothing strange about it,” Chen Yi said, his gaze growing more resolute.
As the zombies’ abilities advanced, the power of the cores within them grew even more formidable. If they could slay these zombies, it would give everyone room to grow stronger—by absorbing different cores, anyone, even an ordinary person, could become powerful.
“Brothers,” Chen Yi said with a soft smile, turning his eyes to Hu Sanhan, Lu Kai, and the other gifted individuals.
“For the sake of those who remain, we must risk everything today. Whoever dares to charge with me, follow!”
As Chen Yi was the first to charge forward, Lu Kai and Hu Sanhan followed closely behind.
“I’m coming! I won’t let you fight alone!”
“We’re with you!”
Watching the group surge ahead, the rest were left incredulous.
“Are they crazy?”
Hearing this, Chu Yunxi only found it amusing. Her gaze swept over them, cold and sharp.
“They’re not mad—they’re fighting for your survival. If you don’t become core users, you could die at any moment.”
What was happening could not be explained with a few words. Even Yunxi felt a surge of impatience, fearing everything would pile up at once.
Chen Yi leapt forward, quickly slaying a red zombie minion and extracting a radiant red core, which he tossed to Chu Yunxi.
“Sister, let me fight alongside my brother!”
Chen Yaxi spoke up again.
These past days, Chen Yi had forbidden her from using her powers so she could recover, keeping her hidden among the crowd.
Now, with her three abilities nearly restored, it was time to step up—especially with more enemies looming.
A giant octopus and a seven-headed shark were approaching slowly. Chen Yi hesitated, but then he saw Chen Yaxi unfurl her wings.

“Xiao Xi, your powers have returned at the perfect moment. I’ll leave this to you!”
“Don’t worry, brother!”
Chen Yaxi’s lips curled into a confident smile. “Let me handle these two!”
She darted around the shark, weaving through the air, and in a flash wiped out the shark, destroying all seven heads.
But in the next instant, the mutant shark regenerated and returned to its original form.
Chen Yaxi soared higher, dodging its savage attack, but she realized at once that seven heads were not its limit; the shark’s vital organs must not be in its heads.
“Brother, I can’t see its weakness—what should I do?”
Before Chen Yi could answer, a voice rang out.
“Let me!”
Chu Yunxi fixed her gaze on the shark and discovered its heart was hidden beneath its belly—it had clearly come prepared.
“Xiao Xi, its weak point is in its abdomen. Find a way to make it turn sideways.”
“Leave it to me!”
Hu Sanhan changed direction and stood directly in front of the shark.
“I’ll deal with this brute!”
The shark locked eyes with Hu Sanhan, and after a tense standoff, it suddenly attacked.
Hu Sanhan swung his golden blade, slashing wildly, and while the shark was still recovering, he managed to flip its belly over.
Then Chen Yaxi struck swiftly, finishing off the shark.
But just as the shark fell, a brilliant light flashed from its abdomen. As Hu Sanhan reached for it, a flying claw descended from above and snatched the core away.
“Who’s there?!”
Seeing the departing aircraft, Hu Sanhan cursed furiously.
“Damn thieves, stealing our prize and flying off as if nothing happened! Fine, if I catch you, I’ll tear you apart!”
“Don’t. Stay calm,” Chen Yi said, suppressing his own frustration and setting aside his suspicion of the mysterious aircraft.
“Whatever they got, it’s useless to them.”
“Why?”
Hu Sanhan was puzzled. “Isn’t it just a matter of having hands?”
“Wrong,” Chen Yi chuckled. “This shark absorbed the power of mutant zombies, which is why it had a core. If someone tries to use that core without proper refinement, the power will backfire—so do you think I should go after them now?”
“No need. Sooner or later, the culprit will reveal themselves,” Chu Yunxi agreed. “If they’re so eager to bring disaster upon themselves, we needn’t help them survive this calamity. But this debt will be settled, eventually.”
“There’s plenty of time,” Chen Yi said with an easy smile.
“For now, we just keep fighting. Only this big one remains!”
As the red zombies retreated purposefully, the giant octopus blocked Chen Yi and his team.
Chen Yaxi immediately flew to Chen Yi’s side.
“Brother, this thing is just a puppet—a scapegoat under someone’s control!”
Chen Yi nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. Since it’s just a decoy, let’s wait and see what good things this beast might drop.”
Meanwhile, the group who had stolen the core from the shark’s body finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Had Chen Yi’s team acted just now, they might not have obtained the power to change humanity’s fate.
Now, it was time to study how Chen Yi’s group used this energy. If they could imitate them, it would be worth it.
“General K, should we help those people?”
A female colonel stepped forward.
“Their abilities could really help us fight the zombies.”
“Wait a little longer.”
General K snuffed out his cigarette with a sneer.
“Now is not the time to act rashly. I suspect someone is even more desperate than us to resolve this.”