Chapter 167: When Paths Cross

Wujue and his companions landed outside the suburbs of Changjing City in advance and rendezvoused with a group of organization members who had gathered there.

Most of these individuals were survivors from the Shaanxi-Qin region who were already familiar with the local conditions. After being recruited by the organization, they became the main force fighting against the Heavenly Punishment Clan and the zombies.

Wujue and the others met up with them and began exchanging intelligence. The captain of this squad, Liang Cheng, was formerly a security team leader with military experience. He had quickly adapted to the post-apocalyptic environment.

He received Plum Blossom and the others, and reported the current situation. He mentioned that a large portion of the zombies that had previously occupied Shaanxi-Qin Province had significantly diminished over the past two weeks. The Heavenly Punishment Clan seemed to be retreating, and their legion commander, a fellow named Rada, was exceptionally cunning.

It was said that this man excelled at gathering intelligence and had managed to escape unscathed on numerous occasions after clashing with top-tier experts from the organization.

Liang Cheng warned everyone to be extremely vigilant against the infiltration squad surrounding Rada. These creatures were all virus-infected insects, highly concealed and nearly impossible to detect.

"What about the Mausoleum of the First Emperor?" Having traveled this far through countless hardships, this was Wujue's primary concern.

Liang Cheng unfolded a map and began to explain: "As you know, the Mausoleum of the First Emperor was originally a state-protected cultural heritage site and has always been under strict protection. The entire complex is located within Xianyang City, covering an area of more than sixty square kilometers, with the main hall alone taking up over twenty square kilometers."

"The core area has always been tightly guarded. Only some of the surrounding burial palaces have been excavated, and the most famous terracotta warriors were discovered right there."

Following Liang Cheng's introduction, everyone gained a deeper understanding.

This mysterious underground palace was constructed according to the layout of ancient Xianyang City. It possessed ten city gates, with the east, west, and north sides leading to the tomb chambers, while the main city was situated on the south side, representing the most mysterious sector of all.

It was said that after the apocalypse arrived, the Heavenly Punishment Clan had manipulated zombies to constantly dig toward those areas. So far, portions of the underground palace had been exposed to the surface.

Strangely enough, as time went on, those zombies seemed to fear something within the palace, halting their advance just as they approached the perimeter of the main city.

Later on, after the Heavenly Punishment Clan suffered defeats and their influence on Earth began to wane, fewer and fewer zombies came to harass the site.

It was only recently that they seemed to be stirring once again, attempting to scheme against the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

"It seems the enemy can no longer wait either," Wujue smiled. "This means the Heavenly Punishment Clan is truly at the end of their rope. Let us strike with a single momentum, accomplish our feat in one decisive battle, and deal the Heavenly Punishment Clan a crippling blow."

Next came the assignment of personnel. Wujue and Plum Blossom reached a remarkably unanimous decision: they would dispatch two squads to the east and west sides to probe and launch feint attacks, while they themselves would gather the main force with Wujue, entering from the north to press directly upon the southern main city.

At the same time, a few people were left behind to wait for the arrival of Huron and Ryan to serve as backup.

After the assignments were completed, Liang Cheng instructed his accompanying personnel to form teams. Two separate squads totaling sixteen members were dispatched first.

Everyone carried wireless walkie-talkies to maintain contact. Wujue and Plum Blossom waited quietly in place for news, both harboring a distinct premonition in their hearts.

That was, General Rada, whom they had never met, was likely already lying in ambush right here.

Time ticked away second by second. Fifteen minutes later, messages came in successively from both flanks reporting no encounters with the enemy thus far. They were advancing toward the agreed rendezvous point and requesting further instructions.

Plum Blossom, however, frowned and said, "This doesn't feel quite right. Should we wait a little longer?"

Anyi retorted, "What is there to wait for? Wouldn't it be better to just charge straight in?"

Wujue, however, said, "The atmosphere is wrong. It's always unnaturally quiet before a storm. We'd better have them fall back."

Just as Plum Blossom was about to nod, a piercing screech echoed from the walkie-talkie: "Who's there? Ah, stay back! I'm firing!"

A flurry of gunshots rang out, followed abruptly by a harsh, grating sound of static over the walkie-talkie, as if it had been dropped onto the ground, after which it became impossible to discern what was happening over there.

"Rada must have mobilized his forces. We have to strike now." Without another word, Plum Blossom drew the treasured sword from her back and rushed out to take the lead.

The three on Wujue's side were not to be outdone. Xiao Han was the first to charge forward, moving at a speed nearly matching Red Rose's. He shot to the front, vanishing from sight.

Vajra Hero let out a mighty roar from behind, shouting, "Watch me clear the path!"

He leaped high into the air, somersaulted headfirst downward, and slammed heavily into the ground. A massive fissure instantly split open ahead, and zombies pouring in from all directions tumbled straight down into the deep trench.

Princess Anyi took the vanguard, flying forward with fists and kicks flying, making quick work of the disruptive zombies one by one.

Wujue and Plum Blossom advanced side by side. At this moment, it was imperative to locate Rada as quickly as possible to halt his next move, and they took the lead in entering the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

After a rapid sprint, the group heard Xiao Han shouting from ahead, "What a formidable fellow! He's actually not afraid of my mirror light."

With a loud crash, someone was blasted backward. It was Xiao Han, whose figure flashed like cold light among the crowd, and before anyone could react, he dashed forward again like a flying arrow.

Wujue lunged forward, grabbed Xiao Han, and shouted, "Give me a ride!"

Xiao Han deftly grabbed Wujue, pushing his lightness kung fu to its absolute limit, and the two of them bolted forward like lightning. Moving at breakneck speed all the way, they finally reached the northern entrance of the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

There, they found a row of ferocious-looking zombies engaged in a fierce battle with Red Rose and the others. These were low-level warriors controlled by the Heavenly Punishment Clan who had ambushed them.

"Despicable wretches, watch how I deal with you." Xiao Han released his grip and prepared to charge forward, but Wujue pulled him back, saying, "Don't be too reckless. Who knocked you back just now?"

Xiao Han pointed into the horde of zombies toward an elusively moving figure—a zombie clad in heavy armor who was currently directing the troops to crush Liang Cheng's squad members.

It seemed this must be General Rada. Wujue cast a rapid glance and deduced that, much like Gumu, Rada belonged to the mecha-type warrior category, though his underlying armor differed somewhat.

Thus, he and Xiao Han separated to encircle the enemy from both flanks. At that exact moment, Red Rose and Liang Cheng were jointly attacking the zombie horde. Red Rose now wielded a powerful crossbow, and coordinating with Liang Cheng's machine gun, they successively blew up several zombies.

The crossbow bolts in her hand appeared somewhat unusual; they should have been specialized tips containing explosives, similar to Gao Lin's.

As two more zombies fell, the distant General Rada suddenly patted the shoulders of his two subordinates standing before him. Instantly, an ultra-powerful blast of fierce wind surged outward, howling as it slammed toward Red Rose.

It was this very whirlwind that had previously blown Xiao Han flying. He was about to rush forward to offer assistance, but Wujue beat him to it, stepping close and firing a shot.

The bullet spun through the air, hurtling toward Red Rose. Almost simultaneously, she released a crossbow bolt, but the moment the tip encountered the violent wind unleashed by Rada, it disintegrated instantly and exploded right in mid-air.

Fortunately, Wujue intervened in time. The bullet, imbued with the power of the green crystal, neutralized the explosive force directly in mid-air, granting Red Rose a chance to escape.

Taking advantage of the temporary stalemate, Wujue executed a few rapid leaps and plunged into the thick of the battle, coming face-to-face with the zombie leader, General Rada.

The opponent was currently clad in scarlet-yellow armor, possessing the physique of a robust man. Seeing Wujue launch a sudden attack, his eyes burned with intense focus as he scrutinized the green crystal in Wujue's hand.

"Are you Wujue?" Rada asked in fairly fluent Huaxia Chinese, then shoved aside his surrounding subordinates and lunged straight toward Wujue.

Wujue raised his pistol and fired unhesitatingly: "That's right, you've got a good eye."

With a loud bang, the moment the bullet was fired, Rada actually yanked a nearby zombie over to act as a human shield, then dropped to the ground and detoured around the side.

Wujue was astonished to find that Rada's speed was extraordinary, seemingly not that of a strength-type expert like Gumu. He rapidly shifted his state, the vital energy within his body surging in threads. In a split second, his bones underwent a mutation, and half of his body was enveloped in ice mecha.

Just as his physique expanded violently, Rada spotted an opening and launched a frenzied attack against him, thrusting a sharp spear forward with its tip aiming straight for Wujue's throat.

What a sinister move! Wujue waved his right arm, and a snowy-white shield instantly condensed upon it, blocking the opponent's spear back with a sharp clang.

Yet, out of nowhere, a cracking sound was heard, and Rada's spear actually snapped in half upon impact. Wujue thought to himself that it couldn't possibly be that fragile.

Suddenly, he noticed that the broken shaft of the spear had transformed into countless yellow dots, fluttering and dancing all over the sky.

Damn it, they were all tiny bugs clustering together! It seemed this was Rada's method: venomous insect attacks.

Wujue had no choice but to swing his palm in counterattack, roaring palm winds whipping up a fierce gale that blew all the incoming venomous insects completely away.