Chapter 39: Substitute for the Savior in the Apocalypse (16)

After listening to what Mu Yin had said, Elder Xiao understood that this matter could not tolerate any selfish intent. “I understand the situation now. However, since the space can only be opened after the zombies are eradicated, would it be possible for the soldiers from our ten major bases to enter beforehand?”

“Of course. Each person can bind one hundred others, and each of those can bring a hundred in at a time. You can make your own arrangements for this. So far, only a contract with me has been established, so there should be ninety-nine slots left,” Mu Yin nodded, explaining the usage as well.

“Thank you, Miss Mu,” Elder Xiao said, expressing his gratitude.

“There’s no need. I’m only doing what I should,” Mu Yin waved her hand. She wasn’t lying—this was her task.

After bidding farewell to Elder Xiao, Mu Yin left the house with Wan Yuanheng, leaving the jade token with Elder Xiao. How he chose to handle it was no longer her concern. She hadn’t learned fortune-telling from cultivators, but she could sense the righteous energy emanating from Elder Xiao, which at least proved his integrity.

Afterward, Mu Yin split her time between cultivating in the spatial realm—bringing others in as needed—and clearing out zombies outside. One day, Wan Yuanheng brought her news: the space could only bind ninety-eight people. He asked if she knew why. Mu Yin wasn’t sure and assumed one slot was taken by Yu Xinling in the past.

It was only when she heard about the collapse of the spatial barrier and the opening of the space that Mu Yin realized what she had overlooked. She had always thought Peng Xi and Peng Hao’s deaths were too simple, as if they were deliberately seeking their own end.

She hadn’t paid much attention at the time, and later hadn’t minded the missing slot for the jade token. In the end, someone else exploited this loophole. Clearly, those parasites possessed the body-snatching ability often found in novels—death simply meant changing bodies. But now was not the time to dwell on that.

“Mu Yin, do you know what to do?” The messenger was Ye Leng, who wanted to consult her about any alternatives.

“There’s no way out. We can only have everyone cultivate as quickly as possible. Before long, the revival of spiritual energy will likely begin.” Mu Yin shook her head. The spatial barrier had already been breached—she was powerless to repair it.

“I see,” Ye Leng replied, sounding rather discouraged.

According to the established pattern, the world’s energy would first be absorbed entirely, then burst forth again. There would be a time lag in between, during which the zombies would lose their energy supply, making it the best opportunity for them to clear out as many as possible. “We should eliminate as many as we can during this window,” Mu Yin said after some thought.

“I understand. I’ll report this immediately.” Ye Leng recognized this as their only chance, bid farewell, and hurried away.

Mu Yin looked down, pondering how to capture those parasites. Then a thought struck her—perhaps they were all possessing members of the Peng family bloodline, since everyone with the parasite’s aura bore that surname.

Realizing this, Mu Yin immediately contacted Wan Yuanheng to investigate the Peng family at Congxia Base. The phone call startled him (electricity was finally restored), but he agreed.

Congxia Base had previously been controlled by Yu Xinling and her group. After their removal, the base was reclaimed, and the most stubborn loyalists dealt with. Reaching out to Congxia Base to investigate the Peng family should have been simple, but a problem arose: communication with Congxia Base was lost. Ever since they’d retaken the base three years ago, communication among the ten major bases had been restored. Now, however, Congxia Base had gone dark.

“What’s happened? Do you know anything about this?” Wan Yuanheng came to Mu Yin as soon as he noticed.

“I had my suspicions, and now they seem confirmed.” Mu Yin explained all her previous doubts.

“Body-snatching?” Wan Yuanheng wanted to accuse her of reading too many novels—after all, lately Mu Yin had done little besides cultivating, fighting zombies, and reading. But with zombies and spiritual energy revival already a reality, body-snatching didn’t seem so far-fetched.

“So what do we do now?”

“Report it to the higher-ups. Their numbers shouldn’t be large, so there’s no need to worry too much.” Mu Yin responded, though she had already decided to go to Congxia Base herself and eradicate the parasites, ensuring their utter destruction this time.

Three years had passed, and with the help of spiritual energy in the space, Mu Yin’s physical cultivation had already reached level eight. She’d once trained to level nine, and now her progress was even faster, making her among the quickest of all. Her supernatural abilities, however, showed little improvement—everyone assumed her powers were simply too extraordinary to evolve further.

Mu Yin remained silent on the subject. After her abilities evolved, ordinary spiritual energy was nearly useless for further advancement; it could only help her recover, not increase her level. She felt completely bound by these tasks, but fortunately, she could manipulate time—otherwise, everything would be hopelessly delayed.

So, a few days later, Mu Yin left Shanghang City alone and headed to Congxia Base. Although Wan Yuanheng reported the situation and the authorities quickly decided to resolve the issue and prepare for the impending energy depletion—seeing it as a prime opportunity for a decisive counterattack—their actions required mobilizing troops, nothing as swift or simple as Mu Yin’s solo operation. By the time Wan Yuanheng came looking for her, he learned she’d already left, and it wasn’t hard to guess where she’d gone.

Consequently, the forces swiftly regrouped and set out. But with current road conditions and the size of their deployment, it took five or six days to reach Congxia Base. When they arrived, the base was unrecognizable.

Mu Yin had commandeered a motorcycle, racing past obstacles and attacking vines. In just one day, she reached Congxia Base, and it didn’t take long to discover that the leadership had all become Peng family parasites. Without hesitation, she struck.

The parasites were formidable, especially since they’d also acquired physical cultivation. Though there were only about ten of them, facing so many alone was still a challenge for Mu Yin.

But this time, she’d come fully prepared—with every negative buff, gravity-increasing debuff, and, of course, enhancements for her own speed and strength. Every trick she’d learned from novels she put into practice, now wielding them with more skill than ever before.