Several days later, on the main road in front of the Base City gates, a man, disheveled and pale, staggered forward, each step requiring immense effort.

"Help—"

Qian Yun struggled to lift his head, gazing at the Base City so near, a glimmer of hope igniting in his vacant eyes. His dry, cracked lips parted slightly, attempting to utter a hoarse sound.

"Halt! Stay back!"

Seeing a filthy human, resembling a zombie, approach, the sentry at the gate immediately grew alert.

In an instant, many soldiers raised their rifles, aiming at Qian Yun, their expressions tense.

Unexpectedly, just as the soldier's warning ended, Qian Yun, who was about to plead for rescue, could no longer hold on and collapsed powerlessly to the ground, fainting.

The sentry soldiers, witnessing this, were startled but dared not make any rash moves.

After all, no one could tell if the person was truly human or an Evolved Zombie in disguise.

After some deliberation, two soldiers bearing shields stepped out from the crowd, cautiously approaching Qian Yun.

The soldiers behind them firmly gripped their rifles, keeping them aimed at Qian Yun on the ground, ready to fire at the slightest sign of anomaly.

A moment later, as the two soldiers neared Qian Yun, prepared to examine him, their expressions changed.

"This attire, combat suit... he's from the Evolutionary Squad, quick, get him inside!"

The next day.

Qian Yun, who had been in a deep sleep for a day, struggled to open his eyes. Seeing the clean ceiling above, he immediately realized he had been rescued.

He remembered losing consciousness near the Base City gates, likely brought in by those soldiers.

"He's awake! Qian Yun is awake!"

Suddenly, a voice of surprise came from beside the bed.

Upon hearing this, Qian Yun turned his gaze towards the sound, surprised to find himself surrounded by the Base City's top officials, everyone watching him with joy on their faces.

"Supreme Commander..."

Upon seeing the Supreme Commander standing in the middle, Qian Yun's pupils contracted, instinctively attempting to stand and salute, ready to report the incident.

However, the pain and weakness in his body made it impossible to complete his movements; even speaking too quickly would cause his throat to ache.

"Qian Yun, don't get excited, take it slow, we're in no rush... Tell me, what happened to the others?"

The Supreme Commander hastily stopped Qian Yun, offering a few words of comfort before asking with concern.

This time, three Evolutionary Squads were dispatched, and so far, only Qian Yun had returned, and even he was in poor shape, clearly having endured many hardships.

Clearly, something major happened when the three Evolutionary Squads entered the Jiangnan City District.

Upon hearing the Supreme Commander's question about the others, Qian Yun felt as if struck by lightning, his heart sinking to the depths.

What happened to the others?

Obviously, it seemed he was the only one who had returned to the Base City.

Realizing his fears were true, Qian Yun felt a pang as if stabbed in the heart, unable to believe that the captain and others hadn't escaped.

After a brief silence, Qian Yun, with a face full of sorrow, trembled as he spoke each word: "The others... have all perished."

"What?"

Everyone present was shocked, their expressions changing drastically.

"How could this be? Captain Wang and the others are quite capable, even measured against the entire Base City. Moreover, with three Evolutionary Squads together, the risk should have been low."

"There must have been an unforeseen incident. Ordinarily, neither Evolvers nor zombies could possibly overwhelm three squads, let alone wipe them out, leaving just one survivor!"

"Anyone who dares to harm the people of Base City cannot be forgiven!"

"Is this mysterious girl so powerful? Or does she have some unknown force behind her? Otherwise, how could only one person make it back?"

"Indeed, in this matter..."

"..."

People were shocked, unable to suppress a flurry of discussions.

Though seeing Qian Yun's condition led them to speculate that the three Evolutionary Squads had encountered trouble, and perhaps suffered considerable losses prompting Qian Yun's desperate return, they never imagined that nearly all fifteen of the squad's powerful Evolvers were wiped out.

These were not just disorganized individuals but three fully armed Evolutionary Squads capable of coordinated combat. What sort of enemy could reduce them to this state?

The Supreme Commander wore a grim expression. The mission for the three Evolutionary Squads was to capture that mysterious girl in the Jiangnan City District.

How formidable must she be to inflict such significant losses on the Evolutionary Squads?

Third-tier, fourth-tier?

Or does she perhaps have vast forces behind her?

"Qian Yun, what exactly happened? Wasn't your mission to capture that Evolver girl? Is she really powerful enough to do this to you?"

Beside the Supreme Commander stood a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, who frowned as he pressed for answers.

This slightly overweight middle-aged man was the Deputy Commander, named Zheng Yu, responsible for the city defense of the Base City, a high-ranking military officer, and the Supreme Commander's right-hand man in military affairs.

Upon hearing Deputy Commander Zheng's inquiry, everyone present turned their gaze simultaneously towards Qian Yun, also feeling this was a point of confusion.

Could the girl truly have the capability to destroy three powerful Evolutionary Squads?

If so, the Base City must heighten its vigilance.

A force hidden around the Base City like this poses a definite threat to its safety and should be eliminated swiftly.

"Leaders, there is indeed a Corpse King in the Jiangnan City District... along with fourth-tier zombies... That mysterious girl is very likely the Corpse King... and Demon Vine attacks humans!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Yun shook his head lightly, each sentence followed by a gasp, eyes filled with a mix of hatred and fear when he mentioned the Corpse King.

With fifteen people embarking and only one returning, the rest brutally slaughtered by the Corpse King, no wonder hatred filled his heart.

However, the Corpse King was terrifyingly strong, especially with the evolved zombies under his command. Whether erecting towering walls, launching enormous fireballs, or even the one that nearly crushed him, their strength was overwhelmingly terrifying.

In Qian Yun's view, a third-tier evolved zombie couldn't possibly be so dreadful, undoubtedly making them fourth-tier zombies.

After learning this, the Supreme Commander's face showed a look of shock.

Corpse King?

They hadn't expected there truly to be a Corpse King in the Jiangnan City District?

This discovery was undoubtedly a disaster for the Base City.

With fourth-tier evolved zombies, no wonder Wang Lei and the others met their doom.

Against such terrifying beings, even three Evolutionary Squads couldn't hope to stand a chance...

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