As Lu Zhuoyan's words fell, the entire monitoring room plunged into a dead silence. Everyone was too shocked by the news to speak.
But then, everyone's faces instantly darkened. If what Lu Zhuoyan said was true, it meant that there were pathogens lurking near their bases, poised to erupt, and no one could predict when they would escalate into a disaster.
Mao Wudi's face was ashen. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared,
"Wan Youyu is trying to destroy everyone! Damn it, when I get back, I'm going to wipe out the entire Brothers Alliance!"
Tie Zhenshan's face was equally grim. He said coldly, "This matter is no small thing. We must stop Wan Youyu immediately. Otherwise, once the pathogens fully erupt, few bases will be able to withstand this disaster!"
Rou Moyu also frowned deeply. She asked softly, "Leader Lu, are the people who were captured still alive? Were they brought here?"
Lu Zhuoyan nodded, saying in a deep voice,
"They're still alive. That's what delayed me. They hadn't had time to deploy the soon-to-erupt pathogens in my base before I caught them, so I brought both the people and those pathogens with me. They're outside the base now, being watched by Brother Zuo's men!"
Luo Tianyu was completely stunned. What he feared most had come true—someone was maliciously 'planting bombs.' Would their Sunshine Base also have 'bombs' planted?
Zuo Feng pondered for a moment, then looked at the other leaders and said,
"Leaders, let's go to the entrance first to see the captured people and the situation with the pathogens.
We must quickly figure out what technology Wan Youyu has mastered and what he's trying to do!
As for these two-headed, six-slash zombies, I'll tell you more about them when we get back."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious, and they all stood up.
The heavy atmosphere in the monitoring room seemed to materialize, pressing down on everyone's hearts.
Zuo Feng was the first to step forward, his pace steady but with an imperceptible urgency. The other leaders followed closely, exiting one by one.
The light in the corridor was brighter than in the monitoring room, but the cold metal walls and flashing emergency lights still exuded a tension and oppression unique to the apocalypse.
Footsteps echoed in the empty passage, accompanied by the leaders' suppressed breathing and low conversations.
"Wan Youyu is a madman; he wants to drag everyone down with him! If it's really him, I'll kill him!"
Mao Wudi's voice was filled with suppressed rage, his fists clenching audibly.
"The most urgent task is to figure out the exact locations and methods of his pathogen deployment."
Tie Zhenshan's voice was deep and calm, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's.
"Also, the acceleration method he's mastered—we must silence everyone who knows about it."
Rou Moyu said nothing, only frowning deeply, her beautiful eyes filled with killing intent, her fingers unconsciously stroking the corner of her clothes.
As a carrier, she wished more than anyone to develop an antidote, and now, with the added threat of malicious deployment, this Wan Youyu truly deserved to die.
Luo Tianyu's face was pale, his steps a little unsteady. Sunshine Base was already lacking in strength; if it were also 'bombed,' the consequences would be unimaginable.
He couldn't help but confirm again, "Leader Lu, the people you caught... did they definitely say 'all bases'?"
Lu Zhuoyan, walking beside Zuo Feng, nodded affirmatively, a cold glint in his eyes:
"Absolutely true. They confessed that Wan Youyu's goal is as many bases as possible; he won't spare any that he knows of. Sunshine Base... will probably not be spared either."
Luo Tianyu swayed, almost losing his balance, and was quickly steadied by Lu Zhuoyan.
He opened his mouth but no sound came out, only eyes filled with terror and despair.
Before long, the group reached the first-floor corridor, and the base's heavy alloy gate appeared at the end of the hallway.
At the entrance, several elite Firefly Base warriors were strictly guarding several people who were tightly bound, looking listless or terrified. Behind them were three box trucks, from which continuous low growls emanated, chilling to the bone, as if countless beasts were struggling and roaring in the darkness.
Zuo Feng's face was so grim it could drip water. He walked up to a captive, squatted down, and his cold eyes stared directly into the other's terrified ones:
"Speak, whose man are you, and what exactly is your conspiracy?"
The captive trembled all over, his teeth chattering from Zuo Feng's gaze.
"It's... it's Leader Wan Youyu. He... he told... told us to deploy the soon-to-erupt pathogens in the outer hidden areas of various bases."
"Outer hidden areas?"
Zuo Feng's eyes suddenly turned cold, his voice deep: "Why choose hidden areas?"
The captive swallowed, stammering, "Because... because those areas are usually sparsely populated, and these pathogens will instinctively choose to lie dormant, not... not easily discovered."
Zuo Feng clenched his fist, then asked, "How many were deployed at my Firefly, and where are they located?"
Zuo Feng no longer needed to ask if Firefly had been targeted. The deranged Wan Youyu would not spare any base he could reach, and Firefly Base was naturally among them.
The captive's voice trembled violently.
"I... I... I don't know. Each base has a separate team responsible for deployment. I was only responsible for Huo Yao Base, but each base will have no fewer than three deployment points... The number... depends on the base's strength, but at least 100... For... for... Firefly's strength, there will be at least five deployment points, with no fewer than 200 pathogens at each point."
"Five deployment points, 200 at each..."
Zuo Feng repeated in a low voice, his fists clenching audibly. That meant at least 1,000. Once they erupted, even with the seven-vertical-slash Silly Jingjing and Silly Yingying in charge, it would be difficult to ensure the safety of the entire base against 1,000 six-slash zombies.
Rou Moyu's killing intent in her beautiful eyes materialized as she demanded,
"What about Glory of Light, Spear of Victory, and Steel Fortress?"
The captive's eyes were filled with terror, his teeth chattering: "S-sir, I really don't know about other bases! I was only responsible for the outer deployment mission at Huo Yao Base. I truly don't know the specific situations of other bases! Please, spare me!"
His eyes were full of fear, his voice almost breaking.
Luo Tianyu's voice had a tremor in it as he asked hopefully, "What about Sunshine Base? Did you hear if Sunshine Base had pathogens deployed?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed the captive's eyes, then he cried out, "Yes... yes, I heard. Sunshine Base... because it's weaker, only had three deployment points, with about thirty pathogens at each."
Upon hearing this, Luo Tianyu's legs went weak, and he almost fell, his face instantly turning ashen white.
Sunshine Base... indeed, it hadn't escaped this calamity.
His base might not even be able to handle one erupting pathogen, and now he had to face over a hundred!
He clutched his clothes tightly with both hands, his knuckles white, his eyes filled with a painful mixture of despair and anger.