A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 411 The Undead Army Returns

There were still some scattered orcs nearby, who were packing up to go home when they heard screams coming from not far away and panicked.

"what's going on?"

"Look! Old Bear Head is gone! Ah—there's blood everywhere!"

"Run!"

Before they could react, rotting skeletal zombies burst from the ground, their bony claws gripping their ankles and tearing them apart as they dragged them into the earth!
As darkness fell, the crimson sunset on the horizon made the tragic scene even more horrifying.

In just one night, these resurrected zombies spread like wildfire, sweeping from the border into the interior with overwhelming force.

At this rate, it could completely breach the imperial city's defenses in as little as half a month.

Shen Tang was awakened in the middle of the night by an urgent military intelligence report. His face instantly turned ashen, and he immediately summoned all civil and military officials for a meeting that night.

She never expected that the rebels, driven to the brink of desperation, would resort to this tactic again!
In fact, she had long been worried about this situation and had been on guard against the rebels using the zombie army again. But for so long, the enemy had only been making small-scale attacks, which made the people of the empire, including Shen Tang, gradually lower their guard, thinking that they would wait until the country's strength had recovered before annihilating them in one fell swoop.

This sudden blow was like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads, causing everyone present to plummet from the clouds to the abyss.

Recalling the devastating casualties caused by the zombie army last time, with tens of thousands of civilians dying tragically, Shen Tang felt her vision go black, her heart clench, and her blood run cold.

Shen Tang urgently asked the system in his mind, "The rebels have been silent for so long, why have they suddenly released an army of zombies again?"

"While the undead army is formidable, besides their short lifespan, they are also limited by the seasons," the system quickly analyzed. "During the harsh winter, the frozen ground hardens, and heavy snow blocks the mountains, slowing their movements and hindering their large-scale attacks and reproduction. This is why the rebels have remained inactive, allowing us to lower our guard."

[Now that winter has passed and spring has arrived, all things are reviving, and it's the season when the undead are most active.] The system's voice grew increasingly solemn. [Add to that the large number of corpses accumulated during the winter's war... Good heavens, host! This is simply the perfect breeding ground for an army of undead! I have a feeling that the scale of the undead this time will far exceed that of the last time!]

Even the system was terrified. [Host, the horror of this zombie army is likely beyond our imagination. The rebels intend to completely annihilate us this time!]

Shen Tang slumped back into her seat, pressing her temples, her head throbbing with pain.

The empire had finally recovered and was just about to get back on track, but at this critical juncture—was fate deliberately working against it?!
At this point, the officials below were also in a complete uproar.

The military commander supported the rapid mobilization of a large army, dispatching troops to fight against the undead legion and block their route to attack the imperial city.

Many conservatives also believe that the zombie army is coming on strong and is different from ordinary armies. These zombies can reproduce without limit. As long as one zombie escapes, it can quickly infect a new zombie army. The idea of ​​completely blocking them is too idealistic and simply unrealistic!
There are also some pessimists. The empire suffered heavy casualties in the last war, and the forces it can muster in a short time are only half of its former peak strength. Yet it is going to fight against an even more powerful zombie army. This is simply wishful thinking!
They proposed using the same method as before: a full-scale evacuation, followed by a fire attack on the city to burn the living corpses to death!
However, this would mean that the empire would have to give up large swathes of territory once again.

The last time we besieged the city and burned the zombie army, it was a desperate measure taken when all else failed.

The result is that the former imperial city will become barren and desolate within a few years, no longer suitable for orcs to live in.

Shen Tang immediately retorted, absolutely disagreeing.

Even if we use the same trick again this time and manage to defeat the zombie army, what about next time?

Burning is only a last resort and never a cure.

The rebels will only think the Empire is weaker, and they'll just launch another zombie army if necessary.

If once doesn't work, try twice; if twice doesn't work, try three times!
With each relentless pressure, the empire's territory will be eroded inch by inch, until it is forced into a corner to eke out a living and is ultimately swallowed up!
Moreover, for the sake of the empire's reconstruction, the entire empire repaired city walls, rebuilt houses, and cultivated fertile land...

The people have poured so much effort and hope into this.

To make them leave their homes and flee again, to destroy their hard work, isn't that just making them give up hope?

This time, Shen Tang was determined to fight to the death and not retreat.

Most of the ministers and officials also agreed that they would never retreat, for the orcs have always been brave and warlike!
Retreating again and again will only embolden the rebels.

If it's war, then let's fight!
Shen Tang immediately ordered the army to be assembled and the northern defenses strengthened in preparation for a direct confrontation with the zombies.

After their last encounter with the undead army, the Empire also developed some effective tactics.

Engaging in close combat with them is not only useless, but also easily leads to scratches and infections.

Therefore, this time, the army switched to using medium- and long-range weapons, with headshots and burning being the most effective, which could cause considerable damage to the zombies.

Unfortunately, the empire can only mobilize half the troops it had last time. If it had more men, it might have been able to put up a fight.

The only good news is that, compared to last time, the Empire now has three more Tier 10 orcs—Xue Yinzhou, Lu Xiao, and Qiu Yang, who was captured to work and atone for his sins.

Xue Yinzhou needs no introduction; his devouring ability is just as deadly to living corpses.

Back when he was at the ninth rank, he could single-handedly wipe out tens of thousands of undead. Now, having reached the tenth rank, his strength is even greater, and he can single-handedly annihilate an army of tens of thousands of undead. Lu Xiao is a flying-type orc, and his special ability is wind-based offensive power, making him particularly suitable for high-altitude long-range strikes. His attacks are precise, and his harvesting efficiency is extremely high.

Qiu Yang is not a pure-blooded nine-tailed fox and does not possess the Flame of Destruction, but his foxfire is still very powerful and can inflict significant damage on living corpses!
Xiao Jin has not yet advanced to the tenth rank, but he is at the peak of the ninth rank. He is brave and good at fighting, and can fight against opponents of higher ranks. He can easily take on a thousand enemies on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, he was a melee fighter and not suited to fight zombies head-on. In addition, Shen Tang was not very confident in Qiu Yang, so he arranged for Xiao Jin to be the commander-in-chief and Qiu Yang to be the deputy commander, leading the same army together.

Shen Tang ordered each of them to lead a unit to hold the front line and prevent the zombie army from continuing to expand.

Upon hearing of the turmoil in the Night Glow Empire, the Yi Yuan Empire immediately dispatched a powerful force to provide assistance.

This time, Shen Tang did not refuse. She was not a pretentious person. Her personal feelings with Shen Li were personal feelings, and her business was business.

She no longer wanted to have anything to do with him, but she wasn't stupid either; the Night Glow Empire desperately needed outside assistance.

The reason I refused before was because I couldn't figure out the other person's intentions and was afraid to accept the kindness of a stranger.

Shen Li is cunning, but judging from these few encounters, he probably has no interest in the territory of the Night Glow Empire. Otherwise, he would have detained her when she ventured into the territory of the Yi Yuan Empire last time.

The Cloud Empire also sent an army to provide support.

Jialan also specifically contacted his mother.

Although the Sea Kingdom's army could not conduct large-scale inland operations, it was still a powerful external force. Moreover, the Sea Kingdom was rich in resources and provided a large amount of logistical supplies, providing solid support for the front lines.

This time, the Night Glow Empire was no longer fighting alone.

With stronger combat power and the support of so many allies, the chances of victory have increased significantly.

Shen Tang felt a little more at ease, but it would still take some time for reinforcements to arrive.

The zombie army is not an easy opponent. Even if reinforcements arrive, can we really win this battle?
Even if they manage to win in the end, they will definitely pay a heavy price.

The Nightfall Empire has only just begun to recover, and this battle will likely cripple it once again.

At that time, people will be in a state of panic and the morale of the army will waver. Just stabilizing the situation will be a challenge.

Worse still, if the rebels seize the opportunity to stab us in the back again, then we're truly doomed.

Although the Cloud Empire and the Sea Kingdom sent reinforcements, their assistance was ultimately limited.

Ultimately, the relationship between countries is based on interests. They may fight side by side today, but they may turn their backs on each other tomorrow.

Shen Tang dared not place all her hopes on others.

"System," Shen Tang rubbed his temples, his voice weary, "Is there really no way to deal with this damned zombie army all at once?"

The system thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Actually, there is another way to eliminate this army of undead, a way that can guarantee their complete annihilation."

"Why didn't you say so sooner? You had this idea!"

"The solution is there, but if the host can't do it, it's useless even if I tell you." The system said innocently, pursing its lips. "I detected that these zombies were likely cultivated using a special kind of blood. The zombie army's breeding logic is to first cultivate a zombie mother, and then use the mother to infect more zombies. In this way, an invincible zombie army can be quickly cultivated in a short period of time."

If the zombie mother could be killed before the infection, the formation of the legion could be stopped, but now that the legion has formed, it's too late.

"Then... is it still useful to kill that zombie mother now?" Shen Tang asked with a somber expression.

"No, the mother has already completed her infection and reproduction. Even if we kill her now, the infected zombies will continue to multiply," the system explained. "However, the mother's reproductive ability is the strongest. Killing her can slow down the spread of the zombie army to some extent... Unfortunately, the mother might be hiding within the zombie army, or she might have been taken back by the mastermind. Besides, there are too many zombies, and I can't possibly investigate each one to identify which one is the mother. This method doesn't seem very useful at the moment."

"So what's your solution?"

[Host, the true mastermind behind the zombie army is the one who cultivates the zombies!]

The system warned, "The key lies in his blood; it will cause these zombies to mutate."

Therefore, theoretically, as long as the host can successfully obtain his blood and spend a large amount of points on data analysis, the system can produce the corresponding serum!

Just as Shen Tang's hope began to rise, it was doused with a bucket of cold water. Now she finally understood why the damn system hadn't said anything before!
If she guessed correctly, this bizarre army of undead was created by Necro, the legendary first commander of the rebels.

This man is a true leader of the rebels, with unpredictable and formidable strength, inspiring fear in all who hear of him.

Where is she going to get his blood?!
This chapter has a bit more plot, so it's already 3,000 words long. I'll make the next one 3,000 words too, and include that as an extra chapter.