Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 116 "Don't rush." ​​(5.4k)

After the two entered, Su Xun looked up and glanced at them, but his hands didn't stop. He wrote a few lines on a document and then handed it to Jiang Yi.

"Send this to Commander Qin, and then you can go home and get some sleep before you start working again today."

Jiang Yi glanced at the documents in her hand, nodded, and turned to leave.

After letting them leave, Su Xun turned to look at the two people who had just entered.

Both of them had changed into clean and tidy clothes and had rested. Their injuries had also been properly treated. However, the girl named Chi Xiaoyun still looked very weak and was hiding behind Han Zhong with her head down.

Su Xun remained seated behind his desk, gesturing to the two chairs opposite him: "Please sit down. I heard you have something to report to me?"

While Su Xun was watching the two of them, Han Zhong was also observing the commander-in-chief in front of him. They had gone through countless hardships, and when they finally arrived at this office and saw the person they wanted to see, Han Zhong did not feel surprised, but rather had a sense of unreality, as if he were in a dream.

"You...you are really Commander Su? I've seen your picture..."

"Doesn't it look like it? Maybe. I was definitely not in as good spirits as I am now when this photo was taken."

Mental state really affects a person's appearance. When he said this, Su Xun raised his hand and touched his hair. After he entered the extraordinary realm, he felt that his hair should have turned a lot blacker, but Jiang Yi said that it was just his illusion.

This girl is great in every way, except that she can be a bit too blunt sometimes.

“If I weren’t real, you wouldn’t have seen the real me.” Su Xun smiled. “But I am indeed Su Xun, Su as in awakening and Xun as in searching. If you find any problems, just tell me.”

Upon hearing this, Han Zhong hesitated, then stood up from his chair. His lips trembled, as if he was worried about something, but in the end, as if he had made a great decision, he finally spoke.

"Commander-in-Chief, I beg you, please save Haizhou!"

"Please...please believe me, Haizhou is under control now. They're not human, they're zombies!"

Su Xun raised an eyebrow, looked at Han Zhong who was choking up a little, and nodded, saying, "I understand. Sit down and talk first, don't rush."

Su Xun's overly calm reaction left Han Zhong bewildered, and then a look of fear appeared on his face: "Commander-in-Chief, I'm telling the truth, you have to believe me, please believe me..."

"I didn't say I didn't believe you," Su Xun said gently, reassuringly. "Please sit down and tell me everything you know."

Hearing this, Han Zhong had no choice but to sit down, gripping his knees tightly with both hands. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke: "We started at Shelter 32..."

“I was in charge of releasing the survivors from the isolation room. It was a group of students, one of whom was a girl. She didn’t cry or make a fuss, she just kept spacing out. We didn’t think much of it, which is normal.”

"But soon, many people started to change, to become like that student before..." Han Zhong revealed a trace of fear and lingering dread: "They just sat there, not eating, not talking, not sleeping. Some of our comrades began to feel that there was a problem. They wanted to ask the higher-ups at the shelter for instructions, and wanted to contact other safe zones, but all these efforts failed. The comrades who went to the command post also became like that, dazed!"

“We knew something serious had happened, but at that time there were still many people out of control, and we disagreed on whether to forcefully control the situation or leave the shelter.”

"But then, the zombies appeared..."

"Zombies! Zombies are everywhere! Those zombies that should have been dealt with, that should have been incinerated, have reappeared in the shelter! Led by that female student, they have become exceptionally powerful. We are no match for them at all, and we can only fight our way out!"

The scene seemed to replay before Han Zhong's eyes. Trembling with fear, he said to Su Xun, "After finally fighting our way out of the shelter, we discovered that the outside was also surrounded by zombies..."

Su Xun stood up, took a disposable paper cup, and with just a gentle shake, a cup of hot water appeared inside, still steaming.

This action did not attract Han Zhong's attention, but it made Chi Xiaoyun, who was sitting on the other side, turn her head and stare at the cup, seemingly lost in thought.

"Come on, don't rush. Once we get here, everything will be resolved."

Su Xun patted Han Zhong on the back and handed him the glass of water.

"And then what happened?"

"Later..." Han Zhong's hand holding the water glass trembled, and the fear in his eyes did not lessen, but rather deepened.

"Later, we finally managed to escape from Shelter 32 and planned to go to a neighboring shelter to report the situation, but when we got there, they... they didn't believe what we said. Instead, they wanted to detain us. They said we were deserters and wanted to send us back!"

“I saw it! I saw several high-ranking officers there, all equally stunned. They even sneered at me. They were comrades who risked their lives to get us out of there, telling us we had to get here, we had to find you!”

Han Zhong looked up at Su Xun. He had crumpled the paper cup into a ball, spilling water all over the floor, but he seemed oblivious. "In the end... in the end, it was just the two of us left. We dared not enter any shelters again. Even after escaping Haizhou, we only dared to avoid the various safe zones and travel through the villages and towns... Commander, I'm telling the truth. I'm not a deserter. You must believe me!"

"Of course, I know what you're saying is true." Su Xun patted his shoulder.

"But have you ever considered why you were able to escape under such circumstances?"

Su Xun turned to look at Chi Xiaoyun: "Two ordinary superhumans slipped through the net set up by a zombie king and walked five hundred miles alone in the apocalypse to come to me."

"That seems reasonable, but do you think I would believe it?"

"Commander-in-Chief!" Han Zhong exclaimed anxiously upon hearing this, but Su Xun placed a hand on his shoulder, rendering him unable to move.

"Or do you really think..." Su Xun's ever-present smile gradually turned cold: "Or do you really think you can fool me? Or even succeed directly with me?"

"To be able to project your power this far, you must already be at the fourth level, right? What? Can't even reach the fifth level?"

Han Zhong was completely stunned. He turned to look at Chi Xiaoyun in disbelief, a terrifying suspicion rising in his mind, but he simply couldn't believe it.

“I’ve seen this ability before, but its former owner wasn’t this arrogant. It seems our speculation was correct. After the carrier changes, the strategy also changes. Or perhaps the zombie horde is having some difficulties developing. Are you in a hurry now?”

"No... I don't understand, what does this mean?" Chi Xiaoyun's eyes showed confusion, but the next moment, her eyes blazed with red light! A crimson halo shot out from her body without warning and rushed straight towards Su Xun!
However, something unexpected happened. Su Xun just stood there, neither dodging nor avoiding, as if what was rushing towards him was not an extremely dangerous attack, but just a gentle breeze.

To Han Zhong's horror and confusion, the red light entered Su Xun's body, but it seemed as if nothing had happened.

“Mental parasitism and distorted thinking are indeed abilities that are invincible.”

"But who gave you the confidence to come and deal with me directly? You should have already obtained my intelligence. What, have you misunderstood the willpower of a ninth-tier transcendent? Or do you think I have been reborn, giving you an opportunity to take advantage of me?"

Su Xun chuckled mockingly, “That guy in the north probably wanted to come find me too, so he came to the Taimon base in person, which is understandable. But you dare to attack me with just a parasitic clone? Do all zombie kings this year have this much courage?”

Chi Xiaoyun remained silent, her eyes flashing with an uncertain red light, standing still without making a move.

Su Xun had already let go of her hand, and Han Zhong, who was standing to the side, stood up, looking at the completely unfamiliar Chi Xiaoyun in horror.

The girl who always argued with him, yet always faced danger with him, the girl who nestled in his arms after being injured and asked him if he would abandon her, now doesn't respond to his gaze at all.

"you……"

The moment she spoke, it seemed to break a certain opportunity. Before Han Zhong's voice had even finished, Chi Xiaoyun suddenly rushed towards Su Xun!

The two were not far apart to begin with, and in just a moment, 'Chi Xiaoyun' rushed to the front. She raised her arm, and the unhealed wound on her shoulder was instantly torn open, and the bright red blood stained her thin outer garment in the blink of an eye.

Han Zhong recognized this fighting style. It was an attack method that completely disregarded one's own life and property, a life-for-life exchange. The zombies often attacked in this way. However, at this moment, Chi Xiaoyun's expression seemed even more insane and ferocious!
He instinctively stepped forward, wanting to block Su Xun, but Su Xun grabbed him. The next instant, the other person pounced on him. "Bang!"

Her slender body seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall. Chi Xiaoyun was stunned. She was faced with a scene that she could not understand at all. Su Xun was just half a step away, and there was no barrier between them, but that short half step was like an insurmountable chasm.

A real wall blocked her way. It wasn't hard, but it was like a lump of glue stuck in mid-air, flexible yet impenetrable. Almost at the same time, a tremendous force came from the front, and 'Chi Xiaoyun' immediately understood what was happening.

...It was air! The air carried an almost unshakeable spiritual power, directly hurling it away!

Immediately afterwards, she felt her body gradually losing control, her whole body suspended in mid-air, but she did not continue to fall. Her hands and feet began to feel numb as if frozen. When her limbs completely lost sensation, they began to bend uncontrollably behind her.

Su Xun strolled casually, opened a cabinet door in the office, found two pairs of handcuffs, and casually fastened them to her hands and feet that she had reached behind her back.

With a thud, 'Chi Xiaoyun' landed on the ground, her two handcuffs interlocked, making it difficult for her to exert any force, like a shrimp in a backward-curved position. She struggled for a moment, but found that the two handcuffs were stronger than she had imagined. In fact, behind her unseen back, the two handcuffs were covered with a white light that seemed to be real.

The battle ended faster than Han Zhong had anticipated, but for Su Xun, the result was not unexpected.

No matter how crazy or fierce, the zombie king ultimately relies on the body of a second-tier water-type superhuman who has already been injured once. After its most effective means of attack have failed, all its subsequent actions are nothing more than a futile struggle.

Su Xun stepped forward, squatted down in front of the girl, and tapped her shoulder with his finger. The bloodstains on her shoulder seemed to recede as if flowing backward.

Chi Xiaoyun strained to lift her head, staring coldly at Su Xun, her eyes revealing mockery, disdain, and indifference.

"I'm waiting for the people from the base to arrive. What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for those people you've influenced to take over the broadcasting station?"

These words caused her expression to freeze slightly, then she let out a sneer and a low growl escaped her throat.

It was only at this moment that Han Zhong suddenly realized that the surroundings seemed too quiet. Although the office was located inside a fortress, it shouldn't be completely silent.

When did this start? It seems this phenomenon began the moment the two of them walked in. Did this commander-in-chief see through the problem at first glance?!
Soon, he felt the tranquility shattered, as if the silence had been suddenly lifted, and a cacophony of sounds returned to the room like a tidal wave. Faintly, he could hear the incessant blaring of alarms outside the fortress.

Hearing this, Su Xun smiled and said, "Affecting the sound is actually quite simple. Didn't expect that, did you? You can neither hold me back nor achieve your goal."

Chi Xiaoyun's consistently cold expression finally broke. She glared fiercely at Su Xun, squeezing out a hoarse and strange tone—the voice of another being: "Old humans who have given up on evolution, pathetic wretch! You really think you can stop the great world? Then come on! I'll make you pay the price!"

Su Xun flicked her finger on her forehead with a thud and sneered, "A bunch of losers on the path to transcendence, do you really think you're some kind of new human? This is indeed a great era, but unfortunately, it doesn't belong to you."

"Don't worry, I will go. You'd better wait patiently in Haizhou until I twist your head off, until I wipe out all the zombies in that land, and until I dig up the very foundation of your existence."

At this point, Su Xun chuckled again: "Oh, you haven't even reached the fifth rank yet, so you wouldn't understand even if I told you this. You probably really think you're just a gifted new human, right?"

"Oh!"

The door was suddenly kicked open, and Qin Chang rushed in first, followed by the guards, all fully armed. As soon as they entered, they pointed their guns at Han Zhong and Chi Xiaoyun.

Jiang Yi followed behind these people, and when she saw Su Xun looking relaxed, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Su, are you alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Su Xun glanced at Qin Chang helplessly. "Why do you also like calling me that now?"

Qin Chang did not respond to the question, but earnestly said, "Commander-in-Chief, you should still take a guard platoon with you, otherwise we will really be worried about the people in the base."

"..." Su Xun sighed, thinking to himself that if a whole platoon of guards were really sent over, it would be hard to say who would protect whom.

“Alright, let’s do this: I’ll bring back that guy named Yin Danyi from Haiqu and enroll him. Then we’ll pick a group of superhumans from the army and rotate them here to train them. If they want to be guards, let them be.”

Qin Chang's eyes lit up: "No problem, this is a good idea!"

"Is everything alright at the broadcasting station?"

"Yes, the first thing I did after receiving the message was to order everyone to stay away from the broadcasting equipment. There were indeed a few people who tried to get close, and after being caught, they even tried to commit suicide. They have been brought under control."

While Su Xun was talking to Qin Chang, his other hand suddenly landed on Chi Xiaoyun's head, the movement abruptly like swatting a mosquito. The next moment, the girl let out a scream and began to struggle and convulse violently.

Everyone was caught off guard by Su Xun's actions. Several soldiers instinctively took a step forward, but Su Xun waved his hand, indicating that they could rest assured.

"Get someone from the base hospital...don't get a military doctor."

After saying this, Su Xun's eyes narrowed, and a tangible halo appeared in his eyes. Many people present were seeing Su Xun display his strength for the first time, and they were all focused on it. However, after seeing that halo, they instantly felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Ignoring the situation of others, Su Xun gently pulled his hand back, and with his movement, a blood-red light slowly rose from Chi Xiaoyun's forehead.

When the light completely left Chi Xiaoyun, the girl's eyes were closed, her struggles ceased, and she lay there unconscious.

"What a pity. I thought it would send more power this way after hanging it for so long." Su Xun was somewhat disappointed. He casually crushed the red ball of light and sneered, "Looks like it's not completely stupid after all."

Seeing Su Xun's actions, a glimmer of hope appeared in Han Zhong's eyes: "Commander-in-Chief, is there...is there any hope for her?"

Su Xun nodded, knowing that he was particularly worried about the girl's safety, and reassured her, "Don't worry, she's just being parasitized. And to prevent it from being discovered too early, the spiritual power parasitizing her mind has been dormant. It probably only took over her body completely after arriving at the Taimon base, or even before entering this room."

Su Xun stroked Chi Xiaoyun's forehead and then lifted her eyelids to observe the child's pupils.

"I've seen this ability before. The way that zombie king influences people is layered. It can be as simple as interfering with people's judgment, or it can parasitize and control their minds like this. But turning people into zombies is the deepest step in control, but it is also the least conducive to its infiltration into humans."

"Those people with blank expressions that you see are mostly zombies. It would be difficult for them to complete such a complex task in that state."

After carefully examining Chi Xiaoyun's condition, Su Xun sighed: "This level of parasitism is not enough to kill her... but she has suffered great mental trauma."

"It will be very difficult for her to recover. The base can help her replenish her spiritual energy and heal her injuries. She should wake up without any problems, but her memory will be blank. She may not remember anything that happened after she was parasitized."

"Amnesia..." Han Zhong hesitated for a moment, "That should be a good thing, right?"

Su Xun stood up, clapped his hands, and told the medical staff to lift the little girl onto a stretcher. He shook his head and said to Han Zhong, "Good thing? Of course not. She was supposed to be a very talented superhuman. Now, unless there is a very big turning point, she no longer has the possibility of reaching the third level."

"Extraordinary power is no longer relevant to her. Her 'potential' has been limited, and her lifespan can be seen to the end. In this world, those who cannot advance on the path of the extraordinary will ultimately not live an easy life."

Han Zhong was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "There's nothing wrong with that. What she said most often on the way was that she hoped to live a peaceful life. Even without these extraordinary abilities, there's nothing to regret."

"Now that she's here, even if she's just an ordinary student, the base will protect her, won't it?"

"Hmm..." Watching the girl being carried away by the medical staff who had just arrived, Su Xun lowered his eyes and sighed softly.

"Indeed, it is our responsibility and mission to ensure that someone like her can live peacefully in this world."

(End of this chapter)