Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 127 You're No Longer Him
On the battlefield, billowing smoke and dust filled the air.

Everywhere there were craters from the bombs, and the small hilltop was almost completely turned upside down.

The shelling stopped, and all around was silent, except for the crackling sound of broken trees ignited by the explosions. There were many pine trees here, and the smell of burning pine resin mixed with the smell of gunpowder, making it even more pungent.

The zombies also quieted down, seemingly aware of their impending doom. Instead of breaking out in all directions, they all converged towards Su Xun's direction.

Of course, this could be an order from the zombie king, making it seem like a laughable and futile resistance.

There aren't many zombies that can still move. Even a mere glancing blow from the shrapnel produced by the explosion is enough to sever the limbs of low-level zombies.

So many zombies rushed over, dragging their severed limbs, while others just thrashed about in place.

Their movements did not slow Su Xun down in the slightest. In fact, many soldiers in vehicles could not keep up with Su Xun's pace. Only Yin Danyi and Yu Kai could barely keep up with him.

Those zombies that approached were either decapitated by invisible wind blades, engulfed by the sudden surge of fire around them, or had blood-stained ice spikes emerge from their chests.

Su Xun didn't even pause for a moment. With each light step, he seemed to defy gravity, moving forward like a fluttering leaf.

A robust, third-tier zombie charged down the mountain. It was strong and burly, with a shiny bald head and tattered clothes covered in dirt, the remnants of a prison uniform still faintly visible.

Su Xun lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. A ball of crimson light swirled in his hand, and with a single palm, he gently patted the zombie, instantly freezing it in place.

He continued walking straight toward his goal without stopping. To the astonishment of Yu Kai and Yin Danyi, who were following behind, the zombie's body suddenly burst into flames from the inside out.

In just a moment, the third-tier zombie was reduced to a pile of ashes scattered on the ground.

Ahead, one after another, level three zombies rushed down, and then one after another they burst into flames. Among them were many familiar faces to Su Xun. In the process, Su Xun quickly reached the top of the mountain.

On the mountaintop, many pale rocks were exposed, shattered by artillery fire. In a crevice between the rocks, there was a huge, swollen mass of twisted flesh.

Several level-three zombies were stuck to the mass of flesh, connected to it by a structure similar to blood vessels. At this moment, these zombies were struggling, as if they were about to be peeled off.

Although he had learned about the zombie king's condition from intelligence, Su Xun still couldn't help but fall silent when he actually saw it.

The other party had already sensed Su Xun's arrival, perhaps finally realizing that a third-tier zombie could not stop Su Xun's advance.

The next moment, the mass of flesh surged, and the figures bound to it withered away as if all the blood had been drained from them.

An extremely fierce aura burst forth from this mass of flesh and blood; it was truly perceptible, a powerful and violent spiritual energy wave sweeping in all directions.

Yu Kai and Yin Danyi were immediately intimidated by the imposing aura and stopped in their tracks more than a hundred meters away.

It was unrealistic for these two to face a fourth-tier zombie king head-on, but they hadn't come here with any intention of a direct confrontation.

The two men exchanged a glance, grabbed their two anti-tank rocket launchers, prepared to fire, and found suitable positions to wait for an opportunity to strike.

Su Xun, who was standing not far from the mass of flesh and blood, did not show any signs of tension. He watched indifferently until the mass of flesh and blood rapidly collapsed inward and finally transformed into a distorted human shape.

Looking at the completely unrecognizable figure, Su Xun finally sighed softly: "Director Shao, it's been a long time."

"..."

The figure formed from flesh and blood did not respond, but Su Xun continued, "I know you should still retain your previous memories."

"So I want to know, were you really sick back then?"

Even when Feng Zhengze talked about this with Su Xun, he was somewhat vague, and he talked more about some information about him as the zombie king.

This is understandable, as there were many things they kept from Su Xun after the Kuafu Project was launched.

Using the word "conceal" might not be accurate. It's not that there's a lack of trust, but rather that it's unnecessary. Su Xun, who is at the core of the Kuafu Project, only needs to answer questions and offer opinions. Everything in that massive project will revolve around him, and all opinions and needs will be addressed by someone.

It was a group of idealists who came together and chased the sun with all their might. From the moment they were born, they maintained extremely high efficiency and carried out a single will. They were as dazzling and bright as the sun they chased.

Or rather, in that turbulent period, the group itself was the sun that dispelled the darkness and brought light to countless people.

It is inviolable, infallible, and shines with unparalleled brilliance, without a trace of shadow.

But this is not the whole story of this country. This country is too vast, and besides chasing the sun, they actually have the capacity to do many other things.

What about things that Su Xun thinks are unnecessary, but the think tank thinks are worth trying?
From Feng Zhengze's few words, Su Xun easily guessed the answer.

The cause of the zombie transformation was not a virus, but an astronomical catastrophe originating from the foundation of the universe. Not to mention humans before the catastrophe, even those like Su Xun who had reached the ninth rank in the final stage of development would find it difficult to reverse this change.

Therefore, Su Xun once clearly stated that the so-called research on vaccines and antibodies was nothing but a waste of effort, and such ideas were even laughable in his eyes. In order to avoid the waste of human resources and manpower, they also issued special regulations to prohibit research on related content.

But clearly, some people don't believe in superstitions, or rather, they are unwilling or afraid to believe them.

At that time, nobody was willing to gamble on randomness.

Feng Zheng survived, and he is now able to oversee the overall situation in Yanshan.

What if no one capable of taking on the greater responsibility survives?

What if something even worse happens?

In fact, this kind of thing really happened in Su Xun's previous life. There were far too many accidents back then. People in these complex environments would have had a hard time surviving even if they didn't become zombies. Otherwise, given their status and position, it's impossible that they wouldn't have left behind records that Su Xun could find.

That's why even if it's wrong, even if it's a futile effort, even if it's a dead end, even if it's a plan that's considered ridiculous, some people still want to try and see what happens.

Shao Xuezhen made this choice.

When he left the Taimon base, he may have indeed had health problems, but he still went straight to a certain classified laboratory.

Also sent to the laboratory were many people on Su Xun's original list, including those underlined as "key personnel" and those serving sentences for crimes committed before the cataclysm.

It wasn't until Su Xun saw the data synchronized from the Yanshan Base that he understood why these people had disappeared after the Great Cataclysm.

These people... are now zombies. From the very beginning of the cataclysm, they've been controlled by Shao Xuezhen. Su Xun had already encountered some of them just now. Was it a blood transfusion? A transplant? Or something else?
Feng Zhengze didn't tell Su Xunming, but he could probably guess what it was.

For Shao Xuezhen himself, this plan was basically a matter of life and death. He was already quite old, and after going through all this, even if the apocalypse hadn't come, he wouldn't have been able to live for many more years.

But he was mentally prepared for this, and compared to the slightest hope of success, these things were nothing.

The only unexpected thing was that when the apocalypse arrived, he still couldn't escape zombification and became a ferocious and terrifying zombie king, who in turn infected those superhumans who should have survived.

Is this a coincidence? Or is it fate?

Or perhaps it's just the unpredictability of life and the capriciousness of fate.

The two stood in opposition, shrouded in silence; Shao Xuezhen did not answer Su Xun's question.

Su Xun suddenly shook his head and chuckled.

"I've had such a good life in this life that even I've become sentimental."

"I've experienced similar things many times in my past life, so why can't I adapt to it when it happens again?"

As he spoke, his tone grew increasingly cold, and the anger buried deep within him surged once more.

"You are no longer Director Shao."

The black command sword in his hand was finally drawn, reflecting a cold, sharp light and emitting a bright white glow.

"It's nothing but a vile zombie that has taken over his body, a complete enemy. Does it even deserve to use his name?"

Even from a distance of over a hundred meters, Yu Kai and Yin Danyi could still feel a chilling aura instantly enveloping them, as if an extremely sharp blade was pressed against their necks.

Yin Danyi also had a knife on him. The moment he sensed the sharpness, he instinctively pressed down on the hilt, but he couldn't draw it out for a long time.

Sensing the bone-chilling killing intent, the twisted, fleshy figure finally moved. It took a step, each stomp causing a rumbling tremor, like drumsticks striking the ground.

This is a manifestation of a highly skilled body enhancement ability. Upon contact, an immense force would surge forth, but Su Xun swung his sword, severing one of the opponent's arms.

The severed arm twirled and stuck into the ground, but the zombie was unmoved. Countless tendrils, like blood vessels, suddenly gushed out from the severed wound and rushed straight at Su Xun's face.

With a hiss, flames lit up on each tentacle, which quickly melted away in the flames. At the same time, the opponent's other intact hand also lit up with a sharp white halo, just like Su Xun's hand, and that hand reached straight for Su Xun's chest.

Su Xun was not surprised at all. The zombie king's talent was to plunder the abilities of other beings. He might not be able to perfectly replicate them, but the basic application was not difficult.

This may stem from the experiments he underwent before the apocalypse, and it may also be the reason why he became the zombie king.

"You want my superpower, don't you?"

The two exchanged blows several times, with the zombie king unleashing a variety of superpowers. Su Xun, however, remained calm and composed. He said coldly, "What, you've been stripped of so many superpowers and can't get them to work? You want to find a way out through me?"

Su Xun's special ability is not actually strong in terms of direct combat power. At this time in his previous life, Su Xun was just a supporting role in the team. The fact that he can exert such strength now is entirely based on the support of his advanced experience.

However, the ability to control all elements is inherently quite powerful and extremely rare, which means that many conflicting energies can be perfectly compatible within Su Xun's body.

For the zombie king in front of him, this was probably a much-needed ability. Now, it was showing signs of being overwhelmed, and switching between its various abilities was extremely sluggish. It was also easy to injure itself if it was not careful. It was at a disadvantage in the fight with Su Xun almost immediately.

"The one from Haizhou who wanted to take over my mind, and you who wanted to strip me of my superpowers, you both have quite the ideas."

"I'm telling you, you're dreaming!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an even more turbulent surge of spiritual energy erupted. The zombie could no longer hold on, and countless ice crystals, countless flames, and even flashing lightning and violent winds appeared on its body almost at the same time. Several pine seeds that had been blown in by the wind even took root on its body.

"Roar!!!"

A fierce roar came from some organ of the creature, but under Su Xun's even stronger and more brutal suppression, it was completely unable to move.

"Oh!"

As the body, formed from flesh and blood, was blasted away, the forcibly pieced-together limbs could no longer withstand such intense energy. Starting from the limbs, they were torn apart and shattered by various elements, turning into dust.

With a thud, the remaining body, which could only be described as chunks of flesh, fell to the ground.

With a soft exhale, Su Xun stepped forward with his knife, approaching step by step. At this moment, he heard an extremely hoarse and strange sound coming from the chunk of flesh.

"...The people, my people...they still need me...they need my protection..."

Hearing these words, Su Xun's already surging anger suddenly intensified.

"Open your eyes and look at yourself. Are the people you're protecting still the people?"

"Zombie!" Before the other party could react, he coldly slammed the blade into the chest of the fleshy humanoid, and a fierce white light surged and raged like a storm.

"What right do you have to say that in his tone!"

"Now, your death is the best protection for the people!"

Flames soared, the fire blazing fiercely, and the unrecognizable remains were instantly reduced to ashes, mingling with the scorched earth of the mountain.

After the battle ended, Yu Kai and Yin Danyi ran over, but seeing Su Xun's silent and frozen figure, they dared not approach.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, remaining silent for a long time.

Shao Xuezhen, who had died on June 15, finally found the peace he deserved.

"Clean the battlefield."

"Let's go."

In the future, new shoots will eventually sprout from this scorched earth, but how many people will remember why this scorched earth was once so fertile?
(End of this chapter)