Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 163 Sea Beast
Hailing County Command Center.

After clearing out the zombies in the occupied area, Su Xun led his men back here.

When talking to Liu Zhen and the others about what had happened along the way, all of them looked worried.

The corps leadership naturally did not hope that the enemy would die directly after being seriously wounded. All plans had to be made based on the worst-case scenario, and these people would not harbor any illusions about the potential dangers they might encounter.

And clearly, this zombie king is a formidable foe.

The target's goal was very clear from beginning to end: to escape from the zombie horde and flee the area. All its efforts revolved around this goal.

As a fourth-tier, top-tier powerhouse in this time period, it was so determined to escape, showing no intention of lingering in battle. Even after setting up numerous deceptions, it was able to leave a substitute in the occupied area and find a suitable zombie fish in the sea to raise as a backup plan.

When did it begin preparing all of this?

The plan officially began the moment Han Zhong and Chi Xiaoyun met Su Xun, and the related preparations must have taken much longer.

This could be considered a well-intentioned scheme. They were determined to eliminate this horde of zombies. If they hadn't ultimately misjudged Su Xun's strength and been caught out by the connection between the parasite and the host, Su Xun might not have even seen its true form in the end, and it would have had a chance to sneak away.

The group arrived at the large map, which detailed the battlefield situation. A combat strategist had developed new marking patterns based on the current situation of fighting zombies and applied them to the map, making the battlefield situation clear at a glance.

"Currently, no more zombie hordes are breaking out of the encirclement. The zombie hordes in the Haiqu and Sheyang directions have been completely wiped out, and the battle in Langya is also coming to an end."

"It's only a matter of time before the zombie horde in Haizhou is completely wiped out."

This is certainly good news. For the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians on the front lines, victory is now within reach.

However, the commanders in the command center were clearly still worried about the zombie king. Liu Zhen asked Su Xun, "Commander-in-Chief, how would you assess the threat level of this zombie king?"

Su Xun pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "They are indeed formidable enemies, but there's no need to worry too much."

"Since it has gone to such lengths to achieve this, it is unlikely to become the leader of a large zombie horde again. In this case, it will no longer be a major threat to us as a whole."

While in the occupied zone, Su Xun did consider releasing the suppression, breaking through to the fifth rank, and completely annihilating the opponent, but he ultimately did not do so. The reason was simple: a zombie king was not worth such a price.

"The path to transcendence is like rowing against the current, or a hundred boats racing. If you fall behind at one step, you will fall behind at every step. If you give up your own advantages, even if you survive for a while by luck, you are only postponing your own destruction."

How far can a zombie king who has escaped the influence of the zombie horde go?
Such a thing had never happened in my previous life. No force could defeat a large zombie horde without killing the zombie king, and no zombie king had ever considered the possibility of escaping the zombie horde.

However, with the support of the zombie horde, these zombie kings reached their limit at the ninth level. After breaking free from it, they were free, but the path forward became unpredictable.

Everyone else is moving forward, so how can it possibly go faster than others after all this fuss?

"and."

Su Xun's gaze followed the map of Haizhou eastward, landing on the vast expanse of deep blue. "The depths of the ocean... that place is probably no longer a world of zombies."

He shook his head and said, "Escaping to that place is just moving from one dangerous place to another. Whether it can make it back to shore alive is also unknown."

Everyone stared at the blank area symbolizing the ocean, puzzled.

"Is the sea that dangerous?"

After all, it was a zombie king that was able to escape from Su Xun's clutches, and it also had another zombie beast of the same rank four to help it. It was one thing that it couldn't gain a foothold in the seabed, but how come it sounded like it was even difficult to survive?
“First of all, it was injured,” Su Xun explained. “The injuries I inflicted on it were not minor; they will weaken it for a long time.”

“A weakened zombie king may be threatened by other high-ranking zombies who want to seize its power. In such a situation, it is unknown whether the fish will simply chew it up and swallow it whole. The mutated beasts in the sea will also try their best to eliminate this threat in advance.”

Su Xun walked to the window and faced east.

Many soldiers who had withdrawn from the front lines had smiles on their faces. No matter how many issues remained unresolved, the visible victory was already something to celebrate.

"The ocean floor is the domain of mutated beasts. After we defeat the hordes of underwater zombies, they will become a long-term and persistent threat to us."

"After the battle of Haizhou ends, we can begin to prepare in advance for the problem of dealing with sea monsters."

"Furthermore, the influence of spiritual power on the world will not stop at the present stage. As the level continues to deepen, we will face many more difficulties in the future."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, and Liu Zhen asked, "Can't we win over the sea beasts and form an alliance?"

Su Xun nodded.

"This is essentially a matter of living space. The number of mutated beasts in the ocean is enormous. Coupled with their innate advantages, they can quickly resolve the problem of zombie beasts and enter a phase of mutual destruction."

Oswell, the ultimate victor in the ocean, is the one who brought about the catastrophe. On the road to the tenth tier, there are not only powerful individuals or groups that can be candidates. Just as Su Xun and his group drove the zombie king into the sea, these creatures that exist in the depths of the ocean are constantly squeezing outward the living space of other marine mutant beast species, causing coastal mutant beasts to seek space on land.

When it comes to the struggle for dominance over the entire planet, a confrontation is inevitable between these vast numbers of sea monsters, and even the natural disasters that have grown up, and humanity.

Natural disasters go without saying, but the living environments required by sea creatures and land creatures are not the same, and high-level mutated beasts are fully capable of modifying their own environment.

"Currently, they are still fighting among themselves, and the further recovery of spiritual energy in the environment has not yet begun. Before that, we have plenty of time to prepare."

Everyone present was deep in thought. These people came from the Jianghuai and Taimeng military corps, and many of the areas they were responsible for were coastal cities. If the sea monsters became a threat, they would naturally be the first to bear the brunt.

"I will discuss this matter with the various corps as soon as possible. However, if you have any ideas or questions, you can speak up in advance, and we will resolve them together at the meeting."

(End of this chapter)