One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Quiet.

The entire factory was so quiet that you could hear the distant howling of the wind blowing through the holes.

"Heal?" Zhang Chulan was the first to react, almost spitting out his porridge. "Brother Nie, you're not kidding, are you? That's a zombie! The kind that turns you into a zombie if you get bitten! That's how it's portrayed in movies! It can actually be healed?"

He slammed the bowl on the ground, spilling a few drops of porridge, and gestured wildly, saying, "It's not that I doubt you, Brother Nie, but if this thing can cure this, why bother making zombie movies? We might as well just make medical dramas!"

"Theoretically, it's possible." It wasn't Nie Lingfeng who spoke, but Wang Ye.

Master Wang straightened up from beside the iron pillar and walked over with the now-cold bowl of porridge. He had been leaning against the shadows, but now, stepping into the morning light, his usually languid face showed a rare seriousness. He placed the bowl on the iron ingot, sat cross-legged, and unconsciously drew circles on the ground with his fingers, as if he were deducing something.

"The unique energy of the Green Mountain Iron Mine has a certain restraining effect on that sinister corpse poison." His gaze deepened, as if recalling some ancient texts. "Yesterday, when I was setting up the array at the bottom of the furnace, I also sensed the energy flow of the entire area. The iron ore energy seeped upwards from the ground, like countless invisible threads, tightly binding the corpse poison. The two energies within those zombies did not merge, but rather restrained each other—like two opposing currents of water colliding, forming a relatively stable vortex in the middle."

He paused, then held up two fingers to indicate the name: "If we can extract the corpse poison from this vortex and then use iron ore energy to repair their damaged bodies and minds, it is indeed possible to restore them to human form. Theoretically speaking, this model is valid."

"But that's just theory." Zhang Lingyu's calm voice came from the other side.

He had been polishing his sword, and now he slowly sheathed it, producing a clear, resonant sound. His face, as cold and aloof as the moon, remained expressionless, but the solemnity in his tone was evident to all.

"In practice, it's extremely difficult." He held up one finger. "First, we currently have absolutely no idea how to extract the corpse poison from the zombie. The extraction method, the required true energy attribute, and the possible rejection reaction are all unknowns. This is an exploration starting from scratch, not just following someone else's prescription."

He held up a second finger: "Secondly, even if they are forced out, the zombies' bodies and minds have already suffered varying degrees of damage. Some may have been infected for one or two months, while others may have only mutated in the last few days. The degree of damage varies, and so does the likelihood of recovery. Moreover—"

He raised his third finger, looking directly at Nie Lingfeng: "Third, and most importantly, they are human beings. They were once living, breathing human beings. Once we begin treatment, we cannot treat them as experimental subjects to be disposed of at will. If the treatment fails halfway through, or if they cannot bear the pain and go mad during the treatment, what should we do? Kill them, or not? This is a question we must think through beforehand."

Zhang Lingyu's words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing the little hope that had just risen among the crowd.

The factory fell silent again.

"Therefore," Nie Lingfeng said slowly, his voice as steady as a rock, "we need to conduct experiments."

He stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the morning light. His gaze swept over everyone present, unwavering and resolute, devoid of hesitation or wavering.

"My idea is to first capture all the remaining zombies in Qingshan Town and imprison them at the bottom of the iron foundry's furnace. The iron ore there has the highest concentration of energy, which can continuously suppress the zombie poison within the zombies, buying us time. Then, we can slowly study how to safely force out the zombie poison and gradually try to restore them."

He looked at Zhang Lingyu and nodded: "Lingyu is right, they are human beings. So we need to capture them alive. Avoid killing them if possible. But that doesn't mean we should risk our own lives—capture as many alive as possible while ensuring our own safety. If we encounter uncontrollable danger, prioritize our own survival. Understand?"

"Understood," everyone replied in unison.

"Capture them all?" Wang Zhenqiu frowned and considered for a moment. "The zombies in Qingshan Town are weaker than those outside, but their numbers are still considerable. We spent all day yesterday clearing them out, killing from morning till night, and we've taken down at least seventy or eighty. But this town is a proper town, with a permanent population of at least three or four hundred. Subtracting those killed yesterday and those that escaped before, there are at least one or two hundred left. Capturing one or two hundred red-eyed zombies, all alive—that's no easy task."

He counted on his fingers, then looked up at Nie Lingfeng: "Moreover, these zombies are scattered in every corner of the town. Some are hiding in buildings, and some are hiding in basements. We have to dig them out of their nests one by one. This is a physically demanding and technically challenging job."

"Therefore, we need to split up." Nie Lingfeng had clearly gone over the plan in his mind again and again, and now he spoke clearly and without hesitation, "I plan to divide into three groups and simultaneously clear out the remaining areas of Qingshan Town. Each group will be responsible for one area, subdue all the zombies they encounter, and then transport them back to the iron foundry in carts and imprison them all in the array at the bottom of the furnace."

He crouched down, picked up a sharp piece of iron, and began to draw on the dusty ground. The iron scraped across the rough cement floor, making a rustling sound, and soon outlined the general shape of Qingshan Town.

"How should we divide into groups?" Zhang Chulan leaned over to look.

"First group, Chen Duo and I." Nie Lingfeng drew a circle around the location of the East Town District. "We'll be in charge of the East Town District. This is an industrial area with complex building structures, many warehouses and factories, and the zombies' hiding places are well-hidden. We are both best at close combat and assassination, so we're well-suited for this kind of environment."

Chen Duo had been sitting quietly in the corner, clutching her jar of Gu worms, without uttering a single word since the meeting began. Hearing her name called, she merely raised her head slightly, glanced at Nie Lingfeng with her clear, almost transparent eyes, and then nodded gently. A faint rustling sound came from the Gu worm jar, as if the little creature inside was responding.

"Second group, Chu Lan and Bao Bao, will be in charge of the West Town area." Nie Lingfeng drew a circle in the West Town area. "The West Town is a residential area with densely packed houses and narrow alleys, requiring wide-area firepower and rapid clearing capabilities. Chu Lan's lightning magic is an area-of-effect attack, while Bao Bao's swordsmanship is suitable for close-quarters combat. Together, they will be the most efficient."

"Alright!" Zhang Chulan patted his chest. "Don't worry, Brother Nie, leave it to us. We'll make sure these zombies are completely under our thumb!"

Feng Baobao didn't speak, but looked down at her katana. The blade still bore the dark marks left from slaying the zombies yesterday. She frowned, took out a clean cloth from her bosom, and began to carefully wipe it clean, her focused expression like that of a craftsman preparing to work.

"Third group, Qiu'er and Linglong." Nie Lingfeng drew a circle in the southern district of the town. "The southern district is a commercial area with relatively open streets, which is suitable for you to perform well. Qiu'er's agile movements can be used to lure monsters and control them, while Linglong's new sword can be practiced in actual combat."

"No problem!" Lu Linglong excitedly gripped the Azure Frost Sword, the blade emitting a soft hum, as if responding to her anticipation. "I'll use these zombies to sharpen my new sword!"

"Then you'd better take it easy," Wang Zhenqiu laughed. "Don't kill all the zombies at once, or we'll have to carry them back to the furnace later."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

"And what about me?" Wang Ye pointed to himself and asked slowly. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, one hand supporting his chin. His posture looked more like he was sunbathing than having a meeting.

"Master Wang and Lingyu," Nie Lingfeng drew a circle in the very center of the ground map—the location of the iron foundry—"are responsible for setting up the array at the bottom of the furnace, serving as the logistics base and detention center for the entire plan."

"The space at the bottom of the furnace is quite large, about two or three hundred square meters, and three or four meters deep, enough to hold hundreds of zombies. However, it is necessary to set up separate areas to confine different zombies separately to prevent them from attacking each other or undergoing unpredictable mutations. This task requires extremely high levels of expertise in formations and talismans, so it is most suitable to entrust it to you warlocks and talisman masters."

"No problem." Wang Ye finally dropped his lazy expression and sat up straight. "The Eight Trigrams Soul-Locking Array has eight gates, each independent yet interconnected. Junior Brother Lingyu and I will set up a complete version of the array at the bottom of the furnace, dividing the entire furnace bottom into eight areas, each capable of independently imprisoning zombies. The core of the array is located on the main iron pillar in the center of the furnace bottom, using the iron pillar as the array eye, drawing upon the iron ore energy from the entire underground of Qingshan Town for support. Even if hundreds of zombies attack together, they won't be able to break through."

He paused, then added, "In addition, I will add a purification barrier around the formation to continuously absorb and neutralize the corpse poison emanating from the zombies, preventing the contamination from spreading throughout the entire iron foundry. This way, even if we are stationed there, we will not be affected."

"I'll add another sealing array," Zhang Lingyu continued, "and set up independent restrictions at the entrance to each confinement area. This way, even if a zombie mutates during its confinement, it won't affect the zombies in other areas, nor will it trigger a chain reaction. It's very convenient to open the restrictions from the outside, release one for research, or release one for treatment."

"Okay." Nie Lingfeng nodded, clearly satisfied with the arrangement made by the two.

"What about the North District?" Zhang Chulan asked, pointing to the location of the North District on the map. "Should we ignore the North District?"

On the map, Nie Lingfeng drew a small hill to mark the location of Zhenbei District, with a small triangle on top of the hill representing a building.

"The Zhenbei District is that hill," Nie Lingfeng's gaze fell on the marker on the hill, his eyes becoming deep, like two bottomless ancient wells. "There is a temple on the hill."

His voice deepened slightly, carrying a solemnity that everyone present could sense: "Yesterday, when I was forging the sword, I activated the energy of the iron ore underground. In that brief moment when the energy flow throughout the town was briefly activated, I sensed—that temple was emanating an extremely dense aura of malevolence. It felt as if all the corpse poison in the entire Green Mountain Town was flowing from there."

The temperature inside the factory seemed to drop several degrees suddenly.

"I suspect," Nie Lingfeng said, emphasizing each word, "that might be the source we've been searching for—the source of this zombie outbreak."