The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

What's frightening isn't the monster's strength itself.

It's not the monsters' brains, but the speed at which they gather information!

As it turned out, those monsters were far more terrifying than they had imagined!

Moreover, they are a group of intelligent beings, even extremely intelligent.

Zhou Jian felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head!

He had previously only suspected and investigated based on his intuition.

But when Chi Zhengyang pointed out this possibility to him, he truly realized what kind of monster he had provoked.

What exactly was his purpose in approaching me?

What exactly is their purpose?

Can monsters be good?

If so, why has the world become such a terrible place fifty-five years from now...?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhou Jian's mind.

He remembered something.

A detail he overlooked.

"Elder Chi!" Zhou Jian stepped forward urgently. "Zhang Heng... no, Bone King, he once mentioned a place to me!"

Chi Zhengyang leaned forward slightly.

He said he works in a logistics park on the eastern outskirts of Linshui Town, where his job is data entry and he is a clerk.

This information was inadvertently revealed by Zhang Heng during his probing.

At the time, Zhou Jian took it as casual conversation and didn't pay much attention.

But at this moment, it has become an important clue!

For the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared on Chi Zhengyang's face: "You did a great job!"

"This news is very important to us!"

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"The information is so detailed, it greatly narrows down the scope—that's enough!"

A clerk who worked on data entry before the apocalypse, around twenty years old, named Zhang Heng.

It even includes precise locations and job information.

These keywords, when combined, instantly narrowed the search scope to an extremely precise level.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chi Zhengyang grabbed the red secure telephone on the table.

He didn't dial; he just picked up the phone.

"Received from top-level intelligence department, authorization code: Longyuan."

The call was connected instantly.

"Find a person named Zhang Heng who works in the East Suburb Logistics Park of Linshui Town, doing data entry work."

"I need all the information about him, the more detailed the better, and the sooner the better."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Zhengyang hung up the phone.

In the office, only the ticking of the second hand could be heard.

Both of them remained silent and did not speak.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Every second of that time felt like a hammer blow to Zhou Jian's heart.

He could even hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on Chi Zhengyang's computer screen, indicating that an encrypted file had been received.

Chi Zhengyang's fingers flew across the keyboard, unlocking the layers of codes.

A brand new document appeared on the screen.

Chi Zhengyang didn't speak, but simply turned the monitor back to Zhou Jian.

On the screen, there was also a standard one-inch ID photo.

The young man in the photo has a thin face and a lingering weariness between his brows, but his eyes reveal a nonchalant indifference that suggests he is on the verge of death.

Zhou Jian's breath caught in his throat the moment he saw that face.

That's the face!

Although he looks much younger, it's just this face!

Zhou Jian slowly raised his hand and pointed at the screen.

"That's him!"

"The person I saw was him!"

Zhou Jian's fingers froze in mid-air, his fingertips trembling slightly from the force he was exerting.

The person I met in Wasteland Era was this guy.

The information on the screen was cold and detailed.

Zhang Heng.

Age: 19.

Place of origin: Linshui Town, City C...

Education: High school diploma.

Family background: Only child, father was an official soldier (died young), raised by mother alone...

Current occupation: Data entry clerk at Yuanda Logistics Park, eastern suburb of Linshui Town.

Start date: Two months ago.

Note: This position was obtained by his mother with a bribe of 30,000 yuan...

"At nineteen, her father died early, and she became withdrawn with almost no social interaction."

"All the characteristics point to a marginalized person who is out of touch with society."

"And I have also confirmed the list of all personnel who entered Wasteland Era."

He's not inside.

Chi Zhengyang's words, devoid of any emotion, sent a chill down Zhou Jian's spine.

No longer on the list of personnel in Wasteland Era, but still in Wasteland Era.

The only explanation is that he is not human at all.

Or rather, he is no longer human.

Chi Zhengyang's thoughts began to wander.

We can learn this from the available information.

The Zhang Heng that Zhou Jian knew did indeed exist.

Whether they are still human remains to be seen.

If Zhang Heng is truly a monster, then he must have some understanding of Wasteland Era, but definitely not much.

The other party may have shared their personal information and work details with Zhou Jian simply to lower Zhou Jian's guard and make it easier to achieve their goal.

Because the information he provided was all true, he wasn't afraid of being investigated.

But the other party didn't expect that the information he provided was his biggest weakness.

Because everyone who appears in "Wasteland Era" is from 55 years ago!

They even registered every single person.

This is enough to show that the other party only has a general understanding of "Wasteland Era", but does not really understand the rules of "Wasteland Era".

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the other party is a monster.

Chi Zhengyang turned around, and spoke softly from his deep eyes.

"Right now, perhaps only one person can give us the answer."

Zhou Jian suddenly looked up.

Chi Zhengyang didn't give him a chance to ask questions and directly issued the order.

"Login! Enter Wasteland Era!"

Zhou Jian stood at attention, his body reacting faster than his thoughts.

"yes!"

The two said no more and simultaneously turned the bronze rings on their fingers.

......

Wasteland Era.

Yellow sand filled the sky, and the air was thick with the smell of decay and blood.

But today, the smell is even stronger than usual.

At the entrance of the grocery store, two figures materialized almost simultaneously.

From a nearby vantage point, Qin Feng, who was holding a sniper rifle, spotted them immediately.

When he saw that the people who came were Zhou Jian and Chi Zhengyang, he simply nodded slightly and continued to focus his attention on the dark, monstrous line in the distance, without going forward to disturb them.

Inside the grocery store at this moment.

Behind the counter, a gray sparrow was perched on Lin Mo's shoulder, preening its feathers.

It was clearly fake, but he made it look very convincing.

Suddenly, the sparrow's body trembled violently, and it almost fell off Lin Mo's shoulder.

Lin Mo was checking out the items in the system shop when he felt a movement on his shoulder and glanced at it.

"Are you out of your mind?"

The sparrow steadied itself, a hint of human solemnity flashing in its beady eyes.

[There is a targeted attack on the safe zone's light barrier.]

Lin Mo paused in his movements.

Then it dawned on me.

"I saw it."

He raised his head, tilted his chin outwards, and pointed at the endless, surging army of monsters in the distance.

"Aren't they everywhere?"

Those roaring monsters were constantly attacking the invisible light barrier that enveloped the entire store, crashing into it until they were bloodied and left behind a pile of broken bones and debris.

The system immediately denied it.

It's not them.

[It's behind us, that guy, trying to figure out the rules of the safe zone's light barrier.]