Marvel's Death Merchant

“Oh no, I’d like to see just how bad it can get?” Liu Chendong said.

"The bad news is that we've become guinea pigs, the test subjects."

"Okay?"

"We might not become monsters so quickly."

"That's good news too."

“Yes, based on the intelligence gathered, I’ve come to this conclusion. They must have discovered through surveillance that we are the strongest fighters on the island, and our willpower is also quite strong. Their goal is probably to see if we can control the parasites inside us; if we succeed, all the better, if we fail, there’s no loss. Our immunity to the parasites is probably related to our physical condition; for example, our symptoms are the mildest, while Douglas and John’s are the most severe,” Donna said.

“That’s not right! Andrew is fine too,” Arno interjected.

"That's because Daisy and Andrew were both infected. What those people injected either neutralized it or was of a lower grade than what was in their bodies."

"Insightful," Liu Chendong said. "So what do we do? Wait to die?"

"Of course, we'll leave according to the original plan," Donna said inexplicably.

"No, we can't leave!" Liu Chendong shouted. "We'll bring the virus outside, and it will kill everyone."

Donna laughed and said, "I'm determined to get out, because I believe I can defeat this parasite."

"What gives you the right?" Liu Chendong said angrily.

"Because I want to live, and we'll live together!" Donna shouted, looking directly into Liu Chendong's eyes. The others, watching the arguing couple, were somewhat at a loss. Liu Chendong suddenly slumped to the ground, saying dejectedly, "I'm sorry."

“Even if you don’t go out, won’t the organization behind this spread the word through other channels? Trust yourself,” Donna said, pulling Liu Chendong up from the ground.

"Come over when you're done arguing, John and Douglas seem to be dying." Jill's voice came through. Damn it! I still couldn't save anyone. Liu Chendong rushed over like a whirlwind and saw John coughing up blood, his skin flushed red, and his body temperature frighteningly high. Damn it, what should I do? Liu Chendong pulled John into his arms. "You still couldn't make it after all this time," John said with a smile. "I thought I would be terrified, but I don't feel anything at all." John struggled to his feet. "I'm leaving. I'll handle it myself. I don't want my son to see me become a monster like that." With that, he grabbed his pistol and staggered out of the hall. "Hey! You might not die." Liu Chendong said after him, but John just shook his head and left. A few minutes later, gunshots rang out.

"Damn it!" Liu Chendong slammed his fist against the wall, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

"Calm down." It was Douglas. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took out gauze from the first aid kit, and bandaged Liu Chendong's hand. "I don't want to die, really. I'm still young. I haven't traveled the world yet." As he spoke, Douglas shed tears.

"Hey! Don't commit suicide!" Liu Chendong said, his voice trembling.

"Don't worry, I believe I can defeat the parasite." After bandaging him up, Douglas walked to the other side and whispered, "I don't have the courage to commit suicide either."

Watching Douglas walk dejectedly to a corner, Arno sat down next to Liu Chendong. "Don't be sad. You might die tomorrow too." Yes, I'll die too, Liu Chendong thought. Why? Looking at the broken limbs in the culture tank, Dr. William slumped down in despair. The gene chain shouldn't have collapsed like this according to calculations. "It's bad, Doctor! Markav has broken in!" a researcher shouted, pushing open the lab door. William immediately stood up, pulled up the surveillance footage, and saw a large number of security personnel pushing open the institute's doors one by one, not asking any questions, and opening fire on anyone they saw without mercy.

"Has he gone mad?" William said in shock.

"Doctor, what do we do? Let's run!" the researcher said frantically.

Chapter 759 The Trials Intensify [6]

"The mosquitoes here are really big," Dude complained as he stepped out of the tent.

“This is a swamp, just bear with it,” Carlos said with a laugh, tossing him a bottle of liquor. They had been here for three days and never imagined there was a place like this in Africa. It was a vast swamp shrouded in mist all day long, with thickets and bushes in the middle, where the tribe was said to be located. The swamp was teeming with crocodiles and leeches, pythons that appeared from time to time, and mosquitoes everywhere. The most annoying thing was that no one knew the swamp's layout; wandering around aimlessly would mean certain death. But finding a guide was unreliable, because no one except the tribe knew the correct route.

“Yesterday, we tried to go in but couldn’t go any further than 300 meters. We can’t just stay here any longer,” Dude said.

“Let’s try one more time today. My body is reacting strongly to this place; I have to go in,” Carlos said firmly, starting to organize his equipment. Dud sighed. Since their return, Donna and Carlos had always deliberately kept their distance. They later learned it was because they had something inside them and were afraid it would harm everyone. The deaths of Hru and Arno had completely depleted Carlos’s group. They had tried to send new members in many battles, but Carlos had refused. “We’re no longer purely human; let’s not let innocent people get involved,” was Carlos’s reason. After that, the two refused any missions and began investigating the matter. Dud was also asked to leave, but in the end, he stayed with them, eventually arriving here with Carlos.

"It stinks!" Dud complained again as he trudged through the mud. This guy complains every day; I told him not to come. Carlos shook his head, then suddenly his expression changed. He collapsed into the mud, an arrow whizzing past his scalp. A group of natives with painted faces charged out on sled-like contraptions, howling and screaming. Dud immediately returned fire, but after only taking down a few, the natives' arrows came flying. He had no choice but to collapse too, scrambling to his feet and running with Carlos deeper into the swamp. The two trudged along, their feet sinking deep into the mud, but they couldn't outrun the natives. An arrow pierced Dud's thigh, and he fell to the ground. Carlos tried to turn back to help, but he was now stuck in the mud himself. The natives rushed over and surrounded them, bombarding them with blowguns…

"Where is this?" Carlos, waking up, shook his head and saw Dud tied to him. They were bound to a wooden platform, and the natives were dancing joyfully around them with torches. "Do you think we've run into humans?" Dud, still as listless as ever, asked. "I don't know," Carlos said, looking at the picture opposite them. It was the natives' totem—a giant eye. The natives gradually quieted down. "Are we going to die?" Carlos wondered. The natives slowly parted to make way, and several hunters slowly appeared. "Wow! We'd rather have met humans," Dud said with a wry smile. Carlos didn't reply but stared intently at the hunters. One of the hunters had an iron chain around its neck and slowly pulled out a wooden cart. A young man in a suit sat on it. All the natives knelt down, worshipping devoutly.

"Not bad! It can already control its own changes." The young man said with a smile, "T's aggression is too strong. No matter how much we reduce the dosage, we can't succeed. In the end, we added the genes of other animals to fuse with it and neutralize its aggression. You are one of our test subjects. It looks like you are a crocodile."

"Can I change back?"

"This is irreversible."

"Bastard!" Carlos broke free of his ropes and roared at the youth, "So what is your purpose? Is it just to create a large number of monsters?"

"It is to create the most perfect life."

“Those zombies and these monsters?” Carlos said, pointing at the Hunter.

"This is a necessary sacrifice."

"You're all a bunch of lunatics."

"Einstein was once called a madman. When we spread this divine gift throughout the world, you will understand our greatness."

"You're going to spread this around?" Carlos asked in surprise.

"Of course, that's for sure."

Carlos dared not imagine what the world would become if this thing were spread. "Since that's the case," he thought, "I'll start by stopping you." Carlos raised his hand, covered in hard scales, and charged at the youth. The youth calmly watched Carlos approach, smiling as he said, "It's a pity, but die anyway." As soon as he finished speaking, four enormous diggers sprang from the ground, biting Carlos's limbs and pinning him to the ground. A hunter leaped onto him, ready to disembowel him. The kneeling natives cheered at this sight. Even the bound Dud shouted, "What kind of bullying is this?"

"No!" Carlos cried. A giant claw appeared, grabbing the onrushing hunter and crushing it into mincemeat. A gigantic eye came into view. The natives rushed to worship upon seeing the eye, which was growing from an arm. The arm's owner appeared directly before the young man. "Where is my...daughter?"

"William?"...

"These idiots." The young man glanced back, then disappeared into one of the natives' wooden houses. William, seeing the young man disappear, became agitated, his body weakening. He tore the two diggers apart, ran to the house, and smashed it to pieces with his fist, but there was nothing inside.

“Where…where…is my…daughter,” William murmured to himself.

Carlos broke free of his restraints and rescued Dudley. Looking at William, who was speaking, Carlos was astonished. The man was clearly not one of their experimental subjects; he was dead, with a visible bullet hole in his forehead. William grew increasingly agitated, finally fixing his gaze on Carlos. He slowly walked over and said, "Where...is my daughter?"

"Shall I take you there?" Carlos asked tentatively. "Okay," William lifted Carlos up with his large hand, and Carlos had no choice but to point out the way. Daudet followed behind and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Go back first, you'll die if you go any further." William didn't give Carlos much of a chance to speak before turning and leaving. Dudley stared blankly for a moment, then said, "Maybe mutation isn't so bad, at least we won't be so powerless..."

Carlos, of course, didn't know how to find it, so he had William go to the place where Tong disappeared and observe it carefully. Uh... does this guy have no intelligence? Looking at the clearly visible power switch, Carlos was speechless.

Chapter 760 The Trials Intensify [7]

William carried Carlos to the power switch and turned it on. A tunnel appeared in the ground, and the sound of an elevator ascending could be heard. But William had already jumped down with him. "Dude, there's an elevator!" Carlos cried out inwardly, feeling the wind rushing past his ears. When the elevator and William landed simultaneously, a welcoming ceremony was already underway. A large number of Hunters, Corruptors, Pushers, and Diggers roared and charged forward. "Damn it, this is a monster stronghold!" Carlos immediately changed form; in human form, he would be devoured in no time.

William's level was clearly much higher than theirs. Power-type creatures like the Propeller were nothing in front of William. With a single swing of its giant arm with eyes, it could take down a large number of them. Even the Hunters could not break through William's defenses. Only the Corruptor could cause him some damage, but it was wiped out by the parasite's powerful regenerative ability.

What is inside him that's so powerful? The young man watching everything on the monitor said, "Prepare to retreat. Release the mature form inside. If that doesn't kill him, detonate the volcano."

"But sir, this is a large research lab within the organization. Are we just going to destroy it like this?"

"The truly useful parts were all taken away by the boss long ago. The organization had been preparing for this for several years, but things went wrong at the final stage. We could have solved all the problems, but the boss stopped us. Oh well, we've never really understood the boss's thinking anyway."

William continued fighting, and perhaps because he was drawing away hatred, no tyrant attacked Carlos. Carlos seized the opportunity to run into the elevator and enter the second basement level. This place was much quieter; there was no one there, only rows of rooms, their purpose unclear. At the end of the corridor was another elevator. After descending, he saw a large number of staff members busily working. They were all startled when they saw Carlos enter, then screamed and ran in all directions. Carlos ignored them; he just wanted to find Tong quickly. However, the sights he saw forced him to stop. In huge test tubes, various tyrants floated silently, but most of them were covered in tubes, their bodies marked with bruises, clearly not all of them alone. Carlos, his eyes red, grabbed a fleeing researcher and said, "Did you do this? Why did you do this? How could you do this to yourselves?"

The researcher was terrified, only screaming, "Don't kill me!" Carlos threw the researcher aside and sped up his search, soon spotting the young man preparing to get into a car. Carlos roared and attacked. The security guard next to the young man calmly pulled out a strange pistol and fired at Carlos. Ordinary pistols were completely ineffective against the transformed Carlos, but the excruciating pain from the bullet caused Carlos to collapse to the ground. He still managed to ask the young man, "Why? How can you be so cold-blooded?" The young man stopped, knelt beside Carlos, and said, "Because humans are the most ruthless creatures when it comes to themselves." These were the last words Carlos heard before he lost consciousness.

The violent tremor woke Carlos. "That bastard, what kind of gun is that?" Carlos scrambled to his feet, looked at the empty passageway, and had no choice but to retrace his steps. "Was that an earthquake?" Another tremor struck, and Carlos stumbled, wondering to himself. But upon returning to the underground level, he discovered the tremors were caused by William's battle. His opponent was no longer the Tyrant, but a gigantic monster he'd never seen before. Its body was covered in thick, regenerative armor, its limbs like massive rocks, lacking the claws typical of the T-series, only having a short, round tube on the back of each hand. It seemed the two monsters had been fighting for a long time; William's human arm had transformed into a giant eye arm. The two monsters' battle lacked any finesse, a pure head-on clash, and it appeared William was at a disadvantage. The monster raised its arm, and the two round tubes absorbed air, compressed it, and then launched it like a cannonball, sending William's massive body flying. "This is a fully-fledged, combat-oriented Tyrant," Carlos recalled the information from the video the young man had released. Sigh... I can't afford to mess with any of them! Carlos tried to sneak away, but William just happened to fall right in front of him. Carlos was doomed. The tyrant strode forward, completely ignoring the little guy like Carlos, and, riding on William, relentlessly pounded down with his massive fists, quickly smashing through William's chest, abdomen, and head. Seeing the tyrant rise from William's body and walk towards him, Carlos thought he was doomed.

Suddenly, William's headless corpse sat up, sweeping the tyrant away with a powerful swing of his hand. Even before his wounds had healed, William roared and attacked the tyrant again, biting down hard with his massive jaws. This time, William easily pierced through the thick armor...

"Let's detonate the volcano," the young man, already seated on the plane, said, looking at the screen.

"Yes"

William was still devouring the Tyrant when a sudden tremor caused a huge crack to appear in the ground beneath him, and he fell through. Carlos also staggered, trying to run. What was going on today? Earthquakes everywhere! Boom! A jet of lava shot out. Damn, was this a volcano? With all this shaking, there was no way to escape. He persevered and ran to the elevator on the first floor, climbing up the steel cable. The lava was rising much faster than Carlos had anticipated, and there was a vent right below the elevator, spewing out scorching lava. Just when Carlos thought he was dead, a giant fist extended from the lava and slammed him into the ground. It was William. Why did he save me? Carlos wondered, still airborne. The eruption covered a large area, and Carlos, still on the ground, was trapped. He was going to die anyway. Powerless from the fall, Carlos thought, and then Jill's face appeared in his mind. A hand appeared in front of Carlos's eyes. "Hey! If you keep crawling down, you'll really die." It was Dud. He hadn't left. Although he couldn't help much physically, he still had a heart to serve his comrades. He could do something, right? With this thought in mind, Dud found a car in the tribal village. It must have been left behind by those people. Dud waited quietly in the car. A fire broke out, thick smoke rose into the sky, and the tribal people disappeared in panic. Dud knew something was wrong. He drove desperately up the mountain and saw Carlos flying out.

"Haha, Daudet, you're amazing." Carlos laughed and shook the hand... Time and space in the virtual world continued to flow, and everything was almost settled.

Chapter 761 The Solution in the Main World

In the Marvel universe, a colossal warship sailed across the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean—a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier. Powered by the immense thrust of its nuclear reactor, the carrier sped towards a point in the western Pacific. It had been sailing for over a week, continuing its voyage. The crimson sun slowly rose from the horizon, painting the giant ship a pale red. "What an ordinary day," a man in a US Navy uniform remarked from the deck, gazing at the scene before him. "Yes, if we disregard our responsibilities," another man beside him murmured. "It just lacks its former tranquility." "It won't last long," the man said with a smile. "Not long," he repeated. "I hope so," the man said, pulling out a tablet and rapidly gesturing on it. "General," the man whispered. "At this rate, we'll arrive soon." "Really? That's wonderful, Major Clavi," the general said, glancing at the man beside him. "If it's really all over, shall we go fishing together on my sailboat?" The general gazed at the horizon line on the distant sea. "Fishing peacefully." Everything under the rising sun seemed so fresh, so warm, just like the conversation between the two. In this chaotic apocalypse, there were no enemies, yet enemies were everywhere; there was no war, yet war was happening in every corner of the world, every moment, every second… Slowly, a dark shadow appeared on the distant sea, growing larger and larger as the aircraft carrier advanced. It was an island, their destination. "Welcome everyone from afar." As soon as they landed, a man in a black suit but no tie greeted them with a smile. The man looked slightly tired, and the sun-damaged cracks on his skin were clearly visible. "I'm truly embarrassed that the Prime Minister personally greeted me." The general saluted the man. "It's the least we can do to show respect to our guests; it's only right." The man said with a smile. "General, this way please." He then pointed to a small house in the distance. The small house sat atop the only high point on the island. It was a two-story building, unadorned and simple, without any fancy decorations or luxurious furnishings. A line of words was written on a wooden plaque above the door: "The escape was so rushed, I apologize for the commotion." The man bowed to the general and his entourage. "Not at all," the general replied, straightening up. "Of all the provisional government buildings I've seen, yours is the most simple and unpretentious. But the fact that you were able to develop a virus vaccine fragment in such a short time and under such harsh conditions is truly admirable." "Is that so?" the man smiled. "General, please don't stand there, come in and have a seat." The man opened the door and entered, taking off his shoes. Smiling, he said to the general, "General, please come in." The general looked around the house; the wooden floor was spotlessly clean. Shocked, he said to his entourage, "Everyone, take off your shoes." They removed their shoes and went inside. In the lobby on the first floor, there was a coffee table and several sofas. They sat down. "General, please allow me to thank you again for your arrival. You brought us much-needed food and water." The man said, standing up and bowing deeply to the general. "Prime Minister, please don't do that. It's our duty," the general quickly replied. "Words cannot express my gratitude," the man said solemnly. At that moment, a man in military uniform approached. He carried a plate containing a dish of sun-dried, yellowish fish and several cups of tea. "Please help yourselves. Please forgive us, we have nothing better to offer you," Hiraga said with a smile. The general glanced at the fish on the plate and sighed softly. "Ah… Prime Minister, I'd rather discuss the virus vaccine than eat," the man said, looking at the general, who nodded. "General, how about this? I'll send someone to take you to get the vaccine." He whispered a few words to the guard beside him. "Your Excellency, this is the Captain; he will lead you to the vaccine." "Yes, sir." The general stood up. "Captain, thank you for your help." Walking along the island's paths, it felt like being in a colorful world. Everywhere were colorful tents, not a single space was empty, tents right next to tents. But there was always a path leading to every part of the island. This also reflected the level of discipline under disaster, didn't it? Looking at the people on the island, the general's expression was somewhat grim. He looked at Clavi. "Major, the task of getting the vaccine is entrusted to you." "What's wrong, General?" Clavi was a little puzzled. "I want to walk around the island." The general said and walked away without looking back. "Lieutenant! Protect the General!" Clavi shouted to a lieutenant beside him. On this small island, it seemed there were only two things: people and tents. Many people were searching back and forth along the shore for the few remaining small crabs and oysters. "How exactly did they develop a vaccine?" The general frowned. Watching the busy figures of the people, his heart felt like it was being torn apart. "Hey, Grandpa." A child's innocent voice came from behind the general. "This is for you." "Hmm?" The general turned around and saw a very young girl beside him. The general squatted down and patted the little girl's head. "What's wrong?" "Um..." The little girl probably didn't understand English; she didn't say anything but smiled and held out her small hand. "This is for you." She then ran off quickly. "What's this?" The general looked at what the girl handed him. It was a small strip of cloth. On it, written crookedly, was the word "Hope." "What is this?" the general asked the lieutenant standing behind him. "What does it say?" The lieutenant took the cloth and examined it carefully. "General, it says 'Hope is in the heart.'" "..." The general looked at the strip of cloth in his hand and sighed deeply. These people, far from being defeated by the ferocious virus and harsh living conditions in the apocalypse, had become even braver and stronger. Even this fiery spirit had taken deep root in the heart of a child. "Hope is in the heart, yes...hope is in the heart..."

Chapter 762 Changes in Circumstances

In the main Marvel universe, the city was eerily silent, like a forest of reinforced concrete. But unlike a forest, however, there were no animals and no inhabitants. It was more like a concrete tomb than a forest. The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore could be faintly heard, a soft rustling. The salty scent of the sea permeated the air. The weather was fine today; no snow. Even though it was tomorrow, there was no chill in the air. Perhaps this was due to the unique climate here? "Let me have another smoke..." The old man, trembling amidst the bloodstains, pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket. Looking at the surging infected before him, he smiled faintly. "They... they should have all escaped by now, right?" The old man shakily lit his cigarette. The thin wooden door was being pounded on by the infected, like a small boat tossed about in a storm. “Just a little bit more… so close…” The old man coughed violently twice, a spurt of blood gushing from his mouth. He felt extremely short of breath. Knowing the importance of battlefield medics, he understood perfectly well that the impact had broken a rib near his lung. He lifted his shirt; a patch of skin on the left side of his chest had turned a deep purple. This was a bad warning sign. A fragment of the rib might have pierced his lung, causing internal bleeding. The old man leaned gently against the wall behind him, looking up at the gloomy sky. The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, like an impenetrable net, completely obscuring the sun. “I really wanted to see the blue skies of America again. I never thought I'd die without seeing them…” The old man shook his head with a smile. “Looks like your luck is really bad.” He chuckled to himself. “It’s always been like this…” The magnificent red bridge was right in front of them, its fiery color seemingly bringing a glimmer of life back to this black and white world. “Should we keep going?” Zoe asked Bill softly. “Let’s go. Let’s clear our heads.” Bill slung his M16 assault rifle over his shoulder and slowly walked forward. The others watched as Bill walked alone, looking so pale. At the beach, the sun hung halfway in the sky, but dark clouds surrounded it from all sides. Even as it was about to be obscured, the sun continued to shine its rays upon the earth. In that moment, Bill, bathed in sunlight, the colorful sunlight, and the red bridge created an exceptionally beautiful picture. Time seemed to freeze at that second. Then the clouds gathered, and the sky turned gloomy and dark. “Bill…” Zoe muttered softly. Then Bill turned around. “Hurry up and keep up. Don’t get lost, girls.” "The group walked onto the bridge. Everything on the bridge was in chaos, with all sorts of vehicles lying haphazardly. The cars looked somewhat blackened, perhaps because of the fire?"... The group silently walked past these "graves." They tried not to look or think about them, because they had seen far too many of these things. Then, a huge crater appeared before them. The bridge was believed to have been split in two. This is..." Louis said softly. A 20-meter-long hole had been deliberately blasted into the steel bridge before them. From there, they could see the waves rolling in the sea. The other end, however, was completely blocked by a huge overturned container truck, obscuring everything. "I'm a little dizzy..." Zoe looked at the scenery below the high bridge, seemingly feeling a bit lightheaded. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of heights?" Francis asked. "Hmm... a little. I feel a little uncomfortable at such heights," Zoe said softly. "...I see. Let's go then." “Louis said to Francis, “We’ve pretty much seen the city. It’s just a ghost town.” They helped Zoe up and prepared to walk away. “…Hmm?” Just then, they seemed to sense something was missing. They turned back to look at Bill, who was still standing there. “Old man, we should go.” “Wait.” Bill looked at the other end of the bridge, a sense of unease creeping into his eyes. He frowned. “Wait, there might be something going on here.” “What is it, old man?” “Look, the shape of this overturned container truck is strange, like it was deliberately placed there.” Bill said quietly. “Deliberately placed?” Louis seemed incredulous. “You mean…” Louis swallowed. “Yes… I mean, there might be a survivor camp or a military base on the other side of the bridge.” Bill said calmly. “But there might be nothing there, right?” Francis said. “Yes, there might be nothing there.” Bill pursed his lips. “But I’m still curious.” "Speaking of which, Bill composed himself. "I've decided we'll cross this inland sea and go check it out. We'll know if there are any survivors if we go." Bill gave an order. "Roger that." Francis smiled and saluted Bill. "Let's go!" Just as everyone was about to leave, a voice came from behind the overturned container truck. "Who are you?" The voice was deep and loud. "What are you doing here?" the man asked again... "Who are you? What are you doing here?" a deep male voice came from behind the container truck. "..." Bill carefully examined the container. "We came from the east, just refugees passing through. We're looking for shelter from the army and government." Bill said loudly. "Are you from the survivor camp?" "..." The man on the other end was silent for a moment. "No, no." The man muttered softly. "Dad, don't do this." Suddenly a girl's voice came from behind the container truck. "Shut up! Don't talk!" "The man reprimanded sharply, his reply quickly extinguishing the group's initial enthusiasm. "Looks like your daughter has something to say." Francis shrugged. "How many of you are there?" he asked, left hand on his hip, right hand holding a shotgun. "Why do you ask that?" the man asked, his expression wary. "More than you think!" "Oh, I see..." Louis said with a smile. "Is it safe there?" "Safe," the man said softly. "We haven't been attacked by infected people for six months." "Do you have food and hot water?" Zoe asked excitedly, as if she had forgotten her fear of heights.

Chapter 763 The Prelude to the End (1)

“Yes, we have our own independent power generation facilities and farmland,” Bill shouted to the group. “Although I know you may not welcome outsiders, I still want to ask, can we join you?” Bill’s expression was very serious. Indeed, this group, who had been on the move, had set a goal from their starting point on the east coast: to head west. There was no reason or other thought; westward was their unwavering determination. Now they had reached their destination, the west coast of this continent, the edge of the land. Now they just wanted to find a safe place to live peacefully. Their life of wandering should end with their arrival at their destination. “Why?” the man interrupted Bill’s thoughts. “Why should I let you in? You people, living in the outside world, to have survived until now, you must be bandits or villains. I can’t let people like you into our world!” “No, please don’t say that. We are not bad people, and we haven’t done any of the bad things you’re talking about. We’ve survived entirely because of our own courage and everyone’s unwavering spirit!” Louis shouted. “Please don’t do this, let us in,” Louis pleaded. “What kind of spirit?” the man chuckled. “Do you think I’d believe what you’re saying? In the face of disaster, people like you only care about your own survival, constantly harming yourselves. Haven’t we seen enough of that? Even if you’re good people, I can’t risk letting you in.” The man shouted angrily, his voice trembling. “…” Bill paused, then slowly took a few steps forward. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but perhaps you don’t know what the outside world is like.” Bill clenched his fist. “In the outside world now, no one can survive alone! We know this, so the four of us rely on each other, trusting, affirming, and helping one another. Even if it means risking our own lives, we’ll save our companions! Because even if you survive alone, in this apocalypse, it’s tantamount to death!” “…” The man didn’t say anything, and everything seemed to return to the previous silence. Suddenly, the man’s voice came again from behind the container truck. “I’m sorry… I…” “Dad! Don’t do this!” Just as the man was about to refuse Bill, the girl's voice came again. After a sound, a girl climbed up the roof of the container truck. She looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with light brown hair and dark green eyes, appearing quite cute and delicate. "Excuse me, everyone. My dad is always like this; what he says to others is the opposite of what he thinks. Please don't leave." After speaking, the girl smiled and brought up a retractable ladder. "Welcome, everyone." The girl smiled and extended the ladder towards Bill. "Come on over. Step on it." "You mean we can come over?" Hearing this, Louis seemed very happy. "Yes, this is District 13. If you don't carry the virus, the general should accept you." The girl also seemed very happy. "It's been a long time since anyone has come here, probably about half a year?" "Thank you, but this..." Everyone looked at the wobbly ladder being handed over, feeling very scared. "Are you sure this thing can support a person's weight?" Louis swallowed hard. Looking down the hundred-meter drop and the surging sea below, he trembled slightly. "It should work, right? I always use this to get in and out," the girl whispered. "Although the last time I used it was six months ago." Bill frowned. How durable could such a worn-out plastic staircase be? While Bill was still pondering something, the staircase was already in front of them. "What are you doing?!" the man's voice rang out again. Suddenly, a man climbed onto the roof of the container truck. He was a very robust middle-aged man, around 40 years old, wearing a worn-out US military uniform, a small-caliber pistol on his hip. Most strikingly, he only had one left hand; his right sleeve was empty, tied in a knot that fluttered in the sea breeze. The man shouted at the girl, "What are you doing?! Letting outsiders in without the general's permission, do you know how serious the consequences will be?!" “Alright, alright, Father.” The girl waved her hand. “Didn’t the general say that we should get the survivors out of danger before doing anything else? They’re over there, aren’t they in a very dangerous situation? Let’s get them over here first.” After saying that, the girl turned to look at the man. “What are you still doing? Come and help me pull it up, how can I lift such a big staircase by myself?” “Oh… okay, okay.” The man said and went to the girl’s side to help lift the staircase. “This… this is the general’s order, this… I… I didn’t mean to let you in.” The man seemed a little shy, his red face contrasting sharply with his strong physique. “Oh.” Louis and Francis’s group nodded meaningfully. “Hey, what’s the meaning of your ambiguous answer?!” “Let’s do it the same as before, ladies first.” Louis said to Zoe with a smile. “You go first, that staircase should be able to support your weight.” “But…” Zoe looked down at the surging sea below the stairs, her steps still trembling slightly. “Are you alright? Are you still afraid of heights? Isn’t this too much for you?” Francis seemed very worried. “It’s okay.” Zoe swallowed hard. She carefully moved her feet to the edge of the stairs. Slowly, she squatted down, placed her hands on the ground, and began to climb the stairs. Zoe slowly moved her limbs, using an almost primitive method to ascend the stairs. The plastic stairs creaked as Zoe climbed, making her even more terrified. Zoe seemed very scared; she trembled incessantly, her body seemingly tapping rhythmically in time with the sea breeze. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, and Zoe became unsteady. “Ah…” Zoe cried out in surprise and couldn’t help but look down. What she saw made her tremble even more violently. Below her seemed like an abyss, and with nothing to hide, she felt even more helpless.

Chapter 764 The Prelude to the End (2)

"Don't look down!" the girl shouted at Zoe. "Look at me! Look at me!" Hearing the girl's voice, Zoe grasped at a lifeline. She raised her head and slowly crawled towards the girl. "Hmm..." "Very good! Like that." The girl said with a smile. Zoe slowly moved forward. But just as she was halfway up, something unexpected happened. A crisp cracking sound came from the stairs. The right side of the stairs suddenly broke. Zoe was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat, as if her brain had suddenly shut down, and she lay there helplessly. She didn't dare to move. She just lay there blankly. "Are you alright?" Louis shouted loudly. "N-no... I'm okay..." Zoe said softly. "Okay, slowly, slowly back down. Don't go any further." Louis seemed very anxious. "Okay... okay..." Zoe did as Louis said. She slowly returned the way she came. But as soon as she moved, the stairs suddenly cracked again. With a cracking sound, the entire staircase lost its balance and tumbled in mid-air. "Ah..." Zoe tumbled down the stairs, plummeting towards the abyss below. "Zoe!" Bill rushed forward upon seeing this, grabbing onto a corner of the staircase. Luckily, Zoe managed to wed in the gap between the stairs, the width of which caught her under her armpits, preventing her from falling and averting disaster. "Are you alright, Zoe!" Francis shouted. "I told you guys to come help!" Bill yelled to the two behind him. "I can't hold on much longer." It turned out the stairs hadn't fallen because Bill had been holding them up. "Okay!" Louis and Francis joined in to help. Together, the three of them pulled the stairs back up. "I'm so sorry!" The girl apologized to the four of them repeatedly. "It's probably because the stairs haven't been used in a long time." "Are you kidding me? Someone almost died!" Louis was furious. “If we hadn’t died at the hands of the infected, but instead on a broken staircase, I think I would have died of anger, not from the fall!” “I’m so sorry!” The girl also seemed very sad, her eyes filled with tears. “Louis, don’t blame them anymore.” Zoe slowly got up from the ground. “They didn’t do it on purpose.” “Tch…” Louis turned his face away. “Well, if this doesn’t work, you can take another route.” The girl said to the group. “Another route?” “Yes.” The girl pointed to a place about 2 kilometers from the bridge. “There’s a dock there. Go there, and we can send someone to pick you up.” “There.” Bill frowned. “However, it might be very dangerous there.” The girl said. “Because it used to be an evacuation point…” As she spoke, the girl’s expression slowly began to change. “I see…” Bill nodded. “Okay, let’s do it that way.” Bill looked at his watch. “It’s 1 PM now. What should we do?” “Like this.” Suddenly, the man next to him spoke up. “Here’s what we’ll do. Once you get there, signal us, and we’ll send a boat to pick you up.” “How long will it take?” Bill asked. “About 10 minutes.” “10 minutes…” Bill sighed. “How do we signal you?” “There’s a control room at the dock. There’s a direct line phone inside. Use that to contact us…” A faint rumble of thunder could be heard in the sky, like the angry growl of a wild beast. The four of them slowly began to walk down the bridge. “Maybe this is what’s been guiding me all along,” Bill muttered to himself. “This place called District 13… is our final destination.” “Old man, what are you muttering about?” Francis looked at Bill, who was walking ahead. “Don’t keep it to yourself, tell us too.” …N-nothing… Bill sighed and continued walking. After crossing the bridge, the four walked silently along the seaside street, making not a sound. In this city now reduced to ruins, something else might await them. The street was eerily quiet. It was as if even a cough could echo through the city like a radio wave. The ground was incredibly filthy, littered with newspapers, banknotes, dust, the remains of the dead, and charred vehicles. Some houses had collapsed, looking as if they had been destroyed by cannon fire. Walking in this place, they could almost feel the devastation of the past; the streets were crowded with civilian vehicles and military armored vehicles. Tanks and infected surged in from the east. Civilians abandoned their vehicles, screaming and running for their lives. Those who were slow or small were left behind and swallowed up by the horde of infected, their screams echoing everywhere. Internal organs and severed limbs were passed among the infected. Human blood stained the entire street. The four turned a corner and arrived at the beachfront promenade. A massive wall made of barbed wire stood there. This wall stretched out to both sides, seemingly without end. Beyond that was the beach, and then the sea. Rows of armed Humvees and tanks lay abandoned in the street. "Looks usable. Let's see what good stuff we can find." "Francis glanced at the tank and said. Then he got into an armed Humvee. A pile of spent bullet casings, covered in a thick layer of dust, lay scattered on the back seat. He opened the drum magazine of the machine gun on the roof of the Humvee; it was empty. Then Francis opened the ammunition box on the back seat; the situation was slightly better, with one grenade left. "Here you go, old man." Francis tossed the grenade to Bill. "Do you even know how to use this thing?" Bill looked at the grenade and laughed. "I've used this thing more times than you've fired (whoosh—)." "Walking about a kilometer south, you'll see the dock. It's a small dock, probably a medium-sized one. Perhaps it used to be the dock for tourists taking cruise ships? It seems the dock hasn't escaped the devastation either. The dock is a mess, perhaps even more horrific than the streets. Tens of thousands of civilians are crammed onto this small dock. The defending troops behind them have already opened fire. This makes the already agitated crowd even more panicked, as they scramble to board the ships, disregarding everything. Stampedes follow one after another."

Chapter 765 The Prelude to the End (3)

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Those behind shoved those in front, and those in front resisted those behind. Many were tripped and fell, one after another, group after group. Surprisingly, no one helped them up; instead, they were trampled on without a second thought, letting the victims scream, curse, or cry. They were indifferent. The weak, children, and the elderly were ruthlessly pushed to the back of the crowd. And they brazenly squeezed onto the crowded tour boat. "Looks like this boat doesn't run until at least 30 minutes," Bill said, glancing at the sign posted at the dock. He looked back at the dock. "..." Bill suddenly wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Watching the tour boat disappear into the distance, the crowd felt angry that they hadn't been able to board. "The boat runs every thirty minutes. Please don't push and shove; let the elderly and children board first!" a man who appeared to be a manager shouted through a megaphone. But the crowd ignored him. They continued pushing, shoving, and cursing. Thousands of years of human civilization collapsed in that instant. They all knew perfectly well that if they didn't board that ship, a merciless death awaited them. In that life-or-death moment, human nature was laid bare. Bill turned back and looked at the wire mesh wall behind him; part of it had collapsed. Perhaps it had succumbed to the shoving of countless infected and fallen? The wall lay fallen, bathed in moonlight. The infected broke through the last barrier binding them, surging towards the crowd on the dock. It was as if long-accumulated pressure had suddenly found a breaking point. That night, on the dock, only slaughter and carnage remained. The devils of hell seemed to have laid their table on earth. The crowd, the unarmed crowd… “Ding ding ding…” A crisp ringing bell pulled the still-dazed Bill back to reality. The four men instantly crouched down and drew their weapons. “What’s that?” Francis frowned, walking towards the source of the sound. It was a small, all-wooden guardhouse on the dock, barely three square meters. A series of doorbell rings came from inside. Zoe glanced at Francis. They nodded in unison and crouched low as they approached the guardhouse. They each stood on either side of the door. Francis held a shotgun in his right hand and carefully turned the doorknob with his left. Zoe drew her pistol, ready for action. *Click.* The lock opened. Zoe kicked the door open and searched the room with her pistol. "Safe," Zoe said to Bill and the others who were providing cover. It was a very rudimentary guardhouse, extremely messy. Documents were scattered everywhere. What caught the eye was a telephone on the desk. The phone was still ringing incessantly. "It's probably them," Louis said, looking at Bill. "Hmm." Bill nodded and walked to the phone. He picked up the receiver. "Hello," Bill said softly. "Hello, are you the survivors from the bridge?" A slightly hoarse middle-aged man's voice came from the phone. "Yes, it's us," Bill said. "That's great." The man seemed relieved. "We called for a long time but you didn't answer. We thought you were in danger." "Danger? There isn't a single infected person here," Francis said with a laugh. "Oh..." The man paused for a moment. "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Actually, the East Coast is still very unsafe." "...Why?" Bill's heart clenched. "In the early stages of the disaster, San Francisco, and even the entire state of California, was the most heavily guarded area by the government. It became the largest refugee settlement in the United States. But..." The man sighed. "Six months ago, it was safe here. But I don't know if it's safe now. Because we haven't been out for a long time." "Um... I'm very sorry." “Bill said calmly. “How many survivors do you have there now?” Bill asked cautiously. “About 20,000.” “20,000???” This number instantly caused an uproar among the four people. Indeed, they hadn’t seen so many normal people for a long time since the outbreak of the virus. “So many?” Louis was the first to shout. “…” The man heard the laughter on the other end of the phone and sighed slightly. “Indeed, many. Compared to the millions of survivors at the time, these people are undoubtedly lucky…” At this point, Louis withdrew his smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” It’s alright. The man smiled. “We welcome you to join us. District 13 welcomes you!” “How long will it take you to get here?” Bill asked. “Our people are already at sea to pick you up. At the earliest, about 15 minutes.” The man said. “Okay.” Bill nodded. “We’ll wait here.” “But…” At this moment, the man’s voice became heavy. “There is a problem that requires your assistance.” The man said softly. “Hmm? …What?” "These words instantly brought everyone back to the harsh reality. 'What do you mean by getting our assistance?' 'Hiss... hiss...' The sound on the other end of the phone suddenly became noisy. 'Hiss...' This noise grew louder and louder. 'Hello... what's wrong? Speak up!' Louis, seeing this situation, stamped his feet anxiously. He grabbed the receiver and shouted loudly. 'Damn it. Hurry up and say it! What is it?' 'Hiss... hello? Can you hear me?' At this moment, the sound on the phone suddenly became clear. 'I can hear you, I can hear you.' Louis said loudly with a laugh. 'Hello? Can you hear me?' The person on the other end shouted loudly. 'Could it be... they can't hear us?' Zoe said softly. 'This is troublesome...' At this moment, the man on the other end of the phone coughed. 'Sorry, the phone line might be a bit old, the sound isn't very clear. Now listen to me. We are not far from the coast, and we have encountered some special circumstances that require your assistance.' The man paused, and then continued." “We can’t cross over to your side right now. There’s a thick iron chain blocking the sea; it’s a defense system the military built six months ago to prevent the virus from crossing the ocean.” “An iron chain?” Francis scratched his head. “How could an iron chain possibly stop a virus?”

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Chapter 766 The Prelude to the End (4)

"All the uninfected people were sent to the northern peninsula. Before leaving, the military set up this chain at sea to prevent others, such as virus carriers, from crossing the ocean by boat... Given that a long time has passed since the last virus outbreak, the general is now reopening the plan to accept survivors from District 13." The man suddenly became serious. "And now we are blocked from approaching the coast by this chain we set ourselves. So please remove the chain. For your sake, and for the sake of the other survivors. The chain is buried in the tidal power plants in the south and north. The chain is pulled by a tensioning machine. Unlocking the chain requires a password, please remember it. The password is 74652. We are waiting for your good news here." After saying that, the man hung up the phone. The four people standing blankly in front of the phone looked at each other. "What should we do..." Louis said softly. "Let's go. Girls." Bill took out a cigarette and walked outside. The world outside seemed so terrifying, the gloomy sky reflecting the gray reinforced concrete houses, giving people an ominous feeling. The closer they got to the tidal power plant, the stronger the feeling became. Zoe kept glancing up at the windows of the houses nearby. "Zoe, what's wrong?" Bill asked. "No... maybe I'm just being paranoid. I feel like something's watching us," Zoe whispered. "Hey... good that Zoe's okay, don't scare us with nonsense," Louis complained. They walked about two kilometers south and spotted the tidal power plant in the distance. From the outside, they could clearly see a wide iron chain hanging on the wall of the power plant. The chain stretched all the way to the other side of the shore, like a giant serpent lying across the ocean. "Let's go..." Bill led the way, guiding them to the power plant's main entrance. The door was made of glass, allowing them to see inside. "Ha..." Zoe breathed on the glass and wiped away the dust. She peered inside. There were no lights; they could only observe the interior by the sunlight. It was dark inside, with scattered papers and bloodstains visible on the floor. Zoe examined it closely, then nodded to the three behind her. "Bill took out his pistol. He held it in his right hand and pressed his left hand against the glass door. Everyone behind him drew their weapons, ready to charge at any moment." "Okay." Bill pushed the door open and rushed in, pistol in hand, followed immediately by the others. "Safety." Bill waved to the others. It was a seemingly ordinary power plant. Standing in the lobby, everything looked very old, the thick dust on the floor making the footprints of those who had entered clearly visible. "The chains I saw outside were attached to the ground from about the third floor," Francis whispered. "Okay, Francis, stay close to me. Zoe and Louis, cover us. We're going upstairs," Bill quietly arranged the formation. The group slowly climbed the stairs, taking each step carefully, trying not to make a sound. This should be the power plant's office building, because apart from various offices, there was no machinery in sight. The four stood in the empty corridor, looking at the messy floor and walls, and the densely packed offices. They were all very tense. Everyone knew that perhaps an infected person was waiting for them in one of those offices. "The chain should be on the east wall," Zoe whispered. "It should be this way." Zoe pointed to a passageway beside her. "Let's go." They looked after each other, back to back, forming a tight, impenetrable formation, and slowly moved down the corridor. Suddenly, their eyes lit up. At the end of the corridor, a black chain was stuck there, leading from the third floor to the second. "...Looks like the stretching machine isn't here," Francis whispered. "The chain goes downstairs." "Let's hurry." Bill reminded them to abandon their previous formation and quickly descend the stairs. The second floor was empty, seemingly connected to the first floor without any separation. Below the first floor were six structures resembling prototype swimming pools—perhaps the legendary tidal generators? The four looked around and immediately descended the stairs from the second floor. Just like outside, there were no infected, only a corpse. On the eastern side, a chain hung vertically from the upper floor, reaching the ground and connecting to a large tensioning machine that held it in place. "This should be it," Bill nodded to the three behind him. He slowly walked to the tensioning machine. It was dark, without lights, except for a few windows about four or five meters high that let in sunlight. Bill carefully examined the tensioning machine; it was five meters long. He looked at the generator's control panel, covered in dust. He wiped the dust away and looked at the screen, which was completely blank. "Looks like… this thing's out of power." "Louis chuckled dryly. "Then let's get him some electricity." Francis said, walking towards the door. The switch was over there. "...Wait." Bill suddenly remembered something and was about to stop Francis. But Francis had already pulled the switch.

Suddenly, the building was powered back on. All the lights in the building instantly turned on, and the tidal generator slowly began to rotate, emitting a loud turbine-like sound. Loud music filled the building; perhaps some careless person hadn't turned off their speakers? Louis muttered softly. "This… this is too loud!" Francis seemed somewhat dejected. Indeed, in the quiet city, the sounds of these machines and the building lights were undoubtedly sending a signal to others. "I'm here." "I told you to wait! Why didn't you listen?!" Bill scolded Francis. "…I only heard it after I pressed the button," Francis said softly.

“Okay… then we’ll just have to get this stretching machine working right away while the power’s on.” Bill said, immediately getting busy on the machine’s control panel. “Okay, the machine’s restarted.” Bill kept fiddling with it. “It should be releasing.” Bill said, looking at the prompt on the screen. “Release all!” Bill pressed the button. Suddenly, the screen displayed, “Please enter the password.”

Chapter 767 The Prelude to the End (5)

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Bill scratched his head. "Who remembers the password?" Bill asked the three behind him. "I think Francis remembers it," Louis pointed at Francis. "Didn't you remember it?" Francis also pointed at Louis. "You two! You're useless." Zoe seemed very angry. "If I hadn't had the foresight, we would have been killed by you two!" After saying that, Zoe walked to Bill's side. "The password is 74652." "Hmm..." Bill entered the password. "Password correct." At this moment, the stretching machine made a loud roar. The iron chain stuck in the middle began to slowly move. "We should go!" Bill picked up his M16 assault rifle. "Hurry up, this is really loud. If there are really infected people as they say, we're doomed!" After saying that, Bill led the group out through the door below. The hall was still empty, just like when they came. "Thank goodness, it's safe." Zoe said with relief. The group immediately walked out of the building. The sight outside sent a chill down their spines. "Oh... Tyrant and Tanks," Louis muttered under his breath. From outside, they could see the chains on the wall being slowly loosened, gradually being released. The once empty street was now filled with wandering infected, slowly converging on the building. At the same time, more infected emerged from the distant residential buildings and shops, approaching the four. "Run!" Bill shouted to the group. "While there aren't too many of them yet." With that, the group quickly ran back the way they came. Before they had gone far, a gigantic infected, two meters tall, suddenly emerged from an alleyway not far away. "...Is God going against us today?" Bill frowned. "We can only go around it." But as soon as they turned around, another equally enormous infected appeared in the alley behind them. "What do we do? Old man?" Louis seemed flustered. "What do we do?" As Bill racked his brains for a solution, the giant infected behind them suddenly charged towards the group, roaring loudly. Its massive size caused the ground to tremble. The infected in front, seemingly emboldened by its roar, also charged towards the group. "Attacked from both sides!" Bill shouted. "This way!" he yelled, running towards the building beside him. "Let's hide here for a bit!" Everyone followed Bill into the building. The two giant infected showed no weakness, ramming into the first floor with brute force. "Hurry upstairs!" Bill pulled out his M16 assault rifle and fired at the infected creature. The gun, spitting flames, fired a large amount of ammunition, aiming for the infected's chest and face. "Ouch..." The infected cried out in pain and immediately tried to block the bullets with its hands. Bill continued firing as he retreated upstairs. Reaching the top of the stairs, Bill stopped firing and immediately ran up. The infected, seeing its attacker stop firing, lowered its arms. Seeing Bill going upstairs, it roared and charged towards the stairs. But how could such a large creature pass through the narrow staircase? "Looks like they can't get up," Bill said softly. "Let's take advantage of this opening and run through the fire escape." "Okay." Everyone nodded. They then walked up the fire escape leaning against the building's exterior wall. "There's no danger down there. Let's run!" Just as they were going downstairs, Zoe seemed to notice something. "Look!" Zoe pointed to the chains on the wall of the power plant in the distance. "The chains aren't moving!" "What?!" Bill was startled. He immediately looked towards the power plant. The chains on the outer wall of the power plant remained completely still, a stark contrast to the previous slow release. "What do we do?" Zoe looked at Bill. "Should we go back to the power plant?" "How could we?!" Bill watched as infected individuals began to roam outside the power plant, their numbers growing larger and larger. "But..." Zoe was about to say something when a series of low, angry roars came from the building's entrance, accompanied by tremors in the ground. A gigantic infected appeared in the distance, roaring at Bill and his group. "It's spotted us!" Louis exclaimed. "Run!" "Someone has to sacrifice themselves." Bill looked at the gigantic infected charging towards them and muttered to himself. "That person is me." Bill turned to the three people before him and smiled, a smile so kind it had been a long time since he'd seen one like that. "If we ignore the chains, going to the docks won't help, and we'll be chased by hordes of infected, making it even more dangerous." Bill raised his gun and fired at the approaching infected. "But..." Zoe's eyes welled with tears. "Zoe, you're still the same, always crying. Promise me you'll live." Bill looked at Louis and Francis. "You're young, you have so many possibilities, but I'm old. Even if I survive this, my time is running out." Bill turned back to the surging infected. "Actually, I've kept something from you all for a long time. Before the outbreak, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. They told me I only had six months to live. It's a miracle I'm still alive." Bill smiled. "Thank you, thank you. Zoe, Francis, Louis, thank you to everyone I've met." "If it weren't for you all, I might have died long ago by some unknown river or in some forest." "No! Old man! Don't say that, you can't leave! We need you!" Hearing Bill's words, Louis covered his ears with his hands, looking very childlike. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it!" Then he burst into tears. "We can't live without you!" "Yes! What will we do if you leave?" Francis also kept wiping away tears. He bit his lip, but his lips still twitched uncontrollably with grief. "There's no time, you must go!" Bill shouted at the three of them. His words seemed to leave no room for negotiation, but rather an order. "But..." Zoe cried, still unwilling to leave. Tears blurred her vision.

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Chapter 768 The Prelude to the End (6)

“Let’s go.” Francis wiped away his tears forcefully and said to Louis and Francis. “Trust the old man. He’s right, always has been.” With that, Francis pulled the two of them towards the north. Suddenly, Francis seemed to remember something. He looked at Louis beside him, who wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously. He then looked at Zoe beside him, who nodded while still crying. They seemed to have reached some kind of unspoken understanding. Then, the three of them turned around simultaneously and shouted in unison, “Bill (the old man). Are we still teammates?” Bill heard these words, which seemed to come from the depths of their hearts. He paused, turned back to look at the three in the distance, smiled, and raised his right hand, giving a thumbs-up. He then picked up his M16 assault rifle and began firing at the infected. “Come on! Come and catch me!” he shouted, running towards the power plant. He reached the entrance to the power plant’s main hall, where many infected were already wandering aimlessly in twos and threes on the streets. Bill rushed inside. Having been there before, he navigated the area where the stretching machine was stored with practiced ease. He quickly closed the door and ran to the machine. It was still running, continuously feeding chains out, but the chains were stuck at the wall's exit, refusing to budge. Bill looked at the connection between the chain and the wall, then glanced at the generators in the same workshop. He immediately understood: the chain had rusted and expanded in the damp environment, causing it to jam. As Bill circled the chain, wondering what to do with it, suddenly the workshop door was pounded on from the outside. "Roar...roar..." came the low growls of infected outside. "Damn it!" Without time to think, Bill put down his M16 assault rifle and picked up the thick chain. He used all his strength to try and move it even a little bit. But the chain's weight far exceeded Bill's expectations. No matter how hard Bill tried to move the chain, it wouldn't budge. "Ugh..." Bill gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, his face contorted in a grimace. But the chain seemed to be under a spell, stuck there, unmoving. Bill released the chain, panting heavily. "Bang bang bang..." A series of violent pounding sounds came from behind the door, and the ground trembled faintly. "...They found us so quickly?" Bill frowned, glancing at the chain behind him that he couldn't break, and clenched his fists. "Bang!" The door, perhaps from the impact, flew quite a distance. "Roar..." Outside the door, swirling dust obscured the view, making it impossible to see what was inside. "Tch..." Bill picked up his M16 assault rifle. "Come on!" Suddenly, a pair of red eyes burst from the dust, the owner of which was tall and strong. It charged towards Bill. "Bang bang bang..." Bill pulled the trigger, firing repeatedly at the charging infected. This time, the infected seemed extremely angry. Unlike before, it didn't shield its face with its hands but charged directly at Bill. The infected quickly reached Bill, swinging its massive arms like whips. Bill quickly crouched down; the infected's attack missed. Clearly, the infected was furious. Seeing its first punch miss, it immediately threw a second and a third. Its fists were like hammers, slamming down on Bill. Bill, lying on the ground, saw the infected's fist about to strike him and immediately rolled to the side. The infected's fist missed its target, hitting the concrete floor. Debris flew everywhere, creating a large crater. "...Damn." In his shock, a sudden thought flashed through Bill's mind. He smiled. Bill scrambled to the side, firing at the infected, then ran to the spot where the chain was jammed and continued firing. "Roar!" The infected charged forward, like a tank, each strike heavy and powerful. The infected swung its arm at Bill, who dodged sharply downwards, avoiding the blow. "Bang!" The infected's fist slammed into the spot where Bill had just stood, smashing a large hole in the wall. "Good!" Bill looked back at the hole; the blow had broken through the connection between the chain and the wall. "Hmm?" Bill examined it closely, but why was the chain still unmoved? Bill was utterly shocked. Suddenly, he saw a trickle of rusty water seeping from the connection between the chain and the wall below. In that instant, he understood. The chain, exposed to dampness for so long, had rusted away. Having remained unmoved for years, it had become fused with the wall, as if they were one piece. "Bang!" A loud crash echoed as the fist struck metal. As Bill pondered the chain, the infected's fist swung straight at him. Instinctively, Bill raised his M16 to block the fatal blow, but the force was too great; the M16 instantly disintegrated, and the flying fragments struck Bill's chest like bullets. "Cough..." Bill nearly lost consciousness from the impact, instinctively falling sideways. In that instant, the infected's fist struck the wall again, smashing open the wall to the right of the chain. Suddenly, a round object fell from Bill's jacket pocket. "This is..." Bill looked at it and smiled. It turned out to be the only grenade Francis had found on the military vehicle at the docks. “Okay!” Just as the infected was retracting his massive fist, Bill pulled the pin on the grenade and placed it next to the chain. He turned around and saw the infected's fist already in mid-air. He immediately ducked down and crawled between the infected's legs. Watching the infected continuously pouring in through the door, Bill sighed and immediately climbed the stairs to the second floor. With a deafening roar, the already slightly loosened chain completely snapped, sinking into the sea along with chunks of concrete. Everything in the Marvel universe was about to truly end, and the future was just beginning.

Chapter 769 Arms Universe

The situation in the main Marvel universe has been resolved. After the Hydra Antarctic base was completely destroyed, Marcus handed over the drug he had researched, and there is nothing left to stop what is to come. Everything is slowly coming to an end. Without the constraints of this world, Tang Tian is about to achieve his final liberation.

Meanwhile, in another dimensional universe, countless interdimensional arms dealers gathered together, waiting for the opportunity to enter that other universe.