Chapter 300 Hell Difficulty...

As the vehicle approached the outer perimeter sign of Beijing, Shi Xu, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly changed his expression and shouted urgently, "Stop the car! Brother Chi...stop the car now!"

Chi Yi slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching on the ice.

A vine rose from Chi Yi's palm: "What's going on?"

Upon hearing the sound, Lu Nange and the others by the island platform immediately stood up.

Shi Xu: "The outskirts of Beijing are surrounded by zombies."

Because Shi Xu's mental energy was constantly being projected outwards for reconnaissance, Lu Nange did not use her mental energy.

Upon hearing Shi Xu's words, she immediately extended her spiritual power forward...

Just as Chi Yi and Shi Xu reached the edge of the island platform, Lu Nange opened her eyes: "The entire area around the capital is completely surrounded by zombies... It's even difficult to get close to the city gates..."

Shi Xu: "The density was terrifying; there was no end in sight."

He Zhuo's eyes lit up: "A get-rich-quick opportunity delivered to our doorstep? Our crystal core inventory can be replenished again!"

Gu Qi rubbed his temples: "...Didn't you understand what Nan Nan and Shi Xu meant? We can't beat them... It's clearly a situation where we 'make money but don't have the life to spend it.'"

Chi Yanzhou: "Nannan, what if it's just about opening up a road into the city?"

Lu Nange shook her head: "Hell difficulty. With just a dozen or so of us, it'll be incredibly difficult to tear a gap in a horde of zombies of this size."

Gu Wan: "How about we do what we did last time and just blow up a path?"

Shi Xu turned to Lu Nange for her opinion: "Nannan, how about I drive the car a little further forward? Let everyone see the scale, and then we can discuss the plan to enter the city?"

Lu Nange shook her head: "Don't move the car yet. Getting too close will make too much noise and isn't safe... Everyone, make sure you're warm, and go directly to the roof to use binoculars to look..."

Today's temperature hit a new low, so Lu Nange stuffed everyone's gloves, hats, and boots with hand warmers before they followed Chi Yanzhou up the metal ladder on the side of the RV to the roof.

Only Shi Xu, Lu Nange, and Lu Beiye remained in the car.

The rest of the people, carrying military binoculars, climbed onto the roof of the vehicle one after another.

As soon as He Zhuo steadied himself, he asked impatiently, "Yan-ge, Ci-ge, what's going on?"

Lu Xici's expression was grave: "See for yourself, the situation isn't good."

When everyone raised their binoculars, they all gasped in shock—none of the cities they had passed through had ever witnessed such a terrifying sight.

The open area at the entrance to the city was densely packed with zombies.

It wasn't wandering, it wasn't lingering, but rather it piled up in layers, like a rotting tide besieging the entire city.

The defensive walls of the capital city must have been heightened and reinforced. At this moment, in the eyes of Chi Yanzhou and his companions, the capital city looked like an isolated island.

Those inside were trapped in the isolated city, while those outside... had no way to get in.

Despite being fully equipped, everyone still felt their hands and feet were ice-cold when they climbed back into the vehicle.

If I hadn't been wearing thermal clothing, I probably would have gotten frostbite.

Holding the hot water bottle handed to him by Lu Nange, He Zhuo exclaimed, "No wonder Mei Bao called it hell mode... this is simply unsolvable mode!"

Luo Xingyou rubbed her face and nodded: "That scene was indeed more terrifying than the train station during the Spring Festival travel rush before the apocalypse..."

Ji Xian rubbed his temples wearily: "Just one last push, and... we couldn't get into the city."

"This scene..." He Zhuo took a swig of hot water: "It's like all the zombies in the country have come to Beijing on a pilgrimage?"

Chi Yanzhou gazed out the window: "The zombies are piled up in layers, with no cover whatsoever... If there's the slightest movement, these tens of thousands of zombies will swarm over instantly."

Lu Nange: "Let's turn around and retreat first, maintaining a safe distance... Everyone's been traveling for three days and is tired, so let's take a break and discuss our plan to enter the city."

Shi Xu had already gotten up and walked towards the driver's seat: "You all take a break, I'll drive."

The RV turned around and drove for twenty minutes before coming to a stop on a secluded highway far from the horde of zombies.

Everyone sat around the island counter, holding steaming cups of water, the rising steam temporarily dispelling the chill in their hearts.

He Zhuo slumped in his chair and groaned, "We're in the middle of nowhere, we can't even find anyone to help us..."

Shi Xu: "Nan Nan and I can work together, each controlling a few zombies and letting them fight each other in the horde. Although it takes time... it's the safest way."

Gu Qi raised an eyebrow: "Are you serious?"

"It's better than sending them to their deaths," Shi Xu calmly analyzed. "It will take at most a month or two, and if all goes well, we can clear the passage in ten days or so."

Gu Wan: "But can you and Nan Nan withstand this mentally?"

Shi Xu: "Nan Nan and I can take turns..."

Lu Nange: "No need for all that trouble. Actually... we can just walk in."

Everyone was stunned: "Go inside?"

Chi Yanzhou: "Nannan, you mean... that special spray you gave Sister Wenqing?"

Lu Nange nodded: "That's right, the zombie spray lasts for six hours, enough for us to sneak into the city."

Shi Xu: "Six hours is plenty of time; that way, we can walk through the horde of zombies openly and honestly."

He Zhuo crossed his arms and trembled: "With that density, walking in made me feel like a moving piece of pork belly..."

Luo Xingyou: "The zombies will even breathe on you..."

Gu Wan: "Ugh...just thinking about it makes me sick...that area must smell awful...!"

He Zhuo shuddered violently: "That smell... could send me straight to my grave!"

Chi Yanzhou's fingertips conjured ice crystals: "We can use a shield to clear a path."

Lu Nange: "Yes, we'll use spray to approach the zombie horde, then use shields to create a passage on both sides to isolate the horde... We can also clear out the zombies inside the shields."

Gu Wan excitedly chimed in, "That way we won't have to be crammed together with zombies!"

He Zhuo immediately perked up: "Great! This way we can enter the city safely and earn crystal cores at the same time! A win-win situation..."

He turned to look at Lu Nange and Chi Yanzhou: "Sister Bao, Brother Yan, when are we leaving?"

Ji Xian: "Why do I feel like your eyes are practically glowing green when you mention crystal cores now..."

He Zhuo shrugged, speaking with self-righteousness: "There's no other way. Poor kids have to learn to be independent early! Our RV consumes crystal cores like water; how can we not stockpile them?"

Ji Xian: "That's true. We're going to be passing through anyway, so every little bit we can earn is a bonus."

He Zhuo got more and more excited as he spoke: "Exactly! We've come all this way, we can't leave empty-handed, can we? So, little sister—"

He looked at Lu Nange expectantly again: "When do we set off?"

Lu Nange: "We can leave anytime. But how did it feel to be on the roof of the car for ten minutes just now?"

Luo Xingyou: "Even with heat packs on, my hands and feet feel ice-cold, like they're being pricked with needles."

Wen Qing: "Especially my face; even though I'm wearing goggles and a mask, it still hurts like it's being scraped with a knife."