Chapter 71 Taking a Gamble
Liang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, "If you mean those who haven't been infected with the virus, then yes. We are all people here who didn't get sick after the ancient city fell."
"A city with over a hundred superhumans, that's an astonishing number," Jiang Ye remarked, counting the heads. He then asked, "Do you know where these cages came from?"
The chattering sounds started again.
"They conjured it up out of thin air!"
"No, they made the iron cage!"
"These insects can conjure things out of thin air? They were clearly brought back from outside."
...
"Quiet down! It's too noisy! If you want to go out, don't interrupt the city lord and them exchanging information!" Tang Zhao seized the opportunity and quickly became one of them, stopping the agitated crowd and shouting.
Liang Zhi tried to pry open the unmoving iron cage and sighed.
According to Jiang Ye, everyone here is a superhuman, yet the cage is so powerful that it can trap them.
“It didn’t appear out of thin air.” Liang Zhi thought for a moment and said slowly, “We were among the first to be captured. At that time, there was nothing here. They brought back a lot of ironware, including the weapons we had, and melted them down with something we didn’t know, turning them into cages to trap us, and replacing the locks with something we didn’t know. These iron cages were very hard; even the strongest of us couldn’t pry them open.”
"So what do we do now?" Bai Chenzhu stood with his arms crossed, calmly throwing the question back at him.
There were only two of them outside, while Zhou Zhuohua and the others were inside. They couldn't pry open the iron cage and seemed to be trying to unlock it with their wings. They knew nothing about the insectoids here.
Perhaps we should first listen to Liang Zhi, who has been trapped here for so long, and see if he has any better ideas.
Liang Zhi observed their expressions and saw that they had no intention of running away and were genuinely willing to save them. So he tentatively asked, "Do you two know where those guys went? They only bring back some food at least in the evening every day."
Jiang Ye said, "It flew very far away, I don't know where it went."
Instead of offering a solution directly, Liang Zhi asked, "Are you two from out of town, passing through here?"
Bai Chenzhu's gaze swept quickly over the people in the iron cage, knowing that people are always very suspicious. If they were bolder, they might even connect them with Zhou Zhuohua and the other two who had just been arrested.
At that point, the three of them would be in danger.
No matter what, you shouldn't appear to be eager to save people.
Jiang Ye paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you worried we'll run away?"
Liang Zhi admitted, "The two of you are not related to us, and I don't know what extent you two can go to do this."
Jiang Ye sneered: "Of course, it's to spare our lives."
He deliberately made sure everyone could hear him, raising his voice: "We were passing through here when that huge monster ruined all our luggage and belongings. The whole city is full of zombies, and we can't get out now. We've also seen some strange guys and you guys inside. What do you all think we should do?"
His words were half true and half false, yet they were convincing enough.
Or rather, one has no choice but to believe it.
They could only place their hopes on Jiang Ye and the other two.
Jiang Ye wanted them to obey.
“If we try our best to save you, and you all run away, what’s the point of saving you? We might as well let you stay here and become monster food!” Jiang Ye said.
His vulgarity drew a few insults and mostly kind words, all in an attempt to appease them.
Jiang Ye played the bad cop, while Bai Chenzhu played the good cop, "You can't say that. There's strength in numbers. The chances of us escaping with just the two of us are too low. Everyone, we come from other bases and know the importance of superhumans. If you're willing, we, with over a hundred people, can completely subdue those dozens of little bugs!"
The ashen-faced people inside the cage raised their eyelids. They were listless after being locked up for many days, but their attention was drawn to Bai Chenzhu's words.
Tang Zhao, standing in the crowd, immediately raised his arm and exclaimed, "That's right! I'm from out here too! We superhumans might not necessarily lose to those winged creatures!"
Bai Tao was suppressing her excitement as she stared at Jiang Ye and the others when suddenly her shoulder slumped as Zhou Zhuohua whispered in her ear, "Tao Tao."
Bai Tao stared at her blankly.
Zhou Zhuohua looked at the two people outside and spoke to Bai Tao, "There are no Zerg now, they're tired, you should let them 'wake up'."
Bai Tao was slightly taken aback, but then she instantly understood.
She jumped up, afraid of being discovered, and then used her maximum volume to spread her mental energy, even cracking her voice, "That's right! The strongest I've ever seen can kill two bugs with their bare hands! Bugs are nothing! We are superhumans with the strength to lift a cauldron!"
Her power, when dispersed among a hundred people, wasn't particularly strong, but the slight tingling sensation on their foreheads was enough to wake most of them—whether they were tired, dozing off, or indifferent—causing them to open their eyes wide and look towards the noisy area.
What's all the commotion about? Can we go out now? Really?
Zhou Zhuohua, mingling among the crowd, seized the opportunity, stood up, and shouted, "Everyone, we have no way out! It's either death or a fight to the death!"
"right!"
"Fight them!"
"I don't want to cook, I want to go out!"
...
Before Liang Zhi could even speak, the atmosphere had already been stirred up by the back-and-forth singing. The crowd was excited, their voices could lift the ceiling, and their momentum was so great that they seemed ready to tear the enemy apart at any moment.
Liang Zhi was speechless for a moment, and was even shocked that the two of them had encouraged everyone with just a few words.
He poured cold water on the idea, asking, "So, do you have a way to pick the lock?"
Jiang Ye asked, "Can all Zerg wings be unlocked?"
Liang Zhicheng said earnestly, "Based on my observation, yes. I guarantee it with my life."
Jiang Ye said it very casually: "Then just grab any one and cut off its wings, right?"
Liang Zhi stared in disbelief, looking the two tall figures up and down. "Putting aside the fact that there are only two of you, what are we going to do when the door opens and there's that huge monster down there?"
Finally, someone said that. Compared to those guys in Luo Zhou, this guy is excessively meticulous and cautious. Bai Chenzhu thought, looking at Liang Zhi's honest face.
Bai Chenzhu touched his mask, not intending to reveal his superpower. "I have a way to make that monster chase the Zerg, but after we deal with the Zerg, we also need to deal with that monster. The monster's weakness is its throat. As long as we concentrate our firepower on its weakness, we will definitely be able to defeat it."
If it weren't for the fragment on the neck band around the monster's throat, the monster might not have been so powerful. Bai Chenzhu thought to himself, "It's another situation similar to before, another 'zombie king'."
Taking advantage of their ignorance of the truth about the 'Zombie King', Jiang Ye said, half-truthfully, "It is the 'Zombie King' of the ancient city. If we don't deal with it, we will inevitably be overwhelmed by the zombie horde it has attracted before we even leave the ancient city."
This undoubtedly limited everyone's escape. If they ignored the zombie king, they would all die when the zombie horde arrived.
Zombie King? Zombie Horde? Everyone looked at each other, stunned by his words.
In other words, after unlocking the lock, they will not only have to deal with the alien race, but also the zombie king.
Is there really any way out?
"Don't doubt it, I have a way to make you strong enough to fight them," Jiang Ye asked them only one question: "Are you willing to take a gamble?"
Do I even need to say that?
Liang Zhi gritted his teeth: "Let's fight them!"
A chorus of uplifting voices rose up after him.
Jiang Ye suddenly glanced at Bai Chenzhu, who looked at him, puzzled.
Jiang Ye remained silent for a long time before finally making a decision: "Since you trust me, I will also give you a precious treasure to represent my trust."
He reached out to the white peach in the cage, "Peach, my little sister, come here."
Bai Chenzhu tugged at Jiang Ye's clothes, hesitating to speak.
Why expose the white peach? This would inevitably turn the white peach into a 'host'.
Everyone was shocked. Following his arm, they parted the sea, and at the end, a disheveled Peach stood in place.
“This is my younger sister,” Jiang Ye said without blinking. “We’re here to save her, everyone. She has a special ability.”
"She can enhance the abilities of superhumans."
Apart from Jiang Ye, everyone stared at Bai Tao in shock, even Bai Tao herself was astonished.
Bai Chenzhu had even more doubts in his heart.
Didn't Jiang Ye say that ability users can only level up on their own?
When exactly will Bai Tao be able to increase her superpower level?!
Bai Tao stepped forward. Although she didn't know why Jiang Ye wanted to expose her, she refrained from looking back at Zhou Zhuohua and Tang Zhao under so many eyes. Instead, she stammered and cooperated, looking weak and pitiful, but obediently saying, "Brother, brother!"
Jiang Ye held her hand through the cage, patted her head, and showed her great affection.
Bai Chenzhu's gaze drifted vaguely over the two of them, his mind filled with only one thought: Jiang Ye's acting skills are just too good.
Jiang Ye's expression was resolute as he gripped Bai Tao's hand tightly and said to everyone, "She has loved singing since she was a child. Her singing can rapidly enhance a person's superpowers, but it also easily attracts the attention of the insectoids. Therefore, she is our hope!"
Countless people who were initially hesitant to take the plunge now raised their heads, their eyes shining with newfound light.
In despair, as long as there is a glimmer of hope or a ray of light, people will be drawn to it like moths to a flame, exerting all their strength to grasp it.
Only shared hope and new beliefs can resist the centrifugal force of "each going their own way in times of crisis".
Now, Jiang Ye wants to make Bai Tao the most inspiring 'hope' to force this group of people to unite and save themselves.
Bai Tao knew her own abilities best. She quickly realized what was going on and, without the slightest hesitation, patted her chest firmly, "That's right! Trust me, we can all leave alive!"
——
After agreeing on a preliminary plan with these people, Jiang Ye and Bai Chenzhu left the theater to find enough weapons for about a hundred people. After all, having a kitchen knife or a stick in hand is better than having nothing at all.
After leaving the theater area, Bai Chenzhu immediately caught up with Jiang Ye. "Jiang Ye! There are many things you didn't tell me beforehand."
Jiang Ye, with his back to him, sighed and turned to the side, "What do you think Bai Tao did to become the city lord of Luozhou? Her special ability is not that simple."
"Isn't her special ability to attack the brain regions of zombies and catalyze their mutations...?" Bai Chenzhu was stunned at this point.
Catalytic mutation?
So, indeed, Bai Tao's ability can affect both zombies and other ability users, and so on...
He quickly grabbed Jiang Ye, "Are you crazy!"
There were over a hundred people! The stimulation was too much; the insane superpowered individuals were practically indistinguishable from zombies.
Jiang Ye pried his hands off and shrugged. "I'm not crazy. Taking shortcuts comes at a price, but it's nothing compared to life."
“So let her sing in the Grand Theater. What we need to do is find weapons,” Jiang Ye said, putting his arm around his shoulder.
Bai Chenzhu looked at him silently.
Jiang Ye lifted his chin. "Are you angry? Because of those people?"
"I'm angry with myself." Bai Chenzhu turned her head away, avoiding his touch.
Bai Chenzhu was wearing a mask, so Jiang Ye couldn't see her expression, but he could see that her phoenix eyes were curved, carrying a cold smile.
"I just realized that I'm not a good person either."
"Also?" Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. "You've insulted me too."
"No, it's just a simple statement."
Bai Chenzhu couldn't be as decisive as Jiang Ye, but he didn't think it was a bad thing. In his view, people live for the sake of living, and it's necessary to sacrifice some things for that.
However, due to their conscience, morality, and the limitations imposed by various instilled ideas, they sometimes fall into contradictions and lack decisiveness.
He stopped dwelling on the matter, pushed Jiang Ye aside, stood up straight, as firm as a pine tree, and said in a cold voice, "Let's go. Time is precious. We have a lot to find."
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