Chapter 12: Transmigrated?

"Boundless Longevity Buddha, another poor soul meets his end."

Far off, standing atop a building, a man clad in a cyan long-robe watched the scene. His long hair cascaded naturally over his shoulders, and an ancient-looking longsword was slung diagonally across his back. He gazed with an enigmatic expression at the armored vehicle besieged by the sea of zombies.

"It looks like I'll be unable to fight for a few more days; it seems my time cultivating the truth is still too short." Watching the armored vehicle struggle increasingly in the ocean of the undead, with the gunfire from within growing sparse, the man in cyan finally moved.

"Heaven and earth are natural, the foul aura disperses. Within the void lies the profound; the Great Origin shines bright. Swiftly!" The man in cyan rapidly formed hand seals and chanted an incantation. With a leap from the rooftop, he streaked toward the distant battlefield like an arrow released from a bow.

Zhao Qiang and his team were so focused on the surrounding zombies that none noticed the man in cyan approaching at a speed that defied the laws of physics.

"Align with the Five Peaks, let the Eight Seas bear witness. Demon kings, yield; guard my carriage. Bind!" Just as Cai Jiashu tossed his grenade, the man in cyan’s keen eyes caught the movement. Seeing the zombie bats change direction to flee the blast, he pointed a finger from afar, and the entire swarm froze in mid-air.

With a thunderous "boom," the grenade erupted within the swarm. Countless fragments and roaring flames instantly obliterated the suspended bats. When the smoke cleared, not a single bat remained in the sky.

Cai Jiashu, having witnessed this, was dumbfounded. He had tried several times before, but only the first attempt had yielded results; every subsequent grenade was met with bats that scattered before regrouping after the blast. He had thrown the final grenade without much hope, only to witness this bizarre spectacle.

"Now’s our chance!" The situation shifted so rapidly that there was no time for shock. With the greatest threat gone, the team scrambled out of the armored vehicle. Lacking ammunition, they wielded machetes and bayonets, carving a bloody path out of the encirclement.

***

"Damn it, what a humiliating day!" Cai Jiashu sat in the passenger seat, spitting out the window in frustration.

"No, we have to go back!" After a long silence, Zhao Qiang suddenly jerked the steering wheel. The heavy Tiger-class vehicle skidded for ten meters before coming to a halt in a cloud of dust.

"What are you planning?" Cai Jiashu did not object. The squad had no tradition of abandoning their own—not in the past, not now, and never in the future. Even the bodies of their comrades could not be left to the enemy.

"Even without ammo, I’m bringing A-Wei’s remains back!" Zhao Qiang declared with iron resolve. "Besides, what happened earlier was too strange. I have to investigate." The scene at the air-raid shelter entrance was baffling; something must have frozen those bats like a frame in a film. If left unexplained, it could pose a massive threat to the future reclamation of Jianglu.

"Tiger Squad Two (a name decided only today), return to base, resupply, and come back to support us." With the orders set, Zhao Qiang turned the vehicle around and sped back toward the Jianglu Machinery Factory.

***

"Are we at the wrong place?" Zhao Qiang sat in the driver's seat, staring blankly at what lay before him.

The battlefield remained as chaotic as before, but the zombie army stood frozen exactly as they had been when the squad retreated. Every single zombie remained in a pursuit stance, facing the gates of the machinery factory, motionless, as if they didn't see the armored vehicle returning.

Zhao Qiang stepped out alone, Kukri blade in hand, and cautiously approached one of the zombies. As he drew nearer, there was still no reaction. "What is going on?" With his guard fully up, he reached out with his blade to prod the creature.

At his touch, the zombie collapsed, lifeless. A wound nearly an inch long marred its forehead, from which black blood slowly seeped.

Cai Jiashu and the others stepped out and checked the surrounding zombies. Incredibly, every single one bore an identical wound on its forehead.

"If my judgment is correct, they were killed by a sharp blade, like a dagger, piercing the skull," Cai Jiashu said, puzzled. "But I can't fathom who could do this." It was too strange; the army of zombies stood there as if waiting to be slaughtered. No one could kill so many without triggering a counterattack.

Zhao Qiang was equally filled with doubt. The squad hadn't been gone long. To wipe out so many zombies in such a short time, all with a single strike—Zhao Qiang knew he couldn't do it. The only thing that came to mind were the swordsmen from wuxia novels.

"Boundless Longevity Buddha, you have returned!" A booming voice echoed from the air-raid shelter. Zhao Qiang was startled; the bizarre scene had diverted the squad's attention, causing them to neglect their surroundings. Hearing the voice so close, he tightened his grip on his blade and looked toward the shelter.

The man in cyan was laboriously dragging a massive-headed zombie out of the shelter. Seeing the tense squad, he said, "Stop staring and come help."

"Did you do this?" Zhao Qiang did not lower his guard. As the man bent over, Zhao Qiang noticed the longsword on his back; judging by its design, it was surely the weapon that had caused the wounds. The man was too mysterious. In this day and age, no one wore long robes and carried a sword. He seemed to have traveled from another world. Furthermore, looking at the "Sage" zombie he was dragging, the man had not only handled the army alone but also showed no ill effects after killing the commander. Most terrifyingly, his robes were perfectly neat. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zhao Qiang would never have believed this was the man responsible.

The man in cyan tossed the Sage aside and, with a pompous flourish, cupped his hands. "Cultivator Guo Zijiang! That’s right, I killed them all."

Upon hearing the introduction, Zhao Qiang nearly choked. A cultivator? Was he joking? Did he travel through time, or did we?