Chapter Twenty-One: A New Threat

What followed was far simpler. The squad’s sudden, unexpected return had completely disrupted the Mastermind’s plans. At the critical moment, Chen Ergou had secured an excellent sniper position, eliminating this major threat before the Mastermind even realized the squad had arrived.

With the Mastermind gone, the remaining zombies were nothing more than a disorganized rabble. The various "weapons" they wielded were utterly incapable of inflicting any damage on the squad, who remained safely tucked inside the Tiger armored vehicle, firing through the gun ports.

Zhao Qiang was fortunate to have survived the explosion. It wasn't just that Guo Zijiang had deployed a shield at the crucial second; the massive shockwave from the exploding zombie had blasted all other zombies within a fifty-meter radius into fragments. This allowed the squad to reach the unconscious Zhao Qiang in time, before the horde could swarm him once more.

"How did you know so much?" Zhao Qiang asked. It felt as though he were the one who had been battling the zombie army all along. If anyone had the right to speak on the latest developments, it should have been him—yet Guo Zijiang seemed to know far more about what had transpired than he did.

"That's a bit complicated to explain," Guo Zijiang replied, making no effort to hide his excitement. "I told you I could sense the Mastermind's presence, didn't I?"

As Zhao Qiang rolled his eyes, Guo Zijiang hurried to continue. "I can not only sense its presence, but I can also perceive the specific commands it broadcasts!"

This was why, when the squad had been ambushed days earlier, Guo Zijiang had been able to wipe out so many zombies single-handedly and navigate the labyrinthine air-raid shelter to find the hidden Mastermind. In short, to someone like Guo Zijiang or Zhang Yongming, the Mastermind acted like a super-bright beacon in a dark world.

Once within the Mastermind's control radius, Guo Zijiang could feel its every move. He had intercepted a strange directive from the Mastermind’s command stream—a command he could sense the creature deemed of the utmost importance.

When Guo Zijiang finally located the terminal receiving that command—the zombie that had ballooned like an inflating balloon—it was already too late to warn Zhao Qiang. He could only use his ability to place a temporary, short-lived shield around him. It had saved Zhao Qiang’s life, but that was all it could do.

"Did you find the zombie that attacked our convoy earlier?" With the Mastermind eliminated, the only thing still worrying Zhao Qiang was that mysterious attacker. Zhao had seen a Crusher with only half an arm, and based on the scene, that creature was likely his target.

"Uh..." Guo Zijiang’s expression soured. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think it’s better if Old Cai explains that to you."

Cai Jiashu shot a glare at Guo Zijiang. "That thing is currently on the roof of our vehicle. But don't worry, it's dead."

"Old Cai, can't you put it somewhere else? Must you leave it dangling right above my head?" Zhao Qiang looked disgusted. Having a pile of rotting flesh over his head was hardly pleasant, especially since he was sitting directly under the roof hatch and kept feeling something dripping onto his head.

"Two options: either it stays on the roof and we sit inside, or it lies inside the vehicle and we sit on the roof," Cai Jiashu said coldly, mimicking Wei Tao’s tone, though he couldn't quite keep his expression straight, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

"I'll stick with the current arrangement then," Zhao Qiang sighed, shifting aside and leaning weakly against the seat. "Tell me, how did you manage to take this thing down?"

"Simple," Cai Jiashu shrugged. The Mastermind’s personal guard were formidable, but this weakened Crusher had stood out among them. Its missing arm and sluggish, abnormal movements had attracted the squad's full attention.

While Guo Zijiang was still considering how to transport the beast back to base for study, Cai Jiashu had snatched the shotgun from Chen Ergou, blown the Crusher’s head apart without hesitation, and, ignoring Guo Zijiang’s protests, strapped the corpse to the roof of the Tiger.

"Oh, one more thing," Guo Zijiang added, seeing that Zhao Qiang couldn't change the status quo. "Based on my observations, this Mastermind seemed to be using its commands to teach ordinary zombies how to use tools."

"What?" Zhao Qiang and Cai Jiashu exclaimed simultaneously. This news was even more alarming than the information Dr. Mei had provided earlier. Zombies were already showing infant-level learning abilities, which had escalated the intensity of combat significantly. If the Mastermind began interfering at this juncture, the apocalypse would truly be nearing its end.

"Guo, can you give me a hand here?" Zhao Qiang said weakly. The group had been talking in circles, and not one of them had offered to help treat his injuries—especially Guo Zijiang, who was just standing there staring despite having plenty of abilities.

"It's not that I don't want to, I've just exhausted my quota for the day," Guo Zijiang shrugged, looking innocent. Under Zhang Yongming’s training, he no longer suffered severe aftereffects from using his powers, and his recovery time had shortened, but the shield he had just cast for Zhao Qiang had drained his reserves. He was helpless against Zhao’s current injuries.

...

Soon, the test results for the Crusher brought back by the Tiger Squad arrived, confirming the suspicions of Zhao Qiang and the others.

Although the Crusher's severed arm had healed, traces of cell tumors—the result of the Mastermind’s influence—could still be found in the tissue near the stump.

Similar traces were found on the severed arm itself. Because that tissue had been separated from the host and was truly dead, there was ample evidence to prove that the arm hadn't just belonged to this Crusher; it had likely been launched by the force of a cell tumor explosion, which had ripped the muscle tissue away and sent the limb flying into the armored vehicle carrying Tiger Squad B.

The principle was similar to a rocket launcher, only the Crusher's arm hadn't exploded like a rocket warhead.