Chapter 85: The Great Human Migration

Ma Yi took a look and slowly walked to the side, crouching down directly across from the zombie to watch.
"What is she doing?" "She looks like she's in pain," Erha asked curiously. But as soon as he spoke, Ma Yi shot him a look.
"Don't talk," Tiezhu seized the chance to smack one of Erha's heads, the sound crisp and satisfying—it was all shaved heads, after all, which made it pleasant to hit. Tiezhu, pleased with himself, stopped while he was ahead.
Taking the opportunity for a little payback, Tiezhu chuckled at Erha's innocent expression, slipped quietly behind Ma Yi, and then stood there in silence.
Erha's two heads now wore different expressions: one looked at Ma Yi in confusion, the other glared at Tiezhu in indignation—this guy seemed to do nothing now but find chances to get back at him, clearly corrupted by the boss.
The zombie giving birth was an act rooted in animal instinct. She leaned against the stone wall of the cave, exerting herself repeatedly, the cervix gradually opening.
After half an hour of waiting, with a soft, wet sound, a white little life emerged. At first glance, it looked much like a human baby, but upon closer inspection, two small fleshy bumps were naturally formed on its head, and a tiny tail extended from its backside.
"She just delivered a little thing!" "It's really quite cute," Erha whispered.
"She's giving birth—I saw it on TV," Tiezhu whispered too, eager to show off his knowledge.
The female zombie cleaned the newborn herself, then tidied up. As for the presence of these important guests, she had already been forewarned by Ruhua and felt no fear, especially since the powerful leader often stopped by, and she had grown used to his visits. Once everything was clean, she cradled her child in her hands and held it up to Ma Yi, showing deep respect for this leader by letting him be the first to see her child.
Ma Yi reached out and took the infant, examining it carefully. The little one truly resembled a tiny demon, blinking drowsily at the oversized heads around it, neither crying nor fussing. It simply yawned, looking around curiously from Ma Yi's hands.
After a moment of careful observation, Ma Yi left. The very first life born in this base was now honored with a name given by Ma Yi himself—she was called Eve. Though she had just been born, Ma Yi could already sense a trace of strength within her. The newborn possessed power no less than a level-one zombie; she simply didn't yet know how to wield it.
Just as Ma Yi had previously suspected, everything was beginning to connect in his mind. Perhaps zombies weren't truly zombies after all. The truth danced just out of reach, shrouded in a thin veil—so close he could almost grasp it, yet still uncertain, both eager and anxious.
Barely had Ma Yi returned to the villa when Li Li entered, saying people from the Coalition Army had come to see him.
Ma Yi was quite puzzled. Hadn't he just met the vanguard squad from the Coalition Army a few days ago? Why were they here again? Hadn't he made himself clear?
"What do they want with me? Didn't I make things clear last time?" Ma Yi looked at Li Li curiously, then added, "Or did you not explain it well enough last time?"

Ma Yi wondered if perhaps Li Li hadn't conveyed his intentions properly before.
"No, Master, that's not it—they seem to be here to bring gifts," Li Li explained hurriedly. She had not only delivered Ma Yi's message last time but had also discreetly emphasized his strength, all for the sake of the base's reputation.
"It looks like they're all flying the Coalition Army's banner, but clearly there are three or four different factions among them," Li Li quickly reported her observations.
"What kind of tricks are they up to?" Ma Yi was also suspicious. With three or four factions arriving, and before he had even taken any action, it was obvious they weren't here just to thank him—there could only be one explanation: they were scheming to win him over.
"What did they bring?" Ma Yi's interest was piqued.
"Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, and... some evolved people?" Li Li glanced at Ma Yi, her expression odd.
Noticing the strange look on her face, Ma Yi was briefly puzzled, but decided to meet these people face to face. Sometimes, matters were best settled directly.
Soon, Li Li brought the visitors in. Ma Yi observed that most of them carried a hardened, militaristic air—definitely military types. From the way they stood, it was easy to tell, just as Li Li had said, that they were divided into four groups, each obviously representing a different faction.
"This is the master of this base, my master, Mr. Ma Yi," Li Li announced, standing behind Ma Yi and introducing him to the guests.
They stared in surprise at the young man on the sofa, who looked barely past his twenties, and all drew in a sharp breath. If Ma Yi hadn't been bald, he would have looked even more like the boy next door. There was no trace of menace in his features, nor did he possess the towering stature or overwhelming presence they expected of a high-level evolved human—he was so utterly ordinary that they began to suspect they were in the wrong place, or perhaps being deceived by the woman beside him.
"What brings you here this time?" Ma Yi asked coolly, his tone lacking any hint of authority, sounding more like an old friend making conversation.
"Sir, hello. I am the commander of the Northwest Base of the Coalition Army. On orders of our chief, I have brought some of our specialties to thank you for all you have done for us," said a major, stepping forward. Though surprised by Ma Yi, he did not neglect protocol, maintaining due respect.
But Ma Yi was taken aback by these words, secretly amused. He hadn't done anything yet—what could they possibly be thanking him for? This fellow was certainly good at spinning tales. But what really floored Ma Yi were the next three delegations.
With the first person having set the template, the rest quickly found their own words.
"Sir, we are from the Desert North Base. On our leader's orders, we have come to thank you for saving millions of humans. We bring you daily necessities as a token of our gratitude and hope you will visit us someday so our people can thank you in person."
"Sir, hello. We are from the Central Base, sent by our chief to greet you and thank you for your efforts, which have allowed us to live in peace. We hope you will visit our Central Branch of the Coalition Army sometime; our branch will look to you for guidance."

After hearing the rest, Ma Yi was dumbfounded. The Coalition Army's nearest base was hundreds of miles away, and they hadn't even arrived here yet. He hadn't done anything, but these people were lining up to thank him, offering guidance and invitations. He suddenly felt like a corrupt official being flattered by a string of sycophantic subordinates bringing gifts.
Once the gift-bearing officials had finally departed, Ma Yi barely had a moment to relax before Liu Wen erupted in anger.
Ma Yi was at a loss for words. Liu Wen had seen the special gifts among those delivered—quite a few young and beautiful female evolved beings from other races—which made her quite jealous. To appease her, Ma Yi handed the girls over to Li Li's management and kept his distance, cursing himself for not having asked what "specialties" they were actually bringing before accepting the gifts. Now, the backyard was practically in turmoil; he could only wait for a proper conversation with their chiefs if they ever met again.
The great throng of survivors moving through City P was like a swarm of locusts, stripping everything useful bare. Ma Yi couldn't help but feel fortunate—he was living quite comfortably in the apocalypse, never lacking for anything or worrying about resources. The villa was stocked with everything imaginable.
Even food was plentiful, except for a slight lack of vegetables; there was no shortage of meat. In the underground city, meat was not only food for Ma Yi and his group but also rations for the zombies. To feed so many zombies, Ruhua had organized many low-level zombies to tend to the evolved beasts, breeding those that reproduced quickly.
There were at least a hundred thousand evolved beasts in the underground city, all thanks to Zhuifeng and his crew. Now, the underground city was completely self-sufficient, with the number of beasts born and consumed in perfect balance. Whether for the zombies or the surface combat units, there was always enough food.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ma Yi refused all requests for meetings from the various leaders, claiming he was in seclusion, preparing for the battles ahead. At first, these people were reluctant to leave, but seeing Ma Yi's resolute attitude, they had no choice but to depart. It wasn't that Ma Yi didn't want to teach them a lesson about the meaning of "specialties," but Liu Wen had now restricted his freedom. The number of special gifts was quite large, the lowest among them being level-two evolved beings. Liu Wen arranged for them to stay in the servants' quarters beside the villa. Every day, the courtyard bustled with the songs and laughter of many exotic young women, and Liu Wen worried that Ma Yi might be ensnared by some fair-haired, blue-eyed girl if he set foot outside.
Unlike Ma Yi's composure, none of these gifted girls were easy to manage. Liu Wen could see in their eyes how determined they were—each one burning with the ambition to win Ma Yi's favor.
Every day in the tiny villa courtyard was more dramatic than a palace intrigue. If Li Li had not laid down the rules in advance, these vixens would have been brawling by now.
It took the survivors five days to pass through City P. Their numbers had grown enormous. According to Li Li's reports, even the survivors from the southern base had joined with their subordinate outposts and were now moving east, then north, to join the main Coalition Army force here.
To survive better, even the northern survivor bases were migrating south. With no more zombies to block their way, the migration was swift. The main obstacles were the evolved beasts and various mutant insect swarms. Sometimes, a single misstep would cost hundreds of lives. The evolved beasts, being large, could be spotted in time by scout squads. The insects, however—just one could wipe out several adults. Their small size made them nearly impossible to find if they hid, and only the heavy winter snow covering everything kept the danger at bay. Otherwise, if they had to walk through tall grasses, lives would disappear before their eyes.
Some cold-resistant, camouflaged insect types would appear in swarms, devouring dozens of people in moments. By the time high-level evolved humans arrived, the damage was done; all that was left was to vent their fury on the insects that hadn't fled. They dared not pursue those that escaped, since the main force still needed their protection.