The enormous panda, known as Bear King Bag, had a massive body but an exceptionally clever mind. As he looked at the approaching threat, he knew this battle was not one he could win.
Jie continuously retreated, fearing that Bear King Bag would eliminate him. The panda's immense strength was not something any ordinary creature could rival. His powerful physique represented vast energy; even if Chiyou himself were to appear, it would likely take considerable effort to defeat him.
"Jiang Weijie, we agree. However, this just means we will no longer intervene. You can't restrict the battles of those Fellows, can you?" Jie had not given up on Zheng Yifan's Hope Gathering Place. He had merely shifted from a direct attack to manipulating other Superpowered Individuals to take down Zheng Yifan.
"Do as you wish. If you can't even handle a few snacks, then they have no reason to survive," Bear King Bag replied, glancing back at Zheng Yifan with a gaze full of ambiguous meaning.
"You should be grateful! Grateful that you found a good woman. Before the apocalypse struck, she was the one who rescued me from the zoo. Otherwise, I would have starved to death at the hands of those wretched keepers!" Bear King Bag's words left Zheng Yifan in shock.
Such a colossal Bear King, a terrifying ruler with an overwhelming presence, had once been a mere exhibit in a zoo.
What a reversal for Chad!
This was undoubtedly the most classic tale of Chad's comeback, except this time the protagonist had transformed from a human into a panda—a panda that had escaped the clutches of the zoo.
Bear King Bag, the powerful master of the Ushumar Mountains, swayed his hefty body as he looked at Zheng Yifan and then at Old Turtle, slowly making his way toward Ushumar Mountains.
He could help Zheng Yifan. The only ones who could assist Han Rui were these few. In this apocalypse, without great power, there was only death—only death awaited those who relied on others. This was the law of the jungle.
Every meal he consumed came from those Fifth Level beasts. And the food for Fifth Level beasts consisted of lower-level creatures.
Zombies? They were merely tasty snacks. The true sustenance came from other beasts of the same kind.
Only those herbivorous Third Stage beasts served as the lowest tier of meat providers. However, they often possessed formidable reproductive abilities; only in this way could they feed these gluttons.
Zheng Yifan seemed like a creature from another world, completely unaware of the ultimate Jungle Law governing Ushumar Mountains and uninterested in learning it. All he knew was that behind him stood friends, family, and those who needed his protection.
"Child! Try your best to live a little longer. You can't survive forever under Bag's protection; it won't be long before Bag is in danger himself. Beasts? There were fierce beasts even in the First Vitality Era. Yet they did not survive into this age! Do you know why? Because they faced unprecedented challenges." Jie disregarded Bear King's expression and mockingly looked at Zheng Yifan. With a swift motion, he leaped into the air, his bottom resting on a gigantic Dandelion that carried him soaring through the sky.
Zheng Yifan simply gazed at the distant figures of the Dandelion and Bag as they vanished, leaving only the profound gaze of Old Turtle behind.
Eventually, Old Turtle slowly submerged into the water.
The battle ended in an inexplicable manner, without a hint of turbulence.
Everything seemed to unfold naturally. The resolution was not achieved by Zheng Yifan; it was the panda that Han Rui had once rescued. However, that panda had now become the ruler of the Ushumar Mountains, known as Bear King Bag!
Taking a moment to collect himself, he adjusted his clothes, tearing apart the already shredded fabric. With a heavy heart, he turned and walked back.
That was his stronghold, yet he felt no sense of triumph within.
Once upon a time, he had kept a watchful eye on all his enemies, dismissing even the most formidable Zombies. But now? He could only survive under the protection of Bear King Bag, clinging to life in a desperate struggle. This made the Zombies across from him even more frenzied. He had no idea when he would be able to hold his ground again. He dared not break through Jiang Liao; otherwise, Uncle Jie would surely take him down. That Fellow's gaze was filled with intense murderous intent.
Dragging his weary body forward, Zheng Yifan moved slowly but steadily. Others began to gather around him; Shi Laonian and Wu Yingzhou approached silently.
They understood that their invincible leader had suffered a tremendous blow this time. The monsters that had emerged were enough to shatter all of Zheng Yifan's strength, and whispers began to circulate throughout the Gathering Place questioning his capabilities.
The most common doubts revolved around Zheng Yifan's combat prowess. He had always relied on his exceptional fighting skills as assurance, but now that invincible image seemed to sway like leaves in the wind.
When he saw Shi Laonian, Zheng Yifan waved his hand and released a box of Moutai along with the promised jar of wine.
No longer concerned about others' opinions of him, he utilized his Storage Space freely. Aside from not exposing it in the real world, Zheng Yifan no longer cared about how others viewed him.
"Leader... I..." Shi Laonian seemed to be contemplating something, his old face looking somewhat embarrassed as he regarded Zheng Yifan.
"Whether you win or lose, these fine wines are yours now. Just drink them for me; I can't tell good from bad when it comes to alcohol. No matter how good it is, it tastes just like Erguotou to me," Zheng Yifan said casually while waving his hand. A large amount of supplies began to appear continuously; this was support for Li Li and Wu Yingzhou.
However, what Wu Yingzhou received was a complete set of teaching materials, stacked high with the same quantity as before. These were the Superpowered Individual textbooks printed by Zheng Yifan in the real world. They contained all of Zheng Yifan's experiences with Zombies and all his discoveries. More importantly, they included his insights into the understanding and application of Vital Energy.
The entire process took only five hours, all of which Zheng Yifan had accumulated over time. After enduring such a long period in the apocalypse, he finally condensed it all into this book, which represented his most refined knowledge.
He initially did not want to pass on all his knowledge, including every detail, because he understood that it was his lifeline. Especially his mastery and understanding of Vital Energy, which was undoubtedly the most crucial resource in the apocalypse.
But now, he had come to terms with it; he was not the strongest. Those powerful individuals from the First Vitality Era were the true strongest.
For some reason, Zheng Yifan recalled the technology that could be exchanged within the Time-Space Barrier; that was the real foundation for survival. In fact, Huangdi and others had already arranged for the future. As long as they followed the path laid out by Huangdi, everything would be smooth sailing without so many dangers. Even the attacks from Tiger Mouth Military Base would not pose much of a threat; he believed that future technology could significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Superpowered Individuals at Hope Gathering Place.
However, there were simply too many Zombie Crystal s. Even after ten million, Zheng Yifan still couldn't gather enough and could only wait patiently. The business scope also needed to continue expanding; if Northeast didn't work out, they would develop towards the southwest and encompass the entire southwestern region under their control.
There lay dozens of the wealthiest cities in the country with the largest populations. A single Demon City alone had over a hundred million residents, and the number of Zombie Crystal s required was indeed substantial.
Yet Zheng Yifan's spirit was currently low; even with these thoughts in mind, he wasn't prepared to act immediately. He felt a heavy weight on his heart.
"Leader! Should we continue to eliminate Zombies at Fortress Jiang?" Sun Jiangsheng reminded him beside Zheng Yifan.
Only then did Zheng Yifan look ahead, where Left Guard and Pu Qiang, two Fellows concerned for him, had walked from the command center to the front lines.
Two Third-Stage Espers could die at any moment in this battle.
They were leaders of Two Major Legions; if anything went wrong, it would undoubtedly be a significant problem.
Yet they still took risks to come check on Zheng Yifan.
Zheng Yifan had confidence in himself, which is why he dared to come to the front lines. Unfortunately, he had learned a harsh lesson.
Chiyou had already surpassed his own combat power, even being the weakest among the guards.
In the First Vitality Era, there were 108 such Fellows, and that was just from the Chiyou Tribe. What about the Yellow Emperor Tribe?
The combat strength of the Yellow Emperor Tribe, which could fight against the Chiyou Tribe for so long and even once defeated them, must be even stronger.
"All Zombies below the fortress must be eliminated. For those in the distance, take them out as needed. Close-range Superpowered Individuals, especially the stronger ones, are not allowed to extend too far from the front line. That Fellow might be hiding somewhere nearby, ready to ambush us! He will definitely not leave the Tiger Mouth Military Base across from us. There are people he needs there," Zheng Yifan instructed, also reminding himself.
There could be no room for complacency; while the Bag could save him once, it wouldn't save him a second time.
Ultimately, the battle would still fall into the hands of the Hope Gathering Place.
However, there were many constraints now. They could only hold their ground in Fortress Jiang. If they ventured out again, it would only be those ordinary Superpowered Individuals who would go.
Within the Hope Gathering Place, things were becoming increasingly unpredictable, and speculation about Zheng Yifan was growing. The aura of invincibility he once had was fading. His Power of Faith had significantly decreased.
On the battlefield, those warriors were fighting with their lives, and Zheng Yifan could not abandon them. Even if his mood was poor, he had to suppress it or find a way to release it in the real world. He needed to use all his strength to relax. This was all he could do.
Watching as the higher-ups of the Hope Gathering Place issued commands in an orderly manner around him, he felt their concern deeply.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine after a short rest. Everyone prepare for a long battle against the Zombies. And make sure to collect all loot, especially the Zombie Crystal s!" After giving his instructions, Zheng Yifan left behind a group of people and walked alone down the path. (To be continued...)
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