Chapter 505, The Old Power Plant
The sudden voice from the radio startled the two men, their faces turning pale.
The balding middle-aged man quickly glanced out the window and re-covered the gap with newspaper.
His tone was flustered, "What did it just say?"
The young man, uncertain, replied, "It sounded like someone from Xinfu City is trying to contact us."
While they were talking,
the radio voice came through again.
"This is the Xinfu City Rescue Team. Can anyone in the Jinjiang Apartment District hear us?"
The second time, they heard it clearly.
Their faces simultaneously lit up with joy.
They were really being contacted.
There was hope.
"Are they all dead? No one's responding."
"People were still talking a couple of days ago. Something couldn't have gone wrong this quickly!"
"Are they serious about rescuing the Jinjiang Apartment District? That place is so densely populated."
"At most, they'd tell them to flee on their own and meet somewhere. There's no way they'd actually go in."
"Let's just pray. Amen."
The public radio frequency was immediately filled with chatter from other shelters.
Some were surprised that Xinfu City's base was genuinely planning to rescue people, while others doubted whether the lack of response from the Jinjiang Apartments meant something had gone wrong.
The young man handed the makeshift microphone to the balding man, "Uncle Wang, hurry up and talk to them."
The balding man picked up the microphone and said, "This is the Jinjiang Apartments. Have— have you arrived?"
The chatter from other shelters on the radio instantly fell silent.
Everyone remained quiet, seemingly waiting for the other side's reply.
The radio voice returned, "We have arrived at the east gate of the Jinjiang Apartments. Please prepare for evacuation, bringing only essential supplies. Do not carry weapons or hazardous infectious materials."
The two men in the room instantly widened their eyes.
They had arrived?
Were the skeletons outside, killing zombies, really theirs?
The young man quickly walked to the window, pulled it open, and leaned out to look toward the east gate.
From above, he could see a large number of skeletons surrounding a heavily modified, exaggerated truck parked along the roadside.
"Uncle Wang, there really are survivors. They're here to rescue us!"
The balding man hurried over, leaning out to see for himself.
After the initial excitement, he grew concerned.
"Should we leave with them? They don't seem like the usual rescue teams." The balding man hesitated.
The young man, however, was resolute. "Uncle Wang, if we don't leave now, we won't survive here much longer."
He had a point. If they stayed, how much longer could they last?
"Alright, let's pack up. Take everything we need."
"Got it!"
The young man started gathering their belongings.
The balding man picked up the radio microphone again and said, "We see your convoy. We're packing our things now."
"Wait for our signal before coming down."
"Alright!"
...…
After their conversation ended, the radio was silent for a few seconds before the chatter resumed.
"Holy crap, they're really rescuing people!"
"We're at Yunpo Road. Can you come and help us too?"
"This is Tianhai Tower. Requesting rescue. There's a lot of money in the safe. It's all yours!"
"…"
Voices pleading for rescue poured in one after another.
People continuously reported their locations, desperately requesting help.
...…
At the battlefield below.
As the final zombie fell, the entire area quieted down.
A cold wind blew through.
The stench of rot and decay wafted, spreading once again.
"Clean up the battlefield."
The skeletons began to move, dragging corpses and clearing the roads.
Wu Heng opened his panel and checked his experience points.
[Level: 17 (137,851/265,000)]
The population density in this region was far greater than in ordinary cities.
From the factory to the Jinjiang Apartments, nearly 90,000 zombies had been killed along the way.
Based on this rate,
clearing two more areas would likely bring him to Level 18.
He would then become a Tier 5 Professional.
The battlefield cleanup was almost complete.
Wu Heng converted the evolved zombie corpses, collected the fallen nuclei, and began casting [Battlefield of the Dead] along the road.
One by one, skeletons rose from the ground.
Shaking their bodies, they slowly joined the skeletal ranks.
Soon, the number of skeletons filled the entire street, stretching endlessly in both directions.
At this moment, Qi Hancai approached with two people.
"Wang Haibing used to work at a power company, and Zhang Zhong is a recent college graduate who studied agriculture," she introduced.
Then, turning to Wu Heng, she added, "This is our leader. You can call him Chief Wu or the King."
"Chief Wu," the two greeted nervously.
What they saw from above was different from being on the ground.
Upstairs, their view was obstructed by buildings, showing only part of the scene.
But once downstairs, they realized the sheer scale of the skeleton army.
When someone guided them through the skeletal ranks earlier, it felt as though they were being led step by step into the underworld.
Their body temperatures even seemed to drop.
Now they could see clearly: the leader was a young man, astonishingly young.
Wu Heng nodded, his gaze falling on Wang Haibing, a balding, disheveled man who looked over fifty.
"Can you design a power plant?"
"I've participated in power plant designs before," Wang Haibing replied firmly.
"Can you independently design one? Including drafting blueprints, specifications, and construction plans?"
Wang Haibing fell silent, sweat forming on his brow.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I won't lie to you. I know a lot about power plant structures and operations, but designing an entire plant requires a team. I can't do it alone."
Wu Heng had anticipated this issue.
Designing a building requires a collective effort.
Rescuing one or two people wouldn't be enough to design a power plant.
After some thought, Wu Heng asked, "Can you restore an existing power plant to operation?"
"As long as it's not severely damaged, I'm confident I can!" Wang Haibing replied immediately.
Wu Heng nodded. "Alright. Rest in the vehicle for now. You'll return to the base with the convoy later."
"Understood." The two carefully returned to the convoy.
Qi Hancai asked, "Are they not capable enough?"
"We'll take him back and see if he can restore power to the plant near the factory," Wu Heng said. "Also, have everyone scavenge the area. Gather useful items and load them onto the trucks to bring back later."
"Got it!" Qi Hancai picked up a radio to relay the orders.
The survivors began searching nearby shops on both sides of the street.
A large group of skeletons carried various supplies onto the trucks.
As the sky gradually darkened,
the convoy began its return journey.
...
Upon returning to the factory compound, the sky was pitch black.
Wu Heng originally planned to take the newly added Wang Haibing to inspect the nearby power plant.
However, due to the late hour, he dismissed the idea.
He decided to postpone the visit until the next day, as there was no immediate rush.
Leaving the remaining tasks to Qi Hancai, Wu Heng returned to his dormitory and used the gateway to travel to the Adventurer's Guild Hall in Rentam City.
Over in Rentam City, night had already fallen.
After carefully heading downstairs and eating something,
he returned to the bedroom.
The room was pitch black, with the faint outline of Wen Mansa lying on her side.
Wu Heng tiptoed onto the bed.
Wen Mansa turned over, smiling as she looked at him.
"Did I disturb you?" Wu Heng softly asked, looking into her eyes.
"Not at all." Wen Mansa snuggled into his arms and said, "I used that radio device earlier today to contact Minnie. We chatted for a while, reminiscing about the times we spent together."
"How are things on Gold-Silver Island?" Wu Heng asked, holding her.
"Nothing much. Minnie mentioned that a small pirate named Philipa returned to the island and brought back several pirate corpses. Andviel audited the merchant fleets on the island and selected a few trustworthy ones to collaborate with, signing trade agreements," Wen Mansa replied after recalling.
It seemed that everything was proceeding normally.
Wu Heng nodded, realizing that his absence hadn't significantly affected Gold-Silver Island.
After all, even when he was present, he often spent time in the zombie world, and the island continued to operate smoothly.
"I told Minnie about the baby. She was so envious and said she wants to visit next time," Wen Mansa said with a smile.
"It's about time to bring them back for a visit. Maybe next opportunity," Wu Heng replied.
"Mm!" Wen Mansa nodded and gently placed his hand on her chest, saying, "They've become swollen. Could you help me, Master?"
Wu Heng applied light pressure. "They've grown quite a bit."
Wen Mansa smiled. "Would you like me to assist you?"
"How? You're not in a convenient condition."
"You sit at the edge of the bed and support me a little."
Wu Heng got up, draped a blanket over her, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Wen Mansa knelt before him, her movements slow and tender.
...
The next morning at breakfast.
Wu Heng and Wen Mansa ate breakfast together.
"Is the Deputy Steward in the city still the orc shaman?" Wu Heng asked, setting his chopsticks down.
Back when he was the Guild Captain,
the Deputy Steward of Rentam City was an orc shaman who served as an honorary deputy. His presence kept the orcs in the city from causing significant disturbances.
He was highly respected among the orcs.
"Yes, it's still him. Rentam City hasn't changed much," Wen Mansa replied.
"What was his name again?"
"Eskal."
"Invite him over. I got some procurement agreements from the orc district from one of the corpses I dealt with last time. Let's see if we can take over those agreements," Wu Heng said directly.
One of the merchants he had killed last time had several procurement agreements in his spatial ring.
It was worth seeing if they could take over the deals.
Wen Mansa furrowed her brows slightly, reminding him, "The orcs can be tricky to deal with."
"That's why we need to have a conversation with this shaman."
Wen Mansa nodded. "Should I arrange for him to come by this afternoon?"
"Yes, this afternoon works."
After chatting for a bit, Wen Mansa went with her steward to the study.
Wu Heng headed upstairs to a room to return to the zombie world.
...
Emerging from the gateway,
Wu Heng slowly descended the stairs.
He waited at the entrance until the convoy arrived.
Climbing into the front passenger seat,
the convoy set off from the factory toward the nearby power plant.
The area had been cleared beforehand.
The journey was relatively smooth, with no encounters with zombies or dangers.
The convoy stopped outside the power plant.
The rusty iron gate was slightly ajar, with the courtyard overgrown with yellowed weeds covered in snow.
Bang!
The gate was forcefully pushed open.
Over twenty zombies roared and charged out.
Clatter!
Without needing orders, the skeletons stepped forward, their sharp spears thrusting the rushing zombies back.
The spears struck rapidly, piercing the zombies one after another until they were all dead.
Wu Heng ordered the skeletons to fully open the gates.
Everyone entered directly.
The power plant was larger than expected, with massive chimneys, warehouses, and equipment workshops.
Wu Heng waited outside for a while.
Wang Haibing and a few surviving electricians came out from inside.
"How is it?" Wu Heng asked.
Wang Haibing replied, "We did a preliminary check. The equipment was automatically shut down. For now, there doesn't seem to be significant damage, so it should still be usable. However, we'll need to conduct a thorough inspection."
"Is it coal-fired power?"
"Yes! To generate power, we'll need a substantial amount of fuel for heat."
Wu Heng nodded. "Choose a few people and focus on inspecting this place over the next few days. I'll let you know what to do later."
"Understood," Wang Haibing agreed.
The power plant was secured and left under the guard of a group of skeletons.
The convoy returned to the factory.
...
Afternoon.
In the Rentam City Adventurer's Guild Hall,
the orc shaman, wearing a tribal-style robe and leaning on a wooden staff, sat on a sofa in the hall.
Opposite him, Wen Mansa smiled warmly as they chatted.
Footsteps echoed from upstairs.
The elderly orc shaman glanced up.
His brow furrowed slightly.