55: The remnants of the Northern Mountain are gathered, and the secrets of the crystal core ignite hidden currents.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Gathering Remnants at Beishan's Embers, crystal core Secrets Stir Undercurrents

The sunset had completely sunk into the western mountains, leaving only the last rays of the setting sun in the forests of Beishan, staining the blood in front of the karst cave a dark brown.

Lin Zhou had the soldiers count the battlefield and gather the survivors while he held the purple third-level crystal core, standing at the entrance of the cave in deep thought. The crystal core felt warm in his hand, and the surging energy inside seemed alive, vibrating slightly against his fingertips. Chen Hao approached, his perception ability enveloping the crystal core, his brow furrowed. "Commander, the energy in this crystal core is very special; it's more than ten times purer than a level two crystal core, but... there seems to be a trace of consciousness remaining inside, as if it's resisting being absorbed."

Lin Zhou's heart stirred, and he handed the crystal core to a nearby Research Soldier. "Keep it safe and take it back to the Dawn City laboratory for deep testing. Remember, do not use it for awakening experiments for the time being."

"Yes!" The Research Soldier carefully took the crystal core and placed it into a specialized energy-sealed box.

On the other side, Wang Hu had finished processing the battlefield. The Frenzied Furry's corpse was dismantled, its bone armor and long fur salvaged. Li Laoshuan and Second Pillar, along with the hundred or so thugs, were all tied up. Among the twenty-three survivors rescued from the cave, most were the elderly, weak, women, and children. The youngest girl was only five years old; she was held in Chen Yang's arms, timidly nibbling on a compressed biscuit.

"Commander, the count is complete." Wang Hu walked over, exhaustion evident on his face. "Five of our men have minor injuries, and three sets of Power Armor are destroyed. We have one hundred and twelve thug captives and twenty-three Beishan survivors. Including those from the granary, we've gathered a total of six hundred and six people in Qingyang County."

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze falling on the captives. They were huddled on the ground, their eyes filled with fear and resentment; some were still quietly cursing Li Laoshuan.

"How should we handle them?" Wang Hu asked. "Li Laoshuan and Second Pillar have committed heinous crimes; it wouldn't be too much to just throw them to the zombies."

Chen Yang walked over holding the little girl. Hearing this, he hesitated for a moment. "Commander, many of them were coerced by Li Laoshuan. They all have wives, children, and elderly parents at home..."

Lin Zhou remained silent for a moment, looking at the captives. In the crowd, a middle-aged man suddenly looked up and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Commander! We were forced! Li Laoshuan said if we didn't follow him, he'd throw our families to that big monster! We had no choice!"

As soon as he said this, the other captives chimed in, their cries and pleas for mercy rising and falling.

Li Laoshuan was gagged, struggling with muffled grunts, his eyes full of venomous malice.

Lin Zhou crouched down, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "In the apocalypse, living isn't easy, but that is no excuse for doing evil." He stood up and said in a heavy voice, "Wang Hu, keep Li Laoshuan and Second Pillar in separate confinement and bring them back to Dawn City for trial. The rest of the captives will be assigned to the Logistics Team to participate in infrastructure and farmland labor to atone for their crimes. Those who perform well will have their restrictions lifted after three months; if they offend again, they will be dealt with by military law!"

This decision caused the captives to breathe a sigh of relief instantly. Many bowed their heads to Lin Zhou in thanks, and even those who had been cursing earlier said "Thank you, Commander" with reddened eyes.

Chen Yang held the little girl, his eyes full of admiration. "Commander, the way you handled this—punishing the ringleaders while giving the others a way out—is wonderful."

Lin Zhou smiled and patted the little girl's head. The girl gave him a timid look and then buried her face in Chen Yang's chest.

As the night deepened, the temperature in Beishan dropped sharply. The soldiers lit a bonfire, and the survivors sat around the fire, eating compressed biscuits and chatting. The light of the bonfire reflected on their faces, dispacing the fear of the past few days and igniting a glimmer of hope for survival.

Chen Hao sat beside Lin Zhou and whispered, "Commander, I keep feeling something isn't right. Third-level Mutated Zombies don't appear so easily. Qingyang County is just a small county; how could a monster like a Scale-Winged Commander be born here? Moreover, it could command zombies. I'm afraid there's something fishy behind this."

Lin Zhou's gaze darkened. He was thinking about the same thing. According to previous patterns, level one Mutated Zombies appeared in counties, level two in municipal areas, and level three would only appear in large cities at the provincial capital level at least. Qingyang County was just a remote small county; how could a third-level Mutant just pop up out of nowhere?

"And that crystal core," Chen Hao added. "The residual consciousness inside feels like it was deliberately implanted by some kind of power. If that's true, it means... the evolution of Mutants might not be happening naturally."

Lin Zhou's heart sank abruptly.

If the evolution of Mutants was being manipulated by humans, then the forces behind it were likely even more terrifying than they imagined.

Just then, a soldier on sentry duty suddenly ran over, his expression grave. "Commander! There's an unknown signal source to the northwest, approaching rapidly!"

Lin Zhou immediately stood up, grabbed his night-vision binoculars, and looked toward the northwest. In the darkness, a faint red light was moving quickly—extremely fast, unlike any human vehicle.

"Chen Hao, sense it!"

Chen Hao immediately closed his eyes, his perception ability spreading out at full power. A moment later, his eyes snapped open, his face pale. "Commander! It's an energy signal! It's the exact same frequency as the third-level crystal core! And... there's more than one!"

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted suddenly.

An energy signal with the same frequency as a third-level crystal core? Could it be... other third-level Mutants?

Or was it coming for this third-level crystal core?

The survivors by the bonfire were still chatting, no one noticing the tense atmosphere here. Only the five-year-old girl suddenly looked up, glancing toward the northwest with a trace of confusion on her small face.

The night grew thicker and thicker.

Deep in the dense forests of Beishan, pairs of cold eyes were staring fixedly at the crowd by the bonfire through the gaps in the leaves.

Undercurrents were quietly surging.