The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

In major cities and districts of the three southeastern provinces, those towering pillars of light stand densely everywhere, like bamboo shoots emerging after a rain.

After receiving that emergency order, the provincial and municipal investigation bureaus were like a precision instrument that had been started, with the sound of gears meshing echoing from headquarters all the way to every grassroots team.

The command is concise and clear: Destroy as many aggregation orbit nodes as possible, i.e., those beams of light, as quickly as possible!

Teams of people in black trench coats set off from the offices of provincial and municipal bureaus, traveling in different modes of transportation—some squeezed into off-road vehicles and sped along the main roads, some jumped directly from the rooftops onto helicopters that were already waiting, and some simply relied on their own two legs to quickly move between buildings.

Each team's target is the light beam closest to them, and the route follows the shortest path planning, with time compressed to the limit.

However, each team encounters the same situation when they reach the target beam of light.

Near the base of those pillars of light, the black smoke figures of the Lustful Corpse Species were already waiting. There were also various Thousand-Faced Corpse Species standing or squatting beside them, their dark eyes staring in the direction of the newcomer, as if they had been waiting for a long time and finally the main character had arrived.

Those corpses were clearly not just passing by by chance; their ambush formation was neatly arranged, with the lowest being level three. The larger the pillar of light, the stronger the corpses that emerged from it. Some of the larger pillars of light even had corpses that had reached level eight!

In an instant, battles of varying degrees broke out on all fronts, with flashes of energy erupting and fading from every corner of the city.

At the same time, various provinces and cities surrounding the three southeastern provinces also received emergency orders: to immediately dispatch high-ranking torchbearers of the seventh rank or above to provide assistance to the three southeastern provinces!

Rank 7 and above – this means that the heads of municipal bureaus are themselves within this transfer range.

Lanhe City, Xilin Province. In the director's office of the Investigation Bureau building, Ye Yi sat behind his desk, glancing down at the mission notification that had just popped up on his mobile terminal.

His gaze lingered on the words "emergency relief" for two seconds, his brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of undisguised worry flashed in his eyes.

"Has it gotten to the point where we need high-level support from other provinces and cities?" He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table. "The situation in the three southeastern provinces seems rather serious this time."

Without much time to hesitate, Ye Yi quickly assigned some tasks that needed to be explained to her deputy, stood up, put her black trench coat back on the back of the chair, and then opened the door and went out.

At the end of the corridor, a helicopter was already waiting on the helipad downstairs. The rotors had already begun to spin, and the blades blew the dust on the ground into a small, flowing mist.

The moment Ye Yi bent down and crawled into the cabin, the door closed behind him, and the soundproofing inside the cabin turned the roar of the external propellers into a muffled sense of oppression.

The helicopter took off, tilted slightly, then quickly leveled off and flew towards the southeast horizon, soon shrinking into a small moving dot on the horizon.

The same scene was playing out simultaneously in several surrounding provinces and cities.

The general managers of the provincial bureaus and the directors of the municipal bureaus completed rough handover arrangements around the same time and embarked on their respective journeys to the three southeastern provinces. Some took helicopters, some took high-speed trains, and all the routes pointed in the same direction.

. . .

Yunshang Province, Dayun City.

Hua Linlin's team had just successfully blocked the second small beam of light.

The ground still bore the marks of battle and the traces of light, with a few wisps of dissipating black smoke scattered nearby.

All four were panting, their black trench coats soaked with sweat at the collar and cuffs. The trench coat fabric on the right forearm of the Silver Badge Squad Leader was torn open, revealing a bloody mess underneath. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and wasn't completely bitten off.

They were on their way to the third small pillar of light. Hua Linlin followed two steps behind the captain. She could tell that the captain's pace was half a beat slower than when they set off, and although he was trying his best to control his breathing, it was still a bit rougher than usual.

The third beam of light has arrived.

It's still a combination of Lustful Corpse Species and Thousand-Faced Corpse Species, with a similar number to the previous two locations. The tactic remains swift and decisive.

But after the battle, the squad leader's bitten arm was torn open again during the fierce fighting. Although Hua Linlin stepped forward immediately, her green light shone, and she used her healing ability to stop the bleeding, the color in the captain's face, which was originally quite energetic, had faded, and his lips were an unhealthy pale white.

Looking at her captain's weak face, Hua Linlin's voice was filled with obvious reluctance: "Captain, why don't you rest first—"

The captain cut it off by raising his hand.

He shook his head, his voice softer than usual but still steady: "Linlin, I know you're a soft-hearted child."

He took a breath to even out his breathing before continuing, "But given the urgency of the mission, the current situation is probably not optimistic."

"This is precisely the time when we are most needed."

"We can't let our losses put our comrades in an even more perilous situation."

He paused for a moment after speaking, regulated his breathing, then straightened up, raised his intact hand to adjust his collar, and fixed his gaze on the direction of the next beam of light ahead. Without turning back, he said, "Let's go!"

"Heading to the next pillar of light!"

Hua Linlin looked at the back of that figure that did not hesitate for a moment, at the injured arm, and at the hem of the black trench coat with a long tear in it, swaying slightly in the wind.

She exhaled softly, a breath that carried weariness and something else, but the light in her eyes was even more fervent and resolute than before.

After learning the truth about the world, she also felt confused, doubtful, and hesitant.

But the longer she spent with her colleagues, the more convinced she became of her belief.

With such a group of comrades, no matter how bumpy the road ahead or how tortuous the future, humanity will surely win.

Will.

. . .

Deep within the dark domain of Yunshang Province, inside the stronghold.

Old Wei led Wu You through several streets and around two or three corners, until they arrived at the building he had visited before, with many white patterns painted on its walls.

Old Wei reached out and pushed open the door, and Wu You followed him inside.

Inside, it was still that spacious, open area, with a flat floor, dry air, and no unnecessary furnishings. The white patterns on the surrounding walls were denser and brighter than those on the exterior walls, extending from the corners to the ceiling like blood vessels.

Old Wei stopped, facing the center of the space, and called out, "Auntie."

There was no response; the entire space was like a stagnant pool, devoid of even an echo.

Old Wei paused for two breaths, then called out again, "Auntie."

Nothing has changed.

The pale blue light that had appeared before did not reappear; there were no energy fluctuations in the space, and even the flow of air was still.

Old Wei pursed his lips slightly, said nothing more, just glanced at Wu You, then turned and walked towards the door.

Wu You followed behind him, and the two walked out of the building one after the other. The door closed silently behind them.

On the way, both Old Wei and Wu You had heavy expressions.

The Fifth Lord's projection did not appear, which means that the Lords likely have more important matters to attend to and cannot spare more resources to manage this area!

Now, they may really have to rely on themselves!