novelSusiti Chapter 40 The Purifier
Chapter 40 The Purifier
On the third day after leaving Xuchang, Ma Yongsheng realized something was wrong.
Logically, heading north should have resulted in increasingly desolate landscapes, but instead, they encountered more and more "living corpses." Not just one or two, but hordes of them, wandering the fields like a bustling market. Some were still crawling with only half a body remaining, others were still howling with missing pieces of their heads. The veterans of the special operations team were alright, but many of the militia men under Yue Zhenbang, seeing this for the first time, vomited on the spot.
"Burn it all, burn it all!" Ma Yongsheng ordered.
The torches were thrown, and the creatures writhed in the flames, emitting inhuman screams. The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh, mixed with a sweet, fishy smell that made one dizzy.
Yue Zhenbang covered his mouth and nose, his face pale: "General, what... what is this thing?"
"The dead are controlled by insects," Ma Yongsheng explained simply. "The insects raised in the 'elixir' refined by the Qing court burrow into people's brains, allowing them to continue moving even after death."
Yue Zhenbang gasped, "Then... then are our thousand men enough?"
"That's enough," Ma Yongsheng said. "These are just mindless zombies, easy to deal with. The difficult ones are the 'immortals' who concoct these medicines."
He paused for a moment, then said, "General Yue, if you're afraid, it's not too late to turn back now."
Yue Zhenbang puffed out his chest: "Afraid? My ancestor was Yue Fei, a loyal and patriotic general. Who have I ever been afraid of? If the General dares to go, I dare to follow!"
Ma Yongsheng nodded and said nothing more. This man is a good man, it's a pity he was born in this chaotic world.
The group continued north. During the day, they dared not take the main roads, opting instead for narrow, desolate paths. At night, they chose high ground for camping, surrounding the area with lime and sulfur powder. Even so, trouble continued to arise.
On the fifth night, they spent the night in an abandoned village. In the middle of the night, the soldiers on guard suddenly sounded the alarm—a dark mass of "living corpses" had appeared outside the village, at least a hundred of them.
Ma Yongsheng climbed onto the roof to look. In the moonlight, those things were swaying and approaching the village. They seemed to be able to sense the presence of living people, or... they were being guided by something.
"Prepare for a fire attack," he ordered.
The soldiers quickly laid out oil and firewood around the village. Once the "zombies" entered the area, rockets were fired simultaneously, instantly creating a wall of fire. The creatures struggled in the flames, but those behind continued to surge forward.
"Something's not right," Yue Zhenbang said. "These things... seem to be under someone's direction."
Ma Yongsheng realized it too. Ordinary "zombies" weren't this organized. He closed his eyes, opened his mind to the fullest, and sensed his surroundings.
Sure enough, behind the horde of "zombies," he "saw" several distinctive signal sources—cold, orderly, and AI-carrying.
They were driving away these "living corpses" as a test.
"You guard the village well," Ma Yongsheng said to Yue Zhenbang. "I'm taking a team out."
"That's too dangerous!"
"If we don't get rid of the commander, this will never end."
Ma Yongsheng selected twenty elite special operations team members to quietly slip out of the village through a side gate. Under the cover of darkness, they crept up behind the horde of "living corpses."
There, three men in black robes stood on a hillside, looking towards the village. They held strange metal rods in their hands, the tips of which gleamed with a faint blue light.
This is what controls the "zombies".
Ma Yongsheng gave a hand gesture, and his team members spread out to encircle the enemy. When they were about thirty paces away, he raised his crossbow and shot an arrow at the back of the neck of one of the men in black robes.
"puff!"
The arrow pierced his flesh, but the man in black robes merely swayed and turned around. The arrow was lodged in his neck, yet he didn't fall.
"It's you again," it said, its voice hoarse. "Ma Yongsheng, you're like a persistent ghost."
"You are the ghosts." Ma Yongsheng emerged from the shadows, his sword already drawn. "You've chased us here from seven hundred years in the future, just to destroy your own ancestors?"
"We are not destroying, we are purifying," said another figure in black robes. "This civilization has strayed too far and must be reset."
"Reset with a plague? Kill 70% of the population?"
"A necessary sacrifice." The third man in black robes raised a metal rod, which glowed brightly with blue light. "Just like now, sacrificing these thousand of you will speed up the reset process."
As the blue light flashed, the surrounding "zombies" suddenly went berserk, no longer afraid of fire, and charged madly towards the village. The sounds of fierce fighting echoed from within the village.
No time for nonsense.
Ma Yongsheng charged forward first. His blade flashed like snow, aimed straight at the nearest man in black robes. The man in black robes neither dodged nor flinched, letting the blade strike his shoulder. The blade penetrated three-tenths of an inch into flesh, but it felt as if he had struck a block of iron, unable to cut any further.
"It's useless," the man in black sneered. "This vessel is specially made."
It threw a backhand punch, which Ma Yongsheng dodged to the side, the force of the blow stinging his cheek. This power far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Twenty team members rushed forward and attacked the other two men in black robes. But the swords and blades could only leave shallow marks on them, failing to injure any vital organs.
"Use fire!" Ma Yongsheng shouted.
The team members pulled out Molotov cocktails and threw them at the man in black. Flames erupted, and the man's clothes caught fire, but his lower body seemed impervious to the flames, though his movements were a little slower.
This is troublesome. These carriers are enhanced, so physical attacks and fire have limited effectiveness against them.
While fighting, Ma Yongsheng was also thinking rapidly. AI platforms must have weaknesses, such as joint connections or core energy sources…
He noticed that although the three men in black robes moved powerfully, they were not agile enough, especially when they turned around, their waists showed obvious sluggishness.
The waist area... might be where the energy core is located!
"Attack their waists!" he ordered.
The team members understood and focused their attack on the lower body. Sure enough, the man in black robes began to be wary and shifted his defensive focus downwards.
Seizing an opening, Ma Yongsheng thrust his knife towards the black-robed man's lower back. The blade pierced through, encountering resistance, but less than elsewhere. He twisted it forcefully, feeling as if he had severed something.
The man in black robes stiffened, his eyes flashing with blue light: "How...how did you know...?"
"I guessed." Ma Yongsheng drew his knife and stabbed again.
The man in black robes collapsed to the ground with a thud, his body began to convulse, and sparks flew from his seven orifices.
The other two tried to run, but were held back by their teammates. Ma Yongsheng rushed over and did the same, quickly taking down the second one.
The third one, sensing danger, suddenly let out a piercing shriek. The shriek was extremely high-pitched and ear-piercing, causing a painful strain on the eardrums. Immediately afterward, its body began to swell, and a red glow emanated from beneath its skin—
"Retreat quickly! It's about to self-destruct!" Ma Yongsheng shouted urgently.
Everyone retreated rapidly. They had only taken a dozen steps when the man in black robes exploded with a deafening roar! The shockwave leveled the surroundings, scattering debris everywhere. Several team members were hit and seriously injured.
The black-robed man who self-destructed turned into fragments on the ground, but the "living corpses" lost control and immediately fell into chaos. Some continued to rush towards the village, some circled in place, and some began to tear each other apart.
The pressure on the village has been relieved.
Ma Yongsheng led his men back to the village to take stock of the casualties. Three team members were dead and seven were wounded. Yue Zhenbang's side also lost more than a dozen militia members.
"This can't go on." Yue Zhenbang's face was grim. "We'll all be dead before we even reach the capital."
Ma Yongsheng remained silent. He knew Yue Zhenbang was right, but he had no other choice. The AI had clearly detected their actions and was setting up obstacles along the way. The closer they got to Beijing, the greater the resistance would become.
"We'll rest for two hours and set off before dawn," he said. "From now on, we won't travel on the surface; we'll go underground."
"underground?"
"There are many abandoned mines and tunnels in this area, dug by the anti-Qing rebels back then." Ma Yongsheng spread out a map. "We'll go through the tunnels; it's slow, but it's discreet."
Yue Zhenbang's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I know a few tunnels that lead directly to the Yellow River!"
After resting, the team entered the tunnel before dawn. The tunnel was pitch black, illuminated only by torches. The air was foul, filled with a musty smell and an indescribable odor. In some places, there were landslides, forcing them to dig and move slowly.
But at least it was safe. After walking for two days, we didn't encounter any more attacks from "zombies" or AI.
On the third day, they emerged from a hidden exit, and before them lay the mighty Yellow River. The Hebei region lay on the other side.
"Crossing the river is a problem," Yue Zhenbang said. "The boats in this area have either been burned or taken over by the Qing army."
Looking at the murky river, Ma Yongsheng suddenly remembered something: "I remember there's an iron chain bridge around here."
"Yes, but it's fifty miles upstream, and there are definitely troops stationed there."
"Then let's attack," Ma Yongsheng said. "It's faster than building a ship."
The column traveled north along the Yellow River. Here, the river made a sharp bend, its banks lined with steep earthen cliffs. A suspension bridge stood at the narrowest point of the bend, spanned by a dozen thick iron chains laid with wooden planks. There were arrow towers at both ends of the bridge, but it was eerily quiet; no soldiers were to be seen.
"Something's not right." Yue Zhenbang frowned. "How could such an important place be unguarded?"
Ma Yongsheng also found it strange. He signaled the troops to stop and sent two scouts across the bridge first.
The scout cautiously walked onto the bridge, but halfway across, the bridge suddenly lurched! Several planks fell off, and the scout screamed as he fell into the river, instantly swept away by the swift current.
"There's an ambush!" Yue Zhenbang shouted urgently.
Before the words were even finished, dozens of figures emerged from the watchtower on the opposite bank—not Qing soldiers, but men in black robes! They were holding crossbows and were shooting at this side.
Arrows rained down, and the Jingnan Army soldiers hurriedly raised their shields to block them. But these were no ordinary arrows; their arrowheads flashed blue, and they exploded upon hitting the shields!
"Boom boom boom!"
Amid the explosions, more than a dozen soldiers fell.
"Retreat! Retreat back to the tunnel!" Ma Yongsheng ordered.
The group fought their way back to the tunnel entrance they had just emerged from. The man in black robes did not pursue them, but instead remained on the other side of the bridge.
"They don't want us to cross the river," Yue Zhenbang gasped. "What do we do? Take a detour?"
"Taking the detour will add at least five days to the journey," Ma Yongsheng said, looking at the map. "And there might be ambushes in other places as well."
He thought for a moment, then said, "I'll go and investigate myself tonight."
"That's too dangerous!"
"I'm alone, so I'm a small target and easy to hide," Ma Yongsheng said. "You guys wait here. If I'm not back before dawn, take a detour."
As night fell, Ma Yongsheng changed into dark clothes, smeared mud on his face, and quietly made his way to the riverbank. Instead of using the bridge, he walked downstream along the riverbank, found a place where the current was relatively calm, took off his outer clothes, and, carrying only a short knife and a rope, jumped into the river.
The Yellow River was still quite cold in June, and the current was swift. He struggled to swim to the opposite bank, nearly being swept away several times. Halfway there, he suddenly felt a tightening in his calf—something in the water had grabbed him!
Looking down, he saw a pale hand reaching out from the water, gripping his leg tightly. Immediately afterward, a "living corpse" surfaced from underwater, opening its mouth to bite.
Ma Yongsheng plunged a knife into its eye socket and twisted it violently. The "living corpse" released its grip and sank. But soon, more hands emerged from the water—there were so many "living corpses" at the bottom of the river!
He swam desperately, and when he finally reached the other side, he had several bloody scratches on his body. He climbed ashore and collapsed to the ground, panting. Looking back, he could vaguely see the figures of people bobbing up and down in the river.
These AIs have even been deployed in the river.
After resting for a moment, he continued his search towards the bridgehead. Lights were on in the watchtower, and men in black robes were moving about inside. He counted them; there were at least twenty.
A direct assault won't work; we need to outsmart them.
He noticed a pile of wooden barrels behind the watchtower, resembling gunpowder barrels. If he could ignite those barrels…
Just then, he heard footsteps. Two men in black robes emerged from the watchtower and walked towards where he was hiding. He quickly ducked into the bushes.
The two men in black robes stopped a short distance away and began to speak—no, not speak, but communicate in some kind of electronic voice.
"...The target has reached the other side of the river, but is temporarily blocked."
"...The main base orders that the entire enemy must be annihilated here."
"...The 'Purifier' has been activated and is expected to arrive tomorrow morning."
"...ensure the target cannot cross the river."
Ma Yongsheng was startled. "The Purifier"? That sounded like something far more powerful. They would arrive tomorrow morning… time was running out.
After the two men in black robes left, he quietly crept towards the gunpowder barrel. It was covered with an oilcloth; he lifted a corner and found it indeed contained black powder. But there was a strange device beside the barrel, flashing a faint red light—a sensor that would trigger an alarm if touched.
Trouble.
He retreated into the bushes, pondering a strategy. A direct assault wouldn't work, and clever tactics had limitations… unless he could use a feint.
He had an idea.
Quietly retreating to the riverbank, he found a secluded spot and lit a pile of dry grass with a tinderbox. The fire was small, but smoke rose quickly. Yue Zhenbang on the opposite bank saw the signal and immediately understood—this was the agreed-upon signal to act.
"Prepare to attack!" Yue Zhenbang ordered.