"By the way, George, where's Zeus" main force?"
"According to satellite and Evil Spirit scouts, they're still two days out."
Randy reported, battle-lust flaring in his eyes.
''two days…"
Steve gave a cold laugh.
"No need to wait for them to arrive."
'Tomorrow, at dawn, we move out as planned—take the fight to them."
Steve looked to Randy.
"And have Garry and the other Awakened Ones seize control of zombies. If they can do it, they can command super zombies too, giving each undead their own powers, same as me."
Randy nodded grimly.
They had already agreed: the battlefield must never reach the base. This wasn't a brainless zombie Horde; the enemy had a fifth-rank powerhouse. If they pushed to the gates, the shock-waves would hit the Teleportation Gate and the Research Institutes.
If the foe burst into MC and wrecked the place, the losses would be catastrophic.
As the saying goes:
"Keep the enemy beyond the gate."
Biological Research Institute, core containment zone.
The area had been converted into a vast biological factory.
The unlucky Tier 4 Corpse King was now pinned by several Tier 4 zombies to an enormous operating table.
Beside it were a few more brethren in misfortune.
One was a winged, Tier 4 flying Yaksha zombie; another a long-limbed, stream-lined muscle fiber Tier 4 Hunter zombie built for extreme speed.
These three apex predators of the food chain now looked like lab mice, thick and thin tubes running into their bodies.
"Increase the draw—if it isn't dead, drain it dry."
Cooper stood on the high platform, directing with calm authority.
Amid the roar of machinery, three distinct Tier 4 Rage Genes were siphoned off without pause.
After centrifuge purification and fusion, they merged into a single syringe of dark-gold, ultimate gene serum.
''This is what we wanted…"
Cooper gazed at the vial, a fanatic glint in his eyes.
"We stitched together every Tier 4 zombie advantage—strength, defense, flight, speed—into one."
In the test field, a zombie warrior who had waited long stepped forward.
Sss!
The blended serum plunged into his veins.
"Roar!"
A thunderous roar rang out as the zombie's body began a stunning transformation.
Already huge, his frame grew taller; the fleshy wings on his back exploded to fifty meters, the membranes thickening and studded with bone spurs.
His legs became longer and more powerful, while his chest and arms were plated in heavy bone armor.
A fully evolved, all-aspect Tier 4 super zombie was born.
With these three living blood banks, gene extraction efficiency soared exponentially.
Batch after batch of serum capable of creating Tier 4 powerhouses began rolling off the line like dumplings in a pot… Meanwhile, at crystal sound Outpost.
The white crystal sound, locked in its obsidian cage and gorging itself, suddenly convulsed.
Bzz!
A terrifying wave of energy—unlike anything before—erupted.
Even the supposedly indestructible obsidian walls groaned under the strain.
A flash of light followed.
A fist-sized rhombic crystal, milky white with liquid seeming to swirl inside, slipped from crystal sound's body.
''Source crystal! It's a source crystal!"
The researchers on duty burst into cheers; this was exactly the intermediate product of crystal sound recorded in Divine Judgement Base's archives.
Yet there was only one.
When news reached the base, every institute exploded into argument.
''That source crystal belongs to Biology."
Cooper fought his corner over the comms.
"Feed it to a zombie and we might birth a fifth-rank—or stronger—Corpse Emperor."
"Rubbish, your zombies already have a path."
The director of the Materials Research Institute refused to yield.
"Iron Golem is still just a lump of iron; its ceiling is locked. That crystal is its only evolutionary hope—it belongs to us."
Voices rose until Randy ended the quarrel.
"Give it to Iron Golem."
His reasoning was solid.
"Zombies have a clear route: stack genes. Iron Golem is our core tank and siege unit. If its ceiling doesn't break, future wars will be a nightmare."
"Besides, scans show the crystal's energy is pure—no Rage Gene. Feeding it to a zombie would be a waste; for a gene-less Iron Golem, it's perfect."… Materials Research Institute, Evolution Test Field.
A towering Iron Golem stood motionless while several Villager-like scientists reverently offered the softly glowing source crystal.
"Let's try."
The piloting warrior drew a deep breath and closed the Golem's massive iron fingers around the crystal.
He recalled Garry's advice: let the energy flood every part of the body.
Bzz.
The instant the source crystal touched the Golem's core, it didn't burn like ordinary fuel.
Instead it turned into a vast white torrent that fused into every scrap of Steel.
The warrior felt his viewpoint shift; the once cold, rigid metal now seemed alive—rejoicing, craving, hungering to devour.
"Success!"
The surrounding scientists jubilated.
"Quick, test if it can absorb matter."
Stacks of high-purity iron blocks and huge chunks of tough obsidian were wheeled forward.
The Iron Golem stepped up and pressed a palm against a massive slab of obsidian.
At a single thought—
Zzz!
A miraculous sight unfolded.
The obsidian, which even a diamond pickaxe would chip at for a while, melted like snow, turning into a black energy stream that surged up the Golem's arm and into its body.
Black, ancient-looking fissures began to snake across the Golem's silvery shell.
The cracks weren't damage; they were obsidian energy fusing deep into the Steel frame.
"Whew…"
The pilot exhaled, awe plain in his voice.
'stronger—truly stronger."
"The source crystal acts like a converter, breaking obsidian into a unique energy that boosts my defense and strength directly."
He clenched a fist.
"With enough obsidian, I could replace every scrap of common iron with an indestructible obsidian body."
"Excellent—absolutely excellent!"
The experts cheered, elated.