Chapter 525: Colonel Deng

Leng Pan glanced at him. "If we were working with the aliens, why would we fly directly toward your defenses and allow you to shoot us?"

"You might be trying to enter the base," Colonel Deng replied as his hand tightened around his weapon. "This could be part of an attack."

Lu Tao could not remain quiet. "If this were an attack, would we have stopped outside the wall and walked out with our hands empty? We could have fired back when you launched the first missile."

Colonel Deng turned toward him. "Children should stay out of military discussions."

Lu Tao’s expression darkened. "I am old enough to know that shooting first and refusing to listen afterward is not a brilliant strategy."

Lu Zhen gave his brother a warning look, and Lu Tao reluctantly closed his mouth.

Commander Han lowered his weapon slightly. "You said a zombie army is coming. How many are there?"

"More than one hundred thousand," Leng Pan replied. "They were originally divided into three groups. Two groups were diverted toward a false energy signal, while the third continued toward your base. However, the false signal has disappeared, and the diverted zombies have changed direction. They could all arrive here in less than eight hours."

Colonel Deng’s expression changed for a moment before he quickly hid it.

Unfortunately for him, both Leng Pan and Lu Zhen noticed.

Commander Han frowned. "How could you know their numbers and movements so precisely?"

"We obtained the information from the alien aircraft," Lu Zhen explained. "The zombies are being controlled through a command network. There are also human command subjects moving with them. If those subjects remain active, the zombies will not attack like a disorganized horde. They will follow orders."

Commander Han wanted to ask another question, but Leng Pan suddenly looked toward Colonel Deng.

A faint fluctuation had come from beneath his uniform.

Little Vine moved before anyone could react.

A tendril shot across the space between them and wrapped around Colonel Deng’s wrist. Another tendril slipped beneath his jacket and pulled out a small black device.

Colonel Deng tried to snatch it back, but Lu Hao appeared in front of him and grabbed his arm.

Electricity crackled across Lu Hao’s fingers as he warned, "You should stop moving. I might use too much strength by accident."

Commander Han stared at the device in Little Vine’s grasp. "Colonel Deng, what is that?"

"It is only a communicator," Colonel Deng replied, but his face had already lost its color. "I use it to contact the patrol teams."

"Then why does it have alien writing on it?" Leng Pan asked as Little Vine placed the device in her hand.

The symbols on its surface were identical to those they had seen inside the captured aircraft.

Colonel Deng opened his mouth, but no explanation came out.

Commander Han’s expression hardened. "Restrain him."

Two soldiers hesitated.

Commander Han turned toward them and repeated, "I said restrain him."

This time, several soldiers moved forward. They took Colonel Deng’s weapons and forced his hands behind his back.

Colonel Deng struggled as he shouted, "Commander, you are making a mistake! These people could be controlling that plant. They placed the device on me!"

Leng Pan looked at him with faint amusement. "We only arrived a few minutes ago. How could we know which pocket you would use?"

Colonel Deng fell silent.

At that moment, a military jeep drove toward them at full speed. It stopped near the gathering, and a scout jumped out before the vehicle had fully settled.

The scout rushed to Commander Han and tried to catch his breath. "Commander, the eastern observation team has confirmed the movement."

Commander Han’s face became tense. "How many?"

"We could not count all of them, but there are tens of thousands in the first group," the scout replied. His voice shook as he continued, "They are not wandering aimlessly. They are moving in formation."

Silence fell over the field.

The soldiers who had been pointing their weapons at Leng Pan’s group slowly lowered them.

Commander Han looked toward the distant horizon. "How long do we have?"

"The first group could reach the outer defense line within five hours," the scout replied. "Our drones also detected two more groups changing direction. They are coming from the west and northwest."

Commander Han closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, the doubt in his gaze had disappeared.

He turned to Lu Zhen. "What do you need?"

"The strongest ability users in your base, every explosive you can spare, and full control of the western defense line," Lu Zhen replied. "We will also need maps of the surrounding terrain and information about every underground passage leading into the base."

Commander Han studied him. "Why the western defense line?"

"Because that is where the largest group will arrive," Lu Zhen explained. "The zombies believe the purification core is here. They will concentrate their forces on whichever location gives off the strongest energy fluctuation."

Commander Han glanced at Leng Pan. "Can you create another false signal?"

"I should be able to," Leng Pan replied. "However, the aliens already know we tricked them once. They might not fall for the same method again unless we make it convincing."

Lu Zhen looked toward Qinghe Base’s wall and added, "We do not need them to believe it for long. We only need to pull part of the army into the right place, then we can bury them there."

Commander Han followed his gaze toward the western side of the base.

There was an abandoned quarry several kilometers beyond the wall. If enough explosives were placed inside it, the cliffs could be brought down.

Understanding appeared in his eyes.

Commander Han turned to the soldiers around him and raised his voice. "Sound the highest-level alarm. Close every gate and bring all civilians into the underground shelters. I want every combat team assembled within thirty minutes."

The soldiers immediately moved.

Sirens began ringing throughout Qinghe Base.

Colonel Deng stopped struggling as the sound spread across the walls. Instead, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Leng Pan noticed it and walked toward him. "What are you smiling about?"

Colonel Deng lifted his head. The fear he had shown earlier was gone. "You think the zombie army is the only thing coming?"

Before anyone could question him, the alien communicator in Leng Pan’s hand lit up.

A holographic screen appeared above it.

The image showed Qinghe Base from high in the sky.

Several red dots surrounded the base, but what caught everyone’s attention was the much larger symbol moving toward them from the direction of Tayi City.

The alien prisoner’s frightened voice came from inside the aircraft. "That is not a zombie signal."

Lu Zhen turned toward the open hatch. "Then what is it?"

The prisoner slowly stepped into view while staring at the hologram. "It is a transport vessel, but one of that size would not be carrying ordinary soldiers."

Leng Pan’s gaze became serious. "What would it be carrying?"

The alien swallowed before replying, "A gate anchor."

A cold feeling settled over everyone.

They had thought they had eight hours to prepare for a zombie army.

It seemed the aliens had decided to bring the Passage directly to Qinghe Base.