The Spreading Tide

The fate awaiting these people was singular: to be infected by the swarming living corpses and join their ranks.

Within mere minutes, the number of living corpses grew exponentially, leaving not a single living soul in the entire central plaza.

Fortunately, by this time, Yodel and Yali had already distanced themselves from the densely populated areas of the infected.

Yet, having escaped the initial wave of infection, a new dilemma emerged.

Where should they go next?

Yodel, ever practical, had a crude but effective method for navigating: observing whether the fleeing individuals around them bore death illusions.

If those escaping in a particular direction were predominantly afflicted with death illusions, it signified extreme peril, a near-certain demise.

Conversely, the absence of such illusions indicated relative safety.

According to his observations, every single person who bolted towards the school gates, desperate to leave the university, was covered in death illusions.

Those who ran towards the dormitory buildings fared slightly better, yet ninety percent of them were still destined to become living corpses.

As for those who fled to the academic building, their survival rate astonishingly reached thirty percent!

Having confirmed there was no superior alternative, Yodel led Yali in a desperate dash into the academic building.

Considering that the living corpses were primarily concentrated on the ground level, the siblings sprinted directly to the top floor in one breath. Unfortunately, the door leading to the rooftop was locked, leaving them no choice but to take refuge in a classroom at the end of the corridor.

Inside the empty classroom, the siblings, panting heavily from their relentless sprint, finally found a moment to catch their breath.

Yodel embraced a still-shaken Yali, gently patting her back as he offered reassurance.

“We’re safe, for now.”

****

The perspective now shifted to the Eternal Life Society.

The elder urgently knocked on Balin’s bedroom door.

“My Lord! There’s an important development!”

Balin opened the door with an air of impatience, his voice laced with a hint of self-abandonment.

“What is it? Have the Bishops broken in? Or the Divine Emissary? Good, then I can finally be free.”

Having spoken, he moved to close the door, ready to retreat into his solitude once more.

The elder quickly extended a hand, gripping the door to hold it open, and explained with urgency. “My Lord, though the reason remains unknown, our living corpses have erupted at Leicester University.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“My Lord, regardless of how it happened, our opportunity has arrived! While our preparations are severely lacking, we must make this final gamble!”

“Heh, have you forgotten? With two Bishops and a Divine Emissary outside, what do we have to make a final gamble with?”

The elder did not give up; his eyes once again blazed with a fervent madness.

“With tens of thousands of living corpses!

“Leicester University is situated in the heart of Landon City. If we control the living corpses, guiding them along the main thoroughfares to spread throughout the city, rapidly infecting the unarmed civilians in such a densely populated area, the number of living corpses will snowball.

“Once the number of living corpses reaches a certain threshold, even a Divine Emissary will have to temporarily retreat!”

A flicker of light returned to Balin’s dim eyes, yet he still hesitated.

Seeing Balin’s indecision, the elder’s urgency intensified. “There’s no time for hesitation! This is our last chance; the living corpse army is our ultimate trump card. If we fail this time, the Church will be prepared next, and we will never succeed again!”

Balin gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint appearing in his eyes.

“Very well, we’ll do as you say. Send the living corpse army into the city! We’ll fight those Chant fanatics to the death!”

****

Inside the Chant Church’s Central Sanctuary, Yelica was in the midst of assigning combat missions to the Inquisitors and Clerics.

Just then, a faint angina attack struck her without warning. Yelica’s brows furrowed, and she bent over, clearly distressed.

Swiftly, she sensed that a new clause had been added to the curse upon her.

[Yelica, gather all combat personnel and seal off Leicester University!]

‘What is happening?’

Though she didn’t comprehend the situation, Yelica, driven by her trust in Yodel, decided to obey his command.

‘Yodel never uses curses lightly; what could have forced him to resort to such a method to inform me?’

Harboring this profound uncertainty, Yelica leveraged her authority as acting Bishop to swiftly mobilize nearly all combat-ready Chant faithful in Landon City.

Squad after squad of Inquisitors and Clerics, using the Church as their base, marched in a formidable procession towards Leicester University.

****

In an empty classroom on the top floor of Leicester University, Yodel and Yali lay prone by the window, their eyes barely visible as they observed the horde of living corpses below.

“At this rate, it seems most of the university’s population has already been infected.”

Apparently, with no living humans left on the ground, the living corpses had begun to wander aimlessly.

This was welcome news for the siblings; hidden on the top floor, the horde could wander for a month and still likely not make it up to them.

“Hm?”

“Brother, look!”

Simultaneously, the siblings noticed that the aimlessly roaming living corpses suddenly froze collectively, then, as if by unspoken command, turned their backs to the central plaza and began to sprint in all directions!

“Their target is outside the university! Do they intend to turn everyone in Landon City into living corpses?”

Yodel clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug deep into his flesh. Although he had just used the curse to notify Yelica, whether the Chant Church could arrive in time remained an unknown variable.

Now, with both sides moving simultaneously, the outcome hinged on whether the Chant Church’s lockdown would be swift enough, or if the living corpses’ charge would be faster!

****

Not far outside the university gates, those who had narrowly escaped the campus mingled with curious onlookers.

Despite the survivors’ frantic shouts of “Monsters in the school!” only a fraction of the civilians fled in terror. A significant number remained rooted to the spot, questioning the survivors about the unfolding events.

This ignorance stemmed from the world’s lack of a “zombie” concept; citizens simply did not grasp the infectious and explosive nature of these creatures. Had they known, they would have long since fled without a backward glance.

Of course, they would soon realize the profound foolishness of their decision.

Hundreds of living corpses, howling savagely, poured out of the main gate, advancing along the roads and infecting passersby as they went.

The casual spectators, enjoying the spectacle, swiftly became part of the spectacle itself.

Under the control of the Eternal Life Society, these living corpses merely bit without devouring, their objective clear. They quickly infected the areas surrounding the university.

Deep within the underground cavern, a faint smile played on the elder’s lips. His perception was linked to thousands of living corpses; these creatures were his eyes, his hands.

With a single thought, he could command an army of thousands, making him feel, for a fleeting moment, as if he were a deity.

As the army advanced, it occasionally encountered scattered resistance, such as counterattacks from patrolling police or spontaneous defenses from armed civilians. Yet, without exception, these efforts were effortlessly crushed.

“Hahahaha, my calculations were indeed correct! As long as my infection speed is fast enough, no one will escape to report, and the Church and government won’t be able to react in time or organize resistance!”

“The great endeavor can be achieved! The revival of my Eternal Life Society is today!”

In the elder’s near-maniacal exhilaration, the living corpse army accelerated its charge, with the foremost elements already a hundred meters beyond the university!

“Further still! Convert more people!”

Through the eyes of the living corpses, the elder saw that they had already burst out of the academic district, with densely populated residential areas just beyond the next street!

He roared, controlling the mouths of the living corpses: “Charge!”

A voice, however, answered him.

“Holy Light: Slay the Fiends!”

In an instant, golden light consumed everything, and the living corpses’ vision vanished.

The elder abruptly sobered from his frenzy, swiftly switching to the perspective of another living corpse to ascertain what had transpired.

He saw a squad of Clerics standing in a human wall on the main thoroughfare, their staffs held horizontally.

“Second squad! Prepare! Fire!”

“Holy Light: Slay the Fiends!”

The Chant Holy Emblem, illuminated by another wave of golden light, shimmered with dazzling brilliance.