Chapter 86: From the Celestial Pillar

Chu Wei forced a dry smile and said, "Your companion is rather unusual... Is that a mutant beast?"

"Let's skip the small talk. My name is Cao Fusheng. If you have something to say, get straight to the point," Cao Fusheng said, fixing his gaze on Chu Wei.

Chu Wei pondered for a moment and exchanged a glance with Zhao Cong before speaking. "Brother Cao, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Pillar?"

"Heavenly Pillar? In the Ruined Era, I doubt there’s anyone who hasn't heard of it. It's the place everyone dreams of reaching, where you never have to fear attacks from predators," Cao Fusheng replied with a curious look, unsure where Chu Wei was going with this.

Softly, Chu Wei continued, "The nearest Heavenly Pillar to us is the one in ZZ City. However, a few months ago, it was suddenly besieged by a horde of a million corpses. They’ve been gnawing away at the pillar’s holy light barrier and have blocked all access points, forcing the internal resources into a closed cycle of consumption that's now on the verge of collapse."

"I'm aware of that. The pillar sent out a distress signal spanning hundreds of kilometers not long ago, calling for help from nearby settlements and survivors, hoping someone could rescue the poor pillar from the outside. But did you just say—a million-strong corpse tide? Are you sure you’re not joking!?"

At first, Cao Fusheng had thought little of it—every settlement within hundreds of kilometers had likely heard the news. But the mention of a million corpses genuinely shocked him.

This could only be a premeditated assault; how could so many corpse-types gather in one place?

He’d been considering a trip to ZZ City, perhaps even a daring attempt to reach the Heavenly Pillar himself—but this changed everything.

Who would dare to break through a million-strong corpse tide?

It would be like a lone boat plunging into a boundless sea of the dead—certain death, inescapable.

Chu Wei’s expression was bitter. "I’m certainly not joking, and that’s only the area immediately around the pillar, the city center. If you count the whole of ZZ City, the numbers are incalculable. As for how I know, it’s because I was one of the action team members who made it out right before the disaster struck."

"Fine, let’s say I believe you. What does this have to do with us? You’re not expecting the four of us to help you charge through that corpse tide, are you?" Cao Fusheng’s own heart was heavy with anxiety.

How was he supposed to complete the first main task triggered by the Ecological Chain?

Chu Wei hurriedly waved her hands. "Of course not. I know that’s pure fantasy—impossible. We just hoped to hitch a ride with you, see if you could take us to ZZ City. It’s over a hundred kilometers, and it’s just the two of us—it’s impossible to make the journey alone. The nights are pitch black, the roads treacherous, and you have a noise-reduction combat vehicle..."

Han Shuqing, Shen Dong, and Gao Yi all looked toward Cao Fusheng. The decision wasn’t actually difficult, since their previous plan was to go to ZZ City anyway; taking them along wouldn’t change much.

"I’m not against it, but I need to confirm your identities first. Are you really from inside the Heavenly Pillar? How can you prove it?" Cao Fusheng smiled at the nervous Chu Wei.

Chu Wei hesitated, then reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a nameplate several centimeters thick. She spoke to it: "Activate."

"Detecting voice input..."

"Scanning fingerprints..."

"Scanning retina..."

"Identity confirmed: Captain of First Squad, Cluster One Action Team, Chu Wei."

Cao Fusheng stared in surprise at the nameplate, or more precisely, the voice emanating from it. But there was more. Faint blue light shimmered across the nameplate, not dazzling under candlelight, and then a miniature interface popped out from it.

Rather than an interface, it was more like a projection, displaying the contents stored within.

"Whoa! I’ve always heard the Heavenly Pillar is full of high-tech wonders, but seeing is believing—our captain wasn’t lying!" Gao Yi exclaimed in shock.

Shen Dong and Han Shuqing looked equally astonished. This thing amounted to an ID card, but was far more advanced.

"Mind if I take a look?" Cao Fusheng asked quietly, unintentionally letting a note of command into his voice; this was not a request.

Chu Wei handed him the nameplate. Cao Fusheng examined it carefully, then focused on the projected information.

Name: Chu Wei
Number: ZZ21056
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Position: Captain, First Squad, Cluster One Action Team
Bloodline: Grade A (Upper-tier resident)
Spouse: None
Health Status: Good

"This is the most advanced ID I’ve ever seen. But how does it assess your health and action capability? Can it really monitor you at all times?" Cao Fusheng asked, puzzled. If so, wasn’t it as advanced as the Ecological Chain?

Chu Wei grinned mischievously. "It doesn’t. That information is updated manually by the information office within the pillar, not automatically."

"Reminder to host: There is no technology in this world that can compare to the system! Don’t insult me!" A grumbling voice echoed in his mind, leaving Cao Fusheng helpless; he hurried to soothe its agitation.

"What if you die? How does the information office get notified?" Cao Fusheng asked, curiosity piqued, eager to learn all he could.

Chu Wei took back the nameplate and tucked it away. "Normally, we’re required to activate the nameplate once a day to prove to headquarters that we’re alive. If it hasn’t been activated for more than three days, the status is changed to deceased."

Cao Fusheng caught the flaw in her words. "Can’t you contact the pillar directly? That shouldn’t be impossible."

"We could before... but not now. Too many things have happened in recent months—some of our communication equipment was lost, and the pillar itself lost contact. They must have reduced power usage to the bare minimum. The last few transmissions were already so faint we could barely make out what they were saying," Chu Wei sighed.

"So why did you break out?"

"Before the corpse tide surrounded the pillar, the leadership sensed something was amiss and quickly dispatched multiple teams—some to gather resources, others to seek out nearby settlements and request aid."

"But I seriously underestimated these people. Not only did we fail to establish contact, but our teams suffered heavy losses—without exception. No one was willing to abandon their own settlement to save the pillar. A month ago, I led the last dozen or so survivors back towards ZZ City, only to be ambushed by an endless sea of corpses as soon as we entered the city."

"In the end, only Zhao Cong and I escaped, forced to flee far from ZZ City. A swarm of low-level corpses is nothing to us, but within that corpse sea, there are bizarre and terrifying things—no longer just low-level threats."

"There are even animals... Not mutants, but true corpse-beasts. They aren’t as large or powerful as mutant beasts, but are far more troublesome than the usual corpses. I never imagined the corpse types could evolve to this extent."

When Chu Wei finished, she lowered her head. The psychological toll of these days weighed heavily on her.