Based on Mark's experience, zombies were nothing to fear.
With their brains corroded and their intelligence low, there were countless ways to handle them.
One could use bows for long-range attacks, employ the 'dig three, fill one' strategy, or—as they were doing now—simply tower up with blocks.
As long as one was familiar with their mechanics, toying with them was as easy as playing with a dog.
But now, he was being told that the mechanics had mutated. The zombies could climb walls!
Before he could even process what was happening, the nearest zombie had already scaled the four-block pillar.
The stench of rot and filth hit him instantly as a face filled with maggots and exposed bone—utterly hideous—loomed close.
Even through the screens, the sight was enough to make the audience gag!
"Ugh, so gross! Blech!"
"Don't come any closer! How are these things even more disgusting than normal zombies?"
"I feel like I can actually smell that stench. My God, why must we be tortured like this?"
"These brainless freaks should be stuck on the ground. How can they climb walls?"
"The 'unique constitution' must refer to their climbing ability!"
"Holy crap, their attack and defense are already buffed, and now they can climb? Aren't they basically invincible now?"
The acquisition of climbing meant that high ground was no longer safe!
Mark reacted instantly, switching to his Zombie Scepter and summoning five zombies at once.
The first enemy zombie had already reached the top of the pillar. Even if he knocked it down with his sword now, others were right behind it.
Zombies were closing in from all four directions to knock Mark off his perch.
Falling into a horde while under the Slowness effect would be a death sentence.
Fortunately, the five Loyal Zombies drew the aggro early, preventing him from being instantly overwhelmed.
He hid behind his shield and survived by the skin of his teeth until the Slowness wore off, then immediately fled with Jett toward an area clear of zombies.
It wasn't until they retreated deep into a cave and sealed off the entrance that they finally caught their breath.
"We're safe!"
"For now."
Jett patted his old partner on the shoulder, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
If Mark hadn't summoned those zombies, they might have been done for.
Thank goodness for Mark—an experienced, steady, and reliable veteran!
Had it been someone less experienced who didn't think of the Zombie Scepter, the outcome would have been catastrophic.
"What do we do next?"
After regaining his composure, Jett frowned.
The cave could only guarantee temporary safety; it couldn't protect them forever.
"At least for tonight, we're not going anywhere."
Mark shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile.
He had planned to let the zombies fight the Hydra so they could reap the rewards, a plan far more convenient than Galen Yu's.
Who would have thought they'd be trapped here, unable to even see the boss!
During a Blood Moon, movement was impossible. They could only wait for the event to pass.
The Black House.
The Blonde Elder sat in his leather chair, his face devoid of emotion.
Below him, the Intelligence Director shifted uncomfortably, as if sensing the impending storm.
"Sir, based on the spawning mechanics of Iron and Snow Golems, our experts believe it's not impossible to resurrect the Spartan Warriors!"
"If we succeed, we can mass-produce them and turn Mark and the others into true Chunk Lords!"
He spoke up first to preempt any criticism.
The Blonde Elder nodded but didn't respond.
Beads of sweat formed on the Director's face as his nervousness grew. He continued.
"Regarding Spartan Equipment, there are many types of weapons. It's highly likely they are linked to raw materials like iron and gold."
"By utilizing this, we can enhance the strength of our warriors and further increase our survival rate during the Crisis!"
At the mention of surviving the Crisis, a ripple of emotion finally crossed the Blonde Elder's face.
He projected a screen and pointed at the footage for the Director.
"Since you mentioned the Crisis—zombies climbing, the effects of skeleton arrows—did you predict any of this?"
His tone was calm, but the Director knew his temper well.
One wrong answer, and he'd be feeling the Elder's boot.
The Director's mind raced for a response.
"It was somewhat unexpected, but overall within our projections!"
"Zombies will only get stronger, perhaps even developing intelligence—becoming more 'human-like.'"
"Climbing is just one aspect. I believe Mark and Jett are experienced enough to anticipate and solve this!"
He didn't care if he was right; he just said the first thing that came to mind.
Mark was the one in the field, after all; he could just shift the blame to him later.
The Director quickly added.
"This might not be a bad thing. As the zombies get stronger and everyone's progress is hindered, who is affected the most?"
"The slow ones are eliminated, and the fast ones are slowed down, giving others a chance to catch up. Therefore..."
"This actually benefits our players!"
His roundabout logic was a thinly veiled reference to the Nine Provinces and Galen Yu.
The Blood Moon and climbing zombies would certainly stall Mark, but he wasn't the only one.
He pulled up the feed for the Nine Provinces, showing a massive horde of zombies in front of Galen Yu.
"He thinks a random stone wall from nowhere can stop the zombies, but little does he know..."
"His little plan is about to fail!"
...
Having just achieved the first clear of the Twilight Forest, Galen Yu was undoubtedly the most watched person.
The bullet headers on his stream were the most numerous.
"The zombies have awakened the climbing ability. Let's see how the 'strongest' Nine Provinces player handles this!"
"What? Facing climbing zombies and you're just using a stone wall?"
"Don't tell me this is the best strategy the 'genius' Galen Yu could come up with!"
"Oh, right, that's no ordinary wall—it's the 'Great Wall of China,' a world-class wonder!"
"No matter how much you hype it up, it's not like the zombies can't just climb over!"
"Hiding behind a wall... looks like he's no smarter than Mark!"
"What a waste of all those powerful minions!"
Whether it was the audience from the Samurai, Freedom, or Stick Nations, they were all targeting Galen Yu.
In their eyes, Galen Yu was an anomaly.
Our players have only killed three or four bosses; how can you have finished the whole dimension? There must be a problem!
If they couldn't have what he had, they would slander and try to destroy him.
It was a classic echo chamber of fools; they only saw what they wanted to see and couldn't accept that someone was better than them—especially someone so much better.
Standing on the battlements, Galen Yu looked out over the plains.
Just as he expected, nightfall brought a massive surge of zombie spawns.
'It seems it's not just zombies; skeletons have joined the Crisis as well.'
Besides the zombies, the skeleton spawn rate had spiked.
Previously, you might go a dozen blocks without seeing one; now, one appeared every six blocks.
They formed a 'corpse tide' alongside the zombies, locking onto their target and swarming toward the Sky City.
*Whiz!*
*Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!*
Arrows pierced the air with a sharp whistle, some thudding into the wall, others grazing past Galen Yu.
In the past, skeletons couldn't hit from this far.
'It seems their range has also been buffed?'
A few Guard Villagers were accidentally hit, and various status effects appeared on them.
Based on Galen Yu's observations, the effects were categorized into three types: Slowness, Poison, and Weakness.
"I see. Is this the result of combining the Charred Skeleton, the Stray, and the Bogged?"
Another arrow whistled through the air, nearly striking him.
Galen Yu happily pulled out his Tri-Bow, looking quite excited.
"I heard you want to trade shots with me?"
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