Volume One, Chapter 20: The Mother Hive

“The atmosphere here is truly unsettling,” Lin Xue whispered, tightening her grip on the dagger.

“Stay alert,” Gao Yang said, raising his baseball bat as lightning flickered, illuminating the path ahead in the dim corridor.

They moved cautiously down the dilapidated hallway. Dried bloodstains and scratch marks occasionally marred the walls—evidence of brutal clashes that had taken place here.

“Wait,” Gao Yang suddenly halted, his gaze fixed ahead.

At the corridor’s end stood a figure clad in a white lab coat, motionless with its back turned.

“What is that?” Lin Xue whispered.

“Don’t act rashly,” Gao Yang murmured, advancing slowly toward the figure.

At that moment, the figure turned its head, revealing a decayed face. Its eyes glowed an eerie green, and a low growl escaped its lips. In the next second, it lunged at Gao Yang.

“Bang!”

Gao Yang swung his electrified bat with a crackling force, knocking the zombie down immediately.

But more guttural snarls erupted from the surrounding rooms.

“We’re surrounded!” Zhou Cheng shouted, firing his gun.

Gao Yang swung his bat again, lightning flashing as he struck down the advancing zombies one by one.

Yet their numbers were overwhelming. They fought while retreating.

“Hurry! There’s a staircase over there!” Lin Xue pointed ahead.

The three dashed toward the stairs, bursting into a laboratory on the second floor, slamming the door shut behind them.

The lab was cluttered with disorganized equipment and scattered documents. A damaged electronic screen flickered faintly on the wall.

“Look at these files!” Lin Xue flipped through a stack on the table.

Gao Yang and Zhou Cheng leaned in to examine them. The documents contained a series of experimental data and several anatomical diagrams of zombies.

“They were trying to study the transmission mechanism of the infection,” Zhou Cheng said quietly, pointing to a record.

“It mentions a special organism—the Mother Nest—which can somehow control the infected.”

“That’s not all,” Gao Yang said coldly, opening another file.

“The Mother Nest is evolving continuously and accelerates the mutation of the zombies.”

Lin Xue’s face went pale. “So, as long as the Mother Nest exists, the apocalypse will never end?”

“That’s right,” Gao Yang said, closing the files with a steely glint in his eyes. “We have to find it and destroy it.”

Suddenly, the lab screen flickered, and a deep mechanical voice echoed out:

“Welcome to the Infection Control Center. Current security level: zero. Intruder detected. Evacuate immediately.”

The three froze. Zhou Cheng muttered curses under his breath. “What the hell is this?”

A map suddenly appeared on the screen, outlining the layout of the experimental center, with a red circle marking one area.

“There!” Lin Xue pointed. “That must be where the Mother Nest is.”

“Then let’s check it out,” Gao Yang said without hesitation.

Following the map, they traversed several broken corridors and finally reached the red-circled zone.

It was a vast experimental hall. At its center was a huge cultivation tank containing a mass of slimy biological tissue, glowing faintly green.

“Is this the Mother Nest?” Lin Xue whispered.

Zhou Cheng raised his gun, aiming at the tank. “Destroy it!”

“Wait!” Gao Yang reached out to stop him. “It’s not fully formed yet. Reckless destruction could trigger uncontrollable consequences.”

“What do you suggest then?” Zhou Cheng asked impatiently.

Gao Yang said nothing. He approached the tank’s control console and sifted through the data.

Soon, he found a crucial record.

“The Mother Nest grows by absorbing energy from the infected,” Gao Yang said gravely.

“But it has a weakness: if its core is destroyed, the entire system will collapse.”

“So, we just need to find the core and destroy it completely,” Lin Xue summarized.

Gao Yang nodded. Before they could act, the hall’s doors burst open. Dozens of evolved zombies surged inside.

“Damn!” Zhou Cheng shouted, firing rapidly.

Gao Yang tightened his grip on the bat as lightning crackled in his palms.

He charged into the horde, engaging in fierce combat.

Electric arcs exploded throughout the hall; every swing of Gao Yang’s bat felled several zombies.

But the numbers were overwhelming. Lin Xue and Zhou Cheng were also fighting desperately.

“Quick! Destroy the Mother Nest’s core!” Gao Yang shouted.

Lin Xue rushed to the console, trying to locate the core. Suddenly, a deep mechanical voice warned:

“Warning! Core protection system activated. Intruders will be eliminated.”

The Mother Nest inside the tank trembled violently, its green light intensifying.

Several more powerful zombies emerged from the depths of the hall and charged straight at Gao Yang.

Gritting his teeth, Gao Yang unleashed a surge of lightning throughout his body. He leapt up and slammed his bat hard onto one zombie’s head.

“Boom!”

The zombie was blasted away, but Gao Yang staggered back several steps from the recoil.

“Lin Xue, hurry!” he yelled.

At last, Lin Xue found the core. She raised her dagger and drove it in with all her might.

“Sizzle—”

The core was pierced. The tank emitted a piercing screech as the green light instantly vanished.

All the zombies stopped moving, then collapsed to the floor.

Gao Yang panted heavily, staring at the remnants of the Mother Nest. “It’s over.”

Lin Xue approached him, exhaustion etched on her face but with a faint smile. “At least it’s over here.”

Zhou Cheng sat nearby, his expression complicated. “But the real Mother Nest may still be somewhere else.”

Gao Yang nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. “Then we keep searching until this apocalypse ends for good.”

Under the blazing sun, Gao Yang, Lin Xue, and Zhou Cheng stood before the last marked point on the map.

It was once a secret military base, now transformed into a massive mechanical zombie nest.

Everything around was covered in mechanized devices, and the ground was littered with countless mechanical zombie carcasses, though many more still roamed inside the nest.

“The controller is inside,” Zhou Cheng said quietly, clutching his gun tightly.

Gao Yang raised his baseball bat, lightning pulsing in his palms.

His gaze was cold as he stared at the nest. His voice was resolute: “No matter what’s in there, we must get the controller. It’s the only chance to change the tide.”

Lin Xue glanced around nervously. “I have a bad feeling about this place. It’s not just a nest—it feels more like a trap.”

“The more dangerous the place, the likelier it hides something crucial,” Gao Yang said calmly. “Stay close.”