The night deepened.

The rain gradually lessened, leaving only scattered droplets.

The battle, however, had just entered its most brutal white-hot stage.

Artillery shells constantly whistled overhead through the buffer zone, smashing into fallen areas, flattening swaths of infected along with surrounding buildings. The explosion flames burst in the rain curtain, illuminating half the night sky.

Inner City.

Beneath the foundation of a spire-shaped building, deep underground passages led to the wartime nerve center of all of Happiness City.

The Communications Command Center!

Footage collected by drone swarms from every corner of the city was analyzed by processors at the spire's peak, then transmitted in real-time to the underground command room.

In the spacious command center, hundreds of display screens simultaneously broadcast real-time footage of city districts, outer buffer zone sectors, and the edges of the Happiness Defense Line.

Before the screens, uniformed staff shuttled back and forth, fingers tapping on control panels, issuing commands based on each area's situation.

"Four areas in the inner city are still at outbreak peaks. Quickly dispatch the Happiness Corps for suppression!"

"Seventeen high-level fusion bodies have crossed the high walls. Targets located, please handle immediately!"

"Buffer zone A-5 is approaching collapse. Please confirm if cleanup is still necessary?"

"Buffer zone A-7 is approaching collapse edge..."

"Buffer zone C-15 detected infected scale changes, infection intensity rising, elevated to Disaster level, please dispatch Blood Dragon Corps for support!"

"Buffer zone B-3 detected two fusion bodies active, infection intensity rising, elevated to Disaster level, no countermeasures available!"

"Buffer zone B-7 detected civilian organization activity, infection intensity decreasing, reduced to Plague level, descent speed ranked third!"

"..."

The harm of contact-type infected extended far beyond spreading in the buffer zone. The inner city was equally unable to escape.

Fortunately, the Happiness Corps' combat power wasn't gained in vain. Even facing fusion bodies, they could achieve suppression in direct confrontation.

Additionally, Director Liu had already led personnel there.

Even the strongest super fusion bodies had an insurmountable gap in strength from the Mother Source. With transcendent power, clearing these intruding fusion bodies was merely a matter of time.

Meanwhile, intelligence about the buffer zone was analyzed and selected.

The bad news was naturally suppressed.

The good news was immediately compiled and sent to the third room next to the command center.

Knock knock knock.

"Please enter."

The door opened, and clear guqin music flowed out like water. The circular command screens inside had been set to static ink paintings. The corridor's cool blue light was dispelled by soft warm yellow wall lamps, forming a stark contrast with the chaos outside.

Beside the sandalwood tea table.

Three gray-templed elders in long robes sat in a triangle, one brewing tea, two chatting idly.

Misty vapor wound from the purple clay teapot's spout, transforming into magical swirling clouds, then following the cup rim's curve into the tea, creating amber ripples.

"Another situation?"

The two chatting elders stopped talking, looking toward the opened door and the entering staff member.

"Elder, another area in the buffer zone has formed a civilian organization and is clearing the infection tide."

"Oh?"

Taking the tablet from the staff member, the Elder casually glanced at it, but his expression became serious the next second.

On the screen, a formation of over three hundred people was steadily advancing.

Although the scale wasn't as large as the two previous areas that had organized nearly a thousand people to sweep their surroundings, the overall discipline was already comparable to the Blood Dragon Corps!

Infected charged from every nook and cranny of the district, but before they could get close, they were precisely shot down.

This was astonishing.

Because untrained people, when attacked, would only panic and spray bullets wildly, never able to calmly trust their teammates like this.

But what surprised him even more was that as soon as infected fell, someone immediately stepped forward to dissect the corpses, quickly placing infection sources into containment boxes to prevent secondary infection spread.

Their professionalism was already catching up to new recruits from the Blood Dragon and Cross Legion who had trained for several months.

"Which area is this?"

"B-7." The staff member immediately answered.

Handing the tablet to the elder beside him to examine, Elder Number One pondered and asked in confusion, "This should be the Tianyuan Community?"

"I remember that when the former Pioneer Corps disbanded, many veterans were indeed settled in this area, but could these people organize such a team?"

"Mm... arrange ten drones to go there. I need complete battle recordings with no omissions."

"Understood."

"Wait, who is this person?"

The staff member nodded and was about to leave when Elder Number Two suddenly pointed at the tablet and called him back.

After enlarging the screen, a figure was vaguely surrounded by the crowd at the center, seemingly giving commands.

"It's an inspector."

"An inspector?" The three elders looked at each other, all showing surprise in their eyes.

"Which inspector?"

"According to the name list submitted by the inspection station and queries of nearby supply opening records, it's... Inspector Cheng Ye."

"Cheng Ye?" The three elders frowned slightly, then simultaneously showed astonished expressions.

"Couldn't be Cheng Long's?"

"It's him. I remember this name, called Cheng Ye."

"Isn't this Cheng Ye a waste? How could he..."

While speaking, the screen had already been pulled up with complete information by the tea-brewing elder.

Of course, the so-called complete information and what they wanted were two different things. The latest record inside stopped at June 1st, with only a brief entry recording that Cheng Ye had passed the inspector examination in May, ranking second among all inspectors in history, only behind Deputy Station Chief Harlin.

After that, affected by the infection tide, the inspection station hadn't synchronized the latest June information yet.

"How did he connect with those people from Tianyuan Community? Through connections Cheng Long left behind?"

"Uh..."

Being stared at by the Elder, the staff member's forehead broke out in cold sweat. How would he know this?

After a few seconds.

The lead Elder suddenly thought of something. "He should have used drone assistance, right?"

"Yes."

"Go pull up his complete recordings. I want to see."

"Yes, sir!"

The staff member felt like he'd received a pardon and hurriedly left.

However, unexpectedly, the three Elders paused briefly then simultaneously stood up, walking toward the command room.

Waiting for news in the room was too slow. They were already eager to know what exactly had happened to Cheng Long's "waste" son.

Could he be copying the same stunning reversal as Cheng Long back in the day?

"Greetings, Elder!"

"Elder!"

"..."

On the way to the command room, the Elders' status was extraordinarily transcendent.

No matter how busy people were, seeing the three approach, they would immediately put down their work and respectfully greet them.

"B-7, pull it up from the beginning!"

The three stood firm, and staff immediately switched the footage.

However, after just a few seconds, Elder Number One suddenly shouted to stop. "Locate that fusion body!"

"Yes!"

The footage quickly rewound, freezing on the fusion body clinging to the tube building's outer wall.

Overwhelming bullet rain struck, the fusion body let out pained shrieks, involuntarily activating its transcendent ability, but was shocked into a pause by the crowd's battle cries the next second.

"Right here, stop!"

The Elder called out, and the footage paused.

Even through the noise and static, they could still see the fusion body's bizarre state.

Within that twisted mass of flesh, half a human face was faintly visible, as if trying to break free from the monster's shell, the face full of unbearable pain.

"It's actually a high-level fusion body?"

Elder Number Two showed an unusual expression. "Match with the resident database, find out whose face this is."

"Matching in progress..."

Basic and intermediate fusion bodies only retained human instincts from life and some subconscious elements.

But at the advanced level, fusion bodies' forms already approached transcendent symbiotic states, capable of briefly gaining partial thinking ability.

If they could take one more step forward and completely awaken self-awareness, they would become troublesome transcendent earthbound spirits, living on obsessions with thinking abilities no different from normal people.

Unfortunately, even with humans fully prepared, very few could enter the transcendent ranks, let alone fusion bodies wanting to cross this step.

Among a million high-level fusion bodies, not even one might be born.

"Unable to match. Facial details are blurred, cannot retrieve corresponding target from database."

"Then locate its position!"

"Locating... not good, this fusion body is moving at high speed. Its position is... B-3, and it's driving two basic fusion bodies forward, heading toward B-7 direction, linear distance 713 meters."

"Hmm?"

All three Elders were simultaneously shocked. "Analyze the fusion body's target."

"Results available... 97% possibility that this fusion body has marked Inspector Cheng Ye as evolutionary nourishment."

Evolutionary nourishment?

Not only did the three Elders' expressions darken, but other staff in the command room couldn't help but feel their hearts tighten.

Targets that could be marked by fusion bodies fell into only two categories.

One was when the fusion body, before mutation, harbored extremely deep negative obsessions toward the target, whether greed, anger, or unwillingness. After mutation, they would launch relentless pursuit and devouring, trying to fill the obsession's void.

For example, the hundreds of fusion bodies on the high walls earlier, because they harbored obsessions about entering the inner city before mutation, they desperately charged inward even in death.

The other was when the target itself had extremely high value, such as transcendents. Devouring them could provide massive energy feedback, but how could this Inspector Cheng possibly be a transcendent?

"Immediately transmit the fusion body's information to him! Synchronize all known data right away!"

"I want him to know that a high-level fusion body has already targeted him!"

Elder Number One's tone was decisive, showing no hesitation whatsoever, directly ignoring the "identity" they had previously discussed.

What Cheng Wu and Cheng Long had done, in ordinary people's eyes, was rebellious and insanely suicidal.

But to those like them at the pinnacle of power, those actions were grand attempts worthy of applause, adventures they were happy to see!

On this path seeking the ultimate utopia, on this path realizing grand ideals, human sacrifice was worthwhile, great, and should be celebrated!

Just like the plan they were currently advancing, even if the entire buffer zone would be razed and all residents sacrificed.

It was still just a great ideological experiment, and there might be many more in the future.

As long as they succeeded, all sacrifices would be worthwhile, able to change human history and end this damned wasteland era!

As for whether Happiness City would collapse in this process, as long as these transcendents remained alive.

Unless a Extinction-level infection tide struck, otherwise, it would all just be a farce that could be suppressed with a wave of the hand.

After all, the power of transcendents in this era had already undergone qualitative change under the new S-5 catalyst.

By today, they had already reached heights that the "ants" of the previous era could never hope to achieve!

"Yes, sir!"

B-7 district had six main thoroughfares crisscrossing it, scattered with over a hundred buildings.

Besides the electronics factory residential area and Tianyuan Mall, there were also Hongguang Hotel, the fruit and vegetable market, and two pedestrian streets with the densest foot traffic.

Among them, the pedestrian streets had complex terrain with intersecting alleys. Cheng Ye designated them as the final assault target.

He decided to prioritize clearing the fruit and vegetable market and the hotel.

During the advance, the attraction brought by over three hundred fresh pieces of meat was unimaginable. Infected hiding in deep alleys didn't need active luring, they were drawn by the meat scent to howl and charge out, actively pouncing toward the team.

The outcome was predictable.

Contribution points that were usually so hard to earn were now incredibly simple.

Three drones circled in the air, recording everyone's battle achievements in real-time.

The three hundred people from the mall had already killed until their eyes were red with blood. Without waiting for Cheng Ye's instructions, they spontaneously formed battle formations to engage.

Whether chopping with long blades or shooting with guns.

Continuous notification sounds rang out. Before even reaching the fruit and vegetable market, information degrees had remarkably broken through the 50% barrier!

"Form ranks, contract!"

At the market's edge, Cheng Ye suddenly roared.

The scattered battle formations suddenly contracted like a tide. The three hundred people who had just spread out in a fan shape contracted into a circular defensive formation in less than twenty seconds, their muzzles facing outward to form an impenetrable firepower net.

"Meat, eat meat!"

"Meat..."

The fruit and vegetable market's interior mostly consisted of prefab buildings. Because of low rent, the residents were mostly newcomers who had recently joined Happiness City, scattered like sand, completely unable to organize defenses.

Rich scents of living people wafted over, and infected immediately began rushing out from the market entrance.

"Open fire, shoot!"

His words fell.

Ratta... ratta ratta ratta...

Four machine guns thunderously set up, their muzzles spitting fire tongues that swept like lawnmowers, downing hundreds of infected in just seconds.

"Cease fire, begin sweeping!"

The team instantly dispersed formation, eight people per squad, three squads per group.

Cheng Ye didn't even need to act personally. The team members methodically cleared remaining enemies in an orderly fashion. Each infected's fall transformed into exciting information degree increases.

"S-sir!"

Unexpectedly, there were actually survivors inside the market who came tumbling out, their faces full of post-disaster relief.

"Hide the corpses somewhere. Any problems?"

"N-no problems!"

Cheng Ye had thought not many would survive, but soon he discovered that each prefab could actually stuff in more than ten people.

Before long, two to three hundred people swarmed out, many clutching crude weapons like steel pipes and cleavers.

Unfortunately, they were leaderless, with no one able to organize defensive circles, only able to wait for death slowly in fear.

Cheng Ye stood on tiptoe and scanned around but couldn't see Chu Yunfeng, thinking he probably wasn't here.

"After finishing cleanup, we leave. Let them handle the rest."

"Understood."

After harvesting the infected in the vegetable market, Cheng Ye glanced at his panel. Information degrees had reached 86%.

By his previous estimates, this should be completely sufficient, but unfortunately, information degrees became harder to increase the further along.

Many infected no longer provided information degree increases, obviously because duplicate information had been collected.

"There's still the hotel and pedestrian street. That should be enough!"

With abundant weapons and ammunition, ordinary infected could only become contribution points one by one.

Leaving the fruit and vegetable market.

Soon, Hongguang Hotel was also cleared, with difficulty much lower than the vegetable market.

The residents here were mostly veterans from the former corps, having already built simple defensive works with furniture and steel bars, locked in stalemate with hundreds of infected.

There were also quite a few infected that had wandered over from B-3 district, lurking around in significant numbers.

When the team arrived, they only needed to assist from the flanks. Dense firepower instantly collapsed the infection tide.

"It's the brothers from Tianyuan Mall!"

When both sides met up, Big Dragon seemed quite familiar with the hotel's leader, chatting while cleaning up the scene.

Cheng Ye walked back and forth near the infected like a diligent little bee, continuing to collect information degrees.

From the initial 0.37 to the current 0.01 and 0.02, information accumulated by ordinary people had completely failed to meet the collector's requirements. Only occasionally would a 0.05 jump out, lifting spirits.

Suddenly, a 0.13 popped up. Before Cheng Ye could feel joy, the panel sent congratulations first.

[Detected that Trainee Collector 'Cheng Ye's' information acquisition progress has reached Trainee 95%!]

"95% already?"

Switching to the collector interface, looking at the gap that only needed the last bit to complete.

Cheng Ye was overjoyed, and even his all-night fatigue dissipated somewhat.

At this moment, it was already 2:41 AM.

More than two hours had passed since the encounter with the fusion body. On the 3D map, B-7 district's infection warning level had dropped to yellow, standing out prominently against the surrounding glaring red light.

Once the final pedestrian street was cleared, they could be the first to declare the infection tide eliminated.

Thinking that the troublesome infection tide was about to pass, inevitably, Cheng Ye couldn't help but yawn, his spirit somewhat relaxed.

However, the next second, he expelled these thoughts from his mind.

"It's not over yet. That fusion body might come for a sneak attack at any time. Can't get drowsy."

Patting his face, he took out the blue bottle Master Tian had prepared and took a deep breath.

Refreshing!

A cool mint flavor rushed straight to his brain, instantly dispelling the fatigue from staying up all night.

Like having slept soundly, his mind was clearer than ever before.

"Sir, the hotel has sixty brothers who also want to join us to sweep the pedestrian street..."

Big Dragon walked over, scratching his head, unsure how to explain. After all, the current danger was generally controllable. Three hundred people were completely sufficient, and one more person would mean dividing up some contribution points.

Cheng Ye didn't mind these mosquito legs, but just as he was about to nod in agreement and expand the team size again to reduce casualty probability.

Ding.

The defense communicator suddenly rang.

He instinctively picked it up, thinking it was an infection tide warning from nearby, but the displayed information made him freeze.

[Happiness City Broadcasting Center]

[Please note: High-level fusion body has completed biological targeting of you due to strong obsession, marking you as evolutionary nourishment. Please immediately enter combat readiness. Fusion body information synchronized as follows:]

[High-level Fusion Body, Fusion Progress: 30%]

[Mastered Abilities: Shriek Impact, Rapid Regeneration, Tremendous Tear, Shell Defense (click to expand details)]

[Current Status: Has driven 2 basic fusion bodies toward your position. Recommend immediately establishing defensive lines and seeking cover for counterattack!]

[Note: Please ensure you have means to interrupt this fusion body's devouring behavior. If unable to prevent its feeding, based on current equipment and weapon analysis, you will be unable to cause effective damage to this fusion body!]

"Hmm?"

"It really has marked me?"