Chapter 202: Chapter 198: Tokyo Cage
Just then, the humans hanging from Tokyo Tower fell completely silent.
Then, as if on cue, the millions—tens of millions—of zombies packed together like sardines suddenly shot their eyes wide open. Tears of blood streamed down their faces as a meaningless drone escaped their lips!
A violent electromagnetic pulse erupted from the zombies’ brains, instantly obliterating the football-field-sized expanse of Gray Tide surrounding Shen Feng!
Large swaths of scorched Nanomechanical Cluster flaked off the Gray Tide, drifting to the ground. The Nanomechanical Cluster, once the size of a football field, had shrunk to a tenth of its original size, now forming a tight shield around Shen Feng.
A zombie that looked like a young woman looked toward Shen Feng. Yamaguchi Sora’s voice issued from its mouth:
"...Mr. Shen..."
Then another zombie, this one a middle-aged man, spoke:
"...Thank you for buying us time..."
Next, a little zombie girl clutching a doll revealed a sinister smile:
"...My preparations are complete as well..."
A zombie that looked like a young office worker said:
"...I have prepared a most lavish feast for you. Since you refuse to enter the embrace of the God of Nothingness, you shall become his mightiest hound..."
Dozens of zombies spoke in unison:
"...Do you know what your greatest weakness is? Your human body! That thick metal shell of yours is no more than a soft crab shell. Once I shatter it, you will be at my mercy..."
Countless zombies spoke at once, their voices a bizarre and frenzied chorus:
"...You will become the pet of the God of Nothingness and devour all the living! The time has come! Descend, my god!"
As the voice faded, the thousands of unconscious people hanging from Tokyo Tower suddenly snapped their eyes open. They let out the most wretched screams, a chorus of wails from the depths of Hell.
Their bodies began to rot, rapidly dissolving into a blood-red powder. High above Tokyo Tower, the faint outline of a black-hole-like Space Wormhole slowly materialized.
A terrifying presence emerged—evil and frenzied, tyrannical and cruel, devouring all in its path, drawing nourishment from chaos and pain.
It was like staring into the Abyss.
Shen Feng looked up at the spectral black hole. The feeling of insignificance and powerlessness he’d experienced when probing the zombies’ brains washed over him again, only this time it was infinitely stronger, infinitely more real.
The zombies before him gaped, their faces turned toward the Wormhole in the sky as if welcoming the arrival of something.
Shen Feng bit his tongue hard to stay conscious. The Gray Tide around him writhed, devouring the ground and surging toward the zombies who were still staring, transfixed, into the Abyss.
This was, ironically, the zombies’ moment of greatest weakness. In the blink of an eye, Shen Feng’s Gray Tide devoured hundreds of them.
He seemed to have gone completely mad, preparing for one last, desperate counterattack.
The Corpse Melting Monster, an amalgamation of hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies that had been waiting on the sidelines, now lunged at the Gray Tide. It let out a furious roar, blasting out electromagnetic pulses as it grappled with the tide.
The Space Wormhole had now solidified. The sky around it dimmed, as if all light were being sucked into it.
A pure, void-like consciousness extended a Consciousness Antenna through the Space Wormhole.
Reaching into the zombies’ minds!
The faces of countless zombies twisted into expressions of pure ecstasy, as if intoxicated by the touch of the Consciousness Antenna.
Now!
The Gray Tide, still locked in combat with the Corpse Melting Monster, suddenly emitted a low thrum of white noise, followed by a deep whisper:
"Humans... are not worthy to be called creators... Destruction... is their destiny... Kill them... Kill them... Kill them... Kill them..."
This was the recording Shen Feng had obtained of the Whisperer’s message to Poseidon.
It was followed by a sharp, soaring cry composed of countless languages and voices:
"...The billion are one, the one is a billion! All for one, and one for all! The future is one, the past is one, the present is one..."
These were the mysterious words from the ruins of the underground statue.
Shen Feng stared intently at the Space Wormhole, screaming inwardly:
’Whether it’s the Whisperer hiding in the shadows trying to destroy the world, or that thing at the bottom of the sea, I don’t care if you’re in a High-dimensional Space or a Parallel Cosmos! If you don’t fucking show up, someone else is going to steal the glory of destroying Earth! Don’t make me use Plan B!’
At that moment, dark shadows flickered in the eyes of all the zombies, as if something was about to emerge from within them.
Just then, the Space Wormhole in mid-air shuddered violently. The zombies instantly let out agonized wails, as if something connected to them had suffered a devastating blow.
The zombies snapped their heads up, eyes wide, staring at the Space Wormhole above Tokyo Tower.
The Space Wormhole began to tremble violently, as if under attack, and then it started to shrink rapidly!
The dark shadows in the zombies’ eyes vanished. The Space Wormhole trembled violently once more, unleashing waves of rage, fury, and an indescribable emotional turbulence.
The next instant, the Space Wormhole snapped shut and vanished completely. The sky instantly brightened!
One of the zombies writhed, its features morphing into those of Yamaguchi Sora. He stared at the sky and muttered:
"My god... Why did my god leave?! No! Master of the Void! Come back! What happened?!"
From the side, Shen Feng burst out laughing.
"Some god. You’re pathetic! You can’t even beat that coward who just hides and runs its mouth!"
Yamaguchi Sora snapped his head toward Shen Feng, his voice cold and menacing.
"You did this? It matters not. My god’s arrival has granted us power far greater than before—power enough to shatter yours. Soon, you will become my god’s loyal hound and conquer this world in its name. All it will take is one small infection!"
As his voice fell, countless zombies turned toward Shen Feng once more. They unleashed a furious barrage of electromagnetic pulses, turning the area into a dead zone for all electronics, and blasted Shen Feng and the Gray Tide surrounding him!
The electromagnetic pulses were so dense that the Gray Tide had no time to transform before it was scorched into a dead-black metal powder, collapsing like a mountain range!
In the blink of an eye, only a few dozen Nanomechanical Robots were left standing around Shen Feng, and they too disintegrated in an instant.
Seeing the lone figure that remained, a gleam of delight crossed Yamaguchi Sora’s face. This last Nanomechanical Robot had to be Shen Feng’s true body. All he had to do was blast away the Nanomechanical Cluster around him, and he would be exposed to the infectious mist—and turned into a sentient zombie!
The most powerful zombie in the world!
The electromagnetic pulse washed over the figure, and the Nanomechanical Cluster surrounding it rapidly peeled away.
Yamaguchi Sora’s expression shifted from excitement to utter disbelief.
The figure simply disintegrated into a cloud of metallic dust.
It was just another Nanomechanical Robot.
"No, this is impossible!" Yamaguchi Sora cried out, looking as if he’d just seen a ghost.
The electromagnetic pulse just released by tens of millions of zombies had been immensely powerful, blanketing the entire core of Tokyo. Shen Feng’s Gray Tide had nowhere to hide, which meant he himself had nowhere to hide!
His opponent’s cautious maneuvers clearly indicated he was protecting his main body.
But Shen Feng was nowhere to be found!
Unless... A possibility suddenly struck Yamaguchi Sora.
Could it be that the Shen Feng who had been here all along was just a Nanomechanical Robot?!
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Tokyo, inside the Fujita Private Hospital where it all began, Shen Feng opened his eyes from within a cocoon of Gray Tide. He looked toward Tokyo Tower, let out a sly chuckle, and spoke:
"Jingwei, the underground Gray Tide network you laid is incredibly convenient. That oaf is only just now figuring it out... For now, that so-called Master of the Void is no longer a threat. Let’s initiate Plan B."
Jingwei, beside him, also smiled slightly and nodded.
"Of course. I’ve given our operation a cool name: ’Tokyo Cage.’"
Shen Feng and Jingwei both closed their eyes. Their two powerful consciousnesses descended through the Gray Tide network beneath their feet, spreading into the earth below all of Tokyo. There, a vast Gray Tide, long gestating, had already enveloped the entire Tokyo Region and was still expanding.
RUMBLE... A muffled sound echoed as the earth began to tremble. Yamaguchi Sora watched in shock as countless cracks spiderwebbed across the ground before him, as if something terrifying was about to claw its way out from the depths.