Chapter 118: A Three-Choice Mission
When Jiang Li and the Brahma Tower re-entered the zombie world, the long-silent system suddenly stirred.
【Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality detected】
【Confirming location of the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality…】
【Updating special mission “Search for the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality”】
【Confirming mission…】
【Please choose one of the following special missions】
【Special Mission One: Within ten years, help Luo Ying resolve the zombie crisis on his planet】
【Mission Reward: Extract one-quarter of the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality from Luo Ying’s body】
【Special Mission Two: Within two years, help Luo Ying resolve the zombie crisis on his planet】
【Mission Reward: Extract half of the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality from Luo Ying’s body】
【Special Mission Three: Within six months, help Luo Ying resolve the zombie crisis on his planet】
【Mission Reward: Extract the entire Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality from Luo Ying’s body】
There’s a Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality inside Luo Ying? Jiang Li froze.
The first time he saw the mission “Search for the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality,” he thought, knowing how the system usually acts, that it would string him along for years before releasing it.
He didn’t expect it to show up now—and this was the first time he’d seen a mission with three options to choose from.
It’s getting more and more user-friendly, huh.
Beyond surprise, he felt puzzled. He’d met Luo Ying before and the system hadn’t reacted at all.
So why now, all of a sudden, this whole thing?
He didn’t pick a mission immediately. Instead, he asked, “If I extract the Fragment of the Stairway to Immortality from Luo Ying’s body, will it affect him in any way?”
Jiang Li was worried it might harm Luo Ying—like causing memory loss, power loss, or even erasing emotions.
The worst-case scenario: death.
【No effects whatsoever】
“Then I choose Special Mission Three.”
【Special Mission Three selected. Countdown begins now.】
A six-month countdown began ticking away on the system screen, as if trying to create some kind of urgency.
But Jiang Li stayed calm as ever.
Resolving the zombie crisis in six months?
For him, that was a piece of cake.
He figured even six hours was more than enough.
“What’s wrong?” Brahma Tower was mid-flight when it saw Jiang Li zoning out.
“Nothing.” Jiang Li shook his head and sped toward the planet where Luo Ying was.
The man and the tower arrived above the planet.
Brahma Tower hovered in place for a moment, spinning once, but couldn’t find the horde of zombie monks it had brought.
“That’s weird. Where did they go?”
Brahma Tower scanned the surrounding space but still couldn’t find the dimension where it had stored the zombie monks.
“Logically, no one should be able to enter or move that space without my permission.
So how is it just… gone?”
Brahma Tower was very confident in its mastery of the Dao of Space.
In the Celestial Realm, sure, some immortals might outdo it.
But outside of there? No way.
Could it have targeted the wrong planet? Even less likely.
It would never mess up something as basic as spatial coordinates.
“Look down there. Doesn’t it look different than when we left?” Jiang Li looked at the planet’s surface, hesitating slightly.
Brahma Tower looked down too and was shocked to see the planet bustling with life.
Skyscrapers stretched to the sky, and crowds moved endlessly through the streets.
“How is this possible?” it turned to Jiang Li. “The tech here is this advanced now? It’s only been a few days, and they’ve already rebuilt?”
“If they had that kind of capability, the zombie crisis would’ve been dealt with long ago,” Jiang Li shook his head. “Besides, there are over a billion people here now. A few days ago, there were only tens of millions. People don’t just appear out of thin air.
Something definitely changed in the past few days that we don’t know about.”
What Jiang Li didn’t say was—
The sudden appearance of the mission from the system might be tied to these changes on the planet.
“Let’s go down and take a look.”
…
“It’s been several days already. Why aren’t they back yet?”
Luo Ying was getting anxious.
After Jiang Li had said, “I’ll be right back,” and flown off to who knows where, several days had passed.
Still no sign of Jiang Li.
Worried about the ocean situation, Luo Ying had his men gather the latest intel.
They discovered that even third-tier zombies were now rare in the ocean.
Which meant the energy pyramid was climbing, consolidating into higher-tier zombies.
“This can’t wait. If we keep waiting, a sixth-tier zombie is going to emerge.”
Luo Ying stood up, preparing to persuade the other fifth-tier enhancers.
If Jiang Li came back before the sixth-tier zombie showed up—
All good.
But what if Jiang Li returned after it had already appeared?
Even one day late could spell disaster.
A sixth-tier zombie could sweep through the five zones in just one day!
He couldn’t afford to gamble on whether Jiang Li would return in time.
Luo Ying went to Zone 2, Zone 4, and Zone 5 in turn, laying out everything that had happened in the ocean.
He presented all the data and tried to convince them to dive into the deep sea with him to stop the zombie evolution.
But the fifth-tier enhancers in those three zones made outrageous demands, asking for massive benefits from Zone 1.
With time running out, Luo Ying had no choice but to agree.
Even now, they’re still trying to squeeze me for more.
Luo Ying ground his teeth in anger, wishing he could kill those three b**tards on the spot.
On the way to the ocean, the three enhancers exchanged glances and gave each other a sly smile.
Luo Ying was still too young—too impulsive.
Truth was, they knew the ocean was dangerous too.
They’d been secretly investigating it all along.
But they deliberately pretended not to care, making Luo Ying panic alone.
That way, when Luo Ying finally came to them for help, they could drive a hard bargain—demanding Zone 1’s tech, experts, food, and more.
Of course, scheming aside, they still had to pull their weight.
If the entire squad got wiped out in the ocean, they’d be screwed too.
These three fifth-tier enhancers were no joke.
Each of them had taken down two fifth-tier zombies solo before.
Now going all out, they eased the pressure on Luo Ying considerably.
Fifth-tier enhancers had insanely strong bodies.
Even the toughest metals weren’t as hard as their skin.
They could withstand the crushing pressure of the deep sea and go long periods without breathing.
The four of them made subtle, rhythmic movements with their bodies.
This disrupted the water currents and let them glide like dolphins through the sea.
To move like that took serious practice.
Luo Ying had mimicked sea creatures countless times just to get this down.
But how were those three guys just as skilled as he was?
That’s when Luo Ying realized—
He’d been duped.
The three of them had also prepared for trouble in the ocean.
But no one had said a word, leaving him to take all the heat.
Still playing games even now… disgusting.
But the priority was to stop the zombie evolution.
He could settle the score with them later.
Right now, even fourth-tier zombies in the ocean were starting to vanish.
The speed of evolution was terrifying.
The four of them felt a chill run down their spines and went all in.
They fought as they moved, taking down fourth-tier zombies and lone fifth-tiers.
They used the brain cores of the zombies to power themselves up.