Chapter 166: The Frontier

Chapter 166: The Frontier

Excuse me? John said, looking down at the small root in Zacs hand.

It seems the rumors havent reached the border towns yet. One of the incursions contains shapeshifters. They have probably infiltrated both the government and many strong factions. However, this root is deadly to them while it is harmless to us humans, Zac said and ate a large chunk of it to prove he was speaking the truth.

Its called Springroot, and is available for purchase in the General Store. Nowadays people take a bite of it to prove theyre not a shapeshifter where I come from, Zac continued.

The three looked confused at each other, until Ling took the piece of root and looked it over. Her eyes shone with some mysterious luster for a second, telling Zac she was using some sort of ocular skill. Perhaps her main role in the group was scouting.

No poison, she said and the other two nodded with some relief.

With a shrug of his shoulders, John broke off a piece and ate it.

Not bad, minty. It might double as a mouthwash, John said. These shapeshifters, what do they look like?

I heard theyre lizard-people, Zac said with a shake of his head, knowing how it sounded. Apparently they are part of some multi-verse cult.

Lizard-people cultists, just what we need, John spat on the ground, while the other two seemed to agree with the sentiment as they ate the root.

Zac wasnt really worried about the three being infiltrators. While there likely was over a thousand of them out there, they had quite a bit of ground to cover. They might have some unknown means for reaching various settlements but they shouldnt be able to use the teleporters, meaning it should take some time to spread over the planet.

Besides, Zac hadnt even heard anything about the Churchs Incursion, meaning they might be extremely far away. Ogras believed that it was out there, only that the government was keeping it secret.

It would be easy to motivate within the government ranks. Just call it a secret government resource to train their elite, and even the actual government officials would keep it secret. Meanwhile, the infiltrators could slowly ensconce themselves within the government.

The reason Zac made the three eat the root was rather to get an excuse to tell the story. He hoped that doing this would create rumors to spread like ripples on the water. Zac alone doing it wouldnt cut it, but he was determined to have his whole force spread the knowledge as soon as he was back with Kenzie.

Soon the four were sitting in Zacs modified car, pushing through the wilderness. It might be a bit weird for some loner to allow 3 strangers into his car in these uncertain times, but Zac didnt really care about that. It would give him an opportunity to gather intelligence as he drove, which would save some time.

Whos in charge of the frontier town? Zac asked as he drove, occasionally avoiding the huge potholes that had formed over the past months.

Eastern Hills is run by a man calling himself Ling Tian. It sort of means Rise above the Heavens. Kind of stupid, but quite a few around these parts have taken these Dao monikers, thinking they are the main characters of some story, John said with a snort.

Its kind of weird that the System uses Dao while it was a concept in Asia even before the integration, Zac noted.

It was something he still didnt quite understand. Was it a coincidence, or was it something to it? That wasnt the only thing as there was also the issue of the demons. It made Zac wonder just what happened on earth thousands of years ago. Perhaps the old stories of mages and dragons were more than just stories?

Yeah, Ive wondered about that myself, John said. The general belief is that the old masters of Daoism managed to peek through the veil, so-to-speak, and learn some aspects of the Dao. Who knows, perhaps there was Cosmic Energy on earth back in the day, but it ran out?

The old masters have lit the way for our people. I believe thats why the System gave us the hardest challenge, Hung said from the back seat.

So, Ling Tian? Zac prodded, not commenting on the harshness of challenges. While the undead horde was a pain, he didnt feel it beat having to close a whole incursion on your own.

Hes a bit annoying, but one of the better leaders. Thats why we stay there. He doesnt do anything untoward, and he is usually out fighting Zombies, John said.

So if you piss off a Purifier, dont be surprised if you get mobbed by a bunch of Zombie Hunters who just want to form a relationship with them," John said with a low voice.

Zacs heartbeat started to increase when hearing Johns explanation. It sounded like a purifier was exactly what he needed to take care of his wound.

Who is the best purifier in this town? Zac asked, trying to not sound too eager.

Youre talking like theyre a dime a dozen. Theyre extremely rare, and generally only reside in the larger towns on the edge of the Dead Zone, John said with a shake of his head. There is a purifier a few towns over, it would take almost a day to drive there.

Zac frowned at that, unsure at what to do. Either hed follow his original plan and push through the incursion to get to the eastern side, or hed detour and try his luck with a purifier.

Why are you asking? John asked with some confusion. Are you hurt somewhere? You dont look to be suffering from miasma poisoning."

Just orienting myself. Who knows whatll happen in the future, seems like a good idea to know where the healers are, Zac said with a nonchalant shrug.

Aint that the truth. However, you shouldnt think of the Purifiers as a backup plan. Their energy is limited, and they rarely see people off the streets. Look around, quite a few here have more miasma in their bodies than theyd like. If they could get that fixed most would. Oh, it seems times up.

The sounds of bones cracking and grinding against each other made Zac refocus on the unfortunate man Zombiefying.

This one belongs to the Frost Wolves, a man with a badge resembling a howling wolf suddenly said as he stepped forward accompanied by three underlings.

Fuck you, it belongs to whoever is the fastest, another man with two shortswords retorted.

Whats going on? Zac asked with a subdued voice.

These things are quite valuable after they turn, theyre like evolved Zombies. The kill gives a large amount of Cosmic Energy, and it is pretty much guaranteed to have a large Core. Poor bastards essentially become a walking treasure trove.

So why are they waiting? Zac asked.

The core is currently forming. When the transformation is complete, then the core is formed, John explained, as he hesitantly looked over the spectators.

We should back away, too many strong people are present, he said as he distanced himself from the hubbub.

Zac didnt really care about some miasma core, and he backed away as well, and together they saw the spectators rip the poor man into pieces like hungry hyenas.

The man with the two swords triumphantly held up the decapitated head of the zombie after a few seconds, causing the others to swear and walk away, leaving the mangled corpse where it was.

Theyre just giving up? Zac asked.

Rules of the town. When the core's claimed the battle is over. However, that guy might need to watch his back, the Frost Wolf Mercenaries are a bit shady, John said with a shrug as he jumped into Zacs car again.

You dont have a place to stay, right? Why dont you join us for the night? You can learn about how things work here in the wild east.

Sounds good, Zac answered with a last glance at the corpse of the pitiful man, before jumping back into the drivers seat.