Chapter 279: The Portal of Lost Heroes

East Sea border.

Dungeon Entrance of the Zombie Nation.

Over a hundred Third-Stage Awakeneds casually guard the dungeon entrance, idly watching the blue portal.

“It’s the eighth day. Tell me, did Dong Fengye and his crew finish off those damned Chinese pigs?”

Leaning against a rock, an Awakener from the Japanese Battle Zone casually tossed a stone at the portal, which instantly disintegrated into ash.

“Kudo, what dumb question are you asking?”

“Eight days—do you think everyone is as useless as you? Only the elite get in!”

Floating slightly above the ground, a Third-Stage Awakened scoffed dismissively, as if the teenager’s words weren’t even worth a reply.

Seeing the other party give him no respect, Kudo Ershi’s face immediately darkened.

Though he was outmatched, he dared not retort.

Nearby, a Third-Stage Awakener from the Joint Battle Zone smiled to ease the tension:

“Alright, let’s chat.”

“But honestly, I’m so envious of the teams that get into the dungeon…”

“This mission is a cakewalk—a normal dungeon. After wiping out that bunch of useless Chinese, they can do whatever they want.”

“I wish I could get in too…”

As his words trailed off, the surrounding Third-Stages perked up, nodding in agreement.

“Exactly…”

“With seven battle zones teaming up and so many elites in, it’s even easier than before!”

“I can’t wait to see the look on those Chinese pigs’ faces when they see us.”

“Haha, I bet they’ll be terrified to death!”

“Bullshit. Just Yamato and Kim Woo alone could crush them!”

“I’m just worried those idiots might escape.”

Fiddling with his dagger, the youth glanced toward the distance—the direction of the Huaxia Battle Zone entrance. These men were stationed here to intercept the teams, though there wasn’t much left to guard.

The Huaxia Battle Zone didn’t even have the strength to attack here.

“Escape?”

“Don’t you know? Our informant sent word back just yesterday!”

“The Chinese Military has already conceded that their men are finished! Not a single one has come out!”

“I bet our guys took care of those idiots on day one!”

“Oh?”

“So, does this mean our mission is complete!?”

Although they had expected it, when a dark-skinned Third-Stage Awakened announced the news, smiles of satisfaction flashed across the faces of warriors from various battle zones.

“Ha, I knew it!”

“I bet those Chinese pigs are crying their eyes out right now!”

“Heh, another failure on their part. Doesn’t that mean we’ve utterly crushed them?”

Nodding slightly, the dark-skinned Middle-Aged Man chuckled and solemnly declared:

“That’s right. Once our people come through, it’s time to fight!”

“Without spirit energy ore, their fighter jets and weapons are useless! High-priced resources? They can’t grab them fast enough!”

“With our joint efforts, they’ll be pushed back step by step!”

As he spoke, a gleam of desire flashed in the Middle-Aged Man’s eyes.

True, their high-end firepower might only equal that of the Huaxia Battle Zone, but they can concentrate their forces! Just the thought of that fertile land and bustling Safe Zone makes me itch for battle!

Women, resources, population…

After ten years of planning, it’s finally time to set things in motion!

But before he could say any more, a Third-Stage Awakened closest to the portal suddenly froze, then burst into wild cheers:

“The portal is moving!”

“Seems like the dungeon is over! Our people are coming out!”

Huh!?

In an instant, over a hundred Third-Stage Awakeneds fixed their eyes on the churning blue portal.

During the dungeon, the portal remained stable, barring anyone from entering. But once the dungeon ended, it burst into life.

The scene clearly signaled the end!

Yet amid the jubilation, doubts began to creep in.

“So soon!?”

“Only eight days? Is that enough time to gather supplies?”

“It shouldn’t be… shouldn’t it take a month?”

“Who knows? Maybe things went exceptionally well! No time to overthink—get ready to welcome our heroes! They must have hauled out a ton of ore!”

The chatter was mixed with nonchalance.

A few high-level Third-Stage Awakeneds in the team stared excitedly at the portal, as if they could already see their comrades emerging with heaps of ore.

“Yeah! Maybe Dong Fengye even brought a few heads!”

“That guy loves collecting loot!”

“Record everything! Tape it all! Then we’ll send it straight to those Chinese bastards!”

The noise and cheers grew louder.

Though a few felt something was off, their absolute confidence left no room for doubt.

No kidding—this time, the teams were handpicked elites from each battle zone. Not seventy, even ten could take down the China Squad!

“Bzzzz”

The vivid blue portal churned under everyone’s expectant gaze, setting every nerve on edge.

But just seconds later, unease swept through the crowd gathered around the portal.

“Where are they?”

“Hasn’t it opened already?”

“Why aren’t they coming out yet!?”

Growing anxious, an Awakener from the Japanese Battle Zone peered into the portal, a dark premonition creeping over him.

“They must still be settling up, right?”

“Maybe they got too many spoils—can’t pack them all at once!?”

Swallowing hard, a few tried to reassure him, though tension unabatedly mounted.

Something’s not right…

Even if they were tallying, someone should have come out to notify us…

Time dragged on—both long and fleeting.

After half a minute, the eerie atmosphere deepened and anxiety gripped everyone, many unable to hide their worry.

What’s going on… why haven’t they come out yet!?

Sensing everyone’s concern, a high-ranking Awakener from the Southeast Battle Zone fixed a stern gaze on the swirling vortex and declared:

“Don’t be afraid! They’re probably still inside finishing up the tally!”

“They’ll be out in a moment! There’s no way we could lose!”

The next second, almost as soon as he finished speaking, a system alert blared abruptly:

“Beep, dungeon over.”

“Survivors: …”

“0 survivors!”

It hit like a bolt from the blue.

At the moment the system message ended, the churning portal abruptly vanished, leaving over a hundred Third-Stage Awakeneds staring in horror at the empty air.

“0 survivors!?”

“0 survivors!???”

“How could that be?! This is impossible!!”

“Where are our people!??”

Outside the dungeon barrier, the faces of over a hundred Third-Stage Awakeneds turned deathly pale, many trembling as they struggled to accept the reality.

Facing the closed dungeon, the entire team erupted in anguished shouts.

“Why!? Why, oh why!! How did everyone die!?”

“Who the hell can explain what just happened!!”

“What about our seventy Third-Stages!?”

They broke down in collapse, wailing in despair.

Several lower-ranking battle zone officers, unable to withstand the shock, collapsed into hysterical cries.

Those Awakened we sent in were all our main forces.