Zombie Queen transmigration into a book-Chapter 161: Adrian, you’re back

Adrian didn’t pause to rest when he entered another familiar dungeon.

He created another space tear that would lead him directly to the entrance of Oasis City—this time, it wasn’t like before, where a space tear was already open in the air.

Grace—Eva’s mother—assigned him a mission unlike those given to the other space users.

Others were allowed to send messages through any medium to keep the written letter safe, while he was ordered to return because of his high level of power and mastery over space.

He strides through the tear, the air around him becoming suffocating, causing him to rub his neck unconsciously.

He felt short of breath, as if the walls were closing in, making it difficult to breathe.

"Who are you?!" a guard shouted, alerting the other guards at the entrance.

The entrance to the dungeon was blocked to everyone, and they were required to report to high ops immediately upon any sighting of intruder.

"I’m Adrian. I came from the surface! Take me to Madam Grace." At Adrian’s words, the guards were stunned in disbelief, not expecting this big news.

"Wait here! You, go to the guild building and report this!" one of the guards snapped out of his daze and told the other guard.

His eyes stayed fixed on Adrian’s for a second, and his gun aimed at Adrian’s chest, ready to fire if he made any suspicious move.

The other guard ran off quickly. Luckily, he was a speed user, so he reached the entrance of the towering building in ten minutes.

Although the guide wasn’t as tall and impressive as the former scientists’ building, it was ten stories high.

"Who are you looking for?" the guards inside asked, blocking his way and stopping him from going any further.

The other guards sat around, glancing over with curiosity.

"I’m stationed at the dungeon entrance. An unauthorized figure appeared, and I need to pass along important information," the guard reported anxiously, emphasizing the importance of the message.

The other frowned, thinking it was the dungeon raiders rallying to re-enter the dungeon and hunt again—assuming there was another fight.

"Go back. We’ll send some men to help you out. There’s no need to bother Madam Grace over such trivial matters." The guard shooed him away with a baton.

The man shook his head, "Wait! It’s different this time! It’s about the surface."

His words made everyone straighten up; their relaxed gazes became serious, and the guard blocking him quickly stepped aside to let him pass.

"She is on the seventh floor," the guard shouted as the speed user flashed past.

Once they were alone, they each whispered to the other, making wild guesses.

"Is the surface world as habitable as rumored?"

"Did everyone die, leaving just one person to deliver the bad news?’’

"Shhh, don’t jump to wild conclusions. Stay quiet before Madam Grace finds out, remember two of her children are out there." The head guard hushed everyone as he looked around cautiously.

The others realized their mistake and quickly stopped talking.

Meanwhile, the guard who went to relay the message hurried up the stairs as fast as he could, only stopping to rest when he was gasping so hard that it hurt to breathe and his legs were sore.

Finally, he got to the seventh floor after about forty minutes.

Breathing heavily, he hurried through the busy hallway; figures in white coats and men in guard uniforms moved purposefully through the halls.

"What are you looking for on this floor? Your work pass and your station?" A guard quickly stopped him before he could go further.

"I’m looking for Madam Grace. I have news concerning the surface." The guard responded by taking out his ID and handing it over.

The guard checked his ID and looked at his face before motioning for him to follow.

The guard continued as they moved deeper down the hallway, passing through offices and rooms before stopping in front of an oak door.

The guard knocked and stood there waiting.

"Enter." A commanding tone sounded from inside, and the guard turned the handle and went in, followed by the other guard.

Their gaze fell on Grace, whose green hair was tied loosely in a ponytail, as she worked through documents on her desk.

"What is it?" Grace asked, glancing up to see two guards waiting.

"Madam, a man named Adrian claimed he came from the surface, and he asked to see you," the guard said all in one breath.

Grace’s eyes lit up in surprise, and she quickly got to her feet, the chair screeching as it slid back.

"Quickly, take me there!" Grace shouted as she hurried out of the room, but stopped when she remembered something. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Call all the other city heads and head scientists to gather in the meeting room in five minutes," she instructed before leaving through the open door.

She rushed toward the lift, the speed user following behind her. They entered, and Grave pulled the lever, causing the lift to descend. Within a few minutes, they reached the ground floor.

Grace jogged to the parked bus, quickly got on, and started the engine.

She turned the wheels and headed toward the city’s entrance.

Adrian was given a chair to sit and wait, though they kept aiming their guns at him.

He didn’t mind and fanned himself, feeling the air was stifled and the walls were caving in around him—Adrian thought he was behaving strangely—this place was the place he had lived all his life, now he felt uncomfortable every minute that passed.

’So, this is what it’s like to live out in the open. The fresh air rushing into your lungs and the endless sky stretching out ahead.’ He compared it with the dimly lit surroundings and the cave walls, and he frowned—he couldn’t wait to get back to the surface, no matter how dangerous it was.

The beeping sound from the car snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw the bus skid to a stop, and his aunt’s figure jumped out.

"Adrian, you’re back! How’s the surface? Is everyone safe?" Grace bombarded him with questions and pulled him into a tight hug.

Adrian felt his breath muffled against her chest and patted her back helplessly.

Grace let him go, her eyes carefully examining him for any injuries or signs of change.

""Aunty, the surface isn’t as poisonous as we thought," Adrian said. "But beasts tougher than dungeon monsters roam everywhere, through all kinds of weather. And the air is so fresh..." He rambled on, recounting everything he had experienced during more than a month on the surface.

Grace listened with interest, her hanging heart settling back into her chest; she had woken up countless nights, plagued by nightmares, unease, and doubts about her plan.

She thought she had sent her children and others to their deaths, but to her great relief, it was a success—her eyes reddened slightly, and the weight she was carrying lessened from her shoulders.

"Good, very good. You need to inform others. Then we all have to migrate to the surface; the oxygen is already running out." Grace patted his back with a happy smile spread across her face; she forgot to hold back her strength a bit, causing Adrian to grimace in pain.

"Have you heard from Eva and the others?" Grace asked, hope flickering in her eyes as she motioned for him to enter the bus.

"No, the dungeon teleported us to a different location, but we came across someone who wasn’t teleported initially with us... proving we aren’t too far from Eva and others," Adrian explained, sharing his findings and sighing slightly in relief when he saw his aunt’s mood brighten again.

"You must miss your parents. Don’t worry — after you give a detailed report to the others, you’re free to spend some time with them," Grace said softly as she patted his shoulder before entering the bus.

They both drove away, leaving the stunned guards who had heard Adrian’s unbelievable description of the surface behind.