With a loud boom, the surrounding buildings collapsed instantly.
Dust filled the air, and loose debris occasionally fell from above. The main group scrambled and dodged their way out of the narrow alley, eventually emerging onto a wider street.
Apart from a few minor injuries caused by flying debris from the explosion, the rest of the team remained mostly unharmed. This was only possible because others had sacrificed themselves.
Standing on the desolate street, everyone looked at the ruins before them. Beneath the rubble lay not only countless zombies but also the bodies of their fallen comrades.
There was no time for grief, however. The remaining zombies—those not buried under the debris—still posed a threat. Their crisis was far from over.
At least, for now, they could catch their breath. The explosion had worked; the sound drew part of the horde away, leaving a gap of several dozen meters between the zombies and the group. The immediate pressure had eased.
“Dr. Chen, please be careful. Let me help you,” the lieutenant said as he shot a stray zombie that had caught the scent of humans and tried to lunge forward. He quickly reached out to steady the older man.
Around them, several armed soldiers formed a protective circle around a grey-haired, bespectacled man in his fifties. This man was Dr. Chen, their rescue target. The suitcase he carried contained crucial data from his laboratory—a comparative analysis of the zombie virus in water and blood. It was humanity’s best hope for addressing water pollution in the apocalypse.
“Sigh… I’m too old for this. I’ve slowed you down. If not for rescuing me, so many of you wouldn’t have died,” Dr. Chen said, gazing at the darkened sky and the zombies snarling in the distance.
Dr. Chen had spent most of his career researching viruses and fighting against them. He never imagined he’d one day witness such devastation first-hand—a virus ravaging the entire world while he stood powerless to stop it.
The lieutenant shook his head firmly. “Don’t say that, Dr. Chen. The problems facing the base depend on you to solve. Your survival gives meaning to this mission. And the sacrifices of those who fell today won’t be in vain if you live. Please hang in there!”
Though the lieutenant lacked academic knowledge, he understood that brute force alone wouldn’t save humanity.
Since the base discovered that local water sources were contaminated, the situation had become increasingly dire. People could go three days without food but not without water. Drinking polluted water led to bizarre symptoms, and in severe cases, mutation into zombies. With bottled water supplies dwindling, the base faced a grim future.
Even with water ability users helping to supply clean water, it wasn’t sustainable long-term. Rescuing Dr. Chen was the base’s last hope to resolve this crisis.
Even if there was only a 10% chance that Dr. Chen could develop a solution, it was worth risking their lives.
Seeing the sincerity in the lieutenant’s eyes, Dr. Chen said no more. He understood the weight of the expectations placed on him. His assistant had risked their life to send out a distress signal, ensuring his research wouldn’t be in vain.
—
As the group passed a shop, a zombie suddenly lunged at them, biting a team member’s arm. Blood dripped down his sleeve as he stifled a groan.
The person beside him fired at the zombie’s head, but the shot missed as the zombie moved too quickly.
“It’s a speed-mutated zombie! Everyone, stay alert!” someone shouted.
The group halted, gripping their weapons tightly and scanning their surroundings. The soldiers near Dr. Chen tightened their protective circle, determined not to let the zombie get close.
Speed-mutated zombies were not as physically powerful as other types, but their unpredictability made them incredibly dangerous. They struck without warning, exploiting every opening.
As the group tried to figure out the zombie’s location, it darted into the cluster of civilians they had rescued from the city.
A frightened scream echoed as the zombie pounced on a woman. In an instant, it tore open her abdomen, pulling out her intestines. Blood and organs spilled to the ground as she convulsed and collapsed.
The scene was so gruesome that even seasoned fighters felt nauseated. But with their stomachs empty, there was nothing to vomit.
Nobody dared make another sound, fearing they might be the zombie’s next target.
The speed-mutated zombie continued its rampage, injuring several more civilians. Attempts to shoot it failed, as it moved too fast. Bullets meant for the zombie often hit bystanders instead, forcing the group to hold fire.
After targeting the outer edges of the group, the zombie began moving toward the centre, where Dr. Chen was.
“Dr. Chen, stay vigilant. We can’t let it touch you,” the lieutenant warned, shielding him.
Just as the situation grew desperate, a bolt of lightning struck from a distance, hitting the zombie’s arm. It roared in pain and tried to retreat, but a wall of earth suddenly rose, blocking its escape.
Taking advantage of the opening, nearby soldiers fired a barrage of bullets. With no place to hide and no human shields, the zombie was finally taken down with a headshot.
“The horde is catching up! We need to move now!” someone shouted.
The delay caused by the speed-mutated zombie had allowed part of the horde to close in.
“Teams One and Two, hold them off! Team Three, protect the civilians!”
The soldiers and base members worked together, firing at the approaching zombies with precision. Although not every shot was a headshot, they were enough to slow the zombies down, allowing others to finish them off.
With help from a group of strangers who had appeared during the fight, the team managed to distance themselves from the horde.
Still, the middle-aged commander remained on edge. The zombies had been unnervingly persistent, following their scent for hours.
Finally, this time, the horde seemed to disperse. Without the scent of humans to guide them, many zombies wandered off, no longer appearing to act in coordinated pursuit.
The group moved farther along the street and eventually found a secluded area among some buildings to rest.
Exhausted from the long battle, many collapsed against the walls, gasping for air.
They couldn’t help but wonder if they’d have the strength to fend off another attack if the zombies returned.
**Nomad: Hi everyone, many of you may have noticed that some novels haven’t been updated for a while. I struggled to regain access to my account after my site went down, which took some time to resolve. I’m also in the process of moving the website to a different hosting plan, which I’ve been handling manually in the background. This has taken up a lot of my time, but I’m almost done. You might notice the website going down for a few hours now and then while everything gets sorted. Sorry about that!**
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