C14 The Army Broke in

"You're losing it already?" Yan Cheng teased with a smirk. Despite his jest, his actions were swift as he deftly beheaded the two zombies in front of them with a single stroke.

"Fall back into the house!" Yan Cheng commanded. "Huang Qiu, keep an eye on the zombies getting too close to us!"

As they retreated, the zombies swarming in from outside tumbled over the bodies of their fallen kin. Despite being only half a meter tall, their agility was no match for the pileup, and they fell without fail. The zombies in the rear stepped on the fallen ones and advanced once more.

This left four zombies on the ground, with the remaining three stepping on them to lunge at Yan Cheng and his companions. Huang Qiu held one at bay, Lang Zhe took another down, then braced against the third with his shield.

Yan Cheng's blade rose and fell in quick succession, dispatching a zombie with each strike. He then methodically eliminated the ones on the ground as if he were chopping vegetables.

Once the threat was neutralized, the trio collapsed to the floor, exhausted. The sound of gunfire outside had diminished significantly.

Yan Cheng rose to his feet, shaking the stiffness from his arms. After all, he had taken down seventeen zombies. Even with a razor-sharp machete, it took considerable effort.

They proceeded to clear the battlefield, gathering all seventeen zombie crystal cores. Then, they sat down to catch their breath.

Soon, the gunfire ceased, and the sound of doors being forced open echoed from downstairs.

"Let's head down," Yan Cheng said, and together, the three descended the stairs.

Upon reaching the ground floor, they found the supermarket's door smashed. A squad of fully armed soldiers stood guard outside. Spotting survivors, they aimed their weapons at them.

"Don't shoot, we're human!" Lang Zhe called out.

A soldier stepped forward, instructing, "Drop your weapons. We need to check for injuries. Please, no sudden moves that could lead to a misunderstanding!"

With no other choice, they complied. Yan Cheng dropped his machete, Lang Zhe his shield, and Huang Qiu her makeshift weapon to the ground.

The individual approached and made a full circle around the trio before instructing, "Alright, grab your weapons and stand over there."

Yan Cheng and his companions were closely watched by three individuals wielding submachine guns. The leader commanded, "Come in and move these items!"

"Hey, we worked hard to secure this food!" Lang Zhe protested as he stood up, only to have a guard press a gun to his head.

"Big brother, please don't shoot. He's just not good with words!" Yan Cheng quickly grabbed Lang Zhe, urgently appealing for mercy.

The leader, hearing Lang Zhe's protest, responded, "I understand you've earned this through hard work, but let's not forget we saved you. You can't deny that, can you? We'll leave some for you and take the rest back to the base. In return, you'll get free access to our base."

"Alright, thank you, sir!" Yan Cheng promptly replied, gratitude in his voice.

The officer gave a nod, smiling at Yan Cheng's response.

Once they were alone, Yan Cheng murmured, "Crazy man, now's not the time to clash with these soldiers. Stay safe and be patient. As long as we survive, we'll have our day eventually!"

Lang Zhe nodded in agreement, then asked, "Cheng, since when did you become so wise?"

Yan Cheng rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, ready to dive into another game. With nothing else to do and feeling secure, he figured it was as good a time as any.

"Seriously, you're addicted to that phone. You're still gaming now?" Lang Zhe remarked, incredulous.

Huang Qiu glanced at the phone and inquired, "When did the phone ringing outside stop?"

"I don't know, probably ran out of battery!" Yan Cheng casually replied before immersing himself in the game, with Lang Zhe watching over his shoulder out of boredom.

Yan Cheng was quickly defeated in the game.

Lang Zhe, astonished, exclaimed, "I remember you being better than this!"

"I'm playing on Devil Difficulty!" Yan Cheng shot back.

"Let me have a look at this Devil Difficulty!" Lang Zhe grabbed the phone from Yan Cheng's hands.

Unable to bear the banter of the two ruffians any longer, Huang Qiu shifted aside.

Upon entering the game, Lang Zhe immediately landed on a major road and drove straight to the location furthest from the flight path. He casually gathered supplies, making sure to leave in his vehicle before the poison fog circle closed in. Afterward, he found a sneaky spot to hunker down and waited for the circle to shrink. Remarkably, Lang Zhe hadn't fired a single shot, and there were already fewer than a dozen players left.

Lang Zhe rubbed his hands on his body and declared, "Now's the time to showcase my true skills!" He stealthily advanced up a steep mountain and, from an elevated position, he readied the mythical 98K.

"You have been killed by ASD with an SKS headshot. You finished in 14th place!"