C20 The Explosion of the Zombie

After dinner, the sky outside had already turned pitch black, and the relentless sound of zombies howling pierced the air, causing a great deal of irritation. Damo lay on the ground, his fur exceptionally soft. Chuxue and Ho Lan were sprawled on top of Damo, finding the position incredibly comfortable. Suddenly, the crack of gunfire erupted from outside. Chu Yue sprang to his feet, immediately thinking that there must be someone out there.

He leapt off the bed and urgently instructed Chuxue and Ho Lan, "Stay here, I'm going to check it out. There might be people outside. Understood?" Both Chuxue and Ho Lan nodded in agreement, knowing that if there were indeed survivors outside, Chu Yue might be able to rescue them. Chu Yue grabbed his AK47S from his backpack and headed out.

A horde of zombies was swarming around a group of people, but Chu Yue found something odd about them. How did these survivors come by such professional weaponry? Where had they obtained their arms? But now was not the time for such questions; he had to rescue them, regardless of who they were. Chu Yue charged forward and recognized the group's leader. With a sense of recognition, he asked, "Are you one of Zhang Zuosi's men? The captain of the Earth Dragon Team? Wang Loong?"

"Chu Yue?!" Wang Loong exclaimed, astonished to see the man he had been tasked with hunting down now coming to his rescue. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. Wang Loong fixed his gaze on Chu Yue and pleaded, "Chu Yue, please, save my teammates!"

Chu Yue clenched his jaw and fired at the zombies, pushing them back. He helped the two men to their feet. Unsure of what to do next, they followed Chu Yue back to the room, where they shut the door behind them.

Chuxue recognized the man; she had seen him before at the Survivor Base. He was one of Zhang Zuosi's subordinates, and she harbored a slight aversion toward him. Wang Loong looked down at the girl beneath him, his expression tinged with embarrassment. He knew his original purpose for being there was to capture them and take them back. Yet, without their help, he would likely have perished at the hands of the zombies, becoming their evening feast.

Chu Yue clenched his jaw as he gazed at the man before him. Without immediate treatment, this man was likely to become a Zombie. He turned to Chuxue and implored, "Xue, please save him."

Reluctantly, Chuxue acquiesced to Chu Yue's request. She rose to her feet and, harnessing her healing powers, managed to rescue the wounded soldier.

Wang Loong fell to his knees before Chu Yue, tears streaming down his face. "Mr. Chu, thank you," he sobbed. "Without you, we might have perished at their hands."

Chu Yue offered a reassuring smile. "No need to worry. If you were thinking of capturing us, I'd have no choice but to take you all down. You're well aware of the kind of man Zhang Zuosi is and the things he's done at the Survivor Base. If you choose to side with me, we can take on the Zombies together and seek out a new Survivor Base. But if you're set on opposing me, I'm prepared to end this right now."

Chu Yue's hands slowly formed into fists, his knuckles popping with a burst of energy as a cold, murderous glint appeared in his eyes. Wang Loong rose to his feet, laughing heartily. "I, Wang Loong, am not ungrateful. I can tell the good from the bad."

Nodding, Chu Yue instructed Ho Lan to fetch some food from the kitchen so they could rest a bit. The house was no longer secure; clever Zombies had likely spotted their location, and a fierce battle was imminent.

The silence was unsettling. The soldiers were acutely aware that something was about to happen.

The mysterious woman chuckled as she observed the fluctuations of the girl's abilities on her computer screen. She picked up her phone and dialed a number, succinctly briefing the person on the other end.

Suddenly, a powerful roar echoed from outside, distinct from the groans of Zombies—it sounded like some other creature. With the addition of Zombies and Infection Beasts, the upcoming fight promised to be challenging.

Chu Yue addressed Ho Lan and Chuxue, "Stay in the room and keep watch. Don't leave for any reason."

Turning to Damo, he spoke softly, "You're responsible for their protection. Understood?"

"Woof."

He made his way to the defenses Wang Loong had recently established, peering through his binoculars at the horde of zombies ahead. There must have been seven or eight hundred of them, a number far exceeding the original population of the village. The sight of such an inexplicable gathering of zombies struck Chu Yue as odd, especially since they moved with an eerie coordination, as if driven by some form of organization. Above, several large birds circled ominously, each a mutated creature with blood dripping from its beak. While the ground-based threats were manageable, the addition of these aerial adversaries promised to make the impending battle all the more challenging.

Out of nowhere, a zombie let out a thunderous roar and charged toward the house. Chu Yue turned to Wang Loong and instructed, "The ground zombies are yours to handle, brothers. I'll take care of the aerial monsters."

Wang Loong nodded, chambered a round in his AK47, and rallied his team, "Brothers, today we fight a battle to the death against these zombies. It's either them or us! Let's give it our all; we must all make it out alive! Are we clear?"

"Charge!"

Gunfire erupted in an instant, the cacophony outside prompting the two girls to cover each other's ears. Chu Yue leapt into action, landing on the back of a mutated giant bird and furiously attacking its neck. Despite his efforts, these creatures proved incredibly resilient, and Chu Yue found each kill to be a grueling task. Unleashing all his power, he activated his bones' defensive mode, rendering their attacks relatively harmless to him, which was the least of his concerns.

His real worry was their dwindling ammunition. If the zombies continued their relentless assault, they were at a loss for what to do next. Was their only option to await death? This thought filled Chu Yue with despair. He knew he needed to devise a plan. While it was possible to abandon the others, Chuxue and Ho Lan were non-negotiable; they had to be taken to safety, and he couldn't risk everything for the sake of the group.

After some time, Chu Yue had dispatched all the infected birds in the sky. He descended to find the zombie horde as vast as ever. The real issue was that unless the zombies' heads were destroyed, they wouldn't stay dead and would rise to attack once more, a fact that was proving to be a major headache. Chu Yue returned to the room and addressed Damo, "Take the two of them and head southeast. Once you reach the first city, wait for me there. I'll catch up as soon as I've dealt with the situation here."

Upon hearing those words, Chuxue's spirits immediately lifted. She wrapped her arms around Chu Yue, declaring, "I don't want to, I just can't leave Mr. Chu Yue. No matter what, I'm staying with you, come what may!"

Chu Yue paused, taken aback by Chuxue's deep dependence on him. He smiled, gently touched her forehead, and said warmly, "Silly girl, this..."

"I don't care, I'm not leaving you!" Chuxue insisted firmly. Ho Lan nodded in agreement, his voice shaky as he added, "Me too. What if the next small town is overrun with more Zombies? At least you can protect me here. If I go there, I'll have no one to protect me..."

Chu Yue was at a loss for words. He stepped outside to survey the grim scene. The situation was dire; their ammunition was nearly depleted. With over two hundred Zombies before them and not enough bullets in their magazines to fend them off, they could only hold out for so long. Wang Loong shook his head in despair.

Chu Yue, too, recognized the bleakness of their predicament but felt powerless to change it. He stashed the motorcycle in the backyard as a precaution against any unforeseen emergencies.

Checking his backpack, Chu Yue found he still had a good supply of bullets. Gripping his weapon, he charged into the fray, ready to battle. Watching him, Wang Loong felt a pang of regret for his past actions, realizing how foolish he'd been to serve a demon. He was deeply ashamed of his former self.

Lin Shuchen had spent several months cooped up in the Infantry Battalion. It had been ages since she'd last stepped outside, and initially, the freedom was exhilarating. But that feeling was fleeting. Now, as Lin Shuchen took in the sight of bodies strewn everywhere—human corpses, Zombies, and the remains of animals—it was a stark reminder of the horror she'd been shielded from. She couldn't believe how drastically the world had changed during her months of isolation.