Chapter 103 Real Hero

Gao Yuan and the others stopped, because if the second group could not take down the monster, then there was no point in them running anymore.

Although he couldn't see clearly, Xiang Weiguo knew that Xinghe was right in front of him, so he whispered, "Xinghe, if we all fall in battle, you'll have to go on by yourself. I believe you'll be fine."

Xinghe's voice came through.

"Okay."

Xiang Weiguo looked at the special forces captain and said in a deep voice, "If we can't deal with the monster and we keep following Xinghe, we'll only draw the monster closer to him. So, from now on, Xinghe proceeds alone, and all the rest of us will stay behind!"

Li Changfeng's barely suppressed sobs were heard, as a special forces member immediately covered his mouth and whispered, "Don't make a sound!"

Just then, one of the special forces exclaimed excitedly, "Hit it!"

Through the night vision goggles, it was clear the rocket had hit the monster.

The captain let out a sigh of relief, then he whispered in a low voice, "If it can penetrate 180 millimeters of armor, I don't believe..."

Belief didn't matter anymore. The monster merely paused for a moment without falling, and the eight people from the second group made no more moves.

It was more than a chill in the heart; this was true despair.

Xiang Weiguo said in a stern voice, "Xinghe, run!"

"Prepare for battle!"

The special forces captain gave the order, now having no way to take down the monster.

Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu exchanged glances, then Luo Xingyu embraced him.

Gao Yuan kissed Luo Xingyu on the lips and whispered, "Let me go."

With tears streaming down her face, Luo Xingyu let go of Gao Yuan. Gao Yuan turned to a special forces member and said, "Give me two grenades. I'm really accurate with grenades, truly."

Xiang Weiguo said in a deep voice, "Give them to him."

The special forces member didn't hesitate and took two grenades from his body and handed them to Gao Yuan.

Yu Shunzhou pleaded anxiously, "Give me one, give me one!"

No one paid attention to Yu Shunzhou because it was more likely for someone who had never used grenades to hurt their own.

Li Changfeng eventually couldn't help but start crying.

Xiang Weiguo drew his pistol and told Yu Shunzhou, "You three hide over there."

Li Changfeng sobbed, "I don't want to die..."

Yun Shunzhou shouted angrily, "Shut up and stop crying, you coward!"

"Spread out! Aim for the monster's weak points, it must have eyes!"

The special forces captain stubbornly added, before they watched the monster start speeding up towards them again.

A monster always eliminates the most threatening firepower positions first, even if there are people close by, ignoring them. But without any threatening firepower left, the monster would kill every living being around it; Gao Yuan had noticed this back in the shelter.

Therefore, Luo Xingyu and the others didn't have to run anymore; escape was futile.

Gao Yuan held a grenade in one hand. He looked at Luo Xingyu and said, "Which way to go, Shunzhou, take her."

"The monster is injured."

Someone shouted, and Gao Yuan also noticed because the monster's speed had slowed significantly compared to before.

Though much slower, it was still fast, just relatively slower, but still not a speed humans could match.

In less than two minutes, the monster had reached right in front of Gao Yuan and the others.

"Fire!"

Two special forces members fired from two directions, and the monster immediately charged towards the closer one on the left, bisecting the firing member in an instant.

But Gao Yuan seemed to notice something unusual on the side of the monster. A patch on the previously shining carapace had lost its luster.

The first special forces member sacrificed, the monster turned back and killed another member who had been on its right side with one strike.

Less than three meters in front of Gao Yuan, the monster swooped past and charged towards a shooting special forces member.

"Where are its eyes! Where are its eyes!"

With a desperate and furious roar, the third special forces member was sacrificed.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuan also shouted, "The monster has a wound on its right side, a wound! Get the grenades... cover me!"

As Gao Yuan roared, the fourth special forces member was sacrificed.

But Gao Yuan swore he truly saw a wound on the left side of the monster's body, near the hind limb, which might be considered the outer part of the abdomen.

The rocket had indeed caused the monster damage.

In other words, it was armor-pierced.

Gao Yuan felt he saw an opportunity.

But there was no time for detailed explanations, so he roared, "Create an opportunity, give me a chance!"

Gao Yuan didn't know if anyone understood his intention, but the special forces captain seemed to truly comprehend his meaning.

"Distraction! Tactical maneuvering to distract the monster!"

The special forces captain fired, standing to Gao Yuan's right rear. He ran while firing, which caused the monster to immediately turn towards him. However, upon realizing the monster was coming for him, the captain immediately ceased fire.

Another soldier on the other side opened fire, and the monster did not hesitate to abandon the captain, turning instead towards the firing soldier.

When poor, use tactical maneuvers; when prosperous, just blast away.

Without heavy weaponry, the only thing to do was to perform tactical maneuvers to create an opportunity for Gao Yuan. Fortunately, for the special forces, tactical maneuvering was as easy as eating and drinking.

"Effective! Keep distracting it!"

Thrilled by the turn of events, Gao Yuan was a dozen meters away from the monster—an insurmountable distance for accurately throwing a grenade into the rapidly moving wound.

He had to get closer, slow the beast down, and ensure his own survival.

Gao Yuan bellowed, "Too fast, too far, create an opportunity for me..."

The fifth special forces member was sacrificed; he ceased firing, but the creature was too close. It didn't turn but continued to advance and swung its forelimb.

However, nimble movements in tight spaces were not the monster's strong suit, especially with its injury; inevitably, its speed faltered.

Someone behind Gao Yuan opened fire, causing the beast to run towards Gao Yuan, who was caught between it and the soldier.

Gao Yuan released the already primed grenade, calculating three seconds—close enough.

The soldier behind Gao Yuan stopped firing, and at that moment, the desperate special forces commander beside Gao Yuan, less than ten meters from the beast, opened fire.

The monster immediately changed direction, streaking past in front of Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan didn't throw the grenade—too fast, and he wasn't confident.

But as the creature surged by his side, Gao Yuan shoved the grenade straight into its wound.

The special forces commander shot into the air. He'd missed by a fraction of a second, then a thunderous explosion followed as a gush of blood spurted from the monster's injury.

There were no screams, only a strange, high-pitched hissing sound.

The monster finally fell to the ground, but only for a brief moment; it made an attempt to rise again and seemed likely to succeed.

As he stuffed the first grenade, Gao Yuan had already pulled the pin on a second one.

He accurately tossed the grenade into the bowl-sized wound of the beast.

The explosion hadn't killed the monster, but it widened the wound; yet, the creature didn't die and quickly rose again on its feet.

Gao Yuan threw a grenade into the monster's wound, but it immediately fell out.

Gao Yuan was running, close enough to the creature that he could pick up the grenade again right away.

He retrieved the grenade and, standing on the ground, thrust his grenade-clutching hand into the monster's wound. After shoving his entire arm in and hooking his hand around, he felt the grenade would stay put, then instinctively jerked his hand out fast.

The grenade exploded just as he withdrew his hand; Gao Yuan had no chance to evade. A muffled boom heated his body, and then, the monstrous body fell before him with a crash.

Luckily, it fell away from him; otherwise, Gao Yuan would have been crushed.

But Gao Yuan collapsed too.

The blast had been too close.

The monster didn't crush Gao Yuan, but shrapnel from the exploding grenade, fired from within the monster's body, hit half of Gao Yuan's body.

Shoulder, right arm, right waist, and right leg.

"Ah... worth it!"

Gao Yuan was out of strength, wounded, but not dead.

And he was happy, so he began to laugh.

"Medic!"

Excitement was everyone's immediate reaction, but Luo Xingyu and Xiang Weiguo rushed over with urgent expressions. It was then that Xinghe's voice suddenly broke through.

"Don't get close to him; he is about to become... a zombie. The monster's body is full of pathogenic viruses, what you call the zombie virus. Gao Yuan is severely infected."

Luo Xingyu and Xiang Weiguo had already reached Gao Yuan's side since they were not too far away to begin with.

Gao Yuan hadn't heard what Xinghe said, but seeing the concern on Luo Xingyu's face suddenly halt, then look back in astonishment, and then witnessing Xiang Weiguo's look of utter shock, he instantly realized something.

"No way, am I really going to die? Being a hero isn't so great after all, huh..."

Gao Yuan, with a bitter smile, raised his left arm at Luo Xingyu, and then shouted as loudly as he could, "Xiaoyu, get out of here, Uncle Xiang... what's happening?"

"The monster carries a virus."

Xiang Weiguo didn't want to say it, but still, he told Gao Yuan the truth.

Gao Yuan paused momentarily before urgently saying, "Uncle Xiang, make it quick, please. I don't want to become a zombie, I really don't!"

Gao Yuan could see Luo Xingyu crying and about to throw herself at him, prompting him to yell, "Uncle Xiang!"

Xiang Weiguo grabbed Luo Xingyu and threw her aside to a special forces team member that ran up, then turned to Gao Yuan with a sorrowful expression and said, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Xiaoyu..."

With a sad smile on his face, Xiang Weiguo aimed his pistol at Gao Yuan's heart and whispered, "You are a hero, a true hero, not just one who talks on the radio. You live up to the excellent tradition of the Da Hong Third Company. I'll see you on your final journey. Rest easy."

Gao Yuan began to convulse, his face showing panic as he felt himself losing consciousness rapidly. In his fear, he could no longer make out what Xiang Weiguo was saying; he just placed his hand over his heart, trembling as he tried to hold it there.

Xiang Weiguo suddenly realized that the emblem of the Da Hong Third Company lay over Gao Yuan's heart.

But if not the heart to guarantee a quick end, it would have to be between the eyes.

So, Xiang Weiguo pointed the gun at Gao Yuan's forehead, and this time, Gao Yuan smiled.

Luo Xingyu, her arm seized, was struggling as she yelled, "Don't! Don't shoot, don't kill him!"

Xiang Weiguo was ready to pull the trigger, but hearing Luo Xingyu's cries, he found it hard to go through with it. He was tormented by his own helplessness, yet couldn't bear to leave this task to someone else.

"Are you going to kill him? I don't understand, why would you kill him?"

Xinghe suddenly spoke up, causing Xiang Weiguo to swiftly turn towards the voice.

Gao Yuan was rolling his eyes back and convulsing severely, the virus from the monster acting much faster than the airborne strain.

Nevertheless, Xiang Weiguo turned sharply and holstered his gun immediately, then demanded of the now-present Xinghe, "What do you mean? Do you have a way? Do you have a way?"