End of the road
In response to Silver Fox, there were only a few loud explosions and the sight of dismembered limbs flying in the air.
The entire world seemed to fall into silence. Yang Tian stood there, stunned. This kind of scene was something he'd only seen in movies, but now, experiencing it firsthand, he realized just how profoundly it shook him. No longer did he feel the casual disregard and dismissiveness he used to have when watching such scenes on the screen.
Staring at the black bear being devoured by zombies, Yang Tian felt a deep heaviness in his chest, as though a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on him, making it impossible to move.
The roar of explosions echoed in his ears, refusing to fade. Yang Tian looked dazedly at the chaotic zombie horde behind him—the mercenary who had been joking with him just minutes ago, the one who had handed him a weapon, the one who had given him a pocket watch...
"Damn it! You bastards!" Silver Fox screamed in rage, grabbing her P90 submachine gun and firing wildly, her eyes burning with bloodlust.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and a zombie that was closing in on Yang Tian fell to the ground. Its eyes widened as it left this world, just a step away from making a meal of its prey.
The sound of the zombie falling snapped Yang Tian back to reality. He realized that he was still standing at the edge of hell. If he didn't escape now, the time that the black bear had sacrificed his life to buy would be wasted.
In the distance, Jessica firmly held her rifle, her cold eyes watching the zombies around Yang Tian through the scope. Though her eyes were usually indifferent, they were now slightly reddened. Clearly, despite her cold demeanor, this killer wasn't entirely emotionless in the face of her teammates' sacrifice.
Yang Tian clenched the pocket watch tightly and began to run, bullets whizzing past him, taking down the zombies that tried to approach. 50 meters... 30 meters... 20 meters...
The sound of a car engine came from the distance. Just a few dozen meters, but it was filled with life-and-death danger.
When Yang Tian reached the car, it had already started moving. He ran with all his might, trying to catch up to the vehicle that was no longer just a car but his hope for survival.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and a slender hand reached out. Without hesitation, Yang Tian grabbed it, pushed off the ground with his foot, and with a powerful effort, threw himself into the backseat of the car.
The car instantly accelerated, speeding away. Outside, the occasional thud could be heard as zombies were sent flying.
"Thanks..." Yang Tian panted heavily, his body soaked in sweat, barely managing to get the words out.
Suddenly, a cold gun barrel was pressed against his forehead. The killing intent emanating from Jessica made the temperature inside the car plummet.
Yang Tian's pupils dilated slightly as he stared at her. An eerie tension filled the car.
Jessica pointed the gun at Yang Tian, her lips parting slightly as she spoke an icy warning, "You better make his sacrifice worth it."
...
"Boss, we've made contact with the base! They're sending a helicopter to rescue us—it should arrive in about an hour!" Silver Fox's voice was filled with joy.
"Damn it, the base finally responded? I thought those old bastards were just going to let us die here!" The rough voice of Tiger came through the radio.
After a burst of static, Lion's voice came through: "That building up ahead—get inside and defend."
"What? Boss, do you know what that means? If we get trapped inside, we'll lose all hope of escaping!" Silver Fox shouted, his voice full of emotion.
"Aren't we already surrounded? There's nowhere else to go." Lion's sigh came through the radio, plunging everyone into silence.
Yes, they were surrounded by an endless sea of zombies, with their numbers continuing to swell.
"The more we kill, the more we gain!" Tiger's rough voice echoed over the radio. "I'll use my last bullet, my last grenade, to take a few of them with me to hell!"
"Don't be so pessimistic. We just need to hold out for an hour," Lion's voice came again. "The rooftop of that building—it looks like a good spot for a helicopter to land."
That casual remark rekindled everyone's hope for survival.
...
The green-haired mother zombie watched as the mercenaries poured into the building. A hint of bloodlust flashed in her murky eyes as she let out a guttural roar, filled with both intimidation and defiance, "Roar~ Roar!!!"
Low growls gradually merged into a thunderous roar, like a provocation, like a declaration of war. The zombie tide moved towards the building, seemingly endless.
...
"This place is impossible to defend! There are way too many staircases in this damn office building!" Silver Fox looked around, frowning.
"Tiger, see if you can set some explosives—reduce the number of entry points as much as possible," Lion said, giving Tiger, who was carrying an MG3, a meaningful look.
Tiger was about to act when Silver Fox said dejectedly, "But we don't have any explosives left..."
"What?!" Hound looked at Silver Fox, his voice urgent. "How could this happen? There are at least seven or eight access points in this building, not to mention the escalators!"
"All the explosives were in the last vehicle, with Black Bear... It's all gone." Silver Fox's voice was bitter.
"Stop wasting time! Move! The zombies aren't going to wait for us to grieve!" Lion shouted, "Upstairs! To the rooftop! There are too many entry points on the floors below—we can't defend them all! The only place we can hold is the rooftop exit!"
"Fox, give me some grenades." Tiger took a few grenades and pulled out a small electronic device, separating from the main group on the sixth floor.
As they reached the eighth floor, the horde began to flood into the lower levels. Yang Tian caught sight of the green-haired mother zombie, who in turn glared at them, her eyes filled with killing intent.
"Click"—the sound of a rifle being cocked.
Jessica skillfully set up her Barrett M95, her cold eyes narrowing as she aimed down at the mother zombie through the scope.
"Roar!" The mother zombie roared defiantly at Jessica. One human, one zombie, locked eyes across seven floors.
Bang! Without hesitation, Jessica pulled the trigger. In the next instant, the mother zombie had disappeared, and a regular zombie took the hit instead, flying back from the impact. The mother zombie reappeared, her cloudy eyes brimming with murderous intent, as she let out another roar.
The ordinary zombies seemed to pick up speed, rushing towards the upper floors with increased frenzy. From every exit, up the escalators, all that could be seen was a seething mass of the undead.
Jessica swiftly pulled back the bolt and aimed again, only to find that the mother zombie had once again vanished, hidden among the countless bodies of the horde.