Jessica's middle finger

 Thud, thud...

Jessica and the zombie rolled several times across the ground, its weight and force driven by deep-seated hatred.

When inertia finally ceased, Jessica found herself pinned beneath the zombie. As it loomed close, its foggy mind seemed to clear, its jaws snapping towards the flesh so near.

With a flick of her wrist, Jessica produced a dagger seemingly out of nowhere, driving it directly into the zombie's skull. She kicked its lifeless body off her, just as another zombie flew at her, slamming into her with tremendous force. Again and again, one zombie after another hurtled towards her, clearly driven by the Mother's relentless rage.

"Hmph!" Python, Jessica, let out a cold snort. She rolled across the floor, swiftly grabbing the nearby Barrett sniper rifle. Using its stock, she smashed in a zombie's skull before darting agilely between desks and chairs, evading each flying corpse. She took a few running steps along the wall, narrowly avoiding another attack, before dropping into a crouch.

At some point, the Barrett had found its way back across her shoulder. Her icy blue eyes were cold as she looked forward, her golden hair whipping in the wind. Once again, she locked eyes with the Mother zombie. Slowly, as if savoring the moment, Jessica extended her hand and raised a long middle finger—a universal gesture of defiance.

The Mother zombie, its intelligence questionable but its understanding of a challenge unmistakable, let out an enraged roar. The air filled with its furious howls.

Chapter 5: The Line Fails

"Oh, shit! You shouldn't provoke it like that! It's going berserk! Fall back now!" Silver Fox's voice crackled through the radio just as a wave of ordinary zombies was hurled towards them. The zombie horde stepped on the bodies of their fallen, surging forward.

"Help! Somebody help me!" It was Hound's panicked shout. He had been pinned beneath two zombies, struggling desperately to break free.

Snow Leopard's eyes narrowed as he raised his rifle.

Bang! Bang! He fired precise shots, taking down the zombies pinning Hound, allowing him to scramble to his feet. But before they could regroup, another zombie slammed into them, knocking them both to the ground.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Hound screamed, his sense of reality blurring. In his terror, he couldn't distinguish between his teammate Snow Leopard and the attacking zombies. He violently shoved Snow Leopard away, inadvertently pushing him directly into two approaching zombies.

"What are you doing?!"

"Hound, what the hell are you doing?!" Python and Silver Fox shouted simultaneously, incredulity in their voices.

"He's infected! He got bitten! He's done for anyway!" Hound yelled, his face drenched in sweat. He sprinted away, not stopping even as he shoved Silver Fox aside. He ran straight for the door, desperate to escape.

Behind him, the zombie horde paused only briefly, but the price had been paid—a teammate's life.

"Rrraaaahhh...!"

"Hssss..." The distant roars and hissing of the zombies grew louder as they overwhelmed Snow Leopard. His eyes, filled with disbelief, sought out his teammates even as he was consumed. That expression would be seared into Yang Tian's mind forever.

"Snow Leopard..." Silver Fox whispered, his body trembling slightly. He shook his head and sprinted towards the door.

Chapter 6: Holding the Line

"Python, what are you doing?!" Yang Tian saw Jessica's eyes redden as she tried to run towards Snow Leopard, who was buried under the horde.

"Let me go! I have to save him! Let go of me!" Jessica struggled, her usual cold demeanor shattered. Yang Tian had no time to figure out why—he knew that letting her go now would mean certain death.

He pulled her back with all his strength, pushing and dragging her away from the advancing zombies.

"Get off me! You traitor!" Jessica swung her fist at Yang Tian.

Yang Tian dodged, grabbing her wrist, but in the next instant, she produced a dagger with her other hand. Jessica was clearly a master with blades; within seconds, the two had exchanged multiple blows.

"You lunatic! He's gone! You can't save him! You won't even be able to bring his body back! And you'll die trying!" Yang Tian shouted, furious. The undead behind them wouldn't pause, and Snow Leopard's remains wouldn't even be enough to sate their hunger.

His words seemed to pierce through Jessica's rage, leaving her momentarily stunned. She stared blankly at Yang Tian, her eyes losing focus.

Thud!

A zombie flew towards them. Yang Tian quickly turned, kicking it away with all his might. Without a moment to lose, he hoisted Jessica over his shoulder and sprinted towards the door.

Chapter 7: A Mother's Fury

Clang...

Jessica watched as the door slowly closed, sealing off the room. Snow Leopard's body had already disappeared into the mass of undead. In his place, the green-haired Mother zombie came into view, its sharp, needle-like eyes filled with mockery. It stared straight through the narrowing gap at Jessica's hollow gaze.

"Humans... must die!" The Mother's voice roared, echoing eerily. Every mercenary froze for a moment—it spoke. The Mother could speak.