026 A wave of Zombies suddenly appeared!

"Chandan, what are you doing?"

 It wasn't until Anirudh, using his hooked nose, shattered the window and hung precariously outside that the crowd finally reacted. Lakshmipati couldn't help but yell at Chandan, "Are you insane?"

 "No, I'm not insane. I'm just doing what I must!"

 Chandan shook his head. His face was pale, but his gaze was unwavering. "Dad, haven't you always taught me to repay kindness? If not for Anirudh saving my life several times, I'd already be dead. This life belongs to him, and I won't let anyone harm him!"

 "You!"

 Lakshmipati was furious at Chandan's stubbornness, but fear of provoking Anirudh restrained him. After all, as mentioned earlier, Virat was the only person capable of piloting the Garud-5 transport aircraft. If he were to die, they'd be left with only the helicopters on the tarmac—insufficient to evacuate everyone.

 "Let him go! Put Virat down now!"

 "Young man, calm down. We can talk this out!"

 "Right, we won't force you to participate if you don't want to. Just let him down first!"

 "Kid, if anything happens to Virat, you're dead!"

 The crowd alternated between threats and pleas, desperately trying to convince Anirudh to release the hooked-nose man.

 "Oh, you really want me to let go?"

 Anirudh smirked coldly, extending his hand further out the window. "If you're sure, I'll just drop him now!"

 "No! Don't!"

 "Stop!"

 "Don't be rash!"

 Seeing Anirudh's threatening gesture, the group panicked.

 "Enough!"

 At this point, Chandan's father took a deep breath and said sternly, "Son, I understand you're upset, but he's the only one here who can fly the transport aircraft. I urge you to think of the bigger picture and not act impulsively. If this escalates, it will harm all of us."

 Pausing briefly, Lakshmipati added, "I promise that if you release Virat, no one will force you to do anything against your will, and we can put this behind us. Agreed?"

 Worried that Anirudh might not trust him, Lakshmipati emphasized, "You can trust me, and if not me, at least believe in Chandan."

 "Anirudh…"

Chandan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Please trust my father and let him go. If they dare to force you again, I swear I'll fight them, even if it costs my life."

Though Chandan hated the hooked-nose man, he knew that his death would escalate matters beyond repair.

 "Fine. Since you're asking, I'll give you this favor."

 Seeing Chandan's troubled expression, Anirudh sighed inwardly and prepared to pull the man back inside.

 But just then, a familiar, intense sense of danger surged through Anirudh. At the corner of the distant perimeter wall, a blood-red shadow flickered past.

 "A Licker?!"

 Anirudh's pupils shrank in shock.

 C-City was vast. Why would a Licker appear here, of all places?

 Before he could process this, a resounding boom shook the area. The distant perimeter wall trembled violently as though struck by an immense force, cracking with spider web-like fractures.

 Another thunderous crash followed, and the fractured wall crumbled, scattering debris as a thick cloud of dust rose.

 When the rain washed away the dust, an enormous, hulking figure emerged from the ruins, accompanied by an endless wave of corpses surging through the breach like a black tide.

 Lickers, Tyrants, and an innumerable swarm of zombies—all appearing at once!

 "This... how is this possible?!"

 Anirudh stood frozen, unable to comprehend why both Tyrants and Lickers would simultaneously attack the National Defense University.

 Could something have drawn them here?

 "It's the virus concentration!"

 The system's voice suddenly echoed in Anirudh's mind. "Based on my scans, the 'virus Concentration' they mentioned is a refined virus derived from high-level zombie specimens. This substance is exceptionally pure and highly enticing to zombies.

 "These high-level zombies, including the Tyrant and the Licker, must have sensed the virus' concentration and come to claim it. Just as you need external forces to break through your limits, they need the concentration to accelerate their evolution."

 "Damn it!"

 Anirudh cursed under his breath. He had come to the National Defense University to avoid trouble, but instead, he had landed in the middle of it.

 But there was no time for regret. Anirudh took a deep breath, threw the hooked-nose man to the floor, and said coldly, "We'll settle our grudges later. The perimeter wall has been breached by a Tyrant, a Licker is inside the campus, and the horde is flooding in. If you don't want to die, start running now!"

 "What?!"

 The group was horrified. Using night-vision equipment, they quickly confirmed the terrifying truth: the massive figure of the Tyrant and the overwhelming zombie tide pouring through the breach.

 "This can't be happening!"

 "We're doomed!"

 "Damn it, let's fight to the death!"

 Despair swept through the room as panic took hold.

 Crash!

 Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass jolted everyone. Turning toward the noise, they saw Anirudh retrieving a fire axe from a broken cabinet. Gripping it tightly, he said, "If you don't want to sit here and die, follow me. I'll clear a path, but whether you survive depends on yourselves."

 Anirudh wasn't one to sit idly by and wait for death. He was determined to fight his way out.

 As for why he offered to lead the way, it wasn't out of sympathy. He simply couldn't pilot a plane. More importantly, the Licker was already in the campus, lurking somewhere. The more people around, the better his chances of survival.

 Without waiting for a response, he raised the fire axe, ready to break through the horde.

 "Don't move!"

 A weak yet venomous voice interrupted him.

 Turning, Anirudh saw the hooked-nose man on the floor, now holding a grenade with the safety pin removed. He sneered maliciously, "Hand over the Tongue Fragment, or we'll all die here together."