The Horde of the Undead

Zhang Tie was caught off guard, knocked to the ground by the flood of zombies charging towards him.

"Bear Form!"

With a roar, his body was covered in black fur.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive black bear.

"Roar!"

He slammed a massive paw forward, and the air roared with force.

Several zombies that had just risen from the ground were instantly crushed, their skulls shattered, and brains mixed with blood spilled across the floor.

Lin An's eyes were cold and sharp as he swung his Nepalese curved knife with precision.

Arc Slash!

The blade traced a perfect arc through the air, cutting off a dozen heads in one sweep, the immense power behind the slash slicing through like a hot knife through butter.

"Push forward!"

Lin An shouted into the team's comms.

Zombies were pouring out of the elevator shaft, seemingly endless in number.

It appeared that during the apocalypse, the elevator doors in the emergency center had been damaged, causing zombies to tumble into the shaft and block it entirely.

If the two stayed here, they'd never be able to kill them all.

If they delayed any longer, more zombies from other areas might swarm in, trapping them.

Moreover, a single mistake could lead to infection if any zombies scratched them.

Lin An was fine, as his immunity to toxins helped protect him, but Zhang Tie couldn't handle that risk.

"You clear the path!" Lin An said, stepping back and bending his knees, preparing for action.

"Understood!" Zhang Tie's face twisted in a grimace.

He gripped his helmet tightly and shifted his body before charging forward.

Bear Charge!

The ground trembled as Zhang Tie, now a massive bear, charged through the horde of zombies like a wrecking ball.

Bones cracked and splintered with sickening sounds as the zombies in the deepest parts of the elevator shaft were crushed into bloody pulp.

Now's our chance!

Lin An took a deep breath and stomped his right foot down, launching himself into the air.

With a single slash, he cut through the zombies that were still falling from the shaft, cleaving them in half mid-air.

He landed gracefully, then planted his foot on Zhang Tie's massive shoulder to catapult himself further into the elevator shaft.

Zhang Tie gritted his teeth as he felt Lin An's kick. His face turned pale.

If Zhang Tie hadn't had such high physical endurance, that kick could have shattered his shoulder.

In the elevator shaft, Lin An kicked off the walls and leaped, his curved knife slashing at high speed.

The blade cut through the air like a deadly storm, each swing sending zombies' heads flying.

It was like a meat grinder, the blood and gore pouring out in waves.

Zhang Tie stood below, watching as bits of zombies fell onto him.

"Move up!"

"The zombies at the elevator entrance are too numerous! We need to get inside!"

"Bear Form is done, and you could easily get infected!" Lin An warned.

"I got it!" Zhang Tie responded with determination, crouching to prepare for the next move.

Their special abilities had time limits, and Zhang Tie's bear form could only last a short while.

Without the thick fur and reinforced skin of the bear form, he'd have already been infected, considering the sheer number of zombies.

After adjusting his stance, Zhang Tie launched himself, aiming for the elevator's next floor.

The space in the elevator shaft was tight, and with Zhang Tie's enormous size, it barely allowed room for one person.

With a deep breath, he powered his way up like a missile.

Lin An, with precision, used his footing against the elevator's walls, cutting down zombies in the process.

Now!

Lin An roared in his mind and activated Power Surge!

Golden spiritual energy coursed through his veins, and his body was immediately filled with renewed strength.

He jumped off the elevator shaft wall, a powerful kick aimed straight at Zhang Tie, who was mid-leap.

"WHAT!?"

Zhang Tie had no time to react. The force of Lin An's kick sent him flying across the elevator shaft like a cannonball.

"Boom!"

The massive black bear crashed into the zombies at the entrance, clearing the way. Zhang Tie shot out over four meters, sliding across the floor and crushing a horde of zombies beneath him.

Lin An, having kicked off, quickly followed, jumping and landing swiftly in the now-cleared elevator lobby.

"Let's go!" Lin An shouted as he quickly scanned the room.

The lobby was overrun with zombies—at least three or four thousand packed tightly together.

The zombies were so numerous it looked like they could suffocate the entire room.

"We can't be surrounded!"

Zhang Tie, hearing Lin An's command, quickly stood up, feeling the weight of the zombies that had been stuck to his back.

"Lin, my ass hurts!" Zhang Tie groaned, trying to reach his sore backside.

"You should've told me before I kicked you!" Lin An replied dryly.

Zhang Tie was still sore, still not understanding why Lin An had kicked him like that, using him as a literal cannonball.

"Stop complaining! Next time, I won't kick you," Lin An said, not wanting to linger on the subject.

They had no time to waste. They needed to push forward.

"Charge to the second floor!"

The zombie horde was closing in fast. They were desperate, screeching as they charged toward them.

"Bear Form is out!" Zhang Tie announced, his voice tense as his body began to shrink back to normal size.

"I can't handle this alone!" Lin An said urgently. He needed Zhang Tie's bear form once more to break through the horde.

"Activate Bear Form again!" Lin An ordered, his eyes narrowing as the zombies came closer.

"Understood!"

Zhang Tie let out a final roar, his body expanding into a massive black bear once again.

"Roar!"

The air was filled with the deep, guttural growls of the black bear and the chaotic screeches of the zombies.

Zhang Tie gripped his bone whip, cracking it against the zombies with powerful force, cutting down any who came too close.

He cleared a path, making room for Lin An to fight his way through.

But Lin An noticed something in Zhang Tie's eyes—he was starting to falter, his spiritual energy almost depleted. The toll of constantly using Bear Form was evident.

Lin An sighed inwardly. If only Wenya were here. As a mutant, she had the ability to replenish their spiritual energy, but she wasn't awakened yet.

Lin An cursed under his breath, realizing that even with their current strength, they'd barely be able to make it out of this situation.

"Let's go!" Lin An shouted as he and Zhang Tie pushed forward.

They were only a few meters from the second floor.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Lin An, with all his might, lunged forward, his curved knife cutting through the air, slashing apart the zombies in front of him.

Beside him, the black bear continued to roar, clearing a bloody path through the zombies.