Escape

Marcus immediately turned to the pilot and shouted. Even though he was wearing headphones and knew he could hear him on the radio, he was anxious just in case.

"Rise as high as you can!"

The pilot replied immediately. "We're too heavy! I can rise this much more, but any more is impossible!" 

"Damn it!" Marcus turned his head. There were three soldiers, one pilot, one co-pilot, and himself in the helicopter, for a total of six people. 

Edmond was sitting across from Marcus.

It didn't take him long to realize the situation. 

He leaned forward, grabbed a few suitcases, and dragged them to the helicopter door.

"We can throw these out!" 

Marcus looked and saw that they were ammunition and canned food. He turned his head and looked at the blue-eyed, long-haired zombie below.

He made his decision and, gritting his teeth, threw the bag full of ammunition and food down.

A voice inside him said that the danger was too great and that if they didn't leave immediately, they would meet a quick death.

"Rise! Don't stop, rise as high as you can!" Marcus shouted again. "Tell the other two pilots! Tell them to drop their damn cargo and rise. "

Marcus turned his head and looked down.

He could see hundreds of thousands of zombies approaching from miles around.

Some were running, some were walking, and some were crawling. But they had only one goal. Three helicopters.

At that moment, Marcus looked at the blue-eyed zombie again.

The zombie's face was calm, almost human-like. 

He slowly raised his hands.

With every inch his hand rose, thousands of zombies around him began to stand up.

"Co-commander!" Jon, the soldier sitting next to Marcus, spoke tremblingly.

"Didn't we just kill them? I'm sure I blew their brains out!" He caressed his gun, the barrel still hot.

Marcus didn't answer. He frowned and continued to watch the zombie below. 

After a while, a flood of zombies appeared below.

They were all shaking as if they had drunk boxes of energy drinks.

The blue-eyed zombie waved his hand.

Thousands of zombies began to come together as if to become one body.

Their goal was to use each other as ladders to reach the helicopters.

However, Marcus' foresight was enough to thwart this effort.

No zombie could reach them. The closest distance between the zombie mountain and the helicopters was over 50 meters. 

Marcus silently continued to observe the zombie horde disappearing behind them, furrowing his brows. 

"6 miles…" Marcus muttered involuntarily. "Almost exactly 6 miles…"

"What did you say?" Edmond was also watching the zombie horde. He heard Marcus mutter something, but couldn't understand it because of the noise.

"Hahaha!" Marcus laughed hysterically.

"That damn zombie! That damn zombie can control the other zombies within a 6-mile radius!" 

Edmond stared wide-eyed at the zombie horde disappearing into the horizon. Sure enough, when they were about 6 miles away from the blue-eyed zombie, they all stopped. 

"Do you know what that means?" Marcus was still hysterical.

"This city is over! It's a dead zone now! We can't fight it!" Then he frowned.

He had always thought that the zombies would remain weaker than him. He had thought that he could easily kill them, level up, and one day bring an end to this disaster. 

But now it was clear that most of his dreams would remain just that—dreams.

"This world..." Marcus looked at the sun setting on the horizon.

"This world is over..." ...

Joseph watched the same scene. As a general, he had been in several wars. He had participated in missions to suppress terrorist organizations in certain regions, fighting under difficult conditions and against difficult tactics.

But none of the wars he had prepared for, trained for, and trained others for were like this.

Right now, he felt like one of those small terrorist groups.

He was facing a huge country, and they were blocking his escape routes with all kinds of high technology.

He had never felt so helpless.

"Even if I had 100 men like Marcus, we couldn't defeat it."

Joseph thought to himself. It was the first time he had seen a Level 11 zombie, and this zombie had special abilities. It was very different from other mindless zombies.

Fortunately, they had survived... A few people.

Joseph touched a button on his earpiece with his hand.

He paused for a few seconds… "With all this noise, we'll just attract the zombies and create another dead end for ourselves." 

Then Joseph spoke into the radio. "Pete, Bradley, Tom… our target is 100 miles west, the state communications and information center. Can we do it?" 

Pete spoke up. He was the most experienced and oldest of the three pilots. In his youth, he had even flown the then-famous F35. 

"My range is 75 miles. We can't get there, Commander." 

Joseph nodded. "Understood. Use your range to the fullest. When you find an open area, land quickly. It should be as far out of sight as possible."

"Understood, sir!" 

Pete turned the helicopter a little more and headed due west. 

The other two helicopter pilots had also heard the order.

Marcus' helicopter had a range of 85 miles. So they would go a little ahead and do some recon and research.

Eliza's helicopter had the shortest range. That's all they had left after emptying all the barrels at the barracks.

So when they reached the 70-mile mark, they would stop and meet up with Joseph and continue on foot.

Marcus' helicopter was the first to reach the target. Marcus was also the first to jump, as he had taken over the recon mission. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he took a deep breath. The wind created by the helicopter's rotors soon died down, and silence fell over the mountainside. The silence seemed to rise from the heart of the wilderness and penetrate Marcus's soul.

Joseph and Eliza's helicopters landed shortly after. Both landed silently. The mountainside was steep, and almost every step carried the risk of slipping. The small stones and loose soil beneath their feet shifted with each step, unbalancing them. On the slope where they landed, large pine and oak trees cast dense shadows. Sunlight barely filtered through the leaves, falling to the ground and creating small patches of light. 

All three helicopters shut off their engines. The three pilots, nine soldiers—two of whom were officers and seven were non-commissioned officers—came up behind Joseph and Eliza. 

The pilots and soldiers were clearly nervous as they got out of their helicopters. None of them spoke. Several soldiers looked at each other and nodded silently, holding their equipment tightly in their hands. Silence was the first rule of survival on this mission.

Joseph stopped slowly and looked down. His breath caught in his throat. The landscape stretching out beneath his feet was filled with vast fields of golden yellow and various shades of green, stretching into infinity. In the distance, the horizon blurred as if the world ended there, slowly fading into infinity. This place seemed like a place where destruction and fear had not yet reached.

Joseph felt a glimmer of hope as he looked at the view in front of him. Perhaps it was a small sign that humanity was not completely destroyed. But still, the soldier inside him could not easily trust this glimmer of hope.

"There's nothing," Joseph whispered softly. "No zombies."

Eliza approached him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. After focusing on the view below for a few seconds, she nodded. "Yes, sir, none for now."

Eliza took on her usual role as the pessimistic officer.

Marcus stood a little ahead of the pair, looking into the depths of the forest. His eyes were fixed on the shadows. In his mind, each shadow turned into a pair of eyes watching him. This silence, this beautiful scenery, was deceptive. The wilderness was frightening enough on its own. At that moment, he heard faint sounds coming from the dark depths of the forest around him. Perhaps it was the footsteps of an animal, perhaps it was the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, but whatever it was, it did not reassure him.

"We can't stay here," Marcus said, his voice a little harsher than necessary. "I'll go ahead and check the road."

Joseph nodded and exchanged glances with Eliza.

They could both sense Marcus's tension. This silence, this seemingly safe calm, was like the calm before the storm.

Joseph immediately gave orders, and the soldiers began transferring fuel from the other two helicopters to the one Marcus was boarding. Their range had now extended to 25 miles. Though Joseph hesitated about using the helicopters from here on, it wasn't a bad idea to be prepared for an emergency escape. 

Marcus began to move forward with careful steps. The crackling sound of the branches under his feet was his only companion at that moment. In the depths of the forest, where sunlight did not reach, the shadows grew darker and deeper, as if hiding something unknown.

As Marcus moved forward, he felt himself becoming more and more lost in the forest. And for a moment, he realized that coming to this place where there were no zombies did not actually mean he was safe. This wild nature could be even more ruthless than the zombies.

As Marcus advanced, the atmosphere of the forest became heavier. He took his steps as quietly as possible, walking as if he were afraid of disturbing nature, even though he knew the only sound was coming from himself. His eyes were alert; every tree in the forest seemed to him like a living creature watching him silently. He raised his head slightly and looked up at the sky; the sky visible through the leaves was beginning to darken with clouds.

After walking a few hundred meters, Marcus stopped for a moment and took out the radio from his waist. His voice was as low and controlled as possible.

"General, this is Marcus. Everything is calm so far. There is no unusual situation yet, I am continuing to advance."

After a short silence from the radio, Joseph's voice was heard.

"Roger that, Marcus, be careful. We'll try to catch up with you."

Marcus took a deep breath and continued on his way. The trees around him were becoming denser, and the bushes and leaves on the ground were rubbing against his legs, which made him even more nervous. He wrapped his hand tightly around the handle of the gun at his waist and once again focused his attention on the silence around him.

A short time later, he heard an odd sound coming from the bushes ahead of him. Marcus stopped immediately and knelt down, moving closer to the ground. His heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. His eyes focused intently on the source of the sound.

The bushes in front of him moved, and a massive figure emerged with a terrifying growl that shattered the silence.

At first, Marcus couldn't understand what it was, but when the creature took a few more steps closer, his face turned pale.

This thing was a bear, or at least it had once been a bear. Its fur had largely fallen out, revealing the rotten flesh beneath its skin. Drool dripped from its mouth as it slowly approached Marcus with a blank stare. The most frightening thing was the ice-blue, dead eyes in its deep eye sockets.

[Zombie Bear Sv6]

Without thinking, Marcus grabbed the radio and spoke harshly:

"General! We have a problem! There's a zombie bear here!"

Before he could finish his sentence, the creature lunged at Marcus with a deafening roar. Marcus quickly rolled to the side and saw that the tree bark where the claws had just missed him was torn to shreds.

Marcus got up, drew his weapon, and aimed it at the zombie bear. With his heart pounding in his ears, he prepared for the most difficult fight of his life.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!!" Marcus fired the last three bullets in his gun. Two of the bullets hit the zombie's right shoulder, and one hit its head, but the bullet that hit its head grazed the flesh and skin and continued on its path. 

It couldn't pierce the bear's skull. 

"Damn it!" 

Marcus immediately grabbed the mace at his waist, but before he could take cover, the bear had caught up to him. 

The powerful swing of its right paw struck the mace's shaft! 

"Ding!" The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest. 

Marcus was knocked back five meters by the impact. He finally came to a stop when his back hit a tree. 

He was one level higher than the bear, and if they had had a little more time, he could have reached Level 8. 

But even so, the difference in strength was too great! 

Marcus was angry. The idea of being beaten by a creature lower than himself broke a few strings in his neurons.

"Come on, big bear! I'll give you the honor of being the first zombie animal I've ever killed in my life." 

Marcus threw himself at the zombie bear with all his might. He struck the bear's head with his mace.

"Boom!" The resulting shock wave pushed the bear back half a meter.

Marcus didn't stop. The rage in his eyes spread throughout his entire body. Planting his left foot firmly on the ground, he tensed his body like a bow and raised his mace once more. His muscles were rebelling, but his mind was focused on a single target. 

Before the zombie bear could recover from the shock of the blow, Marcus attacked again. This time, he swung his mace from the side.

"BOOM!!"

The hard blow to the side of the bear's skull sent the sound of cracking bones ringing in Marcus's ears. The zombie bear staggered back a few steps, dark blue, clotted blood beginning to flow from its mouth. But it was still on its feet and preparing to charge at Marcus.

Marcus was out of breath. His muscles trembled as he expended his last ounce of strength. He waited for the bear to charge and, at the last moment, stepped aside and swung his mace upward.

"CRACK!"

This final blow struck the bear's lower jaw hard, causing its head to jerk upward violently. The heavy body slowly collapsed backward, as if life had completely left it, and the forest floor shook violently.

Marcus collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. His hands were trembling. The hilt of his weapon felt cold and damp in his palm. The pain in his shoulders and back had spread throughout his entire body. He slowly stood up and approached the massive corpse.

He paused for a moment. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. He forced a smile, talking more to himself than anyone else:

"I hope the others aren't around either."

He reached for the radio at his waist, his voice still trembling but not losing control.

"General, this is Marcus. I've taken care of the problem..." Marcus was about to continue speaking when figures burst out of the bushes. 

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. It was General Joseph and Eliza. They had run ahead to catch up.

When Marcus saw them coming, he found one last burst of strength in his arms. 

He raised his mace with all his might and struck the zombie's cracked but still intact brain.

"Boom!" 

The zombie bear's head was blown to pieces. 

At that moment, Marcus felt a sense of relief.

It was the relief that came with leveling up. 

"You have leveled up!" 

[Marcus Steel – Level 8]

[EXP: 4/13000]

[POWER: 5 (+++)]

[SPEED: 2 (+++)]

[PERCEPTION: 1 (+++)]

[LEY: 1 (+++)]

[SP:1] (System Points)

[Abilities: Shock Wave, Spread Fire, Brute Force, Heavy Weapon Skill I, Adrenaline Hunger, Unarmed Combat]

[Blessing: Cannon Fodder]

[System Coins: 1384]

[STORE (+)]

[LIBRARY (+)]

[CODEX (+)]

Marcus immediately allocated the system points he had earned to his STRENGTH stat.

He felt he needed more strength. The feeling of his muscles growing and his height increasing satisfied him.

He was close, very close, just a few more levels, and he would have the same powers as the level 11 zombie he saw next to the pile of corpses in the barracks.

He could feel that there would be a qualitative change after the tenth level.

"Thank God..." Joseph breathed a sigh of relief.

Right now, Marcus was more valuable than a nuclear weapon.

He couldn't risk losing him.

"Rest a little... We'll set off later." 

Meanwhile, the pilots and soldiers arrived. They were armed. Some had rifles, some had swords, and pistols.

They were all lined up tactically.

They immediately surrounded Marcus, Joseph, and Eliza and remained alert toward the forest. 

"I don't think there will be any more creatures..." Marcus said breathlessly. 

"We don't know." Joseph approached the zombie bear's corpse. 

Joseph slowly approached the zombie bear's corpse lying on the ground. The heavy smell of rot emanating from the bear's shattered skull was unbearable, even from a few meters away. Joseph involuntarily covered his nose with his hand and knelt down to examine it more closely.

All that remained of the bear's skull were mangled pieces of bone and bloody tissue mixed with muddy soil and rotten leaves. The scattered pieces of brain, a purplish-gray gelatinous substance, were scattered around in strange shapes. Faint pulsations could be seen on the brain fragments, moving as if they were still-living parasite-like worms.

Joseph bent down to get a closer look at the chest area of the corpse. The rotting skin on the bear's chest was completely peeled off in places, exposing the rib bones underneath. Pieces of rotten and bloody flesh hung around the bones, and the once-powerful muscle tissue had turned into a sickly, dead pile of blue-black tones. Joseph looked closer, despite the sharp smell of death that tore at his skin and filled the air.

"How is this possible..." Joseph muttered. He reached out involuntarily and touched the bear's rotting rib cage. The bones were unexpectedly fragile and soft, loose as if they would turn to dust at the slightest touch. When his hand sank slightly inward, he felt a slimy layer, half liquid, half solid, on the tips of his fingers and quickly pulled his hand back. The blue-colored liquid that had stained his fingers wriggled like a parasite, as if searching for a way to burrow into his skin.

Joseph wiped his hand on the ground in disgust and looked down at the bear's legs. The muscles of the hind legs were almost completely rotted, with large, deep wounds on the lower part where maggots were swarming. The maggots slowly pulled their wet, slimy bodies out from inside the legs and back into the flesh. The maggots' movements were enough to turn Joseph's stomach.

"What kind of creature can live like this?" he whispered to himself. It was surprising that this bear was strong and resilient enough to challenge Marcus so much. It was as if Ley energy and death had not only revived this creature, but also given it a new form of existence that defied the laws of nature.

Joseph slowly stood up, his face pale. When he turned to Eliza and Marcus, the worry in his eyes was clear.

"Be careful," he said, his voice trembling, "there may be more of these damn things. And... worse, this may only be the beginning."