Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Almost simultaneously with spotting the humans, the zombie's massive body extended two tentacles, striking fiercely at both sides.

Shen Xiuzhe and his team were prepared. Walls of sand rose in layers, blocking the zombie's attack, while flames climbed the flesh-colored tentacles, turning them to ash instantly.

Xu Fang stared in disbelief at his completely destroyed walls. Over a meter thick, they had been completely breached. This zombie was too powerful.

On the other side, Lu Li's teammates, already aware from their leader about the strange and stronger zombies in Sand Dune Town, were still distracted by the horror of the zombie, failing to attack immediately.

However, their battle instincts saved them; as the tentacles struck, everyone evaded.

Dust and a loud noise reverberated through the town as the buildings behind Lu Li and his team were pierced by the tentacles, which would have bisected them on impact.

The noise of the zombie's attack was so loud, it disturbed other resting zombies. Seeing them emerge from houses, their hiding became pointless.

The intense sunlight slightly slowed the zombies' movements, but they were still surrounded by an encroaching horde from all sides.

As more zombies appeared, the group had no choice but to fight their way out.

A thick bolt of deep purple lightning struck directly at the central fusion zombie, covering its flesh-red body with dense, tiny purple sparks, emitting the scent of charred flesh.

However, this attack didn't kill the zombie. Its surface blackened as if dissolving, peeling away to reveal the bright red flesh underneath.

Even such a mighty attack only slightly diminished the zombie.

Xu Fang, while fending off zombies emerging from a nearby house, glanced over and shouted, “This won't kill it! To defeat a fusion zombie, you must destroy its core, or attacks are futile.”

Lu Li, observing the zombie's massive form, asked in frustration, “Where's the core?”

As Xu Fang shielded himself and his teammates, he yelled back, “How should I know? Every zombie is different. Just keep attacking; the last part remaining is surely the core.”

Xu Fang seemed knowledgeable about fusion zombies, but he realized this one was far more formidable than those in Chuxi City. Unlike those, which were weaker and specialized in disguise and engulfing humans with their massive bodies, this zombie could destroy a building with a single strike.

“The longer we delay, the slimmer our chances. Let's focus our attacks in one direction and break through their encirclement,” Luo Yuan commanded. They were outnumbered, and unlike the tireless zombies, they could get exhausted and their powers could deplete.

The least zombie-infested area was the street blocked by the fusion zombie, which was also their intended destination.

Shen Xiuzhe and Lu Li continuously attacked the fusion zombie, while the others dealt with the rest.

Lin An stood by the wall, free from zombie attacks, as they perceived him as one of their own.

Already smelling the aroma, Lin An's stomach had been growling since entering the town. Trapped here, he could only salivate at the scent.

I want to eat, eat, eat, eat...

No one was paying attention to Lin An. His teammates knew zombies wouldn't attack him, and everyone else was too preoccupied. He slowly raised his head, looking at the fusion zombie blocking their path.

Shen Xiuzhe and Lu Li attacked the fusion zombie, which appeared as a mass of writhing rotten flesh. Its skin was surprisingly tough, and tentacles could emerge from any part of its body, forcing them to dodge while attacking.

Suddenly, Shen Xiuzhe felt a moist coolness brush past him, prompting him and Lu Li to hastily retreat.

The next moment, the fusion zombie was airborne.

A powerful whirlpool of water rose from the ground, enveloping the fusion zombie, spinning it at high speed into the air.

Xu Fang laughed, recognizing Lin An's handiwork. He quickly shouted to the others, “Quick, quick, quick, the way is clear! Let's move!”

The others intensified their attacks.

Ouyang Dong used vines to wrap the zombies into a tight bundle, then constricted them, compressing the zombies into elongated shapes.

Xu Fang utilized the surrounding sand to build barriers, providing protection for his allies and hindering the zombies' advance.

Wu Duo, wielding dual blades, assisted in slaying zombies. It was decided earlier to use Wu Duo's special ability last – partly for handling the meteorite, and partly to deal with the special zombies near it, capturing those blocking their escape at the right moment.

Until then, she was to conserve her energy, leaving the ordinary zombies to the others.

An upgraded water tornado spun in the air, turning the fusion zombies within into mere shadows.

As the group finally broke through the encirclement, the water tornado suddenly collapsed onto the zombies behind them.

Drenched in a mix of red blood and other substances, the group gained precious time to escape.

"Damn!"

Lu Li's teammate couldn't help but exclaim. The zombies that had terrified them were so easily defeated?

This time, their team's water-elemental ability user hadn't come, so this meant...

Their gazes turned to Lin An of Shen Xiuzhe's team, filled with disbelief. The young man, previously perceived as timid and introverted, was this formidable?

Luo Yuan looked at Lin An with a complex expression, amazed that someone in their team could so easily kill a zombie that even their leader couldn't defeat in one blow.

Lin An, focused ahead, rushed forward with the others as soon as the path cleared. Behind them, the pursuing zombies, adorned with chunks of flesh, screamed as they chased.

Some, unaffected by sunlight, ran incredibly fast, quickly catching up and even surpassing Lin An.

Lin An, despite his formidable ability, lacked physical strength and couldn't outrun even the youngest, Wu Duo. Ignored by the zombies, they focused on Wu Duo ahead.

Lin An ran hard, his gaze fixed on the meteorite's direction, drawn by its allure. He was oblivious to his teammates' shouts and the zombies' growls, captivated by the increasingly intoxicating scent.

It was just ahead.

Then, his view was obstructed. Only when he spared a moment to look around did he realize he was surrounded by zombies, and his teammates' frantic calls finally reached his ears.

Xu Fang, running and looking back, yelled, “An, run! Those zombies are filthy, ahhh!”

Lin An: !!!

His eyes widened in shock, unable to believe he was surrounded like this. The chunks of flesh on the zombies were remnants of the fusion zombie, smeared with sticky fluid. Even those without germaphobia would feel nauseated, let alone Lin An with his severe aversion.

Just one glance sent shivers down his spine.

The next moment, the surrounding zombies were swept up into water tornadoes, experiencing the same fate as the fusion zombie.

Lin An, with a face full of terror, ran forward. In this crisis, his burst of speed surprisingly allowed him to overtake Wu Duo.

Lu Li watched the dozen or so water tornadoes behind with a complex expression. Was this the work of a water ability user? Whoever had that ability must be beyond A-level. Just who was this young man named Lin An?

With most zombies airborne, their pressure was greatly reduced.

Reaching the next intersection, Shen Xiuzhe looked at Lin An, who pointed towards the left.

Lu Li and the others slowed down; the energy source they were seeking was on the right.

Shen Xiuzhe and Lu Li exchanged a glance, deciding not to continue together.

Shen Xiuzhe's decision stemmed from the secrets Lin An harbored. Additionally, with more special zombies ahead, he felt everyone in Lu Li's team, except for Lu Li himself, would be a burden.

Lu Li also thought that sticking together might not leave enough time to secure the meteorite and the energy source. So, it was better for both teams to split up.

The two teams tacitly went their separate ways, running to the left and right respectively.

Although most zombies were swept away, the noise from their battle attracted more. Soon, zombies from other areas started sluggishly pursuing them.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong slowed down at the rear, setting traps and barriers to hinder the zombies' pace.

Running along, Shen Xiuzhe suddenly slashed at the air with a fierce gaze. His blade seemed to hit something, emitting a sharp clang. When Shen Xiuzhe retracted his sword, a zombie was standing there.

Wu Duo: "Can this zombie turn invisible?"

Shen Xiuzhe, alert, replied: "It might be a speed-type ability zombie. Everyone be careful; it's very fast."

Indeed, they hadn't even seen a shadow of the zombie before, and it was unclear how Shen Xiuzhe had detected it.

The sight of the filth snapped Lin An back to reality. He immediately erected ice walls as barriers beside his teammates.

The speed-type zombie missed its strike and vanished on the spot. The next second, an ice block beside Wu Duo shattered.

The thick ice wall shattered into pieces, and Shen Xiuzhe immediately pursued, but the zombie vanished again.

Lin An tried to extract water from the zombie's body, but he couldn't see it, and neither could Wudo. Without sight of the zombie, their powers were useless.

If they couldn't kill this fast-moving zombie, they would always be in danger. Shen Xiuzhe looked at Wudo, who understood and took out a large piece of metal from the space.

Shen Xiuzhe shaped these metals into neat cubes, which he arranged orderly on the ground.

Gazing at the metal blocks on the ground, Shen Xiuzhe quickly melted them into chains. The black chains wrapped around the streets, next to his teammates, and on the buildings on both sides, like black snakes distributed all around.

Suddenly, the chains on the roof moved. Shen Xiuzhe quickly manipulated them to wrap around the ankles of the fast-moving zombie.

The zombie, feeling something on its feet, tried to escape in a frenzy of parkour, but this only entangled more chains. Shen Xiuzhe followed the direction of the vibrating chains and pursued with his sword.

Soon he returned, blood dripping from his sword.

"Keep moving forward." Withdrawing the chains, Shen Xiuzhe's expression was cold, his gaze cautiously scanning the surroundings.

Lin An nodded and continued following the scent, but his speed gradually decreased until he finally stopped.

The surrounding streets were mysteriously filled with fog. The fragrance was close at hand, yet he couldn't discern where the meteorite was.

The teammates who had been following him had also disappeared.

Just moments ago, they were all there, and he could even hear everyone's breathing. But now, the silence was as if no living person was present.