Chapter 10: Blood Battle

Although Lin Weiguo couldn't see the situation on the lower floors, the booming footsteps and the tremors from the stairs below made him realize that a substantial number of zombies had emerged. However, he was unfazed due to his excellent mental resilience. Just as he was preparing to retreat in an orderly manner, he saw Tang Zheng, looking anxious, rush up the stairs.

"It's a Hunter Zombie." Tang Zheng shouted. At this point, there was no need to worry about attracting the attention of zombies, their voices were louder than his.

Before Tang Zheng could warn him, Lin Weiguo's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the fleeting black shadow in mid-air, less than three meters away from Tang Zheng. Without any hesitation, Lin Weiguo lifted his rifle and began to shoot.

Amidst the rapid gunfire, several 5.8mm bullets hit the Hunter Zombie. Despite his good aim, other than causing a few splotches of blood to splatter from the zombie and temporarily halting it mid-air, forcing it to fall to the ground, the bullets seemed ineffectual.

The Hunter Zombie let out a shrill scream from its throat as it was thrown to the ground, and once again lunged at Tang Zheng.

"Damn, I guess we have to aim for the head." Lin Weiguo cursed in frustration, watching the swift speed of the Hunter Zombie. He could already make out the features of this special infected.

It had a slender figure, draped in a white chef's uniform. Its arms were mutated, as long as its legs, strong and muscular. It moved like a gecko, using all four limbs, but attacked like a bird of prey. Unlike the normal ghastly pale zombies, its skin had turned an eerie black despite the decay, which made it easier for it to hide in the dark and ambush any unsuspecting prey.

Tang Zheng realized, based on Lin Weiguo's cursing and the anxious expression on his face, that the Hunter Zombie behind him hadn't been killed yet. The whizzing wind in his ears suddenly increased, and without any hesitation, he swiftly dodged to the left. Sure enough, the very next second, the Hunter Zombie landed where Tang Zheng had been just moments before.

"Fuck, it seems my timing was just right." Tang Zheng muttered to himself, before he turned around resolutely. He raised his axe and struck it hard on the back of the Hunter Zombie nearby. He understood he couldn't escape given the zombie's speed. It was better to fight back with all his might while he still had the energy. As for the more than forty common zombies closing in on him, he had no time to worry about them now.

Seeing Tang Zheng's desperate maneuver, Lin Weiguo silently applauded him; this kid had excellent judgment under pressure. If it were anyone else, their first instinct would have been to run. But seeing more Hunter Zombies moving up the stairs held Lin Weiguo's confidence in check.

"Damn it!" Lin Weiguo watched three more Hunter Zombies dart up the stairs, and he broke into a cold sweat.

As the rapid gunfire continued, two of the Hunter Zombies that were leaping through the air were shot, their heads exploding in a shower of white plasma and blood, covering nearly eight steps of the stairway. Lin Weiguo didn't have any time to rest, the fourth zombie was already lunging at them.

Lin Weiguo dropped his rifle and picked up the firefighter axe, readying himself for a strike. He didn't have any time to change the clip of bullets, nor did he dare hope for another exceptional burst of good luck. He hadn't touched a rifle in over five years, and his aim and gun-handling skills had surely deteriorated.

The closest bodyguard zombie was only five meters away from Tang Zheng, followed closely by two chef zombies. The main horde was not more than eight or nine meters behind them. Unfortunately, due to the delay caused by the Hunter Zombies, Tang Zheng's human train tactic was about to fail.

However, right now, Tang Zheng was completely ignoring his surroundings. His bloodshot eyes fixed on one thing — killing the Hunter Zombie.

The firefighter axe lodged in the zombie's back and before Tang Zheng could retrieve it, the Hunter Zombie lunged forward, crashing into his chest and thrusting its arms onto his shoulders.

Thud, the overwhelming force was akin to being smashed by a siege hammer and he was slammed against the wall behind him, a foot away. The sour bile in his stomach surged uncontrollably, spewing out of his mouth.

Before the pain in his insides could fade, Tang Zheng saw the zombie open its bloody wide mouth to take a bite at him. Despite his best efforts to turn his head, his movement was limited and he was bitten on the right shoulder.

"Tang Zheng is done." Lin Weiguo, who was struggling with another Hunter Zombie, saw Tang Zheng being bitten and knew it was over for him. The short exchange had shown him that the zombies were extraordinarily strong; if one managed to pounce, it would be impossible to shake off, sentencing one to a grisly death.

"Just hold on for thirty more seconds." Lin Weiguo never thought about fleeing. Facing the zombie lunging at him once more, he roared in fury, tossing aside the firefighter's axe. His left arm, bulging with muscle, reached out and grabbed the zombie by the neck, then smashed it against the stone steps. Meanwhile, his right hand was busy as well, quickly reaching down to his calf to retrieve the 81 military dagger from his military police boots, fiercely jabbing it into the zombie's head.

A squelching sound echoed as the brain was pierced, and the Hunter Zombie's grip on Lin Weiguo's arm weakened and fell limp. If he were not in such dire straits, he wouldn't have dared to take such a dangerous move. He'd watched zombie films and knew that if you got scratched or bitten, you'd turn into a zombie. While he wasn't sure if the same rules applied for these zombies, Lin Weiguo didn't dare gamble with his life.

Having dispatched this one, Lin Weiguo quickly turned around, ready to assist a struggling Tang Zheng, but instead he saw the young man's most terrifying counterattack.

Tang Zheng didn't give up. He was steadfast in his belief that even if he died, he would claw his way out of hell, fulfilling his dreams. Clenching his teeth against the pain, he lifted his left foot and kicked the zombie right in its groin. Unfortunately, this move had no effect on the undead creature.

The Hunter Zombie, sensing its prey's struggle, became frenzied. Its teeth bore down harder, its palms squeezing tighter, almost crushing Tang Zheng's scapula.

Yet, Tang Zheng didn't abandon hope. With a twist of his wrist, he took a folding knife out of his pants pocket. The one-handed knife draw he had practiced for being cool finally came in handy. The blade, dark like the deep, black night that has settled after the Goddess of Revenge's visit, was flicked open with a crisp sound. His right arm then gathered the greatest strength he'd ever used, plunging the blade from below upward, savagely driving it into the Hunter Zombie's chin. The sharp 11.5 centimeter-long blade cut through like butter, vanishing instantly. With one strong stir, fresh blood and rotten flesh splattered all over the back of his hand.

The zombie which was once a bodyguard was now lunging at Tang Zheng but Lin Weiguo's foot, clad in his military police boot, timely caught it in the waist and kicked it away, along with the two Chef Zombies behind toppling down the stairs.

Leaning against the wall, Tang Zheng heaved, his chest heaving noisily like a broken bellows.

"Can you move?" Lin Weiguo ran to Tang Zheng's side, yanked the dead Hunter Zombie that'd been lying on top of him, then hoisted him up by the arm. Without enough time to pick up the firefighter axe, he dragged Tang Zheng and dashed upstairs.

The vanguard zombies had already reached the stairs, mere inches away!