Chapter 47: Reckless Actions, Gather The Crystals, And Boss Fight.

(Bonus Chapter Due to Power Stones, Thank You to all who support my work! Special Thanks to all who have given me reviews. Thank you, your support keeps me going.)

[I still need more class suggestions, comment on chapter 39 to add your suggestions. This is the last few hours till I spin the wheel containing all suggestions. Thank you to all who have made suggestions and if you have more ideas, please leave them in the comment.]

Looking at the building, Guldrin could see a rundown factory surrounded by tons of zombies. The decision was made in seconds, and the group sprang into action. Every movement carried urgency, the grim understanding that hesitation could mean death. Guldrin took charge, barking orders as he checked his MK 23 magazine and chambered a round.

"We go in hard and fast," he said, his voice carrying over the rumble of nearby moans and groans. "They're fighting over those crystals, so use it to our advantage. We haven't seen the zombies target each other, whatever these green crystals are, they seem to bring out the worst in them. We will pick them off in clusters. Once we clear a path, grab every red crystal you see. From what I can see, there are around 30 or so glowing zombies, we most likely won't be able to clear all of them and secure their crystals but getting as many as we can is the best idea."

Saeko unsheathed her katana, the polished black-steel catching the dim light from the nearly set sun. "Let's make it quick. The longer we wait, the bigger that swarm gets."

The group split into two teams. Guldrin, Saeko, Shiro, and Saya would breach the building and retrieve the crystals. Yuriko, Shizuka, Miki, Rei, and the others would secure the perimeter and keep any wandering infected from flanking them. Maki and Kohta, the most skilled sharpshooters, would take up positions on a nearby roof. Maki may have been injured, and the crystal saved her, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so she would be joining the fight even if she should be resting.

 As they approached the factory, the low growls of the infected became a chorus of snarls, punctuated by the wet slap of decayed hands and feet against concrete.

Guldrin glanced at Shiro, who clutched her bow tightly, her mana threads adding to the stopping power of the bow. She gave a sharp nod, her jaw set with determination. "Let's do this."

With a deep breath Guldrin threw a paint can as hard as he could in the opposite direction drawing all the zombies to it. Watching them leave, they quickly approached the battered gate and Guldrin lifted the factory's partially broken pull-down gate, the metal screeching loudly enough to draw the attention of a few infected inside the factory. Immediately, several infected turned their heads, their glowing green veins pulsing like molten circuits beneath decomposed flesh. Their sunken eyes locked onto the intruders, and they charged.

Saeko moved first, a flash of black as her katana cleaved through the neck of a hulking zombie, its head spinning through the air before landing with a sickening squelch, her new strength being put on full display. Shiro fired an arrow that pierced two zombies in a single shot, pinning them to the wall like grotesque trophies.

Guldrin stepped forward, his silenced MK 23 putting holes in the infected heads, leaving them heaps of flesh. Each pull of the trigger reduced a zombie into nothing but rotting flesh bags, the spray of gore painting the walls in crimson. "Keep pushing! Don't stop!"

Inside the factory, the swarm was even larger than they'd expected. Dozens of infected scrambled over each other in a grotesque frenzy, clawing at shattered wooden crates in the center of the room. Greenlight pulsed from within, illuminating the chaos like a hellish beacon. Kicking the boxes out of the way, Guldrin could see a monster of a zombie, dead, but eviscerated beyond repair, even now the regeneration is trying to heal the damage, the crystal trying to provide fuel.

"Those crystals are like catnip for these things," Saya muttered, her voice shaking despite her bravado. "Whatever they are, they're driving them insane."

"No time for science," Guldrin snapped. "Saeko, on me! Shiro, cover our flanks. Saya, find a way to grab the reds as we slaughter them"

*Pssst* 

The crack of a rifle was heard as a bullet pierced the window and blew apart the head of an approaching zombie. Guldrin only spared a simple grin as he jumped into the fray, knife, and pistol, reaping lives alongside Saeko.

The team moved like a well-oiled machine, weaving between rusted machinery and splintered furniture. Saeko's katana danced in the dim light, severing limbs and slicing through torsos with precision. Guldrin reloaded his pistol on the fly, the spent magazine being placed in his inventory. The ever-present cracking of rifles let them know they had overwatch and could go all out.

One of the glowing infected, a bloated monstrosity with pustules bursting under its own weight, lunged toward Shiro. She sidestepped, caught its head on the bowstring reinforced by mana thread, and yanked. The creature's head was like sliced cheese as it slid into two parts in a spray of green ooze, the stench enough to make her gag.

"I hate these things!" Shiro spat, wiping her face with her sleeve before spinning to launch another arrow at a zombie that had crept too close. Saya worked hard to collect as many reds as she could, Guldrin stored the greens in his inventory since if these zombies could sense them, then placing them in a stasis would be the best choice.

As they turned to leave, the guttural roar of a fresh wave of infected echoed through the factory. The sound was accompanied by the metallic clatter of something massive. From the shadows emerged another green-glowing zombie, this one towering and grotesquely muscular, its skin stretched tight over unnatural bulges.

"Oh, hell no, another fucking abomination like the one at the school… " Guldrin muttered, raising his MK 23.

The behemoth charged, smashing through furniture and smaller infected alike in its path. Saeko leaped forward, slicing at its legs, but her katana barely pierced its hardened flesh. The creature swiped at her with a tree-trunk-sized arm, missing by inches but sending a desk flying into the wall.

Guldrin didn't hesitate. He raised his MK 23 and fired several rounds into the behemoth's glowing chest. The bullets tore into its fleshy blisters, bursts of green ichor erupting with each shot, but the creature only roared louder, its movements becoming more erratic as it barreled forward. Guldrin dove out of the way, the monstrous arm grazing his side and slamming into a nearby metal column, leaving a deep dent.

Saeko circled around the creature, her black blade of the katana gleaming with a dark green glow from her past prey. She aimed for its legs again, targeting the tendons. This time, her blade found purchase, slicing through the back of the behemoth's knee. She had used a fancy but strenuous family art, which emphasized a single targeted slice at the cost of stamina by over-taxing the body. The creature howled and staggered, but instead of collapsing, it lashed out wildly, its massive fist smashing into a rusted piece of machinery and sending shards of metal flying.

"Shiro, pin it down!" Guldrin shouted as he rolled to his feet, drawing his combat knife in his offhand and leaping onto it back, cutting tendons and muscle to reduce its useable strength. His knife drove deep into its green, pulsating flesh, and he carved out a massive chunk as he waited for Shiro.

Shiro quickly nocked an arrow, the mana threads enhancing its lethality. She fired at the creature's remaining good knee, and the arrow left a small shockwave as it embedded itself deeply, causing the behemoth to falter. Its hulking form dropped to one knee, but its massive arms continued to swing violently, smashing everything within reach.

"I've got it!" Saeko called out, darting in with her katana. She slashed at the creature's exposed throat, her blade slicing through its toughened flesh. A fountain of green ichor erupted, the putrid liquid spraying her armor and face. She didn't flinch, her focus unwavering as she delivered another precise strike, this time severing the creature's head.

The behemoth collapsed with a thunderous crash, the ground trembling under its weight. The remaining infected in the factory, momentarily lulled by the death of the alpha, turned their attention back to the new source of the green light. They clawed and fought over the remnants of the glowing crystal embedded in the corpse of the now-fallen abomination.

"Move now!" Guldrin barked, taking advantage of the distraction. He sprinted toward the green crystal that had fallen out of the abomination's head when Saeko beheaded it, while ignoring the smaller infected scrambling over each other. A shift of his body here, a slide there, and he snatched up the pulsating crystals and a piece of the zombie for consumption later, shoving it into his inventory as quickly as possible. Saya darted past him, picking up as many red crystals as she could, her hands trembling as she shoved them into her bag, while Saeko sliced apart all the glowing zombies she could before their retreat.

Saeko and Shiro covered their retreat, cutting down any infected that ventured too close. The sheer volume of the swarm was overwhelming, but their movements were erratic, their attention divided between the survivors and the tantalizing crystals. It appeared the normal zombies were highly interested in the crystal the more evolved zombies dropped, like they knew it would help them advance.

"We've got enough!" Saya shouted, her voice hoarse. "Let's get out of here!"

As they turned to retreat, the infected closest to the crystals began to change. Their bodies convulsed, their veins glowing brighter as they absorbed the residual energy. One zombie's flesh began to bubble and expand, its jaw distending into a grotesque maw filled with jagged, uneven teeth. Another grew elongated limbs, its fingers turning into sharp, bony claws.

"Mutation!" Shiro yelled, loosing another arrow at the nearest abomination. The projectile pierced its skull, but the creature kept moving, its distorted form staggering toward her.

"Fall back!" Guldrin roared, firing his MK 23 into the nearest mutated zombie. The bullets slowed it down, but didn't stop it. He slashed at another with his combat knife, the blade sinking deep into its skull before he yanked it free in a spray of darkened gore.

The team retreated toward the gate, cutting through the swarm as they went. Saeko moved with deadly precision, her katana a blur as she decapitated anything in her path. Shiro covered their backs, her arrows finding their marks with unerring accuracy.

As they neared the exit, a deafening crash echoed through the factory. One of the mutated infected, now standing over ten feet tall with grotesquely swollen muscles and jagged bone protrusions, had torn through a support beam. The structure groaned ominously, debris raining down from the ceiling.

Seeing this, Kohta and Maki took advantage of the nearly broken support and aimed their rifles at the beam, and fired. Kohta chose to use one of the 10 rounds he had for the .50 he had to ensure the structure was destroyed. If he didn't and that zombie escaped, it would be one hell of a fight, there would surely be casualties.

"The whole place is coming down!" Saya screamed, clutching her bag tightly.

"Move it!" Guldrin yelled, shoving Saya forward as he emptied his magazine into the advancing swarm. The infected seemed oblivious to the collapsing building, their hunger for the crystals driving them into a mindless frenzy.

The survivors burst through the gate just as Kohta's .50 shot ripped through the beam and the ceiling began to cave in. A massive cloud of dust and debris billowed outward, engulfing the swarm and muffling their guttural cries. The group stumbled into the open air, coughing and gasping for breath.

Yuriko's team was waiting outside, their weapons trained on the gate. "What the hell happened in there?" she demanded, her eyes wide as she scanned the group for injuries.

"No time to explain," Guldrin panted, blood and ichor smeared across his face. "We've got the crystals. Let's get the hell out of here."

The group staggered out into the open, the oppressive air thick with the acrid tang of smoke and dust. Every breath was a struggle, their lungs burning as they gasped for oxygen. Behind them, the groaning structure of the factory collapsed in slow motion, each crumbling section sending shockwaves through the ground. The cacophony of crashing metal and concrete drowned out the distant, guttural moans of the infected buried within.

"Keep moving!" Guldrin barked, his voice cutting through the chaos. He quickly scanned the group, his sharp eyes noting Saeko's bloodied blade, Shiro's trembling hands as she clutched her bow, and Saya's pale face as she held her bulging bag of red crystals close. Everyone was still standing, for now.

Yuriko, Shizuka, Miki, Rei, and the others were positioned by the vehicles, their weapons trained on the area. Kohta and Maki descended from their rooftop perch, their rifles slung over their shoulders, both of them grim and silent. Kohta's massive .50 caliber rifle hung heavily at his side, the barrel still hot from his decisive shot.

"What the hell did you do in there?" Yuriko demanded again, her tone sharp but underlined with concern. She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the battered survivors.

"No time for stories," Guldrin replied curtly, his tone brooking no argument. "The building's down. The crystals are secured. But we've got to move now before more of those things show up."

Yuriko nodded, snapping back into action. "Get to the vehicles. Let's move out!"

The group moved quickly, but not without difficulty. An exhausted Saeko, ever composed, helped Shiro who was shaking from exhaustion. Saya stumbled once but recovered, her knuckles white as she gripped the bag of crystals. Guldrin stayed at the rear, his MK 23 drawn, his senses on high alert for any sign of movement in the shadows.

As they approached the convoy, Shizuka was already at the wheel of the Humvee, her hands steady despite the tension etched on her face. Rei was helping to load supplies, she had been too tired from the past event to be able to help either group, so she was relegated to logistics.

"Everyone accounted for?" Miki called out, slinging her rifle onto her back and checking over her remaining ammunition.

"All here," Guldrin confirmed, his voice gruff. "But we're running on borrowed time. Let's move."

The survivors climbed into their respective vehicles. Guldrin took the wheel of the truck, Saeko sliding into the passenger seat beside him. Shiro, Saya, and Kohta piled into the back, their faces pale but determined. Behind them, Yuriko led the SUV, while Shizuka followed in the Humvee, its interior crammed with medical supplies and whatever else they could scavenge.

Engines roared to life, the sound echoing through the desolate streets. The convoy peeled out, tires screeching against the cracked asphalt as they accelerated away from the crumbling factory. The heavy vehicles barreled through the eerie silence, the oppressive tension inside them almost tangible.

No one spoke for several minutes. The only sounds were the hum of engines and the distant groans of infected left behind. Guldrin's knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror to check for any sign of pursuit.

As they drove through the desolate streets, the group remained silent, the weight of their ordeal settling over them like a shroud. Guldrin glanced at the glowing crystals in his inventory, their eerie light casting faint shadows. Whatever these things were, they were dangerous, and the cost of obtaining them had been high, but thankfully, no one was lost.

(Give me your POWER, Please, and Thank You! Leave reviews and comments, they motivate me to continue.)