Chapter 102: The Last Resort

After an explosion, the sound of gunfire erupted sporadically many more times. In the end, it was unclear whether the distance was too great to hear the gunshots, or if those capable of firing had been completely wiped out.

Gao Yuan preferred to believe the former.

Half an hour had passed since Wang Hu left, and that half hour was critical — it allowed Gao Yuan and his team to cover an additional five kilometers.

Running more than ten kilometers in one go was a feat of incredible endurance for Yu Shunzhou, especially since he had only recently recovered from serious injuries, unlike Gao Yuan and Li Changfeng who trained like this every day.

But at this moment, Yu Shunzhou truly couldn't hold on any longer.

"Gao Yuan, Gao Yuan..."

Gao Yuan turned his head to look at Yu Shunzhou.

"I can't run anymore, you go ahead. Ask them for a gun for me, so if any zombies come, I can at least draw them off to the side."

Gao Yuan was surprised, Yu Shunzhou had shaken off Gao Yuan's hand, "I'm not running anymore, ask Uncle Xiang for a gun for me."

"Quiet, keep up!"

A special forces soldier said in a low voice, then he supported Yu Shunzhou from behind by his armpits and whispered, "I'll carry you while running, hurry up and keep up."

"Ah, it's not..."

Gao Yuan had already run two kilometers while pulling Yu Shunzhou, reaching the limit of his strength, and he was very hungry at this point.

But there truly was no time to stop and eat, even though Gao Yuan's backpack contained food.

Just then, the leader of the special forces squad slowed down a bit and whispered to the two of them, "What's going on?"

"He can't keep up anymore."

Panting, Yu Shunzhou whispered, "Give me a gun. I'll stay behind. If any zombies catch up, I can at least distract them."

"You won't make it. If you stay behind, you'll just be a marker and won't be able to draw the zombies away at all."

These were the words of the squad leader, of course, the special forces called him captain.

"Can you take him?"

The special forces soldier supporting Yu Shunzhou smiled and whispered back, "I can carry him for ten kilometers."

"Good, another one come and help carry him."

Another special forces soldier came over and supported Yu Shunzhou from the other side. Of course, they couldn't really lift Yu Shunzhou to run, but with two of them pulling him, it made things much easier for him.

Gao Yuan whispered, "Fatty, hang in there!"

"I'm not fat anymore..."

"Don't talk, stay quiet."

Gao Yuan and Yu Shunzhou immediately dared not speak any further, Gao Yuan turned his head to look at Luo Xingyu. She was panting heavily but still persevering.

In about another four to five kilometers, they would reach the hilly terrain. The hills wouldn't stop the zombies from pursuing them, but the complex landscape with ditches and ridges would provide some cover.

As for when it would be truly safe, no one knew.

After all, the Serpent People were up in the sky. Just one airship coming down would mean certain death for all of them, leaving no room for doubt.

It is said that fortune favors the bold, but this time it wasn't up to fate to decide, but the Ophiuchus themselves.

"Captain! There's a monster approaching fast from behind!"

A team member who often looked back to observe spoke in a low voice, and then the already tense atmosphere became even more strained.

Truly relentless and persistently haunting.

"Are you sure it's that kind of monster?"

"Confirmed!"

"Numbers."

"One, no zombies have been spotted."

At this point, zombies should no longer be able to catch up. Zombies are especially explosive in short bursts but lack in endurance. When fleeing from Stonegate City, the Serpent People's spacecraft had to slow down, but upon reaching the shelter, the zombies must have burst forth with all their latent power.

Now that the shelter has been breached, most zombies have found food and exhausted all their stamina.

Without hesitation, the special forces team leader immediately said, "Give all the rocket launchers to Team Two. Team Two is responsible for intercepting the monster. Note, if the monster is successfully eliminated, decide for yourself the direction of retreat. Don't follow me to regroup. Understood?"

"Understood!"

A major, with neither excitement in his tone nor impassioned slogans, simply gestured with his hand and said solemnly, "Team Two, follow me."

Two men quickly handed over their rocket launchers to the two men next to them, and then the eight members of Team Two, equipped with four rocket launchers, split into pairs and swiftly established an anti-tank infantry firepower net.

The special forces team was now going all-in. They concentrated all four rocket launchers on Team Two. If Team Two couldn't stop the monster, the rest of them would really be left without any means of defense.

If possible, every member of the special operations team would be equipped with a rocket launcher, but that wasn't feasible because rocket launchers were nearly useless against zombies. Initially, people hadn't known that the Serpent People would deploy such gigantic monsters.

Even the 30mm autocannon struggled against the monster; it had to hit continuously to kill one. Only a 125mm tank gun could guarantee a kill with one shot. After realizing this, Wang Hu and his men urgently removed four rocket launchers from two armored fighting vehicles during their retreat.

Two armored vehicles were equipped with four PF-89 model 80mm rocket launchers, that was all there was, and there was no time to take more.

The monster was running at great speed, definitely exceeding eighty kilometers per hour.

"Lure the monster over!"

The predetermined position of Team Two wasn't directly in the path of the monster, which was heading towards Team One using a shorter distance.

Unable to hide and launch a surprise attack, the team leader of Team Two had no choice but to issue the order to lure the monster over.

The rocket launcher couldn't be wasted; a special forces member immediately fired a burst of bullets towards the direction of the monster.

The monster immediately abandoned its pursuit of Team One and turned to run toward Team Two.

"Shoot when it's close, shoot when it's close! Fire both rockets at once, you must lead the target well. Be careful, be careful!"

The voice of Team Two's leader was very calm as he carried a rocket launcher and stared intently at the monster racing towards them.

The speed was too fast; it was difficult to aim.

When the monster, running in a straight line, got within sixty meters of the two pairs of Team Two members, their leader suddenly said, "Fire!"

Whoosh whoosh, two streaks of fire soared towards the monster.

But at the sight of the flashes, the monster twisted its body sharply.

Two rockets flew past, one over the monster's head and the other by its side.

Too fast. When the monster saw the flash, it instinctively dodged, and what was fatal was that it actually managed to evade.

"Fire again!"

The leader of Team Two yelled, and in less than sixty meters, the monster was upon them in an instant.

Another rocket was fired and hit the monster's back, but at the wrong angle, and the rocket scraped off the monster's back without detonating.

A battle-hardened veteran, who had been through countless trials, lost his life under the monster's charge after firing the rocket launcher.

The soldier next to Team Two's leader kept firing until his rifle fell silent; he had used his last bullet. Just then, the monster turned toward them and pounced.

Finally, Team Two's leader fired the rocket, and the last rocket found its mark on the monster, followed by an explosion.