Chapter 241: Searching for the Zombie King
Besides, they knew perfectly well the zombies couldn’t get in or harm them.
That made killing them even less of a psychological burden. With each swift strike, another zombie’s skull was pierced.
They’d reach out, deftly pluck out the Crystal Core, and then move on to the next zombie. It was becoming addictive.
It wasn’t until the small cluster of zombies that had broken off from the main horde was completely wiped out that everyone came to their senses.
"Huh? Where are the zombies? They’re gone already?"
"I wasn’t done killing! And they’re already gone?"
"Bring on some more! I still need to get a hundred Crystal Cores!"
Lily Hart was speechless. ’Who actually begs for more zombies to kill?’ she thought. But she turned her gaze toward Central Command’s North Gate.
It was on the verge of being overwhelmed by zombies. Some had even reached the top of the walls. The situation looked dire.
She could have just sat back and done nothing, but she knew her pool of future customers would shrink dramatically.
Anyway, as long as she stayed within the RV’s safe zone, she couldn’t be harmed.
So, Lily Hart took a megaphone and shouted, "See Central Command? We’re heading over there in a bit. You all walk forward, and I’ll follow behind."
Everyone cooperated, slowly inching forward while Lily Hart followed behind in the RV.
This allowed the safe zone to move with them until they reached the edge of the main zombie horde.
Lily Hart brought the RV to a slow stop, signaling that the survivors could now engage.
The survivors weren’t reckless fools. They tested the perimeter first to see if the zombies were still unable to enter in this new location.
Once they confirmed the zombies couldn’t get through, they began a slaughter. Building on their recent experience, their movements were exceptionally efficient.
They were also incredibly fast. In less than ten minutes, they had cleared out the zombies in an entire arc-shaped section.
Of course, they didn’t just kill; they had to retrieve the Crystal Cores too.
The more timid survivors who hadn’t dared to join in before now felt an itch of temptation as they watched the others rake in their earnings.
One by one, they joined the fight until, in the end, everyone—man, woman, young, and old—had thrown themselves into the fray.
Since the safe zone was a circle, everyone stood at the very edge for the best access to the zombies. This meant, however, that some people couldn’t find a spot.
But that was fine. People eventually got tired. When they did, they’d fall back, and others who were already itching for a chance would take their place.
They advanced bit by bit. Their progress was swift, but against so many zombies, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Frost Shaw and the others didn’t just sit and watch. They all got out of the RV to kill zombies.
As for Owen Warren... he watched with a pained and heavy heart. ’Where did this Zombie King come from?’ he wondered. ’Why must it control my brethren and send them to their deaths?’
He sighed and got out of the RV as well. Finding a less crowded spot, he tried to establish communication with the zombies, hoping to persuade them to leave.
But these zombies were already under someone else’s control. He expended a great deal of effort just to persuade a dozen or so to leave.
He abandoned this strategy, watching helplessly and with deep resignation as his brethren were slaughtered one by one.
As Lily Hart’s RV continued its slow advance, its glaring headlights cutting through the darkness, the superpower users on the wall soon noticed the anomaly and recognized her.
Their spirits lifted for a moment. They had backup! Reinforcements were here!
Elder Shaw also noticed. Five hours had passed since the zombie horde arrived, and the Vanguard Squad had made no progress.
The first reinforcement was Lily Hart.
It wasn’t just the North Gate; the East Gate was also under assault by the horde. But their artillery shells were depleted, leaving only the superpower users struggling to hold the line.
Central Command was like a small skiff on the vast ocean, battered by wave after wave and teetering on the brink of capsizing.
But soon, that skiff was about to be overturned.
The Vanguard Squad sent another message: One of the Zombie Kings has been dealt with, but the superpower users have suffered heavy losses. Requesting support.
Elder Shaw glanced at the still-unending stream of zombies, a flicker of doubt in his mind.
’If one was eliminated, shouldn’t the number of zombies decrease?’
’Then why do their numbers seem to be increasing instead of decreasing?’
Elder Shaw didn’t dwell on it. The number of High-level Superpower Users was limited; sending them as reinforcements would weaken the defenses here.
’Cut off the head of the snake,’ Elder Shaw thought. He quickly made his decision and dispatched another ten High-level Superpower Users as reinforcements.
The second wave of reinforcements arrived. It was from a nearby base, but they had only sent superpower users.
They provided no material support. The truth was... supplies were more valuable than superpower users.
A full two hundred superpower users. They had originally intended to reach Central Command and await orders, but unexpectedly, their path was directly blocked by zombies.
’It’s all about killing zombies anyway,’ they figured. ’Every one we kill is one less to deal with.’ So, they simply started fighting their way toward Central Command from where they were.
But ultimately, it was still just a drop in the bucket.
...
Inside the RV, Lily Hart asked Owen Warren, "Can you sense which direction the Zombie King is in?"
Owen Warren considered for a moment, then pointed in a direction. "Over there. But I feel their numbers have increased. There are more than five now."
Lily Hart gasped. As long as the Zombie Kings were still active, their underlings would keep pouring in endlessly.
’We have to deal with the Zombie Kings first,’ she thought. ’I wonder if Elder Shaw has already sent people after them.’
Still, she asked Owen Warren for the exact direction and approximate distance, then relayed the information to Elder Shaw.
After receiving the information, Elder Shaw’s eyes widened. This was a completely different direction from the location the Vanguard Squad had reported!
’Which one is the real location?’
"Elder Shaw, the support from Crestwood Base has arrived, but there are too many zombies. They can’t get through."
A confidant’s report interrupted Elder Shaw’s thoughts. He turned and said, "Tell them to fight the zombies from where they are. They don’t need to come over."
"Yes, sir!" The confidant withdrew.
Elder Shaw breathed a sigh of relief. With reinforcements arriving one after another, he felt they would eventually make it through this crisis.
Meanwhile, Lily Hart continued to slowly advance the RV, allowing the survivors to kill as many zombies as they could to relieve some of the pressure on Central Command.
Roman Rowe was outside, fighting with all his might, but he was starting to feel numb to it all. He couldn’t help but curse, "When is this ever going to end?!"
Wielding an ice blade in close combat, Frost Shaw shook her head and sighed, taking a moment to reply, "I don’t know. It’ll only be over once we kill the Zombie King."
"Where’s the Zombie King?" Roman Rowe asked.
"You’ll have to ask Owen Warren about that." With a wave of her hand, Frost Shaw killed a few more zombies.
Roman Rowe stopped fighting, grabbed Frost Shaw, and said, "Let’s go!"
The superpower users on the wall were also wondering, "When will it end?"
The superpower users beside them wanted to offer encouragement, but looking out at the endless sea of zombies, their own hearts grew cold.
"I’m almost out of strength."
"I have to... just hold on a little longer!"
Conversations like this were common on the wall. Everyone was gradually entering a state of numbness.
Even though they got to rest for thirty minutes every half-hour, the intense focus and completely drained energy couldn’t be restored in such a short time.
...
Roman Rowe and Frost Shaw found Owen Warren and got straight to the point. "Where is the Zombie King? We’re going to find it!"
They were numb from killing endless zombies; they might as well go deal with the Zombie King first!
Owen Warren paused, stunned, but didn’t object. He stood up decisively. "Let’s go."
The three of them called over Leo Colby, Seth, and Stan Sterling. The group of six gave Lily Hart a quick heads-up and prepared to depart.
"Wait—" Lily Hart called out to them.