Chapter 240: Shut Your Mouth
But as they pressed closer, they realized—huh? Why weren’t the zombies coming closer? It was like they were blocked by something.
A closer look confirmed it. Something was blocking the zombies, an invisible, curved barrier.
Looking around, they saw that they were all standing inside a circle, with the zombies on the outside. The creatures couldn’t get in!
The survivor who first noticed this strange phenomenon was ecstatic, excitedly telling the person next to them.
As everyone else looked, they saw it was true!
After watching for a full two minutes to make sure the zombies truly couldn’t break through, the survivors breathed a collective sigh of relief.
One of the bolder survivors grabbed their trusty weapon and stepped forward.
Someone pulled him back. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
The weapon-wielding survivor shot back, "Are you an idiot? This is the perfect chance to kill zombies. If not now, when?"
His words were a wake-up call.
They had been so consumed by fear that the thought hadn’t even crossed their minds.
Still, most were too afraid to move. But that one man charged forward with his weapon, stopped at a safe distance, and swung his axe at the nearest zombie.
SCHLICK... The zombie’s head flew in a graceful arc as its body crumpled to the ground.
Both excited and cautious, the man dug out the Crystal Core. It was only a Level 1, but two of those could be traded for a scratch-off ticket!
The first successful attempt quickly inspired a second.
The feeling of killing zombies without any risk was incredible!
The zombies, however, were not having an incredible time. All that delicious food was right in front of them, so why couldn’t they get a bite?
It was driving them mad, sending them shuffling in frantic circles!
Lily Hart watched, feeling a sense of gratification. To think someone actually had the nerve to kill zombies at a time like this.
This wasn’t just one or two zombies, but hundreds, even thousands of them. The sheer number was enough to make anyone’s legs turn to jelly at a single glance.
More and more people found their courage and stepped forward to attack. When they realized how surprisingly easy it was, their killing efforts became even more enthusiastic.
Inside the RV, however, Owen Warren was far from enthusiastic. He couldn’t contact the Zombie King controlling this horde.
This was making him extremely anxious.
This many zombies... it was obvious that a single Zombie King couldn’t control a horde this size.
Based on his experience, there had to be three to five Zombie Kings.
But Zombie Kings were territorial and prideful creatures. What could possibly compel them to band together and attack Central Command?
Or... was there something here attracting them?
Owen Warren could only think of one answer: Lily Hart. But her influence couldn’t have spread this far, could it?
The zombies surrounding the RV were a minority compared to those outside Central Command—only a few thousand.
The North Gate of Central Command was where the real horde was—a dense, uncountable mass.
The defenders on the walls had no time to count. They just followed Elder Shaw’s orders and fired the cannons.
Shells landed among the zombie masses, instantly killing hundreds, while the resulting fires incinerated dozens more.
But it was nowhere near enough. Further back, an endless tide of zombies was still surging forward.
The cannons fired again and again. With each shot, Elder Shaw’s heart bled. Their munitions reserves were critically low...
Superpower users with ranged attacks also stood on the walls, doing their best to eliminate as many zombies as possible.
A dazzling array of superpowers erupted simultaneously, looking just like a fireworks display, full of pops and crackles.
Elder Shaw stood on a platform slightly higher than the wall, surveying the entire battlefield. His focus was absolute as he constantly adjusted their tactics.
Half an hour had passed since the horde arrived, but zombies in the distance were still joining the fray in a ceaseless stream.
It was as if there were a portal back there, spitting out an infinite number of zombies that could never be completely wiped out.
The zombies were endless, but the superpower users were not. Their energy would eventually be exhausted.
After an hour of continuous superpower use, they were on the verge of collapse. Elder Shaw considered for a moment, then gave the order: "Rotate!"
A superpower user with a voice-amplification ability stood beside him and bellowed the order: "Rotate! Second wave of superpower users, relieve the first!"
The moment the order was given, the superpower users on the wall let out a sigh of relief and quickly turned to leave.
The second wave was already prepared. The two groups of superpower users passed each other, their shoulders nearly brushing. They didn’t make eye contact; there was only grim determination in their movements.
Fortunately, Central Command had a large population, which meant a correspondingly large number of superpower users. They had been divided into five waves in total.
Each wave would fight for an hour while the others rested and replenished their energy. Everyone had their role to play.
For the first three hours, there were no casualties. The zombies were pinned down at the base of the wall, unable to advance a single inch.
But as the artillery shells dwindled and they had to rely solely on the superpower users, the zombies began to form a staircase of bodies.
They clambered up one after another. For every one that was knocked down, thousands more surged forward to take its place.
Elder Shaw felt a surge of despair, a feeling mirrored in everyone’s hearts. ’Just how long can this go on?’
The Vanguard Squad had already been dispatched—twenty people in total, all of them High-level Superpower Users.
A horde of this magnitude had to be under the command of a Zombie King.
But so far, the Vanguard Squad had sent back no information—no request for support, not even a hint of the Zombie King’s location.
Elder Shaw’s heart sank further as he watched their stock of shells dwindle. Food and Energy Potions were also being rapidly consumed.
Quentin Carter approached him and offered a terrible idea. "Elder Shaw, I propose we ask Lily Hart for help. Have her provide us with supplies."
"Forget it," Elder Shaw retorted instantly. "No one gets the better of Boss Hart."
But just then, one of his trusted aides stepped forward to report, "Elder Shaw, Elder Corbin, we have fewer than one thousand shells remaining..."
Elder Shaw frowned. "And the Energy Potions?"
The aide answered honestly, "Also running low... At best, we have enough for another two hours."
’Such a massive installation as Central Command, yet our reserves are this low,’ he thought. ’What a joke.’
Elder Shaw closed his eyes for a moment. "Reduce cannon fire. Have the superpower users rotate every half hour."
’We’ll have to rely on manpower alone.’
The new tactics were implemented immediately. By the fourth hour of the siege, the superpower users were utterly exhausted.
The ground below the wall was now covered in zombie corpses, piled layer upon layer. They had unintentionally formed a ramp, making it easier for the zombies behind them to climb.
When the first zombie appeared over the parapet, it meant countless more would soon reach the top of the wall.
Quentin Carter watched the scene unfold, a strange sense of schadenfreude bubbling up inside him.
’So, Quincy Shaw, even you have moments like this.’
The Light Brain on Elder Shaw’s wrist vibrated twice. He glanced down. It was a message from the Vanguard Squad.
They had found the Zombie Kings’ location. But there were five of them. They were requesting backup.
Elder Shaw immediately ordered his aide to gather twenty High-level Superpower Users and send them to the coordinates provided as reinforcements.
Quentin Carter spoke up again, "Elder Shaw, the superpower users are about to break. What’s the plan?"
Annoyed by his whining, Elder Shaw didn’t even look at him. "Shut your mouth," he snapped.
Quentin Carter seethed inwardly. With a flick of his sleeve, he stormed off the high platform. ’Stubborn old fool,’ he thought, ’just you wait. You’ll get what’s coming to you!’
...
Outside the lottery shop, the number of zombies was decreasing at a visible rate.
Once one person took the plunge, a second and third naturally followed...
Anyone who could survive long-term outside of Central Command was no pushover. At the very least, they all had some nerve.