Chapter 84: Targeted
Wayne Dawson saw the look on Evan Olson’s face and knew what he was thinking. He clapped Evan on the shoulder, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Don’t mention gratitude again. We’re all family. It’s only right that we look out for each other."
"Okay." Evan Olson nodded forcefully, channeling the gratitude in his heart into motivation to protect this big family in the future. "We’ll head downstairs then. You all be careful up here on the roof."
"Not so fast, not so fast!" Luna Dawson quickly stopped them, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Wait a second, I’ve got some gear for you!"
As she spoke, she pulled several tactical helmets equipped with night-vision goggles out of her dimensional space.
She’d been curious about them ever since getting them from Kevin Keane and the others’ armory. She had already tinkered with them in her space, but they were too big to fit her properly.
The moment Miles Dawson saw them, his eyes lit up. He quickly raised his hand. "I want one! I want one! These are so cool!"
Luna Dawson fitted everyone with a tactical helmet. Looking at the scene before her, she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.
They all stood tall and straight, wearing the night-vision goggles. With their sharp, competent appearances, they looked just like a real-life special-ops team from a video game. The sight made her bubble with delight.
"Miles, put your face mask on so I can’t see your face. Hold on, let me grab my camera and take a few pictures."
Her antics made everyone burst into laughter. They helplessly complied with her special request, standing obediently while she took their pictures.
Once she had taken enough photos, the group finally picked up their weapons and began to fight their way downstairs.
Kevin Keane, Evan Olson, and the others each fulfilled their roles, diligently taking down the wandering zombies around them. Their movements were crisp, efficient, and fluid.
Luna Dawson followed at the rear of the team, occasionally firing a follow-up shot while admiring her squad.
They soon reached the seventeenth floor, with Kevin Keane and Evan Olson leading the way.
Kevin Keane stood as straight as a pine tree. The night-vision goggles cast his profile in a cold, sharp light. The arm holding his gun was steady as a rock as he raised it, aimed, and pulled the trigger in one smooth motion.
WHIZ! The bullet accurately pierced the zombie’s skull. The action was clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
Evan Olson, on the other hand, was agile. As he sidestepped a lunging zombie, his finger squeezed the trigger. Each bullet struck a vital point, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The rest followed close behind, their coordination seamless as they cleared out the zombies without any wasted effort.
Off to the side, Bull and Tilly Lane watched, dumbfounded, their eyes filled with shock and admiration.
They had never seen such a well-equipped and astonishingly efficient team. The reverence in their eyes was practically overflowing.
Luna Dawson guarded the stairwell, ever vigilant for any zombies charging up from below. In no time, the group had finished off all the zombies on the seventeenth floor.
Bull and Tilly Lane hurried over to Luna Dawson, bowed respectfully, and once again offered their sincere thanks.
"Big Sis, thank you so much for tonight! The rooms on this floor are full of supplies. We hope you’ll accept them!"
Just then, a strange crawling sound echoed up from the sixteenth floor. A zombie with muscular arms was squirming its way up the stairs.
Its legs had been chewed away, leaving only two bare leg bones with blackened, rotting flesh clinging to the stumps. This didn’t affect its crawling speed in the slightest. It used its ten sturdy fingers to grip the steps, pulling itself upward rapidly.
HSSK! HSSK!
The zombie opened its faceless maw—a gaping, black cavern from which black saliva dripped continuously. Before anyone could react, it lunged toward Luna Dawson and the two survivors.
BANG!
A single, crisp gunshot rang out. Luna Dawson blew the zombie’s head apart, splattering rotten blood and brain matter across the wall.
She glanced coolly at the nearby rooms. They were a complete mess, covered in splattered bloodstains. Her brow furrowed slightly, her tone laced with clear disgust.
"You can keep them. I don’t want them."
"Okay! If Big Sis doesn’t want them, she doesn’t want them!"
Bull nodded and bowed obsequiously. Whatever Luna Dawson said, went.
After that, Luna Dawson followed Kevin Keane, Evan Olson, and the others to continue clearing the floors below.
The cleanup operation turned into an all-night battle that lasted until dawn.
Clearing the zombies on campus and in the vicinity was a massive undertaking. Stray zombies were hidden everywhere—in the hallways, in classrooms, and along the perimeter walls.
If not for Luna Dawson’s ability to project her senses, they probably wouldn’t have found many of the zombies hiding in corners.
They fought straight through until past four in the morning. During that time, they even encountered more than ten Level 2 zombies, but thankfully, everyone still had the energy, and they dealt with them smoothly through seamless teamwork.
After returning to the rooftop, everyone kept a constant watch on their surroundings, afraid that someone else might poach the Crystal Cores. So, they simply sat in a circle at the edge of the roof, recovering their stamina while waiting for the sunrise.
A short while later, a low, piercing cat’s yowl suddenly erupted from the base of the adjacent building. It was sharp and eerie, shattering the morning silence and instantly waking the sleeping Rollo and Little Tiger inside.
Little Tiger’s fur stood on end instantly. Its whole body bristling, it arched its back and shot into Luna Dawson’s arms.
The little guy clung tightly to her arm with all four paws, its amber eyes fixed on the neighboring building as a low, warning growl rumbled in its throat.
Rollo also leaped to its feet, its body rapidly expanding. The once-soft, fluffy big dog instantly transformed into a giant Aberrant Beast over two meters tall.
Its tail stood straight up, and its nose twitched constantly, carefully sniffing the air as if trying to catch the scent of some dangerous signal.
Immediately after, the sharp sound of claws scratching against a wall grew closer. The SKREEE, SKREEE noise was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
The next second, a white figure leaped up from the darkness and landed steadily on the rooftop’s perimeter wall.
It was a mutated white cat, as large as a full-grown white tiger, with an agile body and an intimidating presence.
In her past life, Luna Dawson had seen countless gazes that made her skin crawl, but they had always belonged to people who were dying yet unwilling to accept their fate. She had never imagined that a small animal could have such eyes.
The look was sinister and resentful, completely unlike the wariness and ferocity of a normal wild animal. It was as if it had accumulated endless grievances, and its gaze was locked deadly on the people on the roof.
Evan Olson, Kevin Keane, and the others instantly felt the killing intent solidify. Their muscles tensed, and they instinctively stepped in front of Luna Dawson, shielding her and Rhonda Dawson completely. Their expressions were on high alert.
CLICK!
CLICK!
The sound of several rifle bolts chambering rounds followed. Kevin Keane, Evan Olson, and the others tightened their grip on their assault rifles, aiming their muzzles in unison at the white Aberrant Beast on the wall. Their eyes were as cold as ice, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest movement.
Even through the figures of the men in front of her, Luna Dawson could still clearly feel that icy gaze. The feeling was just like being targeted by the killer from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
A malevolent chill ran down her spine and spread through her entire body, making all the hairs on her arms stand on end.
Little Tiger, no longer able to restrain itself, leaped from her arms to the ground. Its body instantly grew, becoming a match in size for the Aberrant Beast on the wall.
HIIISSS!
It bared its sharp fangs, its mouth twisted into a ferocious snarl as it hissed continuously at the white figure on the wall.
A deeply menacing growl rumbled in its throat as it adopted a stance, ready to pounce and fight to the death at any moment.
Bull and Tilly Lane were already trembling with fear, huddled together in a corner of the rooftop, not even daring to breathe loudly.
They could only stare intently at the tense standoff, placing all their hopes on Luna Dawson and her group.