"Haozi, Ah Sen, Skinny Monkey, Yifei-fall back and rest. Everyone else, keep killing!" Yang Bin's voice was low and hard.
"Got it."
No one hesitated. The four named peeled off instantly, retreating to the rear. The others stepped forward to fill the gaps without missing a beat.
Half the fighters gone. The pressure doubled immediately.
But no one complained. Five people held the tunnel mouth, blocking the endless tide of zombies pouring out, buying the others every second of rest they could.
The battle ground on for another hour. The kill count had to be over ten thousand by now. The highway was carpeted in a thick layer of corpses.
Plenty more had tumbled over the guardrails into the valley below.
Up on the mountain, the Mutant Tiger remained perfectly patient. Still prone in the tall grass. Still watching.
Like a proper hunter, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Yang Bin and the others were running on fumes. Every one of them gritting their teeth just to stay standing.
Chen Hao's group tried to rotate in, but Yang Bin waved them off.
Their job was to conserve energy. The real fight was still coming.
A few more minutes passed. Then a figure appeared inside the tunnel-moving fast, using the zombie horde as cover, charging straight at them.
By the time Yang Bin spotted it, the thing was already on top of them.
His eyes flashed. He pulled two Tier-4 Crystals from his pocket, tossed them into his mouth, and launched the Tang Saber from his hand. The blade shot forward like a missile, aimed straight at the figure.
At the last second, the creature threw itself into a roll, dodging the strike completely.
Then it lunged-claws outstretched-straight for Zhao Kun's head.
"Ah Kun, back off!" Yang Bin roared.
Too late.
Zhao Kun was too drained. His reactions lagged. He raised his Metal Arms to block, but he was half a beat slow.
Those claws were inches from his skull when a Light Shield materialized in front of his face, catching the blow dead.
Zhao Kun seized the opening. He drove his fist into the creature's torso, hammering it backward. The impact sent him skidding back a few steps too.
"Thanks." Zhao Kun glanced at Fang Sijie.
"No need. That's what teammates are for." Fang Sijie exhaled. "Good thing I kept a sliver of Mental Energy in reserve. Otherwise that would've been ugly."
"No kidding." Zhao Kun's jaw was tight. "That thing's at least Tier-6 Peak. If those claws had connected, it would've popped my head like a grape."
Lingering fear sat heavy in his voice.
The Tier-6 Zombie, seeing its ambush fail, retreated instantly back into the horde.
Yang Bin sent the Tang Saber stabbing after it. Dodged again.
This one was fast. Far faster than any ordinary Tier-6.
But it wasn't just the zombie. Yang Bin's own state was the problem.
Too long in the fight. Crystals could replenish energy, but they couldn't fix mental fatigue. His mind was fraying at the edges. His Telekinesis was sluggish, its precision shot. Under normal conditions, the blade would've been twice as fast. The zombie wouldn't have had a prayer.
Having dodged Yang Bin's attack, the Tier-6 Zombie threw back its head and roared.
The effect was immediate. The zombie horde went berserk-a frenzied wave crashing toward them. Mixed in were Tier-5 sneaks, the ambush-type bastards that normally lurked behind the fodder waiting for openings.
Not anymore. The roar was a command. They charged alongside the rest, reckless and suicidal.
The hierarchy among the dead was absolute. Not one of them dared disobey.
The pressure on the exhausted squad spiked again.
"Fuck it. All in!"
Old Hei snarled through clenched teeth, grabbed a fistful of crystals, and crammed them into his mouth. Then he let loose.
Fire Rain. One after another after another, hammering down into the horde.
Tier-4 and below? Dead on contact. Burned to nothing the instant the flames touched them.
Tier-5 zombies lasted a few seconds longer, but if they didn't scramble clear fast enough, they burned just the same.
Old Hei's berserker barrage annihilated a massive swath. In minutes, over a thousand zombies lay charred and still.
Everyone turned to acknowledge the feat-
-and Old Hei's eyes rolled back. He dropped like a sack of bricks.
"......"
"Old Hei. Absolute madman." Hu Wenliang shook his head.
"Yeah." Yang Bin nodded. Then he glanced toward the tunnel-and his eyes lit up.
"Hold on, everyone! Nothing else is coming out of the tunnel!"
The words hit like adrenaline. The squad dug deep.
"In that case-" Zhao Kun cracked his neck. "My turn to go all out."
He triggered his acceleration skill and launched himself into the horde. His Metal Arms became wrecking balls, smashing through everything in reach.
One hit, one kill. Even Tier-5 zombies crumpled under those blows.
Seeing him charge, the others followed suit.
Crystals went into mouths like candy. Abilities fired in rapid succession, tearing into the remaining zombies.
This burst would drain them completely. They all knew it.
But there was no other choice. They were too far gone to sustain a prolonged fight. It was now or never.
Yang Bin forced his aching body forward, the Barbell Rod in his hands sweeping through zombie after zombie in brutal, mechanical arcs.
Meanwhile, the Tier-6 Zombie crept through the chaos. Low. Quiet. Slinking toward Old Hei's unconscious body on the ground.
It reached him in moments. Then it pounced-claws slashing down at Old Hei's exposed throat.
A Light Shield snapped into existence above Old Hei's neck, catching the strike clean.
The Tier-6 Zombie looked like it wanted to scream in frustration.
A Dark Bolt ripped through the air toward its skull.
The squad was fighting for their lives, but not one of them had taken their eyes off Old Hei.
The zombie twisted at the last instant. The Dark Bolt grazed its cheek and punched past.
It refused to give up. Claws lashed out at Old Hei's throat again.
This time, Zhao Kun broke from the horde at full speed, Metal Arms cocked back, swinging for the zombie's head with everything he had.
No choice. The Tier-6 Zombie abandoned its kill and threw up a hand to block.
BOOM.
One exchange. Both sides staggered back.
Then-simultaneously-a Light Wave and a Dark Bolt streaked toward the Tier-6 Zombie's head from two angles.
The creature dropped into another roll, confident it had dodged.
It hadn't.
A Tang Saber punched through its skull with surgical precision.
The Tier-6 Zombie froze mid-motion. Its body locked. Then it toppled, collapsing to the ground with something almost like defiance still etched on its rotting face.
The squad exhaled-
A massive shadow exploded from the mountainside.
It came straight for Yang Bin.
Every hair on his body stood on end. Pure, primal danger screaming from behind him.
No thought. No hesitation. He burned his last dregs of Mental Energy and blinked out of existence.
Gone.