Chapter 5: The Police Station's Dead End

Under a blood‑tinged sky, the eight‑person squad trudged as if through a sticky nightmare. Chen Mo led the way, gripping a fire axe, his 【Keen Sense of Smell】 fully activated like an invisible radar, catching every trace of danger in the air. A rotten stench, the smell of blood, and something… a hint of burnt and gunpowder, drifted faintly from the northwest.

Su Yu followed closely, her horticultural machete drawn and held before her, eyes wary as she scanned the shattered shop fronts and tilted vehicles on either side of the street. Her perception seemed unusually sharp; several times she pointed out shadow‑lurking mutated dogs about to lunge, buying Chen Mo precious reaction time.

Han Qing gripped a solid steel pipe, guarding the squad's flank. His E‑rank 【Tough Skin】 gave only a slight boost, but his fitness‑trainer background made his movements agile; several times he blocked attacks alongside Chen Mo, proving quite reliable.

Zhang Yang, Li Siwen, and Wang Hu stayed in the center, huddled close, their machetes and hammers smeared with filthy blood. Though their faces remained pale, their swings were no longer the panicked flailing of the start. Zhao Lei and Liu Qian, the couple, were protected at the rear; Liu Qian clutched a whetstone she'd found in a hardware store, ready to do a quick grind on the teammates' worn weapons—her only contribution for now.

The street was even more chaotic than they'd imagined. Abandoned cars blocked the road; scattered luggage, broken limbs, and congealed black bloodstains littered the ground. The number of mutated dogs had clearly risen, sometimes appearing in packs of three to five, and a new variant emerged—a faster kind whose claws carried a paralyzing toxin: the Shadow Hunter Dog.

"Two ahead, left front, behind the trash can!" Su Yu suddenly hissed.

Chen Mo acted almost as soon as she spoke, swinging his fire axe with a fierce gust to smash the Shadow Hunter Dog that had just leapt from the shadows, while sidestepping to avoid the other's pounce. Han Qing moved in sync, thrusting his steel pipe hard; though not fatal, it successfully hindered the dog's movement.

"Zhang Yang, Wang Hu, take care of it!" Chen Mo ordered.

The two gritted their teeth, mustered courage, and charged forward, axe and hammer descending together to hack the hindered Shadow Hunter Dog to pieces.

【Successfully killed LV. 2 Shadow Hunter Dog, gained 15 experience points.】

【Death Echo triggered! Successfully copied skill: Shadow Affinity (LV. 1 passive)!】

【Shadow Affinity (LV. 1): Passive skill. Slightly boosts movement speed and stealth in shadowy environments.】

A cool sensation merged into his body; Chen Mo felt his steps grow a bit lighter as he moved through the shadows of the buildings lining the street. Another useful passive support!

During the lull in combat, Chen Mo quickly allocated his attribute points, still focusing on strength with agility secondary. Strength reached 11 (+1), agility 10. The steady rise in power brought a hint of relief.

"Chen Mo, look over there." Su Yu suddenly pointed to a second‑floor window of a residential building to the side‑front.

Following her gesture, Chen Mo looked and saw, behind that window, a few vague figures swaying, apparently peeking at them through a gap in the curtains. As his gaze swept over, the figures instantly shrank back and the curtains were pulled tighter.

"Survivors…" Li Siwen whispered, his voice tinged with the hope of finding fellow humans.

"Don't worry about them." Chen Mo's voice was cold. "Stay alert and keep moving forward."

In the early days of the apocalypse, human hearts are harder to read than monsters. He didn't want to invite complications.

The closer they got to the police station, the more evident the battle scars became. Walls were riddled with bullet holes, the ground pockmarked with blackened craters from explosions, and several bodies in uniform lay torn apart, clearly having endured a fierce fight.

The air was thick with gunpowder smoke and… a strange, sweet‑sour rot that grew stronger.

"We're almost there!" Han Qing perked up, pointing at a crossroads ahead. "Turn that corner and the police station should come into view!"

Hope lay just ahead, and everyone's steps quickened involuntarily.

However, just as they were about to reach the crossroads, Chen Mo suddenly raised his fist, signaling everyone to stop!

His 【Keen Sense of Smell】 picked up an extremely strong, foul odor mixed with sweet‑sour rot, its source on the far side of the crossroads!

"Situation—prepare for battle!" Chen Mo lowered his voice, eyes sharp as a hawk's.

He cautiously poked his head out from the edge of the intersection to look.

The sight before him sent a chill down the spine even of the reborn Chen Mo!

At the center of the crossroads hung the familiar blue‑white sign of the police station, askew, with a makeshift rope barrier and sandbag fortifications at the door. Yet the fortifications had been smashed, and a dozen or so corpses in police uniforms and civilian clothes lay scattered around, their deaths gruesome.

Occupying the open ground before the police station door was a pack of monsters never seen before!

They numbered about seven or eight; their main bodies resembled humanoid shapes stitched together from rotting flesh and twisted vines, each over a person tall, lacking distinct facial features—only a huge maw bristling with teeth split open at the head, constantly dripping thick green slime that reeked of sweet‑sour decay. Their limbs could shift shape at will, sometimes lashing like whips, sometimes hardening into sharp spears.

Among these corrupted vining creatures stood an especially massive entity, its body entwined with vines of an ominous purple‑black, atop which bloomed several gaudy, constantly writhing giant flowers; within their stamens, purple energy faintly gathered.

【LV. 5 Corrupted Demonic Flower (Elite)】

These monsters had clearly just gone through a slaughter; the police station's resistance seemed utterly destroyed by them. Now they wandered aimlessly across the open ground, the sweet‑sour rot emanating from them.

"What… what the hell is this?" Wang Hu's voice trembled, his grip on the hammer nearly slipping.

"Is the police station… over?" Liu Qian sobbed, staring in despair at the hellish scene.

Han Qing's face grew grave: "These monsters… are tougher to handle than the bone‑armored boar!" He could feel the corrosive potency of the slime dripping from the vining bodies.

Chen Mo's heart sank. The police station, which he'd imagined as a safe point and supply hub, had actually been overrun by stronger demons—and it was a clan led by an elite monster!

A frontal assault would be certain death. Their squad could barely handle a single LV. 5 elite, let alone the seven or eight LV. 4 lackeys.

"Brother Mo, what do we do? Detour?" Zhang Yang asked nervously, palms sweating.

Chen Mo didn't answer right away; his mind raced.

Detouring would mean venturing into unknown, possibly more dangerous territory, consuming more time and stamina, and there was no guarantee of finding a suitable stronghold.

A head‑on attack? Suicide.

So… only one option remained.

His gaze fell on that LV. 5 Corrupted Demonic Flower, especially the purple energy gathering in its stamens. That energy gave him a vague sense of familiarity, somewhat like the purple light pillar Chen Mo had heard Han Qing mention at the city's center.

Perhaps… it could be used?

He recalled from his past life some traits of elite monsters: they usually possess greater strength and special abilities, yet often follow certain behavioral patterns… and may react to specific energies or scents.

He glanced at Su Yu, noticing the glaring 【???】 in her status bar.

A bold, risky plan quickly formed in his mind.

"No detour." Chen Mo's voice was low and firm, carrying the resolve of a do‑or‑die gamble. "We'll find a way… to lure them away, or create chaos, then sneak into the police station!"

"Lure them? How?" Li Siwen exclaimed, "Those monsters look nasty at a glance!"

Chen Mo's gaze swept over the group, finally settling on Su Yu and Han Qing.

"We need bait." He said slowly, "Someone agile enough to draw their attention, and perhaps… provoke a special reaction from that elite monster."

His meaning was clear. Su Yu's abnormality might be a key.

Su Yu's body trembled slightly; she understood Chen Mo's intent. Her face instantly paled, yet unexpectedly she did not shrink back—instead she met his gaze, drew a deep breath, and said, "I… I'll go."

"No way! Too dangerous!" Han Qing objected immediately, "Miss Su has no combat experience; facing so many monsters…"

"I'll go." Su Yu repeated, her voice soft yet carrying an unyielding resolve. "My duty… is to make sure you survive. If this is the only way, I'm willing to try." She looked at Chen Mo, her eyes complex—filled with fear, trust, and a hint of something she couldn't name, a fate‑driven compulsion.

Chen Mo gave her a deep look: "I won't let you die for nothing. Han Qing, you and she stay together, responsible for covering and protecting her. Your job is to make a big enough commotion to draw most of the monsters—especially that elite—toward the commercial building across the street. I'll create an opening for you."

He then turned to Zhang Yang, Li Siwen, Wang Hu, and Zhao Lei: "You four, once the monsters are drawn away, rush into the police station at top speed, search for useful supplies—focus on the armory, the records room (which might hold key intel), and anything that looks out of the ordinary! Watch for lingering threats! Liu Qian will follow you, providing support."

"And what about you?" Su Yu couldn't help but ask.

"Me?" Chen Mo clenched the fire axe in his hand, feeling the power of Bone Armor Technique and Corrupt Poison Saliva, his gaze coldly fixed on the corrupted demon flower.

"I'll go try, see if I can pick that 'flower'."

Capture the thief by first capturing the king! If we can quickly kill or heavily wound that elite monster amid the chaos, the remaining vine entities will be leaderless, the threat will greatly diminish. Moreover, killing the elite monster could trigger Death Echo, copying a powerful skill!

The risk is huge, but the reward is equally astounding!

Everyone was stunned by this bold plan. Yet, seeing Chen Mo's gaze, calm to the point of coldness, no one raised objections. It is the only seemingly viable option for now.

"Remember, the movement must be loud! After drawing attention, immediately retreat into the commercial building, use the complex terrain to maneuver, and wait for our signal!" Chen Mo finally instructed Su Yu and Han Qing.

Su Yu nodded, sheathing her machete, picking up a few empty cans and broken glass from the ground, and Han Qing also clenched the steel pipe.

Chen Mo took out the Inferior Demon Core from his backpack, held it in his hand, feeling its faint energy fluctuations. He didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a try.

He glanced at the death zone outside the police station's entrance, then looked at the companions whose fates were now bound together.

"Action!"

The two words fell, like the beating of destiny's war drums.

Su Yu and Han Qing inhaled deeply, then surged out from behind cover, hurling the cans and broken glass with force toward the opposite side of the intersection!

"Clang! Crash—!"

The shrill noise erupted suddenly on the dead silent street!

All the corrupted vine entities on the police station's open ground, including the massive corrupted demon flower, were instantly alarmed, their nauseating bodies writhing in unison, turning their gaze toward the source of the noise!

"Come on! You monsters!" Han Qing roared, swinging the steel pipe, trying to draw more hatred.

And Su Yu, at the moment she tossed the noisy objects, seemed to subconsciously release a certain aura—a faint yet indescribably alluring vibration.

The massive blossom of the corrupted demon flower suddenly turned toward Su Yu, the violet energy in its core flashing bright, emitting a rapid, baby‑cry‑like sharp screech!

It developed an unusually keen interest in Su Yu!

"Roar!"

The corrupted demon flower let out a command‑like roar; most of the corrupted vine entities immediately, like soldiers receiving orders, writhed and thrashed the ground, crazily chasing toward Su Yu and Han Qing!

"Now! Charge!" Chen Mo growled low, his form leaping like a cheetah, not toward the police station but using the vehicles on either side of the street as cover, taking a razor‑sharp angle to circle behind the monsters, his target fixed on the corrupted demon flower that had drifted slightly from the pack out of anger and some yearning!

The police station's entrance was temporarily exposed!

Zhang Yang and the others dared not delay, immediately crouching, sprinting at top speed toward the clearing that had just been shrouded by death!

The life‑or‑death sprint, a daring raid for victory, officially began! And Chen Mo's direct showdown with the elite monster was on the brink of erupting!