Chapter 25: Corpse Horde

Zhang Tie was caught off guard, knocked to the ground by a surge of zombies rushing out.

"Bear Transformation!"

With a roar, black fur covered his entire body.

In an instant he transformed into a black giant bear.

"Ugh!"

He swung a palm, and a strong gust of wind howled.

A few zombies that had just risen from the ground had their skulls smashed instantly, brains and blood spilling across the floor.

Lin An's eyes were icy, and he swiftly swung the Nepalese curved knife in his hand.

"Arc Slash!"

The blade's light traced a beautiful arc, and with immense force behind it, it sheared off a slice of skull.

"Charge in!"

Lin An let out an angry shout over the team comms.

The zombies pouring out of the elevator shaft seemed endless.

It looks like the emergency center's elevator doors were destroyed when the apocalypse broke out.

As a result, zombies near the elevator fell into the shaft, completely blocking it.

If the two of us stayed here, we could never kill them all.

If we delay any longer, zombies from other areas will be drawn in, making it impossible to get up.

Moreover, any mistake could lead to being scratched and infected by zombies.

Lin An is fine; he has antitoxin that can grant partial immunity.

Zhang Tie simply cannot withstand it.

"You clear the way first!"

Lin An stepped back, bent his knees, and gathered power.

"Understood!"

On Zhang Tie's huge head, his expression was ferocious.

He clutched his head with one hand, turned sideways, and began to charge.

"Bear Charge!!"

The ground trembled slightly as the bear-transformed Zhang Tie charged into the zombie horde like a heavy truck.

He smashed through with unstoppable force.

A grating sound of breaking bones echoed continuously as the zombies deep in the elevator shaft were crushed straight into pulp.

"Now!"

Lin An drew a deep breath, then exploded off the ground with his right foot.

He unleashed a single sword strike.

The zombies falling inside the elevator shaft were cut in half at the waist by this blade before they even touched the ground.

"Step!"

Summoning strength again, he stepped on Zhang Tie's broad shoulder to push off and rebound into the elevator shaft.

Zhang Tie grimaced, his face turning slightly pale.

Lin An's kick packed serious power; if not for his high physique, it could have shattered his shoulder blade.

Inside the elevator shaft, Lin An leapt repeatedly off the walls.

He slashed rapidly with both hands holding the knife.

His blade whirled into an impenetrable blade net, each swing felling a zombie.

Like a factory meat grinder, it mercilessly reaped flesh and blood.

Zhang Tie stood at the bottom, feeling as if meat were raining down on his head.

From time to time, a few zombies with only intact heads fell, jaws snapping as they dropped.

He would casually crush them with a squeeze.

"Jump up!"

There are too many zombies at the lobby elevator entrance; let's charge in together!

The Bear Transformation is ending; you're highly susceptible to infection now!

"Received!"

Zhang Tie's expression grew solemn as he bent his legs.

Both of their innate abilities have time limits; his black bear form lasts only a few dozen seconds.

Had he not been in Bear Form, his thick fur and reinforced skin would have blocked many zombie scratches and bites.

Even if he were extremely careful, in such a dense zombie horde he would have been infected long ago.

After slightly adjusting his stance, Zhang Tie aimed at the elevator exit above his head.

The interior of the elevator shaft is too cramped; he alone occupies most of the space.

He drew a deep breath, then unleashed sudden force.

Only to see the black bear Zhang Tie had transformed into launch from the shaft's bottom like a mortar shell.

Lin An, meanwhile, planted his feet diagonally against the shaft walls, slaughtering zombies while waiting for Zhang Tie to reach the optimal position.

Under the relentless slaughter, his first activation of "Power Burst" was also nearing its end.

"Now!"

"Power Burst!"

Mental power consumption.

Golden spiritual energy reappeared, and Lin An felt the power within him return to its peak state.

Counter-push!

He kicked off sideways inside the elevator shaft, causing a violent shake.

Then he turned and kicked out!

The target was Zhang Tie, who had leapt to the exit on the upper floor.

「Hmm！？！？」

「Holy shit! 」

Zhang Tie had no time to react and was directly kicked in the butt by Lin An.

「Boom! 」

The huge black bear, under Lin An's full-force kick, was kicked like a cannonball out of the elevator and rushed into the Emergency Hall.

The zombies blocking the door were all cleared out in one go.

Zhang Tie was flung four or five meters, his body pressing down a swath of zombies on the smooth hall floor, leaving a trail of blood.

「Thud! 」

After kicking, Lin An fell from midair, then he kicked off the elevator shaft wall again, using that rebound to rush out.

The zombies at the elevator entrance had already been cleared by the 'cannonball', leaving no obstruction for Lin An to pass through smoothly.

「Go! 」

Lin An stepped out of the elevator and quickly glanced around.

At a glance, the entire hall was packed with zombies, roughly numbering at least three or four thousand!

Packed tight like sardines in a can, the zombies filled the hall so tightly not even water could seep through.

We can't be surrounded!

Upon hearing Lin An's command, Zhang Tie hurriedly got to his feet.

On the bear's broad back, the crushed zombies stuck to it.

「Team Leader Lin, my butt hurts! 」

Zhang Tie covered his butt, but his short, thick paws could only reach his lower back.

「You should at least say something before kicking! 」

「I'm not a ball, damn it! 」

He felt a bit wronged.

He had thought Lin An wanted him to jump up to the upper floor and hold that spot, then they would fight their way out together.

He never expected Lin An to actually use him as a cannonball to clear a path.

After taking two kicks from Lin An, he felt as if his bones were about to fall apart.

For an Awakened One with average physique, those two kicks could kick someone to death.

Lin An gave a dry cough, signaling him not to dwell on the topic.

He had just had a sudden idea, which is why he used Zhang Tie as a cannonball.

He hadn't expected the effect to be surprisingly good.

「Forget about it—I just won't kick you next time! 」

「First, charge into the second floor! 」

The zombies inside the hall had already surrounded them.

The frantically howling corpse horde moved at extreme speed.

Thousands of zombies sprinted forward simultaneously, the scene incredibly impactful.

「My bear transformation time is up! 」

Zhang Tie only managed to shout before his body rapidly shrank back to normal human form.

The helmet on his head was deformed from being stretched, and his clothes were torn to shreds.

「Use the corpse snake's spine! 」

「Don't engage in close combat! 」

Lin An took the lead, threw out a sentence, then charged toward the corpse horde.

Though he was alone, he had the aura of ten thousand troops.

Step forward, diagonal slash!

With a full-force strike, he directly beheaded the leading zombies.

「Arc slash! 」

The distance between the corpse horde and the two was already short; in close combat, Lin An unleashed his full firepower.

The blade flashed, and the heavy great saber swept across like a laser cut.

Turn and counter-slash!

As his hand rose and the blade fell, Lin An's reaction speed was extremely fast.

He turned and again sliced down the zombies that had surrounded him from behind.

Although surrounded by zombies, Lin An within the horde was like a killing god; his fierce blade technique kept the zombies from approaching even a step.

「Boing. 」

With a crisp sound, the blade cracked, producing several nicks.

After repeated slaughter, in pursuit of a one-hit kill.

Lin An always aimed for the zombies' heads with each blade strike.

Bones strengthened by the zombie virus are much harder than ordinary human bones.

Under frequent collisions, a mere ordinary alloy blade cannot withstand this high-intensity slaughter.

"Lin Dui!"

"No way! There are too many zombies!"

Not far away, Zhang Tie is surrounded by hundreds of zombies.

He frantically waves the corpse snake spine in his hand.

Each time he strikes, the spine in his hand bursts out a series of crisp sounds like a whip.

The whip tip is extremely sharp; a single lash can easily blast a zombie's head.

Although he has never used a whip, with brute force it still looks vigorous.

This thing is indeed useful.

Zhang Tie finds it easier to use the more he uses it.

Compared to ordinary axes and broadswords, the corpse snake spine is not only extremely sharp but also avoids close combat.

If it weren't for having this "whip" in hand, his modest agility would have no chance to dodge when surrounded by zombies.

"Activate Bear Transformation again!"

Lin An's expression hardened; he decisively let Zhang Tie activate Bear Transformation again.

He can't afford to conserve it anymore.

Originally planned to let Zhang Tie keep one transformation for the second floor, to prevent accidents.

But the zombies in the hall are truly too many; even if he kills one per strike, he can't keep up with their replenishment speed.

If Zhang Tie doesn't activate Bear Transformation, he basically can't break out.

"Lin Dui! I can only Bear Transform once more!"

Zhang Tie lets out an angry shout, his body instantly swelling.

In just a second, a huge black bear reappears in the hall.

"Roar!"

The black bear roars.

Beast roars and zombie hisses intermix.

The slender bone whip in his hand is like a toy.

Zhang Tie wields the "bone whip" violently; each swing can cleave a swath of zombies.

Without worrying about zombies getting close, his momentum is overwhelming.

In the blink of an eye, he briefly clears a patch of open ground.

The situation instantly improves.

But Lin An notices Zhang Tie's eyes somewhat dim, a sign of mental exhaustion.

Compared to Lin An's power burst, Zhang Tie's Bear Transformation consumes much more mental power.

Moreover, his will attribute itself is not high.

Thus, being able to Bear Transform twice consecutively in a day is his limit.

It would be great if Wen Ya could join the fight now.

Lin An lets out a sigh.

Given her mutant nature.

She alone can replenish Lin An and Zhang Tie's mental power to full.

Without worrying about mental power consumption, the two could even slowly grind down this horde of zombies.

But she is not yet an Awakened One; her strength is too weak to participate in this battle.

Lin An thinks of the Suturers at Wan Da Shopping Center; the number of zombies there will only be more, not less.

Faced with a sea of zombies, replenishing mental power is crucial to the battle situation.

It seems after obtaining the equipment, we need to quickly resolve Wen Ya's awakening.

Having a mutant but not using her is truly wasteful.

"Get ready to charge together!"

After Zhang Tie activates Bear Transformation, he smoothly meets up with Lin An, and they fight side by side.

After continuous slaughter, they are now only a dozen meters from the second floor.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Lin An takes a deep breath, shooting out like an arrow from a bow.

Blade light weaves into a dense net of death, instantly shredding the large swath of zombies ahead.

The black bear beside him also, after letting out an angry roar, charged into the Corpse Horde without regard for any cost, carving out a bloody path.