Chapter 222: Main Course

"Ah, I've been bitten..."

"My arm!"

The stalemate continued; humans were already outnumbered by the undead, and casualties began to mount during the fight—this period hadn't even lasted long, barely five minutes from picking up cold weapons to the first person being bitten!

Five minutes...

Not even enough time for someone slightly constipated to have a bowel movement.

In close-quarters combat, victory or defeat hinges on a single moment—there's no room for prolonged delay.

"Uncle, we can't keep this up, we can't kill them!"

Wang Xin's clothes were torn in several places, the rags hanging like clumps of cotton...

Though he indulged in women, he trained diligently and his combat ability was still quite decent—but even so, facing zombies with ultra-strong defense, he felt utterly overwhelmed.

A burly man swung his pickaxe while shouting: "Boss Wang, think of something—we can't hold on!"

"Detonators! Bring the detonators! Everyone fall back!"

Wang Longzhong roared!

Detonators were the last resort, used only in moments of life-or-death desperation.

"Die!"

Sizzle—two villagers lit the detonators and hurled them straight into the horde!

The fuse burned as the detonators flew through the air like meteors carrying everyone's hopes, landing amid the undead amid eager stares.

BOOM!

With the detonation, a shockwave radiated outward, knocking down all zombies within a radius of seven to eight meters. The exact kill count was unknown, but it did slightly slow the undead advance.

Pressure dropped abruptly, but no one felt relief—those knocked-down zombies were already rising again, some missing legs, crawling desperately across the ground.

"More detonators! Quick!"

Seeing results, Wang Longzhong killed the zombies before him while ordering others to keep throwing detonators.

BOOM!

BOOM BOOM!

As detonators exploded one after another amid the horde, the villagers caught their breath—the offensive and defensive sides reached a brief stalemate, no longer a one-sided slaughter.

"Hahahaha! We've got this!"

"How many detonators left?"

"Plenty—over twenty more! Blow them all away!"

"Damn it, their skin's tough? Doesn't matter—can't take the blast! Blow them up!"

Effective attacks boosted the villagers' confidence; morale surged. Luckily, they'd all eaten dinner and were full of energy—under this adrenaline-fueled excitement, their bodies rapidly secreted hormones, sustaining their fierce fighting spirit.

That night, the villagers endured more unexpected horrors than they could count—from the undead escaping the quarry, to discovering some zombies had ultra-strong defense. Each surprise had seemed like the main course—but before the true main course, all those surprises meant nothing!

A scene that would haunt the survivors of United Village for life was about to unfold.

The detonator blasts ignited the zombies' clothing; as flames slowly rose, it signaled that this battle would no longer be ordinary.

Soon, fire spread—entire clusters of zombies erupted in roaring flames. In that moment, the undead fell briefly still, the whole scene as if paused.

At first, the villagers cheered, believing the fire would consume the undead, purify everything—even some complained they hadn't thought of fire attack sooner.

Under the firelight, every face wore expressions of relief, survival, and finality.

But right after came the ultimate horror!

The pause ended. The wheel of fate turned again.

The burning zombies didn't collapse as the villagers hoped—they roared louder, turned as one, and fixed their gaze on the villagers, as if transformed into flame-crazed monsters, charging forward!

This sight left the people of United Village speechless.

Misfortune never comes alone—before the villagers could grasp the power of the burning zombies, a series of screams erupted from behind!

"Boss Wang, behind us—zombies are crawling out from behind!"

A hysterical scream.

No one had noticed a new group of zombies suddenly emerging from a side path—likely the ones drawn away by the village loudspeaker, now lured back by the detonations, circling around to block them!

Surrounded from both sides, everyone plunged into unprecedented peril.

At that moment, the burning zombies collided with the villagers.

Previously, the zombies' threat came only from teeth and claws—but now, engulfed in flames, their strength and speed surged beyond measure, and every inch of their blazing bodies became a weapon against humans.

Flames lashed wildly, heat swept through the air—just standing nearby made people feel seared.

Impossible to fight!

"Ah! No, no no..."

"I... don't want this, ohhh!"

Instantly, two weaker fighters were engulfed by fire, their bodies and flesh blocking the zombies' advance...

They writhed in the flames, like dying souls dragged into hell by demons, one arm still reaching out desperately toward the others—yet even if gods descended, nothing could save them.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of chewing inside the fire seemed deliberately amplified, echoing in every ear, sending chills down their spines!

Wang Longzhong saw the situation front and back—and his blood turned cold.

United Village had the strength to resist a single front of zombies—even with three or four hundred remaining, under the suppression of detonators and firelocks, there was still a chance!

But the fire had burned away the last hope.

Rock-hard skin was already insane—now, set ablaze, they became even more monstrous, as if injected with a hundred doses of stimulants, driven mad!

United Village could fight a thousand ordinary zombies—even with some rock-skin zombies mixed in—but facing even a hundred burning zombies? It was annihilation.

And now they were attacked from both front and rear...

Wang Longzhong screamed with all his might: "Retreat! Abandon all supplies! Run to Beidong Town! Quick! Xiao Quan—detonators as rearguard!"

Delaying one second was an insult to the villagers dying to hold back the burning zombies.

Even before Wang Longzhong gave the order, some had already fled—but those few deserters didn't escape; they were surrounded by another wave of zombies, and some of the screams came from them.

In the chaos, the elderly stumbled, children staggered, women dragged and pulled, the strong sprinted full speed—those who knew each other might lend a hand, but strangers had no time to care.

Flames spread—the three hundred zombies charging from the front merged into a single wall of fire, roaring through the village, staining half the sky red like the veil of Death.

BOOM. BOOM BOOM.

Each explosion carried with it piercing screams—zombies fell, and United Village villagers were left forever on this scorched land.

Since the zombies were already burning, detonators still had to be used—it was still the most effective way to slow them down, short of throwing live bodies for them to eat.

BOOM...

Zombies were blasted into the air—the scene resembled the Volga River in 1942!

Just a note... today's update is light—I forgot to request leave yesterday, and today I have to take the kid to Grandma's.

Since I forgot to ask for leave, I have to update anyway—even if it's less. Off I go, readers, see you next time.

(End of Chapter)