Chapter 258: The Battle Begins

Among the members of the Dragon Corps, Zhang Su stood slightly behind, utterly inconspicuous; when Pang Dakun made contact with the other corps member, his eyes flashed sharply—he knew Pang Dakun was no fool, and in critical moments, he could be remarkably shrewd.

When he saw the small spray bottle tucked into Pang Dakun's sleeve, he knew it was time to act.

Without a sound, Zhang Su slipped two steps backward as everyone's attention was fixed on the scene, exchanged a glance with Pang Dakun, then vanished into the night.

"Dakun, don't get distracted—the monster's moving!"

Zheng Xinyu warned from afar; she knew far less than Zhang Su and, seeing the monster advance toward Pang Dakun, panicked and jumped up and down.

In her eyes, Zero-Zero-Three resembled half a steel tower, while the slight Pang Dakun looked like a bamboo pole—she feared even a light touch would snap it.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Zero-Zero-Three trudged forward with heavy steps; unlike ordinary zombies with gaunt frames, its body was thick with fat, trembling as it swung its cleaver toward Pang Dakun, letting out continuous "ah-oo ah-oo" sounds that felt deeply unnatural.

Its speed wasn't fast—not even as quick as a regular zombie—but its presence carried overwhelming force.

Its arms swung, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle; no one doubted the cleaver's destructive power—it could sever a tree trunk as thick as a bowl in one stroke.

"Why hasn't Little Pang moved yet? Move, damn it…"

Their shooting technique was more professional than the Dragon Corps', their movements more decisive.

The Dragon Corps members froze, all turning toward the source of the sound—the rear of the convoy, where someone was causing chaos.

Boom!

Another vehicle exploded violently—this time, the only sedan, which shot high into the air…

Years of training proved useless in real chaos; when the mind couldn't keep pace with rapidly changing circumstances, hesitation set in.

Pre-planned, precise shots, fueled by rage, mercilessly claimed lives as the Dragon Corps struggled to respond.

Only one squad leader among the Dragon Corps remained calm, ordering a group to advance toward the explosion; the rest stood frozen, unsure what to do.

Before the Dragon Corps could make sense of what was happening, another van in the convoy erupted in a violent explosion—as if it had triggered a mine—launching the vehicle over two meters into the air, flames roaring skyward, a powerful gust blasting outward and causing nearby vehicles to sway slightly, the wind slapping against their faces.

The deafening blast, blinding fire, and forceful wind knocked five or six people nearby straight to the ground.

But it wasn't over—Boom!

Most of Tianma Island's members jolted with shock—they recognized the signal!

Just then, an unexpected voice suddenly shrieked from nowhere, nasal and shrill, dripping with absurdity and frenzy, oddly reminiscent of Dongfang Bubai, eerily piercing the cold night wind.

Yet only the vast majority of the Dragon Corps and a tiny fraction of Tianma Island's members were stunned.

No curses, no roars—only the cold clatter of gunfire!

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap…

"What the hell is going on?!"

Liu Lei exploded in rage, but before he could move further…

Boom!

Most of Tianma Island's members had already tensed their nerves upon hearing Zhang Su's signal, and struck with thunderous force the instant the Dragon Corps panicked.

Cars exploded in the distance; nearby, a colossal zombie ran wild across the parking lot, frenzied and uncontrolled.

She had no idea that Pang Dakun's attention wasn't on the sluggish Zero-Zero-Three at all—he was scanning the surroundings.

"Wow, this car's pretty nice!"

Tan Huajun clenched his fists, face tense with anxiety—he thought Pang Dakun was so agile, dodging around like that, surely he could land a surprise strike and kill this fat zombie!

Another vehicle exploded—this one didn't lift off but rolled several times toward the Shanmen gate, finally coming to rest as flames blazed fiercely.

Three great fires blazed like giant torches, illuminating the entire Tianma Island parking lot; the scene was now utterly chaotic.

The moment had arrived—and it would vanish in an instant.

Chen Hanzhou and his group, Tan Huajun and Lu Yu, leading a motley crew, suddenly pulled out automatic rifles like magic—under car headlights, camping lamps, and firelight, gunfire erupted!

"Fuck you bastards!"

Liu Lei was hyper-sensitive to gunfire; the moment he heard it, he snapped back to awareness, rolled sideways in a desperate dive, scrambling through the dark, barely dodging the first volley—bullets slammed into the ground behind him, never catching up.

But the others lacked his skill…

Were the Dragon Corps members weak?

Backed by a military camp and trained by former professionals, they weren't that incompetent.

Yet under meticulous planning, they had no defense—seven or eight fell in the barrage of gunfire; some weren't dead yet, but lay on the ground, barely clinging to life…

The survivors scattered in panic, seeking cover—already shattered, disorganized, and broken.

"Fuck, where the hell did they get guns? How does everyone have one?!"

Hiding behind a vehicle, Squad Leader Hou Changjun gasped for breath—not from exertion, but from terror…

But no one answered him—only two sharp, metallic clinks echoed.

Boom…

A grenade flew from nowhere, detonating directly among those sheltering behind the vehicle!

"Ahh…"

"Aaaah…"

Two Dragon Corps members and Hou Changjun were blown to pieces on the spot.

On a real battlefield without protective auras, a squad leader's life was as fragile as any ordinary soldier's.

"Don't panic! Don't panic! Concentrate fire and break out—move toward Squad Three!"

Though Liu Lei was foul-mouthed, he was no coward in battle.

After dodging the first volley, he took cover behind a large tree, firing at Tianma Island's members with sudden bursts, yet still found time to command his men.

But the other two squad leaders weren't so lucky—Squad Three's leader Sun Jianwei was shot down mid-command, never having time to dodge; Squad Four's leader Hou Changjun died in the grenade blast.

After the brief clash, only Liu Lei remained among the Dragon Corps' three commanders.

The scattered, leaderless Dragon Corps members, hearing Liu Lei's shout, were about to move—when they saw something even more horrifying.

"Hey, what's Zero-Zero-Three—ah…"

As the Dragon Corps prepared to advance toward Shanmen, a massive figure stepped heavily into view behind them…

Zero-Zero-Three had abandoned the scrawny target sprayed with pheromones—it had turned straight toward the Dragon Corps!

This sudden shift terrified the few remaining Dragon Corps members into sheer panic.

Tianma Island didn't know Zero-Zero-Three's terror—but they did.

Aaooouu!

Crash!

Zero-Zero-Three's fat body slammed into a van, shoving it aside like paper—the vehicle crumpled instantly, denting deeply, standing before the Dragon Corps like a wall, radiating oppressive force.

Gunfire had thinned from its initial intensity but continued—combined with Zero-Zero-Three's betrayal, chaos escalated further.

Huh.

The bulky body twisted; its thick arms—wider than a man's waist—swung, and the cleaver slashed through the air. A scream rang out as one corps member was split cleanly from chest to pelvis; those beside him saw the dark, glistening organs still twitching inside the hollowed torso—and froze in horror.

Even after months of post-apocalyptic survival, witnessing such a scene triggered catatonic shock—but that moment of hesitation was fatal. In a flash, his skull vanished—dying without understanding why Zero-Zero-Three had gone berserk.

Earlier, the moment the first explosion sounded, Pang Dakun had moved—because if he hadn't, Zero-Zero-Three would have already split him in two.

During that time, no one had paid attention to Pang Dakun.

Amid the explosions, he rolled flat along the ground, covering a distance beyond human comprehension, instantly appearing beside a corps member facing the car explosions—a position so unexpected that Zero-Zero-Three couldn't turn to follow.

Pssst-pssst—uncontrolled, furious spraying.

He didn't know what was inside the spray bottle, but he knew it could attract Zero-Zero-Three's attention—that was enough.

When he finished, he'd already shed his clothes and slipped into the crowd during the chaos; his agility, the confusion, and his unremarkable frame made him ghostlike—though two or three noticed him fleeing, they dismissed it.

But when Zero-Zero-Three shifted its target, the Dragon Corps finally realized something was wrong—too late.

Liu Lei, hiding behind the tree, watched Zero-Zero-Three slaughter his men—his heart sank to the bottom. He knew it was likely over, but he refused to give up.

"I'll fight you to the death! Someone, buy me time!"

Tap-tap-tap!

"Ahh… I'm…"

Liu Lei popped his head out from behind the tree, firing his rifle in a wild, unaimed sweep—no sight, no recoil control, nothing—blasting at Tianma Island's members, then swinging the muzzle toward the rampaging Zero-Zero-Three. If time froze, you'd see two or three bullets embedded in its body.

Though he was annoying in speech, Liu Lei still tried to kill Zero-Zero-Three, giving his men even a sliver of chance.

But the Dragon Corps' science division had bred a monster too formidable—those few bullets struck its armor and did nothing, not even slowing it down.

Liu Lei, meanwhile, had a bullet through his forehead, slumped against the tree trunk, head lolling to the side—dead.

Only one person could have shot with such precision—the fat woman Liu Lei had mocked…

(End of Chapter)