Chapter 454: What a Shockingly Accurate Cursed Mouth

The Yama Army troops on site, mostly equipped with walkie-talkies, had their voices heard by nearly everyone present; those who had just mustered courage immediately lost most of it, looking helplessly at their own leaders—or at Zhang Su.

"What an unbelievably cursed mouth! I give up!"

Yang Xinqi stomped his foot and glared at Liu Yao with utter disgust.

"I… what the hell?"

Liu Yao himself was stunned—when had his mouth become so uncannily accurate?

Li Zongkai frowned and sighed; Zhang Xin, Cai Zhichao, and others wore strange expressions, glancing at Liu Yao before turning their gazes toward Zhang Su.

For a moment, Zhang Su was frozen—not from mental shutdown, but because a flood of thoughts surged through his mind.

Conservatively, fifteen to sixteen thousand zombies; possibly nearing twenty thousand, advancing from two directions. It wasn't that the people gathered on the highway couldn't defeat them—after all, the combat strength assembled here could rightly be called the strongest in Qincheng, combining the elite forces of five factions, no weaker than the original Azure Dragon Corps! But facing two zombie hordes simultaneously was far from simple addition; risks and variables would multiply exponentially. He wanted a clean, decisive victory—not a shaky, narrow win—and absolutely no casualties.

Because casualties would bring numerous negative consequences.

There was also a deeper consideration: if this opportunity eliminated nearly twenty thousand zombies, it would significantly ease the danger pressure along the stretch from northern Qincheng to Qingxian.

Under what circumstances do people prefer to huddle together for warmth? Obviously, only when external pressure is immense—when a powerful enemy closes in, leaving no room for survival or negotiation. Without danger, the need to huddle together diminishes drastically.

Would wiping out the zombie hordes become a stumbling block to luring the other four factions into Tianma Isle?

This thought flashed and vanished—the zombie crisis was far more complex than just one or two ten thousand.

"Brother Su, should we change strategy?"

Liu Tianji ran up to Zhang Su and whispered; his meaning was clear—there was still time to lure the zombies away.

"We're strong and well-equipped; we won't fear mere twenty thousand zombies. We just need to tweak the plan slightly!"

Zhang Su decided—the battle must be fought. Otherwise, the consequences would be worse. He'd reveal his trump card to deal with this problem—nothing to be afraid of.

With the plan settled, orders were to be issued. Just as he was about to press the transmit button, the walkie-talkie crackled again—this time Zhang Ya, her voice tense and strained.

"Brother Su, things are bad. Another zombie horde has appeared in the northwest—about three and a half kilometers away, maybe just under four. This horde… this horde seems to be the merger of the two we lured away earlier. So many—by size, at least twelve to thirteen thousand!"

…

Liu Yao glanced nervously at Zhang Su and the others, then slipped quietly toward the back of the crowd. Even he was terrified—how powerful was this cursed mouth of his? Why had he never noticed before?

Zhang Su swallowed the words stuck in his throat, rolled his eyes toward the overcast sky—today's events were as unpredictable as drifting clouds.

"Damn it! We killed so many before, even lured a horde north toward the Second Ring Road. The rest should've been no more than thirty thousand zombies—so today, they all showed up? What terrible luck!"

Zhao Dezhu growled in anger.

The others from the remaining factions fell silent; they didn't know the full situation—only those who'd participated in the division and diversion of the southern Qingxian horde understood. Zhao Dezhu's statement was flawed: the southern horde, after being whittled down by various means, had long since fallen below thirty thousand. Now, the three hordes facing them totaled over twenty-six thousand, possibly more.

Clearly, over the past half-month, the zombie hordes had continuously drawn in wandering zombies from villages, gradually swelling in size.

"Brother Su, maybe we should…"

Wang Xin tried to advise, but Zhang Su raised a hand—he dared not speak further.

Zhang Su looked westward: the zombie horde chasing the drone danced like demons in chaos. To the north, beyond the obstructions, another horde crept slowly closer. Farther still, in the northwest, a massive zombie army pressed forward step by step.

As if they knew Tianma Isle now brimmed with fresh, living flesh, rushing from afar to attend a grand feast of gluttony.

The scene fell silent. Those once full of confidence now drooped. People leaning on barricades, smoking and chatting, wore worried expressions. Some with weak nerves gripped their weapons, palms sweating.

Originally, the average kill count was fifty to sixty—high, but manageable with the aid of equipment. Then came urgent reports: with the northern horde added, the average kill count instantly surged past one hundred! It shattered the limit—intensity no one had dared imagine.

That would've been enough—just grit your teeth and push through. People must break limits to grow. After all, there was still a tank—roll it in, crush them, give everyone a breather.

But before anyone could steel themselves, an even greater crisis arrived silently…

The crowd felt listless. They hadn't thought of death—because by now, direct confrontation was impossible. What remained was what they'd done many times before: split the hordes, lure the zombies, draw them away, trap them.

"Battle continues. What I, the Yama King, decide, will not change. The Yama Army never retreats before enemies!"

Unexpectedly, just as many were ready to retreat, Zhang Su announced his decision—to fight on.

Yu Wen, Zheng Xinyu, Zhong Xiaoshan, and others who knew Zhang Su weren't surprised—they could see his thoughts. This battle today had to be fought.

The slogan was inspiring; reality was brutal.

The Yama Army responded with a clenched fist raised high. The zombies were close—shouting was inappropriate. It was a memory etched into their bones.

Unfortunately, beyond the Yama Army, only the Tianma Isle reserve force mustered any fighting spirit. Most combatants from the other four factions clearly lacked will.

"Uh, Brother Zhang…"

"Plan remains unchanged. Yu Qing, come with me to camp."

Zhang Xin sensed his men's thoughts—he himself was uneasy. He had planned to persuade Zhang Su, but Zhang Su ignored him completely. He gestured to Yu Qing, who held a steel rod, then walked silently toward the vehicle.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, turned back to Zhao Dezhu: "Zhu, keep an eye on this vehicle. I'll be right back!"

Before everyone's eyes, Zhang Su took someone else's wife into the car, then stepped on the gas and drove toward Tianma Isle, leaving over a hundred people standing there, staring dumbfounded.

(End of Chapter)