Chapter 502: Hard to Hold Back

"Kill them now!"

Yang Liehuo saw a zombie stepping on its fellow's back to climb the barricade; his heart surged with fury as he thrust his rebar rod forward with a swish.

Puff…

Fortunately, this round of enhancement hadn't given the zombies super-strong skulls—their fragile bones still couldn't withstand the rebar's thrust.

Yang Liehuo's furious strike punched a hole through the zombie's skull; the first zombie to reach the second row of barricades dropped dead instantly, its body collapsing and jamming between the gaps—though unintentional, it did make it easier for the zombies behind to climb…

"Kill!"

"Kill them!"

There was no time for hesitation or delay; the front-line fighters swung their weapons and attacked.

The enhanced zombies brought primal fear—the mindless frenzy, the violent aggression, the wild strength and speed—making everyone feel as if they'd been thrown back to the beginning, back to the first time they encountered the undead! Fortunately, over four months of trials had hardened them; even with fear in their hearts, they held firm, for this war between species was either you die or I die! The killing pace wasn't slow, but the zombies rushing behind came even faster…

Clang…

"Yah! Ah…"

Just after Zhong Xiaoshan swung her heavy wrench to kill a zombie, her vision suddenly darkened—a zombie had leapt from behind like a starving tiger, and she was the helpless lamb! The sight terrified her, triggering her habit of screaming—but she'd improved since then; even as she shrieked, she didn't forget to strike, yet suddenly a powerful force slammed into her arm, hurling her sideways.

"Die!"

Yang Liehuo gripped his rebar rod in one hand, thrusting upward to meet the falling zombie; with a puff, it pierced its skull. He twisted his body with the zombie's downward momentum and turned to Zhong Xiaoshan.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, fine—thanks, Fire Brother!"

Zhong Xiaoshan steadied herself, nodded, and returned to battle.

The stalemate eased slightly after the first wave of zombies was killed, but as the remaining sixty or seventy zombies charged forward, the tide turned.

Crack…

The wooden barricades couldn't withstand the zombies' frenzy; the front row cracked and broke, and with more and more zombie corpses piling atop them, they formed a smooth path for the zombies behind to rush toward their bloody feast!

"Aaoo! Aaow!" The zombies howled wildly, surging past the obstacles blocking their path—black shadows leapt high over the barricades and the piled corpses, crushing the group with suffocating pressure!

Are there many zombies?

No more than fifty or sixty—hardly many at all.

Are the zombies strong?

Extremely strong… strong enough that the reserve members couldn't hold their ground—at least not mentally unprepared, caught completely off guard! "Fall back! Fall back quickly!"

Taptaptap, taptaptaptap…

Amidst the roaring, a burst of gunfire erupted—someone opened fire.

Cold weapons were no longer enough; Yang Liehuo and Lu Leiyang pulled their rifle bolts almost simultaneously and began shooting.

Pupupu…

The charging zombies were struck by bullets, their forward momentum halted, bodies twisting midair; some were hit directly in the head and fell like broken burlap sacks! Two rifles alone couldn't stop sixty or seventy zombies—but fortunately, after Zhong Xiaoshan, Guo Dachao, and Wang Longzhong freed themselves, they too picked up rifles!

Taptaptap…

Five rifles fired in unison, each bullet taking a zombie's life—yet still they couldn't halt the remaining zombies' advance! "Ah… Get off, you damn things!"

"No! Fang Sister!"

"Ugh…"

One zombie broke through the gunfire, seized its chance, and lunged into the crowd—immediately, a scream rang out, blood sprayed; a reserve member was bitten! "Ah… Fuck, die, die, all of you die!"

Yang Liehuo saw one of his own bitten—his eyes turned red. He fired his rifle with one hand, grabbed his rebar rod with the other, killing at both range and close quarters—but he couldn't turn the tide; another person was soon knocked down! "Help… save… me!"

A woman of the Sisterhood, distracted after seeing her comrade bitten, hesitated a moment too long—immediately, a zombie pounced on her. Her reflexes were decent; as she fell, she struck back—but her strength was too weak to reverse the tide…

When she hit the ground, her face was bitten into! "Lian Sister!"

Someone roared, trying to rescue her—but was dragged away, for Lian Sister had already lost chunks of flesh; she was clearly beyond saving.

In an instant, two were bitten, one killed—the situation collapsed. Those holding rifles had been firing freely, but now, with comrades being torn apart, they grew hesitant, their formation crumbling in moments!

At this point, even with rifles, no one dared fire wildly—no one here was a sharpshooter who could guarantee killing zombies without hitting allies; they all doubted their own aim.

"Xiao Jie, stick close to me!"

Guo Dachao's face wore an unprecedented gravity; his rifle was out of ammo, no time to reload—he dropped it, drew his rebar rod again, and prepared for a final, desperate fight. "How did we become so weak? I don't want to die!"

Lu Leiyang's slender face was twisted with frustration; he sprinted backward—not to flee, but to buy time to reload his magazine.

"Uncle…"

"Xinggui, even if we die today, don't… watch out—"

Wang Longzhong seemed to know what Wang Xinggui was about to say; his eyes bloodshot, he swung his weapon—but before the words finished, a zombie charged and slammed him to the ground. Luckily, Wang Xinggui was beside him—he kicked the zombie away, saving Wang Longzhong's life.

Fast, strong, fearless—the zombies surged from the scenic area like artillery shells, charging toward the crumbling group.

Yi Xiaoling was paralyzed. She had no experience fighting zombies; though she often handled knives, they were only two-inch grafting tools. Now, even with a rebar rod meant for zombies, she didn't know how to use it—she was instantly knocked down and slid far across the ground.

Fortunately, she hadn't fallen in place—otherwise, she'd be Lian Sister's fate—but she wasn't safe either, for the zombie on top of her was crawling toward her with all four limbs, far faster than she could crawl backward!

"Get up! Run!"

Ma Changshou burst in sideways, swung his rebar rod hard, and smashed the zombie into a roll—he grabbed Yi Xiaoling and dragged her backward.

Their combat ability was weak to begin with; if they'd relied on barricades and mechanically stabbed zombies, it'd be manageable—but this intensity? It was no different from delivering themselves to slaughter! Whether they could escape was uncertain—it all depended on whether their comrades could hold the line; if they failed, death was certain. Among the crowd, Zhong Xiaoshan's hair was wild, her right hand clenched tight around the heavy wrench, her face pale as death, ears filled with screams and zombie roars, her left hand gripping a hand grenade—her heart pounded wildly as she watched the charging zombies, and she made her decision…

"Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a roar came from the parking lot.

Everyone glanced sideways—saw the Big Dog SUV roaring toward them, charging like a beast.

"I'll run you bastards over!"

Inside, Duan Wuhu's face twisted with rage; he aimed straight at the running zombies and slammed into them. He knew Lian Sister was still alive on the ground—but he couldn't afford to care.

If they didn't stop the zombies now, more people would die! Crash!

Five or six zombies flew into the air; the remaining thirty or so couldn't stop and slammed into the Big Dog, a series of impacts echoing. Since the road was downhill, the violent force combined with the vehicle's relatively high center of gravity—under the relentless battering of the zombies—the Big Dog tilted sideways! (End of Chapter)