Chapter 503: Ambush Battle! (5K Single Chapter, No Lazy Shortening)

"Bad… Big Lake! Danger!"

Yang Liehuo saw the car tipping over and instinctively rushed forward to save Duan Wuhu, but his hair was yanked back, his head thrown backward, his face stretched taut—he barely avoided falling flat on the spot.

"Are you crazy? The airbags have deployed—Duan won't die. Get ready to kill the zombies!"

Guo Dachao, terrified that Yang Liehuo would try to stop the car with his bare body, grabbed his wild hair without hesitation and screamed into his ear.

Bang. Bang-bang…

As expected, shortly after the car tilted, the big dog lurched violently, rolled 270 degrees along the mountain road, swayed left and right a few times, then stabilized—its driver's seat now facing the group.

The violent collision triggered all airbags inside the car: steering wheel, A-pillar, side, knee airbags…

Duan Wuhu was squeezed between a cluster of airbags—no serious injuries, but his face was slashed by shattered glass, leaving bloody streaks, like meat filling trapped inside a swollen dough ball—for now, his life was not in danger.

The car's impact directly killed only a few zombies, but it successfully halted their charge, buying the group precious time to regroup; those brief dozen seconds were enough for a trained team to reorganize.

When everyone charged forward again with cold weapons, a scene too horrific to watch unfolded before them…

A bloody corpse lay on the ground, surrounded by over a dozen zombies gnawing at it; some zombies had lost legs during the collision, yet they still fought their own kind for flesh.

The sight filled everyone with grief and fury—they had no intention of using a teammate's corpse to lure zombies, but reality was brutally cruel.

"Lian-jie…"

"I finally understand why the zombies suddenly went quiet and stopped chasing us!"

"Kill! Kill every last one of these beasts!"

Yang Liehuo's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steel rod, stepped forward, and smashed it into the back of a zombie's skull—bone shattered, the creature dropped dead instantly.

The zombies had undergone three rounds of enhancement, but one habit never changed: once they began feeding, they grew eerily calm—even focused. Even as one of their own was killed beside them, the zombies tearing flesh from the corpse didn't even blink—until their own brains were pierced!

Woof! Woof!

A dog's bark rang out—the group tensed. Haoyun rarely barked, but when it did, something was wrong. They turned—and saw it was true!

Not all zombies thrown by the car were badly injured; three crawled painfully up from roadside ditches, eyes blank yet blood-red. Once on their feet, they charged at the humans with wild abandon, ignoring the gap in strength.

Without Haoyun's warning, those three zombies might have caused trouble—but now…

Pfft. Pfft.

Yang Liehuo and Guo Dachao moved in unison, swiftly eliminating the three zombies.

"Lian-jie…"

The women, tears streaming, took turns stabbing the zombies still devouring Lian-jie—some still had chunks of flesh in their mouths, collapsing onto her corpse. The scene could not be described as merely gruesome.

Aowu! Aowu! The crippled zombies, mangled by the car, crawled desperately forward—death awaited them all.

Less than ten minutes later, every living zombie was slaughtered. Guo Dachao carefully checked the scene—no survivors remained.

Yet victory brought no joy. Not only because of Lian-jie's death, but because two companions had been bitten—effectively sentenced to death.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Everyone panted heavily, clouds of white breath rising above their heads. Duan Wuhu had been pulled from the car—minor cuts on his face, a sprained wrist, no major injuries. All eyes now turned grimly toward the two bitten women.

"Yu Jiaohua, Guo Fenfang, you two… ah!"

Yang Liehuo, covered in grime, stared at Yu Jiaohua and Guo Fenfang, pounding his chest in anguish. Both had survived with him since Kuangzhuang; Yu Jiaohua had even lived just one house away in their village. Facing this parting, his heart ached.

"It's not over yet, Fire-brother. Why are you giving up?"

Lu Lei was more composed than Yang Liehuo, slapping his shoulder hard. "Don't look so down. Don't show despair in front of the wounded—they might lose hope even if they could still be saved."

Zhong Xiaoshan brushed back her tangled hair, drew a deep breath of icy air, and fixed her bloodshot eyes on the two women. "Jiaohua-jie, Fenfang-jie—you've both been bitten, one on the arm, one on the thigh. If you amputate quickly, you might survive. I think… you decide. Fight for life—or accept death. It's your choice."

She wasn't as decisive as Zhang Su, and having worked in hospitals for years, she'd seen many patients facing death—she understood their minds. Not everyone wanted to bankrupt themselves and endure agony for treatment.

Sometimes, a swift end was mercy.

"We… I…"

"How do I choose? What should I do?"

Yu Jiaohua and Guo Fenfang turned deathly pale. They couldn't think—mind blank, lips trembling uncontrollably.

"We've developed a zombie-transformation blocker. It's not guaranteed, but there's a chance it works. Qiu Hui is currently undergoing treatment in the lab. Please don't give up—believe in yourselves, believe in science, believe in miracles!"

Fu Weijun rolled his wheelchair forward, saw the two women through the crowd, and called out firmly.

People parted to let him through.

"Fu… Dr. Fu, do we really have a chance?"

Yu Jiaohua asked, voice cracking with tears.

Fu Weijun nodded vigorously. Meeting their hopeful gazes, he said firmly: "There's definitely hope. The blocker was developed by Dr. Xie from the Qinglong Military Unit—they've been researching it for a while. I'm confident. But your choice matters: if you decide to fight, the sooner you inject it, the better."

"Do we still need to amputate the bitten limbs?"

Zhong Xiaoshan eyed Fu Weijun skeptically. She'd never heard of this blocker. And knowing him, his mind was always on research—why was he suddenly so concerned for camp members? Maybe he just wanted his experiment to proceed smoothly. But if it worked, it was still good.

Fu Weijun shook his head, then hesitated. "If you're willing to remove the infected tissue, it might help. But it's up to you—no pressure."

Amputating the bitten area clearly slowed transformation—this was certain. But not everyone had the will to do it.

Fu Weijun believed: if the blocker worked, amputation or not, it would help. If it didn't, amputation wouldn't matter either. What truly mattered was the will to live.

"Cut it off! Fire-brother—I want to live…"

Guo Fenfang's will to survive was strong. If there was even a sliver of hope, why wait? She looked at Yang Liehuo through tears—her plea clear: help me cut off my arm.

"I'll get the medical kit!" Zhong Xiaoshan immediately sprinted toward Haoyun. After amputation, whether the blocker worked or not, Guo Fenfang couldn't bleed to death!

"I… I don't want… If the blocker works, thank heaven. If not, let me die. I don't want… I don't want…"

Yu Jiaohua didn't finish—but everyone knew: she didn't want to lose a leg. Probably because Fu Weijun was watching, she couldn't say it outright.

"Jiaohua, don't be foolish! This is life or death—don't be stubborn!"

Yang Liehuo was furious.

"Fire-brother, don't pressure her. With our current medical conditions, thigh amputation carries risks just as high as zombie transformation." Yu Qing held him back, shaking her head sadly. She wasn't a doctor, but she understood basics.

"Then I say we fight for it. Fine. I'll help Fenfang first. Come on—over here!"

Yang Liehuo gritted his teeth and gestured to Guo Fenfang.

The atmosphere was suffocating. Muffled sobs rose from the crowd. The reserve women couldn't hold back their grief—lips pressed tight, tears streaming.

"No crying!"

Lu Lei, as deputy commander, roared—and the crowd fell silent.

"Why cry because zombies got stronger? We get stronger too. Honestly, today's mess is because we're weak. I don't believe if Brother Zhang were here, and the Yanluo Military Unit stood with us, these zombies could dare act up! You're the reserve unit—do you understand? You must strive to become Yanluo!"

His lecture didn't lift spirits—but it stabilized the mood.

Guo Dachao licked his lips, picked up his rifle from the corpse pile, and clapped Lu Lei on the shoulder. "Don't blame them. Today's been hell for all of us. We almost died here. Thank goodness Duan acted fast. Duan—I owe you my life!"

"Me too, Brother Duan—I owe you my life."

"Count me in. If you'd been three seconds slower, I'd be dead!"

"And me…"

"No, no, no…" Duan Wuhu waved his hands frantically, forcing a grim smile. "In times like this, who owes whom? We're all fighting to survive. Just… live. Live well!"

Saying "I owe you my life" meant nothing. None knew how long they'd live, whether they'd ever get a chance to repay, or if they'd even have the will to when the moment came.

Live well. A simple, humble wish…

"Ah… uh!"

Just then, a muffled cry came from behind a tree. Everyone knew what had happened. They wanted to help but felt useless—until Zhong Xiaoshan rushed up with the medical kit, and they finally breathed easier…

But they didn't realize: the real danger still lurked in the shadows!

While Tianmayu fought zombies, Zhang Su faced his own crisis.

The convoy had reached one street away from Xinglong Huafu when Zhang Su glanced into a ruined housing complex—and froze. Zombies wandered inside. Not just a few—dozens visible, easily a hundred or more. More must be hidden behind the walls!

"That's not right!"

Zhang Su slowed the car, frowning. "Normally, during rain, zombies just stand there. Why are they moving now?"

Zheng Xinyu also saw the zombies. "I'm more curious why zombies haven't been cleared from so close to camp… Hey, wait—do they sense us?"

As she spoke, she saw the zombies over a hundred meters away turn their heads toward the gate—and then did something that stunned her.

They sprinted.

"Holy shit, Usain Bolt!"

Previous zombies ran fast, but mechanically, clumsy, awkward. These? Their movements were fluid, human-like—and terrifyingly swift!

"Is this… mutated zombies? Or just enhanced normals?"

When Zhang Su saw them charging the gate, his heart clenched. "Brother, these zombies are on adrenaline—that gate won't hold!"

Over the radio, Zhao Dechu's voice was frantic: "First wave hit the gate hard—it's shaking! Cement nails are flying! It'll break in seconds—look at their strength!"

"Everyone, get out and shoot! Now! Kill them!"

Zhang Su didn't hear Zhao Dechu's words—he'd already thrown open his door and shouted orders the moment the zombies charged.

Silence was pointless now. The zombies had spotted them—swarming out in droves. The ones visible at the gate were only half—dozens more surged behind them. At least three hundred!

The convoy couldn't escape. Every vehicle was overloaded. Thin snow made the ground slippery. Only if they hadn't drawn attention could they have slipped away. Seeing the zombies' speed, Zhang Su knew killing them was the only option—now, how to kill them best.

Past experience favored cold weapons. But this time, he ordered everyone to open fire immediately. Why? Because the zombies were too fast. If they charged the convoy, casualties would be catastrophic. Early elimination minimized losses.

As for the untrained survivors without weapons…

The image of corpses littering the ground flashed in Zhang Su's mind. Fire. Rapid elimination—this was the only choice. Taptaptap. Taptaptap…

As he gave the order, Zhang Su raised his rifle and began picking off targets. Gunfire erupted around him. Yanluo Military Unit members fired their standard rifles. Liu Yao and Yang Xin's squads also had guns—but not everyone trained daily like Yanluo soldiers…

Some from the car park and kindergarten divisions held rifles, but mostly to intimidate humans—not zombies. When real shooting came, they froze. Accuracy? Terrible. Unbearable. The guns were wasted on them—useful only for scaring people.

Only a few Yanluo riflemen were actually killing zombies. The rest were like audience members—ten rounds to hit one zombie, rarely even the head. Incredibly inefficient…

The housing complex gate was flimsy, but the walls were solid, forcing zombies to funnel through the gate—slightly easing pressure. Still, three or four hundred zombies poured out in waves—firepower felt thin.

Flames flashed, shell casings flew. Emptying magazines wasn't a joke. Each person carried limited ammo. In real combat, ammo vanished faster than imagined. Soon, several magazines were empty. Results? Decent—at least a hundred zombies lay dead between the gate and the street…

"Everyone withdraw! Combat personnel use the cars as cover and prepare for close-quarters melee combat!"

After rifles had killed over a hundred zombies, the remaining two hundred-plus zombies stumbled over their fallen kind, closing the distance to within thirty meters!

Fortunately, the corpses on the ground slowed many of them, causing them to trip and fall in gruesome ways during their charge—otherwise, the sheer momentum would have been unstoppable.

From spotting the zombies, to being spotted by them, to having them mere feet away—all within two or three minutes. The suppression of firepower seemed feeble against speed and fearless aggression, not to mention their overwhelming numbers!

"Hurry! Grab your weapons and prepare to fight!"

"Knights, charge!"

Liu Yao and Yang Xin shouted orders in unison; their vehicles were packed with ordinary survivors. They'd spent precious time just clearing space, then hastily fired but killed only a few zombies. Now they frantically pulled out weapons and took cover behind the cars, utterly overwhelmed, faces etched with panic…

But it wasn't their fault—the zombies' strength had surpassed all expectations. This was an unexpected battle; everything was unforeseen.

An unexpected moment met an unexpected location with unexpectedly powerful zombies…

All combat personnel now understood the difference between an ambush and a defensive stand: one was ordinary mode, operated by foot; the other was hard mode, capable of crippling your hands! Zhang Su flung open the car door, tossed the rifle onto the vehicle, drew his military knife and steel rod from his waist with crossed hands, flexed his wrists—joints cracking—and turned his head to peer over the hood at the charging zombies. With grave eyes, he told Zheng Xinyu beside him: "Stay close to me!"

"I'll fight beside you!"

Zheng Xinyu sensed the danger; her hormone levels spiked wildly. In the brief moment, she shifted her backpack to her chest, just as she had when fleeing the residential compound, then pulled a hat from a hidden compartment and placed it on Zhang Su's head—then put one on herself.

Others were doing the same: checking weapons, arming armor—the atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

When members of the Yanluojuntuan donned their ugly, grotesque hats, things had reached a serious level! (End of Chapter)