Chapter 506: Fearless in Heart, You Are the Mountain

Clatter clatter.

The thick steel plate blocking the flaming zombie lifted, revealing a face like that of a demonic knight—sunken eye sockets devoid of pupils, replaced by two burning flames; its lips opened and closed, wisps of fire seeping out.

As the barrier was removed, without delay, a fire dragon roared out of the cargo container, warping the surrounding air as it surged toward the oncoming hulking zombie. As Zhang Su had predicted, one of the five zombies had slightly shifted position—if it had charged toward the crowd, it could have easily avoided the flames—but it foolishly chose to charge straight at the heat source, as if treasure lay within, dooming itself to a fate it could have avoided.

As it lunged toward the cargo opening, the fierce flames blasted its massive body backward two or three steps, demonstrating the sheer force of the flaming zombie's breath.

As the fire erupted, people at a distance saw the entire cargo vehicle shift—once stable, it now leaned heavily to one side, bearing immense force.

Literally, the cargo container was like a crude rocket engine nozzle; with minor modifications, it didn't even need fuel to move.

Seeing the five dark figures struggling helplessly in the flames, Zhang Su exhaled deeply—he'd prepared for battle, but hadn't expected things to turn out so favorably. He thought: Without brains, they're easy to handle!

Whoosh!

The roaring flames were fiercer than those at Beidong Town—even with five hulking bodies blocking them, the afterflame shot over forty meters away; the corpses lying on the ground ignited one after another, flickering patches of lighter fire rising and falling within the dragon of flame.

In an instant, the stretch of road connecting the street to the community gate became a hellfire inferno!

The fire's heat didn't just ignite the corpses—it slowly melted the metal railings, and several ornamental trees, four to five meters tall, burst into flames instantly, like torches of hope blazing fiercely.

"Even if I watched this a hundred times, I'd never get tired of it."

"Incredible! If every one of us had a flamethrower like this, zombies wouldn't be a damn thing!"

"Flamethrowers aren't hard to get—it's the energy source that's the problem. This flaming zombie completely defies all known rules. So powerful!"

The combatants gathered on the other side of the vehicle all felt their blood surge—the furious flames shielded them from disaster; waves of scorching heat rolled over them, yet instead of parched throats, they felt exhilarated.

"Weren't we told the mutated zombie was locked up? Is this its attack?"

"No idea. Looks like some kind of weapon."

"It's definitely the mutated zombie. Didn't you hear its screams earlier? Everyone said 'flaming zombie'—how accurate!"

Every ordinary member who had fled farther away stood dumbfounded. They'd been warned not to approach the cargo truck—it would burn them. They knew a mutated zombie was locked inside, and had speculated endlessly, but never confirmed it. Now, witnessing it firsthand, they still couldn't believe it.

A flaming mutated zombie!

This scene sent chills down many spines. They immediately recalled Zhang Su's earlier deal with Absolute Justice—if Absolute Justice hadn't had that madman throw the dynamite, they'd already been incinerated into ash.

Zhang Su sat in the vehicle, feeling the searing heat through the glass. Sweat slid from his temple, but he paid it no mind, eyes locked on the five black figures dancing wildly in the flames.

Their physiques were indeed formidable—at least sturdier than hollow metal railings. They held firm for over ten seconds in the fire, not collapsing, and even tried to push forward, attempting to break through the flame barrier.

Fortunately, this endurance didn't last long. After barely twenty seconds, their massive bodies finally succumbed to the heat, one after another collapsing. Even as the last zombie fell, Zhang Su's grip on the iron chain never loosened.

The scene before him taught him one thing: if he ever encountered such hulking zombies again, ordinary flames—like incendiary grenades or firewalls—were useless. They wouldn't kill the zombies, might even ignite them, and if they entered a berserk state, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Only sustained high-energy flames, like those of the flaming zombie, would make any difference…

The fire raged on until the hulking zombies' human forms vanished, reduced to charred lumps, before Zhang Su finally released his grip.

Clatter clatter. Boom.

The iron chain slid, the heavy steel plate dropped, and a muffled sound echoed inside the container—the fire was smothered. The flaming zombie's furious roars ceased; after wildly expending energy, it fell still, as if entering a state of tranquil enlightenment.

The minute-long flame burst hadn't noticeably dimmed the crimson patterns on its body.

Patches of fire dotted the road; the cement pavement had been baked into a different color, appearing brittle. The ornamental trees burned rapidly, snapping at their trunks and collapsing onto the ground, still burning.

A brilliant victory—the threat had turned into warm embers, offering a faint warmth to survivors in the bitter cold. Every heart stirred with excitement.

"We won—we're saved…"

Boom… Crash! Just as everyone prepared to celebrate their decisive victory, a section of the community wall suddenly collapsed with a thunderous roar. A dark shadow burst through shattered bricks and stones, charging out at incredible speed! All eyes turned—another hulking zombie!!

Mindless zombies didn't grieve for their fallen kind, but this one charged unhesitatingly toward the cargo truck—perhaps drawn by whatever lay inside. Its vacant face paired with its monstrous frame looked grotesquely absurd.

"Husband, run!"

Zheng Xinyu screamed—the hulking zombie was charging the side of the cargo truck. There was no time to rotate the container; they could only brace for impact!

"Shoot! Shoot now!"

The Yanluo Legion reacted the fastest. As soon as the massive figure appeared, they raised their guns and fired—but due to various reasons, their shots had little effect. Few bullets hit the zombie; even when they did, none struck the head, leaving only insignificant bullet craters on its body.

Zhang Su heard the wall collapse and assumed the concrete had been baked brittle by the fire—until he heard his comrades' shouts and realized something was wrong. No time to think—he immediately pushed open the door and jumped out.

Boom! The hulking zombie was ferocious. As Zhang Su leapt out and rolled forward, its massive body slammed into the side of the cargo container.

The cargo container's center of gravity was far higher than a sedan's. After the violent lateral impact, the vehicle tilted instantly, swayed past its balance point, and crashed onto its side with a clang. A series of clinking chains followed, mixed with a meaningless roar—yet it felt like an expression of deep frustration.

From above, everyone could be seen stepping back two paces as the container overturned. Their hearts lurched with the clang—fearing not an explosion, but that the flaming zombie might be freed by the rollover. Fortunately, the frame welded by the Survivors' Alliance was sturdy enough, and the metal box covering the flaming zombie's head had been specially reinforced—no damage occurred.

Zhang Su hid behind a nearby vehicle. Seeing no movement from the flaming zombie, he exhaled deeply, wiped sweat from his forehead with his wrist. The flaming zombie was unharmed—but the threat from the hulking zombie remained.

The hulking zombie, enraged by the overturned container and still hungry for flesh, pounded the cargo box, desperate to crack open this metal can.

But this foolish behavior lasted only seconds. It sensed a strong human scent nearby, turned its head, its hollow eyes useless—relying entirely on other senses. It leapt forward, soaring three or four meters in front of everyone's astonished eyes, like a miniature Green Goblin!

Brown Giant…

"What the fuck…"

Zhang Su stood up, preparing to attack, but froze at the hulking zombie's movement—it had the same eerie vibe as Zero Zero Four!

"Get out of the way! Run!"

Combatants scattered. Against the hulking zombie at close range, firearms were nearly useless—and risked hitting allies. The only options were to dodge behind vehicles or pray for a hero to appear. Boom! The hulking zombie's joints weren't agile enough to chase humans, but its strength was immense. It raised both arms and slammed down—immediately denting a sedan's roof, shattering all its windows like it had been crushed by a crane. It bent its knees, leapt onto the car, and stomped it flat. The airbags exploded beneath its feet, as if it were riding clouds.

"Non-combatants, run! Head for Xinglong Huafu!"

Zhang Su shouted. Taking down this monster wasn't about numbers—more people just meant more food for it.

"Non-combatants, run!"—meant clearly: combatants stay.

Some combatants who'd been about to flee gritted their teeth and stayed. Seeing the rampaging hulking zombie, their hearts pounded—but at least its speed wasn't extreme; they could dodge.

"Yanluo Legion, invincible! Follow me and kill this monster!"

Zhang Su swiftly drew his rebar rod, moving toward the hulking zombie as he shouted to his comrades.

"Yanluo Legion, invincible!"

Zhao De and others, though scrambling to evade, still responded enthusiastically—but they wondered: how could they possibly subdue this thing?

When facing an enemy that seems unbeatable, people's minds turn negative. If no one leads by example, the seed of "unbeatable" takes root, growing into unshakable fear.

Fortunately, Zhang Su set the example.

Everyone saw Zhang Su dart swiftly behind the hulking zombie. The zombie, distracted by the crowd on the other side, hadn't noticed him. As it prepared to charge again, it was attacked from behind.

Zhang Su leapt high into the air, landed lightly on the zombie's waist, then stepped fluidly onto its shoulders.

The fluid motion left all combatants stunned. Though they'd seen it once at Tianma Island, seeing it again still amazed them—wasn't this pure wuxia-style lightness? Why did they all imagine themselves doing it too? Must be an illusion…

Zhang Su stood on the zombie's shoulders, slammed his knees down hard, pinning the zombie in place. Then he swung his arm in a full circle, driving the rebar rod straight into the zombie's skull.

With Zhang Su's current strength, even the legendary pitcher Aroldis Chapman would cry "Oh my god!"

If this blow landed true, the hulking zombie wouldn't just have flowers blooming on its skull—it would drop dead instantly. That primitive-sized head looked anything but sturdy.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

As Zhang Su raised his arm to strike, the hulking zombie, sensing the heavy weight on its shoulders, instinctively shrugged and raised its arms—like swatting away a scrawny monkey climbing its back.

"Danger! Brother Su, watch out!"

"Shit, Su-ge, be careful!"

The surrounding combatants tensed—none dared imagine what would happen if the hulking zombie grabbed him.

The brute's motion threw Zhang Su completely off-balance. Losing balance didn't mean he'd fall—he had a hundred ways to land safely—but losing balance meant losing aim and power. The rebar rod whistled past the zombie's scalp and struck its raised left arm instead.

Puff.

Reduced force, plus the zombie's thick hide, didn't break its arm—only knocked it sideways. No damage done to the enemy, but it eased Zhang Su's pressure.

Whoosh. Zhang Su used the recoil to kick off the zombie's back and landed on a nearby car roof. He saw several people gesturing with guns—this terrified him.

"Put your guns away!"

He was locked in combat with the hulking zombie—if someone panicked and pulled the trigger, he wore body armor, but what if he got shot in the head? "Who the hell is holding a gun?!"

Zhao De was trying to find a way to join the fight when he heard Zhang Su's shout. He turned, furious, and saw many hastily putting away their weapons.

People shouted, but the hulking zombie didn't care. It twisted its sturdy waist, straightened its arms, and swept them backward, determined to crush the scrawny monkey on its shoulders.

Zhang Su, enveloped in white mist, saw the zombie's movements clearly. He evaded effortlessly and launched his second assault.

One thing was undeniable: size meant power. Attacks effective against regular zombies barely affected the hulking one—like scratching through boots. At best, they distorted its motion.

To kill it, you had to crush that tiny human head on its shoulders…

"Keep it occupied—I'll finish it!"

A slender figure darted from the crowd like a leaping carp—fast, agile.

Ju Wuying drew her weapon and attacked. After observing for a while, she'd devised her strategy.

"Brother Su, I'll help too!"

"Husband, I'm coming!"

Zhang Su held the hulking zombie at bay for over ten seconds. The Yanluo Legion recovered their breath and surged forward with weapons drawn.

"I'm in too, damn it!"

"Count me in!"

Liu Yao, unwilling to be left behind, drew his waist knife and followed the Yanluo Legion.

Yang Xin was terrified—but brave. Even with fear gripping him, he pressed forward without hesitation.

Sometimes, when fear fills the heart, you feel insignificant. But when courage surges to face fear, your very stature seems to grow. This was the inner state of everyone facing the hulking zombie.

A human, 1. 8 meters tall, stood dwarfed before a two-meter zombie. But if you had no fear, and used your strengths, killing you wasn't easy for the zombie.

Zhang Su dodged the zombie's attacks, searching for an opening to deliver the killing blow. He heard his comrades' voices, saw them charging fearlessly to aid him—and felt deep satisfaction. But if he couldn't handle even one of these things, what right did he have to be their leader? White mist enveloped him; his heart became his eyes. His feet moved in elusive steps, evading the zombie's strikes with impossible angles. The rebar rod, aimed at the soft spot beneath its jaw, shot upward like a dragon bursting from the abyss. Puch.

"Holy shit…"

The voice didn't come from the hulking zombie—it came from Zhao De, who'd just reached halfway.

In his eyes, the hulking zombie's raised arms slowly lowered, its sturdy knees bent, its head drooped. Through the narrow gap, he saw Zhang Su gripping the rebar rod tightly, supporting the zombie's entire weight. Clearly—the zombie was dead.

(End of chapter)