Chapter 511: I

"Can't go on anymore…"

Wu Baokang, the strongest fighter, after killing another zombie, suddenly saw blackness before his eyes—he knew instinctively this was the sign of reaching his limit; his body had already edged toward collapse.

What kept him going was willpower and the will to survive; the moment he thought, "To hell with it, living's too hard—better off dead," he would drop instantly.

Lu Yu, the second-strongest fighter, was still battling; his lips and arms trembled violently, his clothes long gone, leaving only the bulletproof armor forged from petrified zombie skin—he could still fight for a while longer, but death was within reach.

His drive to keep fighting came from unwillingness to surrender: the woman he loved hadn't yet been won, the figure he chased was fading farther away, the beauty he longed for still untouched.

"Xinxin… goodbye."

Zhang Ya silently whispered, pulling the rebar rod from the zombie's skull, feeling every ounce of strength drained—right then, she truly wanted to give up; if death was certain, why not die comfortably instead of suffering before the end?

"My wrong decision cost everyone's lives—I've betrayed Master Zhang's trust…"

"Brother Su… damn it, if Brother Su were here, these zombies would be shit!"

Hearing Yu Wen mention Zhang Su, Lu Yu suddenly found new strength—he kicked one zombie away, then shoved his left forearm into the mouth of another zombie lunging at him; the biting through his bulletproof armor wasn't painful, even slightly tingling, and with his right hand's grain sampler, he struck upward again, killing another zombie.

What stood before him was no longer counters or chairs—it was zombie corpses, piled one atop another, half a person high!

"Ah, King of Hell, you were mighty when you beat me—now I need you to save me, where are you? If you've got guts, come here!"

Wu Baokang, hearing Lu Yu and the others shout Zhang Su's name, felt a surge of bitterness—had he possessed that man's strength, perhaps he might have had a chance to survive?

Buzzing, clanging, boom-thud, crash…

As everyone stood on the brink of despair, about to plunge into the abyss of death, the glass curtain wall on the first floor of the mall was violently slammed—glass shattered with a crisp crack, several zombies crushed into the mall by the car's front end, dazed and disoriented, wheels grinding over them; though not instantly killed, they were pinned and immobilized.

Simultaneously, beams of headlights pierced through the cracks into the mall; under the Tyndall effect, shafts of light appeared solid, and before the headlights, zombie arms flailed wildly—the chaotic shadows like demonic claws tugging at people's nerves.

Darkness and light—absolute opposites; in darkness, demons danced, inducing terror, while light shattered the dark, crushing the demons' faces, bringing hope—when the fighters saw that sliver of light, their hearts trembled violently, everyone silently asking:

Are rescuers here?

"I'm back, brothers, hold on!"

A piercing voice cut through the zombies' howls, striking the eardrums of the despairing crowd.

"It's Brother Su! It's Brother Su's voice!"

Lu Yu's eyes bulged as he roared wildly, veins swelling on his neck; a surge of heat erupted from his dantian, flooding his entire body—his strength returned!

"Thank heaven and earth… hold on, everyone, the King of Hell has returned to save us, hold on! Ah…"

Yu Wen froze for a second, then somehow found strength—he raised his arm to shout, only to be tackled by a zombie, crashing hard to the ground, feeling teeth sink into his chest; luckily, the petrified skin armor protected him—he'd nearly died again! "Teacher Yu!"

Zhang Ya screamed; she'd just been dazed, fearing a hallucination—until a beam of light stabbed her eyes, confirming it was real. Seeing Yu Wen attacked, she rushed to help.

"Hahaha, the King of Hell is back! Everyone, give one hundred and twenty percent! Hold on!"

Wu Baokang's face and head were covered in scrapes and blood, yet his spirit surged to an extreme—his condition was even more explosive than when he first charged downstairs.

Li Zongkai, Zhang Xin, Wu Daqiang, and others all trembled upon hearing Zhang Su's voice—as if their bodies automatically unearthed hidden strength, struggling to carry them through this final ordeal!

"Finally arrived… just in time… thank goodness."

On the fourth floor, Tan Huajun's eyes welled with tears.

After sending out the message, she received an immediate reply—only four simple syllables: "Arriving soon."

"Soon" was too vague; Tan Huajun dared not speculate, nor inform the others, lest some lose focus, hoping for rescue—only when facing certain death can one fight for a sliver of life.

Though she hadn't engaged in close combat, just before the car crashed into the mall, she'd fired her last bullet—no one had killed more zombies than her. Hearing Zhang Su's shout, she snatched the caliper beside her and sprinted toward the emergency exit.

Killing zombies, Tan Huajun took seriously—she held a fierce belief: she must not die here, she must return alive—her daughter needed her.

Swish! Swish!

Two flashes of cold light—two zombie heads flew sideways like pineapples tossed in Fruit Ninja; two headless corpses collapsed to the ground…

Zhang Su gripped a dog-leg combat knife tightly in his right hand, its blade gleaming; his left held a plain but heavy rebar rod. He leapt from the car and dispatched two zombies sprinting toward him; seeing the countless zombies before him in the light and dark, his heart grew heavy.

Not because there were too many enemies—but because he couldn't imagine how many brothers would die in this battle.

"Yang Xinqi, Liu Yao, you two hold this position. Don't get involved in the fighting inside, but don't let a single zombie break through—clear?"

Zhang Su pointed.

The situation outside on the road was grim; those inside the mall didn't realize—hundreds more zombies were still lining up to squeeze in.

Their arrival had completely blocked the entrance and exit to the LeGou Mall, smashing the glass curtain wall; zombies wandering the street had to break through their line to enter, while zombies inside, drawn by fresh blood, turned away from the encirclement and surged toward the newcomers—demonstrating their fickleness with brutal clarity.

"Yes, understood!"

"Mission confirmed!"

Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi didn't hesitate—chaos reigned, the task was brutal, but they had no room to retreat!

"Brothers, pair up—attack and defend together. I don't want to hear of anyone getting bitten!"

After assigning tasks, Zhang Su turned toward the mall interior and said to Zheng Xinyu: "Stay close to me. Don't get lost."

He kicked off, shattering a delicate glass panel, and shot forward like an arrow toward the densest cluster of zombies.

"Bozi, Teacher Yu, hold on!"

Zheng Xinyu screamed, knowing the trapped companions weren't just Lu Yu and Yu Wen—but in the rush, only those two closest to her came to mind; she roared, swinging her rebar rod as she followed Zhang Su into the horde.

"Uncle, hold on! Lu brother, protect my father-in-law!"

Zhao Dezhu stared at the dark mass surging in the distance—he knew it was the trapped group; his killing intent surged like a fisherman suddenly ordered to slaughter a basket of fish, and these frenzied zombies were those stinking, thrashing fish. Beside him, Chen Hanzhou and Pang Dankun said nothing, gritted their teeth, and charged forward; both were strong fighters already, and now, following the King of Hell into battle, even giant zombies didn't frighten them—but this couldn't be said by Liu Yao… Qi Xiaoshuai turned his head—his partner was Ju Wuying—but she was gone. His face tightened.

A ghostly figure moved the moment Zhang Su gave the order—Ju Wuying chose a cunning attack route; chaos and obstacles filled the area, but so did zombies—this uneven terrain suited her perfectly, as if it were her own battlefield.

She disliked partnering with others—like a dancer in darkness, destined to walk alone.

"Xiao Ya, answer me!"

Wang Xin followed closely beside Zhao Dezhu, face tense—his beloved was trapped inside, Shengsiweibu; with bloodshot eyes, he stabbed zombies while shouting loudly.

"I… ah, get off!"

Zhang Ya heard Wang Xin's call—her heart surged, tears mixing with sweat streaking down her face—but before she could reply, a zombie lunged at her side; she had to deal with it immediately.

"You bastard, you've got a girlfriend but no humanity—we're all still alive… ah!"

Liu Tianji knew Zhang Ya wanted to respond—he seized a moment to answer, but slipped—another zombie leapt from the side, bit his palm; his cotton glove offered no protection against the zombie's sharp teeth—blood spurted instantly.

"Ah?!"

Lu Yu's eyes were bloodshot; he fought using his body's last reserves, as if squeezing every cell dry—his abilities heightened, and instantly he noticed Liu Tianji being bitten—he stabbed the zombie clinging to him, then swiftly drew a dagger from his waist.

He gave Liu Tianji no time to speak—grabbed his bitten arm, aimed at the edge of the bulletproof sleeve, and slashed—unfortunately…

The dagger was sharp, but wrist bones weren't that fragile; Lu Yu's force was insufficient—it only cut halfway.

"Aaah…"

Liu Tianji knew what Lu Yu intended, but seeing his wrist's state, he couldn't help screaming—not from pain, but from terror.

"Fuck it, go, go, fuck it!"

After four consecutive slashes, his hand finally fell off. Lu Yu grinned, tossed the hand aside, and shoved Liu Tianji into the crowd: "Stop the bleeding yourself!"

Zhang Su's hearing, even if sharp, couldn't know what happened at Liu Tianji's location—his brain processed information too slowly to absorb every noise in the mall, and right now, all his focus was on combat.

White mist enveloped him, his steps light, arms flailing—his zombie-slaying speed was astonishing.

He was initially shocked by the enhanced zombies—because he hadn't yet adapted to their strength; after battling the big ones, he now understood their capabilities clearly—know yourself, know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated.

He knew his own strength perfectly; after gauging the zombies' power levels, he knew exactly how to fight!

The white mist gave Zhang Su immense advantage in one-vs-many: within its range, he blocked out allies, focusing only on approaching zombies; multitasking, his left rebar rod struck precise kills, while his stronger right arm activated area damage—his wrist like forged steel, the combat knife sweeping in wide arcs; any zombie reaching for him got no mercy! Pitter-patter, splat-splat, swish-swish…

Zhang Su breathed like a dragon, his lungs and heart pushed to maximum; the freezing air clogged his nose—he breathed through his mouth, taking in more oxygen; blood surged through his veins, frantically delivering oxygen to every cell; every pore on his body steamed—heat generated by his body's mechanical frenzy.

Facing the endless horde on one side, and his desperate brothers waiting for rescue on the other—he fought without holding back!

Whether ordinary zombies or enhanced ones, with his current strength, as long as his stamina held, he could keep killing, killing, killing!

Fortunately, his stamina was abundant—his body's energy gauge still at 82%. If it dropped below his tolerance, two backup energy gauges lay beneath! The LeGou Mall had become a netherworld—and the King of Hell belonged to the netherworld.

Earlier, many had wondered if Zhang Su would die if surrounded by zombies—now the answer was given!

Lu Yu and others couldn't see it, but those on the second or third floor with good vantage points witnessed a spectacle: one man, dual-wielding, like a movie stunt, seemingly suspended by wires, darting and weaving, carving out a two-to-three-meter-wide path through the horde.

Not just the rebar rod and knife—every part of his body became a weapon: head, elbows, shoulders, back, knees… like a tunnel boring machine, the zombie-made wall couldn't stop his advance.

"This is the King of Hell's power… my god…"

"Non-human… too strong! The King of Hell is incredible!"

"Not just the King of Hell—everyone else… they're amazing too! Over there, and there—look at that person, so fast, can't even see them!"

"Hahaha, we're saved! The King of Hell's army, ten thousand years! The King of Hell, ten thousand years!"

Cheers erupted from the second and third floors; many fell to their knees, arms raised to the sky, weeping with joy. Waiting for death and watching hope slowly approach—two extremes. The shift from hell to heaven couldn't be described as mere satisfaction—it was ecstasy.

The nearly exhausted, besieged people heard the cheers above—like a shot of adrenaline poured straight into their mouths. They weren't fools; they knew the cheers meant only one thing: the King of Hell's army was overwhelming!

An intense will to survive exploded in this moment—could they really die just before dawn? "Yah! Hey, ha!"

Not just at the main entrance—a figure burst from the emergency exit.

Tan Huajun charged down from above; on the third floor, she encountered two zombies. Since the second-floor door was locked, they couldn't enter, so she cleared them and reached the first floor, where she met two more.

A slight delay—but no matter; perfect warm-up.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The heavy wind noise sent chills down spines—the sound of heavy weapons. A massive figure swung, killing two zombies; her appearance immediately drew attention—several zombies charged her furiously.

Facing the attacking zombies, Tan Huajun didn't rely solely on her weapon—her massive body, enhanced by heavy weight, delivered formidable impact.

Tan Huajun met the charging zombies head-on, no technique, just brute force—bigger wins. With her mass and years of training, even enhanced zombies couldn't match her—they flew backward instantly.

Using the momentum, her reinforced giant caliper had become indistinguishable from Death's scythe; its sharp, sturdy jaws seemed to have eyes—each strike hammered into the zombies' vulnerable skulls, one-hit kills becoming routine.

"Everyone, come this way to the emergency exit—hurry!"

After killing the four zombies inside the emergency exit and dispatching the five near the door who noticed her, Tan Huajun gained a moment of relief. She shouted loudly, trying to draw some zombies away from the besieged group—behind her was the stairwell, ready to advance or retreat.

Tan Huajun's strategy wasn't useless, but its effect was modest—only the outermost ten or so zombies, unable to squeeze into the inner circle, turned toward her. Still, she considered it a good result.

Seeing zombies fall for it, Tan Huajun pulled half the door shut, leaving only a half-meter gap, then retreated into the emergency exit, eyes sharp, waiting for the zombies to come to her!

Powerful combat ability matters—but paired with sharp wit, it multiplies effectiveness. Before coming down, Tan Huajun had already planned her strategy—now executing it flawlessly.

In front, the Yen Lo Legion's main forces slashed and hacked wildly; behind, a female wrath-god surged forth to aid in breaking the encirclement. The pressure on those surrounded gradually lessened; the survivors, clinging to their last breath, refused to fall in the final second before victory.

(End of Chapter)