Chapter 512: The Battle Isn't Over

"Ah, my leg… Dali, you fucking crazy bastard…"

Suddenly, DaNaoTai felt a sharp pain in his calf; he looked down and was instantly paralyzed with terror—his comrade fighting beside him had turned into a zombie and was frantically biting his leg.

"DaNaoTai… hey!"

Li Zongkai kicked the zombie clinging to DaNaoTai's leg, his heart heavy with grief—both men were his subordinates, and DaNaoTai had been with him since the beginning; one suddenly turning, biting the other, filled him with unbearable sorrow.

Dali was kicked flat onto the ground, flailing his legs like a drunkard, unable to rise or even roll over.

Newly turned zombies had not yet been enhanced; perhaps residual human consciousness was still struggling to control them—their combat power was far weaker than the zombies they'd faced earlier, more like those from the very start of the collapse.

"Dali… brother doesn't blame you, brother will send you off—I'll join you soon!"

DaNaoTai stepped back from the front line, wrapped his arms around Dali's head, and plunged his knife in with a wet thud—tears streamed down his face, not just from killing his brother, but from the bleakness of his own impending death.

Dali struggled little; his head drooped, and his life ended.

"Leader Li, I can't protect you anymore—take care of Xiao Duo for me!"

After killing Dali, DaNaoTai looked at Li Zongkai, eyes filled with tears.

"Don't talk nonsense, DaNaoTai—your leg bite can still be saved!"

Li Zongkai grabbed DaNaoTai's arm, trying to stop him from doing something foolish.

"Let me die like a hero!"

DaNaoTai shoved Li Zongkai's hand away, then turned to face the thinning horde now drawn away by the Yanluo Army, raised his steel spear, and charged forward, determined to kill as many zombies as possible before he turned.

"DaNaoTai!"

Li Zongkai helplessly reached out—this moment filled him with deep defeat; no matter how strong his leadership, it felt meaningless now.

"Don't stand there stunned—solve the immediate threat and we still have a chance to save everyone!"

Yu Wen shoved the dejected Li Zongkai aside and shouted loudly: "Victory is within reach! Hold on just a little longer—don't slack, don't lose heart!"

With two cases of comrades turning already, logically they should immediately begin self-checks and isolate anyone acting suspiciously.

Yu Wen knew it was impossible—right now, everyone was wounded, and there was no way to tell who had been bitten.

Don't expect anyone to step forward and confess—they might not even know themselves; some who did still clung to hope, clinging to a sliver of luck. The time and place were simply wrong—everything must wait until the battle ended.

They would win, but how long would it take? Yu Wen didn't know the exact time, but he knew it would be soon—because the fiercest fighting was drawing closer; once Yanluo Wang cut through the entire battlefield, they'd be saved.

"Shu Ge!"

At that moment, Lu Yubo roared in ecstatic joy—he saw the figure he idolized, and even amid flickering light and shadow, he recognized it instantly—its battle stance was unmistakable.

That shout drew many eyes to Zhang Su's combat zone—the pressure lessened, and some even dared to glance at the godlike fighter; seeing him, two opposing emotions rose in their hearts: exhilaration and despair.

Exhilaration came from seeing Zhang Su's fearless slaughter—proof that humanity hadn't been utterly crushed; yet his fluid, effortless movements also revealed the gap between them and him, leaving many disheartened.

The man fighting in the dim light judged his enemies before they moved, timed his strikes with perfect precision, delivered blows heavy and decisive—no motion was wasted, no strength squandered.

For others, a zombie's finger grazing their skin was a near-death brush; for Zhang Su, barely avoiding it felt intentional—just to conserve energy, avoiding useless dodges, and positioning himself to strike again in the shortest possible distance.

"There really are people who kill zombies as easily as eating…"

"Damn it, I could've done this before!"

Wu Baokang, hearing a muttered remark from beside him, replied bitterly—times had changed; once-helpless zombies had become wolves, tigers, and leopards, while human strength hadn't kept pace with their enhancement.

But someone was always special—he'd once thought he was that person, proud as captain of the highest-ranking combat unit in the faction; now he finally knew—he was just another ordinary witness to the extraordinary.

Only slightly stronger than the other witnesses.

Liu Tianji, pale-faced and clutching his arm, watched zombies flying from the distance, his heart aching—just a few more minutes, if he'd held on longer, he wouldn't be like this now; losing his hand didn't matter, but he feared turning.

Once you turned, everything was gone.

"We're alive… we made it…"

Zhang Ya saw the zombies between her and Zhang Su thinning out, and finally broke down crying—but she knew it wasn't over yet; even one living zombie could deliver a fatal blow.

The broken counter she leaned on never fully collapsed, just like them—resilient to the end.

"Finally… I waited… finally…"

Yu Wen had long been on the verge of collapse, yet he never fell—not even sitting down—gripping the stainless steel railing and steel rods tightly, thinking simply: if an old man like me can still fight, how can you, young and middle-aged, dare to slack? As the battle neared its end, the number of living zombies dropped below that of fighters; more and more noticed Zhang Su's combat.

Like a beam of light walking through darkness, impossible to ignore—two words described it: dazzling.

Previously, Zhang Su always held back his strength, never letting others know how powerful he truly was; now he had no choice—he couldn't hold back, and even then, he felt his strength wasn't enough.

From the moment he jumped off the vehicle and assigned tasks until now, over five minutes had passed!

Zhang Su knew clearly—he was full of energy, sharp and vigorous; aided by the white mist and coordinated with his comrades, killing zombies had become almost a grotesque pastime—five minutes meant nothing to him, barely a blink.

But those trapped in the encirclement felt every second as an eternity; some display cases had already shattered, and the last fighters were on the brink of collapse, some leaning on each other, swaying precariously…

"Alive comrades—make a sound!"

Zhang Su fought his way close; with no zombies blocking him, darkness meant nothing—he clearly saw each hopeful face, the expression of someone waiting for a hero to arrive—and he was honored to be that hero they'd all been waiting for.

He also saw the bodies on the ground—not the zombies', but his comrades'—too glaring to ignore.

"Shu Ge…"

"Yanluo Wang…"

"Yanluo Wang, Yanluo Wang!"

Hoarse voices rose slowly, then all fighters joined in unison—until every person in the LeGou branch shouted, their reverence genuine, impossible to fake.

Shhh! As Zhang Su's military knife sliced through the air under the car headlights, a zombie head flew up—the last standing zombies in the mall were all dead; whether any lay hidden, half-dead, remained unknown—awaiting follow-up cleanup.

A dozen figures gathered together—Yanluo Army's main combat force had arrived to rescue them.

"Oh! We won…"

"Yanluo Wang, ten thousand years! Yanluo Army, ten thousand years!"

Among the crowd, Yu Wen finally collapsed backward—luckily Tan Huajun reached him in time and caught him; he immediately shouted his crucial slogan: everyone was chanting Yanluo Wang, but he had to include Yanluo Army.

Not to steal Zhang Su's glory, but to grant his entire team honor.

It worked—the chants that followed now included Yanluo Army's name.

The two groups merged; familiar faces rushed to check on each other—lovers embraced passionately; before they could mourn their fallen, the overwhelming relief of survival surged forth.

On the upper floors, ordinary members crowded around the glass railings, faces filled with gratitude and emotion, murmuring thanks; some wept with joy, others wept with age; adults pointed down to the scene below, telling their children to remember the hero's form.

"Shu Ge, I…" Lu Yubo stepped forward, trembling with excitement, wanting to say something—but Li Zongkai beat him to it.

"Mr. Zhang, please help—DaNaoTai's leg…"

Shhh! Li Zongkai led DaNaoTai to Zhang Su; before he could finish explaining, Zhang Su had already seen the torn pant leg and blood on DaNaoTai's calf—he slashed once, cleanly severing it! "Ahh…" DaNaoTai felt his left leg go light, searing pain jolting his nerves.

??!! Everyone fell silent—such a swift motion.

In the corner, trembling Liu Tianji looked miserable—he thought of his own ordeal, then looked at DaNaoTai, still grateful to Lu Yubo for helping him, even if the process had been brutal.

"Take him to stop the bleeding—leave the rest to fate!"

Zhang Su's killing intent hadn't cooled—he acted swiftly, fueled by hatred for the zombies.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Zongkai hurried DaNaoTai toward the emergency exit.

Lu Yubo stared strangely at Li Zongkai and DaNaoTai's backs—he'd forgotten what he'd wanted to say, only offering a guilty smile to Liu Tianji.

Zhang Su sheathed his knife and addressed the crowd: "Listen up—this battle is only temporarily over. Someone—damn whoever it was—hid a bunch of zombies in the building across the street, and there are still many outside…"

"What the hell?"

"Shit… is this another trick by Liao Youzhi?"

"Why are you all staring at me? I don't know!"

Many looked toward Wu Baokang in confusion—he'd been the highest-ranking member in the Survivor Alliance, so he must know the most secrets.

"Fine, fine, fine—let's blame Liao Youzhi. He's dead anyway, so let him take the blame. Yanluo Wang, what's the situation outside?"

Wu Baokang waved his hand impatiently—who did it didn't matter; what mattered was solving the problem now.

In truth, Liao Youzhi was truly taking the blame—those zombies in the opposite building were Gong Chengming's doing. He and Vanguard Team One slowly accumulated them—sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds—over a month, stuffing over a thousand zombies into the office building across from LeGou Mall.

Gong Chengming's exact motive—likely tied to seizing power—could no longer be verified, but his actions had inflicted heavy damage on everyone.

"The kids at the kindergarten and the car park are holding them off!"

Zhang Su stepped forward, quickly assessing his men's condition; their eyes met, and they nodded slightly—everything understood without words.

He pulled a self-sealing bag from his pocket and handed it to Zheng Xinyu, then said: "Xinyu, take people and check everyone—anyone who might still be saved by amputation, act immediately. Wang Xin, stay and help. Old Yu, you're in charge here. Everyone else, come with me—we'll help the brothers outside finish the last problem!"

After speaking, Zhang Su turned and led his group away—keeping Wang Xin behind was intentional: Zhang Ya was here, and sending Wang Xin outside would distract him.

"Shu Ge, wait for me—I'll help too!"

Tan Huajun sprinted two steps to Zhang Su's side, her calipers slung backward—she'd been sniping from upstairs, had little close combat experience, and still had plenty of energy.

"Me too! Me too!" Lu Yubo hurried after him—he wasn't weak, but he still felt safest beside Zhang Su.

"Uncle, rest up—I'll help the brothers."

Zhao Dezhu settled Yu Wen, then rushed after Zhang Su without hesitation.

"Go—stay safe!" Yu Wen patted Zhao Dezhu's shoulder; his future son-in-law had many flaws, but he was becoming increasingly reliable.

The shattered curtain wall of LeGou Mall was blocked by parked cars, forming excellent cover—fighters only needed to hold the gaps between vehicles, killing one zombie as it squeezed in, two as they came together—no great difficulty.

Before Zhang Su's group reached the curtain wall, Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi were already checking the ground for corpses—the battle was over.

"Report, Yanluo Wang—every single zombie's been wiped out! Brothers are checking for stragglers—haha, we're awesome!"

Liu Yao gave Zhang Su a rough, gruff report.

Using the gaps to fight enhanced zombies had made combat simple again—he'd charged the front lines, slashing wildly, finally avenging his earlier humiliation, and felt great.

"You all performed excellently!"

Zhang Su glanced at the pile of corpses stacked behind the gaps and praised them, one hand on his hip, licking his lips—his face still showed no relief.

"Big Brother, are you worried about that thing?"

Zhao Dezhu's emotional intelligence had improved—he instantly read Zhang Su's thoughts.

Hearing Zhao Dezhu mention "that thing," Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi's smiles faded, worry creeping in.

"That's right!"

Zhang Su nodded firmly, walked to the front of a vehicle, and looked out—the sky was dark and dim, but this posed no obstacle to him; everything was crystal clear.

The streets held no running zombies, restored to a cold, empty stillness, yet the ground was now littered with more scattered debris between the LeGou Mall and the office building across the way.

Surface calm did not mean safety; according to previous theories, among thousands of zombies, there must be at least one giant.

"Boss Su, should I check the building across the street?"

Qi Xiaoshuai volunteered eagerly—his running speed wasn't the fastest in the Yama Legion, but it was among the top, making reconnaissance missions perfect for him.

Zhang Su stared at the silent street, lips curling slightly, his ears filled with all manner of sounds: moans of pain, soothing words, final farewells…

"Alright, Xiaoshuai, go scout—but don't go deep. Those things are big and quiet; be careful!"

Zhang Su clapped Qi Xiaoshuai on the shoulder; in truth, his own abilities made him better suited for reconnaissance, but he had too many tasks and too many places he was needed—he couldn't handle everything himself.

"Leave it to me!"

Qi Xiaoshuai flashed a bright smile, leapt over the pile of corpses, and accidentally burned himself on a cargo crate—he winced and grimaced.

"Boss Su, what are you looking for?" Lu Yu asked curiously.

Tan Huajun watched Qi Xiaoshuai leave, gesturing as she asked: "Boss Su, are you talking about a giant zombie?"

"You've seen one?"

Zhang Su asked in surprise.

Tan Huajun nodded, pointing to the back of the LeGou Mall: "Two of them emerged from shops over there. We were on the fourth floor—I shot them both on the spot."

"Oh my, Auntie Fat, you're amazing!"

Zhao Dezhu praised her repeatedly—he had always been polite to Tan Huajun; when they left the used car lot, he'd driven his car into the greenery, and it was this plump auntie who risked her life to save him—he would never forget it.

Tan Huajun shyly smoothed her messy hair and waved it off: "It's nothing—anyone with a gun can hit a zombie."

"Anyone with a gun can hit one? Don't say that, Auntie… only you'd dare say that."

Liu Yao rubbed his forehead, face flushed with shame.

Yang Xin recalled the scene when he'd shot down the giant zombie—his head filled with black lines.

(End of Chapter)