Chapter 160: A Goddess-Like Descent

Casualties within the ranks continued to mount. It was not just Guo Yu's team; losses were beginning to appear among the young ladies as well.

The battle had dragged on for far too long, completely lacking fortifications, and rotations could not be executed seamlessly.

Finally, at 5:37, Wang Ke crawled out of the tent.

"How is it?"

Fang Xia asked immediately.

"Divine Blessing. Once cast, all humans within a hundred-meter radius receive a blessing bonus."

"Under the blessing, for five minutes, you are immune to viruses of the same tier, your recovery is enhanced, and your attack power is boosted."

Awesome.

That was the only word echoing in Fang Xia's mind at this moment.

"Quick, order everyone in the front and back to pull the formation inward, tighten it as much as possible."

"Everyone currently resting, break out toward the flanks and widen the perimeter slightly."

A hundred-meter radius was neither too large nor too small.

The problem right now was that the flanks could not possibly extend out to a full hundred meters, so they had no choice but to bunch up the vanguard and rearguard as tightly as possible.

"Begin."

Five minutes later, everyone was fully prepared, and all members had been briefed.

A blessing bonus would soon be applied, granting immunity to zombie viruses below the fourth tier for the duration of five minutes. They had to fight their way to Yangcheng within those five minutes.

A sudden burst of golden light emanated from Wang Ke, shrouding her and making her look like a descending goddess.

Then, the golden light gradually expanded outward, stopping only when it reached a hundred-meter boundary.

Fang Xia glanced around roughly. Although it did not cover every single person, it enveloped at least seventy percent of them, which would have to suffice.

Bathed in the golden light, the combatants, who had been utterly exhausted, felt a sudden surge of strength return to their bodies.

So this was the enhanced recovery? He had initially thought it only pertained to accelerated wound healing, but even stamina was being restored.

When the golden light completely filled the hundred-meter radius, it lingered for about three seconds before abruptly vanishing.

The disappearance of the golden light acted like a signal; without a shred of fear, everyone charged toward the horde of zombies.

Night was falling fast, and to stand still meant death.

With their stamina restored and their physical strength seemingly multiplied, it was time to risk it all.

fueled by this fearless momentum, the pace of the entire contingent shot up instantly.

Charging at the absolute forefront was still Bai Xiaochun.

A fourth-tier zombie suddenly lunged forward, bypassing Bai Xiaochun to attack a male fighter nearby who had gotten overly aggressive in his charge.

Unsurprisingly, for a third-tier fighter facing a sudden ambush by a fourth-tier zombie, death was practically guaranteed.

And true enough.

Despite his desperate attempt to dodge, the fourth-tier zombie effortlessly pierced his arm, and fresh blood gushed out instantly.

The comrades behind him hesitated for a moment.

In the past, a situation like this meant executing him on the spot to prevent turning.

Yet, Commander Fang's people had just stated that within five minutes, everyone was immune to the toxin of fourth-tier zombies.

That brief hesitation lasted a dozen seconds.

During that exact window, the wound on the man's arm, which had been impaled by the zombie, began to heal at a visible speed, and the bleeding stopped almost immediately.

"Holy crap, this is insane! Brothers, charge!"

In disbelief, the man stared at his own arm. He hadn't turned, and in such a short span of time, a through-and-through puncture wound had actually healed.

Though his arm still throbbed with pain, it did nothing to slow his charge.

With this living proof before them, morale skyrocketed, and the rest of the troops lunged forward with renewed fervor.

To its dying breath, that fourth-tier zombie could not comprehend why this seemingly frail human had refused to die.

Worse still, why was it being hacked to pieces by a mob of such humans?

Clearly, it had wounded several of them—why had none of it worked?

Alas, it would never receive an answer to those questions.

"Don't stop! Keep pushing forward!"

Someone shouted from behind.

There were only five minutes left on the clock, and nearly ten kilometers still separated them from their destination.

Whether they lived or died hinged entirely on these next five minutes.

Fang Xia joined the fray personally, his fifth-tier prowess rendered even more terrifying under the effects of the blessing.

Second and third-tier zombies fell before him like wheat before a scythe.

When the golden glow enveloping them finally faded, the towering walls of Yangcheng were already visible in the distance.

Five minutes was fleeting.

The moment they caught sight of the Yangcheng city walls, the blessing effect expired.

Caught off guard by the sudden cutoff, many who had pressed too far ahead lost their lives right then and there.

"Hold the line! Yangcheng is right ahead, break through!"

Bai Xiaochun was in the vanguard. Sensing the exact moment the blessing dissipated, she activated her Tenacity skill without a moment's hesitation.

Simultaneously, the fire-attribute esper operators had prepared well in advance, unleashing dozens of torrents of flame. Under their blazing lead, the formation maintained its high-speed advance.

At the very front, Fang Xia was already in position. His mandate was to hunt down and eliminate any fourth-tier zombies to prevent them from impeding the army's advance.

Bai Xing and Liu Rui remained stationed in the center of the formation, keeping a watchful eye on the flanks to prevent high-tier zombies from breaching the defense lines.

Guo Yu and Xiao Strong anchored the rear; with the two of them holding down the fort, fourth-tier zombies posed zero threat there either.

Casualties were inevitable, but the overall trajectory was positive, and they were drawing ever closer to Yangcheng.

Atop the battlements of Yangcheng, sentries had a bird's-eye view of the unfolding chaos outside, and messengers had already been dispatched to report the situation.

As a super-tier metropolis before the apocalypse, daily arrivals of survivors from various shattered regions meant the garrison had long since grown accustomed to such spectacles.

However, this was the first time they had witnessed a force so small in number yet advancing with such ferocious velocity.

Before long, the Lord of Yangcheng arrived in person, trailed by several thousand armed troops.

"The overall combat strength of this contingent is formidable. No wonder they managed to carve their way here with such a meager headcount."

A subordinate beside him nodded in deep agreement.

Judging purely by the battlefield dynamics, the strength of the team below rivaled the elite battalions of the Lord's estate.

"Lord, should we send aid? A team of this caliber is a rare sight indeed. If we can absorb them into our ranks, it will be a tremendous boost to our forces."

The Lord pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Dong Guoxing, take your men out. Proceed with caution—there is a fifth-tier zombie lurking in the vicinity."

...

Unaware of the scene unfolding upon the city walls, Fang Xia maintained absolute focus, his eyes locked onto the sea of approaching undead. Whenever a fourth-tier threat surfaced, he eliminated it instantly.

Though the walls were now in sight, a considerable distance still separated them. While it wasn't the deceptive mirage of staring at a distant mountain while walking forever to reach it, it was certainly not something they could cross in a blink.

This was precisely when demoralization could spell doom; they had to push through in one final, unbroken surge.

Once momentum died, mounting a second assault would be impossible.

Just as the grueling battle reached its fever pitch, the massive gates of Yangcheng swung wide open, and thousands of armed fighters poured out from within.