Chapter 80: Fourth-Tier Zombie

Fang Xia, still seething with anger, returned to the rooftop, casting a fierce glare at Liu Rui before climbing up. Was this really the team she’d brought together? He dismissed the episode quickly—it was but a trivial matter, and what mattered now was finding the location of that Tier Four zombie. Yet it was so patient; even now, it hadn’t shown itself. Unable to pinpoint its whereabouts, Fang Xia didn’t dare rush out in search.

Another half hour crept by. Fang Xia’s nerves, taut as steel wires, finally began to fray. He gave up watching and sat cross-legged on the rooftop terrace; if he kept staring like this, in less than two hours he’d break down from the strain even without the Tier Four zombie making a move.

Just as he settled down, the darkness around him suddenly erupted with a dozen swift figures—all Tier Three zombies.

“Li Qianwan!” Liu Rui shouted, the sound startling Li Qianwan beside her.

“Rui, I’m here.”

“You two, move out—one to the left, one behind, block the front.” After watching the drama unfold for so long, it was at last their turn. The deaths of a dozen sisters had filled her with rage, but without Liu Rui’s command, she couldn’t act.

Now, the two women ran to the front. As one sliced several zombies away with her battle blade, they both extended their hands. A searing jet of flame burst from their palms, coiling out as meter-long fire serpents. With a sweep of their arms, four fiery snakes turned the area ahead into a blazing inferno.

“Li Xiaochun, you and the others—move in front of them, rotate your skills!” With human shields to protect them, the fire-wielding sisters unleashed with abandon. Tier One zombies died on contact; Tier Twos lasted only a little longer, and even Tier Threes dared not charge through the sea of fire.

“Careful!” A shrill cry rang out, so startling that Fang Xia stood up on the rooftop. A dozen dark shadows hurtled toward the courtyard, splitting into two groups as they met the fire, bypassing the flames and heading straight for the fire-wielding sisters.

This was Liu Rui, making her move for the first time in ages. Many of the sisters were witnessing it for the first time; they’d often whispered in private, wondering if Rui had ever even slain a zombie. Even the earliest members may have forgotten that Liu Rui had indeed fought zombies, and at the time, was the most decisive of them all.

The claws of Tier Three zombies were as deadly as weapons—two sisters of equal rank would still struggle against one. But before Liu Rui, all this was meaningless. Her blade flashed, and three zombies that breached the line were decapitated. She then intercepted a fourth with astonishing speed.

All the sisters stared, dumbfounded.

On the other side, five more zombies broke through. Fang Xia’s figure flickered, appearing before them. There were no fancy moves—just simple, swift slashes. In less than ten seconds, all five Tier Three zombies were dead.

“Not good.” Liu Rui faced off against the fourth zombie; with her current strength and speed, a Tier Three should have had no chance to evade. But reality proved otherwise. The zombie abruptly accelerated, dodging the fatal strike, leaving a blur in the lamplight.

Unprepared, Liu Rui’s right arm took a heavy blow, sending her flying sideways. This was a Tier Four zombie. After knocking Liu Rui aside, it didn’t pursue her, but began slaughtering the sisters nearby. Resistance was futile; none could match its speed, and even if they blocked, their strength was not on par. In an instant, a dozen sisters were killed.

“Captain!” At the critical moment, Fang Xia teleported again. The Tier Four zombie instinctively sensed danger, attempting to dodge.

“Too late.” Fang Xia’s voice came from behind it. With a furious strike, the Tier Four zombie fell, dead.

If it didn’t stay hidden behind the zombie horde, but dared to show itself, it deserved to die.

“Brother Fang!” On the other side, Liu Rui lay on the ground, with no one daring to approach. Normally, anyone struck by a zombie would be killed immediately to prevent further risk. But this was Liu Rui—who would dare touch her? Thankfully, no one acted rashly; Liu Rui was wearing battle armor, and the zombie’s blow left no wound on her arm.

With the Tier Four zombie dead, Fang Xia felt his anxiety lift. He exhaled deeply and walked over to Liu Rui. She had already lost consciousness; Fang Xia crouched and lifted her in his arms, glanced at the ongoing battle outside, and headed straight for the second floor.

Jiang Wei was already waiting by the door.

“It’s not serious—just a broken arm, and the force of impact caused her to faint,” Jiang Wei concluded after examining her.

“I’ll set her arm first.” Fang Xia relaxed, knowing Liu Rui was safe.

Downstairs, the zombie assault was nearing its end. With the powerful output from the fire-wielding sisters, the efficiency of killing zombies had increased dramatically. The remaining Tier Three zombies that had broken in were wiped out by the sisters.

Once the situation was stabilized, the little girl was left to clean up. Bai Xing and Li Xiaochun hurried upstairs, relieved only after confirming Liu Rui was unharmed.

Apart from Fang Xia’s side, the other three places were littered with corpses. Dawn City had the most casualties. Though they had more experts, their larger population attracted more zombies. Two Tier Four zombies had stayed hidden until the end, nearly causing Dawn City’s defenses to collapse. In the end, Chen Gang, alone, summoned two fire dragons, each two meters long, and burned the Tier Four zombies to death.

The Blood Mantle Group also faced a Tier Four zombie. But before it could do anything, Bai Yi decapitated it with a single stroke, leaving everyone wondering how he even spotted it.

The worst fate befell the Lone Wolf Group. Lone Wolf himself was at Tier Four, but could barely match the Tier Four zombie, especially with a dozen Tier Threes surrounding them. Had he not made some money selling cigarettes lately and upgraded his team’s strength, he would have been doomed; as it was, he lost seven Tier Three subordinates to defeat the Tier Four zombie.

As for his ten thousand followers, at least half were casualties; the freelancers tagging along fared worse still.

After this battle, Lone Wolf Group not only lost all the profits from the last couple of days, but their strength was severely diminished. Who knew if Lone Wolf Group would even survive after the seven-day round ended?

...

Five in the morning.

Fang Xia had yet to sleep.

The third wave of zombie rain had come so suddenly, leaving him unprepared.

If this continued for seven days, how many would be left in his team by the end?

Strength. He must find a way to quickly raise their power.