Chapter 56: The battle begins
The relentless barrage continued.
Ratatatatata!
Bullets tore through the front ranks of the horde. One zombie after another collapsed, only for the next to step over the corpses and take its place. Behind the infantry line, a crew of soldiers finished loading another volley of rockets.
"Fire!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three missiles screamed across the battlefield.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions blasted massive gaps through the crowd. Severed limbs and shattered bodies flew high into the air as thick smoke and dust swallowed the streets.
John watched the carnage with calm, unwavering eyes.
"Second Infantry."
"Advance."
"Yes, Captain!"
The shield-bearing soldiers split apart, opening a path for another company to surge forward. The fresh troops wasted no time, unleashing concentrated fire right into the weakened sections of the horde. The zombies that survived the blasts barely had a chance to recover before a new hail of bullets cut them down.
"Push forward!"
The military moved street by street in perfect formation. Spearmen dealt with any stragglers that slipped through the gaps, while riflemen kept up a steady stream of fire to suppress the crowd. Little by little, the military line forced its way deeper into zombie territory. For the first time since the battle had begun, the horde started losing ground.
Just then, three military water tankers rumbled onto the battlefield from behind the infantry. Soldiers quickly grabbed the massive hoses mounted on the vehicles.
Tony stepped to the front and raised his hand.
"Fire!"
Fwooosh!
Pressurized streams of water burst from the cannons with tremendous force. The torrents crashed into the horde like raging rivers, sweeping dozens of zombies off their feet. Mutants, Runners, Crawlers—and even the Stalkers hiding among them—were knocked sprawling across the soaked pavement. Within moments, the tankers ran completely dry.
The water itself hadn’t killed many zombies, but it achieved its purpose: it completely shattered the horde’s formation. The tightly packed mass of undead broke into total chaos. One by one, the zombies struggled back to their feet and started moving forward again.
Tony suddenly shouted,
"All troops! Fall back!"
The advancing soldiers retreated without a second thought. Tony slowly raised both hands toward the sky.
The next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
The water covering the streets began to tremble. Then, it rose into the air. Countless streams floated upward as though gravity had vanished. Tony slowly clenched both fists. The floating water instantly separated into thousands upon thousands of crystal-clear droplets. Each droplet compressed, hardening until it resembled a razor-sharp bullet.
Tony’s face tightened. With a powerful punching motion, he thrust both fists forward.
"Go!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thousands of water bullets shot across the battlefield like a deadly storm.
Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!
The compressed projectiles pierced straight through zombie after zombie. Heads exploded. Bodies were riddled with holes. The tightly packed crowd collapsed in droves, and hundreds of zombies were slaughtered in only a few seconds.
However, Tony paid a heavy price. His skin turned pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Even so, a faint smile appeared on his face. He had achieved his objective.
Deep within the center of the horde, two translucent spherical barrier suddenly revealed itself. Hidden inside were two Runner Zombies. Or rather, two aliens attached to the backs of the runners.
Tony summoned another wave of water bullets and directed them straight at the barriers .
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets hammered against the transparent shield. Ripples spread across its surface. But no matter how many attacks landed, not even a crack appeared.
Tony’s breathing grew heavier as his mental energy drained away. At that moment, a massive figure stepped past him. Resting on his shoulder was a gigantic battle axe. The burly man patted Tony’s shoulder with a grin.
"Leave the rest to me and Captain."
Tony nodded weakly.
"Bear... be careful."
Bear flashed him a confident smile before pointing his battle axe toward the two Runner Zombies.
"Men!"
"Charge!"
With a thunderous roar, Bear exploded forward. The elite soldiers behind him followed without hesitation, charging straight toward the barrier hidden deep within the horde.
A Mutant Zombie lunged into his path. Bear swung his massive battle axe as though it weighed nothing.
SHHK!
The razor-sharp blade cleaved straight through the mutant’s neck, sending its head spinning through the air before the body collapsed.
Out of nowhere, four Spitters emerged from the crowd and unhinged their jaws. Before they could spit their acid—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four sniper rounds pierced through their heads in perfect unison. The Spitters dropped lifeless to the ground.
Bear glanced up at the helicopter circling above and flashed a thumbs-up. Inside, the sniper gave a silent nod before shifting his scope back to the battlefield.
John’s cold voice echoed from behind.
"Bear."
"Don’t show off."
"Finish the mission."
Bear’s grin widened. His gaze locked onto one of the Runner Zombies hiding behind the barrier. Taking a deep breath, he coiled his legs and sprang.
CRACK!
The asphalt beneath his boots shattered as he launched into the air like a cannonball. Gripping the enormous battle axe with both hands, he raised it high above his head. As gravity pulled him down, Bear let out a deafening roar and brought the weapon down with every ounce of strength he possessed.
BAAAM!!
The axe slammed into the translucent barrier. Violent ripples surged across its surface, and spiderweb cracks rippled outward. The axe lodged itself deep inside one of the fractures.
For a split second... it looked as though the barrier would shatter.
Then the cracks began repairing themselves. With a violent pulse, the barrier expelled the axe.
John, watching the scene from afar, narrowed his eyes.
Bear hit the ground hard and rolled, using the momentum to spring back to his feet. Without losing speed, he sprinted after the rebounding weapon. Two zombies leaped at him from opposite sides.
Bear didn’t even look. He threw two brutal punches.
BOOM! BOOM!
Both zombies’ heads exploded like ripe watermelons, spraying black blood and rotten flesh across the street. Bear caught the returning battle axe with one hand, then instantly locked both hands onto the grip. Twisting his waist, he spun to build a terrifying amount of momentum.
Then—he brought the axe crashing down.
KRAAAASH!!
The barrier finally shattered into countless fragments of light. But before the axe could strike its target, the Runner Zombie was blasted backward by a powerful force, hurtling deep into the horde.
Bear’s grin only grew wider.
"So that’s your trick..."
He tightened his grip on the axe.
"Got you."
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