Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Little Fatty’s Blame
The squad member on watch stared at the dense mass of zombies, his scalp tingling with fear. He couldn’t estimate their exact number, but he was afraid there were more than a thousand.
A horde of over a thousand. If that team of only 20 people was caught, they would be doomed.
If the horde discovered them, it would be a catastrophe for their team as well.
And they couldn’t just pin their hopes on not being discovered.
The guards on watch made an instant decision. One of them hurried back, intending to wake up Sun Tianbo.
But just as he entered, he found Lin Xinghai had already sat up.
"C-Captain Lin Xinghai," the guard on duty stammered when he saw Lin Xinghai was awake. He rushed over to report. "There’s a situation outside. A horde of over a thousand is chasing a squad, and they’re headed this way. I was afraid we’d be discovered, so I came to report."
"Understood," Lin Xinghai said with a nod. "Wake everyone up. Prepare for battle."
He wasn’t the type to leave his fate to chance. Facing a horde of this size, they had to make the necessary preparations.
Soon, everyone was woken up. Those who had been harboring some discontent were jolted wide awake the moment they heard that a massive horde of over a thousand was closing in on them.
They all looked panicked.
"Xiaoxian, are you sure you weren’t mistaken? A thousand of them?" Sun Tianbo asked, his expression grim.
"No," Xiaoxian replied, shaking his head. "It’s *over* a thousand. As for the exact number, there were too many to see clearly."
Seeing him shake his head, many had felt a flicker of hope. But when he finished speaking, their hearts sank.
Even Sun Tianbo couldn’t help but gasp. He immediately looked toward Lin Xinghai.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief. If they hadn’t run into Lin Xinghai’s squad, their only hope would have been to pray they weren’t discovered.
"Prepare for battle, but be quiet," Lin Xinghai said, his expression calm. "If the horde discovers us, so be it. But if some idiot leads the Zombies here, I won’t hesitate to kick them out of the squad."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spine, but they quickly relaxed.
Lin Xinghai’s words clearly meant he was confident they could handle the horde, even if they were discovered.
Soon, everyone was ready. In truth, even when they slept, they just used a simple blanket and kept their weapons within arm’s reach, so gearing up now was quick.
The commotion in the distance grew louder, punctuated by sporadic booms.
Those were explosions caused by Superpowers. The fleeing squad was likely giving it everything they had.
As they drew nearer, besides the booms and the roars of the Zombies, Lin Xinghai’s group could faintly hear someone shouting commands.
"Two more Fireballs! Hit the Zombies on the right! Keep up the Earth Wall and Ice Seal Superpowers and slow their advance!"
"Captain, running like this is not a solution! We’ll be caught sooner or later! Dammit, another group of Zombies is blocking our path up ahead!"
"I know! But to shake this horde, we need the right terrain or a sturdy building where we can make a final stand."
"Captain, the mall ahead is in good shape! For it to have survived the cataclysm like this, it must be sturdy. Let’s head there! If we keep running, we’ll run out of Superpower energy, and then we won’t even be able to fight back!"
"Alright. We’re going to the mall."
The conversation ended there. And now, the mall was eerily quiet.
The people in the mall looked at each other. None of them had expected to be discovered like this.
Soon, all eyes turned to Lin Xinghai.
Lin Xinghai shot Little Fatty a sidelong glance and said flatly, "Tomorrow night, pick a less conspicuous ruin to rest in."
"Yeah," Little Fatty mumbled, lowering his head. He felt wronged. ’It wasn’t my fault.’
After he spoke, Lin Xinghai, rifle in hand, walked slowly toward the main entrance. The others quickly followed.
"Unlock the door," Lin Xinghai said. "Before they blast it to smithereens."
Someone from the squad stepped forward and quickly did as he was told.
The sounds of battle grew closer, and soon, they could even hear frantic footsteps.
"Go, go, go! Ah Feng, use your speed Superpower! Get that door open! If it’s locked, smash it down!"
A moment later, they heard someone approach, followed by the creaking of the door being pushed open.
At the same time, an excited shout came from the other side of the door. "Captain, it’s unlocked! Get over here!"
With that, he flung the door wide open and stepped inside.
But in an instant, the expression on his face froze.
He saw more than twenty gun muzzles aimed squarely at his head.
He froze, his hands shooting up. He swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "Everyone, stay calm. It’s not the third day yet. According to the Rule, you can’t attack!"
’Of course,’ he thought, ’that Rule is useful in normal times. But I’ve just led a catastrophe right to their doorstep. If they think they can’t survive this, it’s entirely possible they’ll just unload a clip into me and then call for help.’
’As long as they don’t kill me, even if they injure me badly, they’ll only be disqualified from the exam. They won’t be forced into military service.’
Just then, his teammates began to catch up from behind.
"Ah Feng, what are you gawking at? Get out of the way and move inside!" his captain roared from behind.
As the captain yelled, the rest of his squad rushed in one after another.
When they saw the dark gun barrels, they all swallowed nervously. Even for the Optimized, Firearms were still incredibly powerful weapons.
Except for those with a Defensive Superpower, no one could withstand a bullet.
Being held at gunpoint at close range was terrifying. What was even more terrifying was that their own squad had already used up all their ammunition. They couldn’t even get into a firefight to retaliate.
"Everyone, please calm down. We didn’t know anyone was here," the sturdy young man leading the group said loudly. "The most important thing right now is figuring out how to survive this." At the same time, he began marshaling the Superpower within his body, preparing to strike back at a moment’s notice.
He refused to give up until the very last second.
By now, all twenty members of the new squad had rushed into the mall. On cue, Little Fatty slammed the heavy doors shut with a BANG.
Hearing the doors slam shut, the sturdy young man glanced back and breathed an inward sigh of relief.
This proved, at least, that the other party wasn’t ready to throw all caution to the wind. That meant there was still room to negotiate.
