CHAPTER 16

The change happened suddenly.

There were no signs whatsoever, but the massive horde of zombies in front suddenly became active, rushing towards the trucks on both sides at an incredibly fast speed.

They moved like well-trained soldiers, their withered bodies becoming agile and nimble. Some zombies grabbed onto the railing of the trucks and leaped with force, attempting to climb over into the compartments.

The lackey who had gotten out of the car to throw a grenade hadn't even managed to climb back up when he was overwhelmed by the horde of zombies.

They were so fast! These were the fastest zombies Tang Yu had ever seen.

If they stayed any longer, they would be trapped by the horde. Tang Yu's pupils constricted, and she leaped over the railing with her knife in hand. Jin Ye and Xiaoli followed closely behind as they sprinted along the familiar path.

The lackeys didn't have time to catch the three deserters. They fought against the horde with even more firepower. Someone shouted, "Boss Hu! The Zombie King is on the move, and you're still sleeping!"

No one responded to them.

Someone pushed Boss Hu's body forward, and it toppled over, leaning to the side.

Only then did the lackeys panic. They had relied on Boss Hu's abilities to do as they pleased and had developed an arrogant and domineering style. But now, after angering the Zombie King, they realized their backing was gone.

Numerous zombies clung tightly to the truck's railing, poised to climb over into the compartments. The lackeys closest to the railing were caught off guard.

The zombies began to counterattack.

The smarter braided-hair guy had already abandoned the car and fled, closely following behind Tang Yu and the other three.

But he quickly realized that the zombies rushing towards them didn't pay much attention to Tang Yu and Jin Ye. Instead, most of them were coming after him.

What's going on? Why are they treating us differently?

Tang Yu glanced back, and the braided-hair guy had already been overwhelmed by the agile horde of zombies. Tang Yu shifted her gaze back and, with Jin Ye on her left and Xiaoli on her right, protected Xiaoli as they rushed into the nearby abandoned office building.

They couldn't leave yet. The Zombie King hadn't appeared.

The zombies in the office building seemed to have been called away, leaving the dark empty lobby.

They found the fire exit and climbed the stairs to the third floor.

The height of the third floor was just right. They could observe the situation clearly and jump down to escape at any time.

Crouching, they cautiously approached the broken window and looked down. The ground was ablaze, engulfed in chaos.

That unidentified camp had also launched an attack. Compared to the lackeys in the Hubao Camp who were already in disarray, this camp appeared more prepared and had more people.

Tang Yu also noticed someone calmly setting up a high-powered shoulder-launched grenade launcher.

On the back of the truck stood a person, and Tang Yu carefully observed for a moment before realizing that she knew this person.

It was Shen Xu.

It seemed that he had indeed brought people to encircle and capture the Zombie King.

Shen Xu's men weren't in a hurry to use grenades. They were just clearing out the zombies trying to climb into the compartments. They didn't actively attack the zombies further away.

It was as if they were waiting for something.

Jin Ye nudged Tang Yu's shoulder, gesturing for her to look at the opposite office building.

Tang Yu turned her head and saw that one of the windows on the fifth floor was missing, and someone had set up a sniper rifle.

Tang Yu was taken aback. It seemed that they weren't the only ones looking to take advantage of the situation.

Not only that, as Tang Yu's gaze shifted, she noticed that there were also people ambushing in the nearby office building.

Wow, there were quite a few people gathering here tonight, all looking to take advantage of the situation.

There might even be people hiding on the floor they were on.

The three of them looked at each other and involuntarily swallowed.

Compared to these cunning players, Brother Hu's convoy was like a bunch of clueless rookies, becoming the target of the attack.

Luckily, they managed to escape quickly.

Tang Yu stood up, circled the third floor to confirm that there were no other ambushes, and then crouched back down by the window.

Looking down again, Brother Hu's convoy had been completely wiped out. His lackeys had all turned into unconscious zombies and were now following the zombie army, turning to attack Shen Xu's convoy. Weapons were scattered on the ground.

Tang Yu sighed. There were so many weapons she wanted to pick up.

But now wasn't the time.

The zombies below were gathering in increasing numbers, and it seemed that zombies from the outskirts of the city were also being summoned over.

Yet, the Zombie King still hadn't appeared.

Tang Yu's gaze wandered among the zombies. There were recently deceased ones and dried-up corpses, wearing all sorts of colorful clothes, with various bizarre forms.

Tang Yu asked Jin Ye, "Could the Zombie King be mixed in with the pile of corpses?"

Jin Ye looked at the zombie horde as well and said, "Hard to say. I didn't receive any news about the Zombie King when I was alive. I know as much as you do."

"What do you mean by 'when I was alive'? That sounds weird."

Tang Yu shifted her gaze back and took a closer look. She discovered that two people were tied up behind Shen Xu.

Xiaoli whispered, "They are the prisoners who were with me back then."

There was a thin man in a shirt and a bald-headed man, both bound to the compartments by Shen Xu. Their purpose was unknown.

Suddenly, Jian Wu's words flashed through Tang Yu's mind. When he heard Jin Ye mention Xiaoli, he had said:

"They captured a prisoner from another team, planning to use them as bait to capture the Zombie King."

Bait.

Tang Yu grabbed Xiaoli's arm and examined it. The scars were still there, and the skin beneath her arm was still soft. But at this moment, the scar seemed glaringly obvious.

She broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked at Jin Ye, saying, "It's bait. They implanted something in Xiaoli, possibly something to attract the Zombie King."

The three of them froze at the realization. There were three baits here, and it was difficult to say which bait the Zombie King would approach first.

Since the moment they faced the zombie army, they had been staying in the center of the city for about ten minutes, and Shen Xu's convoy might have arrived earlier.

Ten minutes was enough to lure out the Zombie King.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion in the zombie horde, and Shen Xu's convoy suddenly ignited their engines. Everyone in the vehicle was on high alert.

Tang Yu saw that someone in the office building further away had broken through a window and leaped from the tenth floor, landing steadily on the ground.

The three of them gasped. That wasn't a person, it was the Zombie King.

It had been observing the situation from the opposite building all along.

The Zombie King seemed to be wearing a military uniform, although its hat was missing, revealing a stern but withered face.

According to the game's setting, it was a military officer, which explained the obvious discipline displayed by the zombies under its control.

As the Zombie King landed, the grenades on Shen Xu's vehicle were instantly launched. Not only that, all the players lying in ambush from all directions launched their attacks at once.

Tang Yu pulled Jin Ye and Xiaoli away from the third floor. Since they could see other players setting up ambushes, it was hard to say that the Zombie King, who had been observing from the tenth floor, hadn't noticed their location.

Although they wouldn't be attacked, Xiaoli was still in the group.

The three of them moved to the second floor and hid in an exhibition hall. They stared intently at the Zombie King, wanting to see what incredible abilities this creature possessed.

Tang Yu's prediction was correct. As they moved, a group of zombies suddenly split from the main horde and rushed into the office buildings on both sides. They accurately headed towards the ambush points where the players were located and launched their attacks.

Tang Yu was taken aback. This was a double ambush between the Zombie King and the humans. This Zombie King had a good understanding of strategy.

She asked Jin Ye, "Since the Zombie King can control zombies, why don't we feel its influence?"

Jin Ye speculated, "Based on the various signs we've seen before, it seems we have become a new faction, neither belonging to humans nor zombies."

Tang Yu recalled her previous experience of being chased by zombies and accepted Jin Ye's explanation. "I see. In other words, both sides are our enemies."

She opened the system panel, but the quest to find the C-grade Zombie King was still incomplete. It seemed that, as Jin Ye said, they needed to trigger the next plot segment to fully complete this mission.

Some of the ambushing players were taken care of, and the firepower directed at the Zombie King noticeably weakened, but there were still some players who remained hidden.

The Zombie King was surrounded by the zombie horde, which seemed less like its guards and more like a part of its body. It agilely flipped over wrecked vehicles, and its guards moved in perfect synchrony, not hindering its actions at all.

They seemed like a unified entity.

Shen Xu was still loading grenades, and the Zombie King was affected by the artillery fire. Many of its guards fell, but new zombies quickly replaced them.In the blink of an eye, the Zombie King charged towards Shen Xu's convoy.

The two baited individuals on Shen Xu's vehicle were pushed out at this moment. Not only that, their arms were slashed open, blood flowing profusely.

The Zombie King was attracted by the scent of blood and lunged towards the bait. It opened its mouth and bit down, relishing in the agonizing cries of the bait.

Tang Yu frowned, realizing that things weren't simple. It was clearly not the ideal time for the Zombie King to feed, yet it was still unable to resist the scent of the bait's blood.

Was this the true purpose of the bait?

Tang Yu noticed that Xiaoli beside her had visibly recoiled.

Seizing this opportunity, Shen Xu suddenly leaped forward, his sword aiming straight for the Zombie King's cervical vertebrae.

Tang Yu was somewhat surprised. He also used a cold weapon, a 1.5-meter-long horse-cutting saber.

As the blade swung towards the Zombie King, Shen Xu suddenly grew in size, his muscles bulging, and he shot up to a height of three meters.

"Supernatural ability, berserk transformation." Jin Ye said.

Even after going berserk, Shen Xu's movements remained agile, and the blade in his hand quickly sliced above the Zombie King's neck.

This was the moment they had been waiting for.

Just when victory seemed certain, the Zombie King suddenly raised its hand and grabbed towards Shen Xu's wrist. Shen Xu had no choice but to retract his attack and take a step back.

However, the Zombie King's fingertips still touched the back of Shen Xu's hand. Shen Xu's pupils dilated, and he looked down at his hand. Luckily, there was no injury.

With this step back, the situation changed abruptly. The Zombie King discarded the bait and stood up.

For some unknown reason, its body suddenly swelled rapidly, becoming the same size as Shen Xu.

Jin Ye exclaimed, "How can the Zombie King also have a berserk transformation ability?!"

Was this the ability of a C-grade Zombie King?

Tang Yu double-checked the game panel and confirmed that it was indeed marked as a C-grade.

Shen Xu and the Zombie King engaged in battle, and the surrounding minions quickly dispersed. Their firearms became useless since they couldn't risk accidentally shooting their boss. They had no choice but to redirect their aim towards the surrounding horde of zombies.

However, the ambushing players didn't have such concerns. It didn't matter to them which side they killed, it wouldn't be a loss. Bullets whizzed through the air, and it was hard to tell who they hit.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, someone raised their gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

With a slight gunshot, Shen Xu's heavy body collapsed.

This sudden change surprised everyone present, including the Zombie King, who stood there in confusion, its hand still in an attacking position.

A bullet hole appeared right in the center on Shen Xu's forehead, perfectly aimed. The shooter had excellent precision. As Shen Xu was eliminated, his body returned to its normal size.

Tang Yu's eyes twitched. Someone intentionally shot Shen Xu.

A marksman with such precise aim should have been able to directly kill the Zombie King. Unless this person wanted to take advantage of the Zombie King's distraction to eliminate Shen Xu.

Tang Yu squinted her eyes. The people gathered here tonight were quite interesting.

With Shen Xu's death, his subordinates immediately lost their backbone. Some panicked and fled, while others continued to engage the mutated Zombie King with gunfire.

The Zombie King glanced at the people in the car but suddenly turned around and ran into the distance, leaving behind a horde of zombies to annihilate the people in the car.

"The Zombie King is leaving just like that?" Tang Yu was somewhat astonished.

"The berserk transformation ability has a fatal weakness. It can only last for two minutes, and after the ability wears off, the body becomes extremely weak." Jin Ye explained. Seeing Tang Yu's inquisitive gaze, she added, "Xiaoli's brother is a collector. He likes to organize the abilities that have appeared in the game. I know a thing or two about it."

A glimmer of light flashed in Tang Yu's eyes as she listened. "Let's go, we'll follow them. We shouldn't waste this great opportunity."

She pulled Jin Ye and Xiaoli along, leaving the office and rushing towards the direction the Zombie King had left in, taking advantage of the cover of night.

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