CH 160

Chapter 160: Zombie tidal wave finally strikes

The speed of the controlled zombies is extremely fast. In a short three days’ time, they have already reached a few miles away from A's city walls.

Up on the city walls, every available cannon, mortars and howitzers has been turned to face the front, with all the Ability Users lining the wall as well.

"Like this…there really wouldn't be any problems? Boss?" A soldier tightly gripping his rifle asks nervously, glancing at the handsome man next to him. Dressed in a neatly-pressed military uniform, unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth, submachine gun resting on his shoulder and a foot stepping on the low merlon, he exudes a magnificent aura.

Sure enough, Boss is the best-looking officer out here…eh…no, no. Now is not the time to be thinking about this. Zombies are about to lay siege to the city. Their top priority is to ensure these walls are not breached, and the survivors within are kept safe. If they fail, the last survivors left in this country will…

This fortified city spans a vast piece of land. He has no idea why Boss would issue a command like this, but he unexpectedly ordered everyone to guard only the front. What if this horde decides to flank them from the sides and rear? Wouldn't this be a lost battle from the very start?

"When has your Boss ever been unreliable? Rest easy and concentrate on defending!" Long Zhanye waves a dismissive hand towards the soldier.

"Yes, Sir." Clicking his heels together and saluting, the soldier clutches his firearm closer and fixes his gaze in front.

Right this moment, a few figures appear, dashing over at high speeds. Before anyone has time to react, they leap high into the air, landing easily on the top of the city wall as though they had somehow grown wings.

Black hair fluttering elegantly in the wind, the person crouching on the low merlon regards everyone calmly, like a deity surveying mere mortals below.

"Is everything settled?" A faint, affectionate smile appears on Long Zhanye's face as he draws that person into his arms.

"Of course," Huo Zaiyuan answers, kissing Long Zhanye's cheek.

The sweet little exchange between the pair of lovers succeeds in easing quite a bit of nervous tension. More than a few soldiers witnessing this scene flush red, but can't seem to pull their gazes away.

"Focus on the front! Not allowed to look here!" In a flash, the smile on his face morphs into a furious glare, startling the soldiers who instantly turn their heads away, not wanting to bring their Boss' ire upon themselves.

Time seems to crawl by slowly. None of the defenders knows exactly how long they stood at the ready for when suddenly, a loud alarm rings through the entire city. The warning comes from one of the watchtowers near the walls.

"Everyone, at the ready. Tens of thousands of undead have appeared…" This short message repeats three times before cutting off.

Above the city wall, the soldiers move forward to the edge, all firearms aimed towards the front. The crews manning the cannons and various artilleries take up position, and the runners in charge of delivering ammunition increase their speed ten-fold.

"Reporting. Another large swarm has been spotted coming from the east!" Another voice informs over the loudspeaker. The east side means A City's left. The wall on that end is completely unmanned.

As soon as this report information sounds, the troops from other cities that volunteered to assist in guarding the walls fall into a panic. On the other hand, the well-trained soldiers of A City remain firmly glued to their positions, unfazed by the announcement.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of loud explosions tears through the loud, freaked-out yells. Following the bangs, the orderly group of zombies approaching from the east begin to collapse row by row.

What…what is going on?!

Before their very eyes, in the midst of the fallen undead, a golden blaze ignites. The spiritual flames spread swiftly, forming into a huge pillar of fire that illuminates the patch of sky above.

"What…what is this?!"

Almost everyone present and currently witnessing this scene is struck dumb. Faced with such a huge wave of zombies, it naturally incites fear in their heart. But these explosions, that golden flames…

"Oi, oi! What are you standing around gaping at ah! The zombies are knocking on the front doors already!!" Long Zhanye's timely bellow snaps them all from their daze. Raising his gun, he fires a shot into the air. "From here on, we are to defend this frontline! This stretch of wall that spans three hundred meters is the last obstacle between those monsters and the remnants of humankind! We will stand and hold this place until the last!"

This short speech is enough to rouse their fighting spirit and lift their morale. A deafening roar resonates from the top of the northern wall. Immediately after, the first lot of cannon shells and mortar rounds slam into the earth beyond the city, followed closely by numerous bursts of gunfire. The tidal wave of undead surging forward fall in droves, piling up before the line spanning three hundred meters.

~~~

For three continuous days and nights, the sound of gunfire and artillery shells whistling through the air doesn't cease as undead pour forth in a steady flow. The artillery crews and marksmen on top of the wall take turns in shifts to dole punishment out to the creatures below.

"So many dead and still no end in sight. I really wonder if the mastermind behind this has gathered all the zombies in the world here," Leaning against the wall, Long Hongjian murmurs as he stuffs a pancake into his mouth. Bags under his bloodshot eyes, it is not difficult to see he is rather exhausted.

All the commanders are in charge of directing the operation, ensuring it flows smoothly. They work in eight-hour shifts, but in this highly-tensed situation, eight hours feels like an eternity.

"It is possible." Taking a bite out of his own flatbread, Long Zhanye lifts his rifle and enters the 'battle'.

From the bottom of the wall, several figures scale the wall swiftly, reaching the top of it in less than a minute. Each individual's attire is stained with blood and rotting flesh.

"We can't keep up with the burning of all these corpses at this rate," Brow wrinkling, a man clad in a Taoist robe says in an aggravated tone. "Junior Martial Brother, the spiritual fires are gradually extinguishing but the undead are still pouring forth. At this rate, we will either run out of talisman or die from exhaustion."

This man is a master within the 'School of Taoism', and is Tian Jizi's eldest disciple. A stocky but muscled individual, he looks frightening when his face darkens, but is a very reliable fellow in times of difficulty.

"It can't be helped. The Taoist apprentices don't know how to use the Earth Entrapment Limit Charm. If we send them down there, they will be torn apart by zombies in a few seconds." Although his expression remains tranquil, Huo Zaiyuan's tone reveals a trace of frustration.

"Indeed. That bunch of brats. After we deal with this tide of zombies, I will be sure to beat the 'Ways of dealing with demonic beings' into their heads!" Second Senior Martial Brother is a short-tempered man. It is no surprise that his anger exploded after being tossed around for three continuous days.

"I agree." Third Senior Martial Brother nods firmly.

"Rest for a while. I'll get some water for you," Huo Zaiyuan says as he sweeps a glance over the small party.

"Ai, ai…I will go with you, Junior Martial Brother. You have been running to get us water every time. I feel a little bad," Third Senior Martial Brother speaks up once he sees Huo Zaiyuan preparing to leave.

"It's fine, I can get them by myself." Huo Zaiyuan waves him away.

As a Taoist priest, all their talismans are activated through using their inner spiritual energy. For the last three days, he added a little bit of peach juice into the waters of his Senior Martial Brothers, or else all of them would have been drained long ago.

Huo Zaiyuan's gaze drops to the bottom of the city wall, where under the constant hail of bullets and shells, the undead continues surging forward in a steady stream…now the situation on the frontline has become more strenuous than before.

"Little Yuan." Machine gun on his back, Long Zhanye turns his head just in time to see the person he misses dearly standing a distance away, expression blank as he is lost in thought.

"Eh…" Glancing up at the approaching figure, a smile appears. However, when the other reaches out with the intention to hug him, he steps back to avoid it. "Don't come near me."

Being rejected so blatantly, hurt flashes across Long Zhanye's face. "Little Yuan…"

Busy directing the soldiers and supply line from dawn to dusk these past days, although he and little Yuan are stationed at the same stretch of wall, their paths seldom cross. He only wanted to hold him for a while to ease a little tiredness and tension, but is unexpectedly refused without hesitation.

So sad…

"I…my clothes are stained with zombie blood and other body fluids. I'm really dirty right now, so don't touch me…" Huo Zaiyuan explains, knowing what is going on in Long Zhanye's mind as soon as him expression falls.

"I don't care." Long Zhanye cheerfully grasps Huo Zaiyuan's hands.

"But I do. There's infectious virus. All right, be good and go back to your post. I have work to do." Huo Zaiyuan gently shakes off Long Zhanye's hands. However, he couldn't resist kissing the older man's cheek before departing.

Fingers touching the spot where Huo Zaiyuan's lips landed on, a gentle and fond smile curves Long Zhanye's mouth.

"Lord Captain!" A figure abruptly materialises out of thin air in front of him, clad from head to toe in black clothes. "We have found 'that person's' trail, so I came back to report to you." Saying thus, he offers Long Zhanye a folded paper star.

Swiftly unfolding the strip of paper, Long Zhanye stiffens as soon as he read the words on it. "That bastard…got it. Return to your post and be careful."

"Yes, Sir."

The slip of paper clenched tightly in his hand, Long Zhanye whirls on his heels and walks away. In a dim corner, a figure silently stares at Long Zhanye's retreating back, expression dark as they seem to contemplate something. A short while later, that person strides away from the dim corner, carrying a plate of warm food and jogging up to Long Zhanye.

"Eldest brother Long, I'm here to deliver some food to you. Rest a little and eat something."

Emptying the magazine of his machine guns, Long Zhanye lowers his firearm at the familiar voice and offers the person a faint smile. "I've inconvenienced you again."

"It's no trouble. You saved me quite a few times, and I don't know how to repay you…this is nothing. As long as I am able to assist you. Also, very quickly, you will…" Cheng Mingcheng trails off.

"What is it?"

"No - nothing. Eldest brother Long, can I learn to shoot here?"

"Sure ah."