Chapter 303 - 156: Slaughter

Chapter 303: Chapter 156: Slaughter

If his skin were broken—even the slightest scratch—the virus would enter his bloodstream. He didn’t have Tiantian’s luck of being ’controlled’; no one could pull him back from the brink of turning.

Xu Mo once again felt restrained in battle. His strength should have been greater than his opponent’s. With the strength, speed, and reflexes of the Iron Bone Realm, plus the penetrating power of his Triangular Spike, he was seventy percent confident he could kill this Level 3 agility zombie within thirty exchanges if he could just go all out.

But now, Xu Mo could only defend. He didn’t dare press the attack, fearing the zombie would exploit any opening. He couldn’t risk trading blows either, because the zombie would welcome it. All he could do was block and dodge, again and again, waiting for a completely safe opportunity to strike.

Over ten exchanges passed.

Xu Mo’s breathing grew heavy.

It wasn’t from exhaustion, but from sheer frustration.

His Triangular Spike had left seven or eight wounds on its body, the deepest of which had pierced its shoulder blade. But the zombie still attacked with frenzied abandon, its speed undiminished, its assault relentless.

Worse still, Xu Mo caught sight of other zombies closing in from the corner of his eye.

They weren’t Luo Li’s. They were hostiles!

They were bypassing the main battle, flanking him from both sides. There were only five or six of them, but if they joined the fight, he would be completely surrounded.

Xu Mo gritted his teeth and made a decision. ’This can’t go on.’

’A gunshot might affect Luo Li’s control over the zombies, but I can’t worry about that now. If this drags on, I’ll be worn down and killed. As long as I make this quick—one shot to take out this Level 3 agility zombie—Luo Li should be able to handle the fallout, even if it affects her.’

"I’m using the gun!"

Xu Mo roared.

It wasn’t a threat aimed at the zombie, but a warning for Luo Li behind him.

He wanted to prepare her, to let her know what was coming so she could steady her control as much as possible before the shot rang out.

Before his voice had even faded, energy flooded Xu Mo’s body as he unleashed the full power of the Iron Bone Realm! Gripping the Triangular Spike with both hands, he advanced instead of retreating, meeting the Level 3 agility zombie’s pounce with an all-out thrust!

SHLICK!

The Triangular Spike punched through the zombie’s left shoulder, sinking to the hilt. The zombie’s claws swiped at him simultaneously. Xu Mo twisted away, dodging by a hair’s breadth as the claw tips scraped across his combat suit, tearing a gash in the fabric.

Xu Mo used the momentum to pull back, creating a three-meter gap between them.

In that same instant, Xu Mo released the Triangular Spike with his right hand and reached for the Barrett slung across his back.

The heavy rifle settled into his hands. Stock to shoulder. Aim. Fire.

BOOM—!!!

The deafening crack of the rifle exploded over the ruins!

The .50 caliber bullet erupted from the barrel, completely obliterating the Level 3 agility zombie’s head!

The Level 3 agility zombie’s head exploded like a watermelon smashed by a sledgehammer, bursting into a thousand pieces. A mixture of black blood, shattered bone, and brain matter sprayed backward, splattering across the ground. Its headless body stumbled forward two more steps from inertia before crashing to the ground. It twitched twice, then fell completely still.

Xu Mo didn’t stop. He swung the rifle around, aiming at the approaching hostile zombies.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three shots. Three zombies. Three heads exploded.

Only after dealing with them did Xu Mo lower his rifle, gasping for breath.

The echoes of the gunshots reverberated through the ruins, lingering long after.

Xu Mo didn’t have much time to catch his breath. He spun around and looked toward the main battle.

Luo Li had expected the impact of the gunshot, but expecting it was one thing, enduring it was another.

Xu Mo saw it happen. The instant the shot rang out, every single zombie under Luo Li’s control on the battlefield faltered, their movements pausing for a noticeable moment.

Not just one or two of them. All of them.

The pause lasted less than half a second, but on a chaotic battlefield, half a second was the difference between life and death.

Xu Mo could only watch as at least five or six of their allied zombies were tackled and torn to shreds by hostiles during that half-second lull. One of their Strength Types was swarmed by three hostile zombies. Even though it began to struggle again after the pause ended, one of its arms had already been torn off, crippling its combat ability.

Luo Li swayed on her feet. She opened her eyes to glance at Xu Mo, her gaze holding no blame, only weakness and exhaustion.

Then she closed her eyes again, her lips trembling slightly.

On the battlefield, the zombies that had faltered began to move again. They resumed the slaughter, coordinating their attacks and harvesting the enemy ranks under Luo Li’s command.

Clutching his Barrett, Xu Mo hurried back to Luo Li’s side.

Luo Li’s face was now even paler than before, drained of all color. Blood still trickled from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto the collar of her shirt. Tiantian was still clutching the hem of her clothes, and a flicker of what looked like worry seemed to pass through her blood-red eyes.

"This isn’t sustainable," Xu Mo said.

Luo Li didn’t answer. She was focusing all her energy on maintaining control and couldn’t spare the effort to speak.

Xu Mo took a deep breath, having made his decision.

"Cover me." Xu Mo nodded. "We’ll fight these zombies guerrilla-style."

"Okay."

Luo Li’s eyelids fluttered, and she barely managed to eke out the one-word reply.