Chapter 305 - 157: Bloody Path

Chapter 305: Chapter 157: Bloody Path

On his left and right, zombies controlled by Luo Li provided cover for Xu Mo, blocking sneak attacks from the flanks. Even so, the number of zombies charging from the front was still despairingly high.

Another Level 2 mutant pounced.

Xu Mo sidestepped. His Triangular Spike thrust upward from below, piercing the creature’s jaw and stabbing straight into its brain. The zombie’s claws scraped past his shoulder, leaving three scratch marks on his combat suit.

Xu Mo kicked the corpse away. Before he could even catch his breath, the next one was already upon him.

Just as Xu Mo was getting into the rhythm of the slaughter, a roar echoed from his right.

It was a sound he recognized: the roar of a Scale Beast. But this time, the roar held no anger, no fury—only a dying wail.

Xu Mo whipped his head around.

He saw the Scale Beast Luo Li was controlling, surrounded by four or five Level 2 Strength Zombies. They had latched onto its limbs, tearing at its scales. The Scale Beast struggled desperately, shredding two of them with a swipe of its claws, but more zombies were swarming in.

It had been isolated. In the process of fighting and retreating, the Scale Beast had failed to keep up with the group and had fallen into an enemy encirclement.

Xu Mo wanted to rush over to save it, but the distance was too great, with a dense horde of zombies in between. He could only watch helplessly as the Scale Beast struggled, roared, and then fell amidst the zombie tide.

In the span of a few breaths, a Level 3 combatant was simply submerged in the tide of corpses, never to rise again.

Xu Mo clenched his jaw and looked away.

’Can’t get distracted. The Scale Beast is dead, but the fight has to go on.’

A gap had opened in the defensive line on the right.

Although Luo Li quickly moved other zombies to fill it, the impact of that gap couldn’t be remedied in a short time. The enemy zombies that had been blocked by the Scale Beast began to circle around from the right, attempting to outflank Xu Mo and cut off his retreat.

Xu Mo had to divert some of his focus to stay vigilant against potential attackers from the right.

But at the same time, Xu Mo noticed another change: their retreat speed had increased.

It wasn’t that he was faster; the entire front line was. With one less Scale Beast, the number of high-level individuals Luo Li had to control decreased by one, slightly easing her mental strain. Her control over the remaining Level 1 and Level 2 zombies became more fluid, their movements more coordinated.

It was a trade-off, but Xu Mo knew it was far from enough.

He glanced across the battlefield. The enemy still had at least three hundred zombies, while their side was down to about a hundred.

Three to one.

Xu Mo took a deep breath and, while still fighting, roared in Luo Li’s direction:

"We can’t go on like this! If we keep getting worn down, we’re all going to die!"

Luo Li’s voice came from behind him, weak but clear:

"Then what should we do?"

"Find a building!" Xu Mo roared. "One with stairs! We can fight a delaying action! The high ground will relieve some of the pressure!"

He skewered a pouncing Agility Type zombie and continued shouting, "Make sure they’re interconnected! So we don’t trap ourselves!"

"Okay!"

Following Luo Li’s response, Xu Mo fought and retreated for another ten minutes.

Xu Mo had already lost count of how many zombies he’d killed, but he couldn’t stop.

Luo Li’s voice came from behind, carrying a hint of pleasant surprise:

"Up ahead! That row of buildings!"

Xu Mo looked up.

About two hundred meters ahead stood a row of six-story residential buildings. Their main structures were relatively intact, though most of the windows were shattered. The best part was that their rooftops were connected.

’That’s the one!’

"Charge!" Xu Mo roared.

The zombies seemed to sense their intentions, and their assault suddenly intensified. They were no longer just charging from the front but were now frantically flanking from both sides, trying to cut them off before they could reach the building.

Xu Mo’s vision turned red as he entered a killing frenzy. The Triangular Spike in his hand was no longer a weapon but an extension of his own arm. Every thrust felled a zombie. Every retraction drew a line of black blood. His movements became a mechanical repetition—thrust, retract, thrust, retract.

Vaguely, Xu Mo felt as if he had entered some kind of profound state. The sluggishness in his body vanished, and his exhaustion was replaced by a feeling of looseness. It was as if the frenzied slaughter had flipped a switch inside him, making all his movements perfectly fluid and seamless.

Finally, Xu Mo’s foot landed on the front steps of the residential building.

The stairwell was narrow and dim, with only the light filtering through shattered windows illuminating the steps underfoot.

Xu Mo took the lead, Triangular Spike held ready, as he charged up the stairs. Behind him, Luo Li and Tiantian followed closely. And behind them, the zombies under Luo Li’s control were filing in one by one.

Xu Mo stopped on the stairwell landing between the second and third floors.

The terrain here was excellent. The staircase was so narrow that at most two zombies could pass side-by-side. From his position on the high ground, he could pick off the zombies below one by one. Moreover, there were windows on the floors both above and below, so if they were truly cornered, they could escape by jumping.

"Stop!" Xu Mo yelled. "Right here!"

Luo Li halted, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath. Tiantian clung to her, her blood-red eyes still fixed on the floor below.

Xu Mo stood at the edge of the landing and looked down.

The zombies that had followed them inside were now surging up the stairs. The ones in the lead were Agility Types, climbing rapidly on all fours. Their speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, they had already reached the second floor.

Xu Mo took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the Triangular Spike.

The first zombie charged up.