Chapter 16: The Final Movement of Battle

Evolution? Mutation? Of humans? Why is this happening? Have I evolved as well? Do I have a chance to become one of those superpowered humans? Ye Yang sat dumbfounded, no longer able to focus on the battle unfolding before him.

A submachine gun was thrust into his hands—it was the young man. He wore a pale, strained smile and said, “Could you do me a favor? Hold this for me, please, I…”

Ye Yang immediately understood. The boy looked utterly exhausted, barely able to stand. His power was indeed formidable, but the aftereffects were severe. Clearly, it could only be used once.

“Alright!” Ye Yang didn’t hesitate and took the submachine gun.

In truth, the situation on the battlefield had improved considerably. After that devastating strike from the boy, akin to a cannon blast, the number of zombies had dropped by nearly thirty percent, and several mutants were dead. Ye Yang no longer faced immense pressure; the burly man and the young girl were enough to handle the rest. However…

“Don’t let your guard down! Little Stone, recover quickly! Maybe… it’s not just that!” Ling Fengyan’s loud shout startled everyone. Not just that? Was there more?

“Could it be an LV3?” whispered the boy behind him, making Ye Yang’s knees go weak. No way! Was LV3 called the Predator? A stronger monster?

While mutants were nothing to Ling Fengyan and the other superhumans, a Predator was a different story. Gritting his teeth, Ye Yang focused intently—but what he first noticed was not a terrifying beast, but a rumbling noise mixed with gunshots coming from outside the village.

Ye Yang was taken aback. Reinforcements? Ling Fengyan was equally surprised. Reinforcements? The helicopters he knew of should sound different, but this noise was unmistakable.

The sounds grew clearer: rifle shots, the rumble of motorcycles, angry roars, guttural cries, and even laughter.

Suddenly, Ye Yang’s heart leapt as he sprang onto a nearby low wall, screaming with joy: “The Wanderers! It’s the Wanderer squad! Uncle Zheng and the others!”

He didn’t care anymore who was the elder between him and this Zheng man. This crucial rescue was like a timely downpour, even a lifeline in a snowstorm.

His gaze swept over the zombie horde. Far off, hundreds of motorcycles encircled the village entrance. Each rider was a burly, fierce man wielding rifles, fighting with wild abandon. Ye Yang’s blood boiled in excitement.

No wonder Qi Fang admired the Wanderers so much. These people truly were amazing—living on the edge of death, breaking all rules, every day fighting for survival as if stealing from the grim reaper himself. They spontaneously organized and rushed to aid any village under zombie attack.

The leader was none other than Uncle Zheng himself. He was truly admirable. Though lacking the powerful abilities of the Hunters, his combat style was a mirror image of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He leapt off his bike, dual-wielding dark rifles, firing with dazzling speed and style. Zombies couldn’t get close.

“Form up! Fire!” Uncle Zheng’s command rang out. Several Wanderers crouched, rifles raised and supported on each other’s shoulders. A deafening volley tore through the zombie mass. Many fell, including a mutant that lunged forward, riddled like a sieve.

“So fierce!” Ye Yang immediately praised. These men’s way of life forged such incredible skill and unyielding fighting spirit. Truly admirable.

Had he not met these three Hunters first, Ye Yang might have tried to grab a motorcycle and roam with Qi Fang. Dangerous, yes, but undeniably free-spirited.

Then a roar from above filled the air. Ling Fengyan shouted with joy: “Reinforcements have arrived!” Ye Yang quickly looked up, almost jumping for joy. Human reinforcements had come!

Seven or eight helicopters screamed through the sky. Even before landing, their relentless gunfire rained down. These were no ordinary assault rifles or hunting rifles—the helicopters were armed with terrifyingly powerful machine guns!

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The bullets from the machine guns whizzed just inches above Ye Yang’s head, the deafening roar nearly deafening him. After a burst of fire, countless zombies were shattered to pieces, bones broken and limbs severed. Though the shots couldn’t be aimed at the head to kill outright, any zombie hit would be incapacitated for sure. Ye Yang even saw one blown in half at the waist, its entrails spilling onto the ground as it writhed helplessly.

Cheers erupted, deafening throughout the village. The Wanderers outside shouted loudly in excitement. Ye Yang wiped the cold sweat from his brow. This battle’s outcome… should be decided now. Even though Ling Fengyan warned of stronger monsters among the zombies, with reinforcements here, there was no longer any fear.

As the helicopters hovered overhead, several agile figures jumped down. From their attire, Ye Yang immediately recognized them as Hunters. Six of them, all young.

In a shadowed corner on a rooftop, glowing red eyes stared at the battlefield. It was a terrifyingly large creature, grinding its teeth as it fixed its gaze on Ling Fengyan.

“Damn it!” the monster growled in low speech—it could speak human language? None saw it speak, but if they had, even without prior knowledge, they would have recognized it as LV3 Predator—a far more fearsome form than mutants.

Still, as Ye Yang thought, even such a dreadful beast was powerless now that reinforcements had arrived. The blood-red eyes rolled in displeasure, reluctant, unwilling, but ultimately chose to retreat.

With a sigh-like growl, the Predator turned and vanished into darkness. Unlike zombies or mutants, its ability to speak showed high intelligence. Recklessly attacking now would be futile.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. The massive Predator was hurled backward, crashing through a rooftop and falling into a deep, dark pit. What had happened?

From the shadows where it had stood, a human figure emerged—a man in his thirties, walking over with a grim expression.

“So boring. Now my rescue seems unnecessary…” the man muttered with a bitter smile, shaking his messy hair. He eyed the struggling Predator on the roof and sneered coldly.

“But… if I managed to take down a Predator, at least it wasn’t for nothing.” With that, he launched himself at the beast like a great bird.

No one witnessed this scene; the rooftop was too secluded. By the time the Predator’s roar alarmed the crowd and they looked back, nothing remained on the roof.

Trapped between three sides, the village battle soon drew to a close. Within minutes, the zombie numbers dropped to double digits. After another volley, only a handful remained standing.

“Prepare to clear the battlefield!” Ling Fengyan roared. As he finished, over ten camouflage-clad soldiers with machine guns parachuted down from the helicopters, quickly establishing a defensive line to take over from Ling Fengyan and the others.

“Clear the battlefield?” Ye Yang was puzzled. Were they searching for valuables on the zombies?

“No, just to finish off any survivors and see if anyone else is still alive,” Ling Fengyan smiled and nodded kindly at Ye Yang. “If you’re still able, help out—you’re immune to infection anyway.”

Ye Yang nodded. Honestly, survivors were unlikely, but Ling Fengyan’s willingness to look showed he was a good man. Ye Yang’s respect for the Hunters grew.

After entrusting Qi Fang to the village chief, Ye Yang joined the search. Clearing zombies was the priority, followed by checking the houses that hadn’t burned down.

A tall figure approached—it was Uncle Zheng. They exchanged weary smiles and greetings.

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“Those wounds of yours… tsk tsk, you really aren’t ordinary,” Uncle Zheng remarked, then spotted Qi Fang and asked anxiously, “Is the girl alright? Hurt?”

“No, but… grandpa died,” Ye Yang said bitterly. Uncle Zheng paused, then sighed deeply. Anyone close to Qi Fang knew her grandfather was her only family.

“You should check on her. You’re her idol,” Ye Yang said, patting the big man’s shoulder. Uncle Zheng nodded sincerely and handed Ye Yang a rifle.

Though victorious, no one celebrated. The blood-soaked ground weighed heavily on everyone’s spirits. How many had died? Impossible to count. Worse, the village lay in ruins. What would become of these people? No one knew. Gazing at the dim sky, all could do was sigh deeply.

Ye Yang felt disheartened too. He realized he shouldn’t have agreed to help clear the battlefield. He wanted to help, but—

The scene was nauseating. Flesh and limbs scattered everywhere, blood pooling like a thick river. Worse, many zombies weren’t fully dead and occasionally lunged out from the carcasses, biting. Ye Yang narrowly escaped a bite that could have ended him.

“Damn it! Die, die!” His rifle sprayed wildly. Ye Yang’s nose twisted in disgust. Was this thing trying to ruin his whole future?

Despite his severe wounds and pain, he persevered, checking house by house. With only a few Hunters, and ordinary soldiers and Wanderers facing great danger, Ye Yang was the only one unafraid of infection.

“Anyone inside?” A door was kicked open with a bang. Ye Yang frowned and entered. He searched over twenty houses but found only corpses, a suffocating sight.

Then a creaking noise caught his attention. Human? Zombie? In the darkness, Ye Yang stared wide-eyed.

Inside one room lay a monstrous creature, nearly filling the space—a mutant, but far larger! And on its body, a figure crouched.

“Human?” Ye Yang gasped.

“Uh… yeah… I am,” the person muttered, mouth full of something, voice muffled and unclear.

Stepping closer, Ye Yang studied the figure suspiciously. Suddenly, his body stiffened, and uncontrollably he began to tremble.

“Ahhhhh!” The rifle fired on its own, whether it hit or not. Ye Yang turned and ran in madness, having witnessed the most horrifying scene ever.

Was that a human? Yes… but he was crouched atop the monster, one hand plunged deep into its chest pulling something out—organs? The other shoved chunks of blackened, bloodied, rotting flesh into his mouth.

Crunch, crunch… the unmistakable sound of chewing! He was eating the monster!