Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - 18: Enemy Attack

Shen Tang was suspended in mid-air; as long as Xiao Jin let go, she would fall to the ground.

The height of this large armored troop carrier was nearly as tall as a two-story building. Even if it wouldn’t kill her, it would be enough to make Shen Tang lie in bed for three to five days!

This bastard, how could he be so nasty!

Frightened, Shen Tang cried out chaotically and didn’t care about any gender differences anymore. She clung tightly to Xiao Jin’s arm, her greasy fat pressing against him disgustingly.

Xiao Jin shivered with disgust, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and growled, "Let go!"

"No, no, no!"

He was the one who threatened her first, so he couldn’t blame her for nauseating him!

Xiao Jin’s face turned blue with anger, but he couldn’t shake off this fatty clinging to him like an octopus.

Just as they were in a deadlock, Xiao Jin suddenly squinted his golden eyes and looked ahead. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped back and let go of Shen Tang.

Finally, her feet were on the ground!

Shen Tang turned around intending to climb down the ladder, but in the next second, Xiao Jin pushed her down, pinning her to the ground. His expression seldom appeared this serious, his voice low and deep, "Quiet down, you fat fool. If you don’t want to die, don’t run around."

As he spoke, a pair of black panther ears emerged from his head, alert as they scanned the surroundings.

Shen Tang held her breath and inquired within her mind, "System, system, what’s happening?"

[The system has detected an unidentified organism approaching, analyzing the threat level... Please ensure your own safety, host...]

Could it be that pollutants were approaching?

If it prompted Xiao Jin to treat it as a major threat, the level was probably not low.

Shen Tang had seen some photos of pollutants in the system. Those humanoid pollutants looked just like the zombies in zombie movies, perhaps even more disgusting!

Compared to the pollutants, this bastard Xiao Jin was still better looking.

Shen Tang cautiously wiggled her fat body, moving closer to him.

Xiao Jin noticed her small movements and was filled with disdain, his tone still nasty, "Stay away from me, or I’ll throw you down to feed the pollutants!"

Shen Tang rolled her eyes inwardly. Afraid that this bastard would actually throw her out, she had to wiggle her body and move backward.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jin became more impatient, urging coldly, "Are you stupid? Get back here! Staying so far, do you want to be the pollutants’ meal?"

"Weren’t you the one who told me to stay away," Shen Tang muttered softly, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, then fell silent, observing the surrounding environment.

The gray mist in the forest was becoming thicker, faintly tinged with a strange purple hue. Shen Tang noticed the flowers between the trees, covered in purple spiral patterns, quietly blooming, revealing rows of dense sharp teeth inside, spewing out purple smoke from their mouths.

Though it was a windless night, the purple smoke composed of pollen spores was rapidly spreading toward the camp!

Seeing Xiao Jin put on a gas mask, Shen Tang quickly followed suit, hiding behind him.

Xiao Jin let out a mocking snort; at least she wasn’t that dumb.

He swiftly drew a handgun, his movements crisp and clean, loading a signal flare.

With a sharp whistling sound, the signal flare pierced the night sky, exploding into a glaring red light in the darkness.

The Beastmen and females resting inside the camp were startled awake, rushing out of their tents with looks of panic and caution.

"What’s happening? A signal flare! We’re under attack!" a young Beastman shouted in panic, his weapon not yet steady in his hands, eyes sweeping around, trying to locate the source of danger.

"Don’t panic! Put on your gas masks, quickly!" an older Beastman said sharply as he noticed the purple smoke.

He quickly fastened the mask over his face, his movements experienced, evidently accustomed to situations like this countless times.

The other Beastman warriors hurriedly put on their gas masks and searched the area.

"It’s a zombie horde!"

Someone shouted.

Everyone on the scene rushed to the camp’s perimeter and gasped.

At the perimeter of the camp, zombies surged like a tide, blocking every way out.

They roared hoarsely, their rotting skin revealing ghastly white bones beneath, moving stiffly and twisted, densely packed together, with decaying chunks of flesh falling from their bodies, emitting a nauseating stench.

The zombies seemed oblivious to the barrier of the electric grid, desperately pushing forward.

The zombies at the front were electrocuted by the grid.

More zombies trampled over their "bodies" and charged ahead.

In the long run, this horde of zombies would inevitably breach the electric grid.

"How could there be so many polluted zombies? We clearly cleaned this area before!" exclaimed a young Wolf Beast, his grip tight on his weapon, disbelief in his voice.

A swift black shadow darted out of the grid like lightning, leaping into the zombie horde.

"Damn, Xiao Jin rushed out; he truly knows no fear!"

"We can’t let the zombies break through the line. Follow me, charge forward!"

"Leave some of the Beastmen to protect the females."

More Beastmen followed, rushing out of the camp, wielding weapons or transforming into beast shapes, engaging in fierce combat with the zombies.

Xiao Jin, an Empire Vice Admiral who had fought his way through countless battles, had participated in hundreds of skirmishes. He didn’t even bother to shapeshift, managing to fire with precision as each gunshot rang out, bullets penetrating zombie skulls, causing putrid flesh and brain matter to splatter.

"Get out of the way!" Xiao Jin pushed a Beastman aside as a zombie’s claws narrowly missed his shoulder, nearly tearing him in half.

"Xiao Jin! Left side!" Shen Li arrived to assist.

Xiao Jin swiftly adjusted his aim, bullets whistling out and knocking down several approaching zombies.

Jia Lan guarded another side, his strikingly handsome face filled with disdain. He utterly despised ugly things.

The sound of gunfire accompanied his impatient growl, "Disgusting things, it’s endless! How are there so many of them!"

Xue Yinzhou’s silvery-white hair flowed under the moonlight like an emotionless sculpture, exuding an icy aura of slaughter.

Black mist rose from his body, coalescing into hundreds of poisonous snakes, their tongues flickering as they swiftly launched themselves at the zombie horde.

Where the snakes passed, zombies were devoured cleanly, leaving only a ground covered in black ash.

Each time Shen Tang witnessed Xue Yinzhou’s superpower, she was amazed. Relieved, she thought these zombies would soon be eradicated.

But in the next moment, the system issued an urgent alert,

[Warning, an S-level pollution source has been detected within the system’s range. Host, please find a place to hide quickly!]

Shen Tang frowned, puzzled, "Aren’t these all low-level zombies here? Though there are indeed many of them, surely Xiao Jin and the others can handle it."

Her gaze scanned the battlefield, and although the zombie horde was vast, the situation seemed under control with everyone’s combined efforts.

The system’s voice came again, with a hint of urgency, [Three o’clock direction, less than five hundred meters away, host, do you see that tall and thin Wolf Clan Beastman?]

Following the system’s guidance, Shen Tang saw a tall and thin Wolf Clan Beastman standing at the perimeter with his back to everyone, motionless.

His body was terrifyingly emaciated, as if only skin wrapped bones, his silhouette strangely unsettling. Even from a distance, Shen Tang could sense the ominous aura emanating from him.

"Who is that... why is he just standing there not moving?"

Some Beastmen also noticed the Wolf Beast and moved to pat his shoulder, "Hey, buddy, what’s wrong? Feeling unwell?"

In the next instant, a horrifying scene unfolded as the Wolf Clan Beastman’s skin suddenly began to shed, as if being sliced by invisible blades.

Countless spider-like abominations burst from his flesh, their bodies covered in spiral patterns, their eight slender legs sharp as blades, surging outward like a tide.

"Ahhhhh!"

The Beastman who approached earlier screamed in terror, unable to escape before being engulfed by the swarm, reduced to a pool of blood and bones in mere seconds.

"Ah! What are these things?!" a female cried out, sobbing in fright.

"Retreat! Retreat! Don’t let them get near!"

The spider-like creatures moved with great speed, covering the ground in an instant, launching themselves at everyone.

It was a lure-and-trap strategy!

Inside the camp, fewer than a hundred Beastmen and a dozen females remained, utterly unmatched against the swarm. Even using incendiary grenades couldn’t halt their advance.

The places these spiders crawled over left trails of corrosive venom, even the bulletproof windows of armored vehicles were corroded, becoming rusted and worn. In her urgency, without finding a suitable cover, Shen Tang climbed up a tree nearby.