Chapter 5: To Think You Could Wipe Out My Subordinates!
The rustling in the bushes stopped dead.
Lin Feng activated his wind ability, blasting a hidden zombie out into the open and slamming it against a tree trunk before it tumbled to the ground.
Realizing it was exposed, the zombie abandoned all stealth, threw its head back with a bloodcurdling howl, and lunged straight at Lin Feng.
At close quarters, wind magic was tricky to wield, forcing Lin Feng into hand-to-hand combat. After trading a few blows, he pinned the creature to the dirt and rained punches onto its skull. Scrambling to protect its head with both hands, the zombie dodged frantically, spotted an opening, and snapped its jaws forward. As Lin Feng instinctively leaned back to dodge the bite, the creature scrambled up and bolted.
It moved with a heavy limp and could not run far. Lin Feng immediately gave chase into the woods.
Soon after, the bushes began to rustle once more… the sounds growing faster and denser by the second.
In the clearing, Pei Zhi snapped awake. Releasing the little zombie curled in his arms, he hurled a streak of lightning through the air, instantly blasting apart a sneaking zombie that was about to sink its teeth into Shen Qing.
The little zombie sat dazed in the grass, blinking sleepily and struggling to open his eyes. When his eyelids fluttered shut again, he reached out blindly to cuddle Pei Zhi, only to find the spot beside him cold and empty. Startled, he sat up straight and looked around in alarm.
Over a dozen zombies were swarming into the camp. Pei Zhi and Shen Qing stood back-to-back, locked in fierce combat.
Pei Zhi unleashed another volley of lightning, blowing the heads off an entire ring of encroaching undead.
Shen Qing summoned his fire ability, burning the remaining three down to charred skeletons.
Mother Chen had been sleeping close to the military vehicle. Reacting quickly, she dragged Cheng Yu inside and kept her eyes glued to the window, watching for any chance to open the doors and let the others escape.
Xiao Wan was terrified out of her wits. Hiding behind the little zombie, she wept softly, her voice trembling with dread. “Xiao Zhi, I’m scared… sob…”
Xiao Zhi turned around, gently patted her shoulder, and let out a soft, reassuring howl.
Suddenly, a small-framed zombie lunged toward them, snapping its jaws at Xiao Wan. Jiang Xiaozhi shoved it back a step and snarled angrily, “Awoo, awoo, awoo, awoo!”
You’re not allowed to bite her!
The zombie stared at him in confusion. “Awoo?”
Jiang Xiaozhi bared his teeth, putting on his fiercest scowl. “Awoo, awoo, awoo, awoo!”
Losing patience, the zombie shoved Jiang Xiaozhi to the ground and advanced toward Xiao Wan.
Jiang Xiaozhi scrambled up, tackled the creature by the legs, and brought it crashing down. The two zombies tumbled through the dirt, grappling violently.
In the end, the wild zombie gained the upper hand, pinning Jiang Xiaozhi to the ground and beating him mercilessly about the head. Jiang Xiaozhi clamped his hands over his ears, howling in helpless panic.
Hearing the commotion, Pei Zhi turned his head. Rage flared in his chest at the sight. Raising his hand, he hurled a crackling orb of high-voltage lightning, blasting the hostile zombie into smoldering ash.
Jiang Xiaozhi scrambled back to his feet, shielding Xiao Wan behind him once more.
Inside the vehicle, Mother Chen rolled down the window and shouted through the chaos, “Xiao Zhi! Xiao Wan! Over here!”
Jiang Xiaozhi grabbed Xiao Wan’s hand and began pushing toward the truck.
Just as Pei Zhi and Shen Qing finished off their wave of attackers, more shadows surged out of the pitch-black woods, wearing them down in a brutal war of attrition.
These zombies were mindless beasts incapable of tactical thought. It was obvious someone was directing them from behind the scenes, deliberately draining the fighters’ energy reserves before moving in for the kill.
Realizing the trap, Pei Zhi decapitated another rush of undead with swift strikes before shouting to Shen Qing, “Fall back to the truck!”
Shen Qing hurled a fireball that consumed another zombie’s head. “Got it!”
The two fought their way backward toward the vehicle, while Mother Chen waited anxiously by the door to let them in.
Yet a fresh wave of undead suddenly cut off their path. Attacking with frenzied aggression, the horde forced Pei Zhi and Shen Qing further away from the safety of the truck.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaozhi dragged Xiao Wan through the gaps, shoving aside any creature that blocked their escape. Just as they drew close to the vehicle, a zombie leaped through the air, tackled Xiao Wan, seized her arm, and sank its teeth deep into her flesh. Xiao Wan let out a piercing scream, terror choking the breath right out of her lungs.
Staring at the two bruised, blackish-purple puncture wounds on her arm, all color drained from her face. She knew she was finished.
Slowly, Xiao Wan slipped her fingers free from Jiang Xiaozhi’s grip.
“Xiao Zhi… don’t worry about me anymore…”
The little zombie shoved the attacker away with all his might, snarling furiously at it. He hurried back to Xiao Wan, gently cupping her wounded arm and blowing on the skin, as if that could soothe the burning pain.
Tears streamed down Xiao Wan’s cheeks. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the smooth pebbles they had played with earlier and pressed them into his palms. “I’m giving these to you…”
The little zombie treasured those stones deeply. Cradling them tenderly in his hands, he tilted his head and let out a soft call, promising that they would play together again soon.
The fresh scent of blood drove the surrounding zombies into a frenzy. Swarming like locusts, they buried Xiao Wan beneath a wall of gnashing teeth and tearing claws, ripping into her flesh without mercy.
The little zombie tried desperately to push through the mob, but his frail body was no match for their brute force, and he was shoved roughly out of the pack…
Having tasted blood, the undead turned their glowing, crimson eyes toward Pei Zhi and Shen Qing, charging with ravenous fury.
Both men had pushed their powers to the absolute limit. With his energy nearly dry, Pei Zhi resorted to raw physical combat, sending a leaping corpse flying several meters with a brutal punch.
“I’ll cover you! Get in the truck!”
Pei Zhi commanded absolute authority, having guided them through countless deathtraps before. Shen Qing obeyed without hesitation. Nodding firmly, he bolted toward the military vehicle a few meters away.
Watching Xiao Wan get torn apart had reduced Mother Chen to tears, yet she remained poised by the door, ready to pull them inside.
In the corner, Cheng Yu curled into a tight ball, squeezing his eyes shut and screaming in terror.
Gathering his last reserves of energy, Pei Zhi unleashed a sweeping bolt of lightning, blasting a brief corridor through the dense pack of corpses.
The opening would only last a couple of seconds. Shen Qing sprinted through the gap, while Pei Zhi threw himself between the surging horde and the vehicle, holding the line with bare fists to keep them from swarming his teammate.
Shen Qing threw himself into the driver’s seat, fired up the engine, and spun the wheel around to retrieve Pei Zhi.
Yet as the headlights swept across the clearing, his heart sank. Pei Zhi was already completely engulfed by a sea of rotting bodies.
Shen Qing slammed the bumper into several zombies, knocking them down, but the creatures scrambled right back up and converged on Pei Zhi once again.
With their abilities fully drained, staying meant certain death.
Pei Zhi kicked an attacker away and yelled toward the windshield, “Go!”
Through the glass, Shen Qing’s eyes burned red with anguish. “Boss!”
More shadows spilled from the forest line. A few seconds more, and the vehicle would be trapped forever. Gritting his teeth, Shen Qing spun the wheel, stomped the gas, and plowed through the horde to escape into the night.
The little zombie had wanted to ride in the truck too. He chased after the retreating taillights for a few paces, but fell behind. Remembering that Pei Zhi had not boarded, he stopped in his tracks and scrambled back into the fray to find him.
Pei Zhi remained pinned in the center of the swarm. Unable to break out, he kept dodging and striking, desperately looking for an opening.
Nearly half an hour passed before the final attacker collapsed to the ground. Pei Zhi stood alone amidst a mountain of mangled corpses, soaked in gore from head to toe.
The little zombie hurried over and grabbed his sleeve, whimpering anxiously, “Awoo, awoo!”
Pei Zhi swayed on his feet, chest heaving for breath. His stamina and powers were utterly spent, and only sheer willpower kept his vision from going dark.
Guiding the little zombie by the hand, he stumbled toward an open patch of grass, only for a strange figure to emerge from the shadows right beside them.
The creature’s body bore no decay, and its clothes were remarkably neat. Were it not for the milky white film over its eyes and the pair of sharp fangs jutting past its lips, it could easily have passed for a normal living human.
“To think a mere ability user could wipe out all my subordinates,” the high-tier zombie spoke, its voice eerily steady.
The Food-hoarding Zombie Was Kidnapped by the Apocalyptic Boss
