The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH152

Chapter 152 — “Airborne Troops”

The enormous black metal wheel rumbled outside the base walls, crushing and flattening every zombie blocking the perimeter. A random phrase suddenly popped into Luo Xun’s mind—

“The gears of fate have begun to turn…”

Okay, that really didn’t fit the situation at all, no matter how you looked at it.

Luo Xun and the others without abilities were responsible for protecting the three metal-type users, including Yan Fei.

Luo Xun, Zhang Quan, and, surprisingly, Captain Guo himself each carried a fairly large metal shield on their backs and personally protected one metal-type user apiece. They also carried towels, water, weapons, crystal cores, and other supplies.

Several earth-type users followed behind the squad, reinforcing the ground near the wall to prevent the metal wheel from crushing the earth too severely and causing structural problems.

The fire-type users dispatched by the military were in charge of vigilance and defense, protecting the group from stray projectiles thrown from below the walls.

After making one full circuit, the Grindstone Squad paused briefly before preparing for another round of battle.

By now the sky had already darkened slightly, and it was approaching six in the evening.

A soldier stationed as lookout suddenly shouted:

“Attention! Air raid warning!!”

Everyone who had been preparing to move froze and instinctively looked into the distance.

From within the dense zombie horde, countless tiny black dots began rising into the air…

“These damn birds again!”

People cursed under their breath, glaring grimly at the approaching zombie birds.

“It’s not just birds… I think there are wind-type zombies too!” Luo Xun suddenly called out sharply, pointing upward.

Everyone hurriedly looked closer and indeed saw wind-type zombies with greenish wings mixed among the flock.

“No way! Wind zombies can actually fly now?!”

Over the past two days, they had collected several fourth-level wind-type zombie cores, and the base had also gained some fourth-level wind users. But even after leveling up, those ability users hadn’t truly developed flight.

At most, they could increase hang time and “float” briefly after borrowing momentum.

Nothing close to actual flight like these zombies.

“All units, pay attention! Eliminate the incoming zombie birds as much as possible!”

The loudspeakers atop the wall blared again.

Unlike the loudspeakers inside the base—which had long since mysteriously vanished—those on the walls were constantly guarded by patrol teams.

Hearing the order, everyone immediately focused.

Part of the defenders continued firing on the zombies below, while the better marksmen aimed upward into the sky.

The zombie birds had become incredibly cunning.

Perhaps the birds that attacked the base previously had failed badly enough to teach the zombie horde a lesson.

This time, instead of attacking recklessly during daylight, they waited until darkness fell before launching aerial assaults, making it far harder for defenders below to target them accurately.

So the humans could only take advantage of the remaining twilight and kill as many as possible while visibility still existed.

Gunfire erupted across the entire wall.

At least half the defenders shifted their focus skyward. Some used firearms, while others directly unleashed abilities.

The leading wave of birds was hit the moment it approached the walls. Although some were struck down, the rest immediately climbed higher, circled once overhead, and retreated.

Everyone stared tensely at the direction they vanished, terrified the creatures would suddenly return again.

And sure enough—

not long later, the second wave launched.

“What’s blocking them?! I know I hit one!”

“Something’s falling down!”

“Ow! Rocks!”

“Tree roots, glass! They’re throwing garbage!”

Using abilities consumed too much mental energy, and many zombies apparently needed concentration to maintain flight stability.

Tonight, the zombies—whose intelligence seemed suddenly upgraded—had chosen not to fly overhead and bombard everyone directly with abilities.

Instead, they simply grabbed bricks, stones, and random debris and hurled them onto the walls.

Defensive barriers, shields, and ability screens sprang up everywhere.

The entire wall fell into chaos under this bizarre aerial bombardment.

Meanwhile, the zombies below launched a new assault as well.

A group of gigantic strength-type zombies, each three to four meters tall, suddenly pushed through the smaller zombies. Every step shook the earth thunderously as they charged toward the wall.

Once they arrived, they slammed their shoulders directly into the fortifications.

“Ah!”

“Help!”

“AAAAAH—”

“Th-they fell down!!”

Several people standing closest to the outer edge lost their footing from the impact and toppled off the wall.

Within mere seconds, the swarming zombies below tore those unfortunate defenders apart so completely that not even bones remained. They didn’t even have time to turn into zombies themselves.

Most of those who fell had been watching the sky, focused on the incoming zombie birds and trying either to shoot them or avoid the aerial attacks.

“Damn it!”

When people realized the giant zombies crouched down after ramming the wall, allowing other zombies to climb up their bodies, their faces turned green.

“Quick! Don’t let them form ladders!”

The walls were tall, but if the zombies became determined to climb, there truly weren’t many ways to stop them.

Captain Guo had just stood up to shout instructions when another scream erupted nearby.

“The ground’s moving! Earth-type zombies are building dirt ramps outside the wall!!”

“Damn it, are we even supposed to survive this?!”

People smashed fists against the wall in frustration while several observers hurriedly contacted higher command.

“Earth-type users! Get earth-type users onto the walls immediately! The zombies outside are building dirt ladders!”

Zombie ladders.

Earth ladders.

Some areas, taking advantage of Yan Fei and the others being absent, even attempted to peel away the metal reinforcements and crawl directly inside.

The entire wall descended into complete chaos.

Every person participating in this defense battle felt deep terror in their hearts.

No one voiced it aloud, but nearly everyone had reached the same conclusion—

There had to be something intelligent among the zombies.

Something coordinating the battle.

Whether it was a special zombie type… or not even technically a zombie at all…

Whatever it was, humanity could only desperately respond to each move as it came.

Even knowing it might all be futile.

Even if they could only hold the line for one more minute—

or one more second.

Because otherwise, in the very next instant, they themselves might stop breathing, lose consciousness, and become one of the walking dead.

“Do you remember the three locations I mentioned earlier?”

Luo Xun crouched in a corner of the wall beside the metal-type users, rapidly briefing them.

Once all three nodded, he stood up.

“Then that’s it. Each of you handles one section. Yan Fei and I will take the eastern side and sections to the north and south. Everyone be careful!”

“Don’t worry. You guys be careful too. Don’t get too close to the edge.”

The other two metal-type users nodded.

One sprinted south, the other north, while the people assigned to protect them hurried after them.

Luo Xun then turned toward the earth- and fire-type users accompanying the metal squad.

“The military will definitely send more users matching your abilities soon. Don’t worry about anything else—just stay close to the metal-type user you’re assigned to, guard your section of wall, and make sure the metal wheel keeps operating. Ignore everything else!”

With that, several more people split off and chased after the departing metal users.

Soon, three gigantic metal wheels appeared outside three different sections of the base walls.

Their thunderous rumbling echoed in three separate directions as they rolled forward, crushing everything in their paths.

Luo Xun had realized earlier that although Sun Shaoyang and Xiao Li hadn’t fully reached fourth level yet, both were already on the verge of breakthrough.

At this point, they were capable of controlling their own metal wheels independently, even if their handling might still be unstable.

Under the current circumstances, splitting into three teams was far more effective than staying together.

As for the zombie birds…

Captain Guo had forcibly “borrowed” several more earth- and wind-type users from other squads to protect everyone and guard against aerial surprises.

On Luo Xun’s side, besides the metal shield he carried himself, he had also called over Zhang Suo—who had spent the entire day resting.

Although Li Tie’s group also needed protection, Xu Mei and the others were still with them, so there shouldn’t be immediate danger there.

And since there was still some time before their next wall-defense shift, Zhang Suo could temporarily reinforce this side first.

Yan Fei once again peeled metal evenly from the wall and rapidly shaped another gigantic metal wheel.

The previous wheel had gone with Xiao Li, whose mental strength was the weakest among the three. Yan Fei and Sun Shaoyang now each needed to create new ones temporarily.

Before long, another enormous wheel appeared beside the wall, rumbling loudly as it rolled forward.

With the boost from his wind ability, Zhang Suo arrived at the wall incredibly quickly.

He didn’t even need to call and ask where the others were.

All he had to do was follow the thunderous rumbling.

He reached them just as another wave of zombie birds descended.

Their claws still carried all sorts of junk scavenged from the ruined city.

The moment they flew over the walls, they began dropping debris.

But this time, something seemed different about the “garbage.”

Among the falling objects were countless tiny shapes, each seemingly carrying a pair of glowing crimson dots—

Wait.

“Zombie rats!! The zombie birds are air-dropping zombie rats!!!”

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