Chapter Thirty-Nine: Invasion

Aside from the Hunter King Task Force, another faction was converging upon this place: the Red-faced Corpse King from the park district. It had brought along its "Scarf," intent on avenging the mutated Rat King, killing Lin Dong, and annexing his territory. The Red-faced Corpse King had no shortage of underlings— a horde of twenty thousand zombies surged forward, a black mass sweeping through the streets. They howled and charged like a flood, with over a hundred elite swift zombies at the vanguard, leaping and bounding like simian beasts. Amidst the tide, numerous mutated giant rats mixed in, their red eyes gleaming with ferocity.

The spectacle of tens of thousands of zombies crowding the streets was impressive. The Red-faced Corpse King and several of its lieutenants walked at the rear, convinced that it need not lift a finger— two thousand zombies stood no chance against its twenty thousand. "Majesty, the battle should be over soon. You just need to collect the crystal cores when you arrive," one subordinate remarked. The Red-faced Corpse King nodded, pleased by these words.

Meanwhile, the Hunter King Task Force had reached their target location. Armed personnel began shooting scattered zombies at the perimeter. Gunfire rang out, and the zombies fell one after another. Lu Hao and the other four awakened descended from their vehicles to survey the area. Stray zombies darted from alleys and streets but were shot before they could approach, requiring no further attention.

Their gaze turned toward the skyscraper. In the middle of the avenue stood a hulking figure— the tempestuous Tank. "Roar—" Tank sniffed the scent of humans and bellowed in their direction, his voice shaking the heavens, brimming with ferocity. Were it not for Lin Dong’s withheld command, he would have already charged forward.

"As expected, a Corpse King of strength. Judging by his dull appearance, he likely possesses no special abilities," Xiao Wen analyzed. Lu Hao nodded. "Still, we must be cautious. There may be other Corpse Kings. Look at that group of zombies behind— they seem highly evolved." "Hiss... terrifying!" The sole female awakened gasped, apprehensive in her first operation.

Xiao Wen adopted a gentlemanly demeanor to reassure her. "Don’t worry, it’s only a one-star zombie nest, barely over two thousand zombies, not densely distributed. They’ll be cleared out quickly." "Let’s hurry up and finish, then claim our reward. I haven’t eaten properly for days," added the tall man. Despite Tech Corporation’s advanced technology, food remained scarce.

As the Hunter King Task Force advanced, the two factions drew closer, tension thickening, a battle seemingly imminent. Tank stood at the front, a bulwark against all comers, his fists clenched, muscles bulging, eyes fierce. He awaited only Lin Dong’s command to charge forth and tear the humans apart.

Xiao Ba also dropped her smile, tilting her head and staring intently at the humans ahead, anticipation itching within her. Why hadn’t the boss given the order yet? She was impatient for slaughter. The zombies waited anxiously, howling, but Lin Dong remained silent. The humans were now less than five hundred meters away, soon to enter firing range.

"What’s the boss doing? Did he go searching for snacks and forget about us?" Tank asked, his gaze anxious as he glanced back. The Doctor Zombie shot him a look. "Fool, you think the boss is like you? No command means we wait!" "Wait? Their vehicles will soon run over my face," Xiao Ba muttered, scratching her head, nearly frantic.

Yet, after advancing a dozen meters, the Hunter King Task Force halted. Captain Lu Hao observed keenly. "These zombies... are odd." "What’s wrong, Captain Lu?" Xiao Wen stepped forward. Lu Hao stared ahead. "Ordinary zombies, when disturbed like this, would have already charged us, but these... haven’t moved at all!" "True," the female awakened agreed. The zombies before her differed from her expectations. The tall man concurred, "This usually means a high-intelligence zombie is orchestrating them." "Or maybe... they’re simply dumb, unwilling to leave their territory," Xiao Wen speculated.

The four observed the perimeter, debating tactics but hesitated to advance, holding their ground for several minutes. The tall man said, "Could this be a bluff?" "Pfft! Bluff? You think zombies are Zhuge Liang, capable of strategic ruses?" Xiao Wen laughed. Lu Hao considered; regardless of the zombies’ behavior, they had come to eradicate them. "Just two thousand zombies. Even if something unexpected occurs, we can handle it. Prepare to engage!"

"Got it!" Xiao Wen replied, eager to act. The others took a deep breath, their eyes resolute, ready to face the ferocious zombie tide. At that tense moment, the ground suddenly rumbled. Disordered footsteps, howls, and shrill squeaks echoed from all directions.

"Something’s wrong!" Lu Hao’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening. The armed personnel exchanged glances, seeing the same gravity in each other’s eyes— they’d experienced this before. Only a massive zombie tide could cause such an effect.

Sure enough, several swift zombies leaped onto nearby rooftops, glaring down at them. From street corners and alleys, countless zombies and fierce mutant rats poured forth.

"Where did all these zombies come from?" Lu Hao and his comrades were stunned; the numbers far exceeded two thousand. They could only assume they’d walked into an ambush. "Senior, what do we do now?" the female awakened asked. The others wore grim expressions, at a loss.

Lu Hao glanced around. "No choice— prepare to fight!" The zombies charged at breakneck speed, reaching them in moments. "Open fire!" Lu Hao commanded, and gunfire erupted. Five hundred armed personnel formed a specific formation, their firepower dense, mowing down swathes of zombies like wheat.

But the tide was fiercely relentless, pressing forward regardless, even tripping over fallen corpses yet rolling on, heedless of pain or loss. Most deadly were the elite swift zombies, which leaped from tall buildings at blinding speed, catching soldiers off guard, pinning them to the ground and tearing into them. These could only be dealt with by Lu Hao and the awakened.

Suddenly, the cement beneath their feet cracked, accompanied by shrill squeaks, as giant rats emerged, clambering onto the soldiers and biting at ankles, causing them to cry out in pain.

The two forces clashed fiercely, with chaos and carnage all around. Meanwhile, Tank, Xiao Ba, and the others watched the scene unfold, bewildered.

"What... is happening?"