Chapter 49: Explosion!

On the highway.

The team had been traveling for several hours.

Although this route passed through suburbs and townships — making it safer than city centers or mountain forests — it still led them past buildings and various obstacles, occasionally resulting in sudden Zombie ambushes.

The peripheral personnel would be attacked if they weren’t careful.

However… even so, things were going a bit too smoothly.

Mu Bai felt strange.

‘Is a Level 5 Difficulty Site this simple? Or is the Zombie King’s territory harder to pass through than I imagined?’

By her estimation, they should have covered half the distance by now.

A piercing scream rang out not far from the formation’s edge.

This time, it was closer than ever before, and all four of them looked over.

Roughly a dozen meters away, a peripheral Player was pinned to the ground by a Zombie, which was frantically gnawing at their neck as blood splattered everywhere.

A few nearby Players who could have assisted were busy dealing with two other Zombies and couldn’t free themselves.

The victim soon turned into a Zombie, and the one attacking them stopped feeding, quickly lunging toward the crowd in the inner circle instead.

Once again, someone failed to dodge in time and was tackled to the ground.

The Player on the ground, with half their neck bitten off, staggered to their feet.

The exposed collarbone and cervical vertebrae were almost visible within the wound.

With a roar, they lunged at the nearest Player.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

A series of gunshots rang out.

Ye Yuan had used her Beretta to kill the Zombies that had breached the formation just in time.

Her precise marksmanship not only drew surprised looks from Tang Shifu and Mo Cha but also stabilized the formation that was on the verge of chaos.

These Players had zero coordination; everyone just wanted to survive.

If the situation wasn’t stabilized immediately, they would have routed.

This was also why several Level 2 Players with guns were stationed at every section of the team.

Thanks to Ye Yuan’s precise kills, the pressure on the peripheral Players was relieved, and the remaining two Zombies were quickly killed by the surrounding Players.

“Is this also an effect of Weapon Master?”

Tang Shifu remarked in admiration.

Many Level 2 Players, including herself and Mo Cha, didn’t really know how to use firearms.

They mostly used them for quick damage at close range or for intimidation; at a slight distance, they could only rely on luck for accuracy.

Yet, Ye Yuan had landed three critical shots on three Zombie heads, each one piercing right through the center of the skull.

This level of accuracy was terrifying.

It was the kind of skill that made no one dare to let her take the first shot after seeing her aim.

“Yeah, not just pistols. Yuan-yuan can instantly master any melee or ranged weapon as soon as she gets her hands on it… It’s not exactly like an aimbot, but she becomes an immediate expert,” Mu Bai explained.

For some reason, even though it wasn’t her own skill, Mu Bai felt a faint sense of pride.

Her tone carried a hint of showing off.

Hearing Mu Bai say this, Ye Yuan let out a soft huff, and her cold aura finally softened quite a bit.

Due to this brief episode, the four of them paused their steps.

Just as they were about to continue, the queue ahead, along with the Armored Vehicle, suddenly came to a halt.

Some of the Players at the very front even began to retreat uncontrollably.

Even the Level 2 Players assigned to supervise the front were running back.

Mu Bai’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Something definitely happened.’

Tens of meters away, the Armored Vehicle moved as well.

Under the control of the driver, Scarface, it turned around without hesitation, crashing into a large number of innocent Players.

With the Armored Vehicle no longer blocking their view, the situation at the front was finally revealed to the four of them.

Densely packed, hundreds of Zombies surged out from the factory park and abandoned buildings.

It was as if they had been specifically hiding inside, waiting for the escort team to pass…

A Zombie Tide… and it was a Zombie Tide led by a Zombie King!

At a glance, there were over 100 of them, with even more countless Zombies pouring out from further away.

‘They were no match for this!’

“Make way for the Armored Vehicle… wait, get on the car!”

Mu Bai shouted urgently.

There were nearly 1,000 Players blocking the way behind them.

Their speed was limited by these Players, and they certainly wouldn’t outrun the Zombie Tide.

But Players were living people; they would avoid the rampaging Armored Vehicle!

Tang Shifu set Mu Bai down from her back and instead picked her up with one arm.

As the turning Armored Vehicle passed by, she leaped up, grabbing the edge of the roof by using an opening on the side of the vehicle.

The vehicle hadn’t picked up too much speed yet, so Mo Cha managed to grab a protrusion on the rear structure.

Ye Yuan used the edges of the door frame to vault onto the roof in two quick steps.

“Grab my hand!”

Ye Yuan grabbed Mu Bai and pulled her up, followed by Tang Shifu and Mo Cha.

Scarface saw the situation through the rearview mirror but couldn’t stop to intervene.

He could only grit his teeth and continue to accelerate.

The speed gradually increased.

Some Players in the back hadn’t even seen the Zombies before their formation was scattered by the Armored Vehicle.

Soon, the Armored Vehicle encountered a fork in the road and plunged into it.

Mu Bai and the others instantly understood.

He was trying to find another route to the Research Institute.

By using the nearly 1,000 Players behind them as bait, they could escape.

With so many people acting as a lure, the Zombie King wouldn’t ignore them just to chase a single iron vehicle…

The wind pressure was too strong, forcing Mu Bai to lie flat on the roof and squint.

As her vision shifted, she saw a figure abruptly standing on a high point of an abandoned building several hundred meters away.

“Look over there!”

On the roof of a four-story building, a figure stood at the edge, looking down at them.

Its eyes weren’t clear, but its skin was unnaturally pale and lifeless.

‘Such a unique Zombie… Was that the Zombie King?’

However, what was even more eye-catching was that high up in the sky above that figure, a gray Drone was hovering motionlessly.

Just as the other three followed Mu Bai’s direction and saw the figure, a piercing shriek like tearing air sliced through the sky.

A streak of fire traced a faint arc and crashed into the abandoned building!

Boom!

Dust and smoke filled the air as the building collapsed instantly!

With the abandoned building at the center, trees and structures within a 100-meter radius were destroyed by the intense impact.

A shockwave swept toward them!

Fortunately, they were far away.

An explosion of this magnitude couldn’t directly harm those on the Armored Vehicle.

But trouble followed…

‘Regardless of whether that figure was the so-called Zombie King, would such a loud explosion attract more Zombies from outside the Zombie King’s territory?’

Ordinary Zombies were fine if they weren’t in large numbers, but if Mutants were mixed in… could this Armored Vehicle break through the encirclement?

“The Zombie Tide behind us is scattering… but the Players are all chasing after us in this direction!”

Mo Cha, who had been watching the rear, warned.

“There’s a Mutant ahead!”

Tang Shifu’s voice was frantic.

Mu Bai quickly looked to the front of the Armored Vehicle.

A Zombie much taller than a normal human was lunging at them!

Thud!

The Mutant was hit hard but clung desperately to the front of the vehicle, roaring incessantly.

The Zombie’s skin was dark and cracked.

It seemed completely unharmed after being struck by the Armored Vehicle.

Its massive frame blocked most of the driver’s vision, causing the vehicle to sway violently!

Ye Yuan immediately raised the assault rifle she had been holding and fired!