Chapter 105: Mutated Zombies

Chapter 155: Mutant Zombie

On the other side, Xia Zheng and Mario found the tall zombie they were facing quite troublesome. For one, its movement speed was significantly faster; for another, its arms seemed to be elastic, capable of extending at will.

"Watch out for its arms," Xia Zheng warned, firing three consecutive shots at the creature's face.

The third bullet struck home, and just as Xia Zheng felt a surge of triumph, he saw the flesh on the monster's face ripple and knit itself back together.

"Freak! It’s got such strong regenerative abilities," Mario growled in frustration. He unleashed a full magazine of bullets, but this time, the zombie reinforced its defense. Its arms whirled like the blades of a windmill, creating a barrier that deflected every single bullet, sending sparks flying in all directions.

"FK!" Mario cursed. He turned to Xia Zheng and said, "Benson, keep it pinned down. I’m going to flank it."

"Don't be reckless. Our combined firepower is stronger," Xia Zheng cautioned. Although he didn’t have a deep emotional bond with all of them—he had barely interacted with Chen Hui—these three had become his true teammates.

Mario stood up irritably. "Don't be a nag. It's coming at us hard; firepower alone won't suppress it. I’m going." With that, his form blurred as he activated his "Stealth" ability, leaping out from cover and vanishing from Xia Zheng’s sight.

Left with no choice, Xia Zheng focused his fire on the zombie to create an opening for Mario.

The tall, long-armed zombie was largely held back by Xia Zheng’s barrage until it suddenly emitted a piercing, high-pitched screech, like a tempest crashing down upon them.

"Damn it." Xia Zheng immediately dove to the ground behind cover, hoping to evade the sonic attack.

Though he avoided most of it, a fraction of the sound wave struck him. His vision blurred, and he fought desperately to keep his consciousness from slipping away, a sinking feeling of dread filling his heart.

A few seconds later, his senses returned. He raised his arm and fired a shot without thinking—to hell with it, just shoot.

Bang!

As the shot rang out, a bone-chilling roar erupted right before him. Xia Zheng looked up and saw the zombie’s face, shredded and mangled by the bullet.

Adrenaline surged through Xia Zheng. He performed a nimble side-roll just as the zombie’s finger-claws pierced through the cover, stabbing exactly where he had been a moment before, only to get stuck in the material.

"Die, you bastard!" It was Mario’s voice. As Xia Zheng rolled to his feet, he saw Mario materialize, pressing his submachine gun against the back of the zombie’s head and opening fire.

The zombie’s head was riddled with holes and burst open. It couldn’t regenerate from that, could it?

"Yeah!" Mario cheered, arms raised, but a dark cloud of apprehension hung over Xia Zheng.

"Get out of there!" Xia Zheng shouted. Mario hesitated, but it was a second too late.

An incredible sight unfolded: the zombie, despite having its head blown apart, did not die. It yanked its hand free from the cover, twisted its body in an unnatural 180-degree turn, and spun its fingers like fan blades.

Slash!

It swept across Mario’s waist, fast as lightning.

Mario looked at Xia Zheng with a dazed expression, struggling to speak. "Buddy... you... have to make it out alive..."

A thin line of blood bloomed, followed by a spray of crimson. Mario was cut in half; his upper and lower torso separated as he collapsed.

Xia Zheng roared, firing his pistol until it clicked empty, shredding the already headless zombie further. The mutant zombie finally fell. Its head was indeed its weak point, but its vitality was beyond imagination. Mario was dead.

Xia Zheng had no time for grief. He hurriedly reloaded his last magazine and rushed to the left to support his remaining teammates.

In his line of sight, the "Meat Shield" zombie had trapped Jim in its grip like a clam clamping down on an intruder. Jim roared, pushing his genetic strength to the limit; if not for his immense power, he likely would have been crushed in two.

Carol lay in a pool of blood, her condition unknown. In the blink of an eye, three teammates were down, and only Xia Zheng remained unscathed.

A wave of sorrow washed over him, and his nose stung, but he suppressed the pain. He raised his pistol and aimed at the Meat Shield zombie’s head.

Bang!

The bullet struck its eye. The zombie recoiled, releasing the two shields, and roared as it charged toward them, only to be grabbed by the neck from behind by Jim.

"You think you're going anywhere? Not so fast! Little Wood, fire! Kill it, tear it to pieces!" Jim shouted at Xia Zheng.

Xia Zheng unleashed everything, blasting out its other eye, its nose, and half its face, yet it refused to die.

Xia Zheng ran back to Mario’s body, grabbed his submachine gun, and stepped within five meters of the zombie, emptying the clip into its temple.

The monster roared, exerted a sudden burst of strength, and tossed Jim into the air before charging at Xia Zheng again.

Unable to activate his own ability, Xia Zheng could only flee, circling every available obstacle while firing. Soon, the submachine gun was empty, and his pistol ran dry shortly after.

"Damn it! Why? Why is my ability sealed?" Xia Zheng roared at the sky. He could only use his Divine Eye, but that was useless—it couldn't kill anything. Was he going to die in the very first level?

"You scum, don't get too cocky!" An astonishing aura erupted into the air. Xia Zheng saw a figure like a red storm—it was Carol, having activated her "Berserk" state.

In her berserk form, Carol was like a monster herself. She caught up to the zombie chasing Xia Zheng, raining heavy blows upon it that forced it to stumble back. Finally, she delivered a powerful kick to its groin, sending the creature howling as it was launched into the air.

Xia Zheng rushed to Carol’s side, seeing she was severely wounded and currently relying solely on her sheer force of will.

"Benson, I regret not following your advice. Beta Team has suffered heavy losses, but as long as you are alive and make it out, Beta Team isn't finished. I order you: use all your strength to escape this place. Tell Eternal Night City that a horrific infection has broken out in Pager. Everyone here is likely dead. The military must be deployed," Carol said, her voice eerily calm.

Xia Zheng nodded. This was likely the ending of the first level: he was the sole survivor, and his team was wiped out.

"Carol... I..." Xia Zheng hugged her briefly from behind, then turned and walked away without looking back.

ROAR!

The zombie was still alive. Carol, without a hint of regret, charged forward. She would atone for her mistakes and buy time for the only survivor of Beta Team to escape.