Return to the Street of the Living Dead

Five armored vehicles loaded with personnel and a 1A1 main battle tank roared down the highway, heading toward the commercial street fifteen kilometers away.

The scorching sun baked the air until it shimmered, turning the metal shells of the vehicles so hot that if one were to place a palm on the surface for three seconds, they would smell the charred scent of roasting meat.

This was the mercenary team Parick had arranged to accompany Xia Leng to the Street of the Living Dead.

Xia Leng had expected at most a few transport trucks to accompany him, but he had not anticipated the deployment of a tank—a relic of the old era—which showed just how much importance these corporations placed on excavating new biological specimens.

The force was divided into two teams, each consisting of about five fully armed elite mercenaries.

Leading these two teams were Captain Gilbert, an Apocalypse Hunter with agility enhancements in charge of the Falcon Squad, and Captain Philip, an Apocalypse Warrior of the power-type leading the Tiger Squad.

Their divisions of labor were distinct, and the equipment of each mercenary team differed significantly.

The Falcon Squad was primarily responsible for long-range fire, boasting snipers, assault riflemen, machine gunners, and even rocket launchers within their ranks.

The Tiger Squad, conversely, was essentially a melee unit; every member wore sturdy exoskeleton combat suits and wielded various melee weapons filled with violent intent, with many of them being First-Tier Apocalypse Warriors.

When executing missions, these two teams were old partners with a high degree of tacit understanding and a long history of coordinated combat.

When the Falcon Squad sniped enemies from afar, they would first wipe out the opposing long-range fire, while the Tiger Squad was responsible for preventing the Falcon Squad from being ambushed at close range, thereby launching counterattacks.

In short, they played different roles in different environments: the vast wilderness was the Falcon Squad's primary battlefield, while dense urban environments were the best places for the Tiger Squad to launch their offensives.

At this moment, Xia Leng was sitting in the first armored vehicle with the two captains, waiting to reach their destination.

Captain Philip, however, maintained his arrogant demeanor, puffing on a cigar he held in his mouth, indifferent to the smoke filling the enclosed vehicle.

"Don't mind him, that's just his temperament. Besides, we just finished wiping out a mob camp before returning, and now we're starting a new mission, so he might be a bit tired."

Gilbert smiled as he explained to Xia Leng, attempting to ease the awkward atmosphere inside the vehicle.

Xia Leng did not mind; the Blacklight Virus within his body could block any smoke harmful to his health from entering his system and would likewise purify his respiratory tract.

"Hmph, tired? I have never known what it means to be tired. Those trash mobs are not even worth as much as a rat in my eyes."

Hearing this, Philip let out a disdainful snort.

It was true, however; a fully armed mercenary team with a strong sense of command could wipe out a group of disorganized, rule-less mobs in the wilderness without losing a single soldier.

As for why they would lower themselves to deal with a group of savage mobs, it was because that blind refugee camp had hijacked a Komodo Corporation drinking water transport truck.

When people are pushed to the brink of death by hunger and thirst, they are capable of anything; for a moment of sustenance, they lose their reason and hijack cargo that will bring about their own destruction.

"Have you been to this street before? Do you know what the situation is like inside?" Xia Leng looked through the observation window at the front of the armored vehicle, seeing that they were getting closer to their destination as various billboards gradually appeared in their field of vision.

"You mean the Street of the Living Dead? Our corporation barely has enough manpower to deal with rival groups, so why would we come here to wipe out these meaningless zombies? If you hadn't discovered a new type of mutant creature deep inside, the corporation wouldn't have sent us to execute a mission that anyone could do."

Gilbert said with a smile, though he was also very curious about what kind of new mutant creature could make Parick care so much.

During their brief exchange, the entire team had arrived in front of the street shrouded in shadows.

"Captain, we have arrived. Please issue the next order." The deputy commander sitting in the passenger seat turned his head and asked Captain Gilbert behind him; he was a Hunter-type Baptized One with enhanced vision.

"Understood. Have all team members check their gear one more time. Although we are facing savage humanoid monsters without intelligence, I do not want anyone to become food for them because of carelessness."

Gilbert said sternly, and even the brute Philip became serious, beginning to check his exoskeleton armor. His weapon was a titanium alloy double-edged greatsword over two meters long!

No matter the mission or the enemy, these two teams would always fight with full intensity, which was one of the reasons for their illustrious combat record.

In truth, Xia Leng wanted to tell them that these living corpses were not without intelligence; under the command of that mysterious Zombie King, their coordination was comparable to a well-disciplined army.

The three of them stepped out of the armored vehicle and looked at the eerie street filled with a dangerous aura.

The giant billboard Xia Leng had shot down earlier still lay quietly in the center of the street entrance, though the living corpse that had been pinned beneath it was gone—perhaps dragged away by other living corpses—leaving only dried, dark green bloodstains on the ground.

"The billboard ahead is blocking the armored vehicle's path. Have a few of your men move it aside."

Gilbert said to Captain Philip beside him; such manual labor was always their job, while his own marksmen could provide cover from the rear.

Subsequently, several soldiers wearing heavy exoskeleton armor walked over. Although they were ordinary humans, long-term training combined with the support of their armor made their individual strength nearly equal to that of a First-Tier Apocalypse Warrior!

Xia Leng, meanwhile, was observing the street. The horde of corpses that had previously surrounded and intercepted him was nowhere to be seen; perhaps they were lying in ambush in the surrounding buildings, waiting for the right moment to pounce like raindrops.

At this moment, the soldiers had reached the giant billboard and began to move it by grabbing its four corners.

"Hey, do you think if we get bitten by these living corpses, we'll turn into the same kind of walking dead as in the movies?"

Philip asked curiously, holding his exaggeratedly large double-edged sword.

"Heh, you've watched too many old-era movies. If you get caught by these living corpses, do you think your body will have a single intact bone left?"

Gilbert answered with a smile. He had once seen a refugee tackled by three living corpses; in less than half a minute, he had been torn into thousands of pieces, leaving no chance for infection...

Just as everyone waited for the obstacle to be moved, Xia Leng suddenly sensed a familiar, violent aura emanating from that giant billboard!

The soldiers also felt that this rotten lingerie advertisement billboard was unexpectedly heavy, far exceeding their expectations!

Squelch!

Suddenly! A sound like nylon fabric being torn echoed out!

A withered arm, rotted to the point of peeling skin, burst through the fabric from within the layers of the giant billboard and grabbed one of the soldiers by the right leg!