Woman

Philip did not even spare it a glance, raising his sturdy leather boot to crush the head of the living corpse that had rolled to his feet, its ejected eyeball still rolling feebly across the floor.

Behind him, the members of the Tiger Squad, seeing their leader take the lead in the charge, felt their fighting spirit ignited; they let out roars and rushed into the hall to fight alongside their captain.

The foul-smelling blood and gore of the living corpses soon stained their bodies a murky green, yet not a single man frowned, each focusing his attention on cutting down every living corpse that lunged at them!

For if one were to lose focus and be pinned down by a living corpse, they would surely be torn to shreds by the creature's immense strength and razor-sharp claws.

Meanwhile, the Falcon Squad outside the door was not idle; they raised their preferred firearms and used precise marksmanship to blow the heads off any living corpses attempting to ambush the Tiger Squad from behind!

In particular, several mercenaries carrying heavy Gatling guns created a literal metal storm of bullets, shredding any living corpse that crossed their path into pieces!

As for Xia Leng, he watched the bloody scene of this intense battle with cold eyes the entire time.

He had not yet made a move, fearing that the Blacklight Virus within him would be unable to resist the "delicious temptation" of the living corpses and would devour them right in front of everyone...

One could only imagine what kind of expression these people would have if that happened...

Moreover, Xia Leng's target was not these common living corpses, but the Living Corpse King that might be commanding the horde from the floors above!

He had to maintain one hundred percent of his energy to deal with the unknown, formidable enemy he was about to face!

Soon, under the relentless slaughter of the group, the hundreds of mutated living corpses lurking on the ceiling of the hall were wiped out.

However, the mercenary team had paid a heavy price; six mercenaries had been torn to pieces, and dozens more had sustained varying degrees of light to severe injuries.

The most tragic among them had his entire shoulder and a third of his torso ripped away, his internal organs spilling out, yet he was still alive, letting out continuous, agonizing roars...

Captain Gilbert walked silently to his team member, pulled a large-caliber pistol from his holster, and aimed it at the man's face, which was twisted in agony.

The team member looked at his captain with eyes full of longing, hoping for a swift end.

BANG!!

A wisp of blue smoke rose from the muzzle, and the severely wounded member finally ceased his struggle...

"Alright, we continue upward. Everyone, maintain the highest level of vigilance."

Holstering his pistol, Captains Gilbert and Philip continued to lead the way toward the stairs.

At this moment, the hall was littered not only with the corpses of mutated living corpses but also with the gray crystals that had rolled out of their skulls; if sold to the drifters needing entry tickets to the Fortress, each one would be worth a fortune.

Yet, not a single mercenary stopped to pick up these precious crystals, choosing instead to follow their two captains toward the stairs in silence.

Strictly trained, they would not do anything unrelated to the battlefield.

Xia Leng also had no intention of claiming these crystals for himself for the time being, because he was beginning to perceive that familiar, dangerous aura starting to manifest once again!

The group moved with cautious steps, inching up the stairs. Two mercenaries carrying searchlights walked in front, ensuring every ray of light illuminated the corners of the stairwell so that no living corpse could hide in the shadows to ambush them.

Captain Philip walked beside the searchlights, personally responsible for protecting this "source of life."

No one knew which floor of the building the boss was on, and every floor was incredibly spacious and filled with living corpses. The wailing, ghost-like roars echoed throughout the building, battering everyone's psyche.

If they had to search for the Living Corpse King floor by floor, they would likely have wasted half an hour before even climbing a few levels.

"Do you not know the specific location of that Living Corpse King? How long are we supposed to search aimlessly like this?"

Gilbert, sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse, turned back to ask Xia Leng.

Xia Leng closed his eyes slightly, channeling all his energy into his sensory capabilities, struggling to feel that faint, flickering aura of danger.

In truth, being in this place meant being surrounded by danger, with the roars of thousands of living corpses filling his ears.

But Xia Leng had the ability to filter out such irrelevant information, focusing on that ethereal thread of a lead.

He had long discovered that he could freely distribute the power gathered within him by the Blacklight Virus, strengthening any part of his body at will, including his Blacklight perception.

"Keep moving up. It is not on this floor."

Xia Leng responded quietly, his face devoid of any expression—not even fear or anxiety—much like a cold, unfeeling robot.

The two captains could not read his mind and did not know how he had determined the Living Corpse King wasn't on this floor; they even began to suspect if this guy was a spy sent by a hostile faction, trying to drag them all to their deaths in this place...

But they had reached this point, and there was no turning back. Had they known this journey would be so difficult, they would have made more thorough preparations before coming.

They could only blame themselves for being too arrogant, believing the enemy was merely a group of disorganized, flesh-and-blood walking corpses that only knew how to attack with their bodies.

Thus, they had no choice but to follow Xia Leng's suggestion and continue upward.

The walls of every corridor were covered in shocking, bloody handprints; one could imagine the despair of the people who had been chased by the living corpses, fleeing upward until they were backed into a dead end.

Just as the group had pushed forward for about ten floors without pause, nearly ten minutes had passed. Everyone's body and mind were under immense pressure, and the existence of the Living Corpse King remained a question.

"Woooo... woooo..."

Suddenly, just as the group climbed to the eleventh floor, all the deafening roars vanished in an instant, replaced by the sound of a woman weeping!

The crying was so miserable that it sent a chill down everyone's spine, leaving them with a sense of profound, tragic sorrow!

"Damn it! Which idiot is being scared into crying?! Such a coward!"

Captain Philip cursed in annoyance.

"It's not from our team. Do you see any women in our squad?" Gilbert replied, speechless...

Just then, the two mercenaries carrying the searchlights in the lead saw a truly bizarre sight!

Under the glare of the lights, they saw several women sitting on the stairs leading up from the eleventh floor, their backs turned to the group!

They sat limply on the ground, their bodies twitching slightly, and the eerie weeping was coming from them!!!