Reappearance

"Damn it!! Take out the zombies on this floor first! Find a corner with a wall to protect our backs!!"

As soon as Gilbert gave the order, everyone—already terrified and on edge—launched a fierce attack on the female zombies on that floor!

Although these pregnant female zombies were much slower than other zombies, they could withstand the damaging effects of intense light better, and they could also give birth to extremely fast zombie fetuses!

Xia Leng's expression turned serious. He tightened his grip on the Titanium Steel Blade.

He knew he couldn't hold back anymore. The entire mercenary team might be wiped out, and he would be caught up in it too.

Creak, creak~~

The female zombies let out a chorus of shrill cries that caused intense mental contamination, surging toward the group!

The guns in everyone's hands spat out fierce bursts of gunfire!

In an instant, dense gunfire lit up the entire narrow corridor. But it also made it difficult for the team to maneuver. It seemed the zombies had planned to surround the entire mercenary team in this spot!

Fortunately, the three miniguns wielded by the three machine gunners at the front unleashed a storm of bullets that instantly ripped the female zombies—and the zombie fetuses in their bellies—to pieces, keeping them from getting close!

As long as they had enough ammunition, they could hold out through this critical moment!

But just then, a horrifying sight left everyone utterly dumbfounded!

The female zombies suddenly used their sharp nails to tear open their own swollen bellies. The scene was horrifyingly gruesome. Then they reached in with their claws and forcibly yanked out the writhing zombie fetuses...

What happened next was even more terrifying. After forcibly "giving birth" to them, the zombies hurled the fetuses at the crowd...

Creak, creak~~

The zombie fetuses flew into the crowd with shrill, grating cries, throwing the entire team into a panic!

Some unlucky mercenaries were struck on the head by the zombie fetuses raining down on them. The moment they landed, they launched a swift, vicious attack, clinging to the mercenaries' heads and biting wildly!

Only then did everyone realize that these Second Generation Zombie Fetuses were almost completely immune to the ultraviolet rays of the spotlights...

This proved beyond a doubt that the next generation the zombies had bred would be immune to their fatal weakness—ultraviolet rays!

One day, when all the zombie fetuses had grown up, they would leave the darkness and walk into the sunlight to attack human encampments!

Zombies transformed from more than 90% of the population would pose a threat greater than any other!

For a while, screams and the sounds of fighting mingled throughout the floor. Once these zombie fetuses landed on someone, they clung like glue and wouldn't come off, no matter how hard the person tried to pull them away. They kept biting until they severed their victim's neck and crushed their skull.

By then, the floor around Xia Leng was already littered with the broken limbs of zombie fetuses. Any that were about to hit his head were instantly sliced in half midair by his precise, lightning-fast blade the moment they came within a meter of him!

Not a single monster had touched him from beginning to end. Even the dark green blood that splattered onto him was absorbed by the Blacklight Virus, which seeped into it and consumed it. It also replenished his strength.

The zombie fetuses thrown to the ground scurried around on all fours like rats, darting beneath the crowd and biting at any legs they could reach. Even the sturdy exoskeleton armor couldn't withstand their frenzied gnawing!

Screams rang out nonstop among the mercenaries. Once someone had their leg bitten off and fell to the ground, the swarming zombie fetuses would bite them to death in a frenzy...

Some of the zombie fetuses crawling on the ground also noticed Xia Leng. He was a peculiar sight: he wore no sturdy armor, yet his body bore not a single wound. They sped toward his feet!

Just as they opened their fanged mouths and were about to pounce on Xia Leng's legs and start biting, strands of black tendrils silently shot out from beneath his feet, swiftly ensnaring their tiny bodies!

Crunch~

Before the zombie fetuses could react, the powerful tendrils crushed them into bloody lumps. The Blacklight Virus seeped into them, devoured them, and turned them into nutrients for Xia Leng...

Nearby, a mercenary whose knee had been bitten through was lying on the ground. He happened to witness this bizarre scene. Just as he stared in shock and opened his mouth to say something, a swarm of zombie fetuses pounced on him from behind and buried him. They gnawed him down to a pile of bones before he could utter a word.

Xia Leng only ever activated this bizarre ability of his when things were chaotic like this.

Even if the mercenary who had fallen and witnessed his ability hadn't been eaten by the zombie fetuses, Xia Leng would have killed him to silence him!

He watched as the roughly ten mercenaries who had been left now dwindled to just a dozen or so who could still fight under the zombie fetuses' swift, fierce attacks!

As for the two mercenary captains, they were in no better shape!

Philip was so strong that he could take down a zombie with almost every punch. But even he couldn't avoid having countless zombie fetuses land on him and bite him, leaving him covered in wounds. His own bright red blood had long since mixed with the zombies' dark green blood!

As the Apocalypse Hunter, Captain Gilbert could use his talent—danger sense—to predict where the zombie fetuses would land and dodge ahead of time. But even so, he had picked up more than a few injuries.

The situation was growing more and more dire! If they kept fighting here, every last one of them would be wiped out in this building!!

Suddenly, Xia Leng sensed that familiar danger and oppressive feeling again. It was the same sensation those violet eyes had given him before. Now it was coming from somewhere above, around the thirteenth floor!!

Could the so-called Zombie King believe the human mercenaries were already doomed and accidentally let its presence slip in its excitement?!

Without a word, Xia Leng pushed through the chaos and charged upstairs. His instincts told him that the BOSS was the turning point in this fight for survival!

At the same time, Gilbert happened to notice Xia Leng leaving the group. Had the other man sensed the hidden BOSS?

He wanted to follow the cold, aloof man, but there was no way he could leave now. The team was on the verge of being wiped out!

The UV-immune zombie fetuses showed no sign of dwindling in number, while his subordinates grew more and more exhausted. It wouldn't be long before they could no longer hold out.

"Demolition crew, stay behind and blow up the stairs on this floor! The rest of you, come with me! Even if we die, we're going to see this so-called Zombie King before we do!!"

Gilbert clenched his teeth and issued an order that cut off their retreat.

The team members didn't hesitate. After killing the zombie fetuses beside them, the fewer than a dozen mercenaries left began following him upstairs, though every step remained a struggle!

Meanwhile, Xia Leng had reached the twelfth floor. One more floor up, and he would be at the likely location of the Zombie King!

But another group of zombies had already surged down from above, packed tightly between the twelfth and thirteenth floors...