Heavy Casualties

Lu Chengchuan, injured, didn't dare to stop, running forward desperately.

Before he could run out of the alley, gunshots rang out ahead. The Monsters guarding the main road had come to intercept them.

The soldiers used explosives to clear the way, blasting away the Monsters blocking their path. The soldiers frantically ran towards the exit, but some were too slow and were caught by the encircling Monsters.

"Ah! Ah!"

The screams were drowned out by the Monster horde. Several unlucky soldiers died in the Monsters' sharp teeth and claws.

No one dared to look back or try to rescue them, because even more deadly Monsters were pouring out of the alley. If they slowed down even for a moment, they would be trapped in the Black Mist forever.

The black Zombies were far faster than ordinary people, quickly catching up to the last of the regular soldiers.

Claws slashed across the soldier's body, tearing through clothes and equipment. The soldier screamed as his chest was wounded and he fell to the ground.

Seeing the Zombie about to overtake them, Zhou Yaning and the others turned back to cover their retreat.

Chen Long's body swelled, growing from a mere 1.8 meters to over 2 meters tall, transforming from a strong, ordinary man into a small giant.

The small giant Chen Long stood at the front, with Zhou Yaning placing a layer of transparent shield around him. The others also used their abilities to attack the black Zombie.

Flames and wind blades flew towards it, but the black Zombie didn't dodge or evade, crashing straight through.

When the Zombie collided, the flames scattered into sparks and dissipated in the air. The wind blades struck the Zombie's body, only managing to cut its clothes, leaving no marks on its black skin.

In the blink of an eye, the Zombie burst through the flames and wind blades, and Chen Long, the small giant, charged forward.

Chen Long threw a punch at the Zombie. He looked bigger and stronger than the Zombie, and with the captain's psychic shield, Chen Long was incredibly confident. He believed that even if he couldn't injure the Zombie, he could at least knock it back.

But the Zombie still didn't dodge or evade, throwing a punch at Chen Long, who was blocking its path.

The two fists collided. Before Chen Long's expression could change, he was sent flying by a tremendous force. The psychic shield around him shattered, and his giant-like body returned to its original form.

Chen Long lay on the ground, coughing up blood.

The others quickly helped him up. Chen Long looked at the approaching Zombie, a hint of fear in his eyes. The others felt the same. They used all their strength, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree. They couldn't stop the black Zombie at all.

"Run!"

Zhou Yaning shouted from the side, while also extending her five fingers, aiming at the Zombie.

Psychic power surged from her mind. She wanted to use it to grab the Zombie, but when her psychic power touched the Zombie's body, she felt a force repelling it.

She wanted to grab the Zombie, but her psychic power couldn't touch its body. She used all her strength, but her psychic power was still repelled, making it difficult to get close to the Zombie.

The Zombie charged forward, and before the others could retreat, a figure suddenly rushed out, blocking its path.

Lu Chengchuan!

The others saw that the person who came to their rescue was Lu Chengchuan, who had been running ahead.

Looking at the Zombie in front of him, Lu Chengchuan felt bitter. He had been running in the front, but when he looked back, he saw that the Investigation Bureau people were stuck with the Zombie and couldn't escape.

Helpless, he could only turn back, but he couldn't beat the Zombie either.

"Run! I can't hold it off for long!"

Lu Chengchuan told them to run, then he surged his Inner Energy and began to fight the Zombie.

A head-on collision with the Zombie would only result in a one-hit defeat. His main goal was to buy time so that the Investigation Bureau and the soldiers could escape.

Lu Chengchuan fought with the Zombie in the front. Although it wasn't immediately clear who would win, the others knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for long. They quickly turned around and ran, leaving only Zhou Yaning behind to assist Lu Chengchuan.

"You run too!" A transparent shield appeared in front of her. Lu Chengchuan shouted without turning his head.

He didn't need assistance. Zhou Yaning staying here would only be a burden.

Zhou Yaning ran back after hearing this. Lu Chengchuan fought and retreated, while other Zombie Monsters surrounded him.

After confirming that the Investigation Bureau people were far away, Lu Chengchuan didn't hesitate. He took a step back and jumped away, then turned around and ran, taking out a roll of explosives as he ran.

He had taken it from a soldier, who had told him how to use it.

Pulling the safety fuse, Lu Chengchuan threw the bomb at his feet and ran forward with all his might. After running for more than ten meters, the bomb exploded with a bang.

The shockwave swept around, causing Lu Chengchuan to lose his balance and stagger a few steps before regaining his footing.

After regaining his balance, Lu Chengchuan took out another roll of explosives and threw it behind him.

As the second explosion rang out, Lu Chengchuan killed many low-level Zombies. The black Zombie was also blocked by the explosion, allowing Lu Chengchuan to create some distance.

Lu Chengchuan quickly caught up with the Investigation Bureau people. They heard the explosions behind them and saw Lu Chengchuan catching up, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, they reached the exit of the Black Mist. Many soldiers had already gone out, with only Captain Li and a few others waiting for them. Seeing the Investigation Bureau people return, Li's expression improved a lot. They didn't dare to stay and walked straight into the halo of light.

When the darkness in front of them faded, Lu Chengchuan and the others were already standing outside the Black Mist.

Escaping the Black Mist, they ran back to where the cars were parked and told the drivers to start the cars quickly.

They were afraid that the Zombies would chase them out. That black Zombie was too strong. Even if they all worked together, they wouldn't be a match for it. If it came out, they could only continue to run for their lives.

Everyone got into the cars, which immediately drove away.

After driving for half an hour, the cars were far away from Little Stone Village. They stopped on the road to wait. After waiting for more than two hours and confirming that no Monsters were chasing them, the cars turned around and slowly returned.

When the cars stopped and it was confirmed that there was no danger, Zhou Yaning found Li, asking about the situation.

"Captain Li, what are the casualties?"

"Eight soldiers are dead, and five are injured. Captain Zhou, I barely have ten people who can still move on my side."

Li Wang's expression was pained, and he spoke as if each word was being forced out.

The team had fifteen people going in, and only seven came out, with another five injured and needing recuperation. These were all his men, who had trained together for many years, only to be lost inside.

Zhou Yaning looked at the injured soldiers in the vehicle. She understood Li Wang's feelings at this moment, having felt the same when her subordinates were killed by the Monster. But she knew that some things were unavoidable; battles would inevitably have casualties. Not knowing what to say, she simply told Li Wang to get some rest.

"How do we deal with that Zombie?"

Back in her own vehicle, Zhou Yaning asked Lu Chengchuan how to deal with that black Zombie.

Lu Chengchuan leaned his head back on the seat and exhaled. "I'm no match for it. If I fight it head-on, I'll be killed. Armor-piercing rounds are useless against it, and explosives won't kill it either."

This black Zombie was very high-level. He couldn't beat it in a straight fight, and he couldn't stall for much time either.

After thinking it over, he didn't have any solutions, unless...

"Unless you lure it away, and let me destroy the Energy Source. If the Black Mist disappears, the Monsters should disappear too." Lu Chengchuan suddenly thought of an idea.

Last time, he absorbed the Energy Source, and the Black Mist dissipated, with the Monsters inside disappearing as well. It should work this time too.

"The Energy Source, lure away the Zombie..." Zhou Yaning began to consider.

This was indeed a solution, but the black Zombie was too powerful, and there was a great risk in luring it away.