The zombie leader

"Squelch!"

The sharp Curved Knife was like a deadly scythe. With one light sweep, a zombie's head dropped to the ground.

Little Knife, who had charged into the Zombie Tide first, cut through the zombies as easily as chopping vegetables, wiping out a whole swath of them.

But that handful of zombies was only a drop in the ocean compared to the Zombie Tide.

Up on the platform, Liu Feng watched Little Knife as the zombies threatened to swallow her up. Alarmed, he immediately sent every Iron-toothed Insect toward her position.

[Ding! Killed one Ordinary Zombie. Experience +10]

[Ding! Killed one Ordinary Zombie. Experience +10]

As the system notifications kept ringing out, the space around Little Knife quickly cleared. The zombies desperately trying to tear into her and devour her had all been digested by the Iron-toothed Insects.

With another effortless stroke, Little Knife sent a zombie's head tumbling to the ground. Looking at the foul-smelling blood covering the ground, she felt something stir within her and turned toward Liu Feng on the platform.

Their eyes met in that instant. Unable to bear her burning gaze, Liu Feng shyly turned away and looked at Han Bing beside him.

Han Bing had a Rocket Launcher perched on his shoulder and was letting out hoarse roars. Clearly, he was already lost in the frenzy of killing.

The other men were not quite as worked up as Han Bing, but they were not far behind.

The sight reassured Liu Feng considerably. Gathering his thoughts, he immediately summoned his Exploding Insects. Against such a densely packed Zombie Tide, they were undoubtedly the most cost-effective Zerg Army.

With a sweep of Liu Feng's hand, nearly two thousand Exploding Insects charged straight into the Zombie Tide.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, blasting severed zombie arms in every direction.

The nearly two thousand Exploding Insects were truly showing their might now!

The battle continued. Though the Residential Camp was putting up fierce resistance, it still seemed small and helpless against the onslaught of a Zombie Tide that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Liu Feng watched with mounting worry as well over half his Iron-toothed Insects were wiped out.

Just then, Han Bing hurried over to Liu Feng, frantic with anxiety.

"Bad news, Feng! The western wall's about to give way!"

Liu Feng's expression darkened at once. Looking at Han Bing, he said in a low voice, "Didn't I already tell you to reinforce it? How did this happen?"

Han Bing lowered his head and replied quietly, "Feng, things haven't gone the way we expected. These zombies are different from the ones we've seen before."

Liu Feng focused his gaze, his sharp brows drawing together as he asked in confusion, "Different how?"

"Come take a look with me, Feng. You'll see."

Following Han Bing, Liu Feng arrived on the platform along the western wall.

Sure enough, several large cracks had appeared in the reinforced wall. Unless they repaired it soon, the zombies could very well breach their defenses here and rush into the camp.

Under Liu Feng's orders, Han Bing had already gathered several handy men to make temporary repairs. But judging by the situation, it seemed they were already trying to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted.

At that moment, Liu Feng's gaze settled on the zombies outside the wall.

He suddenly realized that, just as Han Bing had said, these zombies really were different.

Ordinary zombies would simply slam into the Residential Camp's walls in a chaotic jumble. These zombies, however, seemed to follow a pattern in their attacks.

They formed squads of roughly twenty zombies each and hurled themselves against the western wall. As soon as the first wave finished attacking, a second wave took its place, keeping up the assault without pause.

Whenever a zombie was killed by a shot to the head, a fresh one filled its spot.

This shocking sight left Liu Feng deeply uneasy.

Could all these zombies have evolved intelligence?

No, that wasn't right!

If these zombies had evolved intelligence, they wouldn't need to attack the Residential Camp in such a crude way.

Besides, the zombies outside the wall looked more like a force of well-trained soldiers. They obeyed only their commander's orders, never flinching even when sent to their deaths.

At that thought, Liu Feng's heart gave a sudden jolt.

If that was really the case, wouldn't the leader commanding these zombies already possess human-like intelligence?

While Liu Feng was pondering this, an icy gaze suddenly pierced him from afar. His body jolted, and he slowly raised his head.

Following that gaze, he spotted a rock the size of an iron gate about a hundred meters away. To his surprise, a zombie stood on top of it.

This zombie looked different from the others. His mouth had been torn open, and only his right ear remained. Yet his face was less wrinkled than those of the other zombies and even held a faint, distinctly human flush.

Liu Feng's gaze landed on him just as he was staring back at Liu Feng. The man and the zombie locked eyes in a fierce clash.

In this unusual zombie's eyes, Liu Feng actually saw bloodlust and desire, leaving him stunned.

This... was simply unbelievable!

Just then, a soft hand suddenly settled on Liu Feng's shoulder.

"What's wrong? Why did you rush over here?"

At the voice, Liu Feng turned his head and found Little Knife beside him. She had withdrawn from the Zombie Tide and returned to the Residential Camp.

Looking at the zombie on the rock, Liu Feng gestured toward him with his chin.

Little Knife followed his gesture, and her face abruptly turned ashen.

"Liu Feng, we're in serious trouble!" Little Knife said, lowering her voice.

Liu Feng's brows knitted slightly as he asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"

Little Knife paused, then looked at the zombie on the nearby rock. "If I remember correctly, that zombie should be a 'mother zombie.'"

"A 'mother zombie'? He doesn't look female to me." Liu Feng stared at the zombie's shriveled chest.

Little Knife shook her head and said quietly, "No, you've misunderstood. 'Mother' doesn't refer to his sex. It refers to his authority."

“Authority?” Liu Feng understood a great deal more now. After a pause, he asked thoughtfully, “You mean he's the zombie leader?”

Little Knife looked Liu Feng straight in the eye and gave a solemn nod.

"My guess is that he's the reason these zombies made a complete about-face and came straight at us!"

At Little Knife's words, Liu Feng could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

"Fuck, he can control other zombies? That's one hell of an ability!"

(End of chapter)