Chapter 118 – Life-and-Death Marathon (9)
◎ A world-shaking blow ◎
The continuous gunfire startled the originally slumbering zombie bear.
With its earth-shattering roar, birds took flight in droves, small animals scattered in all directions. On closer inspection, their pupils were a murky gray-white. This wildlife park had long been occupied by various zombie beasts.
The moment the zombie bear stood up, the holographic projection on the platform shut down. Su Cha froze in place. The stamp, almost within reach, vanished before their eyes. But then, abruptly lowering his head, he executed a swift roll, leaving the spot. Almost simultaneously, the enormous bear paw fiercely swept past, smashing the platform with a resounding “bang,” leaving deep marks on the ground.
“Ah, sorry, it seems we’ve come at an inopportune time…” Irene covered her face, apologizing with a mix of guilt and politeness.
Song Ke was about to respond when the zombie bear turned its head and spotted her hanging from the ceiling. The massive creature stood on its short hind legs, tilted its head back, bit into the beam, and began to tug it from side to side. The sturdy steel soon cracked and twisted into two pieces. Song Ke made a quick decision and, like swinging on a swing, leaped into the fence where Lin Youyou and the others were.
The zombie bear’s front paws slammed heavily onto the ground as it began crawling towards the viewing area.
“Guns and Roses” immediately raised a rocket launcher and fired at the zombie bear, but this behemoth, thick-skinned and robust, was not harmed by the shells. Instead, it became thoroughly enraged.
“Where’s the stamp?!” Song Ke yelled amidst the relentless artillery fire.
“Didn’t hit it, it’s gone!” Su Cha, looking disheveled and having barely made it back, replied in a similar tone.
The zombie bear charged forward, crashing forcefully. With a resounding “crash,” the hundreds of kilograms-heavy fence gave way and broke apart.
Its putrefying and deformed colossal head squeezed into the viewing passage, getting stuck halfway. It thrashed left and right, spraying foul-smelling saliva all over the ground. Xu Xing turned pale with fear, clutching tightly onto Lu Xiaoyu’s mechanical arm, gritting his teeth to stifle any sound.
The restricted movement of the zombie bear led it to start smashing the walls. A deafening “boom” reverberated from outside the passage, causing the ground to tremble, and chunks of concrete to fall.
Another thunderous “boom” echoed as if it were right next to them. The entire viewing passage seemed on the verge of collapse.
“Zhuang Qingyan, the check-in point, it’s gone!” Song Ke shouted, touching the collar.
“The fire seal stamp is linked to the zombie bear’s position,” Zhuang Qingyan spoke rapidly, “To check in, we have to get it back there.”
“How do we get it back?” Song Ke was at wit’s end. This bear seemed to have mutated and couldn’t understand human speech.
“Two ways: either lure it back or kill it. Its weak point is its head.”
Song Ke looked up, and Zhuang Qingyan was right. Compared to its massive two-story-tall body, the zombie bear’s head appeared particularly delicate, hidden in its dirty black-and-white fur, as if afraid others wouldn’t know it was its Achilles’ heel.
“Irene, aim for the head!” Song Ke shouted.
“Got it!” Irene, positioned near the emergency exit, replied loudly.
Armor-piercing shells trailed with fiery sparks flew in, but the zombie bear had already smashed through the stone wall, retracting its head. It crawled and spun within the park’s bamboo grove, its thick fur blocking all attacks, remaining unscathed. Xu Xing attempted to freeze its limbs, but the bear’s size was immense, and it broke free in no time. He switched to ice blades, but they couldn’t pierce through the creature’s hide.
Song Ke and Su Cha jumped down from the passage entrance, approaching the bear once again.
Su Cha activated his abilities, enveloping the zombie bear in a green poisonous mist. It howled in agony, chunks of flesh falling from its face, but it remained unharmed.
Song Ke climbed up along its sturdy, short legs. A missile flew past her head, exploding on the bear’s shoulder, revealing its foul-smelling yellowish bones. The armor was breached! Song Ke seized the opportunity, drew her dual blades, and thrust relentlessly towards its neck.
The spiritual weapon pierced through the fur, sinking deep into the fat layer, getting stuck – not much different from administering an injection.
The zombie bear flew into a rage, taking a few heavy steps forward, its hefty body occupying the space. It raised its foot to stomp Su Cha, who quickly ran to dodge, but the bear’s paw “pia!” slapped him, sending him crashing into a stone wall.
Song Ke wasn’t faring much better. Gripping her dual blades, she was tossed around by the zombie bear’s movements, akin to a kite with a broken string, blowing back and forth in the bamboo grove. Her stomach churned, the world spun before her eyes, and as she saw the bear about to squeeze into the passage again, she knew she’d be flattened if this continued.
Thinking quickly, Song Ke let go, dropping from a height, curling up as she hit the ground. The zombie bear’s four enormous claws stamped back and forth, resembling four moving hills of death. Amidst it all, Song Ke swiftly rolled, her slender figure flickering in and out of sight.
Viewers watching the live broadcast were both nervous and thrilled, holding their breath, their hearts pounding in their throats.
“Holy xxxx, did she get stepped on? Did she?”
“Help, I can’t bear to watch anymore!! Can someone tell me the outcome?”
“No, I’ve bet everything on V587, give me a sign!!”
In a critical moment, six mechanical arms swung into action, lashing at the zombie bear’s legs mid-air. Simultaneously, a melodious, ethereal song echoed. The beast’s movements stuttered momentarily, and seizing the opportunity, Song Ke, looking bedraggled, rolled out, spitting out rotten bamboo leaves.
The shattered entrance to the passage was temporarily held by Lin Youyou and Lu Xiaoyu, while Irene and the others forced the zombie bear back with their strongest firepower, but the situation remained dire.
Song Ke understood that the main reason for their current predicament was the absence of a control-type awakener among V587.
Zhuang Qingyan might count as one, with his mental prowess strong enough to command a Level 3 zombie. The bear, possessing rudimentary intelligence, could likely be controlled, but he wasn’t present on-site, limited to remote commands through an earpiece.
They had no choice but to go for the kill.
Song Ke’s eyes turned cold as her fingertips traced the giant slab covering the entire park, casting an eerie blue glow.
The zombie bear was drawn to the light, its head turning slowly, its empty eye sockets fixing on Song Ke—
At that moment, the bamboo grove within the park shook violently. Countless thorny vines surged upwards as if imbued with life, wrapping firmly around the bear’s limbs and neck. Three figures leaped down from the ceiling’s hole, darting in different directions, gripping the vines and pulling backward.
“Ao—!”
The zombie bear was pulled back a step, away from the fence.
Behind Guns and Roses, a refined young man in a blue robe stepped out with a serious expression. Song Ke recognized him immediately – it was Duanmu Qi, the “Three Grandsons and One Grandpa” had arrived!
His arrival was timely and fortunate. Duanmu Qi was a group control-type awakener.
However, when the “Three Grandsons and One Grandpa” leaped down, only three individuals followed. The zombie bear’s left paw was still free. With a sudden swipe, it raised the vines, aiming to flatten Duanmu Qi standing at a distance.
One person was still missing.
Su Cha, who had fallen from the wall, coughed twice, covering his mouth, and swiftly ran towards the gap, grabbing hold of the thorns there.
At moments like this, there was no need for verbal communication between the teams. None of them could take on the zombie bear alone. To complete the checkpoint, they had to work together to eliminate the obstacle before them.
“Not enough strength!” Xiao Chen’s face flushed red, veins bulging on the back of his hand as he shouted forcefully.
The four awakeners, dragged by the zombie bear, kept sliding forward. Members of Guns and Roses, V587, and even two other teams that had been watching from the shadows didn’t hesitate; they jumped down, grabbing onto the vines on the ground, pulling backward, engaging in a strenuous tug of war with the zombie bear.
Song Ke’s spiritual weapon transformation was nearly complete.
The ethereal blue light grew brighter, almost blinding, encompassing her from head to toe. In full view of everyone, a heavy, dominating war hammer gradually took shape, its head almost as large as the zombie bear’s body, emitting a metallic sharp “clang” in the air.
With both hands gripping the hammer’s handle, Song Ke’s face reddened. Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone present, she raised the war hammer high.
Dragging her steps towards the zombie bear, muscles tensed, her entire core strength erupted. She lifted the war hammer high—
“Boom—”
A thunderous impact, deafening, struck the zombie bear’s head, causing it to cave in halfway. The entire bear took a step back, the awakener gripping the vines stumbling under its pull.
“Boom—Boom—”
The zombie bear retreated as Song Ke advanced, swinging the war hammer with a fierce whirlwind. With her small stature wielding a colossal hammer nearly five to six meters tall, she mercilessly struck the zombie bear’s skull again and again.
The bear was pushed back repeatedly by the hammer blows, its roars gradually weakening until it finally reached the ruined remains of the initial platform.
With an impetus, Song Ke twisted her waist and abdomen, and her slender body unexpectedly leapt into the air. Her hands lifted the enormous hammer high above her head and brought it crashing down!
If time stood still, the impact of this scene would be hard to describe in words.
“Boom—” The devastating strike of the war hammer obliterated the entire head of the zombie bear. Its skull rolled away, and putrid brain matter sprayed recklessly in the park. Song Ke, at the forefront, was drenched from head to toe, and everyone else suffered as well.
The headless zombie bear staggered briefly due to inertia before crashing heavily to the ground.
Whether in Rainbow Cloud City, Ferrara, or even other regions in the eastern part of the Alliance, viewers watching the live broadcast were collectively silent.
The immersive experience left such an impact that some people, still shaken, checked their own necks to ensure they were unharmed.
After the silence, an eruption followed. The screen was filled with “666” barrage comments, and V587’s support rate skyrocketed instantly!
The holographic projection reactivated, and the fire seal stamp of Rainbow Cloud City reappeared.
After the other two teams completed their check-in points, they stared at Song Ke for a few seconds with eyes akin to seeing a comet, then hastily retreated.
Duanmu Qi nodded slightly at Song Ke. After all, they were opponents, harboring old grudges. It wasn’t appropriate to say much. He led his team away.
The girls from Guns and Roses looked at Song Ke in speechless gratitude. Wanting to express their thanks, they were repelled by the foul stench emanating from her. They approached hesitantly but ended up covering their mouths and rushing out, gagging.
Song Ke: “…”
Irene wiped off the flesh splattered on her and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. “Let’s catch up later, after the game. We’re heading out now.”
She turned gracefully and walked away. However, Song Ke keenly observed Irene, who covered her mouth with one hand, clearly feeling queasy.
“Sister!” Xu Xing dashed over cheerfully, ready for a hug. But upon reaching her, he abruptly stopped, hesitating. Lin Youyou and Lu Xiaoyu didn’t hide their disgust, pinching their noses.
A faint chuckle came through the earpiece. Zhuang Qingyan didn’t say anything, yet it seemed like he said everything.
Song Ke: “???” Is it really that bad?
She gingerly picked up her coat and took a deep breath.
“Gag—” She almost gagged from her own odor.
Dubbed as a “kind reminder” by Lin Youyou and the others but actually more like “forceful insistence,” they demanded she change clothes.
Her cheeks puffed up, muttering, “Who am I doing this for?” She had to endure the stench while wiping off the decaying flesh and blood. After cleaning herself up and changing clothes, the others completed the first check-in point.
V587 officially departed from Rainbow Cloud City, heading to the next stop – Greenwater City in District D132. Zhuang Qingyan and Fang Zhixu would meet up with them there.
Though Greenwater City hadn’t suffered from the undead onslaught yet and seemed temporarily safe, it was situated near multiple C districts, some of which had fallen. Consequently, refugees fleeing the chaos were converging towards Greenwater City, prompting the establishment of makeshift shelters both inside and outside the city.
What Song Ke didn’t know was that, at this moment, in a certain shelter outside Greenwater City, an elderly person watching the match couldn’t believe their eyes, murmuring to themselves, “Could it be… Girl Ke?”
