Chapter 121 – Life-and-Death Marathon (12)
◎ Quick, quick! Catch her! ◎
Xu Xing hid inside an empty garbage bin, peeking out with half his head, observing discreetly.
Across the street, seven or eight brazen refugees were looting a large supermarket without any restraint. Shopping carts and shelves were violently knocked down. After ransacking, they poured a large barrel of cooking oil onto the ground, lit it with a lighter, and instantly, flames shot up into the sky.
Shortly after they left with their loot, a holographic projection appeared above the supermarket.
“Check-in point!” Xu Xing’s eyes lit up. His inner self danced a disco. He actually ran into it—what luck, Xu Xiaoxing!
He released frost, wrapping himself from head to toe, and dashed into the supermarket. This time the check-in point was near the ceiling. Xu Xing found the nearest warehouse-style shelf and struggled to climb up.
The temperature inside was too high; the ice melted quickly. Xu Xing’s little face turned red from the heat, his curly hair drooping down as sweat streamed down his face. He reached out, wiped his face, and tremblingly climbed to the top of the shelf, trying to reach the terminal. Unfortunately, he was just a little short. He tiptoed and pushed desperately with his fingertips, finally getting a bit closer.
Xu Xing stomped his foot in frustration. He had never felt so short with his 130cm height (growing 3cm taller this new year). If it were Su Cha… No, not even Su Cha. If it were Lu Xiaoyu, Fang Zhixu , Lin Youyou, or his sister, any of them could easily reach it.
Hmph, only that person in the wheelchair couldn’t reach it.
Xu Xing pouted and sent a message in the group chat: “Check-in point, hurry up!”
At that moment, V587 members were busy defending for Song Ke, and no one paid attention to the slight reminder in the group chat.
Xu Xing pressed the receiver he had just hidden to mute and raised his voice, “Hey?” “Hello?” “Moshi moshi?”
As soon as the earpiece opened, Lin Youyou’s vigorous and fierce scolding immediately came through, calling him “old scoundrel,” “shameless,” demanding him to “kneel and slap his face.” It left Xu Xing stunned.
After a while, only Su Cha quietly replied, “Share your location.”
Only the two of them were still working at the moment.
Xu Xing sat cross-legged on the shelf, nodding vigorously while listening to the scolding battle. His movements were too exaggerated, and he accidentally burned half of his buttocks. With a “sizzle,” he jumped up and shifted his position.
Shortly after, Su Cha arrived at the supermarket, pouring a basin of cold water over Xu Xing’s head. His agile figure rushed in like a gust of wind.
“Where’s the check-in point?” Su Cha asked.
Xu Xing pointed casually, still muttering, “Bad guy! Stinky old man!” continuously. “It’s there.”
Su Cha asked again, “Where?”
Xu Xing replied, “Right there…”
But the fire seal had long disappeared.
Xu Xing was dumbfounded.
Oh no, he was too absorbed in Lin Youyou’s scolding that he didn’t notice the check-in point had moved!
Su Cha looked at him silently.
Xu Xing blinked innocently back at him.
The surroundings crackled and burst with fire, leaving the supermarket completely charred.
“Let’s go,” Su Cha lifted the short Xu Xing off the shelf, casually holding him with his arm. “Need some ice.”
The cold water splashed earlier had evaporated completely, and the scorching flames were licking Su Cha’s skin.
“Ah…” Forced into an ice-making machine, Xu Xing lifted his buttocks and swung his two little legs, knowing he was in the wrong. He obediently released his ability. Both of them were enveloped in a tight layer of frost and hurriedly dashed out of the supermarket.
As they ran onto the street, the five members of V587 arrived following the location.
“Xiao Xing! Where’s the check-in point?” Song Ke asked enthusiastically.
“It’s gone,” Xu Xing flapped his hands in a dejected manner. “It was just right in front of me!”
“It was right in front of you, why didn’t you use the terminal then?” Zhuang Qingyan asked calmly.
Xu Xing’s confidence deflated instantly. He grumbled, feeling sorry for himself, “I… I couldn’t reach it.”
His male pride emerged silently. He extended his pinky finger, indicating, “Just missed it by this much!”
Su Cha glanced at him, seeing through but not exposing it, preserving Xu Xing’s pride.
“Hurry up, the zombie tide is coming,” Lu Xiaoyu reminded.
The densely packed zombies swept through like locusts, swiftly flooding the streets and alleys. They stormed into buildings, jumped onto car roofs, knocking down fleeing humans, cruelly biting and feeding on them. The splattering blood seemed to weave a crimson velvet carpet over Greenwater City.
The refugees who had recently sought shelter, witnessing this horror, scrambled even more desperately to flee.
“Where’s the Zombie King?” Song Ke’s cold jagged blade sawed through a zombie’s head that rushed towards her.
“Not here!” Lu Xiaoyu’s mechanical arms moved in unison, replying loudly.
Lin Youyou’s singing didn’t cease, and she shouted in passing, “Not even Level 3 zombies!”
The zombies in this zombie tide were mainly Levels 1 and 2, occasionally mixed with a few mutant zombies. Although their numbers were high, their strengths varied. Ordinary people could resist them, and once the awakeners inside Greenwater City and the official forces reacted, they would eventually be wiped out.
A zombie tide without a Zombie King commanding, it was nothing but a scattered group of cannon fodders.
Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes dimmed as he instantly recalled an ancient military strategy from the old civilization—diverting attention from the true objective.
Attacking Greenwater City was highly likely a diversion set up by that cunning Zombie King. It deliberately released some low-level zombies to feign an attack on the city while sending the true elite forces elsewhere.
Zhuang Qingyan activated his screen and entered the live broadcast channel of the Throne Race Competition. Some teams, like “Shunxing Teahouse,” were ahead and had already reached Reshufu. However, this city, most likely to be attacked, remained peaceful at the moment.
He quickly scanned through the personal live streams of other competitors. Each team had different progress—some were fighting zombies in already fallen cities, some relentlessly pushed forward, and a few relaxed, comfortably sitting in restaurants. But regardless of the location, there was no sign of another zombie tide.
Zhuang Qingyan paused his finger on the screen, switching to the marathon map and calculating swiftly in his mind. Theoretically, guessing the psychological activities of zombies was an absurd idea, but Zhuang Qingyan had no hesitation. His gaze focused directly on the second-to-last checkpoint—Haimen.
“Check-in point!” Suddenly, Song Ke pointed upward.
In a skyscraper ahead, about 30 floors high, the glass suddenly shattered, and several figures struggled before falling and crashing onto the ground.
V587 rapidly closed in on the target, but to their surprise, they collided with the “Anna Knights.” This group of robots was a step ahead, their steamship landed on the rooftop of the building. Five awakeners from their team threw down ropes, sliding down to their respective floors, swiftly activating terminals. A holographic projection appeared with a message: “Congratulations, “Anna Knights”, for successfully checking in.”
Song Ke furrowed her brow, observing them closely. The “Anna Knights” had changed. They seemed to have plundered the military arsenal in Greenwater City, armed to the teeth—shotguns replaced by cannons, assault rifles, shoulder-mounted mortars, and rough mechanical parts integrated into their bodies, creating a crude yet menacing appearance.
Five mechanical beings swiftly turned their weapons and opened fire at Song Ke and the others charging towards them without a word. They were trapped at the city gate, at that time, they were unable to do anything about the culprit. Now that they were free to act and had the upper hand in firepower, they were determined to reclaim their ground.
“Wanna check-in? I’ll turn you into Swiss cheese!” The leader-like figure among the mechanical beings arrogantly shouted.
Gunshots erupted, casings scattered, forcing Song Ke’s group to retreat repeatedly. The frontline was too intense, impossible to break through.
“Target their healers and support!” In team battles, targeting the healers first was ingrained in their combat DNA. Torrents of bullets surged towards Fang Zhixu and Lin Youyou.
Lin Youyou’s lips moved rapidly as she rapped for self-preservation, conjuring up a thick fog. Within the “Anna Knights” team’s vision, two figures vanished.
Yet, Fang Zhixu’s presence was too conspicuous. The mechanical beings, still holding the aerial advantage, had already locked onto his position. A long, thick chain whistled through the air, piercing through the mist. With a click, it clamped onto Fang Zhixu’s ankle, dragging him out.
The malicious smile of the awakener who acted was evident as he hoisted Fang Zhixu, twirling him in the air before hurling him towards the densely packed area of zombies.
With muscles surging, Su Cha leaped like a cheetah over the rooftop, racing towards Fang Zhixu’s landing spot.
Unfortunately, they were a step too late. “Bang!” Fang Zhixu crashed down on dozens of zombies.
“Old Fang!” Song Ke’s eyes twitched with excessive tension.
Fang Zhixu, sprawled on the ground, awkwardly got up. Looking around in panic, the zombies around him were hit directly by this extraterrestrial object. Some had necks snapped, while others had holes, oozing foul, black liquid.
“Ao!” Their feasting was abruptly interrupted. They roared angrily, roaring at Fang Zhixu, spraying his face with their putrid saliva, their teeth, covered in bits of flesh, almost touching his eyeballs.
Then, the movements of the zombies halted.
They seemed to have lost their target, confusedly sniffing around Fang Zhixu. After a few seconds, they resumed, lowering their heads to feast on the corpses.
Fang Zhixu attempted to move his legs, trying to stand but accidentally tripped again. With a slap from his left hand, he struck a zombie’s head, causing it to twist and turn, emitting “ho ho” sounds from its throat, seemingly oblivious to Fang Zhixu who was so close.
Song Ke breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Fang Zhixu had an odd constitution; zombies didn’t bite him.
Su Cha arrived at the scene and took the opportunity to retrieve Fang Zhixu.
Song Ke glared coldly at the “Anna Knights.” At the moment when V587 was distracted, the check-in point vanished again.
This time, after disappearing, it didn’t reappear from elsewhere as it usually did.
Song Ke realized something: the refugees were exhausted from fleeing and no longer focused on causing trouble. Consequently, the appearance frequency of the checkpoint became slower and slower.
The mechanical beings from above smugly pulled their lips as they stopped V587. Afterward, they turned back, climbing towards the top of the building, preparing to retreat.
Nearly killed Fang Zhixu and still thinking about running?
Song Ke grabbed an electrical pole from the ground, transforming it into a nine-section whip. Clinging to the exterior wall of the building, her speed was astonishingly fast, relentlessly pursuing. Gradually closing the gap with the “Anna Knights,” she unexpectedly swung the whip: “Take that!”
Xu Xing intuitively froze the foot of one of them with ice. The ethereal blue whip instantly coiled around his neck. As Song Ke pulled down, the mechanical being plummeted straight down from a hundred meters high, littering the ground with scattered parts.
“Damn it! Run!”
Just after this shout, another member, cursed by Lin Youyou, suddenly stepped into nothingness. Song Ke grabbed his waist, peeling him off the surface of the building.
“Ahh—”
“You bunch of little f*ckers, die!”
As Song Ke ascended through the floors, her attacks became faster. The “Anna Knights” were pushed to the edge. With relentless mortar bombardments, the building’s support beams ruptured, causing it to gradually tilt.
Song Ke glanced towards the last one – Mechanical Leg. Panic was evident on his face. He was just a step away from the steamship. Clenching his teeth, he shed all excess weight and sprouted suction cups on his legs, quickly maneuvering along the glass surface, creating distance from Song Ke for a moment.
Mechanical Leg’s left hand grasped the hatch of the steamship, displaying an ecstatic expression, believing he had escaped!
At that moment, a powerful mental force invaded his mind. His body hairs stood on end, his eyes suddenly flickered and became empty.
The serpentine nine-section whip wrapped around his thigh. Song Ke tightened her forearm, leveraging her entire body weight backward. With a ‘pop,’ the suction cups deprived of air, detached from the glass, and Mechanical Leg’s two limbs were forcibly torn apart. Before he could recover his senses, he plummeted heavily.
The “Anna Knights” were completely wiped out!
The dazzling holographic projection descended, and the fiery seal slowly emerged, signifying the rekindled battle among the awakeners.
The opportunity was fleeting.
Suddenly, Song Ke performed a swift pull-up, utilizing the inertia to leap upwards. Then, she released her grip, twisted her body mid-air, and with her slender waist drew a sharp arc, leveraging her remarkable flexibility to tap the terminal!
“Congratulations, ‘V587,’ for successfully checking in.”
Success! As Song Ke landed and rolled, unexpectedly, she slid off the rooftop without warning. Lightning-fast, she grasped the railing, her body swaying. Regardless of whether Zhuang Qingyan and the others could see her, she flashed a “V” sign downward.
The next moment, the overstressed building split in half from the middle, quickly crumbling into pieces.
As the railing lost its stability and tilted, Song Ke’s foothold vanished, akin to a kite with a snapped string, plummeting from a considerable height—falling down.
“Quick, quick! Catch her!” Lin Youyou’s complexion paled as she rushed forward with her arms outstretched.
Even if Song Ke possessed incredible abilities, she was still hundreds of meters above the ground now. No matter how powerful her ability was, her body couldn’t endure such a fall!
“Bang!” Song Ke attempted to grab a steel beam, but it broke, her head smashing through the glass. She tumbled into the building and rolled out again.
Falling too fast, she couldn’t find a solid anchor point. She had to use her whip to catch onto whatever she could to slow her descent.
Veins surfaced on Zhuang Qingyan’s hand as he trembled, abruptly leaving his wheelchair!
Lu Xiaoyu shattered the shop window, pulling out a bedsheet from inside. Six mechanical arms extended and stretched out to serve as a makeshift cushion.
The collapsing building erupted in a violent explosion, billowing smoke rising from the ruins.
“Thud, thud…”
Song Ke bounced down like a ball, landing perfectly into Lu Xiaoyu’s makeshift cushion, significantly reducing the impact, and safely caught.
Lu Xiaoyu sighed in relief, retracting the mechanical arms, ready to lift her up.
However, like an eel, Song Ke unexpectedly slipped out from the edge, bouncing twice and smacked onto the roof of a nearby armored truck, landing face down.
Lu Xiaoyu: “…Oh.”
Xu Xing covered his face, grimacing in pain.
Song Ke, supporting her head, stood up groggily, spinning around aimlessly. Finally, she turned her back to everyone and addressed the air, “Hehe, check-in, success.”
Zhuang Qingyan snapped his fingers, “Song Keke, turn around.”
Confused, Song Ke turned but still couldn’t find anyone. Then, tears welled up in her eyes, and two lines of red fell from her nose.
