I brought out the M16 rifle from my dimensional storage, then scoped the Rank 2 Destroyer standing on the other side of the bridge. From the lens, the infected roared at me with no thoughts of backing off even after seeing my movements.
I took a sigh of relief. For a second there, I thought that the infected was developing intelligence since it didn't dare cross the bridge. Wait. Did it fear for its life? Then does that mean that the infected could gain intelligence?
I examined the other infected and immediately knew that wasn't the case. Then maybe, only the evolved infected gained a bit of intelligence in the form of primal instincts? Whatever the case, I'll have to take advantage of this!
I aimed at the Rank 2 Destroyer's eyes and felt the chilling night breeze pass through the side of my head. I used Time Perse to temporarily stop time, then used its zoom-in feature with additional energy cost. Aiming and shooting the eyes of the infected was easy. What came after was the real problem.
Bang!
Critical Hit!
-206 HP!
Target died. You gained 75 experience.
The Rank 2 Destroyer fell backward after the shot went through its left eye. Now one of the problems is how to loot the body. With the usual headshot, it would normally take one minute before the body could reanimate.
I would normally be happy after killing a Rank 2 infected since I would obtain rare loot and resources, but the incoming horde of regular infected dampened my mood. I expected this to happen but not up to this degree! Almost every infected in the vanguard of the horde turned towards my direction and charged altogether.
The only fortunate thing about this was that the mutated infected was killing some of the infected that passed by while delaying others that were blocked by spikes. The bad thing about this was that the mutated infected was now following the horde of infected into my direction.
"Don't panic! Just do it like how you did it earlier. It's just bigger this time, so you'll have to take turns on being the bait. I'll take care of the evolved infected, so focus on your jobs." I said as I jumped up a sedan's hood and unto its roof.
My five slaves looked nervous but ran to their formations. Four of them ran back and hid between cars while one was left behind to lure and herd the infected. They were planning to use the same strategy that they used earlier. I looked over his shoulder and saw that it had the number fifteen. I smiled thinking whether it is courage, camaraderie, or the situation that made him take the task of the herder.
Fifteen shouted profanities on the top of his lungs. He dissed the infected's shoes, yelled obscene comments on their styles, and swore the infected's family line. He cursed at himself as the last bad word that came out from his mouth before running to a safe spot.
His shouting was too effective that it even attracted the attention of some Hunters. The only reason I knew and noticed the Hunters' presences was because of the numerous infected being toppled in the middle of the herd.
I ignored this for now since I can't see them. I chose the Rank 1 Destroyers that were crossing the bridge as my target since they were towering giants easy to kill. I activated Time Perse one last time since my energy just went down the halfway mark. I killed two destroyers which further halved my energy level and had to stop the skill usage to avoid passing out from energy exhaustion. The remaining D1 started fighting the mutated infected after being hit by a spike.
After a quick estimation, the horde numbered around three hundred. Though I only managed to kill a few of them, it was already enough to help turn the tide of the battle since they were one of the strongest bunch on the group.
There were still two hulking infected inside the horde and both of them turned around as they ran towards the rear of the horde.
People appeared on the other side and managed to pull a large chunk of the rear horde.
Well, the reduced numbers were appreciated but I couldn't help but gulp at the scene in front of me knowing that I accidentally bit more than I could chew.
I watched as half of the horde remained to cross the bridge.
The only reason why the horde hasn't reached them yet were the earthen spikes and the narrowness of the bridge. The spikes actually served as a blockade causing them to block each other, slowing them down, while the narrow bridge could only allow two cars to pass side by side.
When I started feeling dejected and hopeless, I heard gunshots from the other side of the bridge followed by provoking shouts that attracted the rear part of the horde.
The flanking group didn't leave! The plan was to pull as many as you can and retreat towards a safe point as you deal with the infected.
Though they didn't follow the original plan, their actions managed to ease the hearts of the people on this side.
"Though the plan failed, this could still work!" I thought to myself.
The plan was to divide the horde and deal with them as we retreat. Though some unfortunate events happened, everything is actually going alright and there seemed to be no casualties at the moment.
Just as I gained renewed hope for this operation - operation divide and conquer as I call it, three Hunters finally appeared in front of the charging horde that finally reached our side of the bridge..
There were three hunters that led the horde. Based on their sizes, there's one Rank 2 and two Rank 1 Hunters.
I jumped down from the car's roof and started firing on the regular infected while rushing towards the bridge.
Without stopping time, I don't really have confidence in shooting agile targets, so it's better to deal with their supports first. I randomly opened fire onto the horde, killing and damaging a few infected in the process. Red numbers continuously appeared on my vision every time I hit something.
The three Hunters turned towards me, identifying me as their target. They dashed at top speed on all fours side-by-side. I fired at their heads but only hit their shoulders. When there are only a few meters between us, I threw my M16 to the side, caught by a black vortex which spat out my bone hammer. Behind the Hunters were dozens of regular infected that were attracted by my earlier aggression. I could hear Fifteen yelling, trying his best to attract the rest of the regular infected despite the loud echoing of moans and growls of the infecteds.
I smiled seeing the three Hunters pounce on me at the same time. I channeled energy onto the bone hammer and it blazed up with fiery flames. The skull's eyes were lit with flickering vermilion flames that gazed at the Hunters. The orb embedded to it can finally be put into use.
I swung from the right with full force aiming at the shoulders of the right-most Hunter.
-53 HP.
-5 HP Burn Damage.
Target died. You gained 40 experience.
I heard bones cracking just from the impact. The three Hunters were thrown sideways and piled on top of each other as they rolled on the ground for a few times before finally stopping. The first infected who got hit had flames burning on its shoulder, which was caved in from the impact. The two Hunter already got up and the Rank 2 Hunter furiously charge towards me while the other ran towards my slaves.
I ignored the rest of the regular infected and dashed towards the H2. We met halfway since we're both running towards each other. After gaining momentum, the Hunter attacked with the same pattern. It pounced forward with both arms stretched forward, while its mouth widely opened. I stepped to the side, evading its claws that tried to rip my face off. When it landed on the ground, I used an overhead smash and smacked its back down to the ground. There's a massive hole on its back from where the bone hammer struck. The sides of the hole were charred having a pungent burnt smell.
-53 HP.
-5 HP Burn Damage.
Target stunned!
I retrieved and raised the bone hammer once again when someone grabbed my shoulder from the back. I wriggled my body and managed to shook off the hands that grabbed me. Then, I jumped on the other side of the H2's body then quickly squashed its head.
Critical Hit!
-106 HP.
Target died. You gained 60 experience.
I stopped channeling energy on my weapon since my energy level reached its last five percent. A small green orb rolled out from the squashed head of the H2. I quickly grabbed and stored it in my dimensional storage.
Everywhere I look at was filled with infected. I'm being surrounded by I wasn't scared. Unless these regular infected learns how to use weapons and strategize, no matter how large their number is, I will never get scared of them! I thought to myself as I ran without looking back.
This wasn't shameful! I'm just reserving my strength, so I can fight them better. I ran as fast as I could towards my slaves. Two people were fighting the H1 infected while the rest made sure that no regular infected could approach the area.
Fifteen and eighteen fought the H1 by alternately baiting and attacking. After the H1 pounced on the bait, the other side would attack from the back. After struggling for a few more clashes, the H1 died before I could arrive.
"Good job!" I shouted as I slowed down to a jog. "Line up! We're not done yet! You guys finally learned something. You can't always fight alone. Every day is a gang fight! HAHA!"
Just as I finished speaking, I heard rumbling sounds came from behind the massive horde.
***
The night went on filled with bloodshed.
Looking from above, there were three major battles and one minor battle taking place around the bridge. One group has five people surrounded by a massive horde of regular infected and the two other groups was fighting their own horde of infected. Half of the main horde clustered around the bridge. Those infected who were in the vanguard would charge madly while the rest who were placed on the middle and the back would sway idly on their spots. The other half of the main horde was further split into two; a quarter fought one group and the final quarter battled the remaining group.
When Jun grouped up with his five-member group, they lined up in a row. At the same time that they started using guns to thin out their enemies, the D1's fight with the mutated infected reached its climax. Due to the thinning of the bridge because of repeated spikes that used the asphalt as material, the bridge couldn't take the force of the D1's rampage and collapsed.
Jun's group killed half of the infected before they switched to melee. They charged forward in a concave formation with Jun at the center wildly swinging a huge bone hammer. Though the group wasn't that coordinated, they still managed to fought their way towards the entrance of the bridge to see the pile of rubble that crushed most of the infected including the D1 and the mutated infected. The rubble blocked the flow of water causing the water level to rise on the other side and lower on the other. Jun retrieved his rifle from his dimensional storage and killed all surviving infected. He called it practice-shooting since he doesn't have any more energy for 'precision sniping'.
On the other side of the bridge were two groups fighting a large amount of infected. This side of the battle received a few casualties just to be able to deal with the evolved infected that they encountered. After dealing with the evolved ones, everything that came after felt like a breeze to them. They systematically fought forward and inched closer to the center. The abled ones would take the lead while those who were injured would take care of the looting process. After a few more skirmishes with the infected, the two groups met up and their total fighting prowess gained a massive boost. It wasn't a basic one plus one since they have already had experience coordinating with each other and that alone could strengthen a group's fighting capability. They know how to work with each other and that made their fights easier.
Several minutes later Jun received a notification.
[Quest Complete, 'The Big Boss II']