Chief Brian immediately sensed something was wrong and raised his handgun. "Bang, bang, bang!" He fired three consecutive shots, successfully hitting the zombie's head and shoulder.
However, to their surprise, the usually effective firearm seemed to have weakened against this particular zombie. Although the zombie was showered in blood and had part of its head sliced off, it didn't go down.
Instead, the shots infuriated the zombie. It lunged forward with incredible speed, catching them off guard. This zombie was clearly different—its speed was at least three times faster than a regular zombie, and its movements were much more agile.
Brian hurriedly replaced the magazine, but by then, the zombie was already upon him, too close for him to shoot. He swiftly drew his baton from his waist, striking at the zombie.
The zombie took the blow but only staggered momentarily before pouncing on Brian and knocking him to the ground. Fortunately, Brian wasn't defenseless and quickly kicked the zombie away, trying to break free.
Zelda was the second to react. She was a bit slower as she was initially focused on helping Judy. She struck the zombie's head with her baton, causing it to stumble and release Brian.
"Ah..." However, their fellow officers weren't as fortunate. Without Brian's quick reflexes and without firearms, they were virtually defenseless. The zombies overwhelmed them, attacking one after another.
Zelda grew increasingly furious, witnessing her colleagues being attacked by the zombies. She wanted to fight back, but all she had was her baton, which couldn't match the speed of the agile zombie.
Brian had a firearm, but it was a low-powered police revolver and, with his recent injury, he struggled to hit the fast-moving zombie.
To make matters worse, as the zombie attacked, the surrounding horde became uncontrollable and swarmed around them, completely surrounding them.
"We can't hold on any longer. Retreat!" Brian gave the order. It was a last resort. They never anticipated such misfortune. They had barely dealt with the horde when they encountered a level 2 zombie, an agile type at that. It seemed they were on the verge of total annihilation.
With a heavy heart and back pain, Zelda and the remaining few had no choice but to retreat. The others were already trapped and surrounded by the horde and soon succumbed to their attacks.
"Lisa, I can't go on. The one just now was a level 2 zombie. It's been reported that ordinary zombies are evolving into different types, and that one seemed to be an agile variant," Brian said weakly, leaning against the car.
"No, there must be a way to save you," Zelda said, her heart filled with sorrow. It wasn't just because of the tragic deaths of their former colleagues but also because she had seen the scars from her father's friend, a result of being clawed by a zombie.
"No, I can't go on. Within half an hour, at the fastest, within two hours, I will definitely be infected by the virus. There's no way," Brian shook his head.
In the end, only four of them managed to escape: Zelda, Judy, Brian, and their teammate Carl. Carl was currently driving a police car, leading the others away from the police station.
"Stop the car!"
"Chief, are you...?" Carl hesitated as he glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Obey my command."
"Alright..." Carl reluctantly pulled the police car over to an empty spot on the side of the road.
"Lisa, Uncle doesn't want to turn into one of those monsters outside. Take the gun and find a place where you can survive, and wait for the national rescue!" Brian sighed and, pointing the gun at his own head, pulled the trigger.
Zelda's face was filled with sorrow. She didn't shed tears because it wasn't the time to cry. Hastily burying Brian, they decided to continue their journey.
Outside the police station, Derick put down his binoculars and watched the scene of Zelda and the other three escaping. He had witnessed their battle, including the encounter with the level 2 zombie.
However, at the moment Derick drove his armored vehicle toward them, that agile level 2 zombie suddenly disappeared without a trace.
"A busty policewoman and a little girl policewoman?" Derick's interest was piqued. He drove his armored vehicle to catch up, although it couldn't match the speed of a police car.
Zelda and the others couldn't drive at full speed either, and with the roads blocked, many places were impassable.
Ordinary cars would have to be abandoned soon, except for armored vehicles like his that could traverse any terrain.
Indeed, it didn't take long for Zelda and the others to encounter a problem. There were dozens of damaged cars scattered across the road, making it difficult to pass. There were almost no detours available, and going back was not a viable option. They had no choice but to get out of the car and continue on foot.
"Captain, are you okay?" Carl looked at Zelda with concern.
"I'm fine, let's keep moving forward!" Zelda led Judy from behind. Judy had been almost invisible throughout the journey, but she was fortunate enough to avoid any harm under Zelda's protection, although she was a bit frightened.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm..." The sound of a vehicle approached.
Everyone turned to look behind and saw a familiar black Sabertooth armored vehicle. "Someone's here, is it our people? That's great!" Judy exclaimed happily.
Carl's expression also showed excitement, but Zelda remained silent with a grave expression. Soon, the armored vehicle arrived in front of them, and a man stood up from the roof window.
"Who are you?" Zelda looked at the young man in front of her warily. He had a resolute expression, a somewhat handsome appearance, and was dressed in a black combat suit.
However, she didn't know this person. She had never seen him in the police station before. Not only Zelda, but Judy and Carl also wore puzzled expressions.
While it was normal for Zelda to be unfamiliar with him, Carl had worked in the police station for five years. He had encountered almost everyone from the Gray Bear City Bureau. So where did this stranger come from?
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Derick," he said with a smile and jumped down from the armored vehicle.
Carl looked utterly confused, Zelda remained vigilant, and only Judy, the innocent and silly one, hadn't sensed the strange atmosphere. Instead, she approached with joy on her face and asked curiously, "Derick? Are you here to rescue us?"
Derick raised an eyebrow. "That's right, I'm here to save you."
Zelda didn't believe Derick's nonsense. They had heard the sound of armored vehicles and machine guns when they evacuated the building earlier. If Derick hadn't died, he would have come to rescue them back then. Why did he wait until now?
"Judy, come over here first," Zelda extended her hand and pulled the bewildered Judy behind her.
Derick's expression remained unchanged as he observed the reactions of the group. The little girl clearly had no scheming nature, she would believe anything anyone said.
As for the man, he probably wasn't much different. Only this well-endowed policewoman, with her heroic appearance and alertness, belonged to the difficult type, intelligent and cautious.
"Speak up. What do you want?" Zelda tightened her grip on the revolver in her hand and pointed it at Derick.
"Ah, Zelda, this is..." Judy didn't understand and was about to speak, but Carl stopped her. He had also sensed that something was off.
"Sigh..." Derick put away his smile and shrugged helplessly.
Although it would be difficult to handle this well-endowed policewoman, what problem could she pose to him? He had jumped down from the armored vehicle, which was a confident display of safety. Even if Zelda realized something was wrong and tried to take action, she couldn't stop him.
"Enough, I won't beat around the bush. I have established a shelter and would like to invite both of you to join."
"Both of us?" Zelda glanced at Carl beside her.
"You heard me right. It's the two of you women. I apologize, but my shelter only accepts women. Furthermore, in my shelter, everyone must unconditionally obey my orders. There is no room for resistance or questioning. I require wholehearted obedience."
"Aren't you just a robber? Isn't this authoritarianism?" Judy couldn't hold back and blurted out before Zelda and Carl had a chance to speak...