The group left the room and entered the elevator. Looking at the three backpacks on him, then at Ye Chen and Ye Zhu, who carried only weapons and nothing else, Bai Long couldn't help but feel like he had boarded a pirate ship. It seemed like he had become the laborer of the team.
He smiled bitterly, wondering what possessed him to agree to leave the hotel with these two lunatics and venture out into such a dangerous place. Wasn't this akin to a birthday boy eating arsenic, seeking an early end?
"Xiao Yi!" Bai Long murmured softly in his heart, then sighed. The fleeting pain and confusion in his eyes were deeply concealed, and he stood nonchalantly behind Ye Chen, asking casually, "Why are you so eager to leave the hotel? Wouldn't it be better to wait until we become stronger?"
Ye Chen replied quickly, "I have my own plans."
Bai Long pouted.
"15th floor!"
"12th floor!"
"7th floor!"
The elevator continued descending. The three of them stopped chatting, each gripping their weapons tightly and focusing intently because they knew that on the ground floor, there would be the most zombies.
And perhaps even powerful mutant beasts!
"2!"
"1!"
Ding!
The elevator came to a gentle stop with a soft ding, and the doors slowly opened. The scene before Ye Chen and his companions unfolded, revealing a spacious lobby. The exquisite chandeliers and the lavish, golden decor exuded a sense of opulence and grandeur.
However, in this lobby stood numerous zombies, awkwardly positioned on the polished floor, creating a jarring and horrifying sight.
"One, two, three..." Ye Chen's eyes swept the lobby, assessing the situation. There were 82 zombies in total! These zombies wore various outfits, including security uniforms, suits, and casual wear. Some even had glasses on, likely near-sighted individuals before their transformation.
Roar!
The slight noise of the elevator door startled the ravenous zombies. The nearest one, a female zombie, possibly a hotel staff member, had a mangled chest with dried blood, eyes filled with greed and bloodlust, as she lunged at Ye Chen.
Roar! Roar!
The zombies in the lobby howled and rushed toward them like a tidal wave.
Ye Chen's eyes turned icy, while his sister, Ye Zhu, turned slightly pale, and Bai Long's facial muscles stiffened, as if he were suffocating.
"Back off!"
Ye Chen stepped out of the elevator, turning and delivering a powerful kick to the female zombie's abdomen. The explosive force sent her flying backward, colliding with another charging zombie, and both fell to the ground. The female zombie's abdomen had caved in, her internal organs shattered, yet she seemed unfazed, still crawling toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen snatched the watermelon knife from Bai Long, and like a war god, stood at the elevator entrance. Left hand wielding the knife, right hand gripping the axe, his black hair flowed with a will of its own, eyes emanating a cold, merciless light.
"Blood Wind Technique, Fourth Form!"
"Dual Blade Massacre!"
The watermelon knife and the fire axe in Ye Chen's hands danced like graceful butterflies, tracing beautiful arcs, enveloping him completely. Any zombie that approached within three feet of Ye Chen was instantly slashed multiple times!
The Blood Wind Technique comprised nine forms in total!
Each form was designed for specific scenarios!
**Form One: Backstab** - to be used behind a monster.
**Form Two: Rising Dragon Strike** - to be used beneath a monster.
**Form Three: Phantom Blade** - to be used in front of a monster.
**Form Four: Dual Blade Massacre** - a crowd-control technique, suitable for multiple enemies.
Forms Five and Six, and so on, each had their unique purposes!
Although there were only nine forms, they encompassed various aspects. For example, Form Three, Phantom Blade!
Phantom Blade had four levels: Phantom Ten Blades, Phantom Hundred Blades, Phantom Thousand Blades, and Phantom Ten Thousand Blades!
With Ye Chen's current strength, he could barely perform the Phantom Ten Blades. Attempting the Phantom Hundred Blades would result in his arms breaking!
Form Four, Dual Blade Massacre.
In the past, when Ye Chen lacked sufficient strength, he wouldn't use this form because it required immense power. Without adequate strength, his arms couldn't sustain such high-speed movements.
At this moment, more and more zombies in the lobby were converging, swarming forward. Each time a few zombies were cut down, more would rush in, quickly piling up bodies and making Ye Chen's movement space increasingly cramped, hindering his blade techniques.
"Die!" Ye Chen remained unflustered, his eyes growing colder. The fire axe and watermelon knife in his hands suddenly accelerated. His footwork shifted, his body spun, and his weapons stirred up a whirlwind!
"Whirlwind Dragon Slash!"
This was the second form of "Dual Blade Massacre," equivalent to the second level of Phantom Blade, the "Phantom Hundred Blades." However, the group attack technique emphasized skill over power, demanding faster blade speed and basic footwork to execute successfully.
Group attack techniques covered a wide area but lacked the destructive power of single-target strikes. For example, Phantom Blade, from Phantom Ten Blades to Phantom Hundred Blades, merely increased power, demanding faster blade speed, which imposed strict requirements on strength!
Group attacks, however, focused on technique with supplementary power.
Ye Zhu and Bai Long, standing in the elevator, were stunned as they watched Ye Chen in front of them. A fierce wind blew, pushing their hair back, leaving only the howling wind in their ears.
Outside the elevator, apart from the monster's howls, they could only see a blurry figure shrouded in a whirlwind of blades. Any zombie that ventured into this blade storm was instantly flung away.
The zombies piled around Ye Chen were also swept away by the blade light, clearing the area around him, providing ample space for any blade technique.
As Ye Chen performed "Whirlwind Dragon Slash," he gradually felt his arms ache and tingle. He frowned slightly. He had been using the technique for barely ten seconds, and his arms were already straining. Clearly, his current body couldn't handle such intense blade techniques, or his arm muscles would go numb. He slowly reverted to "Dual Blade Massacre."
During the fight, Ye Chen glanced outside. The streets were teeming with zombies, aimlessly wandering around. This hellish scene sent a chill down his spine.
The only consolation was that there were no mutated beasts in the lobby. Otherwise, even with Ye Chen's strength, he could barely protect himself, let alone look after his sister Ye Zhu and Bai Long.
This wasn't surprising, though.
Mutated beasts were a new species, fresh and vibrant, unlike the decaying, dark zombies.
If zombies were dead life forms, then mutated beasts were living beings.
Zombies craved the fresh blood and flesh of mutated beasts, viewing them as prey, just like unturned humans. In this regard, both mutated beasts and humans were sustenance in the eyes of zombies.