The team noticed the commotion coming from the rear and turned to see that the last armored vehicle had been completely buried under a sea of corpses, rendering it invisible.
Not even halfway through their journey, the 50-member mercenary team had already lost 10 members—almost one-fifth of their force!
"Are these monsters being directed by someone...?"
Gilbert had just witnessed the scene through the rearview mirror, but there was nothing he could do; he could only watch as the last armored vehicle was overwhelmed and covered by the zombies.
Phillip also had his mouth agape, unable to say a word.
If the scavengers they had previously exterminated were like rats, these zombies were more like a pack of hyenas from the old African savannah, waiting for the right moment to deliver the most lethal strike!
Despite Summer's calm demeanor, his muscles were tensed and ready to abandon the vehicle at any moment. It was better to use the previous escape method rather than wait inside this metal can for the zombies to pry it open.
He had hoped that Komodo's armored convoy would force its way to the center of the street, but it seemed that even armored vehicles were not immune to the onslaught of the zombie horde.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The remaining four armored vehicles were hit with varying degrees of damage from the zombie corpses. As these searchlights were covered with zombie blood, the full assault from the horde was imminent!
"Damn it! Everyone, pull yourselves together! Some of you get on top of the vehicle and clean the blood off the searchlights! Don't let them get completely covered!!"
Captain Phillip, known for turning fear into motivation, roared as he gave orders through the communicator.
Such dangerous physical tasks were typically handled by the Tiger Squad.
True to their professional training and combat experience, the Tiger Squad members were driven by their deep-seated fighting instincts even in this dire situation.
The Tiger Squad members, clad in exoskeleton battle suits, did not hesitate or falter. They climbed onto the armored vehicle's roof, tore off their clothes, and began to vigorously wipe the dark green blood from the searchlights!
Meanwhile, the Falcon Squad members were also busy, half their bodies hanging out of the vehicle, gripping the heavy machine guns, and firing relentlessly at the zombies hurling corpses at them!
Ahh!
Tat-tat-tat!!!
Roar!!
The mercenaries' roars, the whistling bullets, and the zombies' howls mixed together, creating a dramatic symphony!
No one thought of retreating, as there was no chance to withdraw in this environment, leaving them no choice but to fight the zombies to the end!
"All drivers, start accelerating full throttle! No matter what, I want to see that zombie king! Tanks, blast a path forward, don't save ammo for the company anymore!!"
This time, it was Captain Gilbert shouting orders through the communicator, his eyes red with rage. In the battle of life and death, all gentlemanly manners had long been thrown aside!
Boom!!!
Immediately after giving the order, the tank, already loaded with shells, fired at the zombie horde ahead!
The impact of the shells caused a tremendous explosion, sending flames and shockwaves that scattered the surrounding zombies into fragments, flinging them in all directions!
In this battle between human technology and mutated creatures, technology had the upper hand. The ferocious zombies were torn to pieces under the tank's firepower.
With their coordinated efforts, the convoy's speed increased significantly, and no more searchlights were covered by blood and corpses.
Summer couldn't help but view these two teams with newfound respect, though they hadn't yet reached the center of the zombie-infested street. Everything remained uncertain.
With the remaining four armored vehicles and the tank moving at full speed, the team drew closer to their destination, with corpses strewn everywhere along their path!
The zombies, too, showed no sign of retreat or escape. The closer they got to the center of the street, the more frenzied the zombies became!
Their numbers showed no signs of decreasing, and they continued to chase the convoy relentlessly!
Finally! After nearly 10 minutes of this intense chase, they arrived at the landmark building at the center of the commercial street—the Trade Tower!
As expected, the central plaza was also packed with zombies, giving a chilling impression!
However, under the strong light of the searchlights, the zombies roared in frustration but eventually moved aside, clearing a path to the Trade Tower's entrance, where the convoy safely stopped.
"Disperse all vehicles in a radial formation, making sure each vehicle is covered by the searchlights!"
After Gilbert arranged the convoy into a safe position, everyone readied their weapons and disembarked from the heavily fortified vehicles with grim expressions.
"Do you need any weapons? It looks like you don't have a suitable weapon," Gilbert asked Summer before they disembarked, noticing he only had an empty handgun at his waist.
"Just give me a durable melee weapon," Summer responded淡淡地. The intense journey seemed to have left him emotionally unaffected, earning the respect of the two captains.
The five searchlights created a circular "safe zone" in front of the Trade Tower, isolating the dense horde of zombies outside. The zombies continued to roar angrily at the searchlights' boundaries!
Under the dual pressure of visual and auditory stimuli, the mercenaries panted heavily, their bodies trembling slightly.
They held their weapons, aiming at the seemingly endless tide of zombies.
They all knew that if the zombies swarmed them, even infinite ammunition would be ineffective, offering only psychological comfort against the intense pressure.
Summer looked up at the Trade Tower.
The intense feeling of danger he had sensed before was now gone, and the purple eyes were no longer present.
Could it be that the commotion caused by their arrival had forced the zombie king to relocate or deliberately hide its presence?
Regardless of whether it was true or not, they were already here and needed to investigate to find any clues.
"Captain, the searchlight batteries will last for about 40 more minutes. We'll need the lights for our return journey, so we should spend no more than half an hour in this building."
At that moment, the deputy came over to report the situation to Captain Gilbert. The searchlights were their lifeline, and if the batteries ran out before they escaped the zombie-infested street, their fate would be dire...