Phillip didn't even glance at the fallen head of the zombie, simply lifting his tough leather boot and crushing it.
The members of the Tiger Squad, inspired by their leader charging into battle, rallied their spirits and roared as they rushed into the lobby to fight alongside their captain.
The putrid blood and flesh of the zombies quickly stained their bodies a dark green, but not a single one of them flinched. They focused intently on slaying every approaching zombie.
A momentary lapse in concentration could mean being overwhelmed by a zombie, torn apart by its strength and sharp claws.
Meanwhile, the Falcon Squad outside the building kept busy, using their skilled marksmanship to headshot any zombies attempting to ambush the Tiger Squad from behind.
Especially the mercenaries wielding Gatling guns, who unleashed a storm of bullets, shredding zombies in their path.
As for Xia Leng, he observed the bloody scene of the battle with a cold eye.
He refrained from intervening, concerned that the Blacklight Virus within him might be tempted by the zombies' "delicious" scent and devour them in front of everyone...
He could only imagine the expressions of those around him if that happened.
Moreover, Xia Leng's target was not the common zombies scattered around but the zombie king likely commanding the horde from upstairs.
He needed to maintain complete focus to deal with the powerful unknown enemy he might soon face!
Soon, after a fierce battle, the hundreds of mutated zombies lurking on the lobby ceiling were wiped out.
However, the mercenaries paid a heavy price: six were torn to pieces, their remains barely recognizable, while dozens sustained various degrees of injury.
The worst-off among them had a shoulder and a third of his body ripped open, with internal organs exposed, but he was still alive, crying out in agony…
Captain Gilbert silently approached the injured member, drawing a large-caliber pistol from his pocket and aiming it at the suffering man's twisted face.
The injured man looked at his captain with a gaze full of longing, hoping for a merciful end.
Bang!
The gun discharged with a puff of smoke, and the severely injured member's struggles ceased.
"Alright, let's continue upward. Everyone stay alert," Gilbert said, holstering his pistol. He and Captain Phillip led the way up the stairs.
The lobby, now littered with mutated zombie corpses, also contained the gray crystals from their skulls, which could fetch a high price from the scavengers needing access to the fortress.
Yet none of the mercenaries bothered with these valuable crystals. They silently followed their captains up the steps.
Well-trained, they focused solely on their mission, avoiding distractions.
Xia Leng, too, had no intention of claiming the crystals. He was beginning to sense the familiar yet dangerous aura that seemed to be re-emerging.
The group climbed the stairs cautiously, with two mercenaries carrying the searchlight ahead, ensuring every corner of the stairwell was well-lit to prevent zombies from hiding and ambushing.
Captain Phillip walked beside the searchlight, personally guarding the "light of life."
None of the team knew which floor the boss was on, and each floor was vast and filled with zombies, their howls echoing throughout the building, affecting everyone's nerves.
Searching floor by floor for the elusive zombie king could take hours.
"Don't you know the exact location of the zombie king? How long will this aimless search take?" Gilbert asked Xia Leng, noticing the situation's grimness.
Xia Leng closed his eyes slightly, channeling all his energy into his senses, trying to detect the faint, dangerous presence.
Despite the omnipresent danger and the roar of thousands of zombies, Xia Leng had the ability to block out irrelevant information and focus on the elusive clue.
He had long realized he could freely allocate the power of the Blacklight Virus within him, enhancing any part of his body, including Blacklight sensing.
"Continue up. It's not on this floor," Xia Leng responded calmly, his face expressionless, like a cold machine, betraying no hint of fear or emotion.
The two captains could not decipher his thoughts and wondered how he determined that the zombie king was not on this floor. Some even questioned if he was a spy sent by rival forces to drag everyone to their deaths...
At this point, they had no choice but to follow Xia Leng's advice and continue upwards.
Every corridor was smeared with horrifying blood handprints, suggesting a desperate flight from zombies, pushed into a corner by the relentless pursuers.
After approximately ten floors of relentless climbing and ten minutes of tension, everyone was under immense pressure, still uncertain about the zombie king's whereabouts.
Suddenly, when the group reached the eleventh floor, all the deafening roars ceased, replaced by several eerie sounds of women crying!
The crying was so mournful that it stirred a feeling of tragic grandeur in everyone, sending shivers down their spines.
"Damn it! Which fool is crying? So spineless!" Captain Phillip cursed.
"It's not from our team. Do you think we have women among us?" Gilbert replied, bewildered.
At that moment, the two mercenaries carrying the searchlight saw an extremely strange sight!
In the light of the eleventh floor, several women's backs were visible, sitting on the stairs and facing away from them!
They were slumped on the ground, their bodies slightly twitching, and the eerie crying came from them!