NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: Human Bombs
Chapter 18: Human Bombs
What's going on?
Wu Heng's face changed drastically, a sense of danger surged in his heart.
Before he could react, the skeleton Bason already made a move.
The dagger in its hand flipped, stabbing towards Wu Heng's left shoulder.
As the short blade pierced through his shoulder, Wu Heng felt his shoulder lighten, as if something had disappeared.
Quickly turning his head, he saw a transparent shadow flying away.
In midair, the shadow reformed into an ugly baby-shaped figure with a long, thin umbilical cord.
Damn it!
A ghost baby?
"What's going on?" Wu Heng quickly approached the team, asking softly.
"Not sure, but while we were all looking at the notebook, it was sitting on your shoulder, reading along with us," Karvina answered.
The others weren't looking behind him, but at his shoulder.
The skeleton Bason's reaction was the most direct, attacking immediately at the right moment.
Swish! Swish!
As they spoke, several crossbow bolts were fired straight at the ghost.
The bolts passed through the ghost without leaving any marks.
The baby-like ghost seemed startled, opening its mouth wide as if to cry.
Although no sound could be heard, its movements clearly indicated it was wailing.
And at that moment.
Everyone sensed something wrong, as the sound of hurried, dense footsteps echoed from the direction of the cave.
Like falling rocks in a landslide, the footsteps were chaotic and rapid.
It was as if they had returned to another world, facing zombies rushing up a staircase.
Step, step, step!
Countless figures poured out from the numerous mine tunnels.
From all directions, they rushed towards them.
……
Everyone's faces changed.
The mad villagers were being controlled by this ghost baby.
Now that it was scared, all the villagers in the mine tunnels were rushing out.
No wonder the village was empty; they were all hiding in the mine.
"Don't panic, fall back, find a retreat route," the leader said calmly.
A guard quickly ran into a house and rushed upstairs.
Swish, swish!
Crossbow bolts whistled through the night sky, their clear sound piercing the air.
The targeted figures stumbled and fell, tripping the crowd behind them.
At this moment, a voice called out from the upstairs of the house, "Head north."
"Grenades!" Pramon ordered.
Several grenades arced into the crowd.
Boom, boom, boom!
Deafening explosions erupted, casting red flames.
"Retreat!"
The team turned and quickly retreated north, their weapons clinking against their armor.
Step, step, step!
As they sprinted, a dense crowd of mad villagers chased behind them.
Suddenly, chaotic footsteps echoed from the side.
A group of villagers charged out from a side path, crashing into the retreating team.
The leader's face darkened as he quickly slashed with his two-handed sword, instantly beheading five or six.
The others drew their weapons, engaging in fierce combat with the crazed villagers.
Wu Heng held his short spear, standing by the skeleton thief, repeatedly thrusting to fend off the attackers.
Ottluk and Karvina, amidst the battle, observed Wu Heng's situation.
Seeing a newly transitioned mage so composed in melee combat, their eyes showed surprise and curiosity.
He was nothing like a rookie.
For Wu Heng, though.
The scene before him was something he'd seen many times in the zombie world, and the situation there was far worse.
The combat slowed their retreat.
More villagers surged from behind, their shadows filling the firelit area.
"Into the alley!" the leader ordered.
The group retreated into a narrow alley, which reduced the enemy's numerical advantage.
But soon, the situation changed again, as the mad villagers started climbing the walls and leaping from rooftops.
"Find an escape route," the leader ordered again.
The guards tried to climb onto the roofs to scout a route.
However, as soon as they reached the top, they saw a miner rushing towards them.
He was carrying a bundle of lit dynamite.
Dynamite used for mining.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
The guard was instantly blown away, never to rise again.
Meanwhile, more miners climbed onto the rooftops, leaping down towards the group below.
Boom, boom, boom!
The deafening explosions continued to erupt in the alley.
Debris like bullets scattered in all directions.
As the smoke cleared, two more guards lay in pools of blood, overwhelmed by the approaching crowd.
The others also suffered varying degrees of injury in the blast.
More villagers with dynamite appeared on the rooftops, throwing themselves at the group like human bombs.
"Go!" The leader kicked open a nearby door.
The group entered the house, leaping out of the window on the other side, and began fleeing into the distance.
The crazed villagers continued to emerge from the alleys, pursuing them, with explosions echoing nonstop.
Boom, boom, boom!
More figures leaped down, the explosions continuing to ring out.
The group was completely scattered, the thick smoke obscuring their comrades.
"Split up and retreat."
Wu Heng vaguely heard the order to split up and escape.
He quickly took the skeleton thief and fled in a chosen direction.
……
The night was dim.
Wu Heng and the skeleton thief stopped after escaping.
There were no enemies behind them, but in the distance, the sky was still ablaze, and explosions echoed endlessly.
It seemed the enemies weren't pursuing him.
Just as Wu Heng was contemplating his next move.
Step, step, step!
Footsteps echoed ahead as a group of figures in black cloaks emerged from the mountain behind the village.
One of them was holding something wrapped in a bundle, tightly clutching it to their chest.
Wu Heng initially thought they were part of the crazed villagers and prepared his short spear and gun.
The opposing group was also startled.
They glanced at the distant battle, surprised that someone had escaped and was now blocking their path.
"Kill him, quickly," the one holding the bundle ordered coldly before leading the way out of the village.
The guards, hearing the order, raised their crossbows and fired.
Swish, swish, swish!
The bolts whistled through the night sky.
Wu Heng was startled, quickly ducking behind the skeleton warrior.
Thud, thud, thud!
The bolts pierced through the skeleton's leather armor, exiting from its back.
Wu Heng glanced at the bolts sticking out of the skeleton and raised his gun, firing several shots in return.
Bang, bang, bang!
The gunshots echoed, and someone cried out in pain.
But it was clear he hadn't hit a vital spot.
After firing three shots, Wu Heng pulled the skeleton warrior along and quickly ducked into a nearby house.
He cursed under his breath.
This really was a trap.
"Charge in, kill him."
The order to attack rang out again outside, and the remaining guards drew their weapons, quickly approaching the wooden house.
They kept shifting positions, likely fearing the bullets.
Wu Heng leaned against the wall beside the door, trying to guess their identities.
They seemed to know this place well, as if they had taken something from the mine.
The footsteps outside grew closer.
The skeleton thief beside him tightened its grip on the dual blades, ready to rush out and draw their attention.
But Wu Heng just shook his head; there was no need to engage them while at a disadvantage.
He then pulled out a "Poison Mist Grenade" from his backpack, checked the position, and tossed it out.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
The grenade rolled to a stop at the feet of the group outside.
A second later, with a pop, thick smoke erupted, spreading all around.
The pungent smell filled the air, enveloping the entire area.
"Charge in, don't let them escape in the chaos, or none of us will survive." The urgent command echoed again outside.
Before they could advance.
Clatter, clatter!
The sound of bones scraping together echoed from the front.
The next moment, a massive skeleton dog charged through the smoke, pinning one man down, biting his neck, and shaking its head violently.
Everyone was stunned.
Undead skeletons?
Where did these undead come from?
And then, more footsteps followed.
One by one, skeletons rushed through the smoke, brandishing their cleavers as they attacked the enemy.
The sounds of battle and cries of pain filled the air as the poison mist engulfed them.