NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 56
Chapter 56: The Horde
The instant Zhang Chengcheng ascended to Level 3, an invisible force rippled outward from her, a shockwave imperceptible to the untrained eye. To the zombies, however, it was unmistakable—a pulse of life they couldn’t ignore. Even a few individuals with heightened awareness felt the disturbance in the air.
Pingnan Street, once a bustling artery of Nanxiang City, now stood as a silent graveyard. The apocalypse had struck at the peak of daily activity, turning the lively commercial district into a wasteland of death and decay. Forty-four days had passed since, and the street was no longer ruled by the living.
Zombies dominated the ruins.
As Zhang Chengcheng completed her advancement, a guttural roar shattered the eerie stillness. The sound erupted from deep within a dilapidated shopping mall, its source monstrous and fierce. The earth seemed to tremble under the weight of colossal footsteps.
With an explosive crash, the glass doors of the mall burst outward, shards flying like deadly confetti. Emerging from the darkness was a behemoth. Towering over three meters tall, its grotesquely distorted muscles bulged beneath its flesh, exposed and raw like butchered meat, wrapping the creature in an unnatural armor. Its bloodshot eyes glowed like molten copper, bulging beneath a jagged bony helmet fused to its skull.
A Level 3 zombie: a Tyrant.
It had sensed the presence of a newly Awakened at Level 3. Instinct and hunger combined into a single, overwhelming urge. The Tyrant roared again, a terrifying command that echoed through the deserted streets, summoning the undead from the towering high-rises. They responded with terrifying speed—ordinary zombies, lumbering giants, and agile hunters—all converging on the street. Under the Tyrant’s reign, they became an unstoppable flood, a wave of decay and violence.
And yet, the Tyrant was not alone.
From another part of the city, an identical roar resounded, ricocheting through the empty streets. Another horde stirred to life, smaller but no less ferocious, marching with chilling precision toward Good Hope Village.
On the city’s outskirts, a third Tyrant stood apart from its brethren. This one was distinct, its movements more calculated, its gaze filled with a dark intelligence. Known as Simba, it had retained a cruel cunning from its past life as a hunter. Instead of charging toward the awakening, Simba turned away, leading its horde into the dense black mist that clung to the outskirts of the city.
Beneath the city streets, far removed from the chaos above, alarms shrieked through the underground base. Dr. Huo Sheng, a middle-aged scientist with graying hair and a permanently furrowed brow, rushed toward the source of the disturbance. He halted before a machine—crudely assembled but sophisticated enough to detect what ordinary systems could not.
“Dr. Huo, we’ve detected a Level 3 Awakened nearby,” a technician reported, their voice laced with urgency.
Dr. Huo Sheng’s expression tightened. He nodded tersely, his mind already racing as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor.
“Doctor, you called for me?” A voice, deep and gravelly, broke the tense silence.
Dr. Huo Sheng turned to face the speaker. Colonel Bai Tianyu stood before him, a man whose presence was nothing short of commanding. His military uniform stretched taut over a body that looked as if it had been carved from stone. A man who, in another life, might have become a Tyrant himself, were it not for the sharp, discerning light in his eyes.
“A Level 3 Awakened has appeared in Good Hope Village,” Dr. Huo Sheng said. His voice, steady though laced with tension, carried the weight of the world. “You need to ensure their survival through the horde.”
Bai Tianyu’s face remained impassive. “Consider it done.”
Dr. Huo Sheng watched the man as he prepared to leave, but just before he stepped away, the scientist’s voice rose again, softer this time. “Tianyu, we can’t afford to lose any more Awakened. They’re our last hope… Humanity’s future may depend on them.”
The Colonel paused, his broad back still as stone. “Understood.”
“You are the hope of all survivors,” Dr. Huo Sheng pressed, his voice barely above a whisper, laden with the heavy burden of responsibility. “We need you alive, more than ever.”
Bai Tianyu turned, flashing a grin that was both reassuring and fearless. “Don’t sell yourself short, Doctor. Power alone isn’t what’ll save us. Human ingenuity—your ingenuity—is worth a thousand of me.”
A faint, bitter smile tugged at Dr. Huo Sheng’s lips as Bai Tianyu saluted sharply and marched away without another word.
Back at Good Hope Village, a thick dust cloud swirled on the horizon, threatening to swallow the landscape whole. From his post atop the wall, Zhao Honglei squinted at the approaching mass. Though he could barely distinguish individual shapes, the sound reached his ears—the churning, mindless rhythm of thousands of undead feet.
“This… this can’t be an advancement horde, can it?” Zhao Honglei’s voice trembled with disbelief, his knuckles white around his spear.
Zhang Lixin, standing beside him, cast a glance his way. “What else would you call it?”
Stunned, Zhao Honglei shook his head. “What level was this advancement?”
“Level 2 to Level 3,” Zhang Lixin replied, his voice calm as though stating the weather.
Zhao Honglei’s heart sank. His first instinct was to flee, to run far away from the horror marching toward them. But the thought of his family—his daughter and niece—held him in place. His grip tightened on the spear.
“If this is the end,” he muttered under his breath, stepping forward, “I’ll face it head-on.”
Zhang Lixin raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. “We’re not dead yet… But I wouldn’t bet on our odds.”
From the watchtower, Lu Ming scanned the horizon, his jaw clenched tightly. He had faced battles before, but nothing like this. The sheer magnitude of the horde was staggering.
Beside him, Wang Xiong’s voice trembled. “Brother Lu… do you think we stand a chance?”
Lu Ming didn’t answer right away. His mind raced through the possibilities—the defenses, the weapons, and most of all, the people under his protection. The odds were grim, but retreat wasn’t an option.
He exhaled slowly and issued a single command: “Bring me every last bag of ammunition we’ve got.”
As the horde thundered ever closer, swelling in size with every step, the survivors of Good Hope Village braced themselves for the onslaught—a wave of death, driven by hunger, and led by monsters that no ordinary human could hope to defeat.
End of Chapter 56