Chapter 225 Black Mud Corpse
After the world went to hell, Spring Harvest Granary became a coveted prize. Big players and small-time gangs alike had tried to claim it, only to be met with brutal failure. They added more corpses to the horde but couldn't even scratch the main gate.A few brave souls did show up early on, and you could see some moldy grain bags scattered on the road. Not much, but enough to confirm William's suspicions: there was more inside.
"Let's go!" William yelled.
With that, the crew kicked it into high gear, racing towards the gate.
William led the charge, slicing through the iron gate like it was butter. As the gate crashed down, a swarm of zombies poured out, catching the team off guard. Usually, This place was supposed to be deserted. What had stirred this horde?
There was no time to ponder. No time to hesitate. They had to push through, secure the objective.
For the first time today, William busted out his Seal: Flame Blade.
This move was no joke. One swing and the road to the granary was clear of zombies. The high-temp flames left behind crispy, charred corpses, filling the air with a nasty burnt meat smell.
The team made it to the granary door in no time. Jack's Edge of the Moon sliced through, opening up the warehouse door.
Inside, they saw bags of white grain stacked high. The fierce battle vibes quickly turned into pure joy.
This was gold!
In this messed-up world, order was out the window. No one was planting crops. Grain was gonna be worth its weight in gold soon. Roulette gave out tiny amounts, and hunting was risky business. Plus, humans couldn't live on meat alone. Grain was a staple, and old habits die hard.
Everyone knew what these bags of grain meant. Like William said before, this stash could feed their base for over a year. Throw in some meat and side dishes, and they could stretch it to a year and a half.
Jack stepped inside, and suddenly, William felt a chill run down his spine.
"Jack, get out!" William shouted. Ignoring the surrounding zombies, he dashed into the warehouse, slashing at the left side of the door.
The Light of Full Strength flashed, just missing a blob of black goo.
Jack let out a grunt and crumpled to the side of the warehouse.
William rushed over and saw a nasty, black, sticky mess clinging to Jack's left hip.
"Black Mud Corpse!" William shouted, eyes going wide.
This thing was a nightmare. Its skin and flesh had turned into this black, sticky gunk. It would shoot the goo to trap its prey, then slowly ooze over and digest it.
When it leveled up, it got even scarier. It could shoot out thousands of goo blobs, forming a skin that would envelop and absorb its prey, then merge back into its body.
This black mud was not only super sticky but also packed a mental toxin, making it as nasty as a sandworm.
Rumor had it that these mutated zombies were rare. William didn't expect to run into one here.
William's Edge of the Moon sliced through the black goo on Jack's hip, cutting the wriggling, disgusting thing without hurting Jack.
Only William and Michelle had the precision to pull that off.
A sharp, piercing scream came from the left side of the granary. The Black Mud Corpse was pissed that William had cut its goo.
William quickly dragged Jack out of the warehouse and had Lucy use Gentle Chain on him.
He didn't know the level of this Black Mud Corpse, but it had to be high since it could take over the warehouse. The black mud was toxic. Even if Lucy couldn't detoxify it, she could at least make Jack feel better.
With a swift sideways thrust of Edge of the Moon, William pierced a zombie's head. With a clever twist, he flung the zombie into the granary, then used its momentum to charge inside.
Three black shadows shot out, each hitting a vital spot on the zombie's body. The power of the black mud was intense, and the Black Mud Corpse was clearly enraged. The zombie's bones were crushed from within.
William could now see the situation inside the granary. On the left side, a black, soft zombie stood there, almost losing its human form, looking like a big pile of melting clay or a giant candle about to burn out.
It was a Level-three mutated zombie!
Even though he had expected this, seeing it in person still made William's heart skip a beat.
With his current strength, William wasn't scared of level-three creatures at all. Unless it was one of the super tough ones, he was pretty sure he could take them down.
Still, he didn't expect to run into such a high-level freak right after stepping into the granary. What else was waiting for them?
No time to think. He charged forward.
William had to clear out the granary so the labor team could haul out the grain.
"Mr. Wright, I'm good!" Jack's shout came from outside, along with the sounds of him jumping back into the fight. Thanks to William's quick action and Lucy's fast treatment, the toxins hadn't spread much, letting Jack bounce back quickly.
Of course, it helped that this Black Mud Corpse was only a level-three. Had it been a Level-five or higher, even William would've been in trouble, let alone Jack.
"Stick to the plan!" William yelled.
His Edge of the Moon whistled through the air, slashing at the Black Mud Corpse.
Jack and the others quickly formed a back-to-back formation, pushing the zombies to the sides, while Pill held the front, keeping a horde of zombies from swarming the granary.
William faced the brunt of the Black Mud Corpse's attack.
It wasn't fast, and against William, who had the golden-level Bloodstride Boots, it had no chance to dodge.
Perhaps sensing this, it didn't even try to dodge. Instead, it unleashed a torrent of black goo, a deadly rain aimed at engulfing William entirely!
At the same time, several windows on the granary's ten-foot-high walls shattered, and shadows leaped down. William could tell by the smell that these were level-two mutated zombies, more than ten of them!
Clearly, this level-three Black Mud Corpse had gathered a bunch of minions. When its turf was attacked, its minions rushed over to ambush them.
Inside the granary, William couldn't use Flame Blade without risking setting the grain on fire. But things were looking bad. Above him were more than ten level-two zombies, and in front was the Black Mud Corpse's rain of black mud, probably its special move.
Retreat seemed like the only option.
William's face stayed calm. Suddenly, he activated Sprint. His forward-moving body defied physics, coming to an abrupt halt, then shot backward at insane speed. As he retreated, he used the burst of momentum to push off the ground with his legs, launching himself into the air.
The rain of black mud just barely missed the soles of his shoes.
William looked up, swung his blade, and The Light of Full Strength met the attacking level-two mutated zombies head-on.
Taking on one level-two zombie? Easy. Three? Manageable with some effort. Five? He'd probably get hurt or burn through a lot of mental energy. Ten? He'd definitely back off unless he had no choice.
That wasn't being a coward. Charging into danger without a plan was just plain stupid.
But now, retreat wasn't an option. In this situation, William didn't hesitate. He couldn't dodge the zombies' attacks. In mid-air, with limited room to maneuver, he couldn't dodge or use his strongest move, Flame Blade, which meant he couldn't end the fight in one go.
But he still charged forward.
Sometimes, when you're in a certain position, you gotta face certain things yourself.
Even if it means taking some hits.
Blood splattered from William's body.
This was one of the few times he'd been injured since the apocalypse started, but his eyes stayed focused. Using his upward momentum and the rapidly closing distance with the falling zombies, he flicked his wrist continuously, sending out Knife Light.
In mid-air, William lost his agility, but so did the zombies. Knife Light sliced through their bodies, cutting them in half effortlessly.
Their attacks landed, but at the cost of their lives.
At level two, barring a few defensive mutations, nothing could withstand the Edge of the Moon.
Without defensive gear, William couldn't completely resist the skills of level-two mutated zombies either.
He fell back down, with only five level-two creatures left. As he landed, he bounced up again, Knife Light slashing towards the Black Mud Corpse. His right foot kicked out, hitting a level-two zombie's chest.
He activated Heavy Kick!
This skill, consuming 100 points of mental energy, dealt double damage, creating a shocking hole in the zombie's chest. From the front, you could see the back, and even its spine was kicked through. It tried to move forward, but without support for its upper body and head, it crumpled to the ground.
Knife Light slashed the Black Mud Corpse, splashing a rain of mud.
Just then, intense battle sounds erupted outside.
The team that went to distract the zombies had returned, and the full-scale attack began at this moment.
