Chapter 246 Cloud Peak Defense Battle (Part 1)
The first line of defense concentrated over half of Cloud Peak Manor's elite combat-ready forces, including forty Evolving persons. The Hungry Tiger Knights warband was also stationed here, bringing the total number of Evolving persons to nearly eighty.
In addition, there were over two hundred ordinary soldiers, each armed with brand-new rifles. Next to the fortifications were boxes upon boxes of ammunition.
William was also behind the defense line, holding a sniper rifle and aiming at the approaching zombie horde.
Considering the survivors' amateur marksmanship, Candice only gave the order to fire when the horde was within 300 feet.
The battle immediately entered its most intense phase.
The disgusting zombies at the forefront were instantly torn to pieces by the metal storm. The scene before the defenders was a gruesome mix of body fluids, blood, flesh, limbs, and bone fragments, as if a giant meat grinder had ripped through the horde, pulverizing hundreds of zombies.
Many of the survivors faltered and stopped shooting at the sheer brutality of it. They had never witnessed such carnage.
But the zombies did not stop advancing. Taking advantage of the lull in gunfire, they quickly filled the positions of their fallen comrades and even advanced a few more feet.
"Stay focused! Those who aren't Evolving persons, aim for their necks and fire in quick bursts, not full auto!" Candice shouted while firing, reminding those who had only handled guns a few times to maximize their shooting efficiency.
Everyone's faces were tense, but as the battle continued, the tension gradually faded.
They were adapting to this kind of fight, especially one where it was either kill or be killed.
The first line of defense was chosen well, flanked by dense woods. The road was blocked by rocks and abandoned cars, leaving only one path to the mountaintop. Although the horde numbered over twenty thousand, only a few hundred could line up at the front, which kept the defenders' shooting angles concentrated and improved accuracy. Every second, numerous zombie heads were blown apart. Of course, more bullets hit the zombies' bodies, which only had a repelling effect. Some shots even flew wild, disappearing into the sky. It was unavoidable. Ammunition was plentiful, but target practice was a luxury they couldn't afford.
After two minutes, the horde, having lost over a thousand zombies, advanced to within 250 feet of the first line of defense.
This distance made many survivors uneasy. The warriors from Cloud Peak Manor, who had been drilled with combat concepts recently, were better off. However, some members of the Hungry Tiger Knights warband began to retreat, despite Darryl's stern reprimands.
Such behavior was extremely dangerous, as it could trigger a chain reaction, causing the first line of defense to collapse prematurely.
Darryl's eyes were red with anger, wishing he could kill those cowards. He came from a prominent family, and they had followed him for a long time. After the apocalypse, he couldn't return to Accraville City but found a roulette and decided to stay here.
Usually, the warband was held together by brotherhood. But now, the allure of a one-star Evolution Elixir paled in comparison to the fear of death. His orders meant nothing.
A series of gunshots accompanied the fall of those people. William, with a cold expression, held a pistol and looked at Darryl.
"No retreats. I have never broken my word. We fight, and we fight to the death. Anyone who runs dies." His voice was cold, unwavering.
To Darryl, dignity and authority were very important. William's cold, contemptuous gaze made his face flush. Perhaps as the apocalypse deepened, his thoughts and views would change, but for now, he showed his responsibility, scolding his subordinates to continue fighting.
Perhaps their tenacious resistance made the higher-level creatures in the horde aware of the crisis. After paying a heavy price and advancing to within 230 feet, twenty or so small figures suddenly leaped from the back of the horde, charging towards the defense line.
"Watch out. It's the Black Phantom!" a voice shouted.
During this period, William had already sketched out the types of zombies and distributed the drawings to his subordinates, thanks to a person who made exquisite maps. Often, William would describe the appearance of the zombies, and with a few strokes, that person would accurately and vividly outline their forms.
So, when this type of second-level mutated zombie appeared, Candice immediately alerted those around her.
"Evolving persons, target the Black Phantom!" Candice commanded.
Although the Evolving persons hadn't fired many times, their strong arms and steady hands made their shooting accuracy naturally high. Due to their evolution, their eyes could also keep up with these speed-oriented second-level zombies.
With continuous gunshots, several Black Phantoms were taken down. William, Candice, Jack, and Darryl each precisely shot one in this round of firing.
Seeing Darryl's success, William was somewhat surprised; it seemed he had practiced shooting before.
A few hundred feet was too close for these Black Phantom zombies. Although many were killed along the way, within just three seconds, two of them broke into the defense line, biting the throats of two people who couldn't react in time.
Candice rushed over, wielding a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. With the help of those around her, they intercepted the Black Phantoms. Without their speed advantage, the two Black Phantoms were quickly dealt with.
However, they caused chaos in the defense line, allowing the horde to advance several dozen feet. Now, the distance to the defense line was only about 160 feet.
Another dozen or so mutated zombies emerged. They were the Iron Arm zombies William had encountered at his school, but they were clearly at a higher level. Their thick arms had almost turned into long shields, gleaming with a metallic sheen. They protected their heads and charged forward, shielding the regular zombies behind them. Bullets hitting their mutated arms made metallic clanging sounds and were deflected.
Candice quickly came up with a solution upon seeing the situation. "Shoot their legs!" she shouted.
The target shifted to the legs of those Iron Arm zombies. As long as their legs were broken, they would lose mobility, and it wouldn't matter if they weren't killed immediately. Most importantly, their fall would clear the view, allowing continued sniping of the overwhelming horde.
Only William, Candice, and Jack silently switched to armor-piercing rounds, aiming for the heads behind the Iron Arms.
Before they were dealt with, many felt the ground shaking. Several figures, about 10 feet tall, slowly appeared behind the horde.
Someone shouted, "Corpse Ape!"
In the battle at Moon Lake, a powerful third-level Corpse Ape had appeared, a 16-foot-tall monster. Now, these four Corpse Apes were second-level, standing only 10 feet tall, but to humans generally under 6 feet, they were still giants.
Each of them held two large rocks. Upon seeing the survivors in the defense line, they howled and hurled the rocks.
The moment William saw the Corpse Apes, he switched his assault rifle for a sniper rifle and fired at one of them.
With the modified firearm and armor-piercing rounds, the head of that Corpse Ape exploded, and the rock it held fell, crushing many zombies along with its collapsing body.
However, William could only take down one in an instant. The remaining three Corpse Apes threw their rocks out. William quickly adjusted his aim and hit one rock, and the other two still landed within the defense line.
The immense force turned the survivors near the impact points into pulp, and even an Evolving person was killed by a direct hit.
The chaos in the ranks intensified.
It wasn't over yet. In front of the Corpse Apes, three second-level zombies covered in black bone spikes charged out of the horde, bracing themselves on the open ground and aiming their spikes at the survivors within the defense line.
Hundreds of black spikes shot out from their bodies, arcing through the sky and landing within the defense line.
A voice shouted, "Thorn Demon!"
William's bad premonition grew stronger. How could this horde of zombies coordinate so well among the various mutated types?
The falling bone spikes caused the most severe casualties since the battle began, despite the survivors' efforts to dodge.
