Chapter 251 The Life-and-Death Battle Came
If given time, William could make this stone door far more effective. Once the outer walls of Cloud Peak Manor were built, the defensive power of this stone door would be awe-inspiring.
However, to fend off the zombie horde with his inexperienced subordinates in the early days of the apocalypse, William had no choice but to rely on the stone door.
A life-and-death struggle with zombies required a vanguard. In fact, everyone could be a vanguard when pushed to the limit. However, William still organized a specialized vanguard as bait.
He never intended to abandon them, so he put Cecil at the forefront.
However, casualties were inevitable.
Nevertheless, the vanguard accomplished their task, successfully luring the zombies to the stone door.
It might be the greatest victory the survivors have achieved since the war began. The dense horde of level-two zombies was crushed under the stone door. These agile zombies, capable of reaching the base's entrance, had almost no resistance against such a heavy door. Even though some zombies at the edges managed to escape, many more were crushed into pulp.
After the dust settled, foul-smelling blood flowed from the cracks, quickly spreading to the surrounding roads.
A loud roar echoed.
A shadow leaped from the horde, landing directly on the shoulder of a Corpse Ape. Two long tentacles on its head spun rapidly in the air, and its flat, oval head was brimming with fangs. It emitted a strange, loud sound filled with rage at the survivors.
The level-four Throat Seizer finally appeared as its subordinates suffered heavy losses.
It roared again, showcasing the immense energy stored in its small body.
Its roar was the signal for a full assault, igniting the zombie horde frenzy.
The horde instantly surged past the manor's main gate!
Casualties on both sides skyrocketed instantly.
Previously, due to shooting skills, psychological factors, and the need to avoid zombie attacks, survivors killed many zombies but with limited effect. But now, everyone was face-to-face with the horde, shooting zombies point-blank. In an instant, heads burst like ripe fruit, and the front line of the horde fell in a heap.
Some level-two zombies were also killed. Being crowded in the horde, they had no room to dodge. Compared to regular zombies, they were just more aggressive.
However, they also caused significant casualties to humans before dying. Their innate skills and powerful special parts cast a shadow of death over the survivors.
"Evolving persons to the front, everyone else fall back to the main building! Find shooting angles, target the zombies at the back!" Michelle and Brian shouted, their voices hoarse and torn. In this large-scale close combat, ordinary people were less effective. They needed distance to make use of firearms, which were far more lethal than their own strength.
Before the battle, both the warriors of Hungry Tiger Knights warband and Cloud Peak Manor had thoughts of fleeing. But now, everyone knew there was no retreat. Either kill all the zombies in front or be killed by them.
So no one would run. Even if they wanted to, they had to fight on, suppressing their fear. After a while, their mind would be filled with the intense battle, the splattering blood, and the roars of comrades, igniting the most primal courage and rage to fight the zombies before them.
William couldn't equip every person in Cloud Peak Manor with an Edge of the Moon, at least not yet. But he could enhance them, imbue their weapons with a fraction of his power. So, every survivor in Cloud Peak Manor wielded gray-level weapons, which were quite effective against level-two zombies.
Thus, many Evolving persons, for the first time, united with their comrades to fight the high-level zombies they usually feared.
War was a seductive fantasy for some, a distant rumble in the comfortable illusion of peace. But those who had tasted its horrors knew better. War was a monster, a devourer of civilizations, where the rights and privileges of man were rendered meaningless.
Many Evolving persons cried as they fought, and some with weaker wills went mad, dropping their weapons to wail or charging into the horde, only to die.
The Evolution Elixir enhanced their bodies but not their minds.
Under immense pressure and the threat of death, their morale shattered. If it were a war between humans, Cloud Peak Manor would have already collapsed.
But it was a war between humans and zombies, allowing no compromise or surrender, only a fight for survival.
The human front miraculously held against the horde of high-level zombies!
Casualties appeared every moment.
It was a life-for-life exchange.
William was killing relentlessly, unaware of his surroundings, a true reflection of many at that moment. He couldn't care for others now, knowing they might die at any time. Normally, he could look after them, but now they had to rely on themselves. This battle was a bloody trial for everyone. If they couldn't endure, they would die. If they could, they would become qualified warriors in the apocalypse.
William gripped the Edge of the Moon in his right hand and a gun in his left. Any zombie daring to block his path was mercilessly slaughtered. With a main profession, two secondary professions, several skills, and a full set of equipment, he could easily kill any creature except level-three zombies.
With the Wellspring of Endurance and Energy Absorbing Satan, William became an tireless killing machine. The path he walked was paved with zombie corpses, which was a hellish road zombies feared.
William's target was the Beastmaster and the Throat Seizer behind it.
As the leader of Cloud Peak Manor and the strongest fighter in this new base, it was his duty to deal with the highest-level zombies.
Strictly speaking, once the base was built, he would be the biggest beneficiary. Every survivor here, in a sense, was fighting for him. So when danger came, William had to be at the forefront!
It was his sense of responsibility. In peacetime, it was more about bringing home the bacon. In chaotic times, it became a bloody battle to protect the base and subordinates.
Ahead, the Beastmaster appeared. It and four Skin-free Mutant Dogs slowly moved away from the corpse of an Evolving person with its innards hollowed out. All five mouths were chewing on human organs, blood dripping from their mouths, forming a bizarre synchronization between them. Their eyes simultaneously locked onto William.
Both sides knew the life-and-death battle had arrived.
