Blood was dyeing the Holy City crimson.
Guang Yao and Liang Chuyin didnât know the exact number of mutated lifeforms under Cloud Peakâs control assaulting the Holy City, but the rough estimate exceeded 300,000.
If quality wasnât a concern, the mutated rat horde never failed to deliver surprises.
Though individually weak, these creatures had a special craving for human flesh and blood. Once unleashed, their ferocity multiplied.
Not everyone in the Holy City was a powerhouseâsome were even weaker than these oversized rats.
And letâs not forget: the mutated rat army was a swarm-type lifeform. They didnât scatter but moved as one overwhelming tide. Even the strong could do little against such numbers.
Once unleashed on the streets, the rat horde became the nightmare of the Holy City within moments. Like a black storm, they surged forward in one direction, leaving nothing but bones in their wake.
Compared to the rat hordeâs blitzkrieg, the zombies were more disorganized.
Individually stronger, they simply charged wherever they caught the scent of humans.
This led to them spreading across most of the Holy City, dragging the flames of war with them.
Some in the Holy City still had courage. They even formed hunting squads specifically to track and kill zombies. The elite teams Ahmad had dispatched also joined the hunt.
There was no choiceâamong these zombies were high-level threats, even level-eight zombie kings, far beyond what ordinary Holy City evolvers could handle. To prevent these killing machines from running rampant, the cityâs elites had no choice but to hunt them down.
But the outcome was unpredictable. Hunter and prey could switch roles at any moment.
The genetic warrior army was the most disciplined. Once inside the city, they shed their siege tactics, moving with precision to seize strategic locationsâbarracks, noble estates, and more.
Initially, coordination between warrior types was clumsy, but it quickly improved. By the time Ye Zhongming issued the surrender order, they had split into countless specialized squads, maintaining mutual support distances while sweeping through districts.
Even in all of Cloud Peak, few units could match this level of coordination.
Yet casualties were still heavy. They were deliberately targeting the toughest strongholds. Just taking down one major nobleâs estate had cost over 200 genetic warriors in the assault.
Suhail had set his sights on the genetic army. So far, heâd led his elite strike team in two ambushes, aiming to decapitate their command.
His instincts were sharpâheâd correctly pinpointed the armyâs weakness and located its commander.
But that researcher-commander was one of Cloud Peakâs most prized assets. He was protected not just by Li Qiangâs elite sniper squad, but also over a hundred top Cloud Peak fighters, including White Crystal-enhanced genetic warriors.
And that wasnât even counting the fact that the commander was positioned deep within the genetic armyâs core.
Both of Suhailâs raids failed, costing him over a third of his team.
That said, the fact that heâd penetrated the genetic army twice and survived spoke volumes about his teamâs strength.
"Status report?"
Suhail bandaged the wound on his left chest. As a level-eight evolved, it would heal within hours.
This safehouse was right next to the genetic armyâs sweep zone. The heavy footsteps of genetic warriors were audible even without strainingâproof his team hadnât given up despite two failures.
The scout who entered glanced around, his expression darkening as he noted the missing faces. Their fates needed no explanation.
"The other gates have fallen. The slave armies attacked but were repelled. Theyâre now retreating to defend the palace."
"Southeast, a massive rat horde is ravaging multiple districts. Nothing survives in their path. Interception forces are being organized, and remnants of the Royal Second Guard are heading there."
"Meanwhile, zombies run rampant. Waleed, Faisal, and Nayeefâs teams are hunting the high-level ones."
Suhail sneered.
In his view, the real threat was this organized, disciplined genetic army. The rats and zombies? The citizens would self-mobilizeâsheer numbers would eventually wipe them out.
Hell, the nobles would clean up the mess themselves to protect their interests. These invaders were temporary nuisances at best.
Did Waleed and the others not understand this? Suhail refused to believe it. They knew. Their actions were motivated by high-level magic crystals and relative safety.
"Self-serving, responsibility-dodging bastards!"
With their support, Suhail was 70% confident he could assassinate the genetic commander.
"Where did the zombies emerge from?" Suhail donned his armor, ready for a final, desperate strike.
The scout hesitated. "Near⊠the palace."
Suhail froze. "The palace? His Majesty didnât intervene?"
"Rumors say⊠a level-nine appeared there."
Silence.
"That rumor about His Majesty⊠is it true?" a subordinate ventured.
The question carried enormous weightâit could make or break the Holy Cityâs will to resist.
Outside, the calls for surrender grew louder.
"Itâs true," Suhail confirmed. "His Majesty is indeed a level-nine evolved."
The team exhaled in relief.
If the enemy had level-nines, the Holy City needed its ownâeven if outnumbered. Without top-tier countermeasures, resistance was doomed.
But Suhail kept one thought to himself: His Majesty was level-nine, yet⊠incomplete.
"Abort the raid. We return to the palace."
With a level-nine threat there, staying here was pointless. Suhailâs perspective had shifted entirelyâthe Holy City was doomed, even if they held out until dawn.
Now, his only goal was to save the kingâs life⊠and escape.