Chapter 437: Shadows

Chapter 437: Shadows

"Whoooosh—whoooosh—"

The flamethrowers continued to spew torrents of fire, illuminating the dark tunnel and reducing the advancing zombies to ash.

Though the horde retreated in fear, unable to resist Zhang Yi’s overwhelming abilities, his expression remained grim.

Burning through these ordinary zombies brought no sense of accomplishment.

His target was the Zombie King, the puppet master capable of creating an endless tide of these creatures.

But the ruckus they had caused undoubtedly alerted the Zombie King to their presence, making it harder to locate.

Still, Zhang Yi was determined to press forward.

Utilizing the near-invincible defensive power of his Dimensional Gate, he led the team deeper into the subway.

Hua Hua and Liang Yue hadn’t needed to make a move.

But Liang Yue, ever cautious, glanced over her shoulder and said, “Those giant rats are still trailing us.”

The subterranean rats, capable of hiding in every crevice and shadow, were proving more tenacious than expected. Their numbers likely exceeded even the zombies, making them nearly impossible to eradicate.

“Forget about them for now!” Zhang Yi said firmly. “We need to find the Zombie King and kill it—that’s the only way to put an end to this.”

“But we’re moving too slowly,” Liang Yue replied, her tone laced with frustration.

The tunnel ahead was choked with countless zombies, their heads forming an undulating sea in the dim light.

At this pace, clearing the way could take forever.

“It doesn’t matter,” Zhang Yi assured her. “We’ve prepared for a long campaign. If it comes to a war of attrition, we’ll outlast them.”

Liang Yue’s eyes widened in surprise, realizing Zhang Yi had planned for this from the start.

A protracted battle in the tunnels wasn’t something she had even considered.

“It’s risky,” she muttered, her grip tightening on her Tang Sword. The deeper they ventured, the harder it would be to escape if something went wrong.

But Zhang Yi’s confidence stilled her doubts. She took her position on his left, ready to fend off any ambush.

Time passed, and the team carved a fiery path through the horde.

Despite the sheer number of zombies they incinerated, Zhang Yi’s Dimensional Gate and flamethrowers remained as effective as ever. His abilities required no replenishment, and the energy reserves they carried went untouched.

The team began to notice a shift: the zombies were retreating faster, as if the Zombie King had decided to consolidate its forces.

Uncle You remarked, “The horde’s thinning out. Let’s pick up the pace!”

Fatty Xu’s face lit up. “Maybe the Zombie King’s running scared! If it escapes through the tunnels, we could just blow them up and seal it in!”

Zhang Yi shook his head.

“You’re dreaming. The subway isn’t a closed system. There are multiple exits at regular intervals. To completely seal it off, you’d need to collapse the entire tunnel. Do you think that’s possible?”

Fatty Xu scratched his head sheepishly. “Not really.”

Elsewhere, near the Yangsheng Base:

Dong Hu and his reconnaissance team pressed onward despite their earlier run-in with the rat swarm.

Their determination paid off—they stumbled upon a massive horde of sleeping zombies.

Dong Hu’s eyes widened in shock.

“Retreat! Now!”

The zombies stirred at the scent of living humans. One by one, they opened their eyes and rose to their feet.

The tunnel was packed wall-to-wall with undead, stretching as far as the eye could see. There could be tens of thousands, perhaps even more.

It felt as though every corpse in Tianhai City had been dragged into the subway and turned into one of these monsters.

“Run! Don’t look back!” Dong Hu roared.

Flames erupted from his fists as he incinerated the closest zombies, but for every one he destroyed, dozens more surged forward.

The team used flamethrowers, grenades, and shotguns to slow the tide, but it was like trying to hold back an ocean.

“We can’t fight this! Get to the nearest exit and evacuate!” Dong Hu commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos.

They weren’t here to fight but to gather intelligence. Against such overwhelming odds, retreat was the only option.

But as they began to pull back, a soldier wielding a flamethrower froze, his eyes wide with terror.

“What the hell is that?”

The team turned to see a massive shadow emerge through the wall of fire—a towering figure with a grotesque head three times the size of a human’s.

“Roooooar!”

In an instant, the nearest soldiers were torn apart. Even Dong Hu and the other Superhumans felt a chill of despair.

“This is bad,” Dong Hu muttered, his fists tightening.

Back in Zhang Yi’s tunnel, the team pressed forward through a corridor of flames and charred corpses.

The retreating zombies thinned further, their numbers dwindling as they fell back into the shadows.

Finally, the group reached a spacious junction—a transfer station.

It was clear why the zombies had scattered so quickly.

“This is trouble,” Zhang Yi said, scanning the area.

The transfer station’s multiple exits provided countless escape routes, making it impossible to pinpoint the Zombie King’s location.

“How are we supposed to know which way to go?” Fatty Xu asked, his frustration evident.

“I have a feeling,” Zhang Yi said, his voice low.

His sharp gaze swept over the station, every corner of the dimly lit space falling under his scrutiny.

“That thing… it’s close.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a series of heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnels.

“Clack… clack… clack…”

“Thud… thud… thud…”

The sound reverberated off the walls, its source impossible to pinpoint.

It was as if something massive was stomping over bones, its steps deliberate and unnervingly slow.

The echoes made it seem as though the noise was coming from all directions, creating a suffocating sense of unease.

“They’re here,” Zhang Yi said grimly, his grip tightening on his weapon.