Upon hearing the words "zombie horde," it wasnât just the others; even Lin Xinghaiâs expression turned grim.
Anyone with a shred of common sense knew that a zombie horde was even more terrifying than a Mutated Zombie.
"Whatâs the scale of the horde? How far away is it?" Lin Xinghai immediately asked the two most critical questions.
"Itâs likely over 5,000, and its numbers are still growing. Right now, itâs five kilometers to our right," Ling Xiu answered immediately.
Hearing his answer, not only Lin Xinghai but the others as well quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Seriously, Vice-Captain. Can you please not give us half the story? Youâre going to give someone a heart attack," Huang Nuo couldnât help but complain.
"Exactly. You need to practice how to report intel," Zhang Meiling added, rolling her eyes.
"Seconded!" Even Yao Chen, who was usually silent, chimed in.
Needless to say, they had been scared out of their wits.
Zombie hordes were genuinely terrifying, but one five kilometers away had little to do with them.
It was to their right, so it wasnât blocking their escape route. Even if it had appeared in front of them, the worst-case scenario would be turning back. They could cut straight across Qingtang Town and leave from the other side.
Anyway, at a distance of five kilometers, they would be fine as long as they didnât go looking for trouble.
"Why would a zombie horde appear here in Qingtang Town?" Lin Xinghai suddenly asked.
The others paused, taken aback.
Thatâs right. Generally, zombie hordes only formed spontaneously in large cities, and even then, only in downtown areas with extremely high Zombie density.
For a zombie horde to appear in a small place like Qingtang Town was completely illogical. Unless...
Ling Xiu used his Superpower again, observing carefully. "Itâs just as I thoughtâit was caused by people. Iâve spotted a team... no, it must be a Mercenary Corps. They have one Armored Vehicle and a Mecha."
"However, the Mecha is heavily damaged and seems to be semi-paralyzed. It can only stand on the Armored Vehicle and perform limited attacks with the Giant Sword in its hand."
Ling Xiu had learned his lesson. This time, he reported everything he saw immediately, holding nothing back.
Lin Xinghai immediately picked up on something that was off. "Scan the area. See if thereâs a Mutated Zombie around."
Mechas were forged from high-strength Alloy. Ordinary and Intermediate Zombies couldnât possibly do any damage to one.
Theoretically, a High Level Zombie could breach a Mechaâs Defense, but that was just theory. As long as the pilot wasnât a complete idiot, they wouldnât just stand there and let a High Level Zombie attack it.
Therefore, if a Mecha was damaged, a Mutated Zombie was the most likely culprit.
At the mention of a Mutated Zombie, the expressions of everyone in the vehicle soured.
The primary reason they had chosen to hunt Zombies in Qingtang Town was precisely because they hadnât heard of any Mutated Zombies in the area.
To any hunting squad, a location with a Mutated Zombie was like having an unbeatable final boss.
So next time, they would have to consider finding a new spot to farm for Elemental Crystals.
The only silver lining was that they had already plundered the "treasure" at the winery, so it didnât matter if they ever came back.
As various thoughts ran through their minds, Ling Xiuâs voice suddenly cut them off.
"There really is a Mutated Zombieâitâs a Hunter! Itâs badly wounded, though. Its entire right leg is gone. It must have been severed during the fight with the Mecha."
"Itâs hiding within the horde right now, not attacking directly, but itâs constantly using its roars to summon more Zombies to surround them."
"Huh! The Hunter moved to the front of the Mercenary Corps. Itâs calling up the Zombies ahead of them to block their path. At this rate, itâs hard to say if that Mercenary Corps will be able to escape." As he said this, Ling Xiu felt a pang of sympathy, knowing it could easily be them.
Just then, a red signal flare shot into the sky like a firework. It exploded high in the air, forming a giant SOS symbol.
It was a distress signal from the Mercenary Corps, but everyone in the vehicle pretended not to see it. A small team like them was powerless to help; all they could do was offer a silent prayer.
As for taking any real action...
"Thereâs a Mutated Zombie. Shouldnât we get out of here quickly?"
"Good point. If that Mercenary Corps gets wiped out, weâll be in big trouble if the Hunter comes after us."
Everyone in the vehicle quickly reached a consensus.
Meanwhile, as soon as Ling Xiu had named the Mutated Zombie, Lin Xinghai opened his wrist-mounted computer and began searching for information on the Hunter.
Hunters were only two meters tall, which definitely qualified them as "pocket-sized" among Mutated Zombies.
However, their small stature didnât mean they were weak.
This type of Mutated Zombie possessed incredible Speed and formidable Attack Power. But the most terrifying part was their cunning; they were masters of ambush, striking from the shadows.
They stalked their prey just like a human hunter, which is where the name came from.
Typically, if a Hunter targeted you and you failed to spot it first, the moment you saw it was likely the moment you died.
Of course, the Hunter wasnât without its weaknesses. It had high Attack Power and high Speed, but it was a "squishy." At least compared to other Mutated Zombies, its Defense Power was remarkably low.
âAnd now, considering this one is missing a leg...â
Lin Xinghai glanced up at the SOS signal, still lingering in the sky. He then turned to Ling Xiu and asked, "After losing a leg, whatâs the Hunterâs current Speed?"
Although Ling Xiu didnât quite understand why Lin Xinghai was asking, he used his Superpower to observe carefully before answering, "Its Speed is somewhere between 230 and 250."
Lin Xinghai couldnât help but marvel at the answer. âTo have that kind of Speed with only one leg... If it had both, its Speed might be ten times higher. The thought alone is terrifying.â
After a moment of consideration, he made his decision. "Letâs head over."
"What?" Ling Xiu thought he must have misheard.
"Letâs go rescue them," Lin Xinghai stated clearly.
"Brother Lin, thatâs a Mutated Zombie! Itâs too dangerous, we..."
"I can handle it," Lin Xinghai cut in. "Even if its Speed reached 300, my Gun Technique is good enough to land a shot. Besides, the Hunterâs Defense isnât high. Armor-Piercing Bullets will be enough to get through."
If it had been a super-high Defense type like an Armored Corpse, he would have turned around and left without a second thought.
But a squishy like the Hunter? Especially one that had lost a leg and its greatest advantageâSpeed? He truly wasnât afraid.
"But..." Ling Xiu considered it. It made sense, but he was still hesitant.
"This kind of rescue isnât done for free, right?" Lin Xinghai ignored the othersâ hesitation and moved on to another key question.
"Er..." Ling Xiu was having a little trouble keeping up with Lin Xinghaiâs train of thought, but he quickly replied, "According to the unspoken Rule, the rescuing party does get to make demands for compensation. But thereâs no Mercenary Guild to guarantee that kind of payment. Even if they agree, they can still back out of the deal later."
"Donât worry," Lin Xinghai said with confidence. "As long as their Mecha canât move, they wonât be in any position to back out."