Chapter 104: Relentless Assault

Chapter 104: The Assault

The recreation area was usually a place where officers exercised or relaxed—there was a basketball court, vending machines, even a bar—part of the welfare facilities. When there were no urgent missions or officers didn’t want to go home after work, they would come here to unwind.

As Xia Zheng approached the entrance to the recreation area, the other three were already waiting there.

“There are roughly several dozen wandering officers inside, but they look abnormal—vacant stares, sluggish movements, bluish skin, and extremely sharp hearing,” Mario reported his observations.

Checking the door lock, Xia Zheng found that the handle was tightly wrapped with a long stick and chains, completely barricading it.

Jim raised his hand and pulled the bolt on his gun. “Should we just take them all out?”

“That’s unwise,” Xia Zheng opposed. “These people are clearly infected. I suggest we withdraw immediately, report back to Eternal Night City headquarters, so they can dispatch reinforcements, maybe even the military to take over.”

Carol frowned, hesitating.

Mario was displeased. “No, we can’t just go back like that. Chen Hui was killed by those monsters without explanation. Are we supposed to just report to our superiors that there are monsters here and request military extermination? Then what’s the point of a special operations team? We have to obtain valuable intelligence first.”

Jim nodded in agreement. “I understand your fear, Wood, but as members of a special operations unit, death is part of the job. We must fully understand what’s happening in this satellite city before we leave.”

Xia Zheng took out the few documents they had gathered earlier, organizing them into a simple incident summary. He handed it to Carol. “We don’t know exactly what happened here, but from these reports and files, it’s clear that Peijel is experiencing a severe infection outbreak. Even the entire population seems to have been wiped out. So far, we’ve only seen these zombie-like creatures and some unseen lurking monsters. But this place is definitely not somewhere to linger.”

The three of them quickly reviewed the brief intel Xia Zheng had prepared. Carol then said, “Most of this information comes from media reports, lacking solid evidence. No one above will believe us based on this.”

“Yeah, Wood, you’re a civilian and trust documents and words more. But we rough types trust our own eyes and ears,” Jim said, clearly dissatisfied.

Mario pointed inside the recreation area at the roaming zombie monsters. “I checked earlier. All other routes are blocked. The only way through is the recreation area. Beyond it lie the archives and monitoring rooms. We need official data from there to report back to command.”

Seeing Xia Zheng still wanting to argue, Carol interrupted. “Benson, I’ve decided we’ll storm the recreation area, secure the evidence, then withdraw. Besides, Alpha Squad is still unaccounted for—we can’t just leave.”

Xia Zheng nodded reluctantly. Being dragged forward by fate—or the plot—felt unbearable. He knew unlocking that door could unleash unpredictable, immense danger, yet there was no choice but to face it. Turning back was an option—but not one he could take.

Jim and Mario produced lock-picking tools. They grabbed massive bolt cutters and began snipping through the stick and chains, then slowly pulled open the recreation area’s gates.

Inside, there were about thirty zombie-like creatures. Xia Zheng could only hope they were just regular zombies, not mutated ones.

“If only Chen Hui were here—his sniper skills could have taken these zombies out effortlessly,” Mario muttered irritably.

Carol gestured for silence. Each of the four took aim. Though Xia Zheng had learned to use his “Divine Eye” skill, most of his spiritual senses were still sealed. In other words, they were still in plot mode, and he could not deploy his full combat power. Still, he reminded his teammates to aim for headshots to ensure complete kills. Carol agreed and instructed the others accordingly.

They quickly constructed a makeshift barricade. Carol fired the first shot.

Bang!

The closest zombie officer dropped immediately, his head exploding on impact. Carol was no sharpshooter, but within fifty meters, his aim was steady.

“Good. Headshots work. You all do the same,” Carol ordered. Jim and Mario nodded, while Xia Zheng drew his police pistol to aim.

His marksmanship was decent, having inherited some of Benson’s memories. Usually, three shots were enough to kill a zombie.

Jim preferred brute force. He raised his gun, and with a blast, the zombie’s head and shoulders were nearly obliterated.

“Hahaha… My aim might be off, but this beast packs a punch. As long as I smash these damn dogs, I’m happy,” Jim laughed while continuously firing at the zombies swarming toward them.

Mario was more measured, using a compact submachine gun. A few bursts and a zombie’s head exploded. His accuracy was much better than Jim’s.

Carol’s pistol had heavy firepower almost rivaling Jim’s, but it required frequent reloading—roughly every five shots.

Xia Zheng’s pistol held twelve rounds per magazine. He carried three spare clips; two were already spent, now on the third.

Overall, progress was very satisfying. These zombies were all basic; no mutated ones had appeared. Xia Zheng exhaled in relief.

Zombies kept falling, until only two remained. One had massive bulging shoulders, like giant fleshy spheres. It was on the left side of the barricade, moving slowly—probably due to its bulk.

On the right was another zombie, unusually tall—over two meters. Its arms were long enough to nearly drag on the ground, and its fingers were numerous, more than five.

“Everyone, watch out for these two. They’re different,” Xia Zheng warned loudly.

Carol’s gaze sharpened. He and Jim focused fire on the heavier zombie on the left, while Xia Zheng and Mario targeted the tall one on the right.

Gunfire intensified on the left. To their surprise, the slow-moving zombie unfurled the fleshy bulges on its shoulders, transforming them into two shield-like masses that blocked bullets effortlessly.

“Damn it! This one actually knows how to use a shield,” Jim growled. He stood up, discarded his long gun, and pulled out a thicker, more powerful one from his back.

Boom!

A fiery blast erupted, striking the mutant zombie with the shield.

Howl!

Perhaps from pain or rage, the shield-bearing mutant began to run. Its feet revealed their true form—enormous paws pounding the ground, shaking the earth with thunderous thuds.