Chapter 138: Total Collapse

Chapter 138: Total Collapse

Faced with the desperate shouts of Luo Bing and his other fallen comrades, Song Ze felt a momentary surge of familiarity. Fragments of surviving memories in his mind conjured images from his past life, but then, another set of cruel, forcibly implanted memories began to devour his sanity. He clutched his head in agony, emitting a low, painful growl.

Splat...

As Song Ze emerged, the long, egg-like pods around him began to rupture one by one. Out crawled his former comrades, now transformed into monstrous vampires. Unlike Song Ze, however, these soldiers retained no memories of their past lives. Driven purely by vampiric instinct, they slowly raised their heads, bared their sharp fangs, and rushed forward with a hungry, feral roar.

Panicked by the unfolding horror, one of the soldiers cracked under the pressure and raised his rifle, unleashing a furious stutter of gunfire.

Amidst the muzzle flashes, figures fell on both sides. The moment these vampires broke free from their pods and tackled a human soldier, they would instantly sink their fangs into the victim’s throat, ravenously sucking the blood. It seemed an innate, insatiable craving for human blood was etched into their very core.

Soon, the number of vampires multiplied, and the heap of fallen comrades grew ever larger.

"Big Sis, get out of here! I'll cover you!" Sam roared, raising his shield and hacking wildly at the oncoming vampires. His heavy axe cleaved through heads and severed torsos alike, yet the vampires fought with reckless disregard for death, throwing themselves forward in endless waves.

Liu Chuxing grabbed Luo Bing’s hand. Stunned into near-catatonia by Song Ze’s horrifying metamorphosis, Luo Bing was reduced to a mechanical state, letting Liu Chuxing drag her downward step by step. Alfred stayed close, protecting the retreating pair. Glancing back at Sam, who was still furiously swinging his axe, Alfred could not help but say, "Sam, you are a true knight. Farewell, brother!"

Sam cast a brief glance back at Alfred and saw the handsome, fastidious man place his longsword flat against his chest. He understood the gesture—it was the highest tribute of chivalry.

"You must get Big Sis out of here, no matter the cost," Sam shouted before turning back to the fray.

Alfred nodded solemnly. He would honor his chivalric code with his life.

"Roar..." Song Ze’s last vestige of humanity and reason was finally swallowed by the memories forced upon him by the vampire bloodline. He was now entirely a creature of the night.

Slowly rising to his feet, the muscles across his body rippled violently as jagged white bones burst through his skin, forming a grotesque suit of armor. He took a heavy step forward.

Spotting the transformed commander, Sam knew victory was impossible; only a desperate, bloody defense remained.

"Big Sis, I've harbored a secret crush on you all this time. See you in the next life." Sam discarded his shield, channeling every ounce of his genetic power into his battleaxe until the weapon blazed with a dazzling, brilliant light.

He swept the blade in a wide arc, slicing dozens of vampires clean in half, then leaped high into the air, bringing the axe down toward Song Ze's bone-armored form.

"None shall pass!" Sam poured his remaining strength into the blow, unleashing a roar that echoed like thunder and lightning.

Clang!

Amidst a violent shower of sparks, Sam’s eyes widened as he saw the towering Song Ze effortlessly block his full-powered strike with a single raised wrist.

"The era of genetic warriors has come to an end..." Sam closed his eyes in bitter regret. A heavy thud sounded from his chest, followed by an explosive burst of crimson. A gaping hole materialized right through his breastplate. Song Ze’s fist had pierced his heart, and the vampire commander casually tossed Sam's lifeless body to the salivating horde behind him.

The once-tranquil Military Headquarters building was now utterly overrun. Hordes of vampires poured in from every direction, reducing the hundred-man vanguard to just three survivors: Liu Chuxing, Luo Bing, and Alfred.

Fighting tooth and nail, the trio retreated all the way to the ground floor, but the sheer volume of vampires made a safe escape impossible.

"Liu Chuxing, Sam has fulfilled his duty. Now it is my turn to display the path of the knight. Protect Big Sis at all costs." With that, Alfred drew three extra blades from his gear, strapping two crosswise across his waist while gripping the remaining two in his hands.

Luo Bing snapped back to reality. Seeing the resolute expression on Alfred’s face, she understood his intentions and screamed, "Idolizing fool! What kind of hero act are you trying to pull? We go together, we die together! I refuse to run alone!"

Alfred shook his head with a faint smile. "Big Sis, the three of us followed you for so long. Truth be told, we all secretly loved you and competed in the shadows, though Banson that powerhouse beat us to the punch. I know none of us ever truly caught your eye, but I must say this: stick with Banson, and you will survive. You can escape this place, and one day you can return to reclaim the Eternal Night City. So you must—"

"No, damn you, I won't let you die!" Luo Bing cried out, struggling against her paralysis.

Alfred bellowed, "This is a man’s final dignity, and the last thing I will ever do for you. Do not refuse, or I will not rest in peace in the afterlife—go!"

"Forgive me, Big Sis." Liu Chuxing struck the back of Luo Bing's neck with a sharp chop, rendering her unconscious. Before she passed out completely, she weakly raised a hand to point at him in protest.

Liu Chuxing hoisted her over his shoulder, glanced at Alfred, and offered a bright, unrestrained smile. "See you in heaven!"

"See you in heaven, good brother!" Alfred nodded with a smile, and the two men exchanged their final farewell.

Alfred unclipped every explosive device on his person and hurled them into the surging crowd, obliterating over a hundred vampires in a blinding chain of detonations. He locked eyes with the towering figure of Song Ze, who was advancing with hundreds of bloodthirsty minions in tow.

"General Song, you were a man I deeply admired in life. Even in death, you should remain a warrior. I will not allow these beasts to trample a soldier's honor." The genetic energy within Alfred began to surge violently as he ignited his very life force. He burst forward like a streak of golden lightning, plunging straight into the heart of the horde and cutting down everything in his path.

Yet, mere minutes later, the commotion faded into silence. Song Ze stepped over Alfred’s mutilated remains, leading the remaining vampires in pursuit of Liu Chuxing.

Liu Chuxing finally carried Luo Bing near the breached entrance of the headquarters building—the very spot they had used to infiltrate the facility. Once outside, they would reach the support lines, and Luo Bing would be saved.

Swish!

A crimson, whip-like tongue shot out from the darkness behind, wrapping tightly around Liu Chuxing’s waist and halting him instantly.

"Roar!" Liu Chuxing triggered his transformation ability, his body rapidly expanding in size, yet he still could not snap the fleshy tether binding him.

Song Ze's towering form loomed directly behind him. Several vampires lunged at Liu Chuxing, clawing and biting furiously, but the hardened hide of his transformed state proved too tough for their teeth to pierce.

"Get lost!" Liu Chuxing stomped hard against the ground, the shockwave sending the clinging vampires flying. They slammed violently into the surrounding ruined walls, bursting into messy pools of flesh and bone.

Song Ze continued his relentless advance. Liu Chuxing struggled with all his might, but to no avail. He finally accepted the cruel reality: he would not be walking out of here.

"Big Sis, I can only carry you this far. I fell in love with you the very first moment I saw you, though I never had the courage to confess." Liu Chuxing used his free arm to steady Luo Bing across his shoulder, gently pressing her unconscious form against his cheek for a brief, lingering kiss before he braced himself and hurled her forward with all his might.

"Big Sis, you must live!" Having cast Luo Bing away from danger, Liu Chuxing wheeled around to face Song Ze in a final, desperate confrontation. Within moments, the sounds of struggle ceased entirely.

An explosion of energy detonated high in the air. Banson materialized with a pale face, taking in the horrific sight of the total collapse of their defensive lines and catching a glimpse of the unconscious Luo Bing drifting through the sky in the distance.

"Is destiny truly unchangeable?" Banson flashed instantly to Luo Bing’s side, catching her securely in his arms.

High above, the vampire general Alonis was battered and weakened, but the elite high-ranking vampires who had flanked him had all been slain by Banson's hand.

Thud!

As the colossal, bone-armored figure of Song Ze approached, leading hundreds of newly spawned vampires, Alonis laughed maniacally. "Banson! You cannot escape. The Eternal Night City belongs to the vampire race now!"

"Is that so?" Banson drew his composite bow, loosing a devastating barrage of incendiary and frost-tipped arrows into the approaching horde. Low and mid-tier vampires were swept away in swathes, finally granting the shattered, retreating human lines a moment to breathe. Only three or four thousand wounded soldiers remained.

"Order an orderly retreat! Take Luo Bing and get out of here. I'll hold the rear!" Banson channeled his psychic energy to gently lower Luo Bing into the arms of the surviving troops below.

Many of the soldiers cried out, begging to stay and live or die by his side, but Banson refused outright, barking orders for them to fall back along their original infiltration route. He knew he had a far better chance of slipping away alone.

Out of more than fifteen thousand elite rescue troops, merely three to four thousand limped back to safety. With the sole exception of Luo Bing, every single genetic warrior had perished. Banson Wood had stayed behind to cover the retreat, his fate entirely unknown—such was the grim report filed by the surviving soldiers who managed to escape the Eternal Night Sector.

Outside, having finally broken through the layers of the vampires' encircling lines, the main federal army had finally arrived at the outer perimeter of the city.