Chapter Twelve: Snatching Zombies? What Kind of Strange Tactic Is This?

Before long, Ye Hai, leading the Tyrant and the Licker, rushed to the edge of the battlefield.

By now, severed limbs and mutilated bodies covered the ground. It was clear that both sides had already engaged in a fierce clash. Meanwhile, the number of zombies and mutant beasts had grown from less than a hundred at the start to now well over a thousand.

Besides the hard-headed sand sculpture, Ye Hai had also noticed three other sixth-stage mutants: two zombies and one mutated wild boar.

The two zombies had retained a roughly human form, though one’s right arm had transformed into a retractable, flexible organ. This mutated arm burrowed into the ground, emerging from beneath the First Defense Army’s soldiers to launch surprise attacks—so sudden and unpredictable that it was nearly impossible to guard against.

Ye Hai saw with his own eyes a soldier, caught off guard, get impaled through the abdomen from below by the zombie’s elongated arm. The arm then bloomed like a flower inside the victim, splitting into six petals and with a slight twist, slicing the person cleanly in two.

When the soldier died, a huge orifice appeared at the center of the arm’s “flower,” swallowing the fallen weapon in one gulp before retracting back into the earth. Upon withdrawing its arm, the zombie’s swollen limb slithered like a giant serpent, sliding the devoured gun into its own belly. The weapon would then be regurgitated from the zombie’s mouth, now corroded into a puddle of acid by powerful digestive fluids, with only the weapon’s energy core remaining to be absorbed.

The other sixth-stage zombie had mutated a massive, fanged maw at its abdomen. When it opened wide, a dozen barbed, horrific tongues lashed out, aiming for the First Defense Army. However, the attack was too blatant—intense firepower shredded the disgusting tongues, making this zombie far less effective than the first.

As for the mutant beasts, they were even more grotesque. The mutated wild boar had swelled to fifteen meters in length and over four meters in height. Two rows of dense bone plates grew from its head, forming a gigantic shield around its face, like a colossal fan. This bony shield rendered the portable lasers and railguns of the First Defense Army nearly useless.

Six enormous fangs, each over seven meters long and glowing with a faint purple metallic sheen, jutted from either side of the creature’s maw, capable of spearing through and tossing military trucks as though they were nothing. Still, the beast retained some of its old habits—its vast body was covered with a layer of sludge, over half a meter thick.

While the sludge offered little real protection against high-energy weapons, its long exposure to high-radiation zones meant that, when struck by a laser, it released a stench so foul that a single whiff could cause dizziness and nausea.

Even more terrifying, the sludge teemed with ten-centimeter-long parasitic worms. When the sludge splattered to the ground, these parasites would shoot out, burrowing directly into human skin. In mere seconds, the victim’s entire body would fester and rot away in a gruesome death.

Compared to these three grotesque creatures, the Ironwing Eagle—with its iron-hard feathers that could be fired at bullet speed and regrown endlessly—seemed almost mundane.

All these abilities were products of the zombie virus’s evolutionary path.

The higher the grade of the mutant, the more bizarre its abilities became. The sixth stage marked a watershed for mutants on the Zombie Star; only after six evolutions would such miraculous changes occur.

With the arrival of four sixth-stage mutants, the situation became extremely perilous for the First Defense Army. Despite their formidable firepower, they could barely hold their ground. Javier’s force numbered just over a hundred, half of whom were now tied down by these four powerful mutants. That left only fifty to fend off over a thousand mid- and low-tier mutants, and they were clearly overwhelmed. Every so often, a stage-three or stage-four mutant would slip through their defenses, causing more casualties.

Beside Javier, the young soldier finally realized just how naive he had been. The warriors killed mutants rapidly, but the mutants came faster still. The entire position was now completely surrounded. Under the unceasing onslaught, the number of wounded and dead continued to climb. At this rate, their lines would soon be overrun.

This rookie, whose name was Canter, was Javier’s beloved concubine’s younger brother. Thanks to his sister’s favor, he’d been assigned to the First Defense Army’s Second Corps as Javier’s messenger—a rank that made him untouchable across the entire Giant Tree Star, provided he didn’t cross the imperial family of Emperor Monchi or a handful of the First Corps’ monsters.

This mission to Zombie Star was meant to be an easy way for Canter to earn some military merit and silence his detractors. He had expected a pleasant adventure, but had instead stumbled into a deadly crisis.

Unable to contain himself, Canter anxiously eyed the battlefield before turning to address Javier, “Brother-in-law—uh, I mean, Commander Javier... We’ve received word from the Scarlet Queen flagship. The precision orbital strike is ready and can be launched at any moment. Should we order them to take out those four sixth-stage mutants? Their presence is a grave threat to our lines. If this continues...”

Javier’s icy gaze silenced Canter. According to the laws of Giant Tree Star, voicing defeat in battle was punishable by death. Fortunately, Canter had not finished his sentence.

Javier replied coldly, “This is only the beginning. No matter what, we must hold out until A-Zhe and the First Combat Team arrive to support us.”

“They’re bringing heavy firepower, enough to sweep away a thousand mutants with ease. Even those four sixth-stage mutants will be vulnerable to such might. Only when reinforcements arrive can we use the heavy weapons to break out. And with the high-energy radiation lures dropped by the Scarlet Queen, we’ll finally be able to shake off these mutants.”

“We absolutely cannot use the orbital weapon now—the charging time is far too long. If we use it now, we lose our trump card. If, during our breakout, our heavy firepower attracts a seventh-stage or even higher mutant, we’ll have nothing left to counter them. At that point, both our hundred-strong team and the First Combat Team will be slaughtered to the last.”

Javier knew full well that, if the battle continued on its present course, their defeat was only a matter of time. But, hardened by countless wars, he understood that only by holding out for reinforcements did his unit have the faintest hope of survival. If they yielded to pressure now and wasted the orbital strike, it would only delay the inevitable, and doom would be certain.

Just then, Canter shouted, “Brother-in-law, look over there!”

Following Canter’s pointing finger, Javier stared in astonishment: The tall, deathly pale, bald zombie—over three meters in height—had seized the long-armed zombie by the throat. With a surge of terrifying strength, it slammed the long-armed zombie into the ground, blasting out a crater three meters wide.

The sixth-stage long-armed zombie let out a furious, terrified wail, caught off guard by its own kind’s sudden attack. As it tried to retaliate, four crimson tongues swept in from all sides, instantly binding it tight.

For the moment, the sixth-stage mutant zombie found itself unable to break free. Seizing the chance, the bald zombie wrenched off its long arm and slung it over its own shoulder. Clinging to its back were four “skinning frogs,” used as living ropes. With remarkable dexterity, the group dragged the long-armed zombie away.

Their movements were smooth and seamless, as fluid as mercury pouring from a flask—so practiced that it was reminiscent of a master dog-thief on Earth. The skill was astonishing.

Javier’s mind went blank.

“What...?”

“This bald zombie... What in the world?”

“A coordinated heist?”