Amid the sound of gunfire and the roars of the walkers, this sudden attack caused many people to start a shootout inside the mall and, at the same time, disrupted any escape plans the enemy might have had.
There were at least three hundred walkers per container. Although they weren't the running type, these walkers were classified as intelligent—they could climb or perform other unexpected movements.
Because of this, most of the people inside the mall were busy eliminating walkers, which made it easier for Jason's team to neutralize the few enemies that were still putting up resistance.
Within a dozen seconds of the walkers reaching the first floor, the entire mall was filled with screams, gunshots, growls from the undead, and many of those who had been hiding fled in a panic, looking around with horror or worry.
Dogs—once pets of some of these people—began barking uncontrollably, as if announcing that the walkers were about to devour them all.
In a certain corridor of the mall, the iron doors on both sides were being banged on, but a metal bar was blocking the exit for many people.
Those trapped inside pounded the door and screamed at the top of their lungs, hoping someone would help them open it.
Jason and his team looked at the crowd in front of them—everyone was running like frightened birds.
Without hesitation, he immediately raised a clenched fist to signal his team to stop advancing, then quickly found a place to stash their long weapons and moved closer to listen to what the trapped people were saying.
After hiding his rifle, he approached the chaotic crowd alone while his team remained under cover.
But the confusion didn't last long. Soon, two people—a man and a woman—emerged from the crowd and tried to stop everyone.
When Jason saw their faces, they looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't recall from where.
He then saw the man rally the others and head deeper into the corridor, and from the whispers in the crowd, they were heading toward the weapons stockroom.
The woman led the other women onto the grass area, intending to gather the group before speaking.
When Jason heard they were heading to the armory, his eyes lit up. He glanced at the people around him and kept his body pressed against the wall.
Now, everyone's hearts were filled with tension and unease, and no one noticed the unfamiliar face—Jason—among them.
As the leader guided them toward the entrance of the weapons room, a figure suddenly ran out, panicked.
"It's bad! The armory door is blocked by someone and there's still fighting going on inside! We can't open it at all!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, the leader's face changed instantly and he shouted, "Then what are you waiting for?! Break the damn door down!"
"We tried to."
After being yelled at, the man grew even more nervous and stammered, "But... but it's an iron door. It's not that easy to break open!"
Hearing this, the faces of the people following the leader turned grim. Without weapons, they had no way to defend themselves—no chance to resist the enemy.
Looking toward the armory's iron door and hearing the increasing noise in the area, the tension quickly turned into panic.
Jason, who was at the end of the line, frowned when he heard the sound of fighting coming from inside the armory. He scanned the people ahead and confirmed that none of them were armed. Tired of waiting, he pulled the pistol from his waist and fired at the nearest man.
Bang!
The bullet pierced the man's head, and blood mixed with white matter splattered from the wound.
The man didn't even scream. He touched his forehead in shock and then collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Suddenly, hearing a gunshot behind them, everyone in front instinctively recoiled.
The person closest to Jason turned and looked at his fallen companion, then at the unfamiliar man holding up a gun, his pupils contracting as he pressed against the wall and screamed loudly:
"Ahhh!!!"
The piercing scream sent chills down everyone in the corridor.
Jason, the closest, was also taken aback by the blood-curdling cry. Hearing the relentless scream, it felt like it was ripping through his ears.
"Run!!"
The death of another companion left everyone in the corridor terrified. No one knew who shouted first, but someone bolted forward in panic, covering their head.
The rest of the crowd seemed to snap out of a daze and also ran forward, not wanting to be the next victim of the man who had just fired his weapon.
Seeing the crowd surge like a tidal wave, Jason fired a few more shots. After killing two more and deepening their fear, he stopped firing.
Now that he had exposed himself, his group moved forward through the main entrance, with the squad accompanying him advancing to join him.
Aside from the ones guarding the door and patrolling the area, he saw no other armed people—all the weapons were stored in the warehouse. Those few people were not enough to withstand his team's assault for long.
It was unlikely that the panicked crowd would be able to escape the mall—most were just people terrified of dying.
"Ahhh!!!"
However, while many in the crowd were afraid and unwilling to fight, there were still those unafraid of death who intended to go down swinging. Jason saw the leader from before and three other large men, each pulling out iron bars or long knives and charging at him with a roar.
Looking at the four attackers coming at him, Jason glanced at the pistol in his hand—only two bullets left. He didn't hesitate, fired, and killed the two in front. Though he had a spare magazine at his waist, he didn't think it necessary to waste bullets on the remaining two unarmed men.
The blood from the fallen attackers splashed onto the others' faces, seemingly igniting their rage. The man who appeared to be the leader and the other fighter had blood-red eyes from the gore, and they swung their weapons viciously as they charged at Jason.
Jason watched the approaching blades, stepped back to dodge the first strike, then raised his leg and kicked the leader, forcing him to stagger back.
He immediately reached out with his right hand, grabbed the wrist of the man wielding the iron bar, and yanked him to the side. As the man lost his balance and stumbled forward, Jason slipped behind him.
Taking advantage of the momentum, he kicked the leader again, then turned and raised his arms, locking the man's head between them and applying pressure.
Even though he was holding an iron bar, the attacker lost his balance from the hold. A hard strike to the back of his neck caused his ears to ring, his dazed eyes darted around, and the world spun. Blood poured uncontrollably from his nose.
Before he could realize what was happening, Jason tightened the hold even more. Within seconds, his vision faded to black. His resistance vanished, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
"Go to hell!"
The leader grew nervous as his companion fell. He realized the gap in strength between them. The man in front of him had a gun—no matter how fast he ran, a knife would never beat a bullet.
Even though he knew he had no chance of winning, there was no way out. So, with a roar, he raised his long knife and charged his enemy.
Jason glanced at him calmly and sidestepped the attack again. He opened his right palm, pushed forward, and struck the man's throat hard.
"Argh!"
Feeling the hit to his throat, the man clutched at his neck, his face flushing as if he couldn't breathe. Groans escaped his lips as he dropped to his knees. As the seconds passed, his red face turned a deep purple, and it seemed he would die from suffocation at any moment.
Ignoring the other men being subdued by his team nearby, Jason looked at the bodies around him, stepped past the fallen leader, and signaled his people to prepare to check the situation inside the armory.
Rushing quickly down the hallway toward the corner, he could clearly hear the sound of fighting behind the iron door at the far end.
"It's safe! You can open the door!"
Jason didn't hesitate any longer. He shouted loudly, letting the people inside know that everything outside was under control.
Right after he said that, an angry shout came from inside, and the iron door swung open—and then, a blood-covered figure emerged from the armory.