The creature stepped fully into the open.
For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to slow.
It was taller than the others by a full head. Its body was thicker, more defined, with hardened flesh layered unevenly across its arms and chest. Dark veins pulsed faintly beneath its skin, and its posture was no longer hunched.
It stood upright.
Balanced.
Its eyes swept across the crowd.
Not blindly.
It was looking.
Thinking.
A low sound escaped its throat, deeper than any zombie before it.
The effect was immediate.
The surrounding zombies shifted.
Not randomly.
They moved with direction.
The pressure on the defensive line increased instantly.
Lin Ye's expression hardened slightly.
"Control type…"
This was worse than brute strength.
Much worse.
"Fall back two steps," he said calmly.
Su Qing moved immediately.
Chen Ming followed, this time without hesitation.
The people around them were slower to react.
Some stayed in place.
Some pushed forward.
That was the problem.
No coordination.
The creature raised its arm.
Then brought it down sharply.
As if giving an order.
The zombies surged.
From multiple directions.
The left flank, which had just stabilized, began to collapse again.
A student screamed as two zombies tackled him from the side.
Another lost footing and was dragged down.
The line broke.
"Move," Lin Ye said.
He stepped forward instead of retreating.
Not into the center.
But diagonally.
Toward the edge.
Creating space.
Creating control.
Su Qing followed tightly.
Chen Ming and the others moved after them, trying to keep formation.
A zombie rushed toward Lin Ye.
He struck cleanly.
[You have killed a Level 1 Zombie][EXP +2]
Another followed immediately.
[EXP +2]
But more kept coming.
Too many.
Lin Ye did not stay in one place.
He kept moving.
Step.
Strike.
Reposition.
He avoided being surrounded.
That was the key.
Always movement.
Never letting them close from all sides.
Behind him, Su Qing tried to mimic his movement.
She stayed just outside the main engagement range, stepping in only when a zombie broke through.
One came at her from the side.
She reacted faster this time.
She struck.
Not perfectly.
But enough to stagger it.
Lin Ye finished it.
[EXP +5]
Chen Ming fought harder now, but his movements were rough.
He overcommitted.
Nearly got grabbed twice.
"Don't swing wide," Lin Ye said.
"Short movements. Stay controlled."
Chen Ming adjusted.
Barely.
But enough to survive.
The battlefield grew louder.
More screams.
More chaos.
Then—
A heavy impact sounded from the center.
The control-type creature moved.
Fast.
Faster than its size suggested.
It crossed the distance in seconds and struck directly into the main group.
One person was sent flying.
Another was crushed before they could react.
The defensive line shattered.
Panic spread instantly.
"They're breaking!" someone shouted.
People started running.
That made it worse.
Zombies followed movement.
The formation dissolved completely.
Su Qing's face paled.
"They're going to collapse…"
"They already have," Lin Ye replied.
His eyes stayed on the creature.
That was the real threat.
Not the crowd.
Not the chaos.
That thing.
If it stayed active, the entire area would become a slaughter zone.
Lin Ye made a decision.
"We cut it down."
Chen Ming turned to him in shock.
"That thing?"
"Yes."
"That's suicide!"
"No," Lin Ye said. "Staying here is."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Only certainty.
Su Qing looked at him.
Then at the creature.
Fear filled her eyes.
But she nodded.
"I'll follow."
Chen Ming hesitated.
Then cursed under his breath.
"…fine."
Liu Fang and Zhao Kai exchanged a glance.
Then followed.
There was no better option.
Lin Ye moved.
Not straight toward the creature.
He circled.
Using the chaos.
Using movement.
Zombies filled the space between them.
He cut through them efficiently.
[EXP +2][EXP +5][EXP +2]
Each kill cleared a path.
Not wide.
But enough.
Step by step, they moved closer.
The creature noticed.
Its head turned.
Its gaze locked onto Lin Ye.
Then it moved.
Directly toward him.
"Spread," Lin Ye said.
The group separated slightly.
Not far.
Just enough.
The creature lunged.
Lin Ye stepped aside.
The ground cracked under the impact.
Strong.
Very strong.
He countered immediately.
The axe struck its arm.
The impact landed.
But the creature barely reacted.
Its other arm swung.
Lin Ye blocked.
The force pushed him back.
More than before.
His grip tightened.
"Stronger than the trial one."
Behind him, Chen Ming tried to flank.
The creature reacted instantly.
It turned and struck.
Chen Ming barely dodged, stumbling backward.
"Too fast!" he shouted.
"Don't approach directly," Lin Ye said.
"Draw its attention. That's enough."
Su Qing stayed further back, watching for openings.
Her breathing was steady now.
Still tense.
But controlled.
The creature attacked again.
Lin Ye moved again.
Each exchange was tight.
Measured.
He was not trying to overpower it.
He was testing it.
Its speed.
Its rhythm.
Its reactions.
Then he saw it.
A delay.
Small.
After heavy attacks.
"Same weakness."
He adjusted his stance.
The creature lunged again.
Lin Ye did not retreat fully.
He stepped in.
Closer.
The strike passed just behind him.
He turned.
Activated his skill.
The axe came down faster.
Struck the same point.
The shoulder joint.
The blade cut deeper this time.
The creature reacted.
A sharp movement.
More aggressive.
It swung again.
Lin Ye stepped back.
Reset.
No overcommitment.
"Again," he thought.
The next exchange came quickly.
This time, Chen Ming moved at the same moment.
The creature split its attention.
That was enough.
Lin Ye stepped in again.
Another Accelerated Strike.
Same point.
The wound deepened.
The creature staggered.
For the first time.
"Now," Lin Ye said.
He did not shout.
But the timing was clear.
Chen Ming stepped in.
Struck.
Not clean.
But it added pressure.
Liu Fang followed with a quick hit from the side.
The creature turned again.
But too late.
Lin Ye moved.
Final strike.
The axe drove into the weakened point.
A crack formed.
Then spread.
The creature collapsed.
The moment it hit the ground, the surrounding zombies faltered.
Their movement lost coordination.
The pressure dropped instantly.
A system notification appeared.
[You have killed Command-Type Zombie][EXP +80]
Lin Ye stood still for a moment.
Then opened his status.
[EXP: 189 / 200]
Close.
Very close.
But he closed it.
Not important right now.
The battlefield was still unstable.
But the worst was over.
The surviving people began to regroup.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Breathing heavily.
Some stared at Lin Ye.
Others at the corpse.
The shift in atmosphere was clear.
Before, everyone had been reacting.
Now, they were looking.
At him.
Chen Ming let out a breath.
"…we actually did it."
Su Qing stood quietly behind Lin Ye.
Her grip loosened slightly.
But her eyes were different now.
Not just fear.
Not just survival.
Understanding.
Lin Ye looked around once.
Then said,
"This isn't over."
Because it wasn't.
Not even close.
But one thing had changed.
For the first time since the world collapsed…
Someone had taken control of the battlefield.
And everyone there knew exactly who it was.