^Hank POV^
"Zola, tell us exactly what happened."
Hank scratched his hair and adjusted his glasses before taking a deep breath, questioning Zola on how he had managed to lead such a massive horde straight back to their position.
"I was out scouting as usual when I suddenly saw a horde of zombies running straight toward me," Zola explained, pausing briefly as he recalled the escape. "I don't even know how they noticed me or managed to spot me from that far away."
When he finished speaking, a heavy, suffocating silence engulfed the room.
"Crying over spilled milk won't solve anything," Annie broke the oppressive silence, stepping forward and pointing toward the gloomy atmosphere spreading among the survivors downstairs. "What matters now is figuring out how to survive this. And someone also needs to explain to everyone what they should do if they want to survive... Give them hope."
"It's already nightfall," Hank said, stepping up onto the landing of the library staircase. He delivered an improvised speech that instantly restored hope to everyone's heavy hearts. "All we have to do tonight is stay quiet and remain alert at all times. When morning comes, Michael and the others will return. And if we all work together... we'll fight our way out of this."
... ...
"How exactly? How many people do we have who can actually fight?"
Once Hank finished speaking to the crowd, he went to sit down in Michael's office. As he sat massaging his forehead, Annie approached him to ask the hard questions.
"It's not terrible... but it's not good either," Hank replied, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he summarized the group's desperate military strength. "We have eleven people capable of fighting. Or rather, ten. Darla is more of a support than a frontline fighter. The highest level among us is Zola at Level 6."
"You can say twelve," Angela suddenly interjected, stepping forward as she finally decided to reveal her true strength. "I'm Level 5 as well, and I can fight alongside all of you."
"Now... all we can do is wait and see what tomorrow brings," Annie muttered quietly. Hank simply nodded.
That night, everyone tried to sleep while the endless roars of zombies echoed just outside the library walls.
... ...
The next morning...
"Hey, Hank... come take a look. Mike and the others are back." Theodore, who happened to be standing watch at the time, quietly whispered urgently into Hank's ear.
"Stay alert," Hank commanded, nodding firmly as a defensive strategy gradually formed inside his mind. "Be ready to fight at any second. Tell everyone to prepare their weapons, and call Chris for me."
"Hank, you wanted me?" Chris approached shortly after. Hank quickly asked him several precise questions regarding his [Rock Wall] skill before explaining his plan.
"This could actually work," Chris admitted, thoroughly impressed by the tactical choke-point defense. "But there's one problem. The Giant Zombies will smash my wall apart without much difficulty."
"Zola! Hank! Get out here and help us! We're going to split the horde apart and wipe them out!"
Before Hank could think of a solution to Chris's concern, Michael's roaring voice interrupted him from across the campus.
The library doors immediately swung open. Zola led the vanguard, rushing outside with the others. They were instantly greeted by the excited, bloodthirsty roars of the zombies charging toward fresh flesh while the overwhelming stench of rotting corpses filled the air.
Hank immediately fired Wind Blades at the nearest advancing monsters. Meanwhile, Chris activated his skill, creating a stone wall no more than half a meter high stretching horizontally across the library's outer staircase, forming a solid barrier between them and the zombie horde.
"Everyone! Spread out behind the wall!" Hank took complete command, issuing rapid orders. "Kill the zombies with your weapons! Don't waste your skills unless absolutely necessary! Chris! If you notice any cracks, repair the wall immediately! If the wall collapses... retreat into the library at once!"
Hank and Theodore stood firmly behind the front line, supporting everyone with their ranged skills to keep the horde at bay.
"Stephen, draw more zombies over here," Jin commanded quietly, analyzing the battlefield. "We'll reduce their numbers as much as possible before their commander makes his move."
From afar, Jin observed the Zombie Colonel directing its subordinates from atop a Giant Zombie's shoulders while the endless horde assaulted the library.
"This won't hold. The wall is going to collapse sooner or later," Hank frowned deeply. Although everyone was fighting nearly flawlessly, he knew the only reason they were holding was because of Chris's wall, and cracks had already begun spreading across it. "H-hey, Annie! Tell everyone to bring every table and piece of furniture from inside the library out here. We're building additional barricades."
"Hank... damn it... there are too many... I'm already exhausted." After nearly thirty minutes of nonstop fighting that seemed endless, morale gradually began to crumble. For half an hour, the only sounds anyone heard were ripping flesh and the deafening roars of zombies.
ROOOOOAAARRR!!
An earth-shaking roar suddenly echoed across the battlefield, paralyzing everyone with dread. Everyone instinctively turned toward its source and saw that the Giant Zombie had finally moved. It charged directly toward the wall, crushing every regular zombie unfortunate enough to stand in its path. With every thunderous step, the ground trembled beneath their feet.
"Fall back!!"
Hank's expression changed instantly. The moment he saw the Giant charging toward them, he ordered everyone to retreat into the library. Unfortunately, the Giant was much faster than anyone expected. It reached Chris's stone wall and smashed straight through it as though it were nothing more than paper.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn you!!" Zola's eyes turned bloodshot as he watched the enraged Giant trample through the remaining zombies before charging directly toward the people he had fought beside—the people he had come to consider his friends.
"Zola! Fall back! We can't beat it!" Hank grabbed Zola's shoulder and forcibly dragged him back into the library just as the Giant's massive fist slammed into one of the survivors, crushing his entire body into a bloody pulp.
"Close the door! Now!" Hank was the last one inside before Peter hurriedly lowered the steel shutter. Not a single survivor remained outside.
... .
^Jin's POV^
"This is my chance."
While everyone else focused on the Giant's rampage at the entrance, Jin, who had been observing the battlefield from the very beginning, noticed a critical shift. The Zombie Colonel had finally climbed down from the Giant's shoulders and stood hidden among the regular horde.
"Stephen, hold on. The pressure on you is about to increase." Leaving those words behind, Jin sprinted directly toward the Colonel while its towering bodyguard was occupied elsewhere.
"That crazy son of a bitch! How does he expect me to handle all this alone?!" Stephen cursed thoroughly as zombies attacked him from every direction. Fortunately, he specialized in agility; using both his speed and the terrain to his advantage, he barely managed to keep the situation under control.
ROOOOOAAARRR!!
The Zombie Colonel let out a piercing roar the instant it spotted Jin standing directly before it. It sounded almost like a desperate cry for help. Immediately, the Giant abandoned its assault on the library doors and charged back toward its commander.
"Tsk... I suppose I should finish this quickly." Jin flicked his wrist, hurling one of his throwing daggers toward the Zombie Colonel. The blade struck true, driving directly into its left eye socket.
Plaintext
[You have killed Zombie Colonel — Tier 1 (Lv.15). +150 XP] [Congratulations! You have reached Lv.9. You have 3 Free Stat Points.]
"...That was far too easy." Confusion was clearly written across Jin's face. He had fully expected a fierce, strategic battle against the horde's commander. "Tsk... Forget it."
He shook his head and surveyed the battlefield. Only about fifty zombies remained, along with the rampaging Giant.
... .
^Michael Santos POV^
"Jin! We'll handle the Giant! You go help the others clear out the remaining horde! We need to leave this place immediately—the smell of blood will attract even greater dangers!"
Michael's team had finally arrived at the steps. Jasmine had already gone to support Stephen on the flank. Meanwhile, Shawn retrieved the heavy shield Michael had stored inside his storage bracelet before activating both [Strength Enhancement] and [Mana Reinforcement] on his body and gear.
"Shawn, be careful. This isn't like any Giant Zombie we've fought before," Michael warned his friend grimly, his expression turning serious as he read the system description.
Plaintext
[Elite Giant Zombie — Tier 1] An elite specimen among Giant Zombies. It survived a difficult Trial and successfully evolved into Tier 1. Its primary growth attribute is Strength, with a secondary focus on Speed. [Level: ?????] [Skills: ?????]
"Don't worry, I never underestimate any opponent," Shawn nodded before charging toward the Giant, which had remained perfectly still ever since its commander died.
BOOM!!
Shawn slammed his reinforced shield directly into the Giant's chest. The impact created a deafening, explosive boom that threw both of them backward, demonstrating the terrifying raw strength of the monster.
Michael immediately seized the opportunity, launching several [Fireballs] toward the fallen Giant. Unfortunately, they did little more than leave behind a few superficial burns on its hardened skin.
"I think you could use a little help over here." Zola appeared suddenly from behind the Giant and thrust his spear deep into its leg. The Giant swung its enormous fist toward him in a wild arc, but Zola easily dodged the attack.
"Just die already!" Seeing the Giant stumble, Shawn threw aside his shield, drew his heavy axe, and coated the blade in raw mana. Leaping high into the air, he brought it down with one devastating swing, finally splitting the Elite Giant's skull apart.
Plaintext
[You have killed Elite Giant Zombie — Tier 1 (Lv.12). +240 XP] [Congratulations! You have reached Lv.8. You have 3 Free Stat Points.]
"Is it finally over?" Jasmine asked slowly, looking around the battlefield as she rejoined the main group.
Zombie corpses covered the ground in every direction, blood had pooled into literal lakes, and crimson streams flowed like rivers. The area before the library resembled hell itself.
"We're not finished yet," Michael said, shaking his head before instructing Hank to prepare everyone to evacuate as quickly as possible. "Gather every piece of loot first, then we're leaving immediately. The smell of blood will attract even more monsters."
"Do you need any help?" Liam's booming voice surprised Michael, who was currently using fire spells to burn the bodies of the fallen survivors from his own group.
Meanwhile, Jasmine, Stephen, and Shawn had already returned to the first forest battlefield to collect the loot dropped during the earlier ambush.
"No, we're done here," Michael replied. "Go gather the loot from your battlefield, then move ahead of us. We'll meet at the Mechanical Engineering Building."
Liam and Selena nodded in understanding. Yoo-Min, however, completely ignored Michael and sprinted straight past him into the library.
... .
^Yoo-Min POV^
"Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
Yoo-Min wrapped his sister in a tight embrace, pulling her against his chest as he desperately checked her for injuries. Annie hugged him back just as tightly, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm alright. Thank you, Brother," Annie said, quickly wiping away her tears. She gave her brother a radiant, glowing smile before stepping out of his embrace to help the remaining survivors pack their belongings. "Let's go. We have to hurry."
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