53: Search and rescue in Beishan: a double attack

Chapter 55: Ambushed During North Mountain Search and Rescue, Double Pincer Attack by Mutant and Traitors

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On the open ground in front of the granary, five hundred and seventy-three survivors from Qingyang County had packed their meager belongings, their eyes filled with longing for Dawn City.

Lin Zhou divided the team into two parts: one led by Lin Yan to escort the survivors back to Dawn City first; the other, consisting of Wang Hu, Chen Hao, and fifty Bone Armor Power Armor soldiers, followed Chen Yang onto the search and rescue path toward North Mountain.

The mountain roads of North Mountain were rugged and difficult to traverse, with steep cliffs on both sides. Dense forests blotted out the sky, and sunlight could only filter through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled spots of light. Chen Hao's perception ability was fully active, but his brow furrowed deeper and deeper: "Commander, something's wrong. The movement in the mountains is strange. There are no zombie roars, nor are there many human heartbeats. There's only... a very heavy breathing sound, like some kind of large creature."

Chen Yang was also somewhat uneasy. He rubbed his hands, which were turning purple from the cold: "When I used to come into the mountains to hunt, I could always hear the calls of birds and beasts. Why is it so quiet today?"

Lin Zhou gripped the energy submachine pistol at his waist and said in a low voice, "Everyone on high alert, slow down, and proceed with caution!"

Just as the team rounded a mountain bend, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps came from ahead. A man in tattered clothes rushed out of the woods. Seeing Lin Zhou and the others, a look of wild joy appeared on his face: "Help! Help! There's a monster in the mountains! So many people have been eaten by it!"

Chen Yang recognized him at a glance: "Second Pillar? Weren't you hiding in the North Mountain Karst Cave with Li Laoshuan? Where are the others?"

Second Pillar's face instantly turned deathly pale. He collapsed onto the ground, wailing loudly: "Dead! They're all dead! Li Laoshuan wanted to hog the food in the cave and got into a conflict with everyone. The commotion was too loud and attracted a monster covered in fur! That monster could crush a person's head with one swipe. Li Laoshuan and the others... were all torn to pieces by it!"

Lin Zhou's heart sank. A monster covered in fur? Could it be a new Mutant?

"Where is the Karst Cave? Take us there!" Lin Zhou said sternly.

Second Pillar nodded hurriedly, struggled to his feet, and stumbled forward to lead the way. After walking for about half an hour, a dark Karst Cave entrance indeed appeared ahead. Scattered around the entrance were several pieces of torn clothing and dark red bloodstains, and a thick smell of blood permeated the air.

"It's right here." Second Pillar's voice trembled as he pointed into the depths of the cave, "The monster is inside..."

Wang Hu was about to lead his men inside when Chen Hao suddenly pulled him back, his expression grave as he spoke: "Don't go in! Second Pillar's heartbeat is too fast; he's lying! And inside the cave... there are many human heartbeats, all holding their breath, as if they're lying in ambush!"

Second Pillar's face instantly became distorted. He suddenly pulled a signal flare from his chest and yanked it hard!

"Swoosh—"

A red streak of fire pierced the sky and exploded in mid-air.

Immediately after, a deafening roar came from the cave, and a massive Mutant charged out. It was covered in grayish-brown long fur, stood a full three meters tall, and had eyes as large as copper bells flashing with crimson light. The sharp claws on its palms were half a foot long—it was exactly the "furry monster" Second Pillar had mentioned.

[Level 2 Mutated Zombie · Frenzied Furry]

- Physical Characteristics: Three meters tall, body covered in hard long fur that can resist fire; head resembles a giant ape, possesses immense strength, and its sharp claws can tear through Bone Armor Power Armor;

- Ability Settings: Strength is 8 times that of an ordinary zombie, extremely fast, excels at ambushing in narrow spaces; 80% probability of producing a level 2 crystal core containing berserk energy;

- Weaknesses/Limitations: Afraid of noise; high-intensity sound waves can throw it into brief confusion; long fur is flammable, requiring high-concentration fuel flames to ignite.

The Frenzied Furry roared and lunged at the team. Wang Hu immediately activated the enhancement function of his Bone Armor Power Armor and met the attack. When fist and claw collided, a dull, thunderous boom rang out. Wang Hu was actually knocked back several steps, his arm going numb.

"This guy's strength is incredible!" Wang Hu growled and charged forward again.

Just then, over a hundred people armed with machetes and bows suddenly rushed out from the woods on both sides of the cave. Leading them was none other than the Li Laoshuan who Second Pillar claimed had been "torn to pieces"! He held a shotgun and looked at Lin Zhou with a sneer: "Commander Lin, thank you for delivering the Bone Armor and crystal cores to our doorstep! This North Mountain isn't a place you should have come!"

Chen Yang's eyes nearly split from rage: "Li Laoshuan! Second Pillar! You actually colluded together to use us as bait!"

"Bait?" Li Laoshuan sneered, "These survivors are just burdens! Only by killing you and stealing your equipment can I become the King of North Mountain! Brothers, kill them!"

Over a hundred thugs roared as they rushed forward, their eyes filled with greed and madness.

With the immensely strong Frenzied Furry on one side and the treacherous human traitors on the other, the soldiers' expressions turned grave at the prospect of being attacked from both front and back.

Lin Zhou's eyes were cold as frost. He raised his energy submachine pistol and pulled the trigger on Li Laoshuan: "You're asking for death!"

Bang!

An energy bullet accurately hit Li Laoshuan's shoulder. He screamed, and his shotgun fell to the ground.

"Chen Hao! Sonic interference!" Lin Zhou ordered loudly.

Chen Hao nodded immediately. He concentrated his mind and released a high-intensity sound wave. Hearing the sound wave, the Frenzied Furry suddenly let out a painful roar and began rolling on the ground while clutching its head, its movements becoming much more sluggish.

"Wang Hu! Full fire power!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Wang Hu's eyes. He grabbed the flamethrower at his side and sprayed raging fire at the Frenzied Furry. The high-concentration fuel flame instantly enveloped the Frenzied Furry's body. Its long fur began to burn, making a sizzling sound.

"Kill!"

The soldiers took the opportunity to launch a charge. The flamethrowers and machine guns of the Bone Armor Power Armor wove into a net of fire. The thugs fell one after another, their screams echoing continuously.

Seeing the situation collapsing, Second Pillar was scared out of his wits and turned to run. Chen Yang was quick-eyed and quick-handed; he picked up a wooden stick from the ground and smashed it hard against Second Pillar's leg. Second Pillar screamed and fell to the ground, where he was pinned down by the soldiers.

Seeing things going south, Li Laoshuan tried to sneak away, but Lin Zhou saw through him at a glance. Lin Zhou caught up to him in a few steps, kicked him to the ground, and pressed the energy submachine pistol against his head: "Speak! How many more accomplices are there?"

Li Laoshuan trembled all over and hurriedly kowtowed for mercy: "Commander, spare me! I was forced into this! The Frenzied Furry controlled me; it can understand human speech and made me help it catch live humans..."

Just then, an even more terrifying roar came from deep within the cave, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

Chen Hao's face changed drastically. He suddenly looked up at the cave: "Commander! Not good! There's an even stronger Mutant inside! Its energy fluctuations... are ten times stronger than the Frenzied Furry's!"

Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly constricted.

An even stronger Mutant? Could it be... a Level 3 Mutated Zombie?

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the woods, falling on the corpses strewn across the ground. The smell of blood and burnt flesh filled the air. In the distance, the Frenzied Furry's screams gradually weakened, while the roars from deep within the cave drew closer and closer.

The evil of humanity and the ferocity of the Mutants intertwined at this moment into a web of death, enveloping the entire North Mountain.