Crushing Skulls.
It was one of Chu Muge's favorite things to do.
There was something visceral about watching life drain from someone right before your eyes. The body would go limp, the gaze would dim, and the once-living person would become a cold corpse. Left to rot in damp soil, they’d eventually return to the earth as nothing but muck.
Now, she was about to do just that, turn the people in front of her into organic fertilizer, letting them merge back with nature.
For a moment, no one moved.
The cicadas, ever-present at night, had also fallen silent. The world seemed to hold its breath, broken only by the whistling wind that brushed against their clothes. It felt like a formless battle hymn, signaling the impending clash of life and death.
Footsteps echoed, steady and purposeful.
A bald, muscular man emerged from the group, frowning as he caught sight of Chu Muge peeking her head out. He chuckled, his voice tinged with surprise and mockery, though it lacked the carelessness of outright disdain. His muscles tightened as he slowly approached her.
“Well, well. A little girl?”
His tone was laced with disbelief. As he advanced, he added, “I take it Xu Jue’s failure to return has something to do with you?”
Chu Muge didn’t answer, her crimson eyes narrowing as if she were searching her memory for something.
When the man was halfway across the distance, Chu Muge suddenly smiled. “Oh, I know who you are.”
The man paused, folding his arms as he stared at her, his casual demeanor suggesting he wasn’t worried about any tricks she might pull.
“I thought the name Wu Liqiang sounded familiar,” Chu Muge mused, tilting her head skyward. Then, with a grin, she added, “Oh yeah, you’re that guy who strutted around like a big shot and got his ass handed to him.”
The man’s expression darkened noticeably. His eyes narrowed as he examined her more closely. When he caught sight of the faintly twitching cat ears atop her head, his eyes widened.
“It’s you! That girl from Lab Six!”
The words had barely left his mouth when the sharp crack of gunfire echoed.
Bang!
Chu Muge didn’t hesitate, firing directly at his head. The bullet screamed through the air, a harbinger of death. But when it struck the man’s forehead, it did not penetrate. Instead, it ricocheted off with a metallic clang.
Wu Liqiang glanced at the bullet on the ground before striding toward Chu Muge with a grim expression.
The shot had some effect, his forehead bore a slight dent, but that was the extent of the damage.
Behind him, the remaining seven people brandished their weapons and charged toward Chu Muge and Gu Yao.
Eight against two. Not good odds.
Gu Yao’s gray eyes shifted slightly.
Rustling sounds came from the trees behind her. The two mutilated corpses on the ground began to twitch unnaturally before rising in jerky, grotesque movements.
Eight against nine. Much better.
Under the horrified gazes of Wu Liqiang’s group, seven snarling zombies surged forward, their milky eyes rolling back and bloodied mouths gaping wide. They attacked with feral rage.
Wu Liqiang was taken aback but reacted quickly, grabbing the first zombie to lunge at him by the head and tossing it aside like a rag doll.
The undead crashed to the ground.
He pressed on, his face grim, closing the distance to Chu Muge.
Chu Muge clicked her tongue and scanned her surroundings.
Was there anything she could use?
Her pistol had two bullets left. She needed a way to kill him.
Wu Liqiang broke into a sprint, his fist clenched, aiming a powerful punch at her.
Chu Muge quickly raised her axe, the blade meeting his fist in a direct collision.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t break the skin.
A faint white mark appeared on his knuckles. Wu Liqiang smirked and grabbed the axe with one hand, balling his other fist to strike her.
Chu Muge’s cat ears twitched. She gritted her teeth and grabbed his wrist, applying force as she began to pry his hand away.
The man was briefly stunned by her strength.
But his surprise didn’t last long. He reared his head back and slammed it against hers.
Thud!
The dull impact echoed as Chu Muge let out a pained grunt. Her vision spun, and her forehead throbbed.
When powered individuals fought, it was often a contest of whose skin was tougher.
So, you’re playing rough? Fine.
Her blood-red eyes glinted fiercely. Taking advantage of the momentary lull as she recovered from the headbutt, Chu Muge crouched low and swept his legs out from under him.
A cloud of dust rose as Wu Liqiang hit the ground with a grunt.
Before Chu Muge could catch her breath, she felt a hand grip her ankle. Wu Liqiang, still on the ground, tensed his muscles and yanked her off her feet, hurling her through the air.
Crash!
She slammed into a parked car, the door crumpling inward from the force, before she fell to the ground.
“Hah…”
This was the first time she’d been thrown so hard.
Clutching her axe tightly, Chu Muge barely had time to get up before she saw Wu Liqiang charging at her like a raging bull.
Chu Muge’s pupils shrank as she half-sat on the ground, tilting her head just in time to dodge the man’s hammering fist.
Boom!
His punch buried itself into the car door, leaving a deep impression as he yanked his hand out. The dent on the door bore a striking resemblance to a clenched fist.
Chu Muge: …
The sheer force was... intimidating.
Without hesitation, she seized the opportunity, raising her leg and delivering a vicious kick directly to the man’s lower half.
Fighting fair? Who cares about that in a life-or-death brawl?
This kick was merciless.
The kind of strength Chu Muge put into that kick was typically reserved for breaking down steel doors or snapping the spines of zombies. Though the man’s defense was formidable, even he couldn’t shrug off the pain radiating from his groin. His body twitched involuntarily.
As he doubled over, glaring at her through the pain, Chu Muge got to her feet and delivered a powerful uppercut to his jaw.
The force sent his head snapping back, and his vision blurred momentarily.
Meanwhile, Gu Yao’s situation had turned chaotic as well.
Or rather, Gu Yao wasn’t participating at all.
True to form, she stayed out of the fray, lurking safely behind cover.
Perhaps it was her queenly instinct: if she didn’t have to personally intervene, she wouldn’t. Better to let her minions do the dirty work while she preserved herself.
The zombies were ferocious, but the survivors facing them were no ordinary folk, they were hardened scavengers who had survived by preying on others.
After losing four of their companions to the undead, the remaining three managed to take down the last of the zombies. They even made sure to double-tap their fallen comrades, ensuring they wouldn’t rise again.
Blood-splattered and weary, the three turned their predatory gazes toward Gu Yao.
Gu Yao shrank back.
The three began advancing toward her.
Chu Muge noticed this, raising her firearm instinctively, but before she could act, a sharp bark pierced the air.
From the shadows of the forest behind Gu Yao, a slender black shape darted out, circling her feet once before coming to a stop.
It was Big Dog, now fed and satisfied.
The creature’s appearance was as grotesque as ever, muscle tissue exposed, razor-sharp teeth glinting and stained with fresh blood.
The three survivors froze, momentarily stunned by its appearance. Before they could react, Big Dog fixed its gaze on one of them and opened its mouth wide.
What happened next was horrifying.
An invisible projectile seemed to form in the creature’s maw before blasting forth. It streaked toward the trio, and with a sickening splatter, it tore through one of their skulls.
Blood, brain matter, and bone fragments exploded outward, covering the other two in blood as the body crumpled to the ground.
One of them let out a terrified scream and turned to flee.
The other, gripped by mounting panic, quickly followed.
But Big Dog wasn’t done.
Its maw opened again, targeting their retreating figures as it unleashed another blast of air.
For a moment, the night was filled with the sound of shredding flesh and splintering bone. Limbs flew in all directions, and organs erupted in a grisly display.
Gu Yao glanced down at the zombie dog beside her.
“Wow.”
Big Dog had essentially turned into a living air cannon.