"First squad in position."

"Second squad in position."

On the outskirts of Yunhua City, several armed squads received their orders and immediately rushed to establish a defensive line.

The soldiers set up several large searchlights for illumination, making the surroundings as bright as day.

The event had unfolded so suddenly that there was no time to set up professional roadblocks. They could only string barbed wire around steel drums and line them up to block the road.

Behind them were the squads’ armored vehicles, mounted with machine guns and cannons. Several other soldiers carrying briefcases were tinkering with their equipment; they were the drone operators.

A few of the operators were controlling military-grade drones, using thermal imaging to scan for and monitor targets.

However, an operator soon discovered that a large number of Living Dead were going undetected. Their bodies were completely cold, rendering thermal imaging useless!

"They’re here!"

"ROAR!!!!!"

The roars of the Living Dead echoed as a legion thousands strong swarmed forward. They were all citizens from the surrounding disaster-stricken villages and counties, now risen from the dead to assault the great city of Yunhua!

"Open fire! We can’t let them break through the line and enter the city!"

At the Commander’s order, the armed squads unleashed their full firepower.

A torrent of bullets and grenades poured down on the Living Dead legion charging the barricades, wiping them out row by row.

Although the Living Dead fought without fear of death, their defenses were not particularly strong. Breaking their limbs would restrict their movement, and destroying their brains would kill them for good.

Thus, they stood no chance of breaking through the formidable network of firepower laid down by the armed squads. The first wave, a legion of over a thousand Living Dead, was quickly annihilated, leaving the air thick with the heavy smell of gunpowder.

Just then, a flamethrower truck slowly rolled up from the rear.

The Commander gave the order to completely incinerate all the Living Dead corpses with high-temperature flames. This was a directive from the higher-ups, intended to prevent any possibility of them resurrecting.

WHOOSH—!

As the great fire erupted, the smell of roasting flesh joined the scent of gunpowder in the air. The odor made many of the soldiers sick to their stomachs.

A few soldiers watched the corpses of the Living Dead. One of them said, "It’s a shame. We probably don’t get any rewards for killing them this way."

"Yeah, our orders seem to be ’annihilate them as quickly as possible.’ But I heard the guys in the eastern division are all farming coins together."

"Farming coins together?"

"Yep. Apparently, everyone over there was ordered to buy a [Beginner’s Weapon Chest]. Then they use firearms and other weapons to destroy the Living Dead’s mobility before finishing them off with the melee weapons they get from the chests."

"That’s a great idea! Farming coins in relative safety!"

The soldiers were all a bit envious. But then one of them spoke in a colder tone, "And what good would it do? Have you forgotten that all Sublimation Coins we soldiers earn are collected and allocated centrally?"

"..."

"Attention! Another large group of Living Dead is approaching!"

"All units, prepare to—fire!"

...

WHIRR...

The unmanned transport vehicle moved slowly along the avenue, with Guan Tong following just behind and to the side.

The man and the vehicle had been traveling like this for over ten minutes, encountering a few Living Dead along the way. After some testing, Guan Tong confirmed the Living Dead’s attack priority: Humans > Moving Objects.

If a human appeared within a thirty-meter radius, they would spot them and attack immediately. If there were no humans in range, they would attack moving objects instead.

Moreover, smearing himself with the blood of the Living Dead had been useless. The moment he entered their range, they still detected his presence instantly.

After walking for a few more minutes, Guan Tong suddenly heard the roars of a large number of Living Dead from around a nearby street corner, accompanied by the shouts of many humans.

"Quick, block it off!"

"Don’t just stand there! Go get more tables!"

"It’s over... there are too many of them..."

Guan Tong quickened his pace, cautiously circling around to the other side of the corner. He peeked around and saw hundreds of Living Dead besieging a bookstore.

The bookstore must have previously been used as a sanctuary, a Gathering Point. Many people were living inside.

But the bookstore’s glass main doors had long since vanished, likely crushed by snow during the fourth rule or shattered by the extreme cold.

Normally, the missing doors wouldn’t have been a huge problem, but once the fifth rule was announced, the situation changed instantly.

Guan Tong saw that the people gathered there had piled up tables and bookshelves at the entrance to block the Living Dead.

But these Living Dead weren’t your typical slow-moving zombies that just mindlessly reached out and grabbed. Their ferocity was on a completely different level.

He watched as the Living Dead frantically clawed at the tables and chairs blocking their path. Some even opened their mouths to bite and tear at them with their sharp teeth. Several tables blocking the entrance were quickly torn to shreds, losing their effectiveness.

Now, only a few large bookshelves stood between them and the Living Dead, but they were even less sturdy than the tables and would soon be dismantled.

"Everyone, make way! I’ll handle this!"

Just then, a flaming torch appeared in a young man’s hand. He held it high and walked to the entrance. The Living Dead that had been madly tearing at the bookshelves seemed to grow fearful and retreated a few steps.

"Is that a ’Rapid-Burning Stick’ from the shop?!"

"I didn’t know it could repel the Living Dead! This is great!"

"Repel them? They’re still right there at the door!"

"It seems they just won’t attack while you’re holding it... But I remember each stick only burns for 15 minutes, right?"

The young man with the torch called out, "They’re sold in packs of 10! Each one lasts 15 minutes, so that’s two and a half hours of safety in total! Anyone who still has Sublimation Coins, please buy a few packs! If we take turns, we should be able to..."

Before the young man could finish, the Living Dead that had been scared back by the Rapid-Burning Stick surged forward again and resumed their attack!

"What?!" the young man exclaimed in shock. "Why isn’t it working anymore!"

’The Rapid-Burning Stick’s deterrent effect only lasted for about ten seconds?’

Guan Tong, hiding around the corner, witnessed this and found it strange. ’If it has a deterrent effect, it shouldn’t last for such a short time... Could it be because there are too many people?’

Guan Tong thought it was possible. ’Perhaps the Rapid-Burning Stick’s deterrent only protects the user, not others. If you try to use one stick to shelter too many people, the effect might rapidly diminish.’

’This is getting dangerous...’

Guan Tong watched the chaotic crowd inside the bookstore. ’In two or three minutes, their defenses will be breached. When that many Living Dead rush in, it’ll be a total massacre.’

After a moment’s thought, Guan Tong raised his Silver Hunter and switched to Round #3.

He aimed at the middle-rear of the Living Dead horde and pulled the trigger.

"BOOM!!!"

A High-Explosive Bomb shot out, detonating in the back of the horde a moment later. In an instant, dozens of Living Dead were blown away or killed. The sudden explosion startled everyone in the bookstore as well.

But their shock quickly turned to elation. With so many Living Dead wiped out, only twenty or thirty remained—a number they could handle! This would also buy them more time to build a sturdier defense at the entrance!

"Did someone just throw a grenade? Are the official forces here to rescue us?!"

"Where?!"

"Hey, you! The one in the helmet over there! Did you throw that grenade?!"

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Guan Tong and shouted to him.

Guan Tong just gave a slight nod before continuing down South Avenue. He made no move to turn and join them.

This made the crowd anxious. They desperately needed someone with Guan Tong’s immense firepower!

"Where are you going? Come over here and help us defend!"

"Brother, it’s too dangerous for you out there! Hurry and get inside the bookstore! It’s safer if we all stick together!"

"Don’t go! How many more grenades do you have? Leave a few for us!"

Guan Tong ignored their cries. He had already helped them out of their jam with a single Round #3; that was enough. Staying behind to hold the line with them was impossible. He had his own objectives to complete.