Chapter 337 - 253: Drain the Water, Then Pull the Net (3)

Chapter 337: Chapter 253: Drain the Water, Then Pull the Net (3)

With this setup, as long as they didn’t run into a massive zombie horde or swarms of Mutated Zombies with one or two thousand Life Value like the one before, their group could practically have the run of this auto parts city.

This was especially true for Su Qing.

Lin Fan had originally been worried that a purely physical, close-combat fighter like her would struggle against a monster with "Magic damage" or an energy shield. But it turned out she had her own "armor-piercing" ability, and that last strike of hers had been nothing short of breathtaking.

Since their greatest weakness was no longer an issue, there was no need to stay huddled together.

"Since this place is crawling with Mutated Zombies, this is our main battlefield. It’s too inefficient for all of us to be crowded together, fighting over kills."

Lin Fan’s gaze swept over the group, and he decisively laid out a new plan.

"We’re spreading out. We’ll split into three teams. I’ll be one team. Chu Zhaozhao, you’ll be on your own. Sister Qing, you’ll team up with Xu Qian as before."

As he spoke, he flipped his palm over. Several syringes materialized in his hand, and he casually handed them out.

"Next, the tactical arrangement..."

Lin Fan pointed to the U-shaped main road of the auto parts city outside and made a gesture indicating a fan-shaped advance.

"Your two teams will advance through the storefronts on either side of the street. I’ll trail behind you down the middle of the road.

Don’t worry about the loot. As long as a zombie dies in my vicinity... within a radius of a few hundred meters, I can sense the materials and collect them directly.

I haven’t measured the exact range, but two or three hundred meters is definitely no problem."

He had already explained this Superpower to the others, but it was the first time Xu Qian had heard about it. He was a little stunned, but seeing the knowing looks on Su Qing and Chu Zhaozhao’s faces, he was sensible enough not to ask any questions and just acted as if he already knew.

"The core principle is ’efficiency above all else.’"

Lin Fan looked them in the eyes, his tone turning serious and filled with killing intent.

"If you run into regular zombies or common, smaller Mutated Zombies, eliminate them on the spot. Don’t hold back. That way, everyone gets a share of the ’enhancement energy,’ and we all get stronger."

"But—"

His tone shifted.

"If you encounter a tough nut to crack like that last one, or a monster with special abilities, don’t waste time with it.

If you can’t fatally wound or kill it within ten-odd seconds, disengage immediately and lure the monster onto the road in the middle!"

With a thought, Lin Fan summoned the jet-powered heavy spear to his hand.

"I’ll be waiting in the middle. I’ll finish it off the moment it appears."

"Understood? Xu Qian, go inform Wang Yuanhua and Wang Zhong on the collection team. Just tell them to watch out for stray zombies."

He pointed toward the seemingly endless labyrinth of the auto city before them.

"We’re going to sweep through this place street by street, like combing through hair, and clear it all out!"

...

The midday sun pierced through a thin layer of clouds, its intense ultraviolet rays mercilessly baking the silent auto parts city.

The clearer and colder the night sky had been, the more vicious the midday sun felt.

Distorted waves of heat rose from the concrete, carrying the unique, stomach-churning stench of motor oil mixed with putrid blood.

At Lin Fan’s command, Operation "Comb-Through" officially began.

On the left side of the street, in a row of parts supply stores, two figures darted back and forth, spears in hand. Each thrust released a zombie’s body, allowing it to return to death.

"Xu Qian, let’s go! Next store!" Su Qing shouted, pulling her spear from a zombie’s skull and waving him forward.

"Wait, Sister Qing! Something’s moving in here!"

Xu Qian was standing by a door inside the store. The words had barely left his mouth when—THWACK! THWACK!—two bone spikes shot through the door. A moment later, a Bone-Spike Zombie in greasy overalls burst out from the back room!

"Get back, I’ve got this!"

Xu Qian had just activated his ability to dodge the attack when Su Qing lunged forward. With a swing of her spear, she sliced the bone spikes, which were glowing with a white halo, in two. Before the zombie could recover its balance, the tip of her spear had already pierced its forehead.

Meanwhile, the scene inside the car dealership on the right side of the road was completely different. If the left side was a methodical squad assault, the right was a bloody, artistic performance.

Chu Zhaozhao hadn’t even lifted a finger herself.

She crouched like an agile cat on the roof of a brand-new SUV, gripping the twin-headed Flying Shuttle in one hand while the fingers of her other hand danced rhythmically.

A heart-stopping WHIRRR echoed through the air as the wind was torn apart. Four Flying Blades formed a storm of death in a ten-meter-plus radius around her.

A dozen zombies in blue and black business attire hadn’t even gotten close before the Flying Blades swept past, and they all collapsed to the floor, decapitated.

Once she confirmed the showroom was clear, Chu Zhaozhao leaped "gracefully" from the vehicle. CRUNCH! Her landing caved in the hood of the million-dollar SUV.

Without a second glance, she recalled her Flying Blades and charged toward the VIP lounge in the back, not pausing for a moment.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan strolled down the middle of the two-lane road, his heavy spear slung over his shoulder, looking for all the world like a leader on an inspection tour. The sounds of snarling and crashing from the shops on either side rose and fell in waves.

A continuous stream of [Acquired...] notifications scrolled past his vision, occasionally accompanied by a 5-point increase to his maximum Life Value.

However, a startled cry shattered Lin Fan’s leisurely stroll.

"Big Bro!!!"

SMASH! The thick, tempered-glass wall of the luxury showroom on the right shattered. Chu Zhaozhao shot out through the opening, hovering in mid-air with her Flying Shuttle raised, looking like a giant black rat.

"This thing’s too tough! I can’t cut it!"

Right behind her was an enormous Mutated Zombie.

It stood nearly three meters tall, its body covered in thick, overlapping plates of grayish-white bone that resembled ancient plate mail. Even its face was hidden behind a bone mask, with only a pair of small, scarlet eyes visible as it roared in pursuit of Chu Zhaozhao.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Chu Zhaozhao’s normally unstoppable Flying Blades slammed into its bone armor, only to produce a shower of dazzling sparks. They didn’t even leave a scratch!

[1957/2000]

BOOM!

The concrete beneath Lin Fan’s feet instantly shattered as his dark figure tore through the air.

The exhaust from the jet-powered heavy spear was nearly invisible in the midday sun, but its power was no mere special effect.

Propelled by the spear, Lin Fan exploded forward at a speed the naked eye could barely follow. Midway through his charge, he twisted at the waist, putting his full power into a horizontal slash with the spear’s axe-like blade!

The thick bone armor, which Chu Zhaozhao’s Flying Blades couldn’t even dent, instantly shattered into a cloud of fragments under the sheer force of the blow!

The axe blade sank into flesh without resistance. The immense impact snapped the zombie’s spine, and the single blow smashed its massive torso in two!

"Die!" Chu Zhaozhao’s eyes lit up as she hovered in the air.

Her four Flying Blades shot through the massive wound, burrowing into the zombie’s unprotected innards.

SQUELCH—

A wet churning sound echoed out. The zombie’s struggling upper body suddenly went rigid as its insides were instantly turned to pulp.

"Big Bro, the crystal!"

The moment the monster died, Chu Zhaozhao swooped in, plucked a crystal from the bloody pulp, and handed it to Lin Fan.