Chapter 175: Capture

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Capture

Little Sweet Potato also split off some of its vines, drilling into the zombie’s body through the wound. It tore and expanded the opening relentlessly, causing blackish-red pus and blood mixed with mangled flesh to spill all over the ground.

The four of them steadily whittled down its health. The zombie had long lost the strength to resist. It probably wouldn’t understand even in death how a perfectly ordinary hunt had resulted in it dying at the hands of these "ants"!

Suddenly, the zombie jerked its head up. Exhausting the last trace of its strength to activate its superpower, the intact right side of its jaw swelled frantically. It was trying to emit a sonic wave to summon the surrounding low-level zombies, dragging these ants down to the grave with it! If it couldn’t live, it wouldn’t let them off easy either!

They saw through its intentions at a glance and instantly unleashed all their superpowers in unison!

A massive Wind Blade, a Water Blade, and an Ice Blade surged forward with an icy, imposing aura, chopping straight toward its swollen jaw. The edges of the blades sliced through the air, emitting a piercing hum.

Kevin Keane raised his hand at the exact same moment. A dense expanse of dark clouds instantly gathered above the zombie’s head. Thunder rolled with continuous, muffled rumbles as countless streaks of purple electricity surged wildly within the clouds.

The next second, a massive lightning dragon burst through the clouds with apocalyptic might. Working in perfect harmony with the others’ superpower blades, it blasted toward the zombie’s head!

Before the zombie could let out its final furious howl, its charred, enormous head was severed clean from its body. It slammed heavily onto the ground with a loud THUD, causing the snow on the surface to tremble from the impact.

Little Sweet Potato’s branches darted out like lightning. It instantly reached into the zombie’s head, extracted the Crystal Core, and rolled it over to the group.

Luna Dawson caught it in her hand. This Crystal Core was entirely fiery red and as translucent as a piece of high-quality red quartz. It was absolutely stunning.

She casually stored the Crystal Core into her spatial storage. Unable to hold on any longer, the four of them collapsed straight onto the ground, completely ignoring the pooling blood and the foul stench.

Rollo squatted in front of them, his tongue hanging out as he gasped for air with loud PANT PANT PANT sounds. This battle of attrition had left everyone utterly exhausted.

After resting for just a few seconds, they each fished out their Crystal Core Solution. They twisted off the caps and took several gulps, swallowing with loud GLUG GLUG GLUG sounds. Once they recovered a bit of strength, they prepared to get up and head back to the main group.

Lynn Shelby was the first to scramble up. He used his wristband to take pictures of the surroundings, gathering data to eventually upload for the old geezers at the base to analyze.

"Phew, it’s a good thing we didn’t let this humanoid toad get past us."

Luna Dawson stood up, disregarding the blood covering her entire body. She took off her mask and wiped her face dry, finally feeling a bit less uncomfortable.

"What did you call this thing just now?" Lynn Shelby nudged her with his elbow.

"An Aberrant."

Luna Dawson glanced at the charred, massive head. It looked exactly the same! It really was an anime becoming reality!

Kevin Keane raised an eyebrow. "Is that the one you were watching earlier with the really intense soundtrack?"

Luna Dawson’s eyes lit up. "Oh! You actually remember."

He looked at her with a faint, teasing smile, placing his large hand over her head and rubbing it. "It’s hard not to notice. Let’s go."

Evan Olson tucked his water bottle back into his tactical vest. "Let’s leave once you’re done taking pictures. There are still plenty of zombies over by the main group."

Everyone unsteadily climbed onto Rollo’s back, while Little Sweet Potato perched on Kevin Keane’s shoulder. The group then flew toward the convoy.

The four of them rode Rollo, flying toward the main group from a distance. Along the way, their various superpowers sent countless zombies in the rear ranks flying into the air.

Little Sweet Potato’s branches whipped around, leaving afterimages in their wake as it harvested. These were all Crystal Cores!

Because of the support from firearms, their efficiency in eliminating the zombies on site was very high. However, there was a drawback—the gunfire and explosions were constantly drawing more zombies from the direction of the city.

"It really is the Sunset Squad on the perimeter!"

"I’ve seen that flying dog!"

"It’s Captain Luna Dawson! She was riding that dog earlier today!"

"And you said it wasn’t them. Guess you’ve been proven wrong now!"

"They’re too strong! They’re back, and the Tier Four Zombie has been taken care of!"

Francis Grant held up his binoculars, his gaze firmly locked onto Luna Dawson, whose face was blooming with a smile in mid-air. He clenched his jaw tightly for a moment before finally letting out a helpless sigh.

He pressed his earpiece, and his steady command was clearly transmitted to everyone’s communication devices. "Attention, everyone! The Tier Four Zombie has been eliminated! Keep pushing! Suspend the use of all firearms to avoid attracting more zombies. Give it your all to clear the area, and everyone will receive an extra ration of supplies tonight!"

As soon as the command echoed through the earpieces, the various team captains subconsciously let out hushed gasps of excitement and relief. They then immediately turned to relay the order to their subordinates.

Bolstered by the triumphant news of the Fourth Rank’s elimination and the promise of extra supplies, everyone instantly pushed themselves to the limit. A new layer of ruthlessness appeared in their eyes as they glared at the surrounding horde, determined to completely eradicate this pack of zombies.

On the ground, the original horde, combined with the zombies drawn in by the sounds of battle, still numbered close to ten thousand. They formed a dense, dark mass that blanketed the landscape.

A moment later, Luna Dawson and her group landed steadily, coming to a halt in front of the RV.

Purple Bean, who was beside the RV, spotted the returning group at a glance. It immediately began bouncing up and down, cheering, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

It usually loved to sleep, but at this moment, its spirit was more vibrant than anyone else present. The eyes on its bean-shaped body sparkled brightly, brimming with joy.

Kyle Keith had already noticed the figures returning from the perimeter. After confirming that it was the blood-stained Luna Dawson and her team, he quickly hurried over to meet them.

A gentle smile hung on his face as he asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Luna Dawson was in a great mood. Hearing this, she turned around and replied with a beaming smile, "I’m fine."

"Why did you push yourselves so hard?" Kyle Keith’s tone held an obvious undertone of worry. "That was a Tier Four Zombie, and the four of you just recklessly charged out there?"

Luna Dawson let out a soft sigh and spoke in a mournful tone. "Alas, Captain Kessler, you have no idea. I have to secure rank-up Crystal Cores for everyone in our team. You official teams have the safety net of firearm bombardments. How could you possibly understand the struggles of a private squad like ours!"

As she spoke, the rims of her eyes turned slightly red. She looked at Kyle Keith with teary eyes, biting the bullet and continuing to weave her fabricated tale.

"It really is... It really is just... too hard..."

Kyle Keith’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He then nodded solemnly, chiming in with complete agreement.

"You’re just a young woman, so it truly isn’t easy. But why didn’t you notify me beforehand instead of charging out there all by yourself?"

"The situation was too urgent," Luna Dawson hurriedly explained. "My dog sensed prey and instantly flew out with me on its back. As a result, we crashed right into the Tier Four Zombie!" As soon as her voice faded, a look of lingering fear surfaced on her face. Her acting was incredibly convincing.

The smile on Kyle Keith’s face never wavered. He simply offered gentle comfort. "As long as you’re okay. It was definitely too dangerous just now."

Luna Dawson’s eyes flickered slightly. She looked up at him and spoke with a sincere tone. "Thank you for caring. I’ll be more careful next time."

"So you finally know to be careful?"

A voice as cold as frost suddenly rang out, carrying obvious displeasure.

Luna Dawson’s entire body stiffened. Only then did she belatedly remember that there was still someone like Francis Grant here.