Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

Chapter 104: Apex Zombie Battle

Meanwhile, on the wall, Deepak’s eyes suddenly sharpened. “…Screamers.” Without wasting a second, he raised his hand.

“Focus there!” His voice cut through the noise instantly.

Rohit, Ayesha, Sana, and Kavya all turned their attention in the same direction. Through the chaos of normal zombies, a few Screamer Zombies were slipping closer, silent, waiting.

If even one of them screamed, the entire battlefield would spiral out of control.

Deepak didn’t give them that chance. “Fire!”

“BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!”

All five of them opened fire at once. Their advanced weapons roared as bullets tore through the air with deadly precision.

The first Screamer opened its mouth. “BOOM!”

Its head was blown apart instantly. The second tried to react, but. “BANG! BANG!”

Its throat and skull were torn apart before a single sound could escape.

They didn’t stop. Even after the targets fell, they kept firing for another moment, making sure there was no risk left.

“…Clear,” Deepak said.

Ayesha focused for a moment, listening carefully, then nodded. “No more nearby.”

Without wasting time, they returned to their positions and resumed firing. “BANG! BANG! BANG!”

Normal zombies continued rushing forward in endless waves, relentless and unyielding.

For the defenders, there was no pause. No break. Not even a moment to breathe.

Because the instant they stopped, the wall would fall.

While the wall team continued to hold steady, and James and Arjun turned the battlefield into a competition, there were other places where things were going wrong.

—

“Stay alert!”

Neha’s voice cut sharply through the chaos, but even she was starting to struggle. The Shadow Lurker had stopped playing. Now it was hunting. A flicker appeared behind them.

Before Vikrant could react. “SHHHK—!” A sharp, shadow-like claw tore across his side.

“UGH—!” He stumbled as his armor absorbed part of the hit, but not all of it. Blood still seeped out.

“…Too fast!” he gritted his teeth.

“Focus!” Neha shouted.

She turned and fired instantly. “BANG!”

For a split second, the Shadow Lurker appeared, its twisted body flickering into view, then vanished again. Not even a full second.

“Damn it—!”

Neha shifted her position, but that was the mistake. Something moved above her.

“Neha—up—!”

Too late. “SHHHHK!!!” A deep slash tore across her shoulder. Blood splashed as her body jerked forward, her grip on the gun slipping for a moment.

“…Tch—!” She forced herself steady, but her breathing grew heavier. Now she is injured. But the Shadow Lurker is not going to stop.

Another flicker appeared, this time behind both of them.

Vikrant slammed a shockwave outward. Electric current spread through the area, forcing the creature to appear for a brief moment, elongated limbs, twisted body, glowing eyes, then gone again.

“…We can’t catch it,” Vikrant said, breathing hard.

Neha wiped the blood from her shoulder. Her eyes were still sharp, but the strain was visible now. “No… it’s waiting… for us to slow down.”

And they already were. Because every time it appeared, it left a mark, small cuts, deep slashes, wounds that kept building.

They weren’t losing all at once. But slowly, they were being worn down.

—

On another side, things were even worse.

“BOOOOOOM!!!” The Armored Colossus slammed its arm down again.

Imran blocked, but this time, “CRACK—!”

His shield split further. Nearly half of it was gone. His arms trembled violently as the impact ran through his entire body. His legs shook, but he still didn’t fall.

“Not… moving…”

He pushed forward again, trying to hold it in place. But the Colossus didn’t slow down. It stepped closer, grabbed the broken shield, and crushed part of it.

“CRRRRACK—!”

Fragments fell to the ground.

Imran’s eyes widened. He released the shield just in time and jumped back, breathing heavily. His forearms felt numb, and his whole body ached.

“…I can’t block many more…”

The Colossus walked forward, it was slow, but unstoppable, every step carried pure pressure.

Imran activated what remained of his shield, flames bursting out.

But this time, the Colossus didn’t care. It walked straight through the flames, completely unaffected and attacked him.

Imran tried to dodge, but he was too slow. The blow grazed him, and even that was enough to send him flying.

He crashed into the ground, rolling several meters before stopping.

He forced himself up, barely able to stand. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His shield was almost gone, his armor damaged, and his breathing heavy. He looked up at the Colossus, still walking toward him.

“…If help doesn’t come…” He tightened his fist. “…I’m done for.”

—

Imran needed help, but there was no one who could come, because even the one who always stood beside him, Raghav, was barely holding on.

“ROOOOOOAAARRR!!!”

The Hulking charged again. Raghav raised his arms to block. The punch landed, and this time he couldn’t stop it completely. His body was pushed back violently, his boots digging into the ground and leaving deep cracks behind him.

Before he could recover, another punch came, faster than before. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The hit slammed into his shoulder, twisting his entire body from the impact.

“UGHH—!” He staggered, barely managing to stay on his feet. The Hulking didn’t stop. It stepped forward, grabbed him, and lifted him as if he weighed nothing.

Then it slammed him into the ground. The earth shattered beneath him as dust rose into the air. Raghav coughed, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“…Damn monster…” He forced himself up, but the Hulking was already in front of him. Another swing came, and he barely rolled away.

“BOOOOM!!!” The ground exploded beside him. If that hit had landed, he knew it would have been over.

He quickly grabbed his launcher and aimed at point-blank range.

“THOOOM!!!”

The explosion tore into the Hulking’s chest, ripping flesh apart and scattering fragments everywhere. For a moment, it staggered, but then it roared louder than before as its body began to regenerate again.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Raghav let out a weak laugh, not because it was funny, but because he had nothing else left.

Now he understood why Isha had been playing with it earlier, and why he couldn’t. The difference between them was overwhelming.

“I can’t win this…”

He stepped back again, blocking, dodging, barely staying alive. “I just need to hold it…”

Because if he failed, this thing would reach the wall.

—

While Imran, Raghav, Neha, and Vikrant were barely holding on, Pooja’s battle looked completely different.

“HAHAHAHA!!”

Her laughter echoed across the battlefield as flames surrounded her, wild and unstable, yet fully under her control.

The Plague Bringer released another wave of toxic gas.

But Pooja didn’t retreat, she stepped forward.

Her flames expanded outward, burning through the mist, overpowering it, dominating it completely.

“Trying the same trick again?” She raised her hand. “Flame Surge!”

A massive wave of fire slammed into the Plague Bringer, forcing its body backward. Its sacs began forming again, rapidly, trying to counter.

But Pooja was faster now. “Burst Burn!”

She destroyed multiple sacs one after another. Every time one formed, it was blown apart instantly.

“No regeneration for you.” She dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant.

The Plague Bringer tried to release a close-range toxic burst, but she was already inside its range, too close. Her hand slammed into its chest.

“Inner Blaze.” Flames erupted inside its body again.

The creature convulsed violently as its toxic mist destabilized, flickering and breaking apart.

“SKRRRRAAAHHH!!!” It tried to retreat, but Pooja didn’t allow it. She grabbed its decaying flesh and pulled it closer.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Her flames intensified, hotter, brighter, and violent.

“Inferno Collapse.” A massive explosion of fire engulfed the Plague Bringer completely, leaving no space for it to regenerate. Its body burned continuously, without pause, without recovery.

It was being overwhelmed, destroyed faster than it could heal. While others were struggling, bleeding, and barely holding on, Pooja was doing the opposite. She was dominating.

Burning everything in front of her. And her laughter only grew louder. “HAHAHAHA—!!”

—

Isha was standing facing the Wall Breaker, the Wall Breaker weapon arm flared and fired a rocket straight at her.

The explosion tore into the ground as Isha vanished and reappeared mid-air. But before she could stabilize, another shot came, faster and closer.

She crossed her arms and blocked with her aura. Even so, the impact pushed her back through the air.

“Tch—!” She landed hard and slid several meters across the ground. In the next instant, she dashed forward again. The clawed gauntlets on her hands gleamed as she struck.

“SHHHHK!!!”

This time, she didn’t aim for the launcher. She targeted its other arm.

The Wall Breaker tried to react, but she was faster. Her blades struck again and again, each hit landing on the same point.

“SHHHK!! SHHHK!! SHHHK!!”

Cracks spread across the thick armor. Then it broke. She twisted her body, gathering her strength into this strike.

“SHHHHHK!!!” The arm was severed. The massive limb crashed to the ground and the Wall Breaker staggered.

Isha landed lightly, her breathing steady, her focus unshaken. “…Got you.”

But only for a moment. The creature didn’t panic. Its body pulsed, dark energy gathered at the severed shoulder. Flesh twisted, grew, and reformed right before her eyes.

Within seconds, a new arm began to take shape.

Her gaze hardened. “…Regeneration.”

The Wall Breaker tilted its head slightly, and that same broken, animal-like laugh echoed again.

“Khrr… khh… HA… HA…!!”

Isha stepped back slightly, her expression turning grimmer, her eyes moved across the battlefield.

Raghav was barely holding the Hulking.

Imran was close to collapse against the Armored Colossus.

Neha and Vikrant were bleeding, struggling just to keep the Shadow Lurker in sight.

Only Pooja had the upper hand, but even her fight wasn’t easy.

Then she looked toward James and Arjun.

Both of them were moving like machines, eliminating elite zombies at a rapid pace. The numbers were dropping fast. Only a few Armored Zombies and Rot Spreaders remained, while the Screamers were still a threat.

A faint sense of relief crossed her eyes.

Good… if they finish quickly, they can support the others.

Because the Apex battles were reaching their limit. She turned back to the Wall Breaker.

Its arm was already halfway regenerated, its stance steady and unchanged.

Her aura flared again, stronger, denser. “…Then I’ll hold you.”

She lowered her stance, blades ready, her eyes locked onto it. She didn’t need to defeat it right now.

She needs to stall. Until her team could turn the situation in their favour. The Wall Breaker stepped forward again, each step shaking the ground.