Chapter 13: A Battle with No Retreat

Li Hong was usually someone who shrank back from trouble, always keeping his distance when things got tense. When the camp found itself besieged by a tide of beasts, he considered running away. But when he saw with his own eyes the overwhelming mass of the beast horde, towering and unending, he gave up on the idea and joined Zhao Gang’s group instead.

It wasn’t because he suddenly felt compassion, nor because he had become any braver. Rather, his fragile spirit could no longer bear the blow of hope being dashed yet again. So he took up the pistol Zhao Gang had hurriedly distributed and climbed up onto the wall.

He also saw Zhao Gang’s wife, Zhao Ya, come running from behind and the two of them sobbing in each other’s arms—but Li Hong’s face and heart remained utterly unmoved. The only sensation he felt was the cold steel of the pistol in his hand. He truly felt like a trapped beast, waiting to strike a final blow, even if it would cost him his life.

The entire school camp had descended into chaos, a boiling mess of desperate cries and shouts. Wang Ji’s vehicle struggled its way to the north gate, only to find the order on the verge of collapse. The gate itself trembled, nearly bursting as the frantic crowd pressed against it.

Standing atop his car, Wang Ji could see the beast horde outside—each creature drooling and roaring, as if they were at the very limit of their patience for the feast before them. The tension before the storm was palpable; the slightest pebble could have triggered a tidal wave.

Drawing a deep breath, Wang Ji gathered his energy and shouted at the chaotic scene, “Everyone, listen to me!”

“If you want to survive, listen!” Those closest to him quieted somewhat, but seeing that it wasn’t enough, Wang Ji fired two shots into the air.

The crisp gunshots instantly stilled the crowd. At the same moment, Zhao Gang, on the other side of the camp, heard the gunfire. Worry flickered in his eyes.

Meanwhile, outside the camp, the giant gorilla, having waited nearly half an hour, was growing increasingly impatient. The sound of gunfire made its eyes narrow with murderous intent. Looking at the silhouettes atop the walls and buildings, it thumped its chest in fury.

“How dare you deceive me! I’ll slaughter every human in there!”

With a furious roar, the gorilla charged toward the school. Its body, level with the top of the wall, whipped up a whirlwind as it thundered forward.

Seeing this, Zhao Gang pressed down his anxiety and gave the order to attack.

Gunfire erupted instantly.

“If you want to live, follow directions and stay behind us—understand?!”

“In a moment—” Wang Ji didn’t even finish his sentence. Hearing the gorilla’s roar and the gunfire, he knew the time had come. The crowd had become uncontrollable.

He could only shout, “Go!”

Then, directing Xiao Liu, he charged through the gate, with Liu Shanye and the others’ vehicles following behind.

Li Chengming and Zhao Wu led their groups, doing their utmost to keep the gateway clear.

Rat-a-tat-tat—

Haizi’s heavy machine gun blazed louder than all the other guns. Standing on the roof, he shouted with excitement, never letting up on the trigger. The powerful recoil made his shout vibrate with each burst.

“They’re here! Hahaha—”

Wang Ji saw that Haizi was nearly spraying bullets into the sky. Taking advantage of a short pause after an empty magazine, Wang Ji grabbed him and roared, “Steady! Short bursts! Kill!”

Haizi nodded, adjusted his rhythm, and immediately improved his shooting efficiency.

Meanwhile, Xiao Liu in the driver’s seat was under the greatest pressure. Just a few dozen meters ahead, the mutant beasts surged forward in a line. He feared the little truck wouldn’t stand a chance and would be swallowed up by the tide.

Fortunately, Haizi’s heavy machine gun blazed with overwhelming firepower, and with a dozen vehicles following behind, the front ranks of mutant beasts were instantly mowed down, collapsing like a field of wheat.

In just a few seconds, the two sides clashed at close range. Haizi roared as he fired in short bursts at the beasts within a sixty-degree arc ahead, while Wang Ji picked off those approaching from the flanks.

Behind them, one vehicle tried to break away at high speed, leaving the cover of Wang Ji’s main firepower. Three or four young men atop it brandished AK-47s, wildly gunning down the beasts that leapt onto their car. But after only a few dozen meters, as they paused to reload, the following beasts swarmed them, their screams quickly drowned out.

With the loss of the first vehicle and Wang Ji’s line stretching ever longer from the gate, the central firepower thinned, and casualties mounted.

At the gate, Li Chengming noticed this and said to Zhao Wu, “Take care. I’m going ahead!”

With that, Li Chengming led several large vehicles, clearing the way with heavy machine guns. In one go, they charged dozens of meters, rescuing the route the beasts had nearly cut off.

Behind him, Zhao Wu could only clench his fists, his face grave. He worried even more about whether he could escape alive, having seen how terrifying these frenzied beasts truly were.

Wang Ji and his group were caught in the surging assault of the mutant beasts, and Zhao Gang’s people fared no better.

With the gorilla’s initial frenzied charge, the camp’s wall crumpled like paper. Immediately, the beast horde behind the gorilla burst in, cheering.

Realizing he’d been deceived, the gorilla, eyes bloodshot, slammed several human guards to death, then turned and charged at Zhao Gang’s position in a rage.

Behind Wang Ji’s pickup, Liu Shanye glanced around at the sea of mutant beasts. Even though he was terrified, seeing his family and children beside him, he gritted his teeth and kept the car tightly in line.

The convoy pressed forward like a battered skiff in a raging sea, Wang Ji at the prow, cutting through the waves.

He switched his rifle to single-shot mode, and with the help of the data feed on his visor, every bullet claimed a beast’s life.

With one rifle, Wang Ji matched the efficiency of Haizi’s heavy machine gun, but his mental and physical strength rapidly declined under such intense concentration.

At the same time, the X-System’s voice kept chiming in.

[Ding, primary mutant beast core detected, 2 energy points absorbed.]
[Ding, primary mutant beast core detected, 3 energy points absorbed.]
[Ding, primary mutant beast core detected, 2 energy points absorbed.]
…

Very quickly, Wang Ji’s energy points rose back to the level they’d been before he conjured the AK-47 and its ammunition, even surpassing the milestone of a thousand points.

By the time Wang Ji switched to his third magazine, the convoy’s speed had dropped to just over thirty kilometers an hour, and they found themselves surrounded on all sides.

Suddenly, behind him, Liu Shanye hammered on the horn, signaling Wang Ji.

Wang Ji agilely climbed from the window to the back of the pickup, standing beside Haizi. When he looked back, his heart sank.

The beast’s assault had severed the vehicles behind them!

In this desperate moment, Wang Ji slapped the roof.

“Xiao Liu, stop the car and help Haizi guard our position!”

“Haizi, cover the front and flanks!”

With a screech, the truck halted in the ocean of mutant beasts.

Haizi gritted his teeth, silently firing at the encroaching beasts, the barrel glowing and steaming.

Wang Ji lifted his rifle, loaded the under-barrel grenade launcher, and, with no hesitation, aimed at the beasts blocking the rear and fired.

Boom!

In an instant, blood and flesh flew, a dozen mutant beasts blown apart by the explosion.

“Awesome!” Xiao Liu, gunning down two beasts with his AK, shouted in awe as he watched Wang Ji’s display.

Wang Ji could only manage a bitter smile, leaping from the truck to Liu Shanye’s van, loading another grenade.

Each grenade cost five energy points to conjure. Every shot pained Wang Ji’s heart, and he longed to scavenge more energy from the beasts’ corpses.

Boom, boom, boom—three grenades in succession blasted open a path, reconnecting the convoy.

Those at the rear were deeply grateful to see Wang Ji risk his life to save them, shouting their thanks as they followed Liu Shanye’s van forward.

Wang Ji had no time to explain. Seeing more and more beasts noticing the stalled convoy, he signaled to Li Chengming, who was approaching from dozens of meters away.

Li Chengming had just been fretting over the convoy’s halt, but seeing Wang Ji’s signal, he shouted with excitement, “Stay close! Stay close! Machine gunners, stay alert!”

Suddenly, he noticed a disturbance among the beasts on the left. Focusing, he saw a massive wild boar, its two huge tusks gleaming in the air. Its eyes were fixed on Wang Ji, who was only twenty or thirty meters away. Slowly lowering its head, the boar began to charge.

“Wang Ji! Watch out!” Li Chengming shouted, raising his AK and firing at the boar. But its thick skin only showed faint marks, barely drawing blood.

Wang Ji, having been alerted by the X-System’s warning in his visor, had already spotted the boar. As it charged, the other beasts parted, leaving Wang Ji directly in its path.

“Damn!” Wang Ji didn’t hesitate, firing a grenade at the boar. The explosion sent dust and smoke flying, knocking nearby beasts to the ground.

But the boar only uttered a howl and, ignoring its injuries, burst through the explosion, its face now a bloody mess but undeterred.

Seeing how tough the boar was, Wang Ji cursed inwardly. Behind him lay the convoy’s only way forward—he couldn’t simply step aside.

Fortunately, though the boar was tough, speed was its weakness. After each grenade hit, it had to pause and accelerate again. This realization made Wang Ji’s eyes light up.

He shouted to the vehicles behind, “Keep moving!”

“Haizi, go! We’ll regroup outside!” Then, without looking back, Wang Ji focused all his attention on the boar.

Host: Wang Ji
Strength: 13.1
Spirit: 16
Agility: 12.6
Stamina: 57/100
Status: Good
Energy Points: 1037

He glanced at his status, popped a stamina-recovery chocolate, and charged alone into the beasts, drawing the boar’s attention away.

“Come on. Let’s see what you’ve got.” At this moment, Wang Ji was filled with heroic spirit, like a warrior from ancient times cutting down foes amidst thousands.

He conjured ten grenades, using his speed to pound the boar until it was covered in blood, luring it dozens of meters off the road.

Watching Wang Ji’s fearless assault, Li Chengming understood his intentions. With tears in his eyes behind his visor, he pounded his chest in salute to the lone figure fighting and weaving among the beasts.

“Everyone, keep charging forward!”