「Ten minutes later.」

Long Ming and Johnny’s group of five reached the ground floor.

They cautiously poked their heads out to look around. Seeing no Corpse Monsters, they snuck out of Inpatient Building 5 and headed for the hospital’s back entrance.

But just as they reached the entrance, they ran into a Corpse Monster that had been separated from the horde. It didn’t look very bright.

"A Corpse Monster!"

Wu Qing took a few fearful steps back.

Johnny and the others quickly pulled out their crowbars and other weapons, all extremely tense, but none of them dared to advance.

"Aargh!"

The Corpse Monster bared its teeth and staggered toward Long Ming’s group.

"Give me the crowbar!"

Long Ming calmly held out his hand to Johnny.

"Ah, okay!"

Johnny reflexively handed the crowbar to Long Ming.

Long Ming swung the crowbar like a baseball bat, aiming a precise strike at the head of the lunging Corpse Monster.

THWACK!

A hole instantly appeared in the Corpse Monster’s head, and it swayed before collapsing.

Johnny and the others stared wide-eyed at the scene, completely stunned.

"Bro, you’re that badass?"

"Isn’t this just basic procedure?"

Long Ming looked at Johnny, confused.

"Boss, that’s a bit of a humblebrag."

"How is that basic procedure? We’re doing well if we don’t just turn and run at the sight of these monsters!"

"Yeah, if we had that kind of nerve, we would’ve joined a combat squad ages ago."

...

Johnny and the others replied with wry smiles.

"Right. Let’s go."

Hearing what Johnny and the others said, Long Ming finally understood.

Many people who ended up in teams like the Rat Group weren’t just there because they couldn’t afford equipment; more importantly, they lacked the mental fortitude. After all, this game was just too realistic.

"Okay."

Johnny and the others quickly nodded.

...

Meanwhile, Mira and her group were being relentlessly pursued by a horde of Corpse Monsters, forcing them to constantly shoot down the ones that charged at them.

"Captain Mira, we can’t keep this up! We’ve strayed from our retreat route," Liang Feng said anxiously to Mira.

"I know! First, we need to find a way to lose this horde. Otherwise, it won’t matter even if we make it to the extraction point!"

Mira was also furious. These Corpse Monsters were sticking to them like glue.

"Understood!"

Liang Feng nodded.

At that moment, in the lobby of a dilapidated hotel.

A burly, muscular man wearing a bulletproof vest and gray combat fatigues, with a thick beard and a blood-red cross tattooed on his neck, sat on a soft leather sofa, taking a huge swig from a bottle of hard liquor in his hand.

"Fuck!"

"Lord Ferenc, is this liquor not to your liking? Shall I get you another bottle?" a man with shifty eyes, yellow-stained teeth, and black combat fatigues asked respectfully.

"No need. I’m in a bad mood because I haven’t had my fill!"

Ferenc looked extremely agitated, like a hungry beast.

Although their scavenging haul had been decent, after accounting for their expenses, there wasn’t much left.

"I understand, Lord Ferenc, but the fog is getting thicker and the number of monsters is surging. If we delay for too long, our situation will become very dangerous."

Bair patiently explained to Ferenc.

"I know."

Ferenc knew Bair was right, but he was still extremely pissed off.

But just then, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly rang out.

Ferenc shot to his feet the moment he heard it.

Bair and the others were startled, looking at Ferenc in astonishment.

"My lord, what’s wrong?"

"Did you hear the gunfire?"

"We did. And it sounds like it’s getting louder."

"Let’s go check it out!"

A sharp glint flashed in Ferenc’s eyes. He led his men out of the ruined hotel, moving quickly toward the source of the gunfire.

...

「A moment later.」

Ferenc and his men were lying prone on the roof of a five-story residential building, gazing into the distance.

They soon spotted Mira’s group being chased by the horde of Corpse Monsters.

"Wow, what a large group. Looks like there are over two hundred of them," Bair said to Ferenc in astonishment.

Ferenc didn’t answer Bair. Instead, he stared at Xiaoqi and the other members of the Rat Group, a greedy look spreading across his face.

When Bair saw Ferenc’s expression, his heart sank. He knew what Ferenc was thinking without having to ask—he had clearly set his sights on this group. He asked cautiously,

"My lord, you’re not thinking of... devouring them, are you?"

"That’s right. When you’re hungry, you have to eat."

"My lord, they have at least seventy or eighty combatants. We only have a little over forty. I’m afraid we can’t bite off that much!" Bair reminded him with some concern.

"Not necessarily."

Ferenc flashed a savage grin.

"My lord, you have a plan?"

"All warfare is based on deception. Just because we have fewer numbers doesn’t mean we can’t deal with them. Aren’t they being chased by a horde of Corpse Monsters? That’s our greatest asset. As long as we trip them up and break their formation, won’t the horde become our best teammates?"

"Brilliant, my lord!"

Bair praised him respectfully.

"Enough. Tell everyone to prepare for an ambush!"

Ferenc raised his rifle and gave the order, his voice filled with excitement.

...

「Not long after.」

Mira and her team covered the Rat Group as they retreated into a dense residential area.

At this point, some of the heavily-laden members of the Rat Group couldn’t run anymore and just plopped down onto the ground.

"I can’t go on."

"Me neither."

...

Seeing this, Xiaoqi quickly reported to Mira.

"Sister Mira, the people below can’t run anymore."

Mira glanced back. They had managed to put some distance between themselves and the horde, so she issued an order.

"All Rat Group members, rest here for one minute! Combatants, keep your eyes on the horde!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

Cao Jie and the others replied in unison.

Upon hearing the order, the numerous members of the Rat Group all sat down on the ground or leaned against the walls of nearby buildings to catch their breath.

"I’m dead tired."

"Such fucking bad luck. Running into a horde at a time like this... I’m about to run myself into the ground."

"Enough talk. Just rest while you can."

...

Just as everyone was complaining,

dark gun barrels emerged one by one from the windows of the residential building to their left.

A young woman happened to glance over and immediately screamed in terror,

"Enemies!"

Everyone froze for a second. In the next instant,

BANG! BANG!

a dense hail of bullets suddenly rained down on Mira and her group.

AARGH!

In an instant, four combatants and seven members of the Rat Group were hit, crying out in pain as they fell to the ground.

"Damn it, an ambush!"

Cao Jie and the others shouted in horror.

"Quick, find cover!"

Mira’s expression changed drastically as she immediately commanded everyone.

Everyone scrambled for the dilapidated residential buildings nearby, using them as temporary cover before quickly returning fire.

The two sides exchanged continuous gunfire.

At this moment, the horde of Corpse Monsters behind Mira’s group also caught up.

Seeing this, Liang Feng and the others immediately turned their guns and desperately fired at the pursuing Corpse Monsters, but there were too many to kill!

Most importantly, their ammunition was limited and extremely expensive. If they kept fighting like this, they would definitely go bankrupt.

"Sister Mira, the horde has caught up! We’re being pincered!"

"At this rate, they’ll wear us down until we’re all dead!"

...

Cao Jie and the others anxiously called out to Mira.