Chapter 290: Chapter 290: New Mutated Zombie

Although they had killed 700,000 Zombies, the horde’s numbers hadn’t dropped too drastically because more were constantly pouring in to join it.

Still, the numbers had fallen from the initial 1.8 million to around 1.3 million.

But the number of reinforcements was far lower than their kill count. If they could maintain this rate of slaughter, they would only need to hold out for another hour and a half at most to claim victory.

After all, they didn’t necessarily have to kill every last one. Once only two or three hundred thousand remained, the horde would likely break and scatter.

Just as everything seemed to be heading in the right direction, an observer rushed into the conference room. "Sir, there’s unusual activity from the Mutated Zombie swarm."

Upon hearing the observer’s report, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly grew tense.

"Give me the details." Lin Xinghai’s expression remained calm. He had long anticipated that the Mutated Zombies would make a move.

In fact, he felt they were lucky the enemy was only making a move now.

"Observation Team 1 spotted a new Mutated Zombie approaching two minutes ago," the observer said.

Hearing this, the others in the room exchanged strange looks.

On one hand, the arrival of just one more Mutated Zombie was certainly good news.

On the other, it felt a bit like the Mutated Zombie swarm was looking down on them.

"Alright, we get it. Continue your observation," Zhang Yue said.

Lin Xinghai, however, noticed that the observer’s expression remained grave.

Before he could ask, the observer spoke up. "Sir, although it’s only one Mutated Zombie, we don’t know what kind it is."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yue frowned.

"Er... we couldn’t identify what kind of Mutated Zombie it is," the observer said.

"Did you check it against the database files?" This time, it was Lin Xinghai who spoke. He was already realizing this matter might not be so simple.

"We’ve already run a comparison on our personal terminals. We found no record of this type of Mutated Zombie in the database."

"Of course, the databases on our personal terminals aren’t exactly complete; they’re missing some critical information. So we’ve already submitted the image data to the strategy department to check if the main Military Department database has any data on that Mutated Zombie," the observer replied dutifully.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense once more. This time, no one spoke. They all waited in silence.

And they didn’t have to wait long for a response from the strategy department. Just one minute later, the information came back.

Not only did the observation team receive a reply, but Zhang Yue also received the intel. At the very top was a symbol indicating danger.

Seeing this symbol, Zhang Yue’s heart sank. Without hesitation, he began to read, simultaneously activating his wrist-computer’s projection function so the others could see as well.

Lin Xinghai quickly scanned the contents of the report, his pupils constricting slightly. This newly emerged Mutated Zombie was called a "Spray Zombie."

It was a variant of the "Spitter"—an extremely rare one. No one at Star Shield Shelter, neither the military nor the Mercenary Corps, had ever encountered one before.

The only reason they had any information on this type of Mutated Zombie was because the neighboring Skytop Shelter had encountered one during a past horde.

...

Five minutes later, the group ascended to the top floor of this outpost, gazing toward the distant horde.

Even from three kilometers away, they could faintly see a cloud of green toxic mist that had appeared in the distance. Moreover, this cloud was spreading at an astonishing speed.

Lin Xinghai recalled the details from the report, his expression helpless.

The abilities of this "Spray Zombie" were very similar to those of a "Spitter."

The toxic mist it spewed also had the ability to enhance Zombies. Of course, the buff wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the Spitter’s venom, only increasing a Zombie’s physical strength by 30% at most.

As for its offensive capabilities, the mist was also somewhat corrosive. Prolonged contact would cause the skin to ulcerate, and direct inhalation would lead to a swift death.

But these weren’t actually the major problems. The breathing issue could be solved by wearing a gas mask, and "prolonged contact" referred to exposure measured in days.

So, based on these two points alone, the "Spray Zombie" was even less of a threat than a "Spitter."

In fact, if a "Spray Zombie" were to appear on its own, that would be true.

But there was a reason this Spray Zombie was marked with a danger symbol—it had its own terrifying aspects.

Specifically, the "Spray Zombie’s" toxic mist could spread over a massive area. If it spewed out all the mist stored in its body, it could cover a radius of nearly ten kilometers.

During a full-blown horde outbreak like this, the appearance of a "Spray Zombie" was practically a game-breaking bug.

If its toxic mist covered a ten-kilometer area, it could buff at least 500,000 Zombies.

And its toxic mist would directly affect dozens of outposts. Fighting while wearing a gas mask would inevitably affect a soldier’s shooting accuracy.

Moreover, the green toxic mist would also severely obstruct their line of sight, making it even more difficult to shoot.

With the enemy buffed and their own forces hampered, the human defense line could be in serious trouble.

What worried Lin Xinghai even more was the possibility that the other Mutated Zombies might use the green toxic mist as cover to attack the defense line.

If that happened, it would be a true disaster.

After receiving the intel on the "Spray Zombie" in the conference room, they had discussed it for five minutes without coming up with any good countermeasures. That’s why they had all come to the top floor of the outpost.

The group had intended to observe the situation firsthand to see if they could come up with a better solution.

However, as they watched the roiling green toxic mist in the distance expand at a visible rate, their hearts sank. The Zombies charging out from within it all had bloodthirsty eyes and moved a great deal faster than the others.

"This won’t do. We have to take action," Lin Xinghai said slowly after a long silence. "If we do nothing, even if the other Mutated Zombies don’t attack, just letting this toxic mist spread will massively increase the pressure on the defense line."

"Even if we can hold on for now, our casualty rate will skyrocket. If the Combat Robots at any given outpost are depleted, and the Military Department has no reserves to send in, the entire defense line could end up collapsing."

"We know all that. We’re trying to think of a solution..."

As Zhang Yue spoke, his eyes widened, and he asked expectantly, "Captain Lin, don’t tell me you’ve thought of something?"