Chapter 123: Chapter 111: Don’t Leave Me Behind

Lex Cross’s group sped down the access tunnel to the air transit station, reaching the main gate in ten minutes.

The Phoenix City air transit station was situated on its own between the urban center and the suburbs, not entirely within the city itself. The main gate of the station was connected directly to this dedicated access tunnel. The tunnel was flanked on both sides by the city’s moat, the Phoenix River, which served as a barrier between Phoenix City and the station.

This conveniently formed a natural defensive barrier.

However, when Lex Cross and his group reached the station entrance, the mechanical metal gate was sealed shut. To the side was an electronic keypad that required a special password or facial scan for entry. Otherwise, it could only be opened by someone on the inside.

If Oscar Owen’s group had arrived first, they would have been trapped, unable to open the gate—a death sentence. Without the password or someone inside to open it, the massive metal gate was impossible to breach with brute force.

Even if they did break it, the gate would lose all defensive purpose. Recalling the sea of zombies they had seen when turning into the tunnel, even Lex Cross and his team felt a knot of anxiety.

Lex Cross walked to the gate and activated the electronic keypad. He typed in a long string of numbers and pressed confirm.

The heavy metal gate slowly rose. The group returned to their vehicles and drove inside the air transit station.

"Boss, there was another car behind us on the way here. Should we wait for them?" The words were barely out of Five’s mouth when a minivan sped toward the gate. The front passenger window was rolled all the way down, and someone inside was yelling at them.

"Don’t close the gate! Wait for us!"

Five and the others looked over, and their hearts jumped into their throats.

Damn. The van was speeding down the tunnel toward the gate, but behind it, a crushing horde of zombies stretched from its bumper all the way back to the tunnel’s entrance, out of sight, swallowing every inch of ground. It was the spitting image of a zombie army laying siege to a city.

Five went to the gate controls, ready to slam it shut the instant the vehicle was through.

The moment the minivan shot into the station, just as Five slammed the button to lower the gate, a red-haired figure leaped like a phantom onto the vehicle’s roof, riding it into the compound.

Seeing this, all thirteen members of Lex Cross’s team disembarked. As they did, The Crown Prince and Lynx vanished, maneuvering into a concealed position behind the red-haired monster, ready to assassinate it.

Lex Cross stared at the red-haired monster on the roof of the minivan. Except for her frighteningly pale skin, her form was almost perfectly human. He identified her as a Middle Level zombie at first glance.

When the red-haired female zombie saw Lex Cross’s group surrounding her, she froze for a moment. Then, locking onto the people inside the vehicle beneath her, she plunged her claws downward, resorting to her old trick of gouging out her victims’ brains.

However, the instant her hand pierced the sheet-metal roof, a lightning net materialized out of thin air and enveloped her.

The raw, explosive power of the lightning crackled within the net, instantly paralyzing her and leaving scorched marks on her unnaturally pale face. The stench of half-cooked, rotting flesh wafted from her, making everyone nearby wrinkle their noses.

The lightning coursed from the net, through her body, and into the van’s metal roof, arcing back into her again and again. Her once-smooth, taut facial skin began to crack, revealing the putrid, rotting flesh beneath. Her human-like features vanished, replaced by the ugly visage of a true zombie.

Noticing its own transformation, the Middle Level zombie cringed in fear. Zombies above the Middle Level possessed considerable intelligence. Having just evolved, it knew instinctively that the lightning net had come from the tallest man in the group.

The zombie feigned a leap from the roof, as if to pounce on Lex Cross. Instantly, a series of lightning bolts struck the trajectory it would have taken. But in full view of everyone, it suddenly sprang back onto the minivan, stomping a large crater in the roof. Then, with the agility of a monkey, it leaped onto the station’s perimeter fence and scrambled over the main gate.

Perched on the fence, the Middle Level zombie seemed wary of Lex Cross, yet it craned its neck, unwilling to give up, watching their every move. It appeared to be waiting for the prey inside the van to emerge, hoping to hunt a weaker target.

Ordinary human flesh was a tasty meal, but it offered no real benefits. The flesh of a superpower user, however, was different. Eating it was like consuming the Crystal Core of another zombie—it replenished energy and fueled its evolution.

The group, who had braced for an unavoidable battle, collectively sighed in relief when the red-haired monster leaped over the fence. Only Lex Cross remained focused. He walked to a control box beside the gate, flipped open its cover, typed a string of incomprehensible characters onto the electronic screen, and pressed a button.

A BZZZZT sound erupted from the station’s fence and gate.

With a shrill SCREECH, the red-haired monster was thrown from the fence as if electrocuted, then vanished from sight.

"Let’s go. To the runway. We need to leave as soon as possible."

The appearance of the Middle Level zombie unsettled Lex Cross. He activated his satellite positioning system to view a real-time map of Phoenix City.

All the zombies in Phoenix City had surfaced and were converging on the air transit station as if drawn by some summons. And they were moving incredibly fast.

’A Middle Level zombie,’ Lex thought, ’Phoenix City actually has a Middle Level zombie. I didn’t expect this. For a city as small as Phoenix City to produce a Middle Level zombie... it must be at least Middle Level, Rank 1. What about the larger, more populous cities? Will there be more of them? Or even stronger, High-level types?’

Flora Bloom’s image suddenly flashed through his mind. ’That night, the zombie bull was only Level 3, and even we struggled to defeat it. She’s going to Morhaven, a city with a massive population... if she runs into a High-level zombie, how will she survive?’

’My Thunder Element has already surpassed Level 3 and is extremely effective against most monsters and zombies, yet it only forced that Middle Level zombie to retreat. The zombie was wary of my lightning, but only wary. If it had fought to the death... the outcome would have been uncertain.’

’Even though she has her spatial ability, I’m not by her side. I can’t help but worry.’

Tianna Bloom, Micah, and Mervin Warren got out of the military vehicle.

"Wait, Officer."

Oscar Owen emerged from the minivan, supporting Lianne Kendall. Sasha Gable, Leigh Atwood, and Luna Thorne followed him out. Inside, Rhea Thornton was still huddled in her seat, hugging her knees with her eyes shut. Her eyelids, however, were twitching furiously, and the trembling that had wracked her body earlier had stopped.

"Can you take us with you?"

"Mervin Warren, what are you doing here?" Leigh Atwood asked, her voice laced with anxiety when she spotted him, immediately assuming something had happened to Flora. "Where’s Flora Bloom? How is she? Is she all right?"

"Teacher Atwood, don’t worry, Flora is fine," Mervin replied. "She and her family are headed to Morhaven, so I’m with Captain Cross’s group, getting ready to return to Argent. What about you all? How did you end up in such a mess?"

"Let’s not talk about it. It’s a long story," Luna Thorne cut in. "You’re going to Argent? How? Can you take us with you?" Though she addressed Mervin Warren, her eyes were fixed on Lex Cross.

Lex Cross spared a brief, expressionless glance at the two women reminiscing with Mervin Warren. "Keep up," he said.

Tianna Bloom, who had just gotten out of her vehicle, saw Luna Thorne and Leigh Atwood standing so close to Lex Cross, and her face immediately darkened. She’d thought she was the only woman on this trip who had a chance with him; everything was perfectly arranged, and all she had to do was get on the plane.

’Leigh Atwood wasn’t a problem,’ she thought. ’Sure, she has a nice figure, but she’s much older than Lex Cross. No threat. But this Luna Thorne... she’s young and pretty. And from what they were saying, it sounds like both of them are good friends with Flora Bloom.’

Their arrival instantly put her on high alert. Tianna put on an act and deliberately squeezed between Lex Cross and Luna Thorne. She looked at Luna and said, "I’m Flora Bloom’s sister. My little sister is doing just fine, so you don’t need to worry about her."

But just then, a woman’s voice called out from the minivan, "Wait! Don’t leave me."

Rhea Thornton had come to. She stumbled out of the van, looking so frail and fragile she seemed pitiable. Though weak, a single glance was all she needed to identify who held the most authority in the group.

Watching yet another woman approach Lex Cross, Tianna Bloom ground her teeth in frustration. ’Another one?’

The two groups merged into one and headed toward the airfield runway.