CONNECT: Rise Of The Undead King

As the cops engaged with their attackers, they realized they weren't like Uche—they were just ordinary humans. That gave them a little confidence that they might get out alive.

They had killed many of them in the short time since the assault began, though the cops had also lost many of their own men. The attackers disregarded the art of taking cover; they only attacked, firing directly while also throwing grenades. That was why the cops were able to kill so many of them—ironically, it was even the grenades that killed some of the cops.

"Reloading, cover me!"

One of the cops shouted as he quickly took cover to reload his rifle.

The real problem was that their attackers were closing the distance within seconds, advancing as they fired nonstop. Not only were the cops outnumbered, even after killing a notable amount, but they were also trapped.

The raging inferno behind them was already dying down, but retreating would cost too many lives—and they were running out of time.

"Keep firing!"

Sergeant Kim shouted, his breath heavy as he sniped another man down.

One advantage the cops had were the snipers among them. They were doing an excellent job—the attackers couldn't take proper aim, only firing blindly, while the snipers picked them off one by one. There were only a few of these snipers, and Sergeant Kim was among them, switching between assault and sniping.

All of a sudden, they heard the sound of bullets going off behind them—nonstop and coordinated.

"What's going on?"

Inspector Ray shouted hastily, his voice barely audible. He threw a quick glance behind him and saw people firing at the third van in front of the dying inferno.

"They're Squad 6 and 7. Seems some of them survived," he said with a slight smile, then turned back to face the reality in front of him.

"Is Snowflake awake?"

Sergeant Kim asked firmly, not moving his eyes from his scope as he lay behind the van they had taken cover in. The van itself had been reduced to metal scraps, barely holding together.

"I think they're fighting him. Can that thing really be killed?"

Inspector Ray asked, fear creeping into his tone. They all knew they were dead meat if Uche woke up and attacked from behind.

"Even if we can't kill him, we should at least finish off his gang before he fully wakes. We can't let him escape," Sergeant Kim replied after sniping another man down.

A few minutes later, the gunfire behind them died down all at once, replaced by a terrifying scream:

"Run! Run! We can't stop him! He's a demon!"

The cry tore through the short silence.

Both Sergeant Kim and Inspector Ray turned instantly and saw cops running toward them, their expressions grim. Far behind them was Uche, barely recognizable. His entire body was covered in blood—his own blood. His hair stood tall in an oppressive manner, his muscles taut as he pinned down one of the unfortunate cops, sinking his fangs into his neck and draining him dry.

Sergeant Kim shivered as he watched Uche consume his men.

"Monster... he's a monster! Explode the van, now!"

He shouted, and immediately the van exploded. Metal flew everywhere, and the dead cops were blasted away, some consumed by fire—Uche among them.

"That... that cannot kill him,"

Inspector Ray said, his voice shaky.

"It'll at least buy us some time to finish these people off,"

Sergeant Kim replied. Then he turned to the surviving officers from the last two squads.

"Some of you keep an eye on him. Bring him out when the fire dies down and restrain him. The rest, join us to take down his men."

Several minutes later, the night sky had completely devoured the remnants of the sun. The battlefield was shrouded in darkness, the dying flames of the assault dancing around and casting somber shadows.

The battle had also ended. Silence covered the field, broken only by the faint cries of the survivors' heavy hearts.

Somehow, the cops had survived. Not only survived—they had won.

They had successfully annihilated their attackers, though only a few of them remained. Fewer than a couple dozen cops were left alive, but they were thankful that the attackers had failed in their mission.

"Don't celebrate yet,"

Sergeant Kim said as he struggled to his feet, using his gun for support.

The fight had grown more intense once the attackers closed the distance, killing many in the process. The cops realized the enemy wasn't there to kill them all, but to save Uche. They did everything they could to hold the line and prevent that.

It all ended in close range, leaving the snipers useless. Everyone had switched to assault, and many died in the process. Still, they won—even without backup.

"The battle hasn't ended. The real threat is behind us,"

Sergeant Kim's voice brought them back to reality.

"Snowflake isn't dead yet. His body's over there. Let's get him and leave immediately."

It had taken too long for the flames to die down, and the team assigned to recover his body never got the chance—until now.

"Sir, we found nothing,"

One of the officers reported as he emerged from the burnt van.

"Same here, we can't find his body,"

Another said, walking away from the gathered corpses of their dead comrades.

"How? The explosion hit him,"

Inspector Ray said, peering from behind the separated door of the van.

"Damn... it's one of two things,"

Sergeant Kim muttered, his hands shaking.

"Either they accomplished their mission by getting him away from behind... or he woke up and fled while we were fighting."

He stared blankly into the air.

"We failed again,"

Inspector Ray said dejectedly.

"Let's get out of here and report to headquarters."

---

Unbeknownst to them, while they were fighting for their lives, a figure had emerged from the raging inferno—walking through it as if it were mere dust. That figure took Uche away... and vanished.