NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 27: Nightfall of Despair
Night had settled over the Zhang family stronghold. Despite the momentous events of the day – the successful merger with another colony, the arrival of new members, and most importantly, Zhang Ye’s ascension to Level 2 Awakened – an air of tension lingered. The celebratory feast had been a subdued affair, with everyone keenly aware of the lurking dangers beyond the walls.
"Necessary precautions," Zhang Ye muttered, his voice heavy with concern as he stood by the window, staring into the night. Inside the room, a somber mood filled the space. Wang Xiong, Li Zitong, Zhang Chengcheng, Zhang Lixin, and Dr. Meng Jie sat together, their expressions reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Dr. Meng Jie was the first to speak, her voice tinged with apprehension. "Research has confirmed that Awakened individuals, especially those at higher levels, are highly attractive to evolved zombies. Even Level 1 Awakened are actively hunted by giant zombies. We don’t know how much more dangerous the allure of a Level 2 Awakened is, but we can assume it's significant."
Zhang Ye nodded, his face grim. "Without a doubt. And while we haven't encountered one yet," he added, his voice laced with quiet dread, "I’m sure Level 2, or even more powerful, evolved zombies exist within Nanxiang City. If my presence draws zombies of that caliber, we could be in serious trouble."
A heavy silence filled the room. The most perceptive members – Dr. Meng Jie, Zhang Ye, and Zhang Chengcheng – understood the precarious position humanity was in. Both zombies and humans were evolving, but the balance was far from even. Zombies evolved to hunt the living, while Awakened individuals were forced to hunt zombies to grow stronger. The system seemed designed to favor the undead, especially with the brutal requirement of collecting ten corpse crystals of the same level to advance. The upper limit for humans seemed far more restricted than for evolved zombies.
The upper limit was low. The future looked bleak.
As night deepened, sleep eluded Zhang Ye and his companions. Vigilance was paramount. Each person took their place at the defensive positions, peering into the darkness, knowing that danger could strike at any moment.
The silence of the night was abruptly shattered by a sharp whistle. In the distance, a low rumbling began, growing louder with every passing second. The sound reverberated ominously through the night. Then, with a click, the floodlights around the stronghold blazed to life, illuminating the area with harsh, artificial light.
A piercing scream rang out from the lookout post, slicing through the tension like a blade.
"A horde! It's a horde!"
The scream was cut short. Panic erupted as those near the sentry tower craned their necks, trying to see what had happened. The lookout was gone—vanished without a trace. Li Zitong, who stood closest, froze in place, his eyes wide with terror.
He had seen it. A shadow, faster than anything he’d witnessed before, had lunged from the darkness, entering the sentry tower in the blink of an eye. Both the lookout and the shadow had disappeared in an instant as if swallowed by the night itself. Li Zitong's heart pounded in his chest, and a cold realization washed over him.
"An evolved zombie."
A higher-level evolved zombie.
His mind screamed with panic, but before he could warn the others, the approaching zombie horde took precedence. The sheer number of them was staggering, dwarfing any individual threat.
Suddenly, the night was filled with the sound of snapping wires – the zombies were triggering the traps placed around the perimeter. Then, without warning, a thunderous roar echoed across the stronghold. Just ten seconds after the lookout had vanished, a massive force slammed into the main gate.
The first zombie hit the iron gate with immense power, its skull shattering on impact, splattering blood and gore. But the defenders didn’t have time to breathe. More zombies followed, crashing into the gate one after another, their bodies piling up against the metal as it groaned under the relentless pressure.
It wasn’t just the gate. The three-meter-high walls surrounding the stronghold, which were meant to keep the undead at bay, were no longer a deterrent. The zombies, with strength and agility far beyond that of any human, sprinted toward the wall. With shocking ease, they leaped up, grabbing hold of the ledge.
Dozens of pallid hands gripped the top of the wall, and with terrifying coordination, zombie heads appeared over the edge, their eyes glowing with an insatiable hunger. They began scaling down, their primal instinct to feed driving them forward. Without the need for a leader, the horde moved like a wave, flowing over the wall and into the stronghold.
A cry of despair echoed from somewhere in the stronghold.
Zhang Ye stood frozen, horror washing over him as he took in the scene. He had always known the walls weren’t impenetrable, but he had believed they would buy time. Now, that illusion had been shattered. The wall that had represented safety was nothing more than a minor obstacle for the horde.
"Run!" Zhang Ye roared, his voice thick with desperation. It had been only a minute since the attack began, but already, their defenses were crumbling.
Inside, Wang Xiong, Zhang Lixin, and Dr. Meng Jie exchanged stunned glances.
"How is this happening so fast?" Wang Xiong muttered, his voice laced with disbelief.
The speed of the stronghold’s collapse was staggering. The survivors had believed the walls, the Awakened protectors, and their supplies made them secure. But those same walls had fostered a false sense of invincibility, an illusion shattered in mere moments. Most of the survivors were too stunned to react, their minds still grappling with the impossibility of their situation.
Outside the walls, the reality was clear. There was no escape. Running would be futile, with the undead surrounding them. Even for the Awakened, survival seemed impossible in the face of such overwhelming numbers.
When Wang Xiong, Zhang Lixin, and Dr. Meng Jie emerged from the building, the scene in the courtyard was pure chaos. Zombies swarmed over the walls, descending upon the three small buildings, attacking anyone they could reach. Some survivors fought back, others ran, and the screams from within the buildings echoed through the night.
Zhang Chengcheng led a small group, huddled against the wall, attempting to fight off the advancing undead. But it was clear they were outmatched.
A wave of anger and helplessness surged through Wang Xiong. The walls, once a symbol of security, had become a trap. The stronghold, which had seemed like a sanctuary, was now nothing more than a death trap. All the hope they had built, all the dreams of survival, had collapsed in an instant.
The sound of approaching footsteps broke through his despair. Zhang Ye appeared, stepping forward to stand at the front of the group. His face was set with grim determination.
"Follow me!" Zhang Ye shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We fight our way out!"
End of Chapter 27