僵尸觉醒：从行尸走肉到传奇

第5章 无尽尸海

"What's your name, friend?" Lion was the first to break the silence, turning to Nathan Yang and ignoring Hound's sullen expression.

"Nathan! But you can call me Young!" Nathan glanced around at the mercenaries, his hand instinctively brushing against his knife. There was a saying that held true no matter the world or circumstances: the most dangerous threat is always other humans.

"And you are...?" Lion asked, still curious.

"Sorry... I..." Nathan forced a bitter smile and shook his head. What could he say? That he had traveled from another world? No one would believe him!

"Hm?"

"I can't remember my past... I only know my name is Nathan." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I see..." Lion frowned, then pressed on. "Do you know why the zombies suddenly disappeared?"

"I'm not sure either... Over the past few days, those cursed things started disappearing, until now, when they've vanished completely. I think it's connected to that night when the entire city echoed with zombie howls."

"You heard the howling that night too?" Lion's frown deepened. "Of course, you were in the city. There's no way you could have missed it..."

"Boss! We've got a situation!" Suddenly, a voice crackled urgently over the radio, interrupting the conversation.

"What's happening?" Lion asked.

"They're coming! They know where we are! They're converging on us from all sides! Damn it! We're surrounded!" The voice over the radio was filled with panic.

"You...?" Nathan started to ask about their mission but was abruptly pulled by Lion.

"Get in the car! If we don't move fast, you'll be one of them soon!" Lion pushed Nathan toward Snow Leopard. "Take him with you! We need to get out of here now!"

The mercenaries' faces were grim as they quickly piled into the cars. Nathan joined them, speeding away from the scene.

For about ten minutes, the cars roared down the empty streets. But what Nathan saw next left him completely stunned. What had been an eerily empty street was now filled with staggering figures. The zombies, which had seemingly vanished, were now pouring back into the city from all directions. Though still far away, the sheer number of them was terrifying. There was no doubt—they were trying to trap Nathan and the mercenaries.

"When did they become this smart?" Nathan's face grew grim. If these mindless zombies had gained intelligence, they would become a nightmare to deal with.

"It's not them... it's him!" Snow Leopard floored the gas pedal, keeping pace with the other cars. He nodded toward a distant skyscraper.

Nathan looked up, squinting, and the moment he saw the figure atop the building, his pupils dilated in shock. A wave of disbelief washed over him, far more intense than the sight of the endless sea of zombies.

It was the giant boss zombie from the game!?

For the first time since arriving in this world, Nathan saw a character straight from the game! Standing nearly two meters tall, with needle-like pupils, a blood-soaked body, and long, dark green hair, the boss zombie stood out among the hordes. It was unmistakably one of the bosses from the game's apocalyptic world!

The towering zombie stood proudly atop the skyscraper, as if surveying the city below. Then it let out a deafening roar, filled with boundless malice and killing intent.

"Roar~ Roar~"

"Screech... Roar!"

"Aaaahhhh~"

One after another, just like that terrifying night, deep, frenzied howls echoed across the city. Like a tidal wave, the cries built into a crescendo as the zombie hordes surged toward the three speeding cars.

The scene was utterly overwhelming. When Nathan had faced the zombie howls alone in the night, it had been terrifying enough. But now, he found himself at the very center of the storm. Waves of zombies, each radiating bloodlust and murderous intent, were rushing at him from all sides. Having only killed a few zombies before, Nathan's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"We've been hunting that thing for a while now. That's why we're here. It's escaped us at least four times! And each time it escapes, it comes back stronger! Clearly, we've pissed it off now, and the roles of hunter and prey have reversed..." Snow Leopard said grimly, shooting Nathan a glance with a smirk. "Rookie, you're unlucky... you probably weren't even on its hit list before."

"Damn it! You cursed mercenaries! I'm going to die because of you!" Nathan gripped his knife so tightly that his fingers turned white.

"Listen, kid, I get how you're feeling, but complaining won't help. Maybe there's one way you can save yourself," Snow Leopard, typically silent, finally spoke up.

"What is it?" Nathan asked, glancing at the hardened mercenary, a sliver of hope creeping into his voice.

"Pray to that old bastard, God!"

"Pray?"

"Yeah! Pray! It's the only thing a rookie like you can do, isn't it? Or maybe... you could pick up that gun and send these zombies straight to God so he can find out what it's like to get bitten," Snow Leopard sneered, but his sharp eyes never left Nathan, watching him closely.

"Bzzzz..." A loud buzzing sound suddenly filled the air. Nathan saw someone standing on top of one of the cars ahead, manning a vehicle-mounted machine gun. The barrel spat long streams of fire, cutting down the waves of zombies as they charged forward.

In minutes, the speeding cars made contact with the leading edge of the zombie horde.

"Boss! This is their weakest point! These damn things are slow-moving. We can outrun them before they completely surround us!" Silver Fox's voice boomed over the radio.

"Yeah, but there are so many of them! You lose one layer, and there's another! Damn that No. 1 zombie (the green-haired zombie, also known as the Mother)!" Lion growled, slamming the dashboard. He slapped the backseat and yelled, "Hound! Save your ammo! We need to survive this, not burn through all our bullets!"

"Got it, boss!" Hound grunted, easing off the trigger, slowing the machine gun's relentless barrage.

...

"You guys are going to make it out of here... right?" Nathan asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice. "You're good at hunting, so you must be good at avoiding being hunted... right?"

"Haha... Rookie, that tone of yours takes me back! It's been a long time since anyone spoke with such hope. I was just like that when I started out—full of dreams and optimism!" Black Bear, one of the mercenaries, laughed from the back seat.

"Shut up, you fool!" Nathan snapped, then turned to Snow Leopard. "Give me a gun!"

"Here you go, kid. Need me to show you how to load a round or change the magazine?" Black Bear's mockery died instantly as he watched Nathan expertly check and prepare the MA41 rifle with lightning-fast precision. Even the battle-hardened Black Bear was left speechless.

"Oh... my God..." Black Bear muttered, staring in awe at Nathan, who seemed to radiate a newfound intensity. "Maybe before you lost your memory, we were in the same line of work!?"

Snow Leopard glanced back at Nathan, who now handled the rifle with the ease of a veteran. A glint of recognition flashed in his eyes...