NOVEL WEB Chapter 666: Last Hour
The remaining soldiers quickly loaded up.
The Stormbreaker, though scorched and damaged, could still move. Soon, their APC hatches clanged shut, and the Hellfire Gunner Truck started belching smoke as it revved in preparation.
The Recon bikes also circled the perimeter. Using their cloaking fields, they were able to deal with low-tier Zombies and ensure that their path was cleared.
Still, as the convoy began its slow trek toward the Eclipse Domain, their spirits were high with victory against the Zombie Lords…
Ibrahim had even started the distribution of rewards…
Unfortunately, the optimism was short-lived.
A scout's voice came through the comms.
"Movement ahead. Massive horde. Repeat—massive. Zombie Type: Crusher Class."
Ibrahim's expression darkened. "Crusher Zombies?! Damn it. How many?"
Crusher Zombies are considered mid-tier Zombies, but they were reaching the level of high-tier Zombies because of their toughness and destructive ability.
The only saving grace was the fact that they moved slower than normal Zombies... Still, they weren't opponents they should fight at close range. They have to deal with such Zombies using their firearms instead.
"At least three dozen, moving slow... They're coming from the rock intersection to cut us off."
The Crushers had skin like stone, muscle piled upon muscle, and enough raw power to turn APCs into scrap metal.
Once they were able to grab anything, they were like the wrecking balls of the undead. Now, there were dozens of them surging downhill toward the exhausted team.
"Deploy formation C! Defensive shell around the convoy—protect the wounded!" Ibrahim ordered as the vehicles screeched to a halt and turned their weapons toward the oncoming monsters.
Just like that, gunfire erupted.
They only have a few remaining ammunitions but still, they should be enough to deal with these Crushers. The only concern was the fact that they might have to deal with another group of Zombies later on. At that point, they'd really have to rely on their skills and talents, or even Asad's help to reach the Eclipse Domain.
Still, that was a concern for later…
After a few moments, high-caliber rounds pinged off the Crusher hides, slowing them but not stopping them.
Two of them leaped, crashing into the front APC and denting the plating.
Indeed, they walked really slow but they could still jump and that was another concern!
Soldiers fell back, laying suppressive fire, but it wasn't enough.
One Crusher smashed into the side of the Hellfire truck, nearly flipping it.
Asad, still clutching his wound, began to chant—trying to summon a final line of skeletal defenders.
Unfortunately, the Crusher Zombies started throwing anything they could grab on the ground and his magic faltered. He needed to focus to cast his Dark Spells and he didn't have the time to do that…
Ibrahim also held his Golden Revolver, knowing that it was his only way to fight. However, based on his calculations, his Spirit Points would not be enough. Even with Spirit Recovery Pills, the recovery would be too slow…
'I just have to do it…' He thought…
However, as everyone was preparing for the worst, something unexpected happened.
The sky screamed.
A high-pitched shriek tore through the clouds as they noticed a black figure from the sky…
CRACK—BOOM!
A bolt of yellow lightning struck from the sky, blasting directly into the largest Crusher.
It exploded in a storm of light and thunder.
The rest of the Crushers paused as they were also stunned by the electricity…
"This…" Ibrahim was confused but soon, he realized what had just happened.
Sparky, Shane's Thunderbird pet, had arrived!
At this point, it was no longer a simple pet. It seemed to have used several Evolution Stones!
After all, its wings spread nearly twenty meters wide, covered in yellow-white feathers!
It descended like a bolt from the gods.
Sparky's cry alone sent Zombies stumbling back…
Its feathers rippled with voltage, and his talons sparked arcs of lightning as it moved.
"SPARKY!!" Ibrahim shouted while also laughing despite the chaos.
They were saved!
"Sparky? Is that your pet?" Asad asked. He could also tell how powerful this bird was.
"N-no.. That's Sir Shane's Thunderbird Pet. He had many other pets but this is the strongest one I know." Ibrahim said proudly as if he were the owner of the pet.
Still, the Thunderbird wasted no time. A sweep of his wings unleashed a chain-lightning storm across the Crushers, stunning half of them in place once again.
It didn't end there… With a dive, Sparky tore through the horde like a living bolt—shocking zombies into ash and sending others flying like puppets who had their strings broken.
"Let's help! Focus fire while they're stunned! Take them out!" Ibrahim shouted as he knew that the battle would be a lot easier if they helped.
Soon, the Stormbreaker's railgun fired its final charge, spearing a Crusher's skull.
At this point, it really could no longer fire any more bullets. Although one of the soldiers tried to fix it with his Talent, the railgun really needed new parts to make it work again…
On the other hand, the Hellfire's flamethrowers activated again…
They started bathing the paralyzed monsters in flame!
Then, the Recon bikes swerved and planted anti-personnel mines, blowing limbs off the Crusher zombies as they tried to regroup.
Sparky soared again… This time, its body glowed like the sun and released another stormblast!
Boom!
The remaining Crushers collapsed in spasms, and electricity pulsed along their charred figures.
[ You have eliminated a Crusher Zombie. ]
[ You have eliminated a Crusher Zombie. ]
As the notification continued, the battle was soon over.
After confirming their death, Sparky landed beside the APCs, and its wings folded gently. It then let out a proud cry and nuzzled one of the soldiers, who cautiously reached out.
"Uhm… Can you eat this?" Asad asked as he showed an Unknown Meat from his inventory… Well, Asad wanted to reward the helpful bird, and he couldn't think of anything else but food.
Thankfully, Sparky understood what he was saying.
Sparky nodded and opened its beak…
Then, Asad chuckled and threw the three pieces of meat to the Thunderbird. Unfortunately, it wasn't actually enough and Asad had to give seven more pieces before Sparky was satisfied.
"What a glutton…" Asad whispered, but Sparky didn't mind.
In the meantime, Ibrahim saluted the massive bird. "Thank you for helping us, Sparky. Are you going to guide us from now on?" He asked.
Obviously, the bird couldn't answer and just cried and flew into the air… Still, it continued circling them so it would probably protect them until they reached the Eclipse Domain.
"It's incredible… I wonder how many Evolution Stones he used for that bird."
Asad muttered as he leaned against the Hellfire's open hatch, watching the Thunderbird with awe.
"I've summoned liches, wraiths, and terrifying creations from the underworld... but I've never seen anything like that."
Ibrahim helped him up. "You probably need to start nurturing a pet, Sir Asad." He suggested.
With Sparky now flying overhead as their escort, the battered but victorious team moved forward once again, finally heading back toward the safety of Eclipse Domain.
***
After some time, with only one hour left in the 24-hour Zombie Wave Event, everyone could feel the tension across the battlefield…
Everyone was nervous as the last Zombie Horde was known for its brutality. At this point, there would be more casualties as the event was unforgiving.
Shane stood at the command platform of Eclipse Domain.
At this point, his Bio-Armor was already stained and scratched, while the Meteor Greatsword was strapped to his back.
His Warden Units patrolled below, repairing wall fortifications while they still had a little bit of time.
Of course, they were also clearing rubble and dragging away any injured Survivors to get medical assistance…
All the survivors were also exhausted. Yes, they still manned the walls waiting for the final Zombie Horde…
At this point, as Shane witnessed a few figures entering his sight from the horizon, he was notified by Cloud about the three messengers that had arrived, nearly at the same time.
They all came from the Portal Hall!
One came from the New Genesis Shelter, another from Silver Mine Camp, and the third from Springriver Manor.
They all didn't look good, worried about the situation of their shelter.
Still, to Shane's surprise, their message was unified.
"We have a Flying Zombie Lord! We need immediate assistance!"
Shane's expression darkened as he reviewed captured images of Cloud's clones from other shelters.
Each of the three locations had marked the same phenomenon.
There was a swirling cloud of toxic fog, followed by the figure of a flying Zombie Lord!
"This…" Shane paused as he looked at the images shown by Cloud…
The images showed a terrifying sight.
It was a winged figure, humanoid in shape but hideously deformed...
It had a black crown of bone from its head, and from its chest, a second, vertical mouth could be seen!
At this point, Shane also realized that the ones he was seeing on the horizon had similarities to the Zombie Lords that the other shelters were dealing with!