Urban Powers After the Apocalypse

Due to the execution of Platoon Leader Li's "Close the Door and Beat the Dog" strategy, over a hundred skeletons had already been reduced to scattered bones near the ten-meter-wide section of the wall. A burly soldier wielded a blade, moving swiftly along the base of the wall, expertly cutting down the skeletons that his comrades were letting through.

Above the wall, more than twenty soldiers had set up automatic rifles, unleashing a relentless barrage of gunfire at maximum rate towards the other side. Thousands of skeletons beyond the wall fell in waves under the sheer metal storm, creating a fan-shaped clearing dozens of meters wide.

However, judging from their dwindling ammunition, this firepower advantage would last no more than fifteen minutes at best—after which the true nightmare would begin.

Platoon Leader Li furrowed his brows, turning to Professor Mo with a grave expression. "Professor Mo, this is our only defensive line. If it falls, these skeletons will flood the entire valley in an instant. The only thing we can do now is buy you time to retreat. We don't know if the other direction is clear of these creatures, but our mission comes first. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, we have to try. I will assign Tian Liang from my unit to protect you."

Calling over the warrior who had been wielding the blade, Li whispered a few instructions before escorting Professor Mo and two researchers into a military off-road vehicle.

Then, with great solemnity, he handed a thick paper-sealed document to Xu Mo. "Brother, you may not be part of the military, but there's no doubt that your chances of survival are much higher than Professor Mo's. If you make it out of here, I beg you—deliver this document personally to Director Zhao at the Public Security Bureau in Shang City. Ask him to pass it on to the National Academy of Sciences. This is our final request—the last wish of the 29 soldiers staying behind."

With that, Platoon Leader Li stood at attention and saluted Xu Mo.

Knowing full well that staying meant certain death, yet still choosing to fulfill their duty without hesitation—this was the spirit of the Huaxia soldier!

Xu Mo straightened his posture and returned the salute as best as he could. Seeing this, Li gave him a knowing smile.

No words were needed. Xu Mo had already made his promise through action. From this moment on, until his mission was complete, he was a Huaxia soldier in every sense of the word. Orders were absolute—no hesitation, no retreat!

The only military off-road vehicle had already departed. The other military trucks were too large to navigate the valley's treacherous terrain. Li had someone push out a military-green reconnaissance motorcycle, personally filling its gas tank for Xu Mo.

"Platoon Leader Li, is there anything you want me to tell your family?" Xu Mo hesitated for a moment before asking. He wasn't sure if he could fulfill such a promise, but perhaps it could provide some comfort to this dedicated soldier.

"I have a younger sister in Nanzheng City... She's about to start her senior year of high school. The only thing I worry about is… Never mind, there's no time for this. I trust the country will take care of my family. Go!"

Forcing himself to suppress his last bit of sentimentality, Li resolutely pushed Xu Mo's motorcycle forward.

"Platoon Leader! We're out of ammo!"

With the sudden silence of gunfire, thousands of skeletons swarmed towards the last lifeline of the defensive wall. The hastily built barrier of stone and sandbags groaned under the immense pressure, then collapsed within seconds!

With the wall gone, the rearward pressure pushed the front rows of skeletons down, but those behind paid no mind, trampling over their fallen kin. One after another, they stepped on top of each other, forming a towering white bone wall nearly ten meters high!

Countless skeletal arms flailed within the tangled mass, while hundreds of skulls clattered their jaws in a spine-chilling chorus—like demonic specters crawling out of hell to claim souls.

As more skeletons surged forward, the ten-meter-high bone pile suddenly collapsed, sending a flood of fragmented limbs and shattered bones pouring into the valley like a tidal wave. The remains on the ground reassembled themselves into complete skeletons, rising one by one, swiftly surrounding the twenty or so soldiers.

"Fix bayonets! Kill them all!"

Platoon Leader Li roared, raising his rifle with a mounted bayonet. He lunged forward, thrusting the blade through a skeleton's eye socket before flicking it aside.

The other soldiers didn't hesitate, swiftly attaching their bayonets. Paired in twos, they stood back to back, fighting off the near-thousand skeletons that surrounded them. The valley echoed with their furious battle cries as skeletal frames were flung into the air, crashing down amidst the fray.

Against this endless white tide of death, the twenty-odd warriors were like small boats in a raging sea. In less than a minute, the relentless waves of skeletons swallowed them whole.

"For the honor of Huaxia's soldiers!"

Platoon Leader Li's hoarse voice thundered through the valley one last time before a series of explosions erupted in the heart of the skeletal horde. The massive shockwaves hurled everything within a hundred-meter radius high into the air. Hundreds of skeletons were shattered into dust, their fragments raining down like scattered leaves.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Mo twisted the throttle, accelerating as fast as possible. The white tide of death in his rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing behind a cloud of dust.

But just as he thought he had escaped, three white dots appeared in the mirror. Xu Mo's heart clenched—three skeletal beasts were pursuing him!

Four-legged creatures had a distinct advantage in this rugged terrain over his two-wheeled motorcycle. Moreover, these skeletal beasts felt no fatigue, running like perpetual motion machines at top speed. The closest two had already closed within a hundred meters, while the third, three hundred meters behind, was steadily gaining ground.

"Damn it! Why are there still these things?!"

Adjusting his helmet's visor for a better look, Xu Mo quickly identified the skeletal remains: a gazelle and a leopard were leading the chase, with a tiger close behind!

Even with the throttle maxed out, the rough terrain kept his speed to around sixty kilometers per hour—far too slow to outrun the beasts, which continued closing the gap.

Bang! Bang!

Two crisp gunshots rang out. The gazelle and leopard, both mid-leap and less than twenty meters behind Xu Mo, suddenly had large holes blown through their skulls. The excellent stopping power of the 5.8mm rounds sent their bodies tumbling backward, landing heavily on their backs.

Xu Mo looked ahead in surprise. Fifty meters away, a camouflaged military vehicle was parked. In the backseat, a soldier with a QBZ-95 automatic rifle signaled for him to hurry up.

It was the vehicle carrying Professor Mo and the researchers. Given the rough terrain, the off-road vehicle was even slower than the motorcycle, explaining why Xu Mo had caught up despite leaving later.

However, after the initial sniping, the skeletal beasts changed their approach. Zigzagging erratically, they made it nearly impossible for the soldier to land another clean shot.

What no one expected was that the two leading skeletons—leopard and gazelle—did not attack the military vehicle. Instead, they accelerated, charging past it, directly toward Xu Mo.

The soldier in the backseat immediately dropped his rifle and drew his blade.

At that moment, a massive skeletal tiger descended from above—one blood-stained claw meeting the soldier's gleaming blade in a deadly clash.