Chapter 176 - 117: The Choice

Chapter 176: Chapter 117: The Choice

"Dammit, I knew we should’ve insisted on bringing heavy firepower," another voice complained in frustration.

These fragmented conversations painted a grim picture in Xu Mo’s mind of a Superpower squad in dire straits: team members were heavily wounded, low on ammo, and their powers were having limited effect.

Time ticked by, each second stretching into an eternity. Just as Xu Mo was quickly mapping out their likely position in his head based on Lu Chuan’s description, a new call sign cut in, urgent with the discovery of a target: "A-02, this is D-10. I have eyes on them. They’re in the open ground about three hundred meters southeast of my fortress, moving northeast. I repeat, I have located the Sharp Sword squad."

Almost as soon as the D-10 Observer finished speaking, the distinct sound of several gunshots rang out over the radio—crisp and steady. It was clearly the Observer from D-10 providing long-range support with his own weapon.

"Careful! D-10, be careful!" Lu Chuan’s voice suddenly rose, filled with terror. "That monster can throw venom orbs! And its range is huge! Take cover!"

’Venom orbs? A ranged attack?’

A chill shot through Xu Mo’s heart. His earlier suspicions had just been confirmed in the cruelest way possible. A level-two Venom Type zombie not only possessed highly corrosive venom but had also evolved the ability to hurl it over long distances. This completely overturned his understanding that zombies were limited to close-quarters combat.

This provided the most logical explanation for the bizarre "loss of contact" with the Observers in fortresses F-10, F-11, and F-12. They had likely been hit by this sudden, long-range venom attack while observing or attempting to react to the situation outside. Whether the venom hit the observation slit directly or corroded a critical external structure of the fortress, it would have been enough to cause a fatal outcome in a short time. The fortress’s defenses had a fatal flaw against this type of attack.

"A-02, we can’t lead the zombie near D-10. Its venom will pose a threat to the fortress," Lu Chuan’s voice was decisive. "We’ll continue luring it east. I repeat, we will continue to withdraw to the east."

On the other end of the radio, A-02 went silent for a moment, clearly weighing the options, before replying heavily, "I concur with your decision. Sharp Sword squad, stay safe. All units, continue providing intel support."

The channel once again fell into a tense silence, broken only by the heavy panting and running of Lu Chuan’s squad, the ever-nearing roars of the zombie, and the SIZZLE of corroding venom, each sound like a death knell.

East. East of D-10...

Xu Mo’s fingers traced unconsciously over the cold floor. Fortress D-10 wasn’t too far from his own, C-07, with only some factory buildings and ruins in between. At his current level of fitness and speed, it wouldn’t take long to get there if he went all out.

He had a Barrett. With Armor-Piercing Bullets, he could definitely kill this level-two zombie. Even if that failed, his shotgun and grenades could create a diversion, giving Lu Chuan’s squad a chance to escape.

’Go? Or not?’

Xu Mo weighed the pros and cons in his mind. The level-two zombie’s abilities and defenses were unknown, not to mention its terrifying ranged venom attack. He was only at the Cowhide Realm. If he intervened rashly and failed to accomplish anything, it would be no different from bringing trouble upon himself.

’If I think selfishly, there’s absolutely no need for me to risk my life for a few people I’ve never met. Jiang City must have other plans; reinforcements might already be on the way. In this apocalypse, self-preservation is the ironclad rule. Staying alive is more practical than anything else.’

But another thought stubbornly rose to the surface—’Am I just going to watch? Watch these people, who are fighting for their lives against that monster, die because I was too afraid to act, even when I have the ability to do something?’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Xu Mo’s thoughts were torn between the pros and cons.

"I can’t always be like this," Xu Mo muttered to himself, the hesitation in his eyes gradually replaced by a quiet resolve. "Just watching, doing nothing... If I can’t even do this much, what’s the point of talking about breakthroughs?"

Once his mind was made up, there was no more hesitation.

Xu Mo shot to his feet, quickly shedding the workout clothes that allowed for easy movement and changing into a black combat suit. He didn’t choose his most-used AK-47—the weapon was too distinctive and could easily reveal his identity—and opted for the shotgun instead.

He also left the Mountain-Cutting Saber behind, instead sheathing the cold, heavy Triangular Spike on his thigh. He tucked a TT33 pistol into a quick-draw holster on his waist. Finally, Xu Mo took out his "trump card"—the Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel sniper rifle—and quickly checked the magazine, which was fully loaded with massive .50 BMG Armor-Piercing Bullets.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Mo grabbed several more magazines and inserted them into his tactical vest.

After finishing his preparations, Xu Mo found a dark gray bandana and skillfully wrapped it around his mouth, nose, and lower face, leaving only his sharp eyes exposed.

Down in the lower level of the fortress, he could still hear the zombies futilely clawing and roaring at the door. Xu Mo’s eyes were ice-cold. He took a deep breath and abruptly opened the hydraulic seal again.

The moment a crack appeared in the opening, Xu Mo acted without hesitation. He pulled the pin on a high-explosive grenade, let the fuse burn for two seconds, and hurled it outside.

BOOM.

The violent explosion rang out again. The shockwave tore the nearest zombies to pieces, while those farther away were sent staggering and tumbling.

Before the smoke had even cleared, Xu Mo shot out of the fortress like a black bolt of lightning. A cold light glinted in his hand as his Triangular Spike, like the fangs of the grim reaper, plunged with precision and efficiency into the eye sockets or temples of the zombies that were dazed but not yet dead. Each thrust drew out a spurt of dark, viscous fluid. His movements were clean and efficient, with no wasted motion.