Chapter Nine: Monster

A sudden scream jolted everyone awake.

All eyes turned toward the room in the southwest. The cry had come from the middle-aged man who’d driven them here.

A grotesque creature with elongated limbs ending in claw-like appendages had already plunged one of its claws straight through the man’s abdomen, impaling him completely. The man howled in agony. Witnessing this, Zhou Yu had no choice but to rush forward, raising his blade and bringing it down on the claw embedded in the man.

With a guttural roar, the monster’s claw was severed by Zhou Yu. Its pained howl echoed through the room as, in a fit of rage, it swung another claw at Zhou Yu, sending him hurtling seven or eight meters across the floor with a heavy thud.

By this point, Zhao Yan had recovered his wits. He grabbed his semi-automatic carbine and opened fire. Hearing the gunshots, Xiao Jie scrambled out from cover and began shooting at the creature from behind a barricade.

Those unarmed could do nothing but hide in their rooms, not daring to come out.

Zhou Yu, regaining his footing, also drew his gun and fired at the monster. The bullets barely slowed it, causing only minor pain and sluggishness.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu abandoned his firearm and shouted, “I’ll go in for the kill—cover me! Don’t let it get close to me again after it knocks me away!”

Then Zhou Yu charged at the monster.

Xiao Jie and Zhao Yan, seeing Zhou Yu rush forward, hesitated to keep firing. As Zhou Yu closed the distance, Zhao Yan drew the dagger strapped to his leg and sprinted after him.

The creature, spotting Zhou Yu’s approach, bellowed in fury and jabbed its remaining claw toward him. Zhou Yu, seeing the attack coming, leapt aside and rolled, barely evading the blow. The monster’s claw gouged a deep gash in the floor.

As Zhou Yu dodged, Zhao Yan arrived and, gripping his dagger in a reverse hold, spun and slashed downward in one fluid, striking motion.

A heavy thud rang out as a figure flew backward.

Gunfire erupted again—Xiao Jie had been watching closely, and seeing Zhou Yu and Zhao Yan clear of the monster, opened fire to keep it from pursuing them.

As the shots ceased, Zhou Yu charged once more. This time, he was clever: halfway there, he dropped to his knees, leaned back, and slid forward using his momentum.

Zhao Yan, meanwhile, hurled his dagger at the monster and turned to run. He knew he had to create an opening for Zhou Yu, and that a dagger was no match for a creature like this. He needed to draw its attention and arm himself with something more substantial.

Zhou Yu slid close, raising his blade to strike at the two claws supporting the creature’s weight.

With a crash, Zhou Yu was sent flying again. At that instant, Zhao Yan’s thrown dagger struck the monster’s shoulder, and gunfire once more broke out.

Skidding to a stop after being knocked away, Zhou Yu cursed, “Damn it, how is it this fast? I don’t believe this—let’s go again!”

Since the apocalypse began, no zombie had ever survived a single exchange with Zhou Yu. That experience had left him somewhat overconfident. Now, being unable to fend off even one attack from this monster infuriated him.

After sending Zhou Yu flying, the creature didn’t pursue him but instead leapt toward Zhao Yan, landing exactly where Zhao had just been.

As it landed, bullets whizzed in. With a thunderous crack, the monster toppled to the ground.

It was Wang Kui who had fired from his position in the corner. He hadn’t rested since the monster entered, waiting for the perfect shot. As a sniper, he believed in taking down the enemy with a single, decisive blow. The opportunity hadn’t been ideal—lying prone on the ground with the monster so close, he hadn’t been able to aim for its head. Instead, he targeted the two claws supporting its body.

A 13-millimeter round is devastating; it tore one of the monster’s claws clean off.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu wasted no time—he caught up and slashed twice, severing the creature’s remaining claws.

He then began berating the fallen monster, “Serves you right! What now? Weren’t you so tough a moment ago, sending me flying twice? Come on, try it again!”

As he ranted, the creature, still not resigned to defeat, opened its maw to bite at Zhou Yu. But with no claws left, it couldn’t reach him.

With one last curse, Zhou Yu brought his blade down on the monster’s head, cleaving it in two.

Inside the creature’s skull, a red crystal caught Zhou Yu’s eye.