Not far from the police station's main entrance, inside an office building.
A dozen or so men and women watched in shock as the horde of zombies clashed with mutant rats below.
"Chief, Old Wang, Old Wang didn't make it out," a young man in a police uniform quietly said to a tall, middle-aged man standing in the center.
"Mm."
His subtle response gave nothing away about the police chief's emotions, but his clenched fists and hateful gaze toward the mutant rats showed that he was teetering on the edge of rage and resentment, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Find people, go again. These zombies are not enough," the Chief said flatly.
"Chief Wang, enough is enough! We've already lost many people trying to lure out the zombies. And as you can see, these zombies are clearly no match for the mutant rats; fighting them only makes the rats evolve further," said a meticulously dressed man, standing up to Police Chief Wang.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" It came out like words from a dream, as if he was talking to himself.
"We've got to leave now. There are too many zombies here; it's already unsafe to stay any longer," the well-dressed man said forthrightly.
Seeing that Police Chief Wang by the window was clearly not in his right mind, the well-dressed man paused briefly before speaking again, "Police Chief Wang, I'm sorry for your loss. I know..."
"You don't know shit! Besides how to earn your dirty money, what the hell else do you know?!" Chief Wang immediately exploded at the man's words, angrily grabbing his collar and yelling curses at him.
Apparently, that wasn't enough to vent his anger, as Chief Wang then punched the man in the suit squarely on the nose. The force, amplified by his status as a professionist, sent the man sprawling to the floor. Fortunately, the man in the suit had also successfully completed his profession change, so apart from a stream of blood and an obviously caved-in nasal bridge, he suffered no major injuries.
Seeing the argument escalate between the two influential members of the team, everyone else was too intimidated to speak.
The man in the suit took a handkerchief from his pocket and delicately wiped the blood from his nose. His brow furrowed slightly, suggesting the movement might have aggravated his wound.
Looking at Chief Wang, who seemed to be falling apart mentally, the man in the suit gave a small sigh.
"Chief Wang, I understand that your daughter's death was a terrible blow to you, and we trust you. That's why we supported your plan to lure zombies and retake the police station. However, it's no secret that this plan was, in reality, concocted merely to satisfy your personal desire for revenge."
Seeing Chief Wang slumped in the corner, the man in the suit's eyes showed a flicker of disappointment and disdain.
"Besides, as you can see from the current situation, this plan has achieved nothing except making the mutant rats stronger and causing us to continually lose people."
"In this situation, you've clearly let hatred cloud your judgment. Therefore, Chief Wang, you are temporarily unfit to issue any commands."
Chief Wang, in the corner, had no response to these words. He just kept clutching his hair and making unintelligible sobbing sounds.
The man in the suit paid no mind to Chief Wang and walked to the window.
"How many of our people are still outside luring zombies?" he asked.
A glamorous woman dressed like a secretary, standing at the front of the crowd, answered, "Boss, everyone who was luring zombies outside and could return, has. As for those who haven't come back yet, I'm afraid..."
"Damn, we've lost seven professionists." He cast an annoyed glance at Chief Wang cowering in the corner.
The man in the suit then said to the rest of the group, "We only have this many people left now, and a large part of them are ordinary people who haven't become professionists yet. Our utmost priority is to find a place to regroup. Where we are now is too risky."
Before anyone could react, the man in the suit turned to Chief Wang and said, "Chief Wang, I understand that your daughter's death hit you hard, but given our current situation, we need your strength. If you feel you owe anything to the brothers who died because of your foolish plan, then buck up and lead us out of here."
"That's right. The plan I made was just for revenge against those rats." Chief Wang collected himself for a moment.
"Because of this foolish plan, our already limited numbers have dwindled further. This is my mistake. I apologize to everyone." Chief Wang stood up again, straightening his back.
"I'll get you all to safety, then..." Chief Wang turned his head to look at the man in the suit. "All of you listen to Boss Zhang now. I'm no longer fit to lead you."
Without minding anyone else's gazes, Chief Wang turned and walked downstairs.
"Wait, Chief Wang! Brother Zhang! Look, there's someone in the horde!"
Before Chief Wang had left the room, a young officer on lookout shouted, his voice filled with excitement as if he'd seen something incredible.
Boss Zhang strode to the window. The sight below made his jaw drop in astonishment.
「...」
After making up his mind, Wen Yu immediately began to head downstairs.
The smell of fresh flesh and blood drew the zombies. By the time Wen Yu reached the ground floor, the entire office building was packed with them. Apparently, the lure of fresh meat made these undead overlook the danger the man before them posed.
Looking at the staggering zombies approaching, Wen Yu briefly checked his gear: an F-Class steel saber, an F-Class protective suit, and his three physique points.
Well, time to start the massacre.
With a WHOOSH, the small Soul Beast that had been floating nearby dived into Wen Yu's ear. An overwhelming surge of power immediately followed. Feeling the immense strength coursing through him, Wen Yu, steel saber in hand, charged directly at the encroaching horde.
「...」
The relatively small window in the office building was now crowded with Boss Zhang and the others. Watching the scene unfold below, everyone stared, mouths agape in disbelief.
"Is that...is that even a human?" a middle-aged woman stuttered.
The others paid no heed to her astonishment; a shared thought echoed in their minds: Is that even human?
The zombie horde, originally pressing towards the police station's main entrance, was now diverted. At least several hundred zombies from across the entire street were frantically rushing towards a single spot. The mass of zombies was so dense that it was impossible to see what was happening at its center; the spectators in the office building could only see a constant stream of zombie heads flying out from it, even as countless more zombies threw themselves into the fray.
Initially, the onlookers had expected that the foolhardy human below would be torn to shreds by the ferocious horde in mere seconds. But as time passed, the pile of headless corpses at Wen Yu's feet grew ever larger, slowly forming a small mound. Only then could the crowd finally make out Wen Yu's form.
His tattered overcoat was long gone, replaced by a thin, skintight suit. Thanks to the protection of this suit, the zombies hadn't inflicted much damage on Wen Yu's body. However, his exposed head couldn't entirely escape the onslaught of such a massive horde. Three large, bloody gashes were clearly visible on his face. Boss Zhang recognized them as wounds inflicted by the claws of a mutant Level 1 zombie. But before that Level 1 zombie could do anything more, Wen Yu's sharp steel saber had already lopped off its head.
His previously refined face was now smeared with blood, giving him a somewhat savage appearance. Yet, the human below was clearly a formidable fighter. The piled-up corpses had become his rampart, allowing him to stand above the climbing zombies and continuously hack off their heads. The sheer ferocity of his attacks sent shivers down the spines of the onlookers in the office building.