However, the war was not yet over. Tsubasa raised his hand to wipe the bloodstains from his face, his gaze sweeping over the horde of zombies still surging in the distance.
Even though the pressure was lessened by the deaths of the Smoker and the Tank, the zombie tide persisted.
More and more zombies poured into the hotel. The stairwell was packed with a dense, dark mass of roaring zombies.
Some zombies even began climbing the walls, attempting to launch a surprise attack from the side.
The group was forced to continuously retreat.
They retreated from the third floor to the fifth, then to the tenth...
Every floor they gave up came at a heavy cost.
By the time they retreated to the twentieth floor, several more people had died in battle.
At this point, only 9 people remained in the team, and ammunition was running low.
Tsubasa's stamina consumption was also quickly approaching its limit. Extreme State had already shut down. Multiple Electro Arrows had been used three times; although each use paralyzed a large number of zombies, it also caused his stamina and magic power to drop sharply.
Tsubasa's forehead was slick with sweat, his breathing became rapid, and although the hand gripping the AK-105 was still steady, fatigue was inevitably setting in.
*KA-BOOM!*
A grenade exploded, blowing up the stairs. The tide of zombies was temporarily blocked.
Everyone leaned against the wall, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath.
"How many more floors until the 27th?" Tsubasa asked, his voice hoarse.
"Seven more floors!" Hayato replied, panting heavily.
The stairwell had long since turned into a living hell.
The walls were covered in bloodstains and scattered bullet holes.
Layers of corpses were piled up on the stairs.
There were zombies, and there were also their companions.
The smell of blood in the air was thick enough to suffocate people.
At this moment, the zombies were continuously rushing upward by forming human walls.
Everyone gritted their teeth and could only continue retreating upwards.
When they retreated to the 26th floor, only the last 8 people remained in the entire team.
They were Tsubasa, Utaha, Yukino, Hayato, Makoto, another young man, and one young woman.
Tsubasa's eyes held a hint of surprise. He had thought Makoto would have died early, yet he had managed to cling on until now. That guy truly was an unkillable cockroach.
"RAWRRR!"
A sharp, horrifying roar sounded again. The group had no time to rest; they forced their weary bodies to continue rushing forward. The tide of zombies behind them had caught up.
The zombies in the front row were about to step onto the staircase landing of the 27th floor. And only the last 5 minutes remained!
"Quick! Guard the entrance!"
Tsubasa roared, burying the last Claymore mine at the staircase landing. He then grabbed the M60 heavy machine gun from the ground and began continuous strafing.
Hayato and the others seized the opportunity to place all the remaining Molotov cocktails and grenades in front of them, preparing for the final stand.
*KA-BOOM!*
The Claymore mine at the staircase entrance exploded with a roar, instantly blowing down a swath of zombies. Flames shot into the sky, shattered flesh scattered, and a cloud of dust rose, but the gaps were quickly and continuously filled by the zombies behind them.
*RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!*
Everyone frantically pulled the triggers; the sounds of pistols, sub-machine guns, and shotguns intertwined, deafening their ears. The barrage of bullets poured out like torrential rain. Empty casings piled up like mountains on the ground.
Three minutes later, the M60 heavy machine gun ran out of ammunition. Tsubasa casually tossed it aside, grabbed the kukri knife whose blade was already cracked, and simultaneously activated the Blade Intent of his Master Swordsmanship. His Perception increased again, and every movement of the surrounding zombies was slowed down.
Tsubasa moved like a dancer, constantly circling and weaving through the horde of zombies. Every swing of his blade accurately sliced open a zombie's throat or skull.
Hayato glanced at the watch on his wrist and shouted.
"Only two minutes left, everyone hold on!"
At this moment, everyone's ammunition was completely exhausted.
Yukino's beautiful face was pale; she tossed away the empty MP5, pulled out a military knife, and began swinging, imitating Tsubasa.
Utaha also held a military knife, leaning close to Yukino, vigilantly watching the approaching zombies, doing her best to help her defend.
"One minute left!"
...
"Ten seconds left!!"
...
"Nine! Eight! Seven!"
Hayato started the countdown, and everyone exerted all their strength, struggling to resist the final wave of zombies.
*SNAP!*
Tsubasa's kukri knife was finally rendered useless. He paused, then simply utilized his fists to fight the zombies.
"Three! Two! One!"
"Congratulations to all survivors for completing the Special Emergency Mission! Rewards: 1000 Game Points, 5 Free Stat Points, 1x Weapon Crate, 1x Ammunition Supply Crate, 1x Food Reserve Crate, 1x Bile Bomb, Special Item: Vehicle Anti-Skid Chains. All rewards have all been dropped onto the hotel rooftop! All players, please retrieve them promptly!]
The moment the countdown ended, the last zombie had its head smashed by Tsubasa's fist; its brains splattered, its body weakly swayed twice, and it collapsed onto the ground.
The surroundings seemed to fall into a deathly silence. Everyone collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath; they lacked even the strength to lift their hands.
The floor of the observation deck was covered with piles of zombie corpses.
Blood gathered into small streams, continuously flowing through the cracks in the floor.
The air was filled with a nauseating mixture of gunpowder smoke, putrefaction, and blood.
Tsubasa leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and panted in exhaustion.
Blood soaked through his clothes, sticking to his skin and making him feel cold and stiff.
After a long time, Tsubasa slowly opened his eyes and looked at the surrounding survivors.
Only 8 left.
Many people were permanently left behind in the stairwell downstairs, becoming part of the pile of corpses.
Yukino silently leaned on Utaha's shoulder. She stared blankly at the gradually receding tide of zombies. Her hands trembled slightly.
Utaha was in no better state; she patted the girl's back and fell into silent contemplation.
Hayato lowered his head, his fists clenched tight, not saying a word.
As for Makoto, he could not handle the emotional trauma and had already burst into tears.
"..." Tsubasa silently looked at the scene before him. There was no sadness in his heart, only a heavy numbness.
In this Survival Game, death was already commonplace. His only consolation was that he had successfully survived.
✱✱✱
Translator's Corner:
If you find any typos or grammatical errors, please report them in the comments; I'll fix them right away! If you have any constructive criticism or suggestions, please leave them in the comments! Thanks for reading!