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The tank zombie slammed its fists into the ground several times, cracking the concrete beneath it.
Looks like the school's construction quality wasn't great either.
Between the truck and Julian, the tank zombie locked its gaze onto Julian.
Humans… tasty.
Strong humans… even better. Eating them makes you stronger.
Its self-awareness didn't seem very developed. All it knew was hunger. Then again, maybe it had never been very bright to begin with.
With a sudden burst of speed, the tank zombie charged. In just a few steps, it was only a few meters away from Julian!
A massive fist came crashing down.
Julian sidestepped at the last second, brushing past the punch.
The ground exploded into a crater where the fist landed.
The shockwave alone made Julian stagger.
Then came his counterattack.
He swung his hammer sideways, smashing it straight into the zombie's ribs.
The tank zombie reacted on instinct, pulling its arm back to block.
Boom!
With a dull thud, it was knocked back several steps.
But it didn't look seriously hurt.
"Looks like its arms have the highest defense…"
Julian quickly figured out the creature's traits.
If he wanted to kill it, he'd have to aim for a weak point.
He kept moving, circling, waiting for an opening.
That last hit had completely enraged the tank zombie.
With a roar, it grabbed a nearby BMW and hurled it straight at Julian.
The car was well-built. When it hit the ground, only the glass shattered and the airbags deployed.
Then the zombie swung the car in a wide arc.
No way to dodge this one.
Julian raised his hammer in front of him.
Boom!
He was sent flying, slamming hard into a utility pole.
"Damn…"
He glanced back. The pole had bent from the impact.
But he… felt completely fine.
Which meant…
His defense was insanely high too.
Lately, he hadn't run into any real opponents, so he hadn't had a clear sense of his own strength.
This fight was worth it.
Gripping his hammer again, Julian charged head-on.
The tank zombie tossed the car aside and raised both massive arms, preparing to smash him flat.
Meat paste… the best kind…
Julian read its move. At the last second, he changed direction and slid low across the ground.
He slipped past it from the side.
The zombie's heavy smash hit nothing but the ground.
Now Julian was at its rear flank.
Before the bulky creature could turn around, he struck.
A heavy blow landed squarely on its ankle.
Crack—
A crisp, horrifying sound rang out as the zombie's lower leg bent sideways at a ninety-degree angle.
Like Paul George's injury. Brutal.
The tank zombie didn't seem to feel pain, but it couldn't keep its balance.
It collapsed, unable to stand.
A lumbering beast like this, now missing a functional leg, was nothing more than a sitting duck in front of Julian.
Dragging his hammer, Julian strolled behind it.
Aimed at its head.
Then swung with full force.
Thud.
The zombie's head was smashed straight into its chest cavity.
And yet… it still wasn't completely dead.
Its vitality was ridiculous.
Julian shrugged and brought the hammer down again, this time on its crotch.
Something cracked.
Only then did the massive tank zombie finally slump to the ground, lifeless.
"That hooded zombie wasn't lying…"
"The more people they eat, the stronger they get."
"With this kind of population density in a school, no wonder something like this showed up."
Julian gave it a few extra blows just to be sure, then headed toward the school gate.
At the entrance, the truck was parked by the roadside.
Hana was beside it… killing people.
When she saw Julian approaching, she casually finished off the two boys in front of her.
"What happened here?"
Julian glanced at the dozen or so fresh corpses on the ground.
"We stopped here to wait for you, Master."
"They tried to steal our truck."
"So I killed them all."
Hana spoke with a hint of pride.
"Nice job."
"I'll reward you later."
Julian patted her on the head.
At critical moments, having a follower like her was actually useful.
If the truck had been stolen, losing thirteen girls would've been bad enough, but the real loss would've been the seeds.
Julian and Hana got back into the truck.
Chizuru gave up the driver's seat and moved to the middle.
Seeing the blood-soaked hammer and Hana covered in blood, she looked a little uneasy.
Julian noticed.
"Why don't you head to the back?"
He pointed at the small compartment leading to the cargo area.
Chizuru thought about it. Not a bad idea.
The front was more comfortable, but the smell of blood was overwhelming.
She got up and started climbing into the compartment.
Halfway through, she got stuck.
Even more awkward… she had gone in headfirst, and the part stuck was her waist.
And she was wearing a short skirt…
Julian sighed.
Can I just drive in peace?
"Hey, straighten your legs!"
"You're bending them, of course you're stuck!"
Chizuru looked annoyed.
She knew she should straighten her legs, but the driver's cabin was too cramped. Unlike the cargo area, there wasn't space to stretch.
Julian couldn't take it anymore. He reached out and smacked her on the butt.
Startled by the sting, she pushed forward hard and finally squeezed through.
"Ugh… seriously…"
"Not only did you see everything, you even hit me…"
Chizuru felt wronged, but there wasn't much she could do.
At that moment, Hana's head appeared at the opening.
"Um… I'll close this now."
"We'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"Get some rest."
With that, she shut the compartment.
The cargo area fell into darkness.
"So… what kind of place do you think we're going to?" one of the girls asked.
"Maybe some kind of underground shelter?"
"Some place where you never see sunlight."
"Ah… no sunlight means bad skin!"
"At a time like this, you're still thinking about your skin? Just surviving is already lucky."
"Yeah… when we get there, we should stick together and stay alive."
"By the way… do you think that guy will… you know…"
"Didn't Chizuru already say we'd do whatever he wants?"
"If he really wants something, we can't exactly refuse, right?"
"Yeah… and honestly, he doesn't seem that bad."
"For a pack of beef jerky, I'm fine with whatever!"
These girls, who once couldn't be won over no matter how much money you threw at them, were now swayed by a single pack of jerky.
"Oh, right… what do you think those two are doing up front?"
Someone suddenly asked.
She thought she heard some strange noises.
"Aren't they just driving?"
"Yeah, what else would they be doing?"
"I swear I hear eating sounds… like… smacking…"
"....."