Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 478 - 473: Villa of Horrors (Part 2)

The subsequent battle entered a stalemate. The soldiers could not kill the baby zombies due to their agile movements, while the baby zombies were also rendered helpless by the soldiers’ dense defenses.

After a round of combat, the soldiers were left frustrated, feeling oppressed by this situation where they were being led around by the zombies. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Fortunately, the soldiers’ patience was relatively good, and years of training taught them how to regulate their irritable emotions.

Otherwise, with someone as hot-tempered as Wang Qiang, he might have already been thrown into disarray by the zombies’ "hit-and-run" shameless attack method.

And in battle, once there’s disarray, the final outcome would be self-evident.

Another intense fight ensued. This chaotic attack style, though unable to inflict fatal damage on the soldiers’ defenses, was a tremendous drain on their physical strength and mental endurance.

Even though the engagements were not frequent, at this moment, almost every soldier was drenched in sweat.

Moreover, with the windows and doors shut tight, the stench of decay from the corpses they had just killed was becoming overpowering.

From a certain perspective, the baby zombies had achieved some success during this tense period of fighting.

Xu Renjie was closely observing everything in the hall, his mind working rapidly.

Undoubtedly, he was here for a mission, so he had no time to play with the zombies any longer.

From his observations, he noticed that although the baby zombies were agile, they would use the impact on the riot shields to escape and hide, which was why his side had always been unable to kill them.

So if they could somehow control the timing when the zombies kicked off the shields to escape, they might have a chance to eliminate them.

While pondering, the zombies leaped around unexpectedly again, but this time, the soldiers, who were prepared for such tricks, blocked the zombies’ sudden attack with their riot shields.

And this time, a gleam of insight flickered in Xu Renjie’s eyes, as a clever plan surfaced in his mind.

"Everyone, retreat to the bathroom now!"

The order left the soldiers astonished, evidently unsure of what this was all about.

However, instinct driven by the unyielding nature of military orders led them to subconsciously retreat into the bathroom. Once everyone was inside, Xu Renjie quickly instructed, "Li Xiaoxin, open the window at the back! Hua Biao, give me the riot shield! Everyone else, stand behind me!"

As commanded, Li Xiaoxin hastily reached out to open the window. As the window opened, a refreshing breeze blew in, invigorating some of the weary soldiers.

Xu Renjie took the shield from Hua Biao, then signaled the soldiers behind him to crouch down, after which he raised the cleaver and began pounding the shield’s surface, shouting, "Hey! Little zombie! Come over here! It’s time to put an end to this!"

His fierce shout echoed through the silent villa, and Xu Renjie’s penetrating voice vibrated the beams.

Soon enough, provoked, the baby zombie began to appear, the alloy arrows on its back emitting a cold gleam.

"Everyone maintain a crouching posture. Do not rise or lift your cleavers to attack unless I give the order! Understood?"

Though entirely clueless about what the commander intended, the soldiers, bound by duty, responded in unison, "Understood!"

The atmosphere grew tense as the baby zombie crouched and prepared to attack. Xu Renjie kept his eyes fixed on the beast outside while keeping the cleaver at the ready behind his back.

This was a contest of wit and strength; the outcome depended on the next moment.

The baby zombie, unable to handle the provocation, suddenly sprang forward, its low-slung body hurtling toward Xu Renjie like a hunting jackal.

In contrast, Xu Renjie maintained a calm and steady demeanor, his eyes locked on the zombie’s movement.

For a moment, the villa seemed like a vast primeval forest, a silent struggle between predator and prey quietly unfolding.

Just before it reached Xu Renjie, the zombie, dashing forward, suddenly kicked off the ground, launching itself into the air.

As the descending baby zombie approached, Xu Renjie’s lips curved into an inscrutable smile.

Just as he anticipated, the little beast’s attack pattern remained unchanged, so...

Watching the zombie’s landing point, Xu Renjie raised his riot shield towards the sky. As soon as he felt the immense force transmitted, his well-prepared muscles burst into action, using all his strength to combine forces with his left hand, then thrust upwards.

Xu Renjie could distinctly feel the reactive force caused by the zombie’s kick. However, this force came quickly and dissipated even faster. In an instant, Xu Renjie felt his forearm become unburdened.

"Alright! Everyone can get up now!" With the completion of his action, Xu Renjie looked up at the ceiling; given the limited space in the bathroom, there was no zombie above, indicating that his plan had succeeded.

"Commander, where’s the zombie?" Shen Lian, stationed at the rear, cautiously inquired upon noticing the empty room.

Without waiting for Xu Renjie to respond, Li Xiaoxin, already at the window, pointed outside with a smile, saying, "The commander sent it flying downstairs!"

"Haha, Xiaoxin! Your comments sure flatter the commander; it was the little zombie that jumped out itself!"

Lei Tong’s teasing words lightheartedly alleviated much of the tension-induced fatigue among the group.

As they gradually emerged from the bathroom and confirmed that there were no other "entities" on the third floor, the soldiers each found a sofa for a brief rest.

Meanwhile, Xu Renjie took this opportunity to examine the glass door on the open terrace of the third floor.

Fortunately, the homeowner hadn’t altered the house’s original design, so removing this glass door would allow it to fit directly into the base’s damaged doorframe.

Returning to the room, Xu Renjie assigned tasks for the next steps.

As usual, they were divided into two groups, with three people each. The first group was responsible for removing the glass door.

The second group was to scour the entire villa. After all, coming here was no easy feat, and the skirmish with the zombie had indeed cost them significant effort.

Thus, if they didn’t bring anything back, it would be a disservice to this journey.

Food, drinks, utensils, even kitchen knives—none were spared by Shen Lian and the others as they scavenged clean, akin to an invading force plundering a village.

By the time Xu Renjie’s first squad dismantled the glass door and carried it downstairs, the entrance was piled high with bags upon bags.

Loading everything into the vehicle, the action team finally set off on their journey back, fully loaded. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to give your recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)