15: Licker

The bloodshed he had experienced over the past day far exceeded the sum of his eighteen years of life. He could even clearly remember the churning nausea in his stomach and the uncontrollable urge to lean against a wall and vomit the first time he saw a Conscript use a bayonet to pierce a rotting skull.

After all, he was just a youth who had recently graduated from high school. To have held out in this sea of corpses and blood until now without breaking down, while still calmly commanding troops and planning for the future—this resilience surprised even himself. He was undergoing a brutal metamorphosis, striving to forge the mindset of a student facing a sea of college entrance exam questions into the will of a Commander surviving amidst the iron and blood of the apocalypse. Every forced moment of composure after vomiting and every deep breath taken in the face of fear were marks of this transformation.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone. Zhang Lei—the neighborhood friend and childhood playmate with whom he had raided bird nests and fired slingshots, and the brother he grew up with who always covered for him when they got into trouble—was now his most solid support. Zhang Lei's unreserved support and steady temperament were like an anchor that put him at ease. This friendship was incredibly precious in the cold apocalypse. Jiang Xin leaned against the icy wall, and his last thought before his consciousness sank into darkness was: This damned apocalypse might just be the only ladder for them to break free from their low-level fate and climb to the pinnacle of power... "Rat-tat-tat—Boom!"

"Fire! Fire! Suppress it!"

"Watch out! That thing is fast!"

The piercing sound of gunfire, explosions, and the urgent shouts of soldiers were like ice picks, instantly stabbing through Jiang Xin's deep slumber! He bolted upright from the cold floor, his heart pounding so hard in his chest it felt like it would break his ribs! Adrenaline surged to its peak in an instant, and all his fatigue vanished!

"What's going on?! Report the situation!" Jiang Xin practically roared as he pressed the intercom, his voice carrying the rasp of someone just awakened and a sense of absolute command.

The voice of a Conscript, urgent yet still orderly, immediately came from the other end: "Reporting to Commander! The outer defense line on the east side of the Government Building has encountered a surprise attack! One special zombie discovered! Characteristics include a long tongue attack! Accompanied by approximately three hundred ordinary zombies! They are currently assaulting the defense line!"

"Hold your ground! I'll be there immediately!" Jiang Xin ordered sharply, his movements as fast as lightning. He grabbed the brand-new military uniform folded beside him and pulled it on quickly, the cold fabric rubbing against his skin and bringing a sliver of clarity. He holstered his pistol at his waist and snatched up the submachine gun leaning against the wall, checking the magazine with a crisp click. He rushed out of the temporary lounge and growled down the hallway: "Guard Squad! Follow me!!"

By the time he led the Guard Squad out of the Government Building entrance, the fierce battle had already begun. Zhang Long's figure stood like a monolith beside an armored personnel carrier at the front line; he had already arrived and was calmly commanding five squads of soldiers through his individual communicator.

"Squad One! Fire suppression on the left flank! Don't let them get close!"

"Squad Three, Squad Four! Concentrate fire! Target that long-tongued monster! Crossfire network!"

"Vehicle autocannons! Covering fire! Disperse the horde!"

Relying on the thick hulls of the armored personnel carriers and the powerful firepoints formed by the 20mm autocannons, the soldiers constructed a line of steel defense. The roar of the autocannons was deafening, and every burst could plow a bloody furrow through the dense horde, tearing the pouncing ordinary zombies into fragments. Although the charge of the ordinary zombies was fierce, in the face of such overwhelming firepower, they were like moths to a flame, unable to pose much of a threat for the time being.

However, what truly caused Jiang Xin's pupils to contract suddenly was the figure weaving through the firelight and darkness like a phantom—the 'special zombie'!

It was half a head taller than an ordinary zombie, with limbs that were twisted yet exceptionally powerful. While its movement speed couldn't match the 'Agile' zombies encountered previously, it was still far beyond ordinary zombies, at least twice as fast! Most hair-raising was its long tongue—a full three to four meters long, looking like a pale, slimy venomous snake in the dark, incredibly flexible! It would retract into its mouth one moment and shoot out like lightning the next!

"Screech—!" A sharp sound of something piercing the air!

A Conscript who was in the middle of changing his magazine was caught off guard, the long tongue lashing heavily against the ballistic plate on his chest! The massive force made him groan and stagger back two steps, leaving a visible dent and a trail of wet mucus on his breastplate!

"Ugh!" On the other side, a soldier firing from behind cover was also struck on the arm by the long tongue. Although his thick combat uniform didn't tear, the impact nearly made the rifle fly out of his hands!

"Damn it!" Jiang Xin's heart tightened. The physical fitness of Red Alert Soldiers was indeed far beyond that of ordinary people; under such a bizarre and sudden attack, they had only suffered minor blunt force injuries. But this was already an unprecedented situation! Before this, not a single person in the Red Alert forces had actually been wounded or injured in battles against zombies!

The dark night became the best cover for that long-tongued monster. Not all Red Alert Soldiers were equipped with night vision goggles—only vehicles and Snipers had them. In the dim light, the soldiers' vision was severely limited, and they could only catch targets by relying on vehicle lights, muzzle flashes, and the fire from explosions. This gave the monster with its long attack range a perfect opportunity for sneak attacks!

"Snipers! Lock onto that long-tongued monster! Find an opening and take it out!" Zhang Long also identified the key issue and ordered sharply.

Fortunately, although the long tongue's attacks were powerful, they didn't seem to be able to penetrate the Conscripts' sophisticated protective gear, causing no open wounds. Jiang Xin felt the only two anti-virus reagents in his backpack, his palms sweating slightly. If an infection occurred... the consequences would be unthinkable!

The battle didn't last long. Under Zhang Long's calm command and the soldiers' powerful firepower, the ordinary zombie horde was quickly shredded by the dense rain of bullets and autocannons. And that cunning long-tongued zombie, during another attempt at a sneak attack, was finally exposed in the night vision scope of a Sniper hidden on high ground.

"Bang—!"

A crisp and distinct Sniper shot cut through the din!

The high-speed phantom in the distance jerked to a halt, its head exploding like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer! Foul blood and brain matter splattered into a bizarre pattern under the moonlight.

"Target eliminated!" a Sniper's calm report came through.

Jiang Xin stepped forward quickly, but Zhang Long had already reached the headless corpse first. He used a bayonet to carefully push aside the sticky bone fragments and brain tissue, and sure enough, a crystal core slightly larger than an ordinary zombie's, with a cloudy yellowish-white color, rolled out.

"As I thought..." Jiang Xin crouched down, picking up the still-warm crystal core with his gloved hand and feeling the faint but more violent energy contained within. "Special zombies always drop crystal cores!" He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the distinctive corpse, and said solemnly: "Record this! A new type of special zombie, named—'Licker'! Characteristics: Long-tongue ranged attacks, relatively fast speed, possesses certain stealth and ambush capabilities. Threat level: Medium-high."

He raised his wrist, and his luminous watch face showed it was just past eleven o'clock. The stimulation of battle had dispelled his sleepiness, and a previously overlooked question suddenly surfaced in his mind: the star-up mechanism for vehicles! Soldiers ranked up by killing enemies, but what about vehicles? The armored cars and helicopters under his command all seemed to be in their initial state.

"Number 1," Jiang Xin thought silently, "what is the star-up mechanism for vehicles?"

"Commander, the star-up rules for land vehicles are as follows:

> One-star: Requires a cumulative total of 100 zombie kills using the vehicle's weapon systems.

> Two-star: Requires a cumulative total of 200 zombie kills.

> three-star: Requires a cumulative total of 300 zombie kills.

> The kills required for aircraft star-ups are triple those of land vehicles:

> One-star: 300

> Two-star: 600

> three-star: 900"

"I see! The threshold is so high!" Jiang Xin realized. No wonder hind Unit 1 hadn't ranked up yet. In today's fierce street battles, the heavy firepower was mainly handled by the ground armored units; an aerial killing machine like the hind helicopter had almost no chance to act, and its ammunition consumption was nearly zero. Especially that brand-new second hind—its muzzles hadn't even warmed up yet.

A bold and efficient idea instantly took shape in Jiang Xin's mind. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately pressed the communicator on the side of his helmet, connecting to the channel of helicopter pilot Li Yi: "Li Yi!! Immediately lead Unit 1 and Unit 2 to the Xinjie Commercial Street area! The zombie density there is extremely high! Mission: Empty all carried ammunition! Rocket pods, anti-tank missiles, autocannon ammo—fire it all! There is only one objective—kill zombies and increase the star level of the hind attack helicopters! Repeat, empty all ammunition before returning! Over!"

"Understood, Commander! Mission will be completed!" Li Yi's steady yet slightly excited voice came through the intercom.

Soon, the two hind attack helicopters painted with Red Alert insignias let out a deafening roar. Their massive rotors churned the air as they lifted off, looking like two steel eagles speeding toward the sparsely lit (flickering due to unstable power) Xinjie Commercial Street several kilometers away.

Before long, the sky above Xinjie Commercial Street would transform into a stage of purgatory.