88: Shuoguo Supermarket's Double-Knife Butcher

In less than half an hour, the convoy arrived near Shuoguo Supermarket. This place used to be a small commercial street, but now it was deathly silent, with dilapidated signs creaking in the wind. Opposite the supermarket was the rusty iron gate of a regional primary school, and a kilometer away, the blurry outline of a small zoo was faintly visible, with an ominous, rank smell seemingly lingering in the air.

“Stop! Everyone on alert, stay in the vehicles!” Tang Qi's voice came through the walkie-talkie, carrying an unquestionable authority. As the base's strongest combatant and spiritual pillar, he knew he had to be responsible for everyone's safety.

Seven vehicles stopped by the gravel-strewn roadside, their engines lowing. Scattered wandering zombies were attracted by the sound, dragging their broken bodies and closing in with low, guttural growls. Tang Qi pushed open the car door, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. He took a deep breath, and the muscles of his right arm instantly bulged and transformed, covered in shimmering metallic dark blue scales, his five fingers turning into hideous, sharp dragon claws—after countless practices, he was already able to precisely control the partial dragonification of his body to minimize energy consumption.

“Pfft!” The dragon claws easily tore through the head of a zombie that pounced close, like a hot knife through butter, splattering foul blood. Tang Qi didn't even look, shaking the filth off his claws, and strode into the dark entrance of Shuoguo Supermarket like an unsheathed blade.

The interior of the supermarket was filled with a thick mixture of rot and dust. Shuoguo Supermarket was a five-story building; the first floor was a gold and silver jewelry counter already covered in dust, reflecting a deathly light; the second floor was the daily necessities and food area they desperately needed. Tang Qi moved silently through the shelves like a leopard in the dark of night, every swing of his dragon claws bringing a storm of blood, and the ordinary zombies along the way fell like mown wheat. When he finally stepped onto the escalator leading to the second floor, he was covered in thick, foul blood, as if wearing a dark red cloak.

Just as he stepped into the entrance of the second-floor food area, a strong, instinctive sense of crisis pierced Tang Qi's spine like an ice pick! Every hair on his body stood on end!

“Roar—!!!”

A deafening roar, filled with tyranny and hunger, suddenly exploded! The sound waves hit the shelves like something physical, shaking the dust off the ceiling.

“A Second-Tier Zombie!” Tang Qi's pupils constricted suddenly, his heart feeling as if it were gripped by a cold hand. The pressure contained in this roar far exceeded that of a First-Tier Zombie!

The thought had just arisen when a bone-chilling wind attacked from behind! Fast! Too fast! Tang Qi didn't even have time to fully turn around; he could only rely on the instincts forged through countless life-and-death battles to perform a clumsy but extremely crucial forward roll!

“Clang!!!”

Two huge, cold-glinting bone-cleaving knives hacked fiercely into the spot where he had just been standing, instantly carving two deep cracks into the tiled floor!

Tang Qi rolled to his feet and instantly assumed a combat stance, clearly seeing the enemy—it was a Butcher Zombie as large as a small car! Its bare upper body was covered in thick fat and coarse muscle fibers, with a filthy leather apron tied around its waist. Most terrifying were its thick arms, each holding a huge bone-cleaving knife stained with dark brown blood scabs. Its cloudy eyeballs were locked onto Tang Qi, foul-smelling saliva dripping from its mouth; the failure of that thunderous blow just now made it appear even more frenzied.

Alarm bells rang in Tang Qi's heart! The Second-Tier Zombies he had encountered before, like the Fatty Zombie, mostly excelled in strength or defense, with speed being their shortcoming. But this Dual-Wielding Butcher before him possessed a terrifying speed that was inconsistent with its massive body! If not for his intuitive warning just now, he would have been decapitated by now!

“Roar!” The Dual-Wielding Butcher's missed strike only intensified its ferocity. It let out a low growl, and its massive body lunged forward with unexpected agility. The two bone-cleaving knives swung, no longer in disorganized hacks, but in a somewhat methodical saber technique, transforming into an airtight net of death! The blades tore through the air with sharp whistles, each strike heavy and powerful, aiming directly for Tang Qi's vitals, intending to chop this daring prey into mincemeat!

Tang Qi didn't dare take the blow head-on. His eyes swept around, and he suddenly grabbed a heavy metal shopping cart nearby, his arm muscles bulging as he used it as a shield to block with all his might!

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang—!”

The heavy bone-cleaving knives smashed frantically onto the shopping cart like a blacksmith at work! The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing echoed through the empty supermarket, sparks flying! The shopping cart deformed and dented at a visible rate, and the ground beneath Tang Qi's feet even cracked slightly from the shock! He grit his teeth, his arms numbed by the vibrations, the massive impact forcing him back step by step, but he held firm against the storm-like offensive!

During the struggle, Tang Qi keenly captured the Butcher's attack rhythm and the brief intervals between its swings.

“Hah!” Tang Qi gave a low shout and slammed his feet against the ground! The soles of his shoes instantly tore apart, transforming into massive dragon claws covered in scales and flickering with electric arcs. At the same time, with a rip, a pair of dragon wings covered in dark blue scales with a stunning wingspan burst through his clothes! The powerful counter-thrust sent him flying backward and upward like a cannonball, instantly opening a distance of over twenty meters from the Dual-Wielding Butcher, hovering in mid-air!

“Monster, taste this!” Lightning surged in Tang Qi's eyes as his hands moved rapidly in front of his chest! Dazzling blue-white electric snakes gathered and compressed frantically in his palms, making a scalp-numbing sizzle sound! In the blink of an eye, three fist-sized, brilliant lightning orbs containing destructive energy were formed!

“Go!” Tang Qi swung his arm fiercely!

Three dazzling bolts of lightning tore through the dim space, homing in on the Dual-Wielding Butcher with the precision of guided missiles!

“Boom boom boom!!!”

A deafening explosion rang out! The lightning orbs exploded on the Butcher's massive body! Violent currents, like countless blue vipers, instantly coursed through its entire body! The Butcher let out a pained, distorted roar, its massive body twitching violently, muscles spasming uncontrollably, its movements instantly becoming stiff and paralyzed!

“Now!” A sharp glint flashed in Tang Qi's eyes, and he flapped his dragon wings with all his might! He transformed into a diving thunderbolt, his right arm's dragon claws raised high, fingers spread wide, the tips of his claws gathering destructive power. With a force that could tear through anything, he clawed fiercely at the Butcher's massive head!

“Pfft—Crack!”

An ear-grating dull thud and the sound of bone cracking rang out simultaneously! The dragon claws sank deep, without resistance, as if piercing through a layer of rotten leather! Tang Qi's arm muscles bulged as he squeezed with sudden force!

The Butcher Zombie's hideous head burst apart like a watermelon smashed by immense force! Red, white, and viscous fluids, mixed with shattered bone fragments, sprayed out in a radial pattern, coating the surrounding shelves! The massive headless body stood frozen for a moment before collapsing with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Tang Qi panted heavily, his dragon wings and dragon claws slowly retracting, his body covered in filth. He wiped the blood from his face and pressed the walkie-talkie, his voice raspy after the intense battle: “Old Yan, Old Li! Bring the men up to move the supplies! I've cleared the entrance to the second floor; there are still some left on the first floor, so be careful! I'll continue clearing the second floor!”

Yan Shi's gruff response immediately came through the walkie-talkie: “Copy that! Wait for us, Old Tang, the brothers will be there shortly!”