148: The dragon's might descends! One man and one gun save thousands of his compatriots!

*Huff... Huff...*

Li Han stumbled through the shredded meat covering the ground. His gold-rimmed glasses had long since vanished, and the slicked-back hair he usually maintained so carefully now looked like a bird's nest.

He rushed to Lu Sheng's side, not even stopping to catch his breath. He pointed toward the pitch-black sea, his pupils shrinking violently.

"Ma... Major Lu!"

"Something's wrong! This isn't right!"

Lu Sheng glanced down at him, his hand not stopping as he wiped the Dragon Claw. "Untie your tongue and speak clearly."

Li Han swallowed hard, forcing his racing heart to calm down. His voice turned shrill from extreme fear. "Just now... while you were slaughtering those heavy-armored monsters, my eyes saw..."

He jabbed a trembling finger toward his own eyeball. "In the sea, five kilometers out, there were several clusters of black light."

"Black?" Lu Sheng's movements paused, and his eyelids lifted slightly.

"Yes! That kind of black... although it wasn't as pure as the color on you, it still reeked of Death Qi!" Li Han spoke at a rapid-fire pace, fearing that if he were too slow, Lu Sheng would dismiss him as useless. "They stayed there without moving, but the moment those heavy-armored monsters were wiped out, those light clusters... they retreated."

Li Han suddenly looked up, his face full of terror. "They're organized! First, they sent cannon fodder to die to test our firepower, then they sent elite monsters to probe our high-end combat power! This isn't animal instinct at all; this is tactics!"

"They're observing us!"

As soon as he said this, Chen Yan and Zhang Yi, who had just walked over, suddenly halted, their faces turning pale instantly.

What they feared most had happened.

It wasn't the number of monsters that was scary, but the monsters having intelligence.

Once the Corpse Tide possessed unified command and understood tactical coordination and troop deployment, the nature of this battle would change completely.

This wasn't a natural disaster.

This was a life-and-death war between two species.

"I see."

Lu Sheng nodded, a golden light swirling in the depths of his eyes. Not only was there no trace of panic on his face, but he also showed a hint of interest, like a hunter discovering a cunning fox.

"It seems this time they're not just sending experience points, but a big gift package as well."

He turned to look at Chen Yan, his voice calm. "General Chen, remember the Purple Gold Mountain Floating Corpses tide? I'm afraid a Leader-level Floating Corpse has appeared in this tide as well!"

"What happened just now was only the appetizer."

"The real hard battle is only beginning now."

Chen Yan took a deep breath and nodded heavily. He turned and roared at the signalman, "Full alert, Grade One! Rotate for rest, and get ammunition resupplied immediately! Turn on all the searchlights!"

The sea breeze grew more violent, carrying a damp, fishy stench.

The harbor, which had been noisy due to the great victory, quickly fell silent. Soldiers huddled in the trenches clutching their rifles, the taste of braised pork still lingering in their mouths, but their eyes were fixed on the churning, pitch-black sea.

A sense of 'oppression' quietly spread through the air, so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

Late at night.

Without warning, a thick layer of white fog rose from the sea.

This fog came incredibly fast, swallowing the sea in just a few minutes and spreading wildly along the embankment toward the shore. Visibility instantly dropped to less than fifty meters.

The entire harbor was shrouded in a deathly, pale silence.

"Everyone on alert! Use your ears to track them!!" Zhang Yi roared.

Just then.

From deep within the thick mist, a cacophony of sounds faintly drifted over.

It wasn't the signature snarling of the Floating Corpsess.

It was... the cries of humans.

"Help... don't shoot..."

"I won't go... I won't go..."

"Mama... I'm scared..."

These voices were shrill and desperate, drifting into the ears of every defender along with the cold sea breeze, making their scalps tingle and their hearts seize up.

The mist churned, and thousands of ragged, stumbling figures gradually emerged from the white fog.

They were people.

Living human beings.

There were thousands of survivors—men and women, old and young.

Their hands were tied behind their backs with rough iron wire, and ropes were looped around their necks. Like a herd of livestock for slaughter, they were being driven toward the defensive line.

And behind them, countless hideous Floating Corpsess pressed close.

Those Floating Corpsess hunched their bodies, hiding completely behind the refugees, their sharp bone claws pressed against the refugees' backs or carotid arteries.

Some Floating Corpsess even rested their chins on the refugees' shoulders, their dead-gray eyes peering through the gaps in the refugees' hair, staring venomously at the soldiers on the defensive line.

As long as a refugee dared to stop, or if the front opened fire, the sharp claws would instantly pierce their bodies.

"These... these beasts!!"

Standing on the command platform, the moment Zhang Yi saw this scene through his binoculars, his eyes nearly burst out of their sockets. He ground his teeth so hard they almost shattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Despicable! So damn despicable!!"

Zhou Hai slammed his fist into a sandbag, his eyes rimmed with red.

These damned things had actually learned to use hostages!

"Save me! Please don't shoot! I'm a student from Hanwu City No. 3 Middle School!"

"Don't shoot... I don't want to die..."

The refugees wailed, pushed along by the Floating Corpsess behind them, closing in on the defensive line step by step.

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

One hundred meters!

The soldiers on the defensive line had their fingers on the triggers, but they couldn't bring themselves to press down.

Those were their compatriots, perhaps even their lost relatives or neighbors.

A few minutes ago, they were proud to be protecting these people. Now, were they supposed to aim their muzzles at them?

"Commander! What do we do?! Do we fire?!"

A machine gunner turned back, shouting through tears, "I can't do it!!"

The hand Zhang Yi used to grip the walkie-talkie had veins bulging, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Fire?

Those were thousands of innocent lives. If he ordered a volley, he, Zhang Yi, would be a sinner for all eternity, living in a nightmare for the rest of his life.

Don't fire?

Once the Corpse Tide mixed into the defensive line and used these refugees to break their formation, the tens of thousands of people behind them, including these soldiers, would all die!

This was an unsolvable dead end.

It was an ultimate interrogation of human nature.

Just then, a shrill screech erupted from the corpse swarm.

The Floating Corpsess hiding behind the refugees seemed to sense the humans' hesitation. A bloodthirsty red light flashed in their eyes, and their pushing became even more violent. A few had even lost their patience, opening their foul-smelling maws to bite into the refugees' shoulders.

"Aaaah!!"

The screams intensified instantly. The blood stimulated the corpse swarm, and the commotion became even more frantic.

The defensive line was about to collapse—not because of firepower, but because of their psychological defenses.

Zhang Yi closed his eyes in pain, two lines of hot tears rolling down.

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth tremblingly, prepared to give that cruel command.

"All units..."

"Wait a moment."

A cold voice abruptly interrupted him.

Lu Sheng had appeared at the very front of the defensive line at some point.

He looked at the approaching crowd of refugees without expression. There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes—no pity, and no hesitation.

"Zhang Yi, if you shout that out, these thousands of people will die, and the brothers behind you will die too."

Lu Sheng turned his head and gave him a cold glance. "Is that the result you want to see?"

"Then... then what else can be done?!" Zhang Yi roared in a breakdown, his voice hoarse. "What can I do?! I can't just watch the position be lost!"

"Watch."

Lu Sheng dropped those two words.

The next second.

*Boom!*

The ground beneath his feet instantly exploded, sending gravel flying.

Lu Sheng did not charge into the crowd to start a slaughter as everyone expected. Instead, like a giant roc spreading its wings, he soared into the sky!

He leaped directly over the heads of those thousands of refugees!

While in mid-air, golden light exploded from Lu Sheng's eyes, and his chest vibrated.

"ROAR————!!!"

A dragon's roar originating from an ancient Bloodline, mixed with a physical Dragon Might, erupted violently with him as the center!

The terrifying pressure was like the sky falling and the earth rending, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.

This wasn't just a loud sound; it was an absolute crushing force from a higher level of life!

Under this absolute suppression from a superior being, the Low-Level Floating Corpses that had been hiding behind the refugees with hideous faces suddenly froze. Their hands, which had been clutching the refugees, instinctively let go. Their eyes showed primal fear, and their movements stalled for a brief moment.

That single moment of hesitation was enough!

*Qiang!*

The dragon devouring spear appeared out of thin air, drawing a golden spear light over ten meters long in the air.

Lu Sheng was like a falling star, landing precisely at the very rear of the refugee group—right in the middle of the elite Floating Corpsess responsible for overseeing the battle!

"Die!!"

The long spear swept across, the golden light forming a wheel.

*Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!*

Dozens of hideous heads soared into the sky, black blood erupting like fountains.

The Floating Corpsess holding the refugees hostage didn't even have a chance to react before they were instantly decapitated!

"You idiots! What are you still standing there for? Run to the sides!!"

Lu Sheng landed, his spear striking the ground and shattering it as he let out a thunderous shout.

The refugees, who had been stunned by the Dragon Might and then saw the monsters behind them killed, finally reacted. Their survival instinct allowed them to burst forth with incredible strength. Screaming, they scattered and fled toward the open ground on both sides, revealing the Corpse Tide army that had been hidden behind them.

Zhang Yi snapped his eyes open. Seeing the firing range cleared in an instant, he roared in wild joy, "Fire!! Give it everything you've got!!"

*Da da da da——!!*

A long-suppressed fury exploded instantly.

Without the cover of human shields, the rear of the Corpse Tide was instantly exposed to a dense network of firepower. They were blasted into flying flesh and blood, with severed limbs dancing through the air.

Lu Sheng stood at the very front of the Corpse Tide, one man and one spear, like an indestructible reef, firmly blocking all the monsters attempting to counterattack.

However.

Just as the situation had reversed and everyone thought victory was within their grasp.

*Zzt— Zzt—*

The walkie-talkie in Zhang Yi's hand emitted a burst of piercing static.

Immediately following.

A shrill, agonizing scream came through the walkie-talkie—it was the voice of a sentry on the back mountain!

"Aaaah——!!"

"Behind us! They're behind us!!"

"Something's climbing up the cliff!! It's... it's Floating Corpsess..."

*Crack!*

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible, followed by a hair-raising sound of chewing.

Lu Sheng whipped his head around, looking toward the cliff, his pupils shrinking slightly.

That was exactly where he had discovered the Dragon Blood Vine earlier.

A feint.

The Floating Corpsess and refugees in the front were just a distraction. The real killing move was over there!

PS: Today's update (rounded up, it's five chapters, ten thousand words). Are there any brothers reading? The backend stats look a bit dead 0.0. Please request more updates, please give free small gifts, I'm begging you.