Chapter Thirty-Six: The Fall of the Camp

When the zombies reached the perimeter of the camp, nearly all of them stepped onto the wooden barricades outside. The ones at the very front had their legs pierced by the barriers and fell to the ground, where Qin Fei and those on the walls immediately picked them off with crossbows, one by one. But this time, the number of zombies in the horde was several times greater than it had been seven days ago.

After nearly twenty or thirty zombies were killed, almost all the outer wooden barricades near the walls were already damaged. However, because there were still iron barricades behind them, the zombies found it difficult to reach the base of the walls. The iron barricades, though fewer in number, were much sturdier. During the defense, whenever too many zombies gathered at one section of the wall, someone would move the makeshift garbage turret over and sweep the zombies below with gunfire. Though not terribly powerful, it was enough to ease the pressure on that section of the wall.

So, despite the increased numbers, the camp was still holding out for now. The zombie horde continued from ten in the morning until midnight, with the undead endlessly pouring in from the distance. Amid the horde, Qin Fei spotted several enormous, grotesquely fat zombies. Were those mutants?

They barreled toward the camp, and as they drew closer, Qin Fei recognized them instantly. They were identical to the self-destructing “fatty zombies” he’d encountered in the bakery. Fatty zombies, with their bloated bodies, were thick-skinned and hard to take down, but they soon reached the base of the wall.

Under the combined fire and the obstruction of the iron barricades, these fatty zombies were quickly dispatched. However, once dead, their bodies began to swell rapidly—until they expanded beyond what their flesh could withstand...

With a thunderous “boom!” the fatty zombies at the base of the wall exploded all at once. The blast wasn’t nearly as strong as real explosives, but it was enough to blow a small section of the concrete wall apart. The iron barricades, already somewhat damaged, were completely destroyed by the shockwave, rendering them useless.

Now, without the protection of the iron barricades, the zombies that followed were able to reach the walls directly and began to attack them with frenzied force. At this point, the defenders inside the camp had no choice but to resort to Molotov cocktails. Whenever one section became overrun, the lady doctor would rush over and toss firebombs to break the deadlock. But as time wore on, their already limited supply was quickly depleted.

With too many zombies to clear in time, cracks began appearing in many sections of the camp’s walls. Among the distant zombies, Qin Fei spotted a small, spindly type crawling on all fours. They moved like spiders, scuttling across the ground, emitting shrill, insect-like screeches. Seeing these crawling zombies, Qin Fei felt a chill run down his spine.

From his experience in playing survival games, he knew these were a mutated type known as "spider zombies." Though fragile and easy for survivors to kill, they were incredibly fast and could leap astonishing distances. Most crucially, spider zombies could climb walls.

As they reached the base of the wall, they leapt up, clinging to the surface like real spiders. With their bent limbs, they sprang a second time, and after two jumps, they landed on top, attacking Qin Fei and his companions. There weren’t many of them, though. The railings atop the wall blocked some of the spider zombies, so only two or three actually made it over.

The moment they landed, Qin Fei donned his foul-smelling iron armor and pulled a baseball bat from his dimensional backpack, swinging it at one of the spider zombies. Survivors who carried firearms opened fire, targeting the agile creatures. Spider zombies excelled in speed and climbing, but were not formidable in a direct fight.

Just as Qin Fei and the others were dealing with the spider zombies, a breach was clawed open at the base of the wall by the relentless undead. The moment the gap appeared, all the zombies around the camp halted their attacks and surged toward it, jostling to squeeze through.

“The end has come…” Qin Fei thought at the sight. His first instinct was to run. He stowed all his gear in his backpack, dashed to the supply room, and swept everything inside into his inventory. With the system's help, it took him mere seconds.

He had no time to check the loot. Before the zombies had completely flooded into the camp, Qin Fei hurried back to the wall. Fewer zombies were gathered at this part of the perimeter. Besides Qin Fei, the lady doctor, Bearded Uncle, and a few others had also gathered here.

The lady doctor tossed a Molotov over the wall. Zombies splashed with burning oil were instantly set ablaze and soon perished in the flames. With the numbers below dwindling, Qin Fei and the others leapt down and sprinted away in the same direction.

Under the blood-red moon, no matter where survivors hid, the zombies could sense their positions instantly. So, as soon as Qin Fei and the others escaped the camp, the undead were right on their heels.

Don’t be fooled by their sluggishness during the day; at night, zombies ran almost as fast as living humans, sticking close behind Qin Fei and his group. While zombies weren’t faster than humans, people tired, but zombies did not.

Soon, Bearded Uncle, already advanced in age, began to falter. His pace slowed from a run to a jog, and then to a walk. In moments, the zombies were upon him, tackling him to the ground and piling atop him in a grotesque heap. Exhausted from the desperate flight, he didn’t even have the strength to scream before he was torn apart.

Qin Fei, for his part, was no athlete either. Gasping for breath, his lungs felt ready to burst. His chest ached, and he fell behind the group.

Running, he pulled a can of beer from his system backpack and took a swig. The lady doctor and other survivors stared in disbelief. Drinking beer at a time like this was sheer madness! Was he trying to slow himself down? If they hadn’t been saving their breath for running, they would have scolded him outright.

[Canned Beer: Melee damage +300%; stamina recovery +50%. A good beer restores stamina, courage, and grants immunity to dizziness.]

The moment Qin Fei drank the beer, his strength surged back, and his pace quickened. But that wasn’t enough. Under the astonished gazes of his companions, he pulled out a white canned drink and downed it.

[Pulsar Drink: Drink Pulsar! Anytime, anywhere, Pulsar brings you back! Stamina recovery rate +20%, running speed +50%.]

After downing both drinks, Qin Fei’s speed more than doubled. Fueled as if by adrenaline, he quickly sprinted to the front, leaving both the other survivors and the pursuing zombies far behind.