My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse - Chapter 924

Chapter 924: Chapter 924 Fighting Head On
They weren’t just shambling, they were running. The sight was so terrifying that chills ran down the spines of even seasoned fighters like Vultures and his subordinates. Survivors on the wall shuddered, some collapsing as their knees buckled, overwhelmed by the sheer horror of the oncoming swarm.

“We’re doomed! We’re all going to die here!” one of the survivors cried, clutching his head in terror.

“Why are there so many zombies?! What’s happening?!” another shouted hysterically. He wanted to run, but his legs refused to move; there was nowhere to go anyway. The wave was closing in from all four directions, trapping them like prey with no escape.

“YOU! It’s you and your people! You brought them here!” one of the guards on the wall shouted, finger trembling as he pointed at Vulture. Fear twisted his face, and with no escape in sight, he poured his terror into rage. Hatred was easier to carry than helplessness.

At his outburst, the other panicked survivors turned their eyes on Vulture and his team. None spoke, but their accusing stares said enough. Vulture clenched his jaw because deep down, it wasn’t entirely false.

The mutated zombie likely attacked because it sensed them inside, realizing they were trying to free its prey. Denied its game, it had chosen to wipe them all out.

Vulture pressed his lips into a thin line, saying nothing more. The survivors here were greenhorns, unfamiliar with battles of attrition like this. A wave of this scale would be enough to topple the shelter if it were left to them alone.

But with him and his team present, the odds shifted. They might not crush the wave entirely, but at the very least, they could hold the line until reinforcements arrived.

“Everyone, listen up!” Vulture’s voice rang out with authority. “Awakened ability users, split into two groups. When you’re at eighty percent exhaustion, rotate with the next group. STAUs, handle logistics. Keep the stamina boosters and black vials ready at all times. Non-ability users, arm yourselves. The STAUs brought weapons, use them, but don’t waste ammo. Every shot counts, so make it efficient.”

He then turned to the shelter survivors, his gaze hard. “Anyone who can fight, step forward and join us. Women and the elderly fall back into the inner rooms and guard the children. Protect them with your lives!”

“Why should we listen to you?” one of the survivors on the wall snapped, his voice trembling with both anger and despair. “Can’t you see it’s impossible to fight back now? There are thousands of them coming! Even with firearms, there’s no way we can hold them off!”

He gripped his weapon with shaking hands, torn between rage and hopelessness. A part of him wanted to surrender to despair, but the thought of his child inside the building kept him standing.

Yet, as his eyes fell on the endless tide of zombies surging toward them, his heart cracked under the weight of fear.

“Why? Are you planning to give up?” Vulture’s voice was sharp, his expression hard. “Why did you even survive this long if you’re not willing to grasp the smallest sliver of hope? You should fight with everything you have until the very end. Miracles don’t just fall into your lap—you have to fight for them, bleed for them, make them happen!”

He had seen such miracles before. He’d endured a zombie wave that lasted twenty-four hours straight, a storm of death that nearly crushed them all, and somehow, they had survived.

Back then, he believed it was a trial from the heavens. But this wave… this one was different. This one reeked of the mutated zombie trying to evolve into a Zombie King.

If they could just hold out long enough—find its location and kill it—there was still a chance to turn the tide. He had no proof, only instinct, but Vulture trusted his gut. And his gut told him he was right.

“Do you think it’s that easy?!” one of the men snapped, his voice breaking as he spoke through clenched teeth. He hadn’t even realized he was crying, the tears born not from anger alone, but from crushing hopelessness.

Yet, deep down, he knew Vulture was right. They had clawed and bled just to survive this far. If they gave up now, if they stopped fighting, they, and their children, would surely die. Then what was the point of everything they’d endured?

His shoulders slumped, the tension draining as he finally made his decision. “I understand… I’ll follow your commands.” It wasn’t because he wanted to, but because he knew there was no other choice. Pointing fingers wouldn’t save anyone.

“Good!” Vulture grinned, his voice ringing with authority. He turned to the STAUs. “Distribute the firearms and weapons we brought with us. Everyone, hold your formation!”

At once, the camp stirred into action. The awakened ability users, Clyde, Reeve, Fred, Evelyn, and the others, took their positions on the platforms behind the walls, while the ordinary survivors spread out across the second and third floors of the building, securing vantage points.

The STAUs handed out assault rifles and placed crates of ammunition nearby for quick reloads.

Fortunately, this batch of ammo was the newly improved version designed by the blacksmiths after the last zombie wave at HOPE Base, packing far greater firepower. To match it, the assault rifles had been reinforced with enhanced barrels, making them heavier and sturdier than before.

For awakened ability users and trained fighters, the extra weight was manageable. But for ordinary survivors, just lifting and aiming the upgraded rifles was a struggle.

Luckily, both the second and third floors had balconies that the survivors could use as makeshift platforms, resting their rifles to steady their aim without straining under the weapon’s weight.

Those who couldn’t secure a good position there climbed onto the roof instead, lying flat on their bellies to brace themselves, hoping the stance would help them endure longer while handling the heavy assault rifles.

Once everyone was in position, the first wave of zombies came crashing toward them. The moment the undead entered the awakened ability users’ range, they unleashed a barrage of fireballs, wind blades, and other devastating attacks.

Zombies fell one after another, and some were even sent tumbling, their sudden collapse causing those behind them to stumble as well. For a brief moment, the chain reaction disrupted the horde’s momentum.

“Keep attacking!” Vulture roared at the top of his lungs, his voice nearly drowned out by the deafening chorus of roars and growls from the surrounding zombies.

The survivors, many of whom were witnessing awakened ability users in action for the very first time, were momentarily stunned by the overwhelming display of power. It wasn’t until Vulture’s thunderous command shook them from their stupor that they finally snapped into action and began opening fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Soon enough, everyone began to take advantage of the stumbling zombies, hammering at the same weakened section until corpses piled into a grotesque wall of flesh. Any that managed to crawl or push past the growing mound were quickly cut down.

Then Evelyn moved.

Unlike the others, she was a melee fighter. Without hesitation, she vaulted off the wall, drawing gasps from the survivors. Some nearly shouted for her to get back, but the words died in their throats when her skin shimmered, transforming into gleaming metal.

Her hands twisted and elongated into razor-sharp blades, a sight so uncanny it reminded them of the movie ‘Terminator’.

Their awe, however, came too soon. The moment her transformation was completed, Evelyn charged headlong into the zombie horde. Every slash was precise and lethal, each strike severing a neck with effortless grace.

One hit, one kill.

As if by unspoken agreement, the other awakened ability users shifted their attacks away from her position, leaving that section of the battlefield entirely to Evelyn, who carved her way through the tide of undead like a living blade.

Vulture leapt down right after, and he also encased his body in a thick layer of earth armor. On top of that, he was fully equipped with the ‘Blast Set’ Kisha had prepared for him. Looking like a walking fortress, he gripped his massive ‘Blast Hammer’ and swung it with brutal force.

The weapon connected with a zombie’s skull—

CRACK!

Its head exploded like a smashed watermelon, the body collapsing limply to the ground. Vulture stomped his feet forward with a heavy thud, and in response, jagged ‘Earth Spikes’ erupted from the ground, skewering the undead in front of him.

From the second floor, Rakan steadied his assault rifle and couldn’t help but whistle when he saw Vulture in action. “That was badass!” he muttered, eyes gleaming as he watched both Vulture and Evelyn tearing through the horde.

He had never witnessed their combat up close, as he was stationed at a different wall when the zombie wave happened in the HOPE base, but seeing them now filled him with adrenaline.

The sight wasn’t just thrilling for him; the survivors around the shelter felt the same surge of hope. Watching the awakened ability users carve through zombies like they were nothing lit a fire in their hearts, strengthening their will to fight.