January 23
The grenades Xiangzi had thrown tore through the infected creatures like a tidal wave, sending flesh and blood flying. The battlefield, already ruined beyond recognition, was left in even worse shape.
Xiangzi casually flung aside another infected beast she had skewered to death, then raised her spear again, ready for more. Step by step, she advanced over corpses that were burning, twisted, and no longer even recognizable as living things.
Beside her, Ye Ling's bloodstained tail lashed behind her. Clad in plate armor, wielding a short spearhead-blade in one hand and half of an alloy shaft in the other, she looked like a knight from some medieval European battlefield, trapped deep within enemy lines.
The silver armor that had once gleamed so proudly was now filthy beyond belief. Against enemies with such overwhelming numbers, even the martial skill she had always taken pride in felt pitifully powerless.
Fortunately, their teammates behind them were still laying down fire. The volume of fire was nothing compared to before, but at least support was still coming. Even so, Ye Ling could only grit her teeth and fight with every technique she knew, doing everything she could to keep the enemy at bay.
Sweat and the blood of the enemy drenched every bit of exposed skin on her body, making her look terrifying. Her exhausted frame was burning through the last reserves of its strength. She was clearly tiring, but the situation allowed her no rest—not even for a single second.
Then Xiangzi's voice rang out, steady and reassuring.
"I'm coming!"
The two wolves that had been tangling with Ye Ling were swept away by Xiangzi's spear and thrown aside. Gunfire from behind continued to ease the pressure on the two of them.
Yet even so, some infected creatures still slipped through the fire from Miranda and Brent and disappeared from Xiangzi and Ye Ling's sight, reaching the villa behind them. They crossed through the flames, their fur burning as well, but their hearts burned hotter still.
The doors and windows were barricaded under heavy weights, making it impossible for them to get in. The stone outer walls kept the fire from spreading. Their ruined lives ultimately stopped right at the villa's entrance—one step short.
"Th-thank you, Miss Takajo…"
"The worse part is still coming. We fight together!"
Xiangzi and Ye Ling stood back to back on the ground, cutting down any enemy bold enough to come close. The two of them, rooted in soil soaked with blood, looked like guardian deities standing before a gate.
But then—
What was that?
After killing the last few creatures near them, both Xiangzi and Ye Ling turned toward the woods at the same time.
A terrifying roar erupted from the darkness.
And then the enormous thing lurking there finally stopped hiding among the trees.
Its crimson eyes glowed with an unnatural, monstrous light.
It had watched as its side suffered mounting casualties and still failed to break into the villa.
Now, it was enraged.
Its huge, powerful body was not matched by an equally powerful brain. Even with the virus enhancing it, that did not seem to help much.
It let out a roar that dominated the entire battlefield, not only threatening Xiangzi's side, but also serving as a signal for the remaining infected creatures beside it to attack.
The wolf king nearby stared at the monstrosity with obvious unwillingness. Possessing a little more intelligence than the others, it seemed to realize that what lay ahead was likely its own death.
Not just its own life, but the fate of its entire pack.
Throughout the entire battle, its wolves had borne the brunt of the fighting. Their losses were far beyond "severe"; of the mixed pack it had gathered over these past days—half escaped wolves from captivity, half feral dogs—barely a tenth remained.
Its eyes shifted. Something seemed to occur to it.
It feigned a charge forward—
Xiangzi and Ye Ling, seeing the danger rushing at them, braced themselves, planted their feet, raised their weapons, and charged to meet it, trying to pull the battle farther away from the house and the others.
Gunfire still crackled behind them, but its accuracy had clearly dropped. Everyone was utterly exhausted.
The battle reached deadlock.
Ye Ling, who had been locked in combat for so long, was already spent. The pitted plate armor no longer gave her any sense of safety. She darted around the giant four-meter-tall bear on two legs, her blood-smeared broken spear striking again and again.
"Damn it! Cold weapons can't pierce its hide!"
All around Xiangzi lay bodies chopped into pieces. The corpses were no longer only animals now—mixed among them were severed human limbs and torn human remains as well.
Perhaps the gunfire from Xiangzi's side had carried through the valleys and all the way down to the mountain villages below.
It had drawn in a new batch of infected.
Shit.
The enemies were being reinforced.
"Get back!"
But it was already too late.
The system text cut across her vision.
[Emergency Event: Survivor reinforcements detected. Warning: hostile pressure rising.]
The giant bear chose that moment to crash forward.
Ye Ling shifted half a step too slowly.
The bear's paw smashed into her side like a wrecking ball.
Bad.
Her body flew backward.
She hit the ground hard and tumbled, armor shrieking against stone and ice.
"Ye Ling!"
Xiangzi lunged, but the bear was already on her.
Its stench hit first—blood, rot, wet fur, and something even fouler. Then came the roar, so close it rattled her skull.
Xiangzi barely got the spear up in time.
The impact sent a shock through both her arms.
Her palms almost opened.
Her bones rang.
That thing's strength was insane.
From behind came Brent's voice.
"Move! Move! Move!"
A heavy rifle cracked.
A .50-caliber round slammed into the bear's shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh and driving it sideways. The shot did not kill it, but it bought Xiangzi a heartbeat.
She took it.
Instead of retreating, Xiangzi stepped in.
She abandoned the ruined spear and drew the heavy combat knife at her thigh, using the beast's own stagger to close the distance and slip under its guard.
The bear swiped again.
She ducked.
Its claws tore through the air where her head had been.
Then Xiangzi drove the blade upward with all the strength left in her body—
Straight into the soft gap beneath its jaw.
The bear convulsed.
Its weight crashed down like a collapsing wall.
Xiangzi ripped herself free and rolled, gasping, before it could crush her beneath it.
From the villa behind her, the others poured out supporting fire, shooting down the creatures still trying to rush past.
Ye Ling, somehow still conscious, struggled up onto one knee, blood running down the edge of her lip.
"I'm… not dead yet…"
"Then don't die," Xiangzi shot back, voice ragged.
She bent, grabbed the fallen spear shaft again, and planted herself between the bear and the house.
For a moment, neither side moved.
Then the beast rose.
Not fully steady, but still alive.
Its throat was torn, blood gushing in thick ropes down its chest. One shoulder was nearly blown apart. Yet it still came forward.
"Are you kidding me…"
Brent fired again.
This time the shot hit the eye.
The entire head snapped sideways.
The bear staggered—
And Xiangzi moved at the same instant.
She ran straight at it.
Every muscle in her body screamed. Her lower abdomen burned with a pain that reminded her she should not have been fighting like this at all. Her lungs felt torn open. Her arms were numb. Her vision trembled at the edges.
But she still ran.
The half-broken spearhead drove in through the beast's ruined eye socket with all the force she could muster.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The giant body shuddered.
Then, at last, it collapsed.
This time, it did not rise again.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Only ragged breathing remained.
Then the gunfire around the perimeter gradually died down as the last scattered infected creatures were cleaned up.
Someone dropped to sit in the snow.
Someone else laughed once, half-hysterical, half-relieved.
Xiangzi stood there over the corpse, shoulders heaving, the broken spear still buried in its skull.
Then she swayed.
Huaxiu reached her first.
"Xiangzi!"
"I'm fine," Xiangzi said automatically.
She was not fine.
Her legs gave way anyway.
Between Huaxiu and Miranda, they caught her before she hit the ground.
Nearby, Brent dragged herself over to Ye Ling and shoved her down flat before the giant fox-girl could try to stand again.
"Lie down. That's an order."
Ye Ling obeyed, perhaps because she no longer had the strength not to.
The night wind swept over the ruined battlefield.
Burned fur.
Blood.
Explosive smoke.
Hot brass.
All of it mixed together into a disgusting, unforgettable smell.
But for the moment—
They had held.
Dawn was still far away.
Yet the defense line had not fallen.
And that, for now, was enough.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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