Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 145 - 114 Stealth

Chapter 145: Chapter 114 Stealth

Maya made a split-second decision, and she and Lin Wu, despite the risk of injury, dashed out of the vacation cottage and climbed up to a five-meter-high treehouse to temporarily take cover. This height was rather awkward, as five meters was within the zombies’ awareness range and they couldn’t hide their tracks by stealth or similar means. In a short while, a dense crowd of zombies gathered below the tree roots.

There was only one way: to keep climbing up the tree. After reaching a height of ten meters, the two entered stealth mode. After maintaining stealth for 10 seconds, the zombies lost track of the humans and their agitated emotions gradually stabilized. As they roamed about, the zombies slowly dispersed.

But the crisis was far from over. The resort was located in a small hollow of a hill, and due to the terrain, the zombies didn’t stray too far away. Or to put it another way, in the short term, the density of zombies in the resort was set to exceed that of the county town.

Maya said, "The first option is to snipe the screamers, then cross a few cabins to shake off the zombies, get to the road, and drive away. The second is to wait—I estimate it will take at least two hours for the horde to disperse completely."

Lin Wu compared with the drone footage and said, "There are quite a few screamers beyond our shooting range." The area was forested, with trees everywhere, providing ample cover.

Lin Wu added, "There are also at least five Frenzies, and we won’t be able to shake them off by moving through walls and into houses."

Although there was a lot to be done, all they could do for now was wait. Lin Wu felt a hint of regret, wishing he had been more careful and vigilant. From this, Lin Wu learned a lesson: even with great strength, one must remain discreet, or the weaker zombies would teach you humility.

"This is the second time," Maya said somewhat helplessly, contemplating Stone’s words for the third time. During the day shift, she was always mindful of the details because she knew the day shift’s strength varied greatly—slipups could lead to death. Teaming up with Lin Wu was like a race; as long as they didn’t die, they played with death.

Change was needed!

Lin Wu’s response shattered Maya’s thoughts: "Isn’t it quite fun?"

This... Well, it was certainly more interesting than the day shift. Nonetheless, Maya still instructed, "We need to keep our noise down from now on."

Lin Wu agreed. Before, upon approaching a target building, he would first stealthily circle the premises to check how many zombies were around before entering. Every few minutes, he’d come out and circle again to avoid being discovered first by the zombies. But now he’d just go straight over, barging through doors instead of picking locks.

As they waited, a car turned left into the resort. The driver, seeing the vehicles at the intersection, had expected to encounter other players. It never crossed his mind that after making that left turn, he would be faced with a massive horde of zombies.

In that moment of shock, seven zombies had already latched onto the sedan. With one hand holding the car and the other scratching it, the vehicle was rapidly being destroyed before their very eyes. First, the windshield shattered, then the body of the car became wrinkled, followed by white smoke rising from under the hood, then black smoke, and finally, fire.

Maya said, "We have only seven seconds until it explodes."

The driver frantically pushed the car door, while the zombies struggled to keep it shut. In the end, due to the car’s damage, a zombie pulled the door off, allowing the driver to get out. Facing the encircling zombies, the driver pulled out his gun and with one shot, blew the heads off three zombies. However, zombies on his left and right had grabbed his arms, and in a desperate forwards lunge, he threw himself into the crowd of zombies.

Along with the explosion of the car, a massive shockwave sent all nearby zombies flying. The driver quickly got up and ran as zombies converged from all directions, and screams and howls echoed from every side.

"It’s Nightmare." As she got closer, Maya saw the face of Nightmare. Nightmare was still wearing her Black Fortress uniform today, but with an additional green military coat, presumably for warmth. For this reason, Lin Wu and Maya did not recognize her at first. Only when she looked up, revealing the cloth mask, did Maya confirm that it was Nightmare.

Maya shouted, "Get to the treehouse!"

Nightmare saw the two perched twenty meters away in the tree canopy. She aimed her left hand at them and shot a Hook Claw Rope from her hand. The hook soared past branches, and with a pull from Nightmare, it wound several times around a branch, securing itself tightly. Two zombies had already grabbed Nightmare, but as she pressed the button on her left hand, the Hook Claw Rope rapidly tightened, pulling her and the two zombies forward. In no time, one person and two zombies were hoisted off the ground, flying towards Lin Wu and Maya.

Maya aimed her gun and hit the two zombies. Although she didn’t hit their heads, the zombies released Nightmare, falling from the height. The Hook Claw Rope retracted too rapidly, slamming Nightmare’s body firmly against the tree, causing the tree itself to shudder.

Lin Wu looked up at Nightmare, who was three meters above them, and after a long silence from her, quietly asked, "Is she dead?" If she was, they needed to quickly scavenge her loot. The last time Nightmare was ambushed and chased by several players, she ran into a community with one goal—to prevent anyone from looting her. If no one looted within a minute of her death, all her equipment would return to her safe house.

"Maya, hand me a painkiller," pleaded Nightmare, clinging to the tree and reaching out her hand.

Lin Wu, confused, said, "You go out without even bringing medicine? No meds? You can buy some from me."

Unbeknownst to Lin Wu, when Nightmare crashed into the tree, a piece of branch had pierced her cheek. Not daring to move and aggravate the wound and the excruciating pain, she also had to avoid causing more bleeding, which could be fatal given her injury. Naturally, she couldn’t take any medicine in this state.