The pure white snowflakes fell one by one, covering all the dirt on the ground. No matter how dirty the ground was, the white snowflakes would cover it impartially, making the white snow incredibly pure. In the eyes of any poet, white snow always seemed so pure and flawless.
Amidst the snow, tens of thousands of soldiers stood in formation, weapons in hand, on high alert for any potential danger. Especially in the heavy snowfall, anything beyond five meters was completely invisible. All they could rely on were their comrades beside them. No one knew when danger might strike, and they could only concentrate their spirits, guarding against any imminent threats.
The danger came from underground!
The snow-covered ground suddenly caved in. Before anyone could react, numerous mutated zombies emerged from the snow. In an instant, these zombies launched an assault on the surrounding soldiers and machines. Large pits appeared in the snow, from which the mutated zombies had burrowed.
The original openings in the ground were now blocked. This newly appeared large pit was clearly dug out by a digging-type zombie.
Xiao Sheng quickly led the special forces behind him into battle. Wearing a gas mask, his voice became muffled, "Fight in groups of three. No solo actions. Kill all the zombies inside the battlefield quickly to prevent the mutated zombies from forming formations!"
With that, Xiao Sheng drew his bull horn knife. The blade instantly blazed with blue flames. Snowflakes landed on the blade, sizzling and evaporating instantly. He then charged towards the mutated zombies, killing them one by one with a single strike, regardless of their type.
Xiao Sheng's blade was covered in flames, inflicting a burning effect when killing zombies. This was most effective against tank-type zombies with their regenerative abilities! When Xiao Sheng swung his blade, the tank-type zombies instinctively tried to endure the blow, confident in their powerful regeneration. However, the flames on the blade would instantly scorch the wound, preventing it from healing.
Even the tank-type zombies couldn't withstand Xiao Sheng's strike, let alone the other zombies.
In the battlefield after Xiao Sheng's charge, all the mutated zombies were killed with a single blow. The zombies' wounds were charred, clearly cooked by the high temperature. Even when the bull horn knife struck bone, the blade felt no resistance, cutting through bone as if it were tofu, splitting it in half.
The battle on Xiao Sheng's side was smooth, with no zombies being a match for him. Most of the zombies were second or third-tier mutated zombies. For Xiao Sheng, already a fifth-tier ability user, these zombies posed no threat.
In other directions of the battlefield, Qin Kewei continuously altered the terrain, protecting the blowers and technical personnel. She did not engage in direct combat but instead took on a protective role. Whenever mutated zombies charged, Qin Kewei would instantly summon earth and stone, killing or repelling them.
Not far from Qin Kewei, Yue Hengyi walked slowly. He had no one assisting him, nor did he need any. Yue Hengyi only needed to move to kill mutated zombies. A three-times gravity field surrounded him. Any mutated zombies that charged would instantly be crushed by their own gravity, unable to stand. Over time, the mutated zombies would be crushed to death by their own weight.
Yue Hengyi's expression was relaxed, clearly not taking these mutated zombies seriously. His ability not only had excellent control but also a particularly strong killing effect.
Around Yue Hengyi, the ice and snow on the ground, subjected to triple gravity, were constantly being compressed downwards, now forming white ice blocks.
Jin Zijue used no weapons with his hands, as his abilities made weapons redundant. With a wave of his hand, arcs of electricity appeared. The battlefield where he was located was the most dazzling. As he walked, arcs of electricity crackled around him. When he used his abilities to kill zombies, there was a rumbling sound, as if he were constantly summoning lightning to fight.
Fang Qinghao was no less impressive. Water flowed around his body, and when imbued with speed, water could possess formidable destructive power. This was the principle behind water blades. By imparting extreme speed to the water flow, its power could even cut through steel. Zombies, being mere flesh and blood, could not withstand the water blades used by Fang Qinghao.
Around Fang Qinghao, the ground was littered with severed limbs and broken bodies. No mutated zombies could bypass Fang Qinghao to attack those behind him.
The battles fought by fifth-tier ability users on the battlefield were particularly spectacular, as they could kill powerful mutated zombies with a wave of their hands. However, the most eye-catching among them was Zhang Zi, who controlled ice and snow. With the heavy snowfall, it was Zhang Zi's domain. At this moment, even Shen Feng would retreat, as all the falling ice and snow were under Zhang Zi's control.
"Ice and Snow Domain!" Zhang Zi let out a sharp cry and immediately began to unleash her ability.
Within hundreds of meters around Zhang Zi, the ice and snow on the ground were compressed tightly and instantly solidified, resembling an artificial ice rink with an exceptionally smooth surface. The mutated zombies, perceiving Zhang Zi as a lesser threat, immediately charged towards her.
However, as soon as the mutated zombies stepped onto the ice, their feet slipped, and they slid uncontrollably across the ice. But this was not the most fatal aspect. Numerous ice spikes suddenly grew from the ice surface, piercing towards the mutated zombies. Those on the ice who failed to dodge were instantly struck by the sharp ice spikes. In a flash, the mutated zombies were killed on the ice.
The reason headquarters formulated this expedition plan was to target the zombies' logistical deficiencies. During the peak of winter, zombies would not be able to mobilize on a large scale, and zombie hordes could not form under such conditions. Therefore, the Zombie King could only dispatch mutated zombies to attack.
Headquarters had prepared all measures to deal with mutated zombies, deploying elite soldiers and ability users. The elite soldiers had consumed evolutionary potions and were all evolved individuals, capable of holding their own against the onslaught of mutated zombies. Furthermore, the leaders of these special forces were ability users from the Ability Administration Bureau. The numerous ability users possessed formidable strength, exhibiting overwhelming power during combat.
However, headquarters overlooked one point: zombies do not only advance along existing paths. Thus, mutated zombies entered the battlefield by digging tunnels, causing chaos and allowing countless mutated zombies to rampage across the battlefield.
Areas protected by ability users and special forces fared better. However, the battlefield spanned tens of kilometers, and there were always areas that were not adequately covered. Mutated zombies exploited these weak defenses, launching fierce attacks and causing significant casualties. Many soldiers were killed, and the soldiers could not help but open fire. Although friendly fire was a risk, in the current situation, killing the enemy first was paramount, otherwise, the mutated zombies would tear through their defenses, leading to an increase in casualties.
Cheng Ke heard the reports from below, indicating that friendly casualties were steadily rising. The number of soldier casualties for that single day had already surpassed the total casualties of the previous month.
Although previous battles were defensive, with city walls and concentrated artillery fire against the enemy, they were now standing in the snowy wilderness, surrounded by flat terrain and forests. From a topographical perspective, this was extremely difficult. However, in the current situation, every elite soldier lost was a loss that would take a long time to replace with a qualified soldier. Excessive casualties were unacceptable.
At this moment, Cheng Ke murmured, "Ability users and evolved individuals, now it all depends on you to display your true strength. Please do not disappoint me!"
Cheng Ke knew that in battles against mutated zombies, it was best to rely on evolved individuals and ability users, as their combat capabilities were far superior to ordinary people. Besides that, the only other option was to form dense firepower nets to prevent the zombies from advancing. However, with tens of thousands of soldiers spread across the battlefield, organizing a firepower net was impossible. They were barely able to defend themselves. The only hope now lay with the teams of ability users and evolved individuals.
Looking at the howling wind and snow outside the tent, Cheng Ke felt helpless. Fighting in the wind and snow could prevent zombies from launching a horde, but conversely, it also meant the army lost aerial support. In such harsh weather, fighter jets and the like were completely ineffective.
Just then, Zhang Zi noticed an area on the battlefield lacking protection from evolved individuals, where numerous mutated zombies were slaughtering soldiers. Enraged, she began to unleash her abilities. The snowflakes in the air and on the ground swirled and flew, all gathered around Zhang Zi. Soon, a ten-meter-tall snowman made of ice and snow appeared above the battlefield. The snowman looked clumsy and cute, but it was formidable in action, swinging its giant fists to attack the mutated zombies.
Zhang Zi stood atop the snowman. The massive snowman at her feet was her creation. She harbored deep resentment towards the mutated zombies continuously emerging on the battlefield, especially when she saw her comrades being killed one after another. Her anger was indescribable.
"You bunch of despicable fellows, bullying the weak and fearing the strong! Today, I will annihilate all of you!" Zhang Zi said coldly.
As soon as she finished speaking, a greatsword of ice appeared in the snowman's hand. The snowman's left hand was not idle either, as it launched countless ice spikes, continuously killing the mutated zombies on the ground.
With the appearance of the giant snowman, the situation on the battlefield became clear. Even the tallest tank-type zombies were only a little over four meters tall. Such zombies could not withstand a single blow from the snowman. Their regenerative abilities were incredibly potent, allowing flesh wounds to heal almost instantly. However, when the ice blade struck, the tank-type zombies were simply cut in half. Such fatal wounds could not be healed.
At this moment on the battlefield, Zhang Zi, the controller of ice and snow, was undoubtedly the most powerful ability user, as this was her home ground. Ice and snow were everywhere on the battlefield, and Zhang Zi only needed to manipulate the ubiquitous ice and snow to harm the enemy. Moreover, within Zhang Zi's range of abilities, ice spikes, over a meter long, could appear on the ground at any time. Even if these ice spikes couldn't kill the zombies, they could inflict severe damage.
Zhang Zi controlled the snowman, continuously killing mutated zombies. Seeing this, the mutated zombies all avoided Zhang Zi.
By this point, all the mutated zombies from the underground tunnels had emerged. The number of zombies in the snow did not increase further. The radar detected this phenomenon and calculated the number of mutated zombies to be less than five thousand, approximately four thousand nine hundred. Since the battle began, over a thousand mutated zombies had been killed. As long as their numbers did not increase, all these mutated zombies would be eliminated within thirty minutes.
Cheng Ke anxiously watched the radar, silently thinking, "If the number of mutated zombies does not increase, then this battle will be a victory, and the predetermined objective will be achieved. Will the Zombie King continue to reinforce?"
Cheng Ke's greatest concern was that all the mutated zombies from the underground tunnels would rush out in a swarm. If that happened, their losses would be immense, and a majority of the machines would be destroyed. At that point, the toxic gas attack might not be sustainable for much longer.
Cheng Ke was now praying that the number of mutated zombies would not increase. If it continued to rise, even if they achieved victory in this battle, it would only be a pyrrhic victory.