The Tier 8 zombie had vanished into the horde, and there wasn't much the team could do about it.

Ethan could chase it down using [Teleportation], sure—but his offensive options were still too limited. Even if he caught up, he didn't have the firepower to finish it alone.

That only made him more determined.

"When I hit Stage C," Ethan thought grimly, "I'm picking a damn strong offensive skill. No more of this half-assed toolkit."

It didn't take long for the Tier 8 zombie's reinforcements to arrive.

Four Tier 7 zombies broke through the crowd and took position behind it. At the same time, a wave of Tier 6 zombies surged toward Sean and the others, clearly trying to cut them off and prevent any backup.

No doubt about it—the Tier 8 zombie was smart. Scary smart. Its intelligence was already approaching human level.

When its backup arrived, the Tier 8 zombie turned to Ethan and grinned.

Actually grinned.

That twisted, smug smile sent a chill down Ethan's spine. He hadn't expected a zombie to smile—let alone look that damn sleazy doing it.

"Let's see if you're still smiling in a minute," Ethan muttered, annoyed.

He turned to Mia. "Can your AoE freeze lock them all down?"

Mia shook her head. "No way. I just hit Tier 7. That's a Tier 8 and four Tier 7s—we're too far apart in power. Even if I freeze them, it'll only last a second. Not enough to do anything."

"Figures," Ethan sighed.

Freezing just one wouldn't help. Even if they locked down the Tier 8, the other four would break it out immediately. No chance for a clean hit.

"Looks like we're doing this the hard way," Ethan said. "I'll keep the Tier 8 busy. You two handle the four Tier 7s. Think you can manage?"

"I can freeze them," Mia said seriously. "But not for long. Chris, you'll need to hit fast."

"Got it."

As they finished planning, the Tier 8 zombie charged, its four Tier 7 escorts right behind.

Ethan met it head-on, swinging his rebar staff straight at its chest.

The zombie didn't flinch—threw a punch right back.

CLANG!

Fist met steel. Ethan staggered back a few steps, and the Tier 8 zombie pressed forward, launching a flurry of brutal punches.

Ethan blocked each one with his staff, arms straining under the force. Then, with a flick of his mind, he sent a machete flying from his inventory, aiming straight for the zombie's eye.

The Tier 8 zombie didn't even blink. It threw a punch at the incoming blade.

But the machete twisted mid-air, dodging the strike and whipping around behind the zombie's head, aiming for the back of its skull.

At the same time, Ethan lunged, driving the tip of his rebar staff toward the zombie's throat.

It was a perfect pincer.

But the zombie reacted fast—too fast.

It caught Ethan's staff with one hand, locking it in place, and tilted its head just enough to avoid the machete's stab.

"Damn," Ethan muttered. "No wonder it's Tier 8."

He tried to yank the staff free, but the zombie's grip was like iron.

So he sent the machete diving toward its wrist.

The blade bit in, and the zombie finally let go.

Ethan ripped the staff free, and the two clashed again, trading blow after blow.

Meanwhile…

The four Tier 7 zombies charged straight at Chris and Mia.

Chris didn't go invisible—if he did, the zombies would focus on Mia, and she wouldn't last long alone. They had to fight together.

As the zombies closed in, Mia raised her hand and sent a crashing wave of water at them, soaking all four.

They didn't even slow down.

But then—crack.

The water on their bodies flash-froze, locking them in place before they could react.

In seconds, they were four frozen statues.

"Nice one!"

Chris lit up as his rebar staff, its tip wrapped in a black-edged aura, drove straight into the neck of a frozen Tier 7 zombie.

Shhk!

The enhanced edge pierced clean through, severing spine and brainstem in one brutal thrust. Instant kill.

Chris didn't waste a second. He yanked the staff free and turned to strike the next one—

But behind him, Mia suddenly shouted.

"Get back!"

Chris's heart jumped. He instinctively pulled away, but he was half a beat too slow.

One of the frozen zombies had already broken free. Its claw raked across his shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh and muscle in a spray of blood.

"Gah—!" Chris gritted his teeth and stumbled back, pain flaring through his arm.

The other two zombies shattered their icy prisons and lunged at him.

But Chris had recovered his footing. He swung hard, smashing one of them in the chest with his rebar staff. At the same time, Mia rushed in and slammed her weapon into the other, forcing it back.

Chris glanced at his shoulder, blood soaking through his shirt. "Shit… that freeze didn't last long."

Mia winced. "Sorry. Freezing four Tier 7s at once is tough. And that one? It's probably at peak Tier 7."

Chris let out a breath. "Figures… So, three left. Can you freeze them again?"

"Not right away," Mia said. "If I try again too soon, their bodies will resist it. The effect won't hold—they'll break out before you can even land a hit."

"Great. Guess we're doing this the hard way." Chris adjusted his grip. "I'll take the two. You handle the peak one. When they're worn down, look for another freeze window. If we can drop just one more, the rest'll be easier."

"Got it."

The three Tier 7 zombies charged again.

Chris stepped forward, meeting two of them head-on with his rebar staff. Mia squared off against the strongest one.

Chris was stronger than the average Tier 7 zombie, so handling two wasn't impossible. But with one arm injured and barely usable, his combat power had taken a hit.

Mia, the last of the Fallen Star Squad to reach Tier 7, had a slight edge thanks to the mysterious energy she'd absorbed during their stargazing sessions. Combined with her weapon, she could just barely hold her own against the peak Tier 7 zombie.

The fight ground into a brutal stalemate.

Ethan, meanwhile, was still locked in a fierce duel with the Tier 8 zombie. It had the edge in raw power, but Ethan's rebar staff, paired with his telekinetically-controlled machete, kept the fight even. Every time the zombie pressed in, Ethan countered with a flurry of coordinated strikes.

Elsewhere, Sean and the others were trying to push through to help—but a wave of Tier 6 zombies, backed by swarming Tier 5s, had them pinned down. They couldn't break free.

Back at the compound wall—

The pile of corpses had grown so high that zombies were now climbing over it and reaching the top. Close-quarters combat had broken out along the wall.

But space was limited. The wall was already packed with Enhanced, and the zombies had no room to gain footing. Every time one made it up, it was immediately swarmed and beaten back.

Below, more zombies slammed into the wall like battering rams.

The spikes embedded in the stone tore into them, but they didn't care. They just kept coming, smashing into the wall again and again.

The entire structure was starting to shake.

If this kept up, it wouldn't be long before the wall came down.

And when it did—

It'd be hand-to-hand combat, no more defenses. Just raw survival.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.