Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1163 - 42: Kill the Group Leader

Chapter 1163: Chapter 42: Kill the Group Leader

Dozens of nuts fell off, the ladder was torn down by the Zombie Bear, and as it was ravaged, it shook and groaned under the strain, causing the entire steel frame to sway as well.

Susan clung tightly to the ladder, half her body already on the steel-framed platform, but she dared not climb up because a black muzzle was pointed straight at her.

"It must be a human," Tang Zheng didn’t speak. If it were a zombie, Susan would have started screaming. At times like these, it’s best for a girl to play to her strengths and not interrupt, as it might invite trouble.

"Please don’t shoot, I beg you, the zombies are after us." Susan cried with streams of tears, the color draining from her face, feeling that this place was hell itself.

The British Group Leader hesitated. If it had been a man, he would have pulled the trigger without hesitation, but faced with a girl in extreme panic, he deemed her no threat. Plus, with his severe injuries, he needed help, or he’d never escape this damn laboratory.

"Trouble now, she’s likely a Group Leader given she’s made it this far," Tang Zheng realized that no attack would be forthcoming after seeing that Susan was continuing to climb. He immediately started acting for the sake of later actions.

"Climb up quickly, that Zombie Bear is going to bring the ladder and the steel frame down!" Tang Zheng feigned panic, shouting and yelling.

"Shut up, do you want to attract more zombies?" a low growl from a man came down from above.

"It’s the British Group Leader, huh, lucky bastard. And the other one? Probably leading the Tyrant away," Tang Zheng deliberately gasped loudly as he continuously fired his gun, cursing, "With all this noise from the gunshots, what’s wrong with shouting a bit? Susan, climb up faster!"

Susan climbed onto the platform but disappointed Tang Zheng with her actions; she didn’t squat down to help him but quickly moved away, fearing she would fall if the steel frame collapsed.

Tang Zheng climbed up as if he didn’t care about the Group Leader’s gun aimed at him, unzipped his backpack, took out a hand grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it down.

Boom, boom—the exploding blast and flames rose, shaking the eardrums.

The Group Leader hesitated, unsure whether to take Tang Zheng out.

"What are you waiting for, run!" Tang Zheng yelled out. He had deliberately thrown the grenade to create tension, knowing it would make the Group Leader hesitate and reconsider, as too much thinking leads to indecision and overturning previous resolutions more easily.

The British Group Leader actually wanted to kill Tang Zheng. Having a female companion was enough to get out of the laboratory, but the fierce battle had made him hesitate. Susan only knew how to flee, obviously lacking in combat prowess...

"Help him up, run!" Tang Zheng urged again, asking Susan to take care of the Group Leader while he breathed a sigh of relief. He always kept an eye on the Englishman, ready to fight back if he fired.

"Please don’t shoot, he’s a good man," Susan pleaded with Smith.

"This way," hearing Tang Zheng ask Susan to take care of him, Smith lowered his gun; he felt that a man willing to escape with a woman couldn’t be too bad, although the suspicious Smith also wondered if the woman was his cannon fodder bait, "Did he save you?"

"Yes, I would have died long ago if it weren’t for him," Susan inadvertently earned another merit.

Seeing Susan’s genuinely earnest expression, Smith was reassured.

"Damn it, to think he dared to point a gun at me, I’ll kill you later." Tang Zheng retreated as the Zombie Bear rampaged below, sizing up Smith from behind.

The guy was in a sorry state, covered in blood; he was missing his right arm, his left calf also gone, only rudimentary bandaging done with torn clothing strips, which were already soaked through with blood, dripping on the floor.

"I’ll help you up. You actually escaped from the Tyrant, that’s pretty impressive," Tang Zheng casually picked up Smith’s arm and slung it over his neck.

Susan didn’t see Smith’s hand holding the gun, but Tang Zheng, ever observant, wouldn’t miss these details. However, with the arm over his neck and supporting the wrist, the danger was greatly reduced.

"Why did you chase up here?" Smith wasn’t entirely reassured yet, but with the offer of help and his own need, he couldn’t refuse.

"Tang said this path had been taken by you, so it’s safe," Susan immediately answered.

Smith nodded, accepting the explanation.

"Having a woman around really does save a lot of trouble," Tang Zheng felt the high fever radiating from Smith’s body, knowing he was feverish due to infection from his wounds.

"What about that strong guy with the MG42 machine gun? Did he leave you to escape on his own?" Tang Zheng continued to make conversation, trying to build rapport while quickening his pace. He was looking ahead to a corner with a missing rail, planning to pretend to fall when they reached it, and then take him down.

"That bastard Kohler actually used me to fight the zombies. Humph, but I’m not stupid, I took the chance to escape," Smith boasted, also to deter the two from getting any clever ideas.

"Did the Tyrant give you those injuries? You’re not going to turn into a zombie, are you?" Susan, more of a liability than an asset, made Smith tense up with just one sentence, gripping his gun tighter.

Tang Zheng lost the opportunity to knock him down; even if a Group Leader was gravely wounded, the backlash before death could cause significant losses.

"Don’t, don’t get me wrong, I never thought about leaving you behind," Susan quickly explained, sensing the tense atmosphere.

"Let’s talk about any problems later. Let’s get out of here first." The zombie bear had already pulled down the ladder, which, being connected to the steel frame, was continuously shaking. Tang Zheng gave up the idea of faking a fall and prepared to act on the fly.

Smith was very tired. Not only had he lost a lot of blood, but the rushed journey was also about to drain his last bit of strength. If he were an ordinary person, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

"You look pale. Do you want to rest for a while?" Susan gave Tang Zheng a meaningful look, wanting him to ditch this burden.

"No problem, I can hold on. Wait, we can’t go left." Smith didn’t want to be left behind. "Do you have any food? Or a first aid kit or something? I lost my backpack during the escape."

"Yes," Tang Zheng answered straightforwardly. "We’ll eat when we can’t hear the zombie bear’s noises anymore."

Smith couldn’t argue with that proposal and agreed.

After three minutes of rapid movement, Smith was not only consuming his physical strength, but his blood was also coursing rapidly, causing his wound to split open.

"I can’t go on. I need to rest." Smith resolved that if Tang Zheng refused to help, he would kill him and take his backpack.

"Alright then." Tang Zheng was just looking for another opportunity when a black shadow shrieked and suddenly pounced from the shadows in the corner.

Susan hadn’t reacted yet when Smith, holding a Beretta M92F, had already aimed at the black shadow and opened fire. Over time the two had built some trust, and he wanted to prove his worth, to show why anyone would save a severely injured burden.

If both group leaders were in their prime, their reaction speeds would be nearly identical. However, at the moment, Tang Zheng was vastly outpacing Smith. He instantly saw that the black shadow opposite them was a zombified wild cat. His right hand drew his gun while his left hand, resting on Smith’s back, swung a heavy blow at Smith’s neck, and his left leg jutted out to trip him.

"This is bad!" The wind pressure hit the back of his head, and Smith’s face turned pale with shock, realizing Tang Zheng had made a move on him. He regretted firing his gun, and with maximum speed, he flipped his wrist to aim at Tang Zheng, but it was too late.

Tang Zheng’s hand continued to chop down, his right hand with the gun moved up, aiming the muzzle at Smith’s armature, and pulled the trigger. Bullets flew and pierced through his forearm bone.

"Ahh!" Smith screamed, enduring the agony as he continued to turn his wrist downward, and at the same time, he turned his head to bite Tang Zheng’s ear, determined to take someone down with him even in death.

Bang, bang, bang, Tang Zheng had anticipated Smith’s strong resilience, so he fired three consecutive shots directly breaking his left armature.

Tang Zheng’s chop landed on Smith’s neck. Staggering half a step, the man surprisingly didn’t fall unconscious. Tang Zheng exerted force in his hands and immediately pushed him forward, using him as a meat shield.

Susan was attacking the shadow, but sadly missed. The shadow pounced, landing on Smith’s head, and its claws left several bloody trails.

Tang Zheng flipped his wrist, continuously shooting. The bullets entered through Smith’s cheek and flew out the back of his head, also killing the zombie cat.

Pfft, Smith’s head was blown apart, and even the white bones of his spine could be seen at his neck.

Ah, Susan screamed again, not understanding how things had turned out this way so quickly. However, the death of the zombie cat eased her a bit.

"This guy was a burden and always doubted us, never letting go of his gun," Susan complained bitterly, uncaring about Smith’s fate.

Tang Zheng let go, and Smith’s body fell to the ground. He crouched down and stripped the corpse of its clothing, finding nothing valuable except for the space wristwatch around his right wrist.

"Pauper," Tang Zheng muttered, taking back the wristwatch and glanced in the direction that the tyrant had gone. He intended to follow.

"Let’s go back, please?" Susan didn’t want to take risks anymore, hugging Tang Zheng and trying to kiss him.

"What are you doing?" Tang Zheng pushed Susan away. "Don’t waste time."

"I won’t go. I want to leave this place. It’s too dangerous. I don’t care about any virus strains." Having seen enough death, Susan finally made up her mind. "Tang, please, come with me."

"Just leave yourself." Tang Zheng hesitated for a moment but decided to spare Susan. Killing her here would waste any remaining value she had. She could still spread the word of his good deeds.

"Can’t you consider how I feel?" Susan growled at Tang Zheng in frustration. "Fine then, I’ll go by myself."

"Suit yourself. Be careful with the zombies. Besides, I’ll be more convenient moving alone." Tang Zheng walked away decisively, not believing Susan had the guts to leave.

"That bastard. Don’t I have any charm at all?" Susan felt dejected. She had the will but not the strength, so glancing at the empty waste treatment area, she hurried after Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng followed the blood trail, and after ten minutes, he heard faint gunshots. He swapped to biochemical bullets, and after passing a large piece of equipment, he saw Kohler. The man was jumping around on a seven-meter high piece of equipment, trying to evade a tyrant’s pursuit. His body was smeared with blood, and he seemed to be running out of strength. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to recommend and vote on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)