Chapter 16: The Preliminary Trial Begins

It seemed that this incident had indeed inflicted considerable psychological damage on Huang Ya.

Li Xingyue felt somewhat relieved now, thankful that the middle-aged man hadn’t chosen him earlier; otherwise... no, he dared not imagine further.

Zhou Yuxuan looked at the remaining crowd, nodded slightly, and signaled to the jeep. Two people got off, came to the trunk, and carried down several cardboard boxes.

“One blade per person. Come take yours.”

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed toward the boxes. Li Xingyue followed, leaning in to see that they were ordinary military knives—black handles and white blades. He hefted one in his hand; it had some weight to it.

After collecting their weapons, the group proceeded to a large iron gate on the west side of the square and entered one after another.

Inside was an enormous space resembling a soccer field, but empty. Just as they stepped in, a loud clang sounded—the iron gate slammed shut behind them.

At the same moment, a loudspeaker blared: “Two-hour countdown begins. Good luck.”

No sooner had the words fallen than the distant iron gate flung open, and a surge of figures burst forth, snarling and clawing as they charged.

“Zombies! They’re coming!”

“Damn, so many zombies! Run!”

Chaos erupted instantly; people screamed and scattered in panic.

Li Xingyue was momentarily stunned by the scene but quickly suppressed his fear.

Strangely, these zombies moved with astonishing speed, almost matching the velocity of those he had fought in the arena earlier—some even faster.

Could it be that the zombies in the arena were only first-level?

Lost in thought, he saw the zombies closing in on the crowd. In an instant, over twenty people were knocked to the ground.

Most still fled desperately, only a few dared stand and face the zombies.

This couldn’t go on. If they didn’t take advantage of their numbers and quickly eliminate the zombies, everyone would be bitten before long.

With this resolve, Li Xingyue gripped his knife tightly and scanned for the nearest zombie.

He found one about fifteen meters to his left, crouching and gnawing on a corpse.

He dashed quickly, positioned himself behind it, grasped the knife with both hands, aimed at its head, and plunged the blade down fiercely.

*Splatter!*

A jet of black blood sprayed from the zombie’s brain, coating half of Li Xingyue’s clothes and smearing his face.

The zombie’s feeding ceased abruptly; it collapsed motionless on the ground.

As expected! Low-level zombies had slow reflexes and weak bodies, easy to kill.

Wiping the black blood from his face, Li Xingyue stood upright and sought his next target.

He spotted one twenty meters ahead—a person locked in combat with a zombie. Li Xingyue sprinted over and, with both hands on his knife, swung fiercely. The zombie’s neck was sliced halfway through.

The zombie howled and swiftly turned around, locking eyes on Li Xingyue, arms outstretched. Its blood-red mouth opened wide.

Damn! This one seemed tougher!

His heart clenched, and as he tried to break free, a flash of white light streaked by beside him.

*Splatter!*

Another zombie’s head exploded.

Li Xingyue turned to see the attacker—a stranger.

“Stop standing there dumbfounded! Kill it quickly, or we’re all dead!” the stranger urged.

Nodding, Li Xingyue resumed scanning for targets.

At this point, about a dozen zombies remained. In just a few minutes, seven or eight had fallen, but even more humans—thirty or forty—had been bitten to death.

After several fights, Li Xingyue gained a clearer understanding of the zombies’ strength. First-level zombies were roughly on par with ordinary humans; quick reflexes made them manageable.

Second-level zombies, however, surpassed first-level ones considerably in strength, speed, and endurance. Facing them alone was perilous; any lapse could mean being bitten or grabbed.

Third-level? Right—Zhou Yuxuan had mentioned third-level zombies. Where was it?

Remembering the presence of a third-level zombie made Li Xingyue break into a cold sweat. He frantically scanned the area again.

More than half the people were engaged in combat, usually several humans against one zombie. A few cowered in corners, trembling, afraid to advance.

Finally, he spotted the third-level zombie—a man of medium build with lighter skin than the lower-level zombies and a more robust physique—currently gnawing on a brain.

Given his strength, Li Xingyue knew he couldn’t defeat it alone. For now, he resolved to ignore it and help finish off the lower-level zombies first.

He dashed off to join others in coordinated attacks against the lesser zombies.

Soon, the number of zombies standing on the field dwindled, though the fallen humans increased.

Throughout, Li Xingyue kept a close eye on the third-level zombie, noticing that once it finished a brain, it immediately sought its next victim.

Its speed and power were indeed significantly greater than the second-level zombies'. Anyone targeted by it was virtually doomed.

Finally, aside from the third-level zombie, all others were slain. Everyone’s gaze fixed on the formidable creature.

“This must be the third-level zombie, right?”

“Brothers, there’s only half an hour left. If we don’t kill it, none of us will get out alive!”

“Yeah, don’t hold back! Anyone who hesitates, I’ll kill myself!”

All the survivors gathered together. Those who had been trembling on the sidelines quietly joined the crowd but stayed at the rear.

Seventy or so survivors slowly advanced toward the third-level zombie. After finishing the brain in its grasp, the creature turned, its blood-red eyes greedily scanning the crowd.

The onlookers shuddered; its gaze was like that of a fierce beast, making anyone caught in its sights deeply uncomfortable.

“Brothers, charge! If we kill it, we’re free!”

“For freedom!”

“For the women!”

“For—”

Someone shouted, and the crowd erupted, yelling as they charged toward the zombie.

As they ran, the third-level zombie lunged forward at top speed, closing the distance in seconds and swinging its claws at the front lines.

Two people were knocked down, blood gushing from two gaping wounds.

“Now’s our chance!”

The startled crowd quickly recovered and attacked the fallen zombies with their knives.

Blades cut deep into the zombie’s body, oozing black blood.

Watching their efforts, Li Xingyue couldn’t help but scowl. “What the hell are you doing? Hold it down and cut off its head!”

Only then did the others realize. People scrambled to restrain its limbs while two stepped forward to strike at its head.

*Splatter!*

One slash didn’t sever the head—only about a quarter of the way through.

“Damn! Haven’t you eaten?”

“Go to hell! If I could eat, would I be suffering here?”

Just as tempers flared between the two, Li Xingyue cursed under his breath, pushed them aside, drew his knife, and brought it down hard.