At the critical moment, a domain rose above Sycamore, blocking the flood of zombies.

Cora let out a sigh of relief. Good job, Little Diamond! she cheered silently, though she knew it couldn’t hear her. In her mind, she could still hear its lively barks.

Damian clung to Cora's coat, his head poking out of the hatch, nervously releasing his power. Unfortunately, it had little effect; even if he dealt with a batch of zombies, more would follow. Damian had a bit of acrophobia and a severe case of zombie-phobia. His face scrunched up as he asked, “Sister, as long as Little Diamond keeps its domain up, the zombies can’t get in, right?”

Before Cora could answer, Onyx shattered Damian’s naïve hope. “It’s not that simple. Although Little Diamond’s domain covers a large area, it’s only C-rank and can’t sustain it for long.”

Domain-type powers require substantial mental strength. Little Diamond previously covered a building in a neighborhood with minimal effort, so it could maintain it for several days. But now, covering an entire city while facing relentless zombie attacks would quickly deplete its power.

“Can you find the Zombie Lord’s position?” Cora turned to Felix Lucas.

The zombies below were too dense, a sea of rotten faces and dead white eyes. Among them were over a thousand Aberrant zombies, making it difficult to distinguish anything with their mingled mental power.

Felix deployed all the drones, quickly sending them in different directions to scan the zombies.

Cora and Suchat were better suited for single combat, not large-scale horde battles. Rushing in without a plan could easily get them killed. The best strategy was to locate and eliminate the Zombie Lord.

“Bang—bang—”

Zombies at the city gate frantically smashed against the domain. The golden light flickered briefly before returning to normal. In that momentary lapse, hundreds of zombies broke through. Little Diamond was struggling.

The night was pitch-black, stars twinkling. Suddenly, engine roars came from all directions! Various steamers, hover cars, and ornate boats, new and old, arrived in time. Bright bursts of power from Aberrants lit up the scene—wind, thunder, fire, ice—causing thousands of zombies to fall, creating a clear zone in front of Sycamore's gate.

These were Aberrants from other regions coming to support! Whether for the S-rank commission or to help Sycamore, their arrival was crucial.

With the pressure at the gate easing, Sycamore’s counterattack began. Armored vehicles rumbled across the ground. Led by Conrad Kennedy, the security team members bravely charged the zombie horde with flamethrowers and fire cannons.

Even ordinary citizens climbed the walls, throwing “sandbags” onto the battlefield. Glass bottles shattered against zombies or the ground, emitting slight crackling sounds. When hit by flamethrowers and cannon fire, they caused intense chemical reactions—corrosive, combustible, explosive. The pungent smell of chemicals spread, showcasing the unique zombie-killing methods of the medical capital.

“Found it.” Felix zoomed in on the image, revealing a distinctive zombie in the middle of the horde.

It stood over three meters tall, not as high as a Level 3 zombie, but with powerful muscles and writhing black veins across its chest. More horrifying were the two giant hand-like wings on its back, each claw larger than half its body.

Just like in Da Nang, Cora calmly raised her heavy crossbow, aimed, and fired!

The bolt flew straight at the Zombie Lord’s head, but an Aberrant zombie nearby stomped the ground, causing a tremor that deflected the bolt with large chunks of earth. This was a classic earth-type power usage.

Cora’s eyes narrowed. As expected, the Zombie Lord could command other zombies.

Felix lowered the starship to the minimum height, and Cora, Suchat, Yuui, and Damian jumped down. “I’ll go kill the Zombie Lord. You support me,” Cora ordered.

Yuui followed Suchat, boosting the surrounding Aberrants with her supportive abilities. The others heard her melodious singing, felt a surge of energy, and fought faster and more effectively. While an A-rank support Aberrant had limited combat power, their battlefield effects were invaluable.

Cora conjured her twin blades and charged toward the Zombie Lord. Her speed was incredible, almost a blur. Before the zombie horde could react, she was already upon them. With a powerful leap, she cut into the battlefield from the side, slashing at the Zombie Lord. Sensing danger, it turned and swung its four claws at her.

But Cora’s blades were faster. “Clang—” The sharp edges struck the bulging wings but couldn’t cut through. The Zombie Lord's claws collided with her blades, producing a teeth-grating sound.

Cora landed smoothly after a backflip, realizing the wings were like steel armor, glinting with a metallic sheen. This was... a power? The Zombie Lord had powers? No, she quickly deduced. It lacked mental power, but many Aberrant zombies around it could have used their powers to protect it at the crucial moment.

The Zombie Lord agilely avoided Cora’s attack range, leaping onto a collapsed station. Its dead white eyes fixed on Cora, it lowered its head and let out a deep growl.

Several Level 3 zombies jumped from the flanks, while more agile Aberrant zombies formed a rear guard, surrounding Cora in a V-formation. In front, high-level zombies were ready to attack; behind, the Zombie Lord watched. She was trapped deep within enemy lines.

Cora realized that the Zombie Lord’s most challenging aspect wasn’t its strength but its ability to command other zombies, forming an army. Her twin blades glowed with a blue hue as her mental power surged. She didn’t flee but confronted it head-on.

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On the starship, Onyx observed the zombies surrounding Cora, his gaze turning cold. “They’re using a triangular attack formation.”

“What’s a triangular attack formation?” Charles asked.

Onyx explained, “It’s a formation that relies on coordination between infantry and cavalry to outflank and attack. I never expected zombies to use tactics. This Zombie Lord might have been a battlefield commander before.”

Charles’s face showed shock. “You mean the Zombie Lord has human memories? Then why is it attacking humans?”

Onyx stared at the Zombie Lord’s hideous appearance and slowly shook his head. “No, it’s definitely a zombie. I’m more inclined to believe it keeps human intelligence.”

“If it has intelligence, can’t you just control it and we can clear this level?” Felix Lucas’s thinking was always outside the box.

Level 4 zombies were as strong as A-rank Aberrants. Onyx thought it was unlikely, but still released his mental power to probe. As expected, he encountered resistance. “It has a mental barrier, similar to Little Diamond’s domain.”

“Oh? It can even guard against this. Its intelligence must be quite high,” Felix remarked, intrigued.

“Congratulations, you’ve synchronized with the zombie’s brainwaves, but unfortunately, it’s smarter than you,” Onyx couldn’t resist a jab at Felix.

The barrier wasn’t the Zombie Lord’s own; it had no mental power. It was using the abilities of other Aberrant zombies. In simple terms, the Zombie Lord was like a worker who knew how to use every tool and placed them in the most effective positions.

“I think I understand how Yggdrasill was destroyed. This Zombie Lord is terrifying,” Charles Franz sighed. “This might be the most cunning opponent we’ve faced,” Onyx said solemnly.

Under the base station, Cora’s twin blades slashed through the side defenses fiercely. She faced dozens of high-level zombies alone, unaffected even when their filthy blood splattered on her.

Ancient military strategies emphasized “winning first, then fighting,” meaning victorious armies create the conditions for success before engaging the enemy. When the situation turns unfavorable, they must “preserve their strength for future battles.”

The Zombie Lord watched its dwindling horde and the impenetrable defenses of Sycamore. It scraped the ground with its claws, appearing to ponder.

In the center of the battlefield, Suchat’s poison mist quickly harvested zombie lives.

Yuui followed closely, reminding him, “Damian, stay close.”

“Okay,” Damian responded dutifully.

However, the chaotic situation changed in an instant. Zombies occasionally pounced, and Damian’s short legs and timid nature gradually distanced him from Yuui. Fortunately, he was near the city gate, with other Aberrants and the security team nearby, so he wasn’t in immediate danger.

Damian mechanically and numbly shot ice spikes into the zombie crowd. The sheer number ensured he hit plenty, even with random throws.

With various powers flying around, cannons and flamethrowers in use, and chemical bottles bursting, Damian couldn’t help but wonder if friendly fire was a concern.

Unfortunately, bad luck struck. An Aberrant-created tornado veered off course, picking up zombies in its path. Whether it was because of a lack of control or the weight of the zombies, the eye of the storm drifted, heading straight for Damian.

Cursing his own bad luck, Damian turned to flee. But his short legs and lightweight saw him swept up in no time.

The tornado carried him for several seconds, tossing him around like a laundry machine.

Dizzy, he was finally thrown to the ground behind the Jade Grove Refuge, where he landed with a thud.

Dizzy and disoriented, Damian stood up shakily, only to face several zombies.

It was strange to describe zombies as “expressionless,” but these just squatted or stood around with faces devoid of aggression or malice, appearing utterly indifferent to the battlefield.

Damian forgot about his precarious situation, his first thought being: Can zombies be lazy too?

One zombie approached him—no, it walked on two legs. Its hair was in an ugly braid, hinting at its once-female identity. Damian noticed its low decay, with only some corpse markings on its neck and cloudy gray eyes, otherwise appearing quite human.

The braid-headed zombie extended a claw, making Damian shiver. He secretly formed an ice spike behind his back. Suddenly, he was pushed over, rolling onto the ground and landing on his rear.

The zombie seemed amused, turning and making guttural sounds. The other zombies gathered, forming a circle around Damian like a gang of bullies, pushing him around like a rag doll.

The bizarre zombies found their fun, neither killing him nor attacking the city. They just played with Damian like a softball.

Damian was dumbfounded. Was he being bullied by zombies?

Suddenly, a deep roar from the Zombie Lord in Sycamore’s direction echoed, summoning the horde within several kilometers to retreat. They abandoned the fight and scattered like a receding tide.

The Zombie Lord had given up the siege! Sycamore was safe!

Thunderous cheers erupted as excited Aberrants and the security team pursued the fleeing zombies, driving them far away.

The zombies around Damian exchanged glances—yes, they actually made “glancing” motions. The braid-headed zombie withdrew its claws, and the others followed it, silently blending into the horde, disappearing from sight.

Covered in dirt, Damian stood up, bewildered.