Chapter 27

It was precisely because of their sacrifice, holding back these monsters, that the others had a chance to escape.

Though cruel, this was reality.

The others didn't need to outrun the monsters; they just needed to outrun the other people, and that was enough.

This was the law of the jungle.

Soon, a massive crack appeared before them, tearing the earth apart, winding its way through, no one knew where it began or ended.

The width of the crack was over ten meters on both sides, narrowing towards the center, and at its narrowest point, only two to three meters wide, with a few wooden planks forming a makeshift bridge.

This wooden bridge was built by Yuan Tengfei, Su Yao, and others. Seeing the bridge and the terrifying crack, everyone instantly understood that this was the only entrance to Jiangtian City that Yuan Tengfei had mentioned in the evening. Crossing this bridge, they would likely face over a hundred reanimated corpses.

Behind them, an unknown number of grotesque and bizarre creatures were approaching from the darkness, while ahead, there were over a hundred reanimated corpses. The twenty-odd survivors were caught in between.

In just a blink, the original forty-odd people had been reduced to these twenty-odd survivors, while the monsters in the darkness continued to swarm forward. Each time these monsters killed a person, they could devour the person's flesh and essence, evolving to become even stronger and larger.

This rate of evolution was terrifying, far beyond their imagination.

"Charge forward, or we'll all die here!" Yuan Tengfei shouted, though he was an Awakened, he had not used his adrenal power recklessly, as it could not be sustained for long and overuse would lead to severe aftereffects, leaving him powerless and vulnerable.

"Go!" Su Yao also shouted, taking a step forward and being the first to charge across the wooden bridge.

Chu Nan instantly understood their meaning.

The swarm of alien-like unknown creatures was coming from behind, and because the darkness made it impossible to determine their numbers, even Yuan Tengfei and the others did not want to stay and fight. They were forced to think of a way to lure the monsters across the bridge to the other side.

On the other side of the bridge were the reanimated corpses.

Though they would be attacked from both sides, this was their only chance for survival. They had no other choice; their retreat was completely blocked by the unknown creatures, leaving only this path to escape.

Su Yao, holding a dagger, was the first to charge across the wooden bridge, followed by Yuan Tengfei, and then the others rushed forward one after another.

Chu Nan, Tang Sanli, Yin Yiping, and others also crossed the bridge. Anyone who fell behind was immediately pounced upon by several of these alien-like creatures, which tried to enter their mouths, noses, ears, and even under their clothes.

Yuan Tengfei had initially hesitated about removing the wooden planks to block the approaching grotesque creatures, but soon realized that these creatures could leap several meters in a single bound. Even if the planks were removed, the two to three-meter gap would not stop them.

Chu Nan turned back and saw, in the darkness, a dense swarm of these lightning-fast creatures surging towards the bridge. At a glance, there were at least a hundred, and possibly more in the darkness.

Crossing the bridge, they were met with a vast expanse of collapsed buildings, a scene of endless ruins.

This area, originally a residential district, had been home to many people. After the earthquake, countless lives were lost, and now it had become a gathering place for reanimated corpses.

The cries of the reanimated corpses soon alerted those wandering in the ruins. As Yuan Tengfei, Su Yao, Chu Nan, Chen Mo, and the other twenty-odd survivors charged towards the ruins, the "rustling" sounds grew louder, and reanimated corpses began to appear, at least several dozen at a glance.

Compared to the unknown creatures chasing them from behind, these reanimated corpses were less terrifying.

The reanimated corpses pounced on the group, while behind them, a black tide of grotesque unknown creatures surged forward.

The twenty-odd people were caught in the middle. Yuan Tengfei suddenly shouted, "This way—"

He sharply turned and charged forward.

As expected, the reanimated corpses and the unknown grotesque creatures rushed into their midst, attacking them. However, without a doubt, these unknown grotesque creatures also attacked the reanimated corpses.

More cries of pain echoed, and at least three more people were killed on the spot.

Tao Zhi, a fat man who looked like a mountain of flesh, let out a thunderous roar. As a Level 1 Awakened, his adrenal hormones began to super-secrete, stimulating all his organs and temporarily enhancing his potential, making him stronger.

A reanimated creature and two grotesque creatures pounced on him. If he didn't use his adrenal power to boost his strength, he would surely die in the next moment.

His blood flow, breathing, and heart rate all accelerated. Tao Zhi roared, swinging his thick arms to throw the reanimated creature away. One grotesque creature was hit by his arm and flew out, while another octopus-like creature pounced on his face, its tentacles grabbing his head and trying to enter his ears, mouth, and nose.

Though Tao Zhi was fat, he had naturally more strength than an average person. Now, with the adrenal power boosting his strength, he was even more powerful. He grabbed the grotesque creature that had pounced on his face.

The creature could secrete a slippery liquid, making it hard to catch, but Tao Zhi's fingers, like a steel clamp, held the tentacle monster firmly. With a mighty pull, he tore the tentacle monster off his face and smashed it to the ground.

He then stomped on it, and with a "pop," the soft-bodied creature burst, requiring immense strength.

On the other side, Zhao Han, a thin man, also activated his body's power, temporarily enhancing his physical abilities, speed, agility, and strength, entering a berserk state. He held a steel pipe and, while spinning, swung it in an arc.

A grotesque creature that had leaped at him was hit and flew back even faster.

On one side were the grotesque creatures, and on the other, the reanimated corpses. If they didn't activate their adrenal power to enhance their abilities, they might never get another chance.

Tao Zhi, Zhao Han, Li Guogang, Wu Tianjun, Wu Tiande, and Chen Mo, wearing thick glasses, were all Awakened who activated their adrenal power to enhance their various functions. In the crowd, others also suddenly became terrifying, clearly also Awakened who had not yet revealed themselves.

Now, forced by the situation, they had to activate their powers.

The swarm of grotesque creatures not only pounced on the group but also on the reanimated corpses.

One by one, people fell and were either bitten by the reanimated creatures or invaded by the grotesque soft-bodied creatures.

The two groups of monsters clashed head-on, creating a chaotic scene. Yuan Tengfei, Su Yao, Chu Nan, and the other Awakened were desperately trying to break through the encirclement and escape.

Yuan Tengfei roared repeatedly, far stronger than an average Level 1 Awakened, as he was not only a Level 1 Awakened but also skilled in martial arts. Three to five Level 1 Awakened of the same level were no match for him.

With his abilities enhanced several times, combined with his martial arts skills, he swung his steel pipe, hitting each grotesque creature that pounced on him, sending them flying.

These soft-bodied creatures were hard to kill with a steel pipe, so Yuan Tengfei conserved his strength, just throwing them far to buy time to escape.

Su Yao, also skilled in martial arts, had a dagger that was far more effective against the grotesque creatures. Each time she swung it, she could slice open a grotesque creature, blood splattering.

However, against the reanimated corpses, her dagger was less effective than Yuan Tengfei's steel pipe.

Chu Nan also activated his adrenal power.

As a Level 2 Awakened, his gene center had evolved to Level 2, not only enhancing his physical abilities but also allowing his adrenal power to be secreted and activated at a higher level, providing a significant boost in all aspects, twice as strong as a Level 1 activation.

Without any reserve, Chu Nan unleashed his maximum strength.

He not only needed to survive the chaotic situation of being attacked from both sides but also to escape as quickly as possible to find a relatively safe place, as activating his adrenal power would cause severe aftereffects.

Every Awakened had the same thought.

Their blood flow, heart rate, breathing, and all organs were working intensely, their muscles and tendons tensed, and they burst with unimaginable strength, speed, and reflexes, at least three times that of a normal person. With a swing of his scythe, the two grotesque creatures that pounced on him were immediately cut in half.

Under Chu Nan's terrifying strength, the scythe became unstoppable.

A faint stream of gene force energy flowed into his body, absorbed by his gene center.

Clearly, these grotesque creatures also possessed gene force.

A reanimated corpse opened its mouth, grabbing Chu Nan's shoulders, trying to bite him.

Chu Nan's left hand grabbed the reanimated corpse by the neck, lifting it up and throwing it away.

With a "pop," the reanimated corpse, under the terrifying force, hit a concrete slab, its head breaking open, and red and white matter splattering out.