Chapter 235 The Steel Reaper
They were out of options. Every single one of them could feel it in their bones.
Thest defense—Landon Harris—was still holding his ground, shielding the group behind an invisibile barrier. But even that was cracking. The others, bruised and desperate, poured thest drops <b>of </b>their strength into a hopeless stand, unleashing every ability they had left.
They knew it wouldn’t be enough.
What made it worse wasn’t dying–it was watching deathe slowly, powerlessly, while they still breathed. That was the real nightmare.
Just as the invisible shield wavered, on the edge of shattering, something sharp pierced the silence.
Thwip
A steel crosshook whistled through the air and stabbed deep into the wrecked SUV behind them.
Before anyone could make sense of what had just happened, a voice rang out. Loud. Commanding.
“Everyone, hit the ground!”
For a heartbeat, they froze.
Then instinct took over. Everyst one of them threw themselves t against the pavement–because they saw it: a glint of metal stretched taut in the air.
Whoosh.
The steel wire swept through the horde of zombies like death’s own de.
Heads toppled. Cleanly. Entire rows of the undead were decapitated in an instant. For <i>the </i>taller ones, the wire sliced through their shoulders, carving off corbones and limbs. For the shorter ones, it split skulls open like ripe melons, brain matter spraying in grisly arcs.
The wire circled them–once, twice–a whirlwind of mechanical precision and lethal force.
None of the zombies survived. Not a single one.
When the deadly loop came to a stop, it retracted into a heavily modified armored car that now loomed before them. Its ck armor gleamed, built like a beast bred for war.
Every zombie was down.
The carnage was absolute.
Landon and the others stared, ck–jawed. They had never seen power like this. Not from any government unit, not from any survivor camp. Nothing even came close.
This wasn’t survival.
This was domination.
Chapter 235 The Steel Reaper
A voice echoed from the vehicle.
“Mind pulling out our hook?”
Landon blinked, then snapped into motion. He turned to the steel crosshook still embedded in their overturned car, swallowed hard, and yanked it free with both hands.
“Thank you,” Landon said as he walked up to the armored vehicle and handed the gear back himself, his voice full of sincerity.
“Our leader says no thanks is necessary. Let go,” Kyle replied, nodding for him to release it. He flipped a switch inside the vehicle, and with a sharp snap, the custom steel cable zipped back into its housing.
At the mention of their leader, Landon couldn’t help but nce toward the back of the vehicle, trying to catch a glimpse–but he saw nothing.
Then, Kyle pressed down on the gas, and the armored car rumbled forward, continuing up the mountain road.
Panic surged in Landon. He jogged forward, waving his arms.
“Wait–wait! You’re heading into the mountains? You can’t go in there!”
The vehicle halted.
Landon caught up and spoke breathlessly. “It’s full of zombies. You’ll never <i>make </i><i>it</i>!”
From inside the car, the driver–Kyle–nced in the rearview mirror. “Theresa?” he <i>called </i>softly.
The rear window rolled down. A broad–shouldered man leaned forward and shouted, “What’s the story, kid?”
Landon turned toward him. At a nce, he thought this was their leader.
“There’s a military camp in the mountain,” Landon said grimly. “That’s where our camp was. But it’s gone. Everyone inside turned into zombies. And not the usual kind–these ones are stronger, faster–three, four times worse than normal. They’re mutant zombies. We barely got out.”
The man’s expression darkened. “How many?”
“At least a hundred. Maybe more,” he answered. “That includes the soldiers and the residents.”
The man gave him a nod and ducked back inside, clearly discussing something with the rest of the crew.
A momentter, he looked back at Landon and gave him a short, firm nod.
“Appreciate it, kid.”
They didn’t drive forward.
Instead, the armored car pulled off the road and stopped.
The doors opened. A squad stepped out, armed and organized. Looked like they were setting up camp right there on the roadside.
<b>2/3 </b>
?<b>??</b>?
Chapter 235 The Steel Reaper
Landon finally allowed himself a breath of relief.
Then came the shouting behind him.
“Wyatt Storm! You b’stard! What the hell did you do back there? You were gonna use me <b>as </b>zombie <b>bait </b>
The tall, skinny man sneered, clearly annoyed. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”
“Barely! You almost got me killed! Again! Michelle died because of you too, you son of a b*tch!”
“Desperate times, sweetheart,” Wyatt said coolly. His eyes were sharp, calcting. “And so what <b>if </b>I did? You’re nothing but a used–up sl*t. You think I don’t know how many guys you’ve screwed just to survive<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“You-” Madeline trembled with rage, pulled a knife from her belt, and lunged at him.
Two women held her back just in time.
“Madeline, don’t. He’s not worth it,” one of them said urgently.
“Yeah, forget it. He’s got the space–based ability. We still need him to move supplies<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Come on, you filthy whore,” Wyatt taunted. “Let’s see what you’ve got. Go ahead. Try it.”
“Shut up!”