Two Worlds in the Apocalypse: Each journey through the modern world lasts 60 seconds.

Chapter 160 Tide Surge

Zombies surged up like a tide.

Not dozens, not hundreds, but a continuous stream pouring out from all directions. Some charged at top speed on all fours, some staggered and crashed about, and some hunched over as they wandered through the horde of corpses.

The waves of zombies surged one after another, seemingly threatening to completely engulf the three humans.

Xu Mo stood at the very front, his three-edged dagger held horizontally in front of him like a reef resisting the waves.

Half a step behind him was Luo Li, who was holding Tian Tian's hand tightly. An invisible spiritual wave had spread from her body, like an invisible giant net, enveloping the horde of corpses in front of them.

"Luo Li".

Xu Mo's voice was calm.

Luo Li did not answer, but her eyelashes trembled slightly.

On the way, Xu Mo and Luo Li discussed their tactics: to use Luo Li's control abilities to fight for control of the thing when the horde of corpses pounced on them.

The goal wasn't actually to take these zombies away, since this was their home turf, but to make them pause, even if only for a moment.

Leading the charge were five level-one agile zombies, moving at an astonishing speed on all fours. Before they even reached Xu Mo and his companions, their claws were already raised, their fangs bared, and they roared madly from their throats.

Then, their movements stopped simultaneously.

Even a pause of only half a second is enough to cause them to lose their balance and create a flaw in their forward momentum during a high-speed sprint.

Xu Mo moved. His figure was like a bolt of lightning as he took a step forward, the three-edged dagger drawing a cold arc in the air.

In Xu Mo's hand, the triangular dagger transformed into a deadly streak, each thrust piercing a skull with pinpoint accuracy. The zombies hadn't even recovered from that half-second pause before they were reduced to corpses, collapsing limply to the ground.

Black blood gushed from the blood holes on their foreheads, pooling into a small puddle on the muddy ground.

Xu Mo retracted the triangular dagger and returned to its original position; the entire process took less than two seconds.

Luo Li's eyelashes trembled again. This was her first time working with Xu Mo, and she was still a little rusty, but overall it was a success.

"Again," Xu Mo said.

Actually, even without Xu Mo saying anything, the second wave of zombies rushed up.

This time there were seven: three level-one agility, two level-one strength, and two level-two mutants. Their speed varied, and their attack rhythm was even more chaotic.

Luo Li's mental fluctuations spread out again.

The moment the zombies rushed into the ten-meter range, her mental energy suddenly tightened, and the movements of the seven zombies stopped at the same time.

The pause was shorter than the first time; Luo Li was clearly conserving her mental energy, not wanting to expend too much on each wave of zombies.

But that was enough for Xu Mo. He flashed out again, his three-edged dagger like the scythe of death, reaping lives from the horde of corpses.

The triangular dagger spun in Xu Mo's hand, thrusting out, retracting, and thrusting out again, each time precisely piercing a skull. The zombies' claws were only inches away from his body, yet they could never touch him.

When the last zombie fell, Xu Mo had already retreated to his original position. Black blood pooled on the ground, forming a larger puddle, and the corpses piled up into a small mountain.

The third wave.

The fourth wave.

The fifth wave.

Xu Mo and Luo Li's teamwork became more and more proficient.

Luo Li learned to release her mental power at the most opportune moment, requiring only a slight pause from the zombies.

Xu Mo also learned to strike in sync with Luo Li's release of mental energy. He no longer needed to wait, observe, or even look. He only needed to sense the spread of that mental fluctuation, and his body would react automatically.

The triangular dagger moved faster and faster, more and more smoothly, in Xu Mo's hands.

The zombies surged forward in waves, only to fall one after another. Each of them had a finger-sized hole in its forehead, from which black blood gushed out, quickly forming a layer of viscous blood plasma on the ground.

Xu Mo pulled Luo Li and Tian Tian along, step by step, forward.

The soil beneath his feet was soaked in black blood, soft and squelching underfoot. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood, mixed with the putrid smell of rotting flesh, but Xu Mo didn't even flinch.

He simply moved forward step by step, his triangular spikes flashing like lightning, and zombies fell one by one.

As he drew closer to his opponent, Xu Mo had lost count of how many he had killed. Fifty? One hundred? Two hundred? His triangular dagger was smeared with black blood, obscuring its original metallic luster. Yet his steps remained steady, his breathing even, and his eyes as cold as ice.

The immense blood and energy of the Iron Bone Realm surged within him, continuously providing him with power. Those high-intensity battles that once exhausted Xu Mo now seemed like commonplace.

Luo Li was pulled by Xu Mo to maintain the spread of her mental fluctuations and sense the movements of the zombies.

Sweetie stayed close to Luo Li, her small body traversing through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Her eyes were still blood red, but they were no longer empty; instead, they held an indescribable focus. She was helping Luo Li amplify her abilities, and she was also perceiving everything around her in her own way.

Another wave of zombies was defeated, and Xu Mo shook the black blood off his triangular dagger and continued forward.

Then Xu Mo noticed a problem: the number of Level 1 mutants among this wave of zombies had decreased significantly.

At first, the zombies attacking them were mainly level 1 agility and level 1 strength, with a few level 2 zombies mixed in occasionally. But now, the ones charging at the front are ordinary zombies, with only a few level 1 mutants scattered among the horde.

"Hmm?" Luo Li's voice was a little weak, but still clear.

"Have you noticed?" Xu Mo said, "The enemy's zombies aren't endless."

Luo Li paused for a second, then nodded; she understood what Xu Mo meant.

The number of zombies that thing could control was limited. At first, it sent only level one and two elite zombies, wanting to eliminate the three of them as quickly as possible. But as those elites were killed in waves, it realized that its high-end combat power was rapidly decreasing, so it began to use ordinary zombies to fill the gaps.

Those ordinary zombies were weak and slow-moving, not even cannon fodder in front of Xu Mo. But their sheer numbers could buy time, wear down Xu Mo's stamina, and give that thing more time to escape.

"It's draining us," Luo Li said.

"Yes." Xu Mo stabbed through an ordinary zombie that pounced on him with a knife. "But it's also a good thing."

"Good news?"

"This shows it's in a hurry," Xu Mo said. "It doesn't have many high-end combat capabilities left."

Luo Li's eyes brightened slightly.

Xu Mo is right. If that thing still had enough level 3 and level 2 zombies, it would never use these cannon fodder to die. The fact that it is doing this now can only mean one thing—its forces are almost exhausted.

Another wave of zombies surged in. This time, the ones at the forefront were still ordinary zombies, but Xu Mo noticed that the level one mutants mixed in were acting strangely.

Instead of attacking him frantically as before, they hid behind ordinary zombies, watching him with eerie, almost cunning eyes. They were waiting, searching for an opening.

Xu Mo's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the level 3 agility zombie that had disguised itself as a strength-type zombie. He had almost suffered a loss that time due to his reliance on past experience.

He won't make the same mistake twice.

"Luo Li," Xu Mo lowered his voice, "be careful. Those Level 1 mutants might be problematic."

Luo Li nodded.

Another wave of zombies rushed within ten meters, and Luo Li's mental fluctuations spread out.

The ordinary zombies paused simultaneously, but some of the mutants mixed in behind did not stop; instead, they took the opportunity to accelerate and rush forward.

There was definitely a trap! Xu Mo's eyes turned cold.

Instead of panicking and retreating, he took a step forward and swept out his triangular dagger horizontally.

The first mutant that charged forward appeared to be just an ordinary level one agile zombie. However, its speed was astonishing, far exceeding that of an ordinary level one. The moment Xu Mo's triangular dagger pierced through, its body twisted at a bizarre angle, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. The triangular dagger only grazed its shoulder, causing black blood to spurt out.

The zombie let out a roar and its claws aimed straight for Xu Mo's throat.

But Xu Mo was prepared. The instant he thrust out the first blade, his body began to spin. In the brief moment the zombie dodged, his triangular dagger retracted, and using the force of the spin, he thrust out from another angle—this time, it couldn't avoid it.

The blade pierced its skull, exiting from the back of its head. The zombie's eyes flashed briefly before it collapsed to the ground.

Xu Mo did not stop. His body continued to spin, and the triangular dagger was thrust out again to meet the second mutant that rushed up.

This mutant's defense far exceeded that of an ordinary level one zombie. When Xu Mo's triangular dagger pierced its skull, he actually felt a resistance. Its skull was much harder than that of an ordinary zombie.

But it only hesitated for a moment. With Xu Mo's full power, the triangular dagger pierced through the hard skull and penetrated into the brain.

The second one fell.

The third, the fourth, the fifth—those zombies disguised as low-level mutants pounced on him one after another, only to fall one after another. Their disguises were meaningless in front of Xu Mo.

Xu Mo used all his strength in every strike, leaving no room for retreat. He gave the zombies no chance to retaliate, and himself no possibility of being ambushed. The triangular dagger pierced in, he withdrew it, and then pierced in again, ensuring the target's complete death each time.

When the last disguised zombie fell, Xu Mo's breathing remained steady.

He glanced at the corpses on the ground, making sure no one had escaped, then took Luo Li's hand again and continued forward.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"It's nothing." There was a hint of surprise in Luo Li's voice. "How did you know there was something wrong with them?"

"I've learned my lesson," Xu Mo replied briefly.

Luo Li didn't ask any more questions.

"roar-!!!"

A roar suddenly came from afar.

The voice was completely different from that of ordinary zombies—deeper, more resonant, carrying an indescribable pressure. It pierced through layers of ruins, through the dense horde of corpses, and directly entered Xu Mo's ears.

Xu Mo paused slightly. He could tell from the roar that it was a level three zombie and there was more than one. He turned his head to look in the direction from which the roar came.

Four or five hundred meters away, five figures were sprinting through the horde of zombies. They ignored the ordinary zombies blocking their way and charged straight towards Xu Mo and his group.

Five level-three zombies.

Two agile types, two strength types, and one scaled beast. Their dark green scales gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and foul-smelling saliva flowed from their monstrous, underbite-like mouths.

They rushed towards this side, their target clear—Xu Mo.

Xu Mo's eyes lit up for a moment.

Five level-three zombies—that thing finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Xu Mo had been wondering how many high-end combatants the enemy still had. Now, the answer to that question had come to him of its own accord.

"Follow me."

Xu Mo gripped Luo Li's hand tightly, pulling her and Tian Tian away from the group of ordinary zombies still entangled in front of them, creating a distance of more than ten meters. The ordinary zombies roared, trying to catch up, but they were too slow to keep up.

Xu Mo ignored them and instead drew his Barrett from behind his back.

The heavy gun settled into his hand, the familiar feel calming Xu Mo down. He pulled the bolt, and a bright yellow .50 bullet was chambered. Raising the muzzle, the crosshairs of the scope steadily locked onto the five figures sprinting rapidly four or five hundred meters away.

Luo Li stood behind him, her mental energy spreading out at full force. She wasn't trying to seize control of those level-three zombies—she couldn't, and there was no need for her to; she only needed to disrupt and create chaos.

Through the scope, the five level-three zombies were getting closer and closer.

They clearly sensed the danger too; the two agile zombies began to erratically change direction, trying to disrupt the aim. The two powerful ones used their massive bodies to shield their companions. The scaled beast simply lowered its body, landing on all fours, and its speed suddenly increased, like a dark green war chariot.

But Xu Mo's cross-shaped attack remained firmly locked on the head of the agile zombie at the very front.

"Bang!"

Barrett's roar exploded over the ruins!

The .50 caliber armor-piercing round left its barrel, tearing a deathly trail invisible to the naked eye through the air. The agile zombie, which was rapidly changing direction, had no time to react before the bullet precisely pierced its skull!

"puff!"

The head exploded instantly, like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer. The headless body lurched forward for more than ten meters before crashing into a broken wall and falling to the ground with a thud.

Xu Mo quickly pulled back the bolt, made minor adjustments to the muzzle, and locked onto the second agile zombie.

The zombie was clearly terrified by the death of its companion—it began to change direction even more frantically, leaping and darting through the ruins at a speed that was almost impossible to discern. But that trajectory was crystal clear to Xu Mo.

"Bang!"

The second agile zombie's head exploded with a thud. Its leaping body froze in mid-air, then plummeted to the ground like a kite with a broken string, lying motionless.

Xu Mo pulled the bolt to chamber another round; now it was the power type's turn.

The two powerful zombies clearly sensed the danger. They stopped charging forward and tried to hide behind the ruins, but they were too big and too slow. In this relatively open area, there was nowhere to hide.

"Bang bang!!"

The heads of the two powerful zombies exploded, their massive bodies swayed, and then they crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

At this point, of the five level-three zombies, only the scaled beast remained.

Xu Mo turned his gun towards it, and the scaled beast clearly realized what was happening. It halted its charge, its cold, vertical pupils fixed on Xu Mo, filled with resentment and madness. It opened its massive jaws and let out a deafening roar, "Roar—!"

Then it turned and ran away, and Xu Mo's eyes turned slightly cold.

run?

"Bang!"

The bullet entered the scaled beast's head from the back and exited through its forehead. Its massive body lunged forward two steps before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Five level-three zombies, all killed with five shots.

Xu Mo holstered his gun and stood up.

Luo Li stood behind him, her eyes wide with surprise. Although she had witnessed Xu Mo kill a level 3 zombie with a Barrett rifle before, she had never seen it so fast or so cleanly executed.

Five shots, five level-three zombies, all in less than five seconds.

What kind of marksmanship is this?

Xu Mo didn't explain. He simply put Barrett back behind his back, pulled out the triangular dagger, and took Luo Li's hand again.

"Walk."

The three continued forward.

The ordinary zombies were still wandering around, trying to pounce on him, but as Xu Mo swung his triangular dagger, one ordinary zombie after another fell down.

Xu Mo and the other two quickened their pace, and he could now sense that the thing was not far ahead.

He pulled her along, and she focused all her attention on sensing the enemy's location. The mental fluctuations grew clearer and stronger. "Closer," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Very close—"

Xu Mo didn't say anything, but quickened his pace.

Wave after wave of zombies were defeated.

Xu Mo's hand remained firmly gripping the triangular dagger. The zombies before him were like straws, surging forward wave after wave only to fall one after another. Streams of black blood had already submerged his ankles, and bits of flesh and severed limbs littered the path, but he simply pressed forward in silence, forward, and forward still.

Suddenly, Xu Mo felt a slight tightening in his left hand.

Those were Luo Li's hands, and she was trembling.

It wasn't a trembling of fear, but another, more complex emotion—excitement? Nervousness? Or something else entirely?

Xu Mo didn't ask; he simply tightened his grip on Luo Li's hand and continued forward.

Ahead, in the shadow of the ruins, the enemy entrenched in Luochuan City awaited them.