On the vast plains of Africa, packs of hyenas can easily hunt numerous antelopes and buffaloes because they possess sufficient discipline and know how to leverage their numerical advantage to wear down their prey.
Aside from the invincible and colossal overlord, the giant elephant, even ferocious lions usually have to give way when encountering a pack of hyenas.
Therefore,
Krauser was very concerned whether these hounds, after being infected with the virus and becoming zombie dogs, would still retain their innate hunting instincts. If they did… then it would be troublesome.
However,
Fortunately,
Krauser's intuition was correct, as these hounds indeed still possessed their hunting instincts. They would hunt prey together with their companions, and undoubtedly… Krauser, standing before them, was their first target. This burly strong man could provide their first meal after being unleashed!
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
There was no barking sound.
The virus-infected zombie dogs could only emit such low growls. The largest zombie dog at the very front let out a low growl first, and the six surrounding zombie dogs instantly understood the command, quickly spreading out in a line.
The entire corridor was instantly filled with these zombie dogs, intending to act like an impenetrable meat grinder, leaving Krauser no chance to escape, crushing and tearing him to death.
And the moment Krauser saw these zombie dogs in action,
his face immediately darkened. His jinx had come true; these beasts really did have hunting instincts.
Seeing this,
Krauser no longer hesitated, immediately swinging the AKM assault rifle from his back to the front. This was equipment he had previously confiscated from the drug dealer in the dungeon who had been knocked away by Javier. He had a total of two magazines, and one was still tucked into his waistband.
Aiming the cold, dark muzzle at the seven rushing zombie dogs, Krauser quickly pulled the trigger, intending to unleash the first round of bullets entirely onto the largest alpha zombie dog. After all, Krauser understood the principle of 'catching the leader first to catch the bandits.'
Because in the wild, whether it's pack animals like hyenas, wild dogs, or wolves, the hunting is always directed by a queen or a wolf king.
Therefore,
killing the alpha zombie dog in front of him first could buy Krauser more chances of survival. After all, he didn't want to constantly face organized and disciplined zombie dogs.
"Click…!"
"Da da da da da da—!!!!!!"
The dark muzzle instantly erupted with a fierce flash of fire, appearing extremely conspicuous and dazzling in the dim corridor. As an old soldier who served in the Red Berets, Krauser's ability to control recoil was beyond question; it was effortless. He could even turn a machine gun into a rifle.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!!"
A series of bullets whizzed out,
like dense raindrops, all converging on the largest alpha zombie dog in front. This concentrated firepower almost packed dozens of bullets into a single point. If it hit, the largest alpha zombie dog's body would likely be riddled with holes in an instant.
But,
Krauser underestimated the hunting instinct, discipline, and obedience of this group of zombie dogs. Just as this series of bullets was about to hit the alpha zombie dog, the alpha zombie dog, sensing danger, suddenly let out a low growl.
And another zombie dog running beside it quickly leaped high, blocking all the bullet spray with a completely suicidal posture.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft…!!!"
"Howl—!!!"
Dense bullet holes and splashing blood appeared on the blocking zombie dog in front. At the same time, the intense pain made it let out a mournful howl. Its already decaying body was almost battered into a tattered skeleton, and then it fell to the ground with a "thud."
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
The other zombie dogs had no time to mourn the death of their companion. Accompanied by the alpha zombie dog's roar, all six zombie dogs immediately sounded the horn of counterattack, all frantically pouncing and tearing towards Krauser.
Opening their foul-smelling, sharp fangs, a mere scratch would instantly cause infection. But to avenge their companion, they would probably gnaw Krauser until not even bones were left!
"This actually worked…?!"
"Damn it, a bunch of accursed beasts!"
And when Krauser saw this scene, an astonished expression appeared on his face. This script was completely different from what he had imagined. He had thought the alpha dog would die, and he would easily dispatch the pack with a few punches and kicks. Who knew that the virus-infected zombie dogs would still have the instinct to protect their alpha? My goodness… this was far stronger than the hounds before they were infected.
As this group of zombie dogs was about to pounce on him, Krauser quickly swung the AKM assault rifle behind him, and decisively drew his pistol and the Viper Dagger. Using a rifle in close-quarters combat was undoubtedly suicidal, especially since his AKM didn't have a bayonet.
Therefore,
facing the encirclement of these zombie dogs,
Krauser opted for his most proficient skill: close-quarters blade combat—
"Bang—!"
He raised his hand and fired a pistol shot.
Such close range greatly increased Krauser's accuracy. With just a casual shot, he blew off the head of the closest pouncing zombie dog. Amidst a spray of blood mist, it plummeted straight down from mid-air.
"Roar…!"
"Behind me? No chance of a sneak attack—!"
Feeling a growl from behind him, the confident Krauser fiercely stabbed the Viper Dagger backward, almost blindly, piercing the zombie dog's neck and throat with one strike. With a twist of his wrist, the spine was once again shattered. Krauser violently flung it, and this crippled zombie dog immediately slammed hard against the wall.
"Bang…!"
With its spine and throat severed, even if muscles still connected, it was useless. It couldn't control its limbs, though its head and body still moved, and the zombie dog continued to growl, but it simply couldn't stand up.
Three zombie dogs were instantly dealt with, leaving three, including the alpha zombie dog, for a total of four. Seeing Krauser so valiant, just like a male lion on the African savanna, these zombie dogs felt threatened. They immediately decided not to hold back, but to fight to the death.
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
Another low growl.
From four different directions—left leg, back, arm, and face—the zombie dogs, including the alpha zombie dog, which had been circling Krauser, quickly launched biting attacks from the most cunning angles.
At this point,
Krauser was completely cornered—!
With attacks from four directions, Krauser, not having three heads and six arms, found it extremely difficult to block these zombie attacks. But thinking and hesitating were not Krauser's only options. When the situation became too difficult to react to, he would also act like a beast, relying on instinct.
And that situation,
was now.
"Whoosh—!"
The Viper Dagger spun in his hand.
Gleaming with cold light, Krauser focused all his mental attention on the largest zombie dog in front of him. Since this one was the leader, Krauser would still choose to deal with this most troublesome one first. As for the remaining three, he would leave it to fate; if he got bitten, then he got bitten!
"Buzz…!"
The gleaming, cold dagger seemed to hum along with Krauser's angry roar, and with lightning speed, it plunged fiercely into the alpha zombie dog's skull. The hard skull was instantly pierced, and the long blade went straight through its head to its jaw, spraying out a foul, thick liquid.
At the same time,
the powerful impact of this alpha zombie dog was fully transferred to Krauser. With a "thud," Krauser lost his balance and was knocked to the ground. One man and one dog fell to the ground, the heavy body struggling on Krauser, preventing him from getting up quickly.
Seeing Krauser pinned down, the other three zombie dogs quickly rushed forward, trying to gnaw on Krauser's arm, but Krauser raised his pistol in a backhand motion.
"Bang bang bang—!!!"
Continuous gunshots,
directly pierced the head of a zombie dog on the left. Its body twisted painfully in front of the bullets, and it quickly collapsed and died on the ground, a large amount of black blood flowing out.
But,
even in such an extreme situation,
Krauser still had two zombie dogs on his right. What should he do—?!
The Viper Dagger was stuck inside the alpha zombie dog's head, and its heavy body prevented him from getting up quickly to dodge. Didn't he still have his pistol? Yes! But… at this distance, he could only kill one. What about the last one remaining?!
He could even,
feel the hot, foul-smelling panting coming from beside his ear, the greedy panting of hungry dogs, eager to devour their prey, slobbering all over!
However,
just a second later,
before Krauser could react, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from his ear again. What was it—?
It was an arrow!
A sharp arrow!
No… and a bullet?!
"…"
"Bang—Whoosh—!!!!"
One bullet and one sharp arrow whizzed out,
like black lightning streaking across the daytime sky, conspicuous and dazzling. The sharp arrowhead seemed to shimmer with a cold glint, and the yellow bullet carried a rolling heat. Would the zombie dog's teeth reach him first, or the arrow and bullet? A wave of doubt rose in Krauser's heart!
But,
"Pfft… Pfft…!!!"
"Howl—Howl—!!!"
A wailing sound, like a heavenly melody, echoed in Krauser's ears. The terrifying arrow and bullet instantly and accurately pierced the heads of the two zombie dogs in front of him. The barbed arrowhead did not completely pass through the zombie dogs' heads in an instant but carried their flesh, flying several meters away before stopping.
And, as if by coincidence,
at this moment, the largest alpha zombie dog, which had been struggling with all its might, also lost all signs of life, like a pile of dead meat. Krauser easily pushed it aside. This beast had wished to buy its companions one last chance to kill him before its own death, which was simply wishful thinking.
After all,
he also had "companions."
Though the strong are often solitary, Krauser had to admit at this moment that the strong are also human, and humans are social animals; even the strong fear loneliness!
Clambering up from the messy pool of foul-smelling blood, Krauser turned around and looked behind him. Seeing Javier holding a military crossbow and Leon maintaining his shooting stance, Krauser couldn't help but show a wry smile.
Well, now he was embarrassed again.
After all, he had lost face in front of his two juniors again!
Now Krauser admitted the power of the bio-organic monsters. These monsters were indeed more difficult to deal with than he had imagined, and there were many types. Without understanding the intelligence, even a well-trained squad of soldiers would be instantly intimidated, even having their formation disrupted, leading to them being bitten to death one by one.
"It's a pity,"
"Major, you were just two zombie dogs away from achieving a magnificent seven-kill. How are you? Are you alright? Get up quickly; don't stay in their blood for too long. It's very easy to cause secondary attachment infection. If blood remains on your clothes and you later get injured and it comes into contact, then…"
Javier didn't need to say more.
Krauser naturally understood this principle. Therefore, Krauser immediately grabbed Javier's outstretched hand and quickly sprang up from the ground. Although the foul odor clinging to him disgusted him, when he looked at Javier and Leon, Krauser was no longer so serious. He had begun to acknowledge these two partners.
"Thanks,"
"I'll repay this favor later…!"
Concise words came from Krauser's mouth. This was both rare and sincere, because this was Krauser's truest side.
However, Javier and Leon were still flattered by this. So this big man had such a cute side; it was truly remarkable. This was indeed a romance that only men could witness between men.
After all, it was important to know that,
Krauser used to always wear a disdainful expression, looking down on everyone. Even Leon had spent many years getting along with him to barely establish the most basic relationship with Krauser, his instructor. But even then, he was still subjected to constant reprimands and belittling.
But at this moment, his frank demeanor,
truly surprised Leon.
"Alright,"
"Stop being mushy. We two don't fall for that. Help between men doesn't need the word 'thanks.' Let's hurry and move on. There are probably more monsters waiting for us ahead. If we can't clear this place, we probably won't be able to escape, let alone rescue Rebecca and Manuela."
Shaking his head,
Javier quickly broke the awkward atmosphere. However… what Javier had just said unexpectedly made the atmosphere suddenly become tense again—