Chapter Thirty-Two: The Schemes of the Wise

Once again, the Seer sharply sensed the killing intent emanating from Wei Tao; the crisis looming over it prompted an urgent command—the Crusher beneath it suddenly veered aside. A bullet whistled past, grazing the Seer’s scalp and leaving only a shallow blood trace.

Behind Wei Tao, the wooden door had already been smashed open by the frenzied zombies, their howling almost ringing in his ears. Calm, stay calm... Wei Tao seemed utterly oblivious to what was happening behind him, pouring his entire focus into the scope. Through the lens, that enormous head was still barely the size of a grain of rice. Smoking shell casings popped from the ejection port as the 5.8mm rounds screamed from the barrel.

The shell hit the ground with a crisp clink, a sound surprisingly pleasing even amidst the howls of the zombie horde. In the scope, a brilliant burst of blood blossomed from the Crusher’s head. This time, Wei Tao’s target was the Crusher itself; the Seer’s sixth sense hadn’t detected the shift in time.

Hearing the gunshot, Zhao Qiang knew Wei Tao had made his move. Climbing atop a parked car at the roadside, Zhao sought a better vantage point to observe the results of Wei Tao’s sniping. Damn it! The first shot barely made a difference. Zhao couldn’t help cursing under his breath—too cunning! As he watched the Seer flee in a new direction, Zhao had no choice but to leap once more into the horde, hoping he could force the Seer back onto its original path.

While Zhao was still airborne, the second shot rang out. The Crusher, bearing the Seer, collapsed on the spot. Well done, old Wei! Zhao murmured, instantly understanding Wei Tao’s tactics. The Seer appeared incapable of independent movement; ever since they’d first spotted it, it had never left the Crusher’s back. This reminded Zhao of the phrase “wolves and jackals in collusion”—the jackal with its stunted forelimbs needed to ride on the wolf to get around. The wolf provided mobility, while the jackal offered strategic support. Clearly, Wei Tao had noticed this as well, which was why he shifted his target to the Crusher.

The Crusher’s death dealt a direct blow to the Seer’s escape plan. Furious, the Seer hid its oversized head behind the Crusher’s corpse, dodging Wei Tao’s line of fire, while commanding nearby zombie hounds to split into two groups, one attacking Zhao, the other heading for Wei Tao.

Oh? Ready to fight to the death now? Seeing the Seer had lost its means of escape, Zhao felt a wave of relief. Only six zombie hounds? Barely worth mentioning! In the midst of the zombie horde, the hounds’ speed advantage was nullified. True, Zhao also couldn’t make use of his own agility, but he had a gun, while the zombies could only rely on their fangs and claws. Zhao held the absolute advantage.

Wei Tao had no chance for a third shot. The roaring tide of zombies was upon him in a blink. Swinging his fist, he shattered the jaw of the nearest zombie, then turned and leapt from the rooftop. With the aid of a rope, he swung straight through a window back into the building below, the relentless zombies following without a trace of fear, hurling themselves after him from the rooftop.

Zhao quickly dispatched the troublesome hounds and carved a bloody path through the horde, finally reaching the fallen Crusher’s side.

The Crusher lay still, but the Seer, which had hid behind it, was nowhere to be found. Damn it! Zhao cursed under his breath. The undulating army of zombies blocked his view, and the Seer had vanished in the chaos. Furious, Zhao couldn’t accept that the mission had failed so anticlimactically.

He unleashed all his rage on the surrounding zombies, and in moments, severed limbs and heads filled the air, the carnage unmistakable.

Suddenly, a large hand landed on Zhao’s shoulder. Without turning, Zhao swung his knife back in a vicious arc.

“It’s me!” Wei Tao’s voice rang out as he deftly intercepted Zhao’s strike. “It’s not time to get reckless.” Wei Tao’s composure was undisturbed.

Breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot, Zhao finally realized who it was. The surrounding zombies did not surge forward, instead encircling the two men in the center. “It got away!” Zhao shouted, seeing Wei Tao’s calm. “Damn it, that thing will definitely retaliate! If Zhang Yongming could find its location, it can find ours just as easily!”

“It can’t escape.” Wei Tao’s voice was cold. “Look at these zombies. They’re just circling us, clearly trying to keep us from advancing. That thing must still be nearby.”

Having lost the Crusher’s strength, the Seer was already terrified out of its wits. It had recognized Zhao as the grim reaper from earlier that day. Seeing Zhao bogged down by the horde, and sensing the killing intent vanish, the Seer dragged its massive head to hide inside a nearby building.

Trying to make Zhao and the others believe it had fled far away, the Seer cleverly commanded the zombie horde to mill aimlessly around Zhao. But it had forgotten one thing: zombies not under direct control, upon sensing living humans, would attack without hesitation. Zhao, blinded by rage, had missed this flaw; but with Wei Tao’s reminder, he understood immediately.

“But we don’t know where it’s hiding!” Zhao lamented, full of regret. If he hadn’t acted impulsively, this area wouldn’t have turned into a bloody battlefield. With the Seer’s mobility limited, it would have left plenty of tracks in its panicked flight. Now, with blood everywhere, all traces had vanished.

“Remember, no matter how clever the fox, it always leaves a scent behind!” Wei Tao pointed at a building. “There!”

The Seer hadn’t realized that, in its cowardice and caution, it had made a second fatal error: it was suspicious enough that so many zombies were not attacking humans, but the Seer had even stationed heavy defenses along its retreat path, hoping to block any pursuit.

It wasn’t long before Zhao and Wei Tao discovered the Seer, struggling along the floor in a corner of the building. Its grotesquely large head swayed from side to side with each movement, as if it might snap its fragile neck at any moment. Zhao didn’t fire; instead, he followed step by step, gun trained on that damned head.

Knowing escape was impossible, the Seer finally gave up, turning to lean against the wall, fixing Zhao with a pair of dead, fish-like eyes.

What was this feeling? As Zhao locked eyes with the Seer, he suddenly sensed that the big-headed zombie, though silent, was transmitting some kind of message to him.

“Bastard, are you afraid?” Zhao could feel fear and a host of negative emotions within those messages. Step by step, he pressed in, unaware that the negative aura was affecting him, his face becoming twisted and savage.

“How do you want to die? By gun? No, that’s too easy. By knife?” Zhao grinned, brandishing his dagger. “Or maybe I’ll tear you apart with my own hands. Ah, you’re smiling. You like that, don’t you?”

With that, Zhao’s hands reached for the Seer’s gigantic head.