Chapter 271
Soon after, more screams echoed through the forest, and nearby, Xiao Jin and Lu Xiao rushed over to check the situation when they heard it.
But what happened next shocked them both!
Countless rotting corpses crawled out from the crimson-charred earth.
Those “revived” corpses pounced on the living like ravenous wolves, tearing into them madly.
Broken arms, legs, and limbs were scattered in all directions, and brain matter was consumed and splattered everywhere.
Even more terrifying was that the beastmen who were devoured did not remain dead for long—they staggered to their feet, becoming the second wave of the living dead!
The third wave p>
The fourth wave p>
More and more!
“Don’t get caught up in the fight, fall back to the city! All beastmen, fall back to the city immediately Lu Xiao snapped out of the bizarre scene quickly and decisively ordered all the beastmen to return to the Imperial City.
Upon returning, they swiftly inspected the wounded beastmen.
Beastmen bitten by the living corpses were isolated in cages.
Soon, these beastmen showed signs of corruption and mutation, and even piercing their skulls couldn’t kill them. They could only be blown apart into bloody fragments with explosives.
All the beastmen who died in the war, buried in the mass graves, crawled out from the earth after that night, becoming immortal living corpses.
Any beastman bitten by them, any creature tainted by their blood, also turned into living corpses.
Beasts, birds, insects and ants p>
It was like a sudden outbreak of a virus, rapidly spreading and bringing unprecedented panic!
The beastmen were no match for these living corpses; no, they couldn’t even fight; they were thoroughly crushed, devoured!
The superpower of Xue Yinzhou could devour these living corpses, but there were too many. As long as one living corpse remained, it could assimilate tens of thousands of creatures in a short time, making it impossible to kill them all.
In just three days, outside the Imperial City turned into a living purgatory, and no one dared to go out anymore.
Food and water were completely cut off, and a sense of dead silence pervaded inside the city.
When Shen Tang woke up, she was greeted with this bad news.
She hurried to the city wall and was deeply shocked by the scene outside the city.
For a moment, she thought she had crossed into a zombie movie.
To place oneself in that position, seeing this scene firsthand, was infinitely more horrifying than any movie!
The area outside the Imperial City was completely overrun by zombies.
This group of living dead came with such force, and it was completely unknown where they had emerged from, with no apparent way to defeat them.
This was an invincible zombie army!
At midnight, all the main generals were discussing countermeasures in the barracks.
Some were so anxious their hair turned white overnight, looking ten years older.
“Your Highness, what should we do, what can we do now! Are we really going to become fodder for these living dead p>
“I don’t want to turn into such a monster after I die p>
“But what can we do? We simply can’t fight them p>
Everyone looked to Shen Tang, waiting for her decision.
The princess had unknowingly become the backbone of all the beastmen in the city, their sole hope now.
The crowd urged Shen Tang to issue the order, whether to continue defending the city.
One main general struck his chest with pride, solemnly declaring, “As long as Your Highness issues the command, we will lead the troops to defend the Imperial City to the death, exerting ourselves to the utmost p>
Shen Tang looked at all the soldiers present, all good generals and loyal subjects who had fought side by side with her, and tens of thousands of brave warriors outside were also waiting for her, waiting for her word tonight.
Just one word to defend the city!
They would continue to guard the Imperial City, fearless of death!
Shen Tang took a deep breath, closed her eyes and opened them, her heart aching,
and issued the order everyone was most unwilling to believe,
“Abandon the Imperial City, the entire army retreat p>
At that moment, everyone present fell silent as if struck by cold, a needle could be heard dropping. Moments later, there was an uproar!
“Your Highness, you mustn’t! The Imperial City is the foundation of the Empire. If we leave, the Imperial City will truly be finished p>
“We stayed here today not because we fear death; we are willing to defend the Imperial City to the death p>
Shen Tang looked at them, and said solemnly, “I know you are all loyal soldiers of the Empire, but the Empire does not need foolish loyalty p>
“I’ve seen the situation myself, and I can say clearly to everyone present: this Imperial City! We can’t hold it p>
“This zombie army came in full force, the rebel army released these monsters to completely break through the Imperial City p>
“Winning or losing is secondary; as long as we and the people survive, the Empire will always exist. What we must do is to preserve our strength and seize the opportunity to rise again! Since they want the Imperial City, then leave this empty city to them p>
Her words were powerful and resounding,
“Tonight, heed my command, the entire army retreat p>
Shen Tang couldn’t gamble with her life, the lives of the Beast Husbands, or the lives of thousands of people and soldiers in the city on this inevitable defeat.
This time, she knew clearly that this time the Imperial City truly couldn’t be defended.
Then thoroughly abandon it.
Change the battlefield!
The military order reverberated in the hearts of everyone in the Imperial City, causing waves of shock.
They had defended the Imperial City for so long, never expecting that one day, it would inevitably fall.
They were unwilling, deeply pained.
For the Imperial City was the hometown of these beastmen, where they had taken root and grown since childhood, how could they possibly leave at a whim? Some would rather die here than leave.
But compared to various obsessions they couldn’t let go of, at this moment, Shen Tang was the higher obsession in the hearts of the people.
Her prestige now surpassed that of the reigning Old Emperor.
Under her command, within just one night, the beastmen in the city packed their belongings and began the journey of escape.
Outside, the city was completely occupied by the zombie army. Shen Tang initially planned to escape through underground tunnels, only to find out the passageways had been discovered and blown up.
There was no other way out.
They could only break through by force.
She ordered the gathering of all military strength to forcibly break a path through the encirclement of zombies.
At the same time, open the city gates to lure the zombie army in as much as possible.
With everyone’s effort, at the cost of nearly half the military force, after three days and nights, they broke through the encirclement.
The outcome wasn’t perfect, but it was better than total annihilation.
“Boom p>
“Bang p>
“Rumble p>
Explosions, collapses, and repeated loud noises erupted behind them, shaking the earth and sky, filling the air with smoke.
It was the countless bombs they had pre-arranged in the Imperial City, all detonated at once.
Before reconstruction could even begin, the Imperial City, along with the zombie army, turned into a ruin of once brilliant glory.
The battle for the Imperial City came to an end.
Hearing the roaring sound behind him, Yun Han stopped, turned back to look at the Imperial City, gradually collapsing into ruins under the rolling thick smoke, clenched his fists beside him, and a sorrowful grief flashed in his eyes.
Soon, Yun Han fell back to the end of the line, no longer moving forward.
He called over his subordinates and instructed, “Follow the team forward, protect my father well p>
Lin Yu immediately understood his implication, shocked and confused, “What about you, Young Master p>
Yun Han clenched his fists tighter, lowering his head to hide the sadness in his eyes, his voice steady and determined, “Qingli is still in the hands of the rebel army, I can’t leave her, I have to save her p>
“Young Master! It’s too dangerous! This matter should be reported to the Princess and the Family Head first, we can discuss further p>
“This is my decision, I don’t need to tell anyone else, Qingli is my partner, I absolutely can’t abandon her!” Yun Han made up his mind, “This time, you don’t need to follow me, I’m going alone p>
Lin Yu and the others were even more shocked by this, but Yun Han interrupted them with a firm, irrefutable voice, “This is my order p>
“If I don’t come back this time, tell the Princess and my father, don’t come looking for me p>
With that, Yun Han transformed into his beast form, turned, and left, disappearing into the distant horizon.