"Who could have thought I would get out of this prison in this way..." Xavier muttered with a forced smile on his face. The place that had unjustly imprisoned him for months was behind; he just had to take one step and he would be free.
Howl!
Below, the horde of snow wolves howled, baring their fangs. Their two red eyes, filled with hunger and ferocity, were locked on the humans standing on top of the wall. No matter how much they struggled and howled, they were unable to climb like humans.
Just at this time, Aron, also watching this scene, spoke.
"We can't stay here for too long. Look at them, they are using ice to create a path. It's just a matter of time before they find a way to catch us..."
Xavier followed the direction Aron pointed, and the scene he saw chilled his heart. Wolves were using the ice to create a step-by-step path to the top.
It was time for him to leave.
With that thought, he glanced around. Most of the prisoners that climbed before them had already moved ahead, with only him and Jackie's group behind.
Just as he was about to take a step forward to jump down, suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, where is she..."
He was too focused on climbing that he completely forgot about Lucy, the first sequence woman. He hurriedly looked around to find her; however, there was no sign of her. At some point, she had completely disappeared.
Just as his gaze was wandering around to find her figure, he noticed a giant hole in the wall. A frown unconsciously appeared on his face; he was sure a few moments ago there was no such hole.
"When did this happen..."
Risa, who was standing some distance away, noticed him looking down and said in an urgent tone, "We can't stay here... we have to reach the army camp before the sun sets..."
Xavier nodded his head, realizing her words made sense. They only had a couple of daylight hours; after that, the situation was bound to become even more dangerous.
With that thought, he no longer thought about that woman and jumped down.
Thump! Like a cannonball, Xavier's figure struck the ground, sending dust flying in every direction. Xavier's eyes were narrowed like a hawk's, scanning his surroundings.
"Hmm, it seems not everyone was able to land safely..."
Xavier concluded after looking at multiple corpses of prisoners lying around. Some had their necks bent at unnatural angles, some with limbs twisted in weird ways. Clearly, most of them had been unable to survive the fall.
In another breath, all from Jackie's group managed to climb down the wall, choosing a safer path. Their stats were not as high as Xavier's so they did not want to take the risk. Any injury in this situation would be the same as suicide, so the risk was not just worth it.
Thud! Thud!
The large stone wall shook occasionally as the wolves struck its surface from the other side.
Large spiderweb-like cracks had started appearing on the wall's grainy surface; the wall might not hold for long.
"Let's hurry everyone. Fort Johnson is one of the largest military bases in Louisiana; there should be a way for us to contact our families..." Aron said while starting to run, his action decisive and swift. Samuel also chased him from behind; Jackie and Millie also quickly followed suit.
Xavier also shook his head, getting rid of the useless thoughts. Reaching the military base was also his priority. He had to make sure his family members were safe, especially his little sister Lina.
"I hope they manage to find shelter..."
Xavier forced himself to think only about good things, not letting his thoughts wander to the dark side.
"Use the scattered cars for covers, or else the monsters circling above might notice you..." Aron warned in a solemn tone.
Just because they were out from the prison, that didn't mean they forgot about the threat in the sky. If anything else, it was even worse. There was a chance to fight the monster on the ground, but against the monster attacking from above, they were just completely helpless.
Everyone nodded at his words grimly, except Samuel. "Shut your loud mouth, moron. Your voice might attract the walking dead..."
Hearing the mocking tone in Samuel's voice, Aron's anger flared, but he was unable to say anything as his words made some sense.
Xavier ignored the two and scanned his surroundings. As far as his eyes could see, rows of abandoned vehicles, some with shattered mirrors and others burning, emitting black smoke, filled his vision.
There was no sign of any life anywhere.
"Shit...!" Xavier couldn't stop himself from cursing. Although the apocalypse had given a chance for him to escape, that doesn't mean he didn't feel bad about the current situation. The current situation was a thousand times worse.
Millie's figure slowly came running in his direction, a cheerful smile on her face.
Xavier unconsciously raised his eyebrows; he wasn't in the mood to talk.
Millie didn't seem to notice the frown on his face and simply said, "Thank you for your help. If it weren't for you helping us, we might not have got out at all..."
Xavier simply nodded his head without saying anything. If he said anything, it would just simply drag the conversation even longer.
An awkward silence fell between the two.
Maybe she had thick skin or she simply did not care, the smile on Millie's face widened even more, not a single bit discouraged. She once again asked, "By the way, the sword that you used to fight the zombies before looked especially cool. Can you tell where you got it from? If there was a way for everyone to get their hands on such a weapon, survival would definitely become easier..."
Although they didn't show it, the moment Millie moved closer to Xavier, the eyes of everyone had focused on their figures, especially Aron's. After all, everyone knew just how much he liked Millie.
At first it was just curiosity; however, the mention of the sword caused their expression to turn especially solemn. The golden sword was indeed something. Samuel's expression even turned slightly strange. If I somehow get that sword... hmm. Thinking up to this point, a fierce glint appeared at the corner of his eyes.
If he had the sword, he would not have run like a coward. Not just that, every girl would also throw themselves at him.
Just how good life would be...
As soon as his thoughts reached this point, Samuel unconsciously moved closer to Xavier, a slightly crooked smile on his face.
"Yeah little brother, you should definitely spill the beans. In this situation, a sword like that can easily decide life and death."
"Hmm!" A slightly chilled look appeared on Xavier's face. For some reason, the mere face of this guy got on his nerves.
He was about to instinctively move away when suddenly he felt a chill run down his spine. It was at this moment Jackie's voice echoed.
"It's that monster from above! Watch out..."
His mind had barely processed these words when his legs moved on their own, throwing him backward.
Xavier merely saw a metallic blue blur before a terrifying shockwave hit his face, almost sending him flying backwards.
What followed was a soul-wrenching scream. "Argh! My head..."
Samuel's forehead was pierced by a sharp object. Still, even with such a lethal blow, he wasn't dead.
A massive wasp floated above Samuel's body, its crystalline wings buzzing. Its body, plated with fractured gemstones reflecting the light into shifting rainbows, while its two pairs of eyes scanned Xavier and others with a predatory glint. Its elongated stinger gleamed like a dagger; its presence radiated a sickening pressure that made everyone uncomfortable. Xavier was no exception.
"S...Save me..." Samuel's mouth slowly moved, giving expression to these words. His eyes turned toward Xavier were filled with despair.
Anyone who heard him felt a chill run down their spine. However, before anyone could react, the jewel wasp's shredder-like mouth opened and it bit down, swallowing a large chunk of meat directly out of Samuel's chest. Puchi! Blood spurted outward like a fountain.
"Get... away..." Samuel struggled intensely, but there was nothing that he could do.
Everyone including Aron closed their eyes. Xavier slowly backed away, preparing himself for a fight, but just at this time the giant wasp fluttered its wings, flying away. In a few seconds, the monster dispersed.
Everyone watched this scene without saying anything. It was only after five good minutes that Aron gritted his teeth and approached Samuel lying on the ground.
Although he hated the guy, there was no way he could just leave him here to die.
The world might have changed, but the humanity within him was still intact.
"Samuel, are you okay?" approaching cautiously, Aron asked.
Xavier, who was watching this scene from the distance, suddenly noticed something. The spot where the jewel wasp had bit Samuel had slowly started to inflate. Thinking something amiss, he decided to warn Aron.
"Hey watch out, I think the jewel wasp did something to your friend..."