Chapter 87: The Battle Begins

Iron Pillar and Erha, accompanied by their subordinates, were stationed at the first defensive line. According to Ma Yi’s orders, if the first line could not be held, they were to retreat immediately to the second line, destroy the passage behind them, quietly regroup, and await the final battle.

Liu Guoliang and Chen Fang had perceived the changes in Ma Yi over these days; his expression grew more solemn with each passing day, and the air seemed tinged with unease.

As for Ruhua, there was no need for much explanation; what Ma Yi knew, she knew as well. This time, they faced a horde of zombies numbering over five hundred million. One could imagine how many formidable existences lurked within such a vast army—not even counting one in a thousand, even one in ten thousand would mean tens of thousands of advanced zombies. The burden Ma Yi carried was no longer merely the survival of humanity behind him; even the preservation of this small villa community was uncertain.

Liu Wen only knew that a great number of zombies were approaching, but not their exact count. Ma Yi had not told her—not out of mistrust, but to spare her worry. Liu Wen feigned a relaxed demeanor to comfort Ma Yi, despite her own anxiety.

Liu Xue, too, was uncharacteristically subdued. She had not stirred up trouble for days; from Ma Yi’s grave expression, she could sense things were dire. She’d sneaked out a few times before, learning from fleeing survivors that a massive wave of zombies was on the way. The base, to pacify the civilians, claimed only tens of millions were coming—a number that terrified everyone. Even a few million zombies would be impossible to resist, let alone tens of millions.

Even the weather seemed to anticipate the impending battle. The sky was clear and the sun blazed, warming what had been a chilly day. In such weather, everyone’s senses were heightened—so it was for Ma Yi’s side, and so it was for the zombie adversaries.

“They’re coming,” Iron Pillar said, standing at the post, watching as black dots appeared in the west, growing into lines, then swelling into masses—vast, overwhelming, covering hills and valleys.

“What’s there to fear? Let’s fight!” “That’s right, let’s kill them all,” Erha replied, his face calm. So far, he had never encountered anyone stronger than their leader, so he was confident—he himself was now at the late stage of the Terror level. Perhaps after this battle, he might reach Ma Yi’s level, the Grand Terror. So he felt no worry, only eager anticipation.

“I’m not afraid at all; I was just saying,” Iron Pillar replied. Ever since following Ma Yi, nothing had frightened him; whatever their leader ordered, Iron Pillar always did his utmost.

“Afraid of me?” Hammer suddenly appeared from the side. He had now reached the late stage of the seventh-level Transcendence, just a step away from the Terror level, so he had been brought up from the underground city.

“Go away, I wasn’t talking about you,” Iron Pillar said helplessly, looking at Hammer.

“I distinctly heard you say you were afraid of Hammer,” Hammer said, not the brightest, but persistent.

“All right, all right, I’m afraid of you, is that good enough?” Iron Pillar surrendered; when it came to stubborn minds, there was no arguing.

“Hahaha!” “That’s hilarious!” Erha laughed heartily from the sidelines.

Hammer, still not satisfied, pressed on, and Iron Pillar realized why their leader had assigned him to manage the underground city. With his relentless, probing nature, he would never let anything slide and would scrutinize everything down to the smallest detail.

“Let’s just pretend I never said it, please, I’m begging you,” Iron Pillar pleaded with Hammer, cursing himself for his loose tongue. No wonder their leader used to speak this way but suddenly stopped—perhaps the problem lay with Hammer.

“How can I pretend you didn’t say it when you did?” Hammer insisted, righteous and indignant.

“You’re already a whole level stronger than me, and you say you’re afraid? Iron Pillar, are you mocking me? Think my strength is lacking, don’t you? You just happened to follow the leader earlier; if I’d been first, I’d be even stronger than you now.” Hammer grew more agitated, recalling how, upon their first meeting, he’d been beaten up by Ma Yi and Iron Pillar together. At that time, he could best Iron Pillar one-on-one, but now he was a level below.

“All right, all right, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have joked about being afraid of you. Don’t take it to heart,” Iron Pillar soothed himself, nearly suffering a stroke, and put on a smile, slinging his arm around Hammer’s neck.

Iron Pillar felt speechless—just as their leader said, trouble comes from careless words. He resolved to be more cautious in the future and to say less, sharpening his skills at reading people. In fact, Ma Yi sometimes felt Iron Pillar’s conversational abilities surpassed his own. Thanks to Iron Pillar’s eloquence and insight, Ma Yi had avoided several crises.

Ma Yi stood atop the villa’s mountain, gazing westward. With his current strength, he could easily see the approaching army beyond the first defensive line. The terrain, elevated by the rise of the eastern peak, allowed him a broader view, and his increased power let him see farther.

“It’s about to begin!” Ruhua stood by his side, also gazing toward the first defensive line.

“Yes, it was bound to happen. If not now, then someday. We must face it,” Ma Yi nodded, reaching out to pull Ruhua close. Since meeting these people, Ma Yi felt profoundly blessed—compared to his former self, without ability, without friends, alone and isolated—he was now lucky. All he wished was to prolong this happiness as long as possible.

“I didn’t understand emotion before, but after meeting you, you scoundrel, I learned so much, slowly became more human. I truly can’t bear to lose you all,” Ruhua said, rubbing her head against Ma Yi’s.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let these feelings be lost. I’ll protect you all,” Ma Yi replied, relaxing himself, smiling, as memories of first meeting Ruhua drifted through his mind—it had nearly been a year already.

“Everyone, prepare!” Iron Pillar called from the hilltop. A thunderous response followed; all the warriors of the Peerless Legion shouted in unison, brandishing their weapons. Facing an army several times their size, their faces showed only grim determination, not a hint of fear.

A roar from the zombie horde’s leader spurred them on, increasing their pace.

The ground trembled under millions of marching zombies, the distance rapidly closing. Compared to the disciplined warriors of Iron Pillar’s side, the zombies were chaotic, surging forward in a mindless rush.

It was winter now, the ground layered thick with ice and snow. Iron Pillar had added to this by pouring water down the slope, and after days of waiting, the ice was not thick, but enough to stall the enemy.

The first wave of zombies reached the edge of the deep pit, unable to react, and tumbled in. Even those behind, seeing the danger, could not stop; the dense mass of their own kind pushed them forward, squeezing those who realized the pit into it, only to themselves be pushed by those behind, falling in as well.

The overwhelming zombie army seemed to vanish as it neared the pit—the rear still advancing, but the front disappearing.

Only a few lucky ones walking on the deliberately constructed narrow path escaped falling, but the passage was only three meters wide. On either side was the deep pit, and as they rushed up the slope, more zombies lost balance and fell from the sides.

Did you think falling into the pit was the end? Below, corpse rats had long been waiting in burrows. Once zombies piled high enough, the rats would attack, tearing apart everything they could reach. To them, zombies were just another food source. After a frenzy, they would retreat, letting their companions continue.

Ma Yi had played his cards well—not only did this greatly extend the defense of the first line, it also allowed him to cultivate his army of corpse beasts.

Those zombies who made it through the passage saw their opponents less than fifty meters above, but the icy slope was impassable. The passage was blocked, and the rear continued to advance. The crowded zombies did not remain on the path for long before being shoved into the pit by their own comrades.

“How many do you think have filled the pit by now?” Iron Pillar asked Erha, calmly.

“Tens of thousands at least,” “Maybe over a hundred thousand,” Erha replied excitedly. The ones arriving now were mostly low-level zombies; once in the pit, survival was impossible. But in the advancing horde, one could see high-level warriors emerging—the true adversaries.

“Looks like the leader truly has vision. I used to wonder why he dug such a deep pit. Clearly, I still have much to learn,” Iron Pillar mused. Against foes lacking intelligence, sometimes the simplest methods were the most effective.

“Of course. That’s why the leader is the leader,” “He’s always the one I respect most,” Erha said, continuing to flatter Ma Yi, forgetting his earlier doubts about the effectiveness of such a simple trap. Clearly, while Erha might not be the strongest in the Peerless Legion, his thick skin made him its undisputed champion in shamelessness.