Just like that, moving at a pace so slow that even a gecko would be left in the dust, and with immense patience, he spent nearly six hours crawling out of the sewer manhole and creeping to a spot just a few dozen meters from the street corner. The heavily guarded mutants had no idea that, right under their noses, beneath this oddly shaped pile of filth—around which several flies circled—there was actually a living human being concealed.

Across the street, on the open ground opposite, was the supply depot for the assault troops. Brian Carter remembered that there were several military jeeps there, all filled with fuel. No matter how agile these monsters were, they could never outrun four wheels on foot.

However, before that, he had to wait. Wait for a perfect opportunity—one that would give him a real chance to escape with his life.

Maybe it was the effect of the virus! The individual combat ability of the mutants was extremely strong. Their legs could easily leap more than ten meters, and with the keratinized bone blade on their left arm, they could slash at any creature from midair. Even more terrifying, their mutated bodies no longer shared any similarities with humans. They had become incredibly tough and possessed unbelievable regenerative abilities. When hit by bullets, their wounds could fully heal in just a few minutes. Without large-caliber heavy weapons, ordinary bullets could only kill them with a direct hit to the heart or head.

On Brian Carter, aside from a wavy-edged combat knife, there was only a standard M98F pistol with four bullets left.

Facing two mutants alone was undoubtedly a death wish. He could only wait for one of them to be alone, or for both monsters to leave... although, such a hope seemed almost impossible.

Since the day the virus spread, the mutants had already occupied the entire city of Kunming. Yet what puzzled Brian Carter was that these monsters didn’t seem in a hurry to attack the nearby cities. Instead, they split into small squads, patrolling every corner and edge of the city.

What exactly were they planning?

Brian Carter couldn’t figure it out, nor did he want to. Other than staying alive, his mind could no longer process any more questions...

Suddenly, as he pressed his body close to the ground, he felt a faint vibration coming from afar. Accompanied by a gust of wind roaring overhead, there was also the sound of engines rumbling, growing louder as it approached.

This surprised him greatly—the city was already occupied by mutants. Who would be so bold as to charge into the city at a time like this?

Could it be reinforcements from the army?

Suppressing his inner doubts and excitement, Brian Carter remained motionless, lying among the rubble. Until he confirmed the newcomers’ identity, he would not make a move. After all, the chance to survive could only be grasped in his own hands.

The mutants had clearly noticed the commotion in the distance as well. They exchanged glances, then simultaneously crouched low and darted swiftly behind an abandoned “Xiali” sedan. With hostile and icy stares, they silently watched the end of the road.

Under the vibrations, loose grains of sand trembled and fell from the cracked concrete blocks. A convoy of military vehicles in combat camouflage sped in from the other end of the street. On the hood of the leading light assault vehicle, a striking red five-pointed star with a yellow border—the army’s insignia—was emblazoned.

As they neared the street corner, the convoy slowed to a stop. Three assault jeeps, each mounted with heavy machine guns, formed a triangle around a wheeled light infantry fighting vehicle. As the armored vehicle’s hatch opened, several heavily armed federal soldiers jumped out, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

“Careful—”

Just as Brian Carter leapt from his hiding place and shouted a warning, the two sinister-looking mutants also sprang out from behind the vehicle. Using the tremendous force from their powerful hind legs, they swung their left arms—now mutated into bone blades—down hard at the heads of the soldiers on the assault vehicle, who were caught completely off guard.

It all happened too fast. No one expected that, at such close range, two terrifying killers were lying in wait. Especially with their ghostly speed and sudden attack, the soldiers manning the machine guns on the vehicles were left utterly blank. It wasn’t until the sharp bone blade pierced straight through his chest, shredding soft muscle and organs into pulp, and the unbearable pain shot from his nerve endings to his brain, that he suddenly realized—he was already dead.

When ambushed, the human brain always experiences a brief moment of shutdown. This process lasts only a few seconds, or even less. But it’s enough to be fatal.

Brian Carter bit his lower lip hard, sprinting at full speed while aiming at the targets’ hearts and heads, quickly pulling the trigger of his pistol. When they first entered the city, many of his comrades were killed by the mutants’ incredible speed in just such moments of surprise. To deal with these terrifying monsters, aside from hitting their vital points directly, the only way was to rely on the powerful impact of bullets to slow their attacks, then concentrate fire to finish them off.