In front of the west city gate square, a captain with a scarred face stood at the entrance, with fifty fully armed soldiers behind him.
A dozen delivery teams had gathered in the square.
Each team was of a different size, some with over ten people, some with seven or eight, and the smallest with four.
Only Tang Xueyao's team consisted of just her and the Underworld Mushroom.
The combination of a young girl and an elderly woman was extremely jarring.
"Heh, what kind of team is this? Two people daring to participate in a delivery? It's ridiculous!"
"They're probably here to freeload. After all, so many teams are delivering at the same time. If we clear a bloody path, she can charge through. It's a race against time, not about how many lost souls we kill, so strength isn't that important."
"What she's wearing looks like the attire of the True God Cult, a sect that's been wanted for hundreds of years, yet it's still not extinct. They're like cockroaches that just won't die!"
"Hmph, do cults want to expand their influence through this opportunity? My Heavenly Maiden Cult disagrees first!"
"We're about to fight the lost souls... and you're still paying attention to a little girl? Think about how to survive! If this mission were easy, the city guards would have delivered the letter already, and it wouldn't be our turn to appear."
Everyone in the square was chattering, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
"Silence!"
The soldier captain smashed his huge axe into the ground, emitting a deafening hum.
Hum~
Everyone's minds trembled from the shock, and they quickly fell silent, focusing their attention on the captain.
Just by the display the captain had shown, his strength was definitely above the fifth level of the Guardian Realm.
"I'll explain the battle plan!"
"The west city gate is the gate with the fewest lost souls in the entire Rock City. Soon, someone will shoot out interference arrows."
"After three waves of interference arrows are released, I will lead the team to charge out and break through and kill the lost souls surrounding the city gate."
"You will then take this opportunity to break out!"
"We still need to defend the city, so we can only help you break out to fifty meters outside the city gate. After that, it's up to your abilities."
"I hope you won't disappoint the City Lord!"
The captain said with a determined expression.
Zhang Chen had never seen a lost soul and felt a bit of anticipation.
It's been five hundred years... I wonder what changes these monsters have undergone?
Swish! Squeak!
Dozens of loud arrows were suddenly shot from the city wall.
Swish! Squeak!
Swish! Squeak!
A total of three waves were fired.
The lost souls outside the city immediately became restless, letting out screams that made one's scalp tingle.
The sounds were human-like, yet they were savage roars.
"Alright, prepare to charge!"
The captain put on his helmet, grabbed his axe, and charged out swiftly the moment the city gate opened.
The other fifty soldiers followed in unison, but they remained silent instead of shouting to boost morale.
"Let's go too!"
Tang Xueyao drew her Thousand Bone Saber and held it in her hand.
The Underworld Mushroom, on the other hand, stood with empty hands, looking unconcerned.
"Gu gu, where's your weapon? It's difficult to deal with lost souls without a weapon!"
Tang Xueyao reminded her.
"I am the best weapon myself, don't worry about me!"
"I'll control myself and won't eat all those guys, rest assured. I'll leave room for you to show off!"
The Underworld Mushroom smelled the scent of other life energies and couldn't help but lick its lips.
It smells so sweet. How amazing would it be if Master let me have a buffet!~
At this moment, the delivery teams had already rushed out in a frenzy.
They all knew that with the city defense team clearing the way ahead, these fifty meters were absolutely safe, so the closer they stayed, the smaller their team's losses would be.
If they waited until the city defense team had charged out and then left, they might face a counterattack from the lost souls. They might be wiped out before they could even break through.
"Quick, we have to hurry, we can't let them get ahead!"
Tang Xueyao said, charging forward first, with the Underworld Mushroom close behind.
The ground outside the city was covered with arrows, rubble, and decaying corpses.
It was evident that the fighting had been ongoing for days and was brutal.
There were also many arrows with bells tied to them on the ground, which emitted clear and melodious sounds under the activation of energy, attracting the surrounding lost souls.
This temporarily lowered their sensory acuity.
The air was filled with the stench of decay and blood.
The number of lost souls far exceeded Tang Xueyao's imagination, densely packed and seemingly endless, covering the mountains and plains as far as the eye could see.
Especially the lost souls beneath the city, their numbers were outrageously high, more crowded than a festive street, one squeezing against another, one leaning against another, making one's skin crawl.
"These are the lost souls?"
Zhang Chen was stunned.
These lost souls had vacant eyes, their pupils were milky white, and their exposed skin showed prominent bluish-purple veins.
"Aren't these zombies? At most, they're an enhanced version of zombies!"
Zhang Chen discovered through observing the energy flow that these lost souls were indeed stronger than zombies. Their biggest advantage was that they could retain their strength from when they were alive.
For instance, if a martial artist in the Guardian Realm, due to excessive energy consumption or being infected by a lost soul, became one.
Then their strength would still be at the Guardian Realm, and they could also use the skills they mastered in life.
However, their combat was driven by instinct, and their martial arts releases were random, far from the planning and strategizing ability of humans.
But like zombies, the fearsome aspect of lost souls was their contagiousness and sheer numbers.
Most cities could not withstand such sieges with an overwhelming advantage in numbers.
Once food supplies ran out, the citizens inside would consume their own energy to sustain life. Once their energy was depleted, they would automatically turn into lost souls.
At that time, with internal and external troubles, the entire city would fall in an instant.
"Zombies? What are those? Has the True God ever seen such monsters?!"
Tang Xueyao asked as she hurried along.
"Mm... killed some..."
Zhang Chen nodded.
"So such things existed in ancient times, yet the medical community claims this is a newly discovered virus. As expected, this world hides too many things!"
Tang Xueyao quickened her pace, gradually catching up with the main group.
"We'll escort you this far. The rest is up to you, good luck!"
The captain cut down four or five lost souls and then began to gather his team, preparing to retreat.
"Awooo..."
Suddenly, a bone-chilling sound echoed.
Following that, more than a dozen lost souls, crawling rapidly from the ground, charged towards the team from a distant hillside.
"These are... Crawlers? Looking at their bizarre postures, they feel somehow familiar!"
Zhang Chen exclaimed with a smile.