CHAPTER 261: THE SUN SETS AND THE HORDE MARCHES

I lay quietly while bathing in the afternoon sunlight, watching the rays of light spread through the dusty room. Tang Wei’s small breaths filled the silence like a sleeping cat, while our scents mixed into a dense musky fragrance.

Last night, I slept with Tang Wei once again.

A way to pass the time. To feel something warm before facing something cold. A kind of preparation—for both body and spirit.

She shifted slightly under the quilt, one leg tangled over mine, her skin half-covered by the thin blanket. Her hair fell from the tie during the night, spilling across the pillow like a puddle of spilt ink.

For a moment, I just enjoyed the sight, the way she breathed and how her bronze skin shone in the sunlight.

But the world wouldn’t wait forever.

I slowly peeled myself away, careful not to wake her, and sat on the edge of the cot, pulling on my undershirt. My legs felt heavy as I walked to the makeshift shower room. There was no chance I’d wear the bodysuit while sweaty and covered in last night’s dried fluids.

The lukewarm water felt great.

The chill was enough to snap me awake, and the slight warmth was comfortable as I washed my body with the cheap soap.

A glance at the System clock confirmed the time.

14:52

Five hours left. Maybe six, if we were lucky.

"Wei Wei?" I called out to the sleeping maiden and watched her with a smile.

She rolled onto her side, the quilt slipping down her back, revealing the perfect buttocks and hips that charmed me all night. Bruises and bite marks from where we became a bit too enthusiastic filled her back.

"I’ll come back with something to eat."

"Nn..." Her nose snorted as she stretched, still in a deep sleep.

I opened the tower door and stepped onto the balcony platform.

Heat radiated off the rooftop—thick, dry air carrying the scent of oil, blood, and cooked rations. Below, soldiers were already forming their squads. Helmets clanked. Ammo crates open and are used to load excess magazines.

Jiang Roulan stood near the central watchtower, barking orders. Liang Mei was vaulting up the eastern scaffold with Shen Yifei while scouting the horizon.

Everything we planned seemed to be in motion.

I activated the tactical map.

Their dots swarmed so closely, it looked like a red mist gathered on the far eastern edge of the territory.

However...

"What’s going on!?" My voice leaked.

"Huh?"

"John, what’s wrong?"

Below me, Jiang Roulan and a few others noticed me, standing topless on the balcony above. My voice was louder than I thought. "Nothing, Roulan."

The zombies weren’t moving.

Unlike earlier, the undead were now holding position.

"Shit.." I zoomed in on the map.

[Status: Holding Position]

"...What?"

I rechecked the time. Almost 16:00.

According to every pattern up to now, the horde should’ve started pushing forward by mid-afternoon. The sun was still out, pale and hazy, which gave people a boost of energy and allowed their smiles and confidence to remain.

And yet, the undead were waiting as if their bodies had lost the ability to move.

I toggled the map to a visual feed.

A low hum of groans echoed across the distant valley. The infected were clustered along the edge of the ruined city, visible only as black dots among the rubble—but there was no forward movement.

I couldn’t feel safe, and their display of intellect was worrisome.

They were waiting for something.

They were waiting for something.

Or someone.

A chill climbed up my back despite the heat.

Back inside, Tang Wei sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "What time is it?"

"Almost four."

"W...What!? Shit!" She suddenly rushed out of bed, her dark bush shimmering in the light as she rushed into the shower, almost slipping as she carried her underwear. Then leaned out of the door as water started running. "You... why didn’t you wake me!?"

"Well, you looked beautiful while sleeping."

"Idiot~ Get me something to eat, I’m starving!"

Tang Wei vanished into the shower, and since I had nothing to do, I took out some food from my inventory and put it on the portable stove.

The trickle and splashing of water echoed through the small room as the pan of bacon, eggs, and sausage crackled to a halt with everything finished. I also made some French toast and beans to top it off.

"If only I had some noodles..."

Clack! The shower curtain opened as a dripping wet Tang Wei stepped out wearing a black towel across her body as she yawned while putting on my loose shirt over her shoulders, as it covered her to her thighs. "Did they move closer?"

"Not yet... the horde’s stopped moving."

That got her attention. She looked up sharply. "What?"

"They’re holding back."

She turned to the distance, and gasped... the distance was something she could just about see thanks to her sniper skill. "They’re just standing there... swaying." Tang Wei faced me with a confused expression as we both sat down for breakfast.

"I think tonight will be dangerous."

"Yeah, the zombies feel on a completely different level."

We both stared at the red haze in silence.

Then, as if responding to our attention, the front wave shifted as if examining and scouting our defences, their heads looked to the three walls in an eerie fashion. I didn’t like it. Their sudden change made my chest tight... my pulse quicken.

Neither of us spoke for a moment. We just chewed slowly, eyes flicking back to the map between bites.

"Are they thinking?" Tang Wei muttered. "Or something close to it."

"Yeah."

The last of her toast disappeared, and she stood, slinging her shotgun over her shoulder. I handed her a small energy drink from the cooler and grabbed my vest.

"Time to meet the others?" she asked.

"Yeah. Let’s head up before the sun drops."

By the time we crossed the inner stairwell and emerged at the main deck of the tower, the heat had started to fade. The shadows stretched longer across the courtyard, and the faint orange of the setting sun made the glass glint like bloodstains.

Li Ya was already there, her hair tied in a high ponytail, black halberd resting across her lap. She sat on the edge of a crate, lazily tapping one booted foot against the metal as she chewed on something dried and spicy.

"’Bout time, lovebirds," she called with a smirk. "The little recruits are already trembling. Thought you two were gonna skip out and leave us to fight those corpses alone."

"Wouldn’t miss it," Tang Wei replied with a smirk of her own, stepping past me and stealing some of Li Ya’s Jerky.

"John? You’re here..." Jiang Roulan stood near the edge of the tower platform, arms folded and scanning the horizon. Calm, focused and silent. As if the battlefield were already laid out in her mind. What she saw, I approached. She gave a slight nod and leaned against my shoulder. "They haven’t moved in an hour, I’m worried."

Deng Hua, Zhou Xue, and Chen Xun were checking weapons behind her, passing ammo boxes down a line of twenty fresh recruits. Most of them looked pale and panicked about the upcoming battle.

Still... they weren’t prepared for this.

Not many people could just forget the situation and focus on what to do. I was the same...

I looked back at them while standing with Roulan. Tang Wei waved to me with a wide grin and looked more relaxed after the two morning S-ranked tasks.

Sex and Shower.

The sun dipped behind the ruined skyline.

And the first true silence of the day fell across the battlefield.

From this high up, the city looked frozen in time—crumbling towers leaning like old bones, shadows creeping between the ruins. But nobody believed we were safe or fine here. Beneath those shadows, something was waiting.

A low vibration trembled through the tower floor.

"Feel that?" Zhou Xue muttered.

"It’s starting..." Chen Xun answered, checking the bolt on his rifle with shaky fingers.

I glanced back toward the eastern edge of the map.

The red fog crept forward.

Not the frenzied tide we’d come to expect.

"What is that formation, why are they walking so tightly and in a uniform manner?!" Tang Wei said, eyes narrowed behind her scope.

Li Ya cracked her knuckles, lifting the heavy halberd across her shoulders. "Then let’s make sure they find more than they bargained for."

The recruits snapped to attention.

I looked at each of them—faces hardened by fear, sharpened by resolve. Tang Wei. Roulan. Li Ya. My people.

I took a breath and raised my voice.

"Positions! No one dies unless I do first, if your brother or sister is in danger. Cover them!"

I watched the darkness spread across the ruined roads, swallowing light, sound, and certainty.

The horde had waited.

Now... it was their turn to move.

"All units, one last check of your weapons and prepare to massacre these bastards!"