Chapter 124: A Last Stand

"A zombie siege? At a time like this?" Yue Qi was now largely convinced that Xue Minwen was right. There was more to these zombies than a simple attack; it was a grand conspiracy. Most importantly, Yue Qi even suspected that among that horde were the leader-class zombies they had encountered on the outskirts of Changzhou City.

Upon hearing Liu Feng's account, Xue Hong finally believed that Yue Qi had not been lying. His gaze toward Yue Qi softened, turning apologetic and even a little embarrassed.

"Take me to see them immediately. If the number of zombies is truly overwhelming..." Yue Qi paused, looking at Liu Feng, "be prepared to evacuate at any moment!"

At this point, Yue Qi was no longer concerned with saving anything. With a formidable enemy at the gates, he knew from his own estimations that if they truly encountered a leader-class zombie, even ten of him wouldn't be enough to kill it.

Liu Feng dared not delay. He trotted ahead, leading Yue Qi toward the city. Xue Hong and Qin Luo exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

On the city ramparts, soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder. Although they were the garrison troops of Fengzhou City, this was their first time witnessing such a vast number of zombies. Fortunately, the horde had not yet reached the base of the walls. If they were to see these creatures right beneath their feet, it was uncertain whether the soldiers would even have the strength to hold their weapons.

"Ordinary zombies, mutated zombies... I just don't know if there are any cultivation-base zombies among them," Yue Qi thought, releasing his spiritual sense to survey the horde below. He was not afraid of the common zombies, as they could not scale the walls; only cultivation-base zombies posed a threat to the gates or the ramparts. Of course, if a leader-class zombie appeared, it could destroy this place in minutes.

Truth be told, Yue Qi had never seen a leader-class zombie use its full strength. He only knew that even with the protective grand formation active, Changzhou City had been breached by one. Breaking such a formation required more than just piling up zombies; it required immense power.

"Do you sense anything?" Yue Qi asked Qin Luo, who stood beside him. Her spiritual sense was significantly stronger than his own, and she would likely be the first to detect any impending danger.

"Nothing," Qin Luo replied honestly. She knew Yue Qi was worried about the presence of a leader-class zombie.

Yue Qi nodded, his eyes fixed on the battlefield. The zombies approached slowly from the horizon, their pace deliberate, as if they were intentionally giving the people of Fengzhou City time to prepare.

"Liu Feng, call all the squad leaders here. I have arrangements to make," Yue Qi said decisively. This was not his first time facing a zombie siege, and his experience far exceeded anyone else's present.

"Ah? Right away!" Liu Feng left immediately. The others present knew that Yue Qi was only the temporary leader of the camp, but they had no choice; a temporary leader was still a leader, and they had to follow his lead.

Yue Qi ignored the underlying friction. If they remained cooperative, it was fine; if they chose to defy him, he would simply kill them. After all, his reputation was not exactly pristine to begin with.

"Immortal Master Yue, I have gathered everyone in command. Please, give your orders," Liu Feng reported quickly. Within moments, more than twenty people had gathered, crowding the already narrow ramparts.

"Which of you is in charge of the archers and crossbowmen?" Yue Qi asked without hesitation. The group was cooperative; most had witnessed him incinerate enemies with fireballs and held him in great awe.

"Immortal Master Yue, all the archers and crossbowmen are under my command," a stern-faced middle-aged man stepped forward. Yue Qi recognized him as one of Xue Minwen's trusted confidants.

"Just you?" Yue Qi frowned. "How many men are in the unit, and what are your current stocks of arrows?"

"Rest assured, Immortal Master. Although I am the sole commander, the unit has over a thousand men. This is the largest the force has been since the disaster began."

"Good, that is all I need to know!" Yue Qi interrupted, cutting him short. Time was worth more than gold. "Divide your men into two groups, line them up along the wall, and wait for my command. Use the crossbows first, then the bows. If you run out of bolts, use the heavy bows with longer range and greater lethality!"

The military crossbows Yue Qi mentioned were not small modern toys; they were as large as ballistae, and even an average man would struggle to draw them.

"Understood!" The man hesitated for only a moment before rushing off to execute the orders.

"As for the rest of you, leave two elite squads to guard the walls, and one elite squad to hold the city gate. If any zombies scale the walls, you must kill them immediately! If the situation turns chaotic, the consequences will be unimaginable," Yue Qi said, his eyes cold as he looked at the remaining men. "The rest of you, gather everything that can be thrown—stones, wooden barrels, anything. Wait for my command. The moment I shout, you throw everything you have down at them! Throw them with the intent to kill!"

These tactics were what Yue Qi had seen used in Changzhou City. He was not unfamiliar with them, but this was the first time they were being applied here; Fengzhou City had never established such a systematic defense.

When they heard Yue Qi's orders, the smarter ones understood exactly what he was planning. Those who had feared they would have to face the zombies in close-quarters combat felt a wave of relief. If they had been forced to leave the walls to fight, their legs would have turned to jelly before they even took a few steps.

"Brother Liu, do you know where the City Lord's residence is?" Yue Qi asked after a moment of thought.

"The City Lord's residence?" Liu Feng looked bewildered. "Fengzhou City has no such place. When the empire was founded, the land was granted to a founding hero as a hereditary title. That general began building the city and chose to reside here himself."

"Oh? So you're saying the general managed the city? Where is he now?" Yue Qi, unfamiliar with secular affairs, asked casually.

"Immortal Master, that general has been dead for hundreds of years. The land is now managed by his descendants. The General's Mansion you saw earlier belongs to his lineage," Liu Feng replied with a bitter smile.

"That's even better!" Yue Qi exclaimed. "Then you must know where the protective grand formation that controls this city is located!"

"Protective grand formation? What is that?" Liu Feng scratched his head, completely at a loss.

"If you don't know, then we're in trouble," Yue Qi muttered to himself. He had hoped that if a leader-class zombie appeared, the grand formation might hold it off. If he couldn't find it, the people of this city would have nowhere to escape.

"Think carefully. Does your master have any secret chambers, or places where important items are hidden?" Yue Qi urged, seeing that the zombies were nearly at the city walls.

Liu Feng smiled bitterly. Why would the general tell a lowly steward like him about such secrets?

As the number of zombies grew, Yue Qi gauged the distance.

"It's time to fire!" Yue Qi thought, then shouted to those behind him, "Archers and crossbowmen, load your weapons! Aim forty-five degrees into the sky—fire!"

The command was not strictly professional, but the soldiers were well-trained and fired in unison.

A rain of arrows descended upon the first wave of zombies. The crossbow bolts were indeed few, but there were plenty of heavy bows. At that distance, they struck the first wave perfectly.

"Thud, thud, thud!" The sound of countless arrows piercing flesh echoed through the air. Almost the entire first wave of zombies collapsed.

"They're dead?! They actually died!" No one had expected the arrows to be so effective. The defenders' confidence soared, and they looked at Yue Qi with newfound reverence.

"Second wave, load!" Yue Qi did not pause. He had learned his lesson and gave the command to reload immediately.

More zombies surged forward, but Yue Qi, fully prepared, would not let them enter his territory so easily.

"Forty-five degrees! Fire!" Yue Qi commanded again.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Fighting an army of zombies was a war of attrition; throwing men at them was useless, as every fallen defender would only rise again to join the enemy ranks.

Yue Qi's expression darkened as he looked at the horizon. The horde showed no sign of thinning. He had never seen such a number before. The soldiers on the wall, however, were flushed with excitement, their faces reddening from the exertion of the slaughter.

Yue Qi unleashed his 'Dance of the Thunder Array,' clearing away the zombies attempting to scale the walls. He dared not overexert himself; although he practiced the 'Three Pure Scriptures,' his spiritual energy was not infinite, and he still had to remain vigilant against the potential arrival of a leader-class zombie.

Suddenly, the sky turned incredibly dark. Dense clouds gathered, as if a thunderstorm were about to break.

"Yue Qi!" Qin Luo shouted from the side, her voice trembling. "Do you feel it?"

Yue Qi felt his body shiver. He had sensed it—a powerful, overwhelming pressure was slowly approaching from the direction of the horde.