49 Apocalypse Rules

[The safe zone is shrinking]

With the Fire Thief’s announcement, the black wall surrounding the island closed in further.

The Holy Grail Church was now near the edge of the black wall. With the next shrink, it would be engulfed.

Right now, before the church, the first team to arrive was momentarily stunned as they stared at the horde of Living Dead swarming the entrance.

As the team closest to the church, they had rushed over the moment they received the news to see if there was a chance to seize it.

They didn’t think the team with the Holy Grail was necessarily strong. They probably just got lucky and stumbled upon the hidden treasure.

So they devised a plan: grab the Holy Grail and immediately run for the black wall! That’s right, they intended to take the Holy Grail to the edge of the black wall and threaten the stronger teams that would surely pursue them.

"If you dare attack our team, we’ll throw the Holy Grail into the black wall, and no one will get it! If you want the Holy Grail, then trade points for it. Let us kill and eliminate members from your team. Once we have enough points to secure a high rank, we’ll give you the Holy Grail!"

In this way, they might just be able to punch above their weight. As a weak team, they could use the points to enter the top ten and claim a reward.

But while the plan was beautiful, the very first step—"seizing it"—had already hit a snag.

"Boss, am I seeing things? Why are there so many Living Dead here?"

"Are they guarding the church?"

"...More likely, someone on the team inside has an item or skill that can summon these things."

The captain had barely finished speaking when a team member accidentally entered the Living Dead’s 30-meter alert radius. Instantly, one triggered the rest. The Living Dead roared and charged madly at the small group!

"Holy shit!"

"Boss, should we fall back?!"

"ROAR!!!"

For a weak team, dealing with a single or even a few Living Dead was easy enough. But facing an attack from hundreds at once was extremely dangerous. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The few of them immediately thought of retreating. However, they hadn’t run far after turning around when they noticed the Living Dead were no longer pursuing them. It was as if they had received some command and were all returning to the church entrance.

"Just as I thought!" the captain said. "I was right. These Living Dead must have been summoned by someone from the Holy Grail Team, and they’re under their command!"

"Listen up. We need a new tactic. One person will lure the horde of undead away, and the remaining four will take the opportunity to..."

The captain’s voice trailed off as he suddenly realized his teammates had gone silent.

He glanced at his team list. The names of his four teammates were all grayed out. He was completely stunned.

’When did...’

"Heh. A team this weak wants to join the party? You really don’t know your own limits."

A contemptuous female voice sounded from behind him. Before the captain could even turn his head, he felt a sharp pain in his neck as a small, exquisite dagger silently slit his throat.

Having wiped out the entire team by herself, the petite woman twirled her dagger and turned her head. "My Assassination Technique is pretty good, wouldn’t you say?"

The next moment, however, she froze. Standing not far behind her were not her teammates, but five strangers with indistinct faces.

On her team list, the names of her teammates were also grayed out.

"They weren’t the only ones who overestimated themselves. The same goes for you."

One of the five said. The woman with the dagger gritted her teeth, turned, and fled. But she had only taken two steps before she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if something had pierced her body.

’A bullet? The enemy has a firearm item? And it’s silenced!’

The woman’s reactions were quick, but it was too late. The next instant, a bullet hit the back of her head, and she was instantly killed and eliminated.

One of the five was holding a silenced pistol. The person next to him praised, "Our captain’s a national shooting champion for a reason. Your aim is as reliable as ever!"

"Alright," the captain with the pistol said. "Don’t get tangled up with those Living Dead at the gate. Xu Wei, go lure them away. The rest of us will rush in and seize the Holy Grail."

"Yes, sir!"

The woman named Xu Wei quickly charged into the undead horde’s alert radius, then ran toward the side of the church, drawing them away from the entrance.

The remaining members, led by their captain, immediately rushed the entrance, only to be met by a new wave of Living Dead pouring out.

"They’re still coming out endlessly. Old Iron, clear a path."

"Leave it to me!"

The man called Old Iron took out his Psychic Power Weapon: a giant hammer that stood over half a man tall!

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

Old Iron roared, swinging the giant hammer in a spin and sending all the Living Dead pouring out of the entrance flying.

The group then charged into the church together, only to find it filled with thick white smoke. Visibility was extremely poor; they couldn’t see a thing.

"Use the recon drones immediately. Pinpoint the enemy’s position."

"Yes, sir!"

Several drones flew out at once, and their scan results were all identical.

Besides them, there was only one other person inside the church!

"The Holy Grail Team is just one person?!"

The person was in a corner of the church. The captain immediately drew his gun and fired in that direction. After a few shots, there was no reaction. He couldn’t tell if he’d hit his target or not.

But the next moment, a team member with special reconnaissance abilities shouted, "Watch out! I’m sensing an incoming attack!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The words had barely left his mouth when a continuous series of explosions erupted all around them. None of the four had expected the enemy to be able to unleash such a large-scale, artillery-like attack in an instant. One of them was killed on the spot. The other three only survived by simultaneously using defensive items.

The captain, a shooting champion, felt his expression change. His silenced pistol with its unlimited ammo was already considered a powerful firearm-type item. ’What in the world does the enemy have?’