There was still a red sky above them, and the next wave of Zombies should be coming really soon.

However, the scent of the grilled buttery

She approached one of the cooks, who saluted instinctively upon seeing her.

"Ma'am Jillian! Fresh batch just finished… Would you like one?"

She hesitated for a second but couldn't resist the smell. "Just one. I need to get back to the command deck soon."

The cook quickly handed her a grilled Large Prawn wrapped in thick leaf paper. Its size was ridiculous as it was probably larger than her wrist, but it was perfectly grilled, and the scent of butter filled the air.

Jillian took a small bite.

Her eyes widened. "…That's actually… good."

It wasn't just tasty, it seemed to have special effects that recovered her Spirit Energy. She felt refreshed after eating just one of them…

Her fatigue from running logistics for hours eased slightly…

One of the cooks chuckled. "Yeah, the commander said the Spirit-nourished food might help everyone recover a bit faster. We're rotating cooks to make sure the shelters all get some."

Jillian nodded slowly, impressed. "He really thought this through…"

She took another small bite, then straightened her posture.

"All right. Make sure the first distribution goes to the defensive teams and medics. They'll need the energy boost the most."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Jillian smiled faintly as she walked away, finishing the rest of the prawn on the way back to the central command deck.

Even in the middle of the long night filled with monsters, the faint scent of grilled prawns and the satisfied laugh of hungry survivors made the place feel peaceful again.

***

At this time, in the ramparts of the New Genesis Shelter, Bon used his cybernetic eye to scan the horizon beyond the outer walls.

The sky was still dyed in that eerie red hue, the same color it had been since the sun vanished hours ago.

Bon was one of the Hybrids that Shane had woken up from the Cryopods, like Arial, Hazel, and many others.

Crunch~

He finished the last bite of the massive grilled prawn, and he couldn't help but want more. However, he suppressed his desire to fill himself as he sipped some water…

"Huh… not bad," he muttered…

"My tongue works really well after Cloud's modification. It feels human again."

Well, Bon was actually about 70% machine and only about 30% of him was still human.

As he thought of asking his commander if he could smoke, Bon's cybernetic ear picked up the low rumble before anyone else.

His optics adjusted, zooming in across the wasteland outside the defensive walls.

There was a movement.

He straightened immediately. "Visual feed… now."

The command, or Cloud, synced automatically with his network.

Soon, a translucent display unfolded in front of him, showing magnified visuals of the Zombies.

Hundreds… No, thousands of Sprinter Zombies were charging across the field. They were moving really fast and they seemed to be coordinated too…

Nonetheless, Bon noticed that their skin was blackened with veins glowing faintly red from the infection.

'Is it the Bloodmarked Sprinter Zombies?' Bon mused.

Nonetheless, what truly caught his attention were the figures moving behind them.

They were also black, massive, bloated creatures with swollen bellies…

Their appearance was quite similar to Spitter Zombies.

"All units, prepare for another wave... Sprinter Zombies and unknown obese-type signatures confirmed. Turrets to Level Two Defense Mode. Warden Units, deploy at Gates one and two."

This was the command given by Arial as soon as they confirmed the presence of the Zombies.

It didn't take that long as the automated turrets along the wall rotated and charged their barrels.

Snipers also took positions behind barricades…

Bon also made his move…

His right arm detached with a click and reconfigured… Soon, parts started folding, sliding, and locking until they formed a simple plasma cannon.

"About time I test this thing."

After a few moments, the Sprinters came in like a tide of madness…

They were screeching, clawing, tripping over each other as bullets tore through their ranks.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Turrets spat lines of fire, mowing down dozens, but they just kept coming.

The field was soon filled with the sound of gunfire, shrieks, and the distant slashing of Warden Units as they sliced up anyone who had gotten closer.

Then came the bloated ones.

One of them stopped mid-charge… Then, its jaw started splitting open.

Bon's optical sensors immediately warned him.

[ Pressure spike detected. Volatile expulsion incoming! ]

Thud!

Thankfully, there was still a barrier protecting him from his position.

The creature had just vomited a spray of thick black sludge!

'Corrupted Black Spitter Zombie?' Bon guessed.

After all, if the Zombie had green skin and green spit, it would definitely pass as a Spitter Zombie.

But it had darker skin and dark acid, so he could only guess that it was a Corrupted Version of a Spitter!

Soon, a few more Spitter Zombies followed…

They hit the barrier wall and their black spit splattered, sizzling upon contact with the energy shield.

The barrier shimmered, but the acidic sludge was starting to corrode the outer layer.

Bon frowned at this as he felt that the black acid was too strong. They had to eliminate the Black Spitter immediately.

He aimed his plasma arm and fired at the nearest one.

Bzzt~

A beam of concentrated energy struck one of the bloated spitters dead center. The creature detonated like an overfilled balloon, splattering sludge in every direction.

It was a terrifying opponent in melee combat for sure!

'It explodes like that? That's scary.' He thought as he confirmed that they were indeed Corrupted Spitter Zombies based on the notification he received.

Then, he also noticed that the remaining sludge was eating through the barrier!

Thankfully, the World's Touch Sculpture just came in time!

[ Resonance Field: Boosts Spirit Energy recovery and reduces interference from corrupted energy. ]

This effect also affected the Barrier, and it interfered with the Corrupted Spitter Zombies' corrosion!

"Now that it's not a problem… Let's end this!"

Just like that, Bon jumped down from the ramparts to join the forward line composed of Warden Units, Mech Frames, and Aura Knights!

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