MERIDIAN OF THE DAMNED

Ch 04. The Iron-Armored Hunters

Through the gaps between the rotting wooden planks of the ceiling, Wu Chen narrowed his still slightly blurred eyes. The reddish-yellow glow of torches seeped through the cracks, swaying wildly with the movements of the people above.

"Captain! There's another one over here!" a hoarse voice shouted from directly above them.

"Kill it immediately! Don't let it cough or make a sound!" another voice replied. The speaker sounded authoritative yet utterly cold.

"But, Captain... it's just a child..."

"I said cut it down, so cut it down, you idiot! Do you want to catch the Meridian Plague too?!" the Captain bellowed furiously. "The palace's orders are clear: total eradication! Anyone infected or even remotely suspicious is to be eliminated immediately! Don't let a single plague carrier escape into the Merchant District!"

Slash... shhk!

The wet sound of a sword cutting through flesh rang out, followed by a short groan that abruptly fell silent. Wu Chen could clearly hear the small body hitting the wooden floor above them, followed by the heavy flow of blood.

"Fucking bastards..." Wu Chen whispered, his teeth grinding together as he restrained his fury. "They're not here to save civilians. Quarantine my ass! This is a fucking massacre."

Xiao Yu, still trapped beneath his hand, began trembling violently. Her tears streamed down, soaking Wu Chen's palm.

"Quiet, kid. Don't make a single sound if you still want to breathe," Wu Chen whispered directly into Xiao Yu's ear, his voice low but forceful.

"B-big brother... they... they're going to burn us too, just like Mother?" Xiao Yu whispered in a thin, broken voice after Wu Chen loosened his grip slightly.

"I'm not going to let that happen. But you have to listen to everything I say," Wu Chen replied sharply.

Suddenly, an intense stabbing pain shot through Wu Chen's left shoulder again. His sudden movement while covering Xiao Yu's mouth had apparently caused the zombie's slash from the previous night to reopen. Fresh, bright-red blood began seeping from beneath his robe, slowly dripping onto the dirt floor of the basement.

Drip... drip...

"Shit... the wound's bleeding again," Wu Chen cursed internally, his face growing even paler. "This useless body is seriously becoming a pain in the ass."

Directly above them, the patrol Captain's footsteps suddenly stopped.

The metallic boots halted directly over the wooden plank where Wu Chen's blood was seeping onto the ground below.

"Wait," the Captain's voice sounded suspicious. "What is that smell? That's not the stench of zombies."

"The smell... fresh blood, Captain?" another soldier replied.

"Yes. And it's coming from beneath our feet. Shine the light over here! Find out if there's a basement or crawlspace beneath this tea shop!" the Captain ordered urgently.

"Damn, their noses are fucking sharp," Wu Chen whispered, his eyes darting around the dark room as he searched for another way out. "We have to get out of here now, before they break through the floor above."

"B-big brother... the only way out is through the stairs," Xiao Yu whispered frantically, pointing toward the wooden staircase leading to the trapdoor.

"There's no other way. We'll have to use a dirty tactic," Wu Chen muttered, his mind racing as he searched for an opening.

He looked around the basement, which was filled with discarded items from the old tea shop. In one corner stood a pile of rusted iron pots and cracked clay dishes. Near Xiao Yu's feet were several heavy chunks of fallen brick.

"Xiao Yu, see those bricks near your feet?" Wu Chen whispered quickly.

"Y-yes, b-big brother... I see them."

"Pick one up. Now," Wu Chen ordered.

"W-what for, big brother?" Xiao Yu asked with trembling hands as she picked up a brick.

"Listen carefully. Once they start breaking through the trapdoor above, run to that corner. As soon as the door opens and their attention is focused on the stairs, throw that brick as hard as you can at the pile of iron pots in the opposite corner. Make as much noise as possible! Understand?!" Wu Chen explained, his eyes gleaming with tactical calculation.

"I-I understand, big brother... but... what happens after that?" Xiao Yu asked anxiously.

"When they turn toward the sound of the pots, that'll be our opening to escape through the side of the stairs. I'll clear the way. You just run behind me and never look back! Got it?!"

"I-I understand, big brother..."

BRAAAKKK!

The wooden trapdoor in the ceiling collapsed after being forcefully smashed from above. Dirt and splinters of wood immediately scattered downward.

"Hey! Who's down there?! Come out, you plague carriers!" a fully armored soldier shouted as he pointed his torch down the stairs.

"Now, Xiao Yu! Throw it!" Wu Chen shouted in a low voice.

Xiao Yu gathered all her courage. She swung her small arm and hurled the brick with all her strength toward the pile of iron pots in the right corner of the room.

CRAAASH! CLANGGG!

The deafening collision of metal echoed violently throughout the cramped basement.

"Movement on the right! They're hiding behind the sacks!" shouted the soldier holding the torch, immediately turning his gaze and weapon toward the right corner.

"Charge over there! Don't let them escape!" the Captain ordered from above.

The tactical opening had appeared exactly as Wu Chen had planned.

"Run, Xiao Yu!" Wu Chen shouted.

Although his body was still extremely weak and his shoulder throbbed painfully, Wu Chen surged forward with every bit of strength he had left. He grabbed a sharp piece of metal that had once been used as a pot hanger.

As the first soldier stepped down the stairs, his attention diverted toward the pots, Wu Chen slipped beneath the shadow of the staircase and drove the sharpened metal directly into the gap beneath the soldier's armored neck guard.

Stab!

"Ugh..."

The soldier only managed a short groan before collapsing, his body blocking the view of the soldiers behind him.

"Shit! It's a trap! They're attacking!" the second soldier shouted from the stairs.

"Don't worry about the corpse! Stab downward!" the Captain roared.

Wu Chen wasn't stupid enough to stay there.

Grabbing Xiao Yu's hand, he used the brief moment of panic to leap over the dead soldier and burst through the trapdoor toward the main floor of the burned-out tea shop.

As he tried to leap over the dead soldier, Li Jian Nan's weakened body suddenly refused to cooperate. Wu Chen's right foot caught on the soldier's armored greave, instantly throwing him off balance.

"Shit..." Wu Chen hissed through clenched teeth.

His body lurched forward. His badly injured left shoulder slammed hard into the corner of the wooden staircase, sending a wave of blinding pain through him that immediately brought tears to his eyes.

He suppressed a terrible groan that nearly escaped his throat, biting down on his lower lip until fresh blood flowed to keep himself from making a sound. With the remnants of a mafia boss's motor coordination, he forced his right hand against the rough wooden floor, then dragged his trembling knee beneath him and forced himself upright.

"Big brother! Are you okay?!" Xiao Yu whispered frantically, tugging at Wu Chen's robe.

"I'm... fine! Run!" Wu Chen snapped through a hoarse, restrained voice, forcing his jelly-like legs to keep moving as he hurried out of the tea shop.

"Chase them! They're heading into the side street!" voices shouted behind them.

Wu Chen and Xiao Yu sprinted through the increasingly cold drizzle. The narrow alleys of the Common's District looked terrifying, filled with thin mist and the smell of smoke from homes that other military units had begun setting ablaze.

The remaining poison in Wu Chen's body surged violently from the extreme physical exertion, making his chest feel as though it were burning from the inside. His blurred vision repeatedly narrowed until dark rings formed around the edges of his sight. Xiao Yu was forced to guide him several times so that Wu Chen would not crash into the stone walls of the alley.

"Hah... hah... my fucking legs... they're about to give out," Wu Chen cursed, breathing rapidly.

"B-big brother... we're almost at the boundary gate!" Xiao Yu shouted, pointing toward the end of the alley, where the torchlights of the guard post were beginning to come into view.

However, just before they could escape the dark, narrow alley, a massive shadow suddenly leaped down from the roof of a nearby ancient temple.

BOOM!

Mud and chunks of stone scattered as the enormous creature landed directly in front of them, blocking the only way out.

Wu Chen immediately stopped himself, pulling Xiao Yu behind his body. His half-blurred eyes widened as he stared at the figure before him.

The creature stood more than two meters tall, wearing the remnants of a torn silk cultivator's robe drenched in black blood. Its skin was dark gray, with the meridian veins along its neck and protruding face glowing bright red like molten lava.

Most terrifying of all, its right hand still gripped a rusty iron sword tightly, surrounded by a thin, unstable aura of red energy.

[SYSTEM: WARNING! AWAKENING STAGE MUTANT DETECTED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY.]

[MERIDIAN STATUS: HIGHLY UNSTABLE.]

"Krrrggghhh..."

The creature released a deep, guttural growl. The vibration of its voice was powerful enough to make the puddles on the ground ripple.

Its pair of glowing red eyes locked directly onto Wu Chen.

"Shit... that's not an ordinary zombie," Wu Chen whispered, cold sweat pouring down his temples. "It still has remnants of cultivation techniques... and it has a sword!"