Chapter Ninety-Seven: Escape from the Amusement Park

“It looks like it’s time for us to strike back!”

No-Awareness calmly stripped off his soaked clothes, scooped up the weapon that had fallen to the ground, chambered a round, and said to Scent, “All set? Good. Go to the Toy House and resupply us with ammunition. It’s their turn to feel the counterattack.”

Scent sprang to her feet, clutching her drenched clothes, and pouted. “At least give me a chance to change, would you? Honestly!”

Though she complained, she still cast a spell and shot off like the wind toward the Toy House, where she replenished No-Awareness and the others with weapons and ammunition, and took the opportunity to change into a beautiful new dress.

No-Awareness took up the machine gun and charged onward to support Luke and the others, continuing to clear out the remaining zombies.

In this round of fighting, they lost another Catfolk, and Luke had already exhausted himself completely. The second wave of zombies had been almost entirely wiped out.

Judging by the zombies still encircling them outside, there were at least nearly a hundred left. It seemed they had only dealt with less than half so far.

After rejoining No-Awareness, Luke asked, “What now? Everyone’s completely worn out. The rest won’t be easy to handle.”

“Then we bring out something fiercer and more energetic, finish them off cleanly, and leave!” No-Awareness prepared to rig up some bombs and mines, intending to send this merry amusement park, along with the zombies, straight to the heavens.

The last Catfolk came over and asked, “Are we sure this is safe? Will we still have time to get out?”

Scent came out carrying two bags. “Don’t worry. With me backing you up here, everyone will make it out alive!”

She handed the bags to No-Awareness. Inside were exactly the timed bombs he needed, along with several formidable mortars. It looked like they could really make a grand spectacle of it now.

So they split up: the Catfolk helped No-Awareness plant the bombs, while Luke helped Scent draw the zombies’ attention so their intentions would not be discovered.

No-Awareness then began scanning the amusement park’s layout, choosing his targets, and had the Catfolk transform into a kitten to sneak the bombs into place one by one.

There were ten bombs in all. It took more than half an hour to set them. By the time they reached the last one, the wild zombies outside had already shattered the barrier and stormed in.

At that moment, the Catfolk comrade was still beneath the seesaw, anxiously setting the timer on the bomb. Sensing the movement outside, he could not help glancing back toward No-Awareness and the others.

No-Awareness hurriedly waved him over. “Come back quickly. We’re preparing to retreat. Scent, open the barrier at the rear right away. We’re evacuating into the city.”

Scent and Luke also temporarily stopped their efforts to confuse the enemy and moved toward No-Awareness. One began covering the rear, while the other fully unleashed her sorcery to open the barrier.

Then the Catfolk comrade turned toward No-Awareness with a smile, and decisively quickened his hands over the bomb. It seemed he had resolved to stake everything on this one gamble.

“This guy’s learned how to gamble with his life too?” Luke could not help sighing at the sight.

No-Awareness opened fire on the surging zombies while trying to get closer to the Catfolk comrade, but the last wave of zombies was too fierce, and he could not get near.

The Catfolk rose with determination and meowed at No-Awareness and the others. “Set off the bombs. Just remember my name. I’m Meowpounce!”

Then he activated the bomb timer. No-Awareness exchanged a look with him, nodded deeply, and without hesitation raised his rocket launcher, aimed at the center of the bomb array, and fired a shell with a thunderous blast.

As the shell detonated, No-Awareness and the others ran at full speed. Behind them, the park erupted in blossom after blossom of fire, a skyful of blazing light bursting everywhere.

Scent successfully opened the barrier. Luke seized the moment to activate the antigravity field, lifting all three of them into the air. They swiftly broke away from the amusement park and flew outside.

Amid the seemingly endless explosions behind them, the three finally escaped the barrier. As the thunderous blasts rolled on at their backs, No-Awareness could not help sighing. “Amitabha. What a pity. Yet more good friends have sacrificed themselves, and there’s Meowpounce too.”

“And not only that,” Scent said with a sigh of her own, “this whole amusement park has been destroyed as well. There’ll be nowhere fun left to go after this. I suppose today can only become a memory.”

“We can talk about memories later,” said No-Awareness. The moment he stepped out of the amusement park, he saw more zombies converging outside, and without the slightest politeness he shot down two of them on the spot.

Luke helplessly set the others down. “Sorry. I’ve really run myself dry. I can’t fly any farther. My apologies!”

No-Awareness unleashed his divine power and took down one opponent after another, smiling as he said, “It’s fine. Just right to use them as an after-dinner snack. I’ve got anger to vent and nowhere to put it.”

Scent suddenly turned back and said, “Look over there. Who’s that? Meowpounce isn’t dead—he actually made it out!”

Not far away, a gray kitten was desperately scrambling out of the wreckage of the amusement park, fighting his way toward freedom.

Meowpounce was not running alone. He was fighting for his life, fighting to escape into the daylight.

Seeing this, Luke mustered the last of his strength, spread the antigravity field over Meowpounce, and forced him forward dozens of meters, narrowly avoiding another violent blast.

Scent immediately cast another spell and gave Meowpounce an extra push, sending him all the way to the amusement park’s exit. He was only a hair’s breadth away from escape.

But then a zombie, blown so badly apart that only half its body remained, suddenly lunged out and crashed onto Meowpounce’s back, seizing his tail and yanking him viciously backward. Meowpounce let out a sharp hiss of pain.

No-Awareness had already rushed forward. With a midair pressure-point strike, he struck twice, blasting the zombie’s brains apart and punching through four or five holes in its body. Meowpounce then surged ahead with all his strength. A clump of fur was torn from his tail, but he finally escaped the creature’s grasp.

Luke stepped in and caught Meowpounce as he flew toward them, turning and pulling him into his arms. Stroking his head, he said, “That was close. In the end, you made it out alive too. It’s both fortunate and worthy of celebration.”

Scent came up as well and gently patted Meowpounce’s head. “Yes, little Meowpounce, you’ve come back to life successfully!”

“Yes, yes, I’m finally alive again!” Meowpounce let out a long breath and slowly returned to human form, looking like a middle-aged uncle who had barely cheated death. The worst of it was that a huge patch of the seat of his pants had been torn to shreds, right where his tail had been grabbed.

Scent was so shocked that she covered her eyes and cried out angrily, “You really are better off not transforming.”

“Why?” Meowpounce clutched his backside, utterly speechless. “This is my complete form.”

No-Awareness and Luke immediately declared, “We have no idea what you two are talking about. Let’s get moving!”

The four survivors thus officially set off deeper into the city.

No one knew how Pike and the others, who had gone ahead of them, were faring now, or what kind of extraordinary master might be hidden within that mysterious building.

Two hours earlier, Pike, who had left the amusement park in advance, had joined several Dogfolk and rushed all the way toward the only intact building in the depths of the city.

Here was an entirely different world.

There were no rampant zombies, no scenes of ruin and devastation. All that stood here were splendid towers, steeped in an eerie and enigmatic aura.

Pike’s first impression upon arriving was that this building was dangerous.

They tried to quietly draw near, searching for a breach, hoping to force their way inside, but soon discovered it was all in vain.

Around the building were special mechanisms forming a unique shield capable of withstanding all outside force.

And drifting around the structure was also a strange cloud of substance. After the several Dogfolk had circled the building a few times, they were all infected by the poisonous mist and collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Pike quickly realized that the owner of this building was keeping every outsider firmly at bay.

They really had no chance of entering to take shelter.