Apocalypse Hunter

**Chapter 3: Dancing with Corpses**

Shi Tian’s golden right eye began to split, the intense friction and collision resembling two jagged metal gears grinding against each other. Though the impacts were fierce, they followed a meticulous rhythm. Streams of golden light emerged, accurately locking onto their targets.

In his pupils, the distant shadows rapidly shifted into the dark, approaching figures of the monsters. A massive wave of creatures was charging straight at him, their numbers overwhelming.

Shi Tian’s golden eye locked onto the smooth head of the leading monster.

Its rounded head gleamed under the harsh sunlight, its mouth split open to its ears, exposing sharp teeth that reflected a chilling light. Its nostrils flared toward the sky, and its hairless, compact body was supported by powerful limbs.

These creatures had been birthed in the wake of nuclear radiation, existing for only a few decades. Their extraordinary adaptability made them formidable competitors to humanity for Earth’s resources in the Cactus Era. They were a twisted evolution of humanity, dubbed “mad corpses” by humans in a bid to assert dominance.

Shi Tian’s slender finger rested firmly on the trigger of his sniper rifle, which lacked even a basic optical scope. Thick smoke poured from his nostrils like a fledgling dragon attempting to breathe fire, only to exhale smoke instead.

As the mad corpses swarmed closer, his lips curled into a faint smile. At the same time, a cone of yellow-green flame erupted from the muzzle of his rifle, propelled by the weapon’s powerful recoil against his sturdy shoulder.

A single alloy bullet shot from the elongated barrel.

A thunderous roar followed.

“Bang!” At a distance of one kilometer, the leading mad corpse abruptly stopped, its head exploding in the blazing sunlight.

The head of another corpse directly behind it was also shattered, black blood splattering across the sandy terrain.

“Good job, buddy! I’m starting to admire your shooting more and more. Haha!” Shi Tian’s wild laughter echoed as he exhaled smoke rings, his face brimming with pride.

He wanted to clap his hands in celebration—after all, taking down two mad corpses with a single bullet was no small feat. But he had no time for such indulgence.

Shi Tian’s muscles tensed as he leapt to another pile of ruins, seeking better cover. Straightening his posture, he steadied his arms and fired again.

“Bang!” The cone of fire once again accompanied the soaring alloy bullet.

Three mad corpses in the forefront were blown apart, their upper bodies obliterated. Black blood sprayed from their remaining lower halves like miniature fountains, drenching the sunlit ground.

“Damn, I’ve broken my record!” Shi Tian exclaimed, his voice filled with exhilaration. It felt as though Satan himself had possessed him, driving him into a frenzy of unrestrained s*******r.

The dismembered corpses were quickly trampled into pulp by the advancing horde. Roaring with rage, the mad corpses charged toward Shi Tian’s hiding spot, their enhanced senses making them terrifying adversaries.

“Their speed has doubled. Have they mutated again?” Shi Tian muttered, spitting on the ground. For a hunter on a mission, encountering monsters several times stronger due to mutation was hardly cause for celebration.

Cursing his rotten luck, which seemed as vile as Satan himself, Shi Tian dashed away at a speed that outpaced the mad corpses. A sniper’s true battlefield was in the mid to long range.

Even without favorable terrain, Shi Tian could still hold his own. His pistol marksmanship was no less impressive than his sniping.

Under the scorching desert sun, hundreds of mad corpses chased an Eastern hunter, their pursuit kicking up plumes of dust in a deadly game of predator and prey.

“That bastard Adams claimed there were only a few dozen mad corpses near C12 Base! Where the hell did this horde come from?” Shi Tian cursed as he sprinted. The allure of a hefty bounty had evaporated, replaced by the urgency of survival.

The Desert Eagle holstered on his right thigh thumped against his leg with each stride, as if reminding him not to overlook its presence.

Reaching over his back, Shi Tian grabbed a two-inch-wide sling and secured his Vz.58 sniper rifle. Tightening the nano-material camouflage scarf around his neck, he took a deep drag from his crude cigar.

Smoke billowed heavily from his mouth and nostrils.

Drawing the black Desert Eagle from his thigh holster with his right hand, he gripped a 14-inch titanium-alloy combat knife in his left. The revolver strapped to his left leg remained untouched.

Shi Tian wasn’t fleeing. His wolf-like nature made it nearly impossible for him to tolerate being hunted by monsters. Instead, he charged straight toward the horde. The tip of his cigar glowed brightly, a visual effect created by the rushing wind.

His ammunition pouch held only five Desert Eagle magazines, along with ten rounds for his M500 revolver. The odds were grim. Even with perfect accuracy, he could take down at most 52 mad corpses. What about the remaining 150-plus? Would he resort to his combat knife, dulling its blade in the process?

The mad corpses, their bulging black eyes resembling oversized frog eyes, went berserk at the sight of their charging prey.

To them, humans were nothing more than fresh, succulent meat.

Clearly, the residents of C12 Base hadn’t satisfied their hunger. Their emaciated bellies seemed perpetually starved, impossible to fill.

“Bang! Bang!” Deafening gunfire rang out as Shi Tian fired at point-blank range, taking down two mad corpses with precise headshots.

Blood and gore splattered as the creatures fell. Any mad corpse grazed by a bullet to the head was doomed.

Despite the mad corpses’ frenzied assaults, Shi Tian’s speed allowed him to evade their claws and teeth, slipping behind them to deliver another savage shot.

The horde’s sheer numbers began to wear on him. The Desert Eagle’s notorious recoil, a hallmark of the Rose Era, was no small burden even for someone as strong as Shi Tian. Firing through three magazines left his arms aching.

Ejecting an empty magazine, Shi Tian dodged an airborne mad corpse and shot through the legs of another. Springing up, he headbutted a third creature, sending it tumbling. With a swift motion, he chambered a fresh round in the Desert Eagle.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The semi-automatic pistol roared as it spat molten lead, its barrel hot enough to melt cheese.

Several more mad corpses fell, but their numbers seemed endless. The horde swelled like a swarm of black ants, relentless in their pursuit. Shi Tian, eyes bloodshot, fought desperately within the encroaching circle.

“Ugh!” A mad corpse leaped onto Shi Tian, its claws digging into his back. Its jaws snapped open, ready to bite.

“c***k!” Shi Tian heard the sickening sound of breaking bones.

Pain seared through his back as he leapt high into the air, like an athlete performing a high jump. But instead of landing on a cushioned mat, he crashed onto the hard, gravelly ground.

“Splat!” The sound of flesh and bone colliding with earth echoed as dust rose around him. It resembled the aftermath of a miniature nuclear explosion.

Rolling quickly to his feet, Shi Tian escaped just as the horde swarmed the spot where he’d fallen, tearing into the ground in a frenzy.

Panting heavily, he realized the mad corpse had bitten through his sniper rifle, not his spine. The titanium-alloy weapon had saved his life.

Reaching for the silver M500 revolver strapped to his left thigh, Shi Tian reluctantly drew his last resort. This was the death god’s calling card, only used when there were no other options.

Sweat dripped from his face, every strand of hair plastered against his scalp.

Under the blazing sun, a deadly dance between man and mutated corpses unfolded in a fiery spectacle.