Chapter 115: Zombie Robots

"Berserk?"

The word immediately brought to Wang Ling's mind the scene from *Neon Genesis Evangelion* where Unit-01 goes berserk and slaughters an Angel. He also recalled the image of "Crazy" Iori Yagami from *The King of Fighters '97*, snorting white mist from his nose like a bull and letting out wild, guttural cries.

After briefly inspecting the stats of the "Berserk Blood," Wang Ling stowed the vial into his spatial pouch. There was no time to study it now; even if the Berserk Gargantuar had been defeated, the final boss, Dr. Zomboss, still remained.

Recalling the optional mission description, the Berserk Gargantuar was the elite boss guarding the dungeon. Since this monster was now dead, Wang Ling stepped through the castle gates, intending to head to the dungeon first to rescue Crazy Dave.

During the maneuver, Wang Ling checked his emblem and discovered that while killing the Berserk Gargantuar had yielded no currency, it had provided a significant amount of reward points. A regular zombie only offered a few points, but this powerful red-eyed zombie giant had granted a full 20,000 points!

He sent the mohawked dwarf ahead to scout, and they found that the staircase leading down to the dungeon was devoid of any zombies. The group descended cautiously, their faint footsteps clearly audible in the silent corridor. Had there been any zombies, they surely would have been alerted, yet they reached the dark, damp dungeon without encountering a single monster. Clearly, the Berserk Gargantuar had been the sole guardian.

Inside a wooden cell, Crazy Dave was being held captive. The eccentric fellow sat on a rock, his face etched with frustration. Hearing the soft footsteps, his dim eyes turned toward the entrance.

"It's you! Quickly, get me out of here, and I'll give you something good in return!"

Even though Wang Ling was wearing a mask and a metal bucket helmet, Dave recognized him immediately. Seeing that it was one of his neighbors who had entered the cell, the man grew excited and made his promise with surprising clarity.

Wang Ling frowned at the thick wooden bars of the cell and ordered the Thug Hercules to take out his sledgehammer and smash the logs, which were thicker than a man's arm.

"Clang!"

After several heavy swings, the bars snapped. Wang Ling gripped the broken wood with both hands and pulled with all his might; with a sound of splintering timber, a hole large enough for a person to pass through was created.

"Quick, get out of the castle first!"

Wang Ling had the Thug Hercules carry Dave on his back, intending to transfer him to the safety of the armed helicopter. However, as soon as the group left the dungeon, the entire castle began to shake violently! The rhythmic "thud, thud" of the vibrations made the ground tremble as if hit by an earthquake. Sensing danger, Wang Ling, Lan Yue, the Hercules, and the dwarf sprinted out of the castle.

Outside, Hassan landed the helicopter quickly. The Thug Hercules loaded Dave onto the aircraft, and it immediately soared into the sky. Wang Ling used his plant cards to bury four Potato Mines along the only path leading out of the zombie castle.

Seeing the red metal antennas—representing danger—pop up from the tops of the mines, Wang Ling retreated nervously outside the castle walls. Given the earth-shattering commotion coming from within, it was clear that Dr. Zomboss was emerging in his zombie robot.

Soon, a giant robot over ten meters tall, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure, stepped out from the castle gates. The robot was encased in steel and shaped exactly like a zombie; its dark green body even wore clothes and leather shoes—all crafted from metal.

Compared to this machine, a giant zombie like a Gargantuar was nothing more than an insignificant speck. In fact, a three-meter-tall Gargantuar would barely reach its knees. The robot's two eyes shone like searchlights, emitting a bright, orange-yellow glow, while its head was flanked by pulsing green actuators. Its mouth featured two rows of metallic, jagged teeth that gnashed together like a shark's, looking utterly hideous.

Most striking of all was the top of the robot's head, which featured a large opening—the cockpit. A thin, peculiar zombie wearing a white lab coat stood within. Its skull was incredibly thin, almost translucent, revealing the highly developed, convoluted folds of its brain.

This was the commander of the zombie army, Dr. George Zomboss!

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Dr. Zomboss let out a cackle like a night owl and shrieked in a grating voice: "Humans, you dare to invade my castle and kill my guard? I shall personally sentence you to death! Heh, heh, heh..."

Amidst the laughter, the grinding gears of the zombie robot set it in motion. As it stepped forward, its massive metal shoes crushed the Potato Mines at the gate, triggering immediate explosions. A surge of flame rose within the violent blast wave.

The explosion only caused the robot to pause momentarily. Its giant eyes looked down at its scorched metal shoes, and it continued to march forward.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Stepping on a mine with every stride, the robot marched toward Wang Ling, ignoring the blasts entirely. Inside the cockpit, Dr. Zomboss laughed maniacally: "It's useless! No bomb is strong enough to destroy my robot! It has bio-mutated muscle, an alloy skeleton, and a steel hide. This is the invincible zombie of death—my greatest masterpiece!"

As Zomboss shouted, the robot lowered its head and opened its maw, filled with silver-white steel teeth. An intensely frigid stream of air erupted from its mouth, condensing into an ice-blue, man-sized sphere of cold that rolled along the ground.

Wherever the ice sphere rolled, a layer of frost was left in its wake, a testament to the intensity of its freezing power.

Facing the terrifying sphere, Wang Ling wore a look of disdain. This was not a game; there was no need to tank the bone-chilling sphere head-on. Given its rolling speed, it could be easily dodged.

After manipulating the robot to spit out the frost stream, Dr. Zomboss pressed a red button. This time, the robot’s mouth spewed a stream of searing fire, condensing into a scorching ball of flame. The surrounding temperature rose rapidly, immediately melting the frost left by the ice sphere. Following behind the ice, the man-sized fireball rolled toward Wang Ling as well.

Easily dodging the two elemental spheres, Wang Ling commanded the Thug Hercules to charge the zombie robot, intending to test just how hard its steel hide really was.

Rushing to the robot's side, the Thug Hercules swung his hammer with all his might. The blow struck the robot's foot, sending sparks flying. A powerful counter-shock force rebounded, causing the web of the Hercules' hand to split open instantly.

"Such a hard hide... Well, it makes sense. If even Potato Mines can't dent it, its hardness is definitely on par with a main battle tank!"

With a single strike yielding no effect, the Thug Hercules retreated rapidly, but it was too late. The zombie robot moved with surprising agility; it lifted its massive foot and stomped down. It was like the sky collapsing, and the Hercules was flattened into a pulp of flesh and blood, which spread outward from beneath the metal shoe.

At that moment, a figure suddenly climbed up along the robot’s body. Dr. Zomboss was laughing triumphantly when he spotted the "little bug" crawling up. He immediately controlled the robot to reach out with its right hand and grab the suicidal intruder.

The mohawked dwarf did not dodge. In fact, given his agility, he could have easily avoided it. The reason he didn't was the object in his hand. After sticking a C4 charge onto the robot's neck, the dwarf was seized by the robot's right hand, which then squeezed tight. With the sickening sound of crushing flesh and bone, blood spurted from the palm.

Releasing his hand and flicking away the gore, the robot strode toward Wang Ling. After taking only a few steps, the timed C4 bomb detonated. A violent shockwave erupted from the neck, and black-red flames rolled outward, completely engulfing the robot's head.

"Boom!"

The shockwave from the bomb, sourced from the *Android CS* world, was so powerful that the giant robot actually swayed before collapsing to the ground! However, the black-red fireball quickly dissipated. In the distance, Wang Ling's heart sank; he could see that a pale yellow light shield had suddenly manifested around the cockpit, protecting Dr. Zomboss.

"Heh, heh, heh... As long as the zombie robot is not destroyed, any attack against me will be blocked by the bio-shield. Such attacks are useless!" Dr. Zomboss laughed smugly as the agile robot scrambled back to its feet.

The robot actually had an energy shield protecting its pilot! Wang Ling's plan to assassinate Dr. Zomboss was shattered, and destroying the robot itself seemed impossible. It was agile, possessed a steel hide, and was immune to even Potato Mines and C4. How could it be destroyed so easily?

"Wang Ling, get on the helicopter, let's go back! An enemy like this is not something you can handle! If we return and defend the stronghold with everything we've got, there might still be a glimmer of hope!" Hassan lowered the helicopter and shouted through the megaphone. With his experience, he could naturally tell that the zombie robot was a terrifying entity far beyond the capabilities of dreamers at their level.

Wang Ling took a deep breath, a glimmer of resolve in his eyes: "No, since I've come this far, how can I give up so easily? Besides, this robot isn't necessarily invincible. There must be a way to destroy it. I still have a chance!"