The infected child still hung from her arm, biting harder. The woman grabbed the child's head and tried to pull him away.

His neck twisted unnaturally, but his jaw did not loosen.

Another cultivator rushed in from the side and stabbed the infected child through the back.

STAB!

The sword pierced through the child's chest.

But the child only turned his head.

His empty eyes looked at the cultivator.

The cultivator froze for half a breath.

Rovan stopped. There were infected in front.

The big one was behind.

Beatrice looked up at the walls. "Can you climb?"

"With you on my back?"

"Can you?"

Rovan looked at the nearby pipe running along the wall.

His expression twisted. "I hate this."

He jumped and grabbed the pipe with one hand.

Pain shot through his wounded arm. His grip almost slipped.

Beatrice wrapped one arm around his neck and held tight.

"Don't choke me!"

"Then climb faster."

Rovan clenched his teeth and climbed.

Below, the big infected rushed into the alley and slammed into the wall.

BAM!!

The pipe shook. Rovan almost fell.

Beatrice raised her staff and struck the infected's fingers as it reached for his leg.

CLANG!!

Her staff hit its hand, but the impact made her arm numb.

The infected grabbed again. Rovan kicked its face.

The kick barely moved it, but it gave him enough time to pull himself onto the low roof.

He rolled over the edge with Beatrice still on his back.

Both of them hit the roof.

Rovan gasped for air.

Beatrice's wound opened more. Blood spread under her leg.

Rovan looked at it and cursed. "You are losing too much blood."

"I know."

"You sound too calm."

"Will panicking help?."

A crash came from below.

The big infected started climbing the wall by digging its fingers into the stone.

Rovan stared. "That thing can climb too?"

Beatrice forced herself to sit up. "Move."

Rovan carried her again and ran across the roof.

The roof was not safe either.

On the next building, several infected were already attacking people who had escaped there.

A man tried to fly away with a small artifact, but an infected woman jumped and grabbed his leg.

He screamed as both of them fell into the street below.

Another cultivator tried to use a sword flight technique. His sword rose half a meter, then fell.

The infected virus had already entered his body. He looked at his shaking hands in horror, then gray veins crawled across his face.

Rovan did not look longer. He jumped to the next roof.

His landing was bad. His knee hit the ground, and Beatrice nearly fell from his back.

Beatrice hissed in pain.

Rovan forced himself up. "Still alive?"

"For now."

"Good enough."

They crossed another roof and reached the edge of a large road.

There was no bridge to the next building.

Below them, the street was packed with infected cultivator.

Rovan's face went stiff. "No way."

Beatrice looked down, then pointed toward a maintenance bridge on the side of the building. It connected to a narrow service tower across the road.

"There."

Rovan followed her finger. "That thing is barely standing."

"Better than going down."

The metal bridge was thin and shaking. It looked like it had been used for workers, not fleeing from a city full of monsters.

Rovan stepped onto it. The bridge creaked.

He froze.

Beatrice whispered, "Keep moving."

Rovan moved. Below, the infected heard the sound and looked up.

Dozens of empty eyes turned toward them.

Then the infected started climbing the walls on both sides.

Rovan's face became pale. "They saw us."

"Run."

The bridge shook under his feet.

Behind them, infected reached the roof and rushed toward the bridge.

In front of them, more infected climbed toward the service tower.

Rovan's legs were burning. His body wanted to stop.

His mind kept telling him to throw Beatrice down, run alone, and maybe he would survive.

That thought appeared clearly.

For one breath, his fingers loosened.

Beatrice felt it, but she said nothing.

Rovan's face twisted. Then his hands tightened around her legs.

"Damn it."

He rushed forward.

An infected jumped from the tower toward them.

Beatrice raised her staff.

This time, she did not use a formation. She simply swung with all her remaining strength.

BAM!!

The staff hit the infected's jaw.

The infected tilted to the side and fell past the bridge.

Rovan kept running.

Another infected grabbed the edge of the bridge.

Rovan stepped on its fingers.

CRACK!!

The fingers bent but did not break. The infected still held on.

Beatrice stabbed her staff into its eye.

Stab!

The infected finally fell. They reached the service tower.

Rovan kicked open the door and rushed inside.

The stairway spiraled down. The space was narrow, dark, and filled with old cables.

Beatrice looked back. "Break the bridge."

Rovan put her down against the wall and grabbed a rusted lever beside the door.

He pulled, but nothing happened.

"Of course."

Beatrice pointed at the joint. "There. Hit that."

Rovan picked up a metal bar and smashed the bridge joint.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The infected were already halfway across the bridge.

Rovan hit again.

CRACK!!

The joint broke. The metal bridge tilted.

The infected on it fell one after another into the street below.

The whole bridge collapsed with a loud crash.

For a moment, the tower became quiet.

Rovan leaned against the wall, breathing hard.

Beatrice sat on the floor. Her face had lost most of its color.

Rovan looked at her leg. "We need to stop the bleeding."

Beatrice nodded, but her eyes were on the stairs.

"What?"

She raised her staff slightly.

Rovan slowly turned his head.

From below the stairs, a dragging sound came.

A maintenance worker crawled out from the darkness.

Half of his face was gone. Gray veins covered his skin. His mouth opened, and black blood dripped onto the steps.

Rovan picked up the metal bar again. His hands shook.

He already at his end. He cannot even use his qi to unleash any technique.

The infected outside started hitting the tower walls.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The metal frame trembled.

More growls came from below.

Rovan looked at Beatrice. "Tell me you have a plan."