As time passed, the opened gap grew larger. Even with continuous fire suppression from Wakanda, they couldn't push back the zombie horde. Instead, the horde advanced under Wakanda's suppressing fire.
Soon, the two sides were locked in close-quarters combat.
Even though Shuri had pushed the machines to their limits, the battle suits produced in just one hour were still very limited. They were only enough to arm the Royal Guard. The Wakandan warriors without battle suit protection had to risk inevitable infection as they fought on the front lines against the zombies.
They knew they had no retreat. Behind them lay everything they cherished. If they faltered, it would all turn to dust under the zombies' claws.
Despite the Wakandans' valiant struggle, they couldn't reverse the disadvantage against the tide of zombies.
As the situation worsened, the magma barrier suspended overhead changed. With the spell's duration ending, the magma barrier began to dissipate and recede. However, as it retreated, the uncontrolled magma poured outwards, instantly engulfing a large number of zombies. The resulting lava river further slowed the horde's advance. This could be considered Bai Qi's final after-sales service to Wakanda.
The magma barrier disappeared, and the resulting lava river blocked part of the zombies' path, giving the fighting Wakandan warriors a moment to breathe.
Shuri, commanding from the front lines, looked at the brutal battlefield and sighed helplessly, saying, "Withdraw. Have the reserves send the old, weak, women, and children away first."
A silence fell over the command center at her words, sorrow evident on everyone's faces.
They had lost this homeland defense battle, and lost thoroughly. Everyone knew Wakanda could not be saved.
Seeing their dispirited state, Shuri knew she couldn't fall at this moment. She forced herself to be strong and said, "Don't worry, I will stay and buy time for the civilians to evacuate, along with the valiant Wakandan warriors."
"No."
Just then, a discordant voice broke the silence.
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound. It was none other than the old council leader, who had always been at odds with Shuri. Behind the council leader stood the fully armed Royal Guard.
This scene made Shuri's already furrowed brow tighten even further.
"Council leader, now is not the time for your reckless troublemaking!"
"I am not making trouble," the council leader shook his head. "Leave the matter of staying to die to us old folks. The future of Wakanda belongs to you young people, especially you, Shuri. The King is missing, the female general has disappeared, and Wakanda still needs your leadership."
Honestly, Shuri never expected that this old council leader, whom she considered so rigid, would say such a thing.
Given the current situation, staying meant certain death. And yet, he was willing to stay and die in her place?
However, Shuri still declined the council leader's offer, saying, "There's no need. I can serve to boost morale here and buy time for more people to evacuate."
Seeing Shuri refuse, the old council leader continued expressionlessly, "This is the unanimous decision of all the elders. Even you have no right to object."
Without giving Shuri a chance to retort, he waved his hand. The Royal Guard behind him immediately stepped forward, forcibly took Shuri away, and took control of the command center.
Under the control of the Royal Guard, Shuri was forcibly put on a plane and left with the civilian transport aircraft.
After the old, weak, women, and children left, only the Wakandan warriors remained for the war.
With no longer any worries about their loved ones, they could use large-scale destructive weapons without reservation. If the front lines were breached by the zombie horde, they would retreat into the city and fight street battles, using the winding terrain to limit the zombies' advance. But it was clear to everyone that victory was impossible in this situation; the loss of territory and complete annihilation were only a matter of time.
Besides fighting the regular alien zombies, many also set their sights on cadres like the Black Order, and even Thanos walking within the zombie horde, hoping for a decapitation strike.
However, unlike ordinary zombies, both the Black Order and Zombie Thanos had awakened intelligence, coupled with their already formidable strength, making a sneak attack to behead them extremely difficult.
Where there's a will, there's a way. In a vast Wakanda with so many well-trained warriors, there were bound to be one or two exceptionally skilled fighters. Perhaps they were hidden among the multitude of warriors, not as dazzling as the Black Panther, or even Shuri, but their strength was undeniable.
Corvus Glaive, one of the Black Order, had his head severed by a Wakandan warrior who suddenly attacked after sustaining a scratch on his right leg.
Even three Wakandan warriors wielding Vibranium weapons launched a decapitation strike against Thanos. Although two of them died to zombies before even touching Thanos, the remaining one managed to leave a small wound on Thanos's face with his Vibranium weapon.
While this small wound might seem insignificant, it was still an incredible feat for an ordinary person who, with no special enhancements, achieved this with just a Vibranium weapon.
But it was still not enough.
Bai Qi could easily deal with ordinary zombies, and even the Black Order. His only concern was Thanos, who possessed the four Infinity Stones.
Bai Qi wanted to enable the Wakandan warriors to inflict some damage on Thanos, or at least force him to use the power of the Infinity Stones more often. But the current situation was that, under the raging zombie horde, the Wakandans had no room to maneuver and fight Thanos.
"This won't do. Let me add some fuel to the fire."
As he spoke, Bai Qi, who was watching from afar, opened his palm. In it lay five Dragon-patterned Lantern Rings.
These five Lantern Rings had been crafted by Bai Qi previously, with the intention of recruiting a few capable subordinates through them.
While five rings might not seem like many, releasing them at this moment would undoubtedly provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the Wakandans.
As Bai Qi had anticipated, after being released, the five Lantern Rings quickly found their intended hosts.
Initially, these five fighting Wakandan warriors were a bit flustered by the sudden appearance of the Lantern Rings, not understanding the situation. However, as the rings uploaded usage instructions to their memories, these five individuals instantly grasped the usage methods and specific abilities of the rings.
Coupled with Bai Qi's mental intervention on all Wakandans, he subtly guided them towards the idea of decapitation strikes, especially influencing the council leader who was overseeing the entire situation from the command center.
If Bai Qi hadn't thought that the old man was too old and excessive intervention might cause his mental breakdown, he would have directly given him a clear hint.