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Bianbian was startled. Why would an auntie be calling her?
Instinctively, she rushed toward the window to see who was calling her and how they knew her name.
But she couldn’t move.
The little girl strained forward with all her might, yet though nothing visibly blocked her path, it felt as if she had run into an invisible wall, unable to pass through no matter how hard she tried.
The little girl was utterly confused, pushing her small head forward with all her might.
Then, as if suddenly understanding something, she exclaimed happily yet cautiously in a soft voice, “Uncle, is that you?”
Nong Jiusi, who was shielding the tiny figure with his body, did not respond; he was intently studying the instructions provided by the system.
The basic laser gun was too heavy for the little one to carry, and even if purchased, she wouldn’t be able to use it. Instead, he passed weapons to Bianbian from the real world—everyone arriving was an ability user, led by a Rank-B ability holder.
Even if we handed it over, do you really expect the little one to take up arms and engage a group of ability users in a firefight?
System Notification: [Zhu Yuan left early yesterday after being infected by the virus; he has now transformed into a Level 3 zombie. Would you like to summon him from nearby?]
[Warning! Zhu Yuan has become an uncontrollable high-level zombie.]
Faced with the option to summon or not, Nong Jiusi blocked the little girl from running to the window while毫不犹豫地 selecting the summon option without hesitation.
　　*
“Bianbian, I’m the big sister you met at the supermarket that day,” the woman’s voice rang out again. “Your uncle and I have come to take you to the base… Where are you? Come out. We’ll bring you back; there are many children just like you there.”
These words reached Bianbian’s ears clearly, reminding her of the uncle and aunt she had encountered at the supermarket a few days prior.
She remembered how the uncle had wanted to take her with him when they left, but the aunt had refused, considering her a burden. It was a tone Bianbian had heard many times before, one she could easily recognize.
If they hadn’t been willing to take her back then, why would they return a few days later, suddenly ready to bring her away?
Bianbian turned her little head, seriously pondering the strange behavior of this unfamiliar auntie and uncle.
Downstairs, outside the residential compound, the reinforced metal wall at the entrance stood out conspicuously; it couldn’t be opened and was locked from within… Chen Jiahe couldn’t be certain that the little girl lived in this compound, yet the absence of zombies inside combined with such tight security made it highly suspicious.
Thus, she told Feng Leijie that Bianbian might be living within the compound, but before forcing their way in, they could try a simple test: if the little girl was truly inside, what would a child know? She would surely come out on her own obediently.
If she didn’t appear, then it would be time enough to break in by force.
Feng Leijie let her act freely while simultaneously ordering his subordinates to search the surrounding area for any trace of the little girl.
Based on his assessment of Chen Jiahe, this woman likely hadn’t lied to him; as long as the little girl was here, they would eventually find her.
As for Chen Jiahe, watching her perform like a panicked clown before him was quite entertaining.
Feng Leijie, sitting in the car, gazed at Chen Jiahe as if looking at a dead man.
Striving so desperately to satisfy him, praying to escape death at his hands, only to end up with nothing but empty efforts… The mere thought of that scene made Feng Leijie’s body tremble uncontrollably with excitement, his eyes growing ever darker and more sinister.
Chen Jiahe lowered the megaphone, awaiting a response.
Half a minute passed, yet nothing happened. Instead, one of the subordinates suddenly ran over from the other side: “Brother Jie, we’ve found something here!”
The subordinate was merely an ordinary ability user; his face was pale as he reported, “A Level-3 corpse beast, blasted into two charred halves. It was probably killed yesterday.”
Feng Leijie’s excitedly trembling facial muscles slowly froze. His eyes shifted slightly as he stared intently at the subordinate.
Chen Jiahe had also heard these words, and her face instantly turned several shades paler.
A Tier-3 zombie beast is equivalent to a human Tier-B ability user; only someone at least at Tier-B could kill one. Yet Chen Jiahe had described this place as nearly a dead city, where not even a single zombie beast could be found, let alone ordinary zombies.
Feng Leijie stepped out of the vehicle.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Chen Jiahe’s back.
“Brother Jie, when Zhao Jue and I passed through here earlier, we truly didn’t encounter a single zombie, much less feel the oppressive pressure of a high-level zombie beast… Otherwise, how could either of us have escaped this place?”
Facing Feng Leijie’s murderous demeanor, Chen Jiahe leveraged her feminine advantages to lower her posture as much as possible while her mind raced frantically.
A level-three zombie beast lies dead nearby, indicating that whoever killed it was at least a Class-B ability user. If that little girl had been living in the vicinity all along, only two scenarios are possible: either she was devoured by the zombie beast, or she was taken away by a high-level ability user.
Moreover, since the food supplies at Jin Xin Supermarket have been almost completely emptied, it suggests that the ability user who slew the zombie beast has long since departed. As for whether the little girl is already dead or was taken away by that ability user, either way, the chances of finding her here appear exceedingly slim.
Of course, there exists a third, albeit faint, possibility—that the girl neither fell prey to the zombie beast nor left with the ability user who killed it.
After analyzing the situation, Chen Jiahe realized that if she didn’t find a way to escape now, she would never get another chance.
But she had no chance to escape.
The subordinates dragged over the corpse of the Ant Zombie Beast, reporting that apart from this body, no suspicious clues had been found.
Feng Lei let out a couple of sinister cackles. First, he glanced twice at the zombie beast’s corpse on the ground, confirming it was indeed a Tier-3 specimen. Then, he shifted his gaze toward Chen Jiahe, who was trembling with a pale face, and actually smiled at her.
Chen Jiahe felt her scalp go numb.
“You knew all along there was a Level 3 zombie beast here. The food and the little girl were just your excuses; in truth, you intended to borrow another’s hand to kill.” He stepped closer to Chen Jiahe, his grin widening ever more. “Not a bad idea at all. You’ve got guts.”
“Roasting you would be far too lenient. I’ve decided…”
Before he could finish, a shriek unique to zombies suddenly erupted above the residential compound, accompanied by the overwhelming pressure of an advanced zombie sweeping through like a raging storm.
Under this terrifying pressure, Chen Jiahe, who had only awakened a D-class ability, felt as though a massive mountain had been pressed onto his back. His legs buckled, and he crashed to his knees, clutching his head in agony, drenched in sweat.
Feng Leijie’s lower-ranking subordinates reacted much like Chen Jiahe.
Feng Leijie’s face turned extremely grim, his pupils contracting to the size of needle points as he looked up, staring fixedly at the area above the third floor of the residential complex.
The roars and oppressive pressure emanate from here.
In an ordinary zone, first a slain Level 3 corpse beast, and now a Level 4 zombie hidden within the complex.
Level 3 and Level 4 zombies correspond to Rank B ability users; however, individuals of the same rank possess varying levels of strength. A Level 4 zombie is equivalent to a peak Rank B ability user.
Feng Leijie had not yet reached his peak—meaning that even with their numerical advantage, he dared not take the risk of confronting a Level 4 zombie recklessly.
　　……
“B-Brother Jie, sh-should we… leave?” one of his subordinates asked, voice trembling.
Just then, a tremendous crash erupted from behind. It turned out that an earth-type ability user had spotted a zombie in the distance rushing toward them at an eerie speed. Acting on instinct, the ability user unleashed their power, hurling a massive earthen wall straight at the approaching zombie.
“Not good, it’s a Level 3 zombie!”
That zombie was tall and imposing; as it ran, a vortex of wind surged up from the ground behind it, gradually forming a small tornado that sucked in everything along both sides of the street.
Meanwhile, the threatening roars of zombies continued to echo from the upper floors of the residential building.
“Oh god, two high-level zombies!!!” Terror, laced with a trembling voice, was impossible to conceal.
How could they dare to stay here any longer? If it had been just one high-level zombie, Feng Leijie might have even started plotting whether to risk a fight; stumbling upon a level-four zombie was rare enough, and if they could kill it and extract its crystal core…
But now, with an additional level-three zombie appearing behind them, facing both foes offered no chance of victory whatsoever.
Feng Leijie’s men threw everything they had at the newly appeared zombie, explosions ringing incessantly. In that split second, Chen Jiahe decided to take a gamble; otherwise, if she fled with Feng Leijie, he would definitely not let her go.
Thus, in a panic, Chen Jiahe gritted her teeth fiercely, tossed aside the horn in her hand, and prepared to use her ability to unlock the metal gate—she intended to hide inside the residential compound. There was a Level 4 zombie within the compound, while outside lurked a Level 3; perhaps the most dangerous place was actually the safest.
However, how could Feng Leijie allow the woman who had plotted against him to get her way? As he boarded the vehicle, he dragged Chen Jiahe back with him.
The zombies rushed closer, and behind them, a tornado swept toward the vehicles with devastating force, crushing everything in its path.
　　……
Bianbian reached out her small hand to touch the “thing” blocking her path. The various booming sounds coming from outside the window sparked the little girl’s curiosity, making her unable to resist quietly shuffling toward the window from the side.
With a single stride of his long legs, Lord Jiusi once again blocked the little one’s way.
Bianbian: “…”
Wronged and pitiful.
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This is the first update; Da Wanzi will post three updates today~