The person she had just been thinking about this morning appeared before her so quickly, and in such an overbearing manner.
Lin Weiran curled her lips coldly. “Give me back the crystal.”
“Give it back?”
A voice of disbelief came from behind. Qu Wen had already stuck out half her head, her eerie gaze sweeping over the famous “Eternal Squad.”
“I swear, today I’ve really seen it all.”
“That Tier 4 zombie was first targeted by us, and we were the ones who used abilities to control its movements. You all suddenly jumped in halfway and stole the kill, and now you think this crystal belongs to you?”
Since when did the ones who wore the boss down get nothing, while the latecomers swoop in and take the spoils?
The blatant questioning made Lin Weiran pause for a moment.
She hadn’t seen whether the zombie was controlled or not—she had only seen Si Zhe land the killing blow. Logically speaking, the Grade 4 crystal should belong to them.
“……”
Lin Weiran instinctively looked at Si Zhe.
Before he could say anything, Su Su sneered, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you feel anything when you were killing the zombie? A Tier 4 ability user facing off against a Tier 4 zombie—if one hit was all it took, was it because your power is just that extraordinary?”
Under the group’s scrutiny, Si Zhe pressed his lips into a thin line and said coldly, “This is the apocalypse. This is the Eastern Hunting Zone. Whoever kills the zombie gets the crystal. Morality is just an excuse to shelter the weak.”
“And, I don’t understand why you’re still clinging to these laughable word games. As if finding some so-called moral loophole in our actions could prove that you’re the victor.”
“Don’t you find that ridiculous?”
It was a grandiose and self-righteous response.
But to Su Su, it sounded all too familiar.
Ah, it was still the same old tune. She chuckled lightly. “You’re right. So just now, when I snatched that crystal through my own ability, it became mine.”
Si Zhe also understood that the Grade 4 crystal was now irretrievable.
The most urgent matter at hand was the horde of zombies surrounding them.
“Get out of the car. Take care of those Tier 4 zombies first.”
“Alright!”
Five or six people jumped out of the red off-road vehicle, skillfully slaughtering zombies.
Wan Pengfei, who had his vines burned off by the Black Serpent, shot Su Su a vicious glare before turning back to join the main group.
It was as if they completely disregarded Brother Wang’s team, aggressively taking over the zombie nest they had discovered first, their eyes locked on the Tier 4 zombie crystals.
Qu Wen raised an eyebrow. “Are we just going to watch them kill zombies? Brother Wang, if you don’t want the Grade 4 crystals, we can just pack up and leave. It’d be a wasted trip, but that’s fine.”
Even though he knew she was goading him, Brother Wang still ground his teeth furiously.
A few seconds later, he grabbed his walkie-talkie, his voice transmitting to the off-road vehicles behind them.
“Even if they’re the Eternal Squad, they can’t just walk all over us like this! Brothers, don’t be cowards!”
“Get out of the car! Snatch those zombies!”
Two commands rang out, and the seven teammates who had originally followed Brother Wang jumped out of the vehicle without hesitation. As for the four newcomers—cowards—they hesitated, fearing the reputation of the Eternal Squad, and shrank back into the car, pretending not to hear.
Seeing this, Brother Wang sneered, “If you won’t pull your weight now, don’t expect a share of the spoils later!”
Eight people charged toward the zombie horde at once. Qu Wen, always eager to watch chaos unfold, excitedly rushed in as well.
A barrage of abilities burst forth, instantly shattering the stalemate.
“Fuck! Stop fucking stealing my zombie! Get lost!”
“Wan Pengfei, you little bastard, do you have a death wish?!”
In the chaos, Qu Wen, feeling dizzy and disoriented, accidentally bumped into Si Zhe. Looking up, she saw a handsome face. Unable to resist her impulses, she took advantage of the moment when he was focused on fighting the Tier 4 zombie and reached out with her sinful hand.
“Oh, you’ve got a nice face, kid. Let me cop a feel!”
Lin Weiran caught sight of this scene and yelled furiously, “Si Zhe!”
Si Zhe’s expression turned ice-cold in an instant. “Get lost!”
A lightning strike lashed out, landing right at Qu Wen’s feet. Fortunately, she dodged quickly; otherwise, she would have been hit.
“So stingy.” Qu Wen huffed and changed direction, shifting her focus to snatching the Tier 4 zombie that Lin Weiran was dealing with.
Su Su stood outside the chaos.
She didn’t even need to move—her ability naturally directed the zombies toward the members of the Eternal Squad.
The battlefield had now split into clear groups: Si Zhe and Lin Weiran each engaged one Tier 4 zombie, Wan Pengfei and the others tackled another, while Brother Wang managed to snatch one right from under their noses.
Su Su didn’t look at anyone else—her eyes were locked onto Si Zhe and Lin Weiran.
Si Zhe’s abilities were stronger. More than a dozen lightning strikes in succession had nearly rendered his targeted zombie incapable of resisting.
A strange glint flashed through Su Su’s eyes.
“Xiao Hei.”
The black serpent responded instantly, launching itself forward. A mass of blue flames erupted from its mouth, completely cutting Si Zhe off from the Tier 4 zombie. Forced back by the fire, he staggered away, while the zombie… was already reduced to a charred corpse.
The serpent slithered over, its thick tail slamming down onto the “charred corpse’s” head.
Ash scattered.
A yellow crystal was gripped between the python’s jaws. With a leisurely glide, it returned to its female master and spat the crystal into her hand of its own accord.
Su Su scooped it up, kissing it fiercely. “Good baby!”
“Hiss—”
The black serpent never did anything without a reward. It had worked so diligently precisely to earn a prize. Seeing its female master so pleased, it boldly flicked its tongue, licking her several times. The cool, forked tongue deliberately slid over her soft, rosy lips, rubbing back and forth.
Its licks were like a puppy washing her face.
Su Su didn’t even notice—her full attention was on Si Zhe’s disheveled state.
It was only now that he finally broke free from the lingering blue flames. When he looked over—he saw that the zombie he had nearly killed had been completely looted by the snake.
The Grade 4 crystal had vanished without a trace!
Si Zhe’s gaze turned venomous.
Su Su, unfazed by his glare, deliberately intensified the humiliation. She even pulled the crystal from her pocket and tossed it up and down, mimicking Wan Pengfei’s earlier gesture.
Her taunting stance seemed to say—Sorry, strength reigns supreme.
Si Zhe closed his eyes briefly.
He forcibly swallowed his anger and, instead of rushing to kill more zombies, positioned himself near Lin Weiran, staying vigilant against the possibility of the python snatching another Grade 4 crystal using the same method.
Before long, Lin Weiran’s battle neared its end.
The zombie attacking her was already trapped within a barrage of fireballs, its body engulfed in flames, about to burn to ashes… But at the last moment, the burning zombie suddenly went berserk, desperately fleeing in the opposite direction.
Lin Weiran was stunned for a second before bolting after it. “Stop right there!”
“ROAR!!!!”
Another wave of zombies surged forward, blocking Lin Weiran and Si Zhe’s path.
They could only watch helplessly as the Tier 4 zombie ran straight toward Su Su, and just before it could reach her, it collapsed into a lifeless, charred corpse.
Crack.
Su Su effortlessly swung a butchering knife, cleanly decapitating the zombie.
The black serpent conveniently spat out a small stream of blue flames, reducing the head to ashes, allowing the crystal to drop safely into Su Su’s hands.
Only now did Si Zhe and Lin Weiran manage to break through the zombie horde, but it was already too late.
Two consecutive Grade 4 crystals had been taken right before their eyes. Si Zhe’s gaze turned venomous.
Electricity crackled from his palm, surging violently. He no longer cared about the zombies still surrounding them—his only thought was to teach a certain insolent person a lesson.
Lin Weiran looked at him anxiously. “Si Zhe?”
Si Zhe didn’t respond.
Overhead, a massive “fishing net” woven from pure lightning formed above Su Su. The ear-piercing electric hum ran through each strand of the net, white sparks flashing wildly as they crackled in the air.
The net slowly descended inch by inch. The person standing directly beneath it was like a fish trapped in a drying pond, bound to experience the full brunt of lightning piercing through her body.
No matter how many zombies she could control, could they shield her from a direct strike of this magnitude?
“Hand over the crystal,” Si Zhe gave his final warning.
This was the only mercy he was willing to offer.
But Su Su mercilessly brushed that so-called mercy aside. “What’s in my hands is mine.”
“I gave you a chance,” Si Zhe’s voice turned chillingly ruthless. “You’re the one who doesn’t know what’s good for you.”
The fisherman cast his net, and it was mere moments from falling into the pond. The current was already primed to collide with the air—
“HISSSSS!!!”
The black serpent lifted its head. The instant its blue flames touched the lightning net, fire spread along every strand, incinerating it completely. Especially at the center, where a hole was burned through in just 0.0001 seconds.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The remnants of the lightning crashed into the ground, punching deep, charred holes into the cement.
Yet within a one-meter radius around Su Su, the ground remained perfectly intact, and she stood completely unharmed.
Lin Weiran, witnessing this scene, had her pupils contract sharply.
“Tier 5 ability!”
Only now did they realize—the black python had already advanced to Tier 5!
What did Tier 5 mean?
Aside from the city lord, even the most elite ability users in the base were still struggling at Tier 4, barely making progress. No one had even seen a Tier 5 zombie yet!
And this python—
It had reached Tier 5!
A wave of hesitation surged through Lin Weiran. She instinctively grabbed Si Zhe’s arm. “Maybe we should…” go somewhere else?
Before she could finish her sentence, a scream rang out from behind.
Wan Pengfei’s arm had been slashed open with a deep wound. The culprit, Brother Wang, expressionlessly muttered an apology.
“Sorry, I meant to cut the zombie. You just got in the way.”
“You did that on purpose! You’re still holding a grudge—”
Brother Wang’s expression darkened instantly.
Wan Pengfei clenched his teeth, swallowing the rest of his words. The Tier 4 zombie was right in front of him—one moment of carelessness and he’d end up dead.
This debt… could only be settled later.
But soon, he no longer had to worry about this Tier 4 zombie.
Because it ran away too!
Despite its heavy injuries, it dashed straight toward Su Su, willingly following in its kind’s footsteps—becoming yet another charred corpse at the hands of Xiao Hei’s flames.
Three Grade 4 crystals were effortlessly secured.
Meanwhile, Qu Wen and Brother Wang coordinated well, successfully taking down the final Tier 4 zombie.
The battle was finally over.
Su Su’s gaze landed on Si Zhe with undisguised mockery.
“As you wished—no morality, just strength.”
“So now, what do you want to say to me, the winner? Are you going to start preaching about morality now?”
Lin Weiran tried to intervene. “Su Su—”
“Enough.”
Si Zhe grabbed her hand and turned toward the car. “We’re leaving!”
Maybe he had never expected her to challenge him, resist him, fight back. Even in defeat, he still walked away with arrogance, as if he were entitled to do so.
“Stop right there!”
Su Su’s expression darkened.
“When you had the upper hand, you flaunted your power. Now that you’ve lost, you think you can just walk away? Who gave you the illusion that I wouldn’t hold you accountable?”
As her words fell, the black python, finally granted permission, revealed its true nature.
It opened its jaws.
Fierce blue flames surged forth, engulfing the red off-road vehicle.
Every flicker of the fire danced wildly, arrogantly, growing stronger with every gust from the python’s breath. Metal, steel plates, aluminum casing, plastic—everything—was incinerated into a heap of smoldering scrap.
Si Zhe reacted a second too late—the soles of his shoes had already melted, leaving a scorched hole beneath his feet!
Just a fraction of a second more, and the flames would have burned straight through to his foot.
Si Zhe had never been this humiliated before.
The fury in his heart had solidified into a deep, inky-black hatred.
His hawk-like eyes locked onto Su Su, seething with venom.
“Good. Very good…”
That expression of his… made him look even more like he deserved a beating.
“Xiao Hei.”
Su Su was about to give Si Zhe and Lin Weiran another taste of her wrath, but before she could act, the roar of an approaching engine cut through the tense atmosphere.
A black off-road vehicle sped into view.
The door opened, and a young man stepped out. Following close behind him—was a tiger!
“ROAR!!!”
“HISSSSS!!!”
Two apex predators locked eyes.
Recognizing each other as threats, they bared their fangs, their postures tense as if a fight could break out at any moment.
Su Su’s expression turned serious.
She could tell—this handsome man’s abilities were strong. But more importantly, that tiger…
For a beast to survive in a zombie-infested world and appear in the hunting grounds—it was clearly not ordinary.
The man smiled and spoke, his tone calm and unhurried.
“Everyone, ability users are rare in the base. Each one of you is a hero defending the city—there’s no need for internal conflict.”
“No matter the grievances between you, why not return to the base with me first? As the City Lord, I’ll host you and do my best to mediate.”
A baby-faced man—was actually the City Lord?!
Su Su’s shock didn’t escape his notice.
He turned to her with a warm, friendly smile.
“Miss Su, what do you think?”