The light from the top of the sentry post barely illuminated the giant python’s head.
As for its astonishingly long tail, it had already merged completely with the darkness of the night, making it impossible for an ordinary person to estimate its exact length.
Some were observing the giant python, while others were observing Su Su, who stood atop it.
The young woman had wet hair draping over her shoulders, and her beautiful eyes swept across the crowd, taking in all the schemes reflected on their faces.
She was clearly slender and frail, not even taller than the shortest man present, yet she was the most dangerous and unpredictable existence in the scene.
This was a giant python capable of effortlessly killing even a Tier 5 zombie.
No one dared to speak rashly, but the calculations in their hearts were the same.
As a result, many gazes gradually turned toward Si Zhe and Lin Weiran.
They were relying on these two to take the lead.
Si Zhe was well aware of everyone’s thoughts, but he truly… did not want to see this crystal fall into Su Su’s hands.
“The spoils of war obtained from the zombie tide should all be handed over to the base.”
“Hand over the Grade 5 crystal.”
For him to say this, he had clearly torn off the mask of hypocrisy.
Lin Weiran instinctively glanced at Si Zhe and was momentarily stunned by the cold glint in his eyes.
She could not bring herself to say such self-righteous words, but… Si Zhe wasn’t wrong either. The resources within the base were limited. If Su Su, who had just entered, took away this rare Grade 5 crystal, the advancement speed of other ability users would be slowed.
This crystal should indeed be allocated and handled by the base.
With Si Zhe taking the lead, others began to echo his sentiment one after another.
“That’s right! We also contributed to killing this Tier 5 zombie! How can you take the crystal for yourself?”
“Hand over the Grade 5 crystal! Let the base distribute it!”
Even Lin Weiran added, “You just arrived at the base, and your ability hasn’t even been registered. You’re considered an outsider ability user. Isn’t it a bit excessive for you to take the base’s resources?”
“She’s an outsider ability user?”
“Then she definitely can’t take our Grade 5 crystal!”
“Yeah! If she hadn’t come, the Grade 5 crystal would’ve been ours!”
“……”
The clamor of accusations fell clearly into Su Su’s ears.
She found it amusing. “Didn’t you just say that the Grade 5 crystal belongs to whoever has the ability to take it?”
“That’s something between the ability users of our Southern Base! What right does an outsider ability user like you have to fight for it?”
“Hurry up and hand it over!”
The crowd drew closer and closer, their gazes shifting from wary to restless, clearly intending to rely on sheer numbers to forcefully seize the Grade 5 crystal.
Su Su’s expression suddenly turned ice-cold. “Then why don’t you try and see if you can actually take it from me?”
“Hiss!!!”
At just the right moment, the giant python spewed out a massive surge of blue flames, forcing back the most aggressive ability users who had rushed forward.
The crowd exchanged glances before charging in unison.
This was a battle between a Tier 5 giant python and a group of Tier 4 ability users.
—
One kilometer away.
Brother Wang and Qu Wen were stationed at the same sentry post. Both of them had already advanced to Tier 4, making them among the few who hadn’t joined the scramble for the Tier 5 zombie.
They had yet to recover from the shock of the giant python’s appearance when they saw the Tier 5 zombie fall, and its crystal land in Su Su’s hands.
Immediately after, the other Tier 4 ability users began encircling the giant python.
Qu Wen’s excitement lasted only a few seconds before she furrowed her brows. “What are they trying to do?”
Brother Wang, with his greater life experience, immediately deduced most of the situation. “They’re trying to snatch that Grade 5 crystal.”
“They’re insane? If it weren’t for Su Su, they’d all be dead at the hands of that Tier 5 zombie by now!”
From their vantage point at the sentry post, they had been watching the entire battle through binoculars, seeing every detail clearly.
None of the Tier 4 ability users had been a match for the Tier 5 zombie. If not for the giant python’s timely intervention, they would have been shattered one by one like ice sculptures!
“When the stakes are high enough, no one cares about reason.”
This was the first time a Tier 5 zombie had ever appeared.
That rare Grade 5 crystal—whoever obtained it would instantly become the strongest ability user in the base. With it, they could rally all the ability squads and might even have the power to overthrow the city lord!
Everyone would be tempted. Everyone would do whatever it took to seize it.
Brother Wang’s expression grew increasingly grim. “Su Su’s ability doesn’t work on humans. I don’t know if that python can handle so many people.”
Qu Wen gripped the sentry post’s railing, observing for a moment before making a decision. “We can’t just stand by and watch.”
She turned to look at Brother Wang.
He understood her meaning but hesitated.
“Qu Wen, I’m an ability user of the Southern Base. No matter the past or the future, I have to survive in this base. If I stand with Su Su now, it’s no different from making an enemy of every ability squad.”
“I can support her in spirit, but in action… I really can’t help.”
Qu Wen nodded. “I understand.”
Brother Wang watched as she jumped down from the sentry post, nimbly flipping over the iron fence. Within a few leaps, her figure grew smaller and smaller, drawing ever closer to the chaotic battlefield.
“Brother Wang, are we really just going to watch?” one of his companions asked, guilt written all over his face. “She gave us a Grade 4 crystal and helped take care of Wang Pengfei. If we just sit back like this… isn’t that kind of ungrateful?”
It was ungrateful.
But what else could they do? The people fighting now were all well-known ability users in the base, members of various squads.
Qu Wen had just arrived at the Southern Base, so she could afford to take a side. But Brother Wang had been rooted here for too long—he was entangled with everyone. He couldn’t afford to take a side.
Besides…
Brother Wang turned his head worriedly and looked toward the central sentry post—Post No. 10.
That was the City Lord’s position. His ability to control humans was exceptionally effective, allowing him to remain hidden behind the scenes.
The ability users’ struggle for the crystal might very well have been instigated under his command.
“Let’s wait and see. Just wait and see.”
Brother Wang’s grip tightened around the railing.
“Hiss!!!”
The giant python tore apart another ability user’s body, but the attacks targeting Su Su continued without end.
Humans were far more intelligent than zombies.
Almost everyone had noticed the python’s fierce protectiveness over Su Su. Meanwhile, her ability was ineffective against humans, making her an obvious weak point—a glaring vulnerability.
Everyone understood how terrifying the python was, so instead of attacking it directly, they focused on attacking Su Su, attempting to restrain the cold-blooded beast.
And they succeeded.
The python was forced to divert much of its attention to shielding its female. It could not afford to win the battle only for her to die in the process.
“Su Su, I’ll help you!”
Su Su looked up just in time to see Qu Wen restraining one of the fiercest earth-element ability users.
She was slightly surprised. “Why are you here?”
“Consider it repaying the favor for that Grade 4 crystal!”
The ability user Qu Wen had intercepted was furious. “Which squad are you from? Aren’t you afraid we’ll settle accounts later?!”
Qu Wen wielded her ice blade and slashed at him without hesitation. “Then go ahead and try! Until you become a Tier 5 ability user, I have nothing to fear from you!”
She had her own calculations.
The alliance among these ability users was fragile at best. Once tonight’s battle ended, it was highly likely they would break apart.
By that time, aside from the one ability user she had directly intercepted, who else would have the energy to come after her?
At most, they would secretly hold a grudge.
There were too many reasons to provoke hatred in the apocalypse. The fact that she had survived alongside Ji Junzhi all the way to the Southern Base meant she had long since stopped fearing such things.
Su Su felt a trace of warmth in her heart.
But she had no time to express gratitude. The ability users were too cunning, and Xiao Hei, mindful of protecting her, could never unleash its full power. In this situation, even if she wanted to retrieve the Grade 5 crystal from Xiao Hei’s mouth, there wasn’t the slightest opportunity!
Whoosh!
A thorned vine suddenly slipped through the gaps between the python’s tail, catching Su Su off guard as it coiled tightly around her ankle.
The massive black-red thorns pierced deep into her skin.
Su Su screamed uncontrollably from the pain.
The vine wasn’t finished—it attempted to forcibly drag her out from the safety of the python’s tail.
Gritting her teeth through the agony, she swung her blade and severed the vine with a fierce slash.
But the damage had already been done. Blood began to flow.
The giant python’s body stiffened! It had caught the scent of its female’s blood!
“HISSSSSSS!!!”
Its deafening hiss shook the battlefield, and its massive, vertical pupils, as large as bronze bells, were filled with ferocity.
It had gone completely berserk.
Blue flames erupted recklessly, chasing after every single person. In just moments, a sea of fire spread across the battlefield, scorching the once-drenched ground until it was dry and cracked from the extreme heat!
Even as it endured the thunderballs and electric nets thrown by Si Zhe, the python lunged with deadly precision, sinking its fangs into the wood-element ability user who had harmed its female.
CRACK!
It tore him apart, ripping his body into countless pieces.
Blood splattered across the ground, only to be baked by the scorching heat until it solidified into dark red clots.
The crimson stains even splattered onto many of the ability users nearby.
The horrifying scene shook them to their core, and hesitation immediately took root in their minds.
Even if they did manage to snatch the Grade 5 crystal, there was no guarantee it would end up in their hands. What was guaranteed, however, was that they might not even leave this battlefield with their corpses intact.
Cracks began to form in their fragile alliance.
Just then, a voice transmission device on someone’s waist suddenly crackled to life—
“Everyone, as long as you can capture Miss Su alive along with this giant python, not only will the Grade 5 crystal be yours, but I will also allow you to select from all the battle pets in my private zoo.”
“In the future, once Grade 5 crystals become more common, I will personally ensure that every one of you gets one.”
It was the City Lord’s voice!
The ability users exchanged uneasy glances. Several squads that had already pledged allegiance to the City Lord surged forward without hesitation.
Even Si Zhe’s gaze flickered for a few seconds.
He understood better than anyone what this giant python meant to He Heng.
Whether for the Grade 5 crystal or for the endless future benefits… he was willing to be He Heng’s spearhead.
But it wasn’t over yet!
Suddenly, the broadcast systems atop every sentry post blared—
“Ability users, you can all see it for yourselves—before you lies a Grade 5 crystal and a python with the ability to wield powers.”
“If you dare to step beyond the iron fence and capture this python alive, the base’s storage vault will be opened to you! You may select any crystal you desire!”
The entire base erupted in chaos.
Any crystal of their choosing! That meant even Grade 4 crystals were up for grabs!
It wasn’t just the Tier 2 and Tier 3 ability users who were tempted—even some of the Tier 4 ability users who had been watching from the sentry posts were wavering.
The more high-tier crystals they had, the better. Who wouldn’t want to strengthen their abilities?
After a brief silence, a Tier 3 ability user was the first to leap over the iron fence.
“Let’s get him! That Grade 4 crystal is mine!”
And once the first person moved, there would be a second, a third, a fourth… and countless more.
In an instant, hundreds of ability users surged toward the giant python!
Su Su, of course, heard the broadcast loud and clear.
She snapped her head up, eyes sharp and frigid as she locked onto the sentry posts.
He Heng… was ruthless!
He hid within the sentry post, yet he could drive all the ability users to fight and die for him.
Su Su had never expected He Heng to go this far—to tear off the mask of peace in front of the entire base.
With such an overwhelming number of ability users, even Xiao Hei would struggle to fight them all off!
Su Su hesitated for only half a second before making a swift decision. “Xiao Hei! Run!”
Take the Grade 5 crystal and go! Escape—even if it meant fleeing deep into the Hunting Grounds!
The giant python obediently turned and slithered away, following the retreating zombie tide.
“Stop right there!”
Blinded by greed, the frenzied ability users pursued relentlessly.
The broadcast sounded again.
But this time, it was meant for Su Su alone.
“Miss Su.”
The distorted voice rippled through the air, carrying precisely to her ears, even from one to two kilometers away.
“If you stop now, we can still negotiate.”
“With your abilities, losing one battle pet is nothing. I can gift you many more.”
“Otherwise, my people will chase you down to the deepest part of the Hunting Grounds… unless you plan to never come out.”
There was a brief pause.
Then, He Heng chuckled softly over the broadcast.
“Oh, right. Your relative is still in the southern district, isn’t she? If you leave just like this… what will happen to her?”
Su Su whipped around.
For the first time, she felt an uncontrollable fury surge through her.
If Si Zhe and Lin Weiran’s malice had been subtle, then He Heng’s malice was laid bare for all to see!
The python understood.
The human was threatening its female.
Would she abandon it?
Would she hand it over just for that old woman?
The python’s speed inevitably slowed.
That brief moment of hesitation was enough for Si Zhe and Lin Weiran to catch up.
The two of them moved in perfect sync, attacking the python from both sides.
And behind them—hundreds of ability users were closing in.
Su Su bit down hard on her lip. She hadn’t even had the chance to shout “Go” when—
A black cloud suddenly swept in, hovering just three meters above the ground.
A dense swarm of insects had arrived!
The venomous creatures at the front were the largest, their razor-sharp mandibles and blood-red compound eyes creating a truly horrifying sight.
“What is that?!”
“Is that… a person sitting on top?”
Everyone stared in shock as the massive venomous insect carried a small figure on its back.
Su Su froze in place.
The more she looked, the more familiar that figure seemed.
The more she looked, the more shocked she became.
That was…
The venomous swarm seemed to have sensed their own kind, diving straight toward them at full speed.
Closer… and even closer!
Everyone could now see clearly—
Sitting atop the massive venomous insect was a young girl.
And the moment her eyes landed on Su Su, her face lit up with uncontainable excitement!
“Sister Su Su!!!”
Her voice boomed louder than the broadcast speakers.
“I brought an army of a hundred thousand to get you out of here!”