When the convoy reached the edge of the desert, a desolate small town finally came into view.
Having arrived at their destination, they still had no idea where the zombie horde was. Everyone halted outside the town.
Standing atop a sand dune, Lu Tao observed for a moment before suddenly speaking. “Your base is so remote—how did it attract a zombie horde led by a Tier-7 zombie?”
Moreover, judging by the scale of this small town, it didn’t seem like a place capable of “breeding” a zombie horde.
Qi Huiling stepped up beside him, gazing toward the base that lay within reach. “According to the telegraph report, that Tier-7 zombie was an accidental disaster brought in by the research team while they were out investigating other cities.”
“We looked into it afterward—there’s a densely populated city just a few dozen kilometers northwest of here. Given a Tier-7 zombie’s speed, chasing them all the way here wouldn’t be difficult.”
Lu Tao stared at her, probing. “What exactly did you do to make that Tier-7 zombie chase you relentlessly?”
“This isn’t something you need to concern yourself with.” Facing Lu Tao, who was unmoved by beauty, Qi Huiling didn’t bother pretending to be the innocent and gentle girl she portrayed in front of Huang Yongjun. She rejected him outright. “What you need to do is eliminate that Tier-7 zombie, as well as the rest of the zombie horde, so we can safely evacuate the research team and the research data.”
Figuring she wouldn’t tell the truth anyway, Lu Tao shrugged. “Fine. So where’s that Tier-7 zombie?”
“There.”
Qi Huiling’s fingertip pointed toward the very center of the town. Separated by the distance, along with the obstruction of several old buildings, no one could see what lay within.
“Our base is located in a large courtyard at the town’s center, surrounded by hundreds of zombies. Based on reports, there are five Tier-6 zombies. As for that Tier-7 zombie… its whereabouts are uncertain. Since it hasn’t been able to break through the base’s defenses in the short term, it frequently leaves the town and disappears without a trace. No one can determine its exact location.”
“In other words, we only have a fifty percent chance of running into it directly.”
Lu Tao eyed her suspiciously. “Could it be that there’s no Tier-7 zombie at all? That your base is just surrounded by a group of Tier-6 zombies, and you tricked us into coming here?”
He voiced what was on everyone’s mind.
If not for the “carrot” of a Tier-7 zombie dangling in front of them, how could an ordinary mission have gathered so many high-level ability users?
Qi Huiling sneered. “Even if we did trick you here, if a Tier-7 zombie never appears, what could we possibly gain from it?”
Lu Tao wrinkled his nose but didn’t refute her.
“Let’s go. Staying here any longer is pointless. We might as well drive straight into the town—if we’re lucky, we might run right into that Tier-7 zombie.”
Running into it head-on—was that really considered lucky?
Their entire team consisted of six Tier-6 ability users and three Tier-6 battle pets. If they all fought together, they might just be able to beat a Tier-7 zombie to death.
But that was just the ideal scenario.
After all, every Tier-6 ability user present coveted that Grade-7 crystal. With different agendas at play, all sorts of unexpected incidents could arise.
Regardless, entering the town was the priority for now.
One by one, the vehicles rolled into the desolate and dilapidated small town at the edge of the desert. There weren’t many buildings or streets here, and the roar of their engines soon attracted the zombies swarming outside the courtyard.
“ROAR!!!”
The first Tier-6 zombie soon entered their sight, followed closely by the other four.
The Grade-7 crystal was undoubtedly tempting, but many in the convoy had come solely for Grade-6 crystals, and as soon as the battle started, they took action.
Among those who struck first, Pang Cancan and Lan Jing, both Tier-6 ability users, stood out the most.
The former was helping Sun Zhichun fight for a Grade-6 crystal, while the latter was doing it for his partner.
Su Su’s ability was mixed into the fray as well, but unless one paid close attention, few would notice that she, too, had lent a hand.
It wasn’t long before two Tier-6 zombies had their heads pierced through by two distinct water-based abilities of different levels.
Before the others could swarm forward, Sun Zhichun was the first to seize a Grade-6 crystal.
“Hell yeah!” Pang Cancan high-fived the dark-skinned man who had run back with him. “Brother Zhichun, hurry up and swallow it! Once you do, you’ll be a Tier-6 ability user too!”
Rip—
The familiar business vehicle came to a halt at their right. Another Grade-6 crystal had fallen into Lan Jing’s hands, and in the next second, he handed it over to Zeng Zhuyue.
“Zhuyue, take it.”
“Mm.”
Out of the five Grade-6 crystals, two had already disappeared.
That left three…
Over on Jiang Hong’s side, no one was competing with him for a crystal. Lu Tao hadn’t been interested either, but Huang Yongjun’s untimely death had changed things. With the Battle Pet Guild growing stronger at an alarming rate, they would undoubtedly have an overwhelming advantage in the upcoming struggle for the Grade-7 crystal.
He couldn’t just sit back and watch.
These three Grade-6 crystals—he had to take them all to counter the Battle Pet Guild’s growing threat.
Among the scattered independent teams fighting over the Tier-6 zombies, Lu Tao’s ability swept through the battlefield like a storm.
The subordinates following behind him were just as arrogant.
“Get lost, trash!”
“All the Grade-6 crystals belong to us!”
“You dare fight the Ability User Guild for them? Are you tired of living?!”
A Tier-5 ability user who had rushed forward was suddenly kicked square in the chest by Lu Tao. His body was sent flying over ten meters, crashing heavily onto a sharp slab of cement—dying instantly!
It happened in a flash.
Every independent team that had been scrambling for the crystals suddenly froze.
They looked at Lu Tao and the powerful ability users under his command with fear in their eyes…
With Tier-6 ability users joining the fight, how could they possibly stand a chance?
Lu Tao let out a cold snort, his gaze sweeping across the crowd like a silent warning—
I dare you to try and fight me.
For a moment, no one dared to make a move.
Though filled with anger and resentment, the teams remained silent.
Someone, seeing their companion’s corpse, had bloodshot eyes and wanted to charge forward—only to be pulled back in time.
“Forget it.”
Just forget it?
But what else could they do?
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. If they charged forward now, they’d only become another lifeless corpse at Lu Tao’s feet.
All they could do was watch in silence as the Ability User Guild took on the three remaining Tier-6 zombies, knowing deep down—
This trip was for nothing.
They had wasted their time and fuel, and they wouldn’t even get a single drop of soup.
Inside the off-road vehicle, Su Su happened to witness the entire scene.
She couldn’t stand watching Lu Tao take away the remaining three Grade-6 crystals.
Just then, hundreds more zombies were gradually arriving. Su Su moved her fingers slightly, and a dense white light enveloped a large section of the zombie horde.
— Attack those people.
With a simple command, all the zombies instantly ignored everyone else and charged straight at the Ability User Guild members.
Even the three Tier-6 zombies, under the influence of the white light, ignored all distractions and surrounded Lu Tao.
In an instant, the pressure on the Ability User Guild skyrocketed.
Even Lu Tao couldn’t handle three Tier-6 zombies at once!
The three crystals they had coveted so badly had now turned into burdens—and even worse, death warrants!
The last Tier-6 ability user of the Ability User Guild was forced to join the battle, but even with him, they could only slightly relieve the pressure.
The endless swarm of zombies had already killed several of their comrades!
Lu Tao barely dodged an incoming strike, his eyes locking onto Su Su’s off-road vehicle. He shouted furiously, “This is your doing!”
But he barely had time to say anything more before being completely overwhelmed by the onslaught.
However, his words had already drawn everyone’s attention to Su Su.
Leaning against the car window, Su Su met their stares and suddenly spoke.
“What are you all waiting for?”
Her words jolted the crowd awake.
Right!
The two Tier-6 ability users from the Ability User Guild were completely occupied, and an endless stream of zombies was still pouring in—wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?
Everyone who had made it here was a gambler.
They exchanged glances, and the first to make a move was the ability user who had just lost a teammate. Without hesitation, he snatched a Tier-6 zombie for himself.
That was all it took—no one could sit still anymore.
All the independent teams charged forward, forming a massive force.
In no time, they used their sheer numbers to overwhelm and kill one of the Tier-6 zombies.
The first to grab the crystal didn’t waste a second—he immediately swallowed it whole.
Seeing their companion benefit from the chaos, the others, their eyes bloodshot with frenzy, recklessly threw themselves at the remaining two Tier-6 zombies.
Lu Tao roared in fury, “You bastards! Get lost!”
But no one backed down.
In their eyes, only the Grade-6 crystals remained.
The first person who successfully snatched a crystal even shouted, “Brothers, charge them! Once we reach Tier-6, who the hell cares about the Ability User Guild?!”
Yes—who the hell cares about the Ability User Guild?!
Individual strength was the only thing that mattered in the apocalypse!
This was their one chance to change their fate! Everyone who had come here had placed their bets, and no one wanted to be left behind.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, the Research Guild and Battle Pet Guild members stood outside the fray, watching coldly—not participating, just observing the carnage unfold.
The battle raged on for over ten minutes.
As the two remaining Tier-6 zombies fell one after another, and even Lu Tao and his men had been pushed to their limits, Su Su suddenly turned her head and looked at Sun Zhichun.
“Zhixia probably needs a Grade-6 crystal too, right?”
Her words snapped Sun Zhichun out of his daze.
He met Su Su’s gaze, then suddenly grinned. “You’re right.”
The door of the off-road vehicle swung open.
No one had expected an outsider to jump into the fray at this moment. But as soon as Sun Zhichun joined the battlefield, his fully-rested state gave him the perfect advantage. Without warning, he snatched away the Grade-6 crystal that Lu Tao had almost secured!
After grabbing it, he even had the audacity to toss out a casual remark—
“Thanks. I’ll be taking this one first.”
Everyone in the Ability User Guild stood there, completely dumbfounded.
When Lu Tao finally snapped out of it, his eyes went bloodshot with rage.
“You damn bastards!”
The crystal had been within his grasp, only to be stolen at the last second—he wanted nothing more than to skin Su Su and her group alive, leave them to dry under the desert sun, and watch them rot!
Fortunately, they had still managed to secure one last Grade-6 crystal in the end.
By now, the small-scale zombie horde had mostly been wiped out.
But the Ability User Guild had suffered massive casualties, and several of the independent teams had been completely annihilated.
Standing among the carnage, Lu Tao was soaked in blood, his eyes brimming with murderous intent as he stormed toward Su Su’s off-road vehicle.
“You bitch!”
“I’m going to kill you!”
Qi Huiling put on a fake concerned look and softly advised, “The Tier-7 zombie still hasn’t shown up. You should calm down.”
Calm down?
He had come expecting to take three Grade-6 crystals, only to end up with just one, losing half his men in the process.
There was no calming down!
At this moment, Lu Tao had only one thought—slaughter Su Su and her entire group!
Su Su had already prepared herself for battle.
But just as Lu Tao was about to attack, something unexpected happened—
A zombie unlike any other suddenly appeared at the street corner.
It did not have the usual missing limbs or rotting flesh.
Instead, its entire body was shockingly intact.
Only its pale blue face and sharp fangs revealed its true identity.
“Roar—!”
Its guttural growl immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The moment she saw it, Qi Huiling shouted in alarm—
“That’s the Tier-7 zombie! I saw its image in the reports from the base!”
The Tier-7 zombie had finally appeared?!
Dozens of heads instantly snapped toward the intersection.
But then, something incredible happened.
The Tier-7 zombie, upon sensing the overwhelming threat from so many powerful humans, did not charge forward to attack.
Instead—
It turned around and ran!
“Roar—!”
In the blink of an eye, the Tier-7 zombie leaped across several old buildings, dashing toward the endless desert.
Qi Huiling urgently shouted, “Quick! Chase it! We can’t let it escape!”
Now that the “main event” had finally surfaced, even Lu Tao couldn’t afford to dwell on his grudge with Su Su. Without hesitation, he spun around and jumped back into his car.
“After it!”
Seven or eight vehicles revved up at the same time, racing wildly through the narrow and dilapidated streets, their only goal—to catch up with the Tier-7 zombie fleeing into the desert.
“Roar—!”
The Tier-7 zombie moved swiftly, leaping between the sand-colored dunes, while the “steel beasts” in pursuit roared after it, surging across one dune after another.
The chase lasted for more than half an hour.
By now, they had completely left behind the small town at the desert’s edge.
Suddenly, the Tier-7 zombie in the lead came to an abrupt stop. It turned its head, staring at the humans who refused to let it go.
“Roar—!”
It bellowed fiercely.
A violent sandstorm erupted out of nowhere!
In an instant, the whirlwind of sand and dust surged into a powerful storm. The sand was swept into a massive vortex, hurled dozens of meters into the sky.
Within a radius of over a kilometer, the sand dunes collapsed on a large scale—and all the vehicles began plummeting downward simultaneously!
Some vehicles did not fall—because they had already been swept into the sky!
This sandstorm and land collapse was dozens of times stronger than the sandstorms Huang Yongjun had been capable of summoning!
Endless yellow sand blanketed the sky, with fierce gales carrying razor-sharp grains in every direction.
The storm did not remain in place. Instead, it spread outward step by step, rampaging into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, it had already traveled dozens of kilometers.
Some of the vehicles lifted into the air had already vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, the churning land collapse had buried several vehicles alive.
Inside one of the seven off-road vehicles being carried into the sky, the four doors were kicked open in time.
Their teammates were flung out in all directions, each one unable to grab onto another.
The moment Su Su was thrown from the car, her arms emptied.
Before she had a chance to panic, something coiled tightly around her waist.
—A massive black snake tail!
The black serpent had transformed into a giant python!
But even in its larger form, it could not escape the chaos.
All it could do was wrap its entire body around the female it protected, coiling her within its layers of thick, powerful scales, as both were hurled away by the hurricane, spiraling toward an unknown destination—