The giant python disappeared too quickly. Even if they chased after it now, there was a high chance they wouldn’t catch up.
Wei Yan’s words momentarily calmed Su Su’s urgency—
“Su Su, I won’t stop you from going after it, but Cancan, Le Rui, and Granny are still waiting at home. Shouldn’t you go back and inform them first?”
He was right.
Su Su’s anxious heart finally settled a little, and her rationality returned for the most part.
Cancan and the others were her companions too. Last time, being dragged into the underground cave was an accident. No matter how worried she was about Xiao Hei this time, she couldn’t just leave without a word.
The heavy rain washed away all the zombie remains. The ability users on guard tonight wore raincoats as they continued cleaning up the aftermath under the crackling downpour.
Outside the iron fence, everything was empty and desolate.
Su Su took one last look at the boundless darkness before turning away from the sentry post and stepping onto the off-road vehicle once again.
After getting in, Wei Yan’s peripheral vision inadvertently swept over her. The tips of his ears turned slightly red, and he quickly shifted his gaze away.
It wasn’t that he was avoiding suspicion—it was mainly because Su Su had been drenched by the heavy rain. She had rushed out in a simple white loungewear outfit, which was now clinging tightly to her body, revealing her graceful curves without reservation.
“Put this on.”
Wei Yan had worn a raincoat the whole time, so his jacket was still relatively dry. Without hesitation, he took it off and handed it to Su Su.
She hesitated for two seconds before accepting his kindness and gentlemanly gesture. “Thank you.”
“No need to be so polite with me.”
Their brief exchange ended, and the car returned to silence.
Su Su leaned against the seat, her thoughts a tangled mess—sometimes thinking about Xiao Hei leaving, other times about Xiao Hei’s “intentions.” Her mind was already in chaos, leaving her with no energy to speak.
Wei Yan didn’t dare to speak either.
Being alone with the person he liked should have been a joyful moment, yet his heart was filled with both sourness and bitterness.
He knew how important that giant python was to Su Su.
But what he didn’t know was—did she simply see it as an irreplaceable companion? Or was he thinking of something too shocking and absurd…?
After spending so much time together, he had long noticed that the giant python had developed intelligence—coexisting with both human nature and beastly instincts. If that really was the case… did that make his thoughts too filthy?
Thinking too much, Wei Yan suddenly let out a bitter chuckle.
The reason he insisted on finding out the truth was, at its core, because he still held onto a shred of hope—hoping that he still had a chance, that he could still fulfill his wish.
“……”
The silent atmosphere lasted until the off-road vehicle pulled into the villa.
When Su Su entered, Granny Niu, who was in the living room forging weapons for the others, looked up in shock.
“You… where did you go?”
Completely drenched from head to toe like a soaked chicken, her once thick and fluffy black hair was now dripping wet against her temples. Her beautiful face was pale and fragile, and her expression was especially dazed, as if she had been bullied by someone.
Granny Niu’s sharp gaze immediately turned to Wei Yan, who followed in behind her.
Wei Yan met her gaze full of misunderstanding and let out a helpless chuckle. “There was a zombie horde attack earlier, so we went to the hunting zone.”
“Why didn’t the alarm go off?”
“They were all low-level zombies. The ability users on guard could handle them.”
As they spoke, Pang Cancan and Le Rui heard the commotion and hurried downstairs.
“Sister Su Su, did you find Xiao Hei?”
Su Su’s expression darkened. “It followed the zombie tide deep into the hunting zone.”
Pang Cancan’s eyes widened. “Huh? Why? Is it still angry?”
Sister Su Su didn’t even scold it like last time, just made it sleep separately. How could it be this temperamental? Was it acting spoiled just because it was favored? How annoying!
Why?
Su Su might have known the truth, but… she hadn’t figured it out completely yet.
Meeting everyone’s gaze, she softly said, “I’m planning to go to the hunting zone to find it.”
The moment she spoke, Su Su had already prepared herself to be dissuaded.
Just like Wei Yan had said, everyone believed that Xiao Hei would come back on its own. It was such a massive snake and a Tier 5 ability user—at this stage, even a Zombie King might not be able to kill it.
There was simply no need to risk going into the hunting zone.
But unexpectedly, neither Pang Cancan nor Le Rui showed any disapproval upon hearing her decision. Even Granny Niu, who had spent the least time with Xiao Hei, remained particularly calm.
“Then let’s go find it together!”
Pang Cancan immediately received Le Rui’s enthusiastic agreement. “Sister Su Su, I’ll go with you!”
Granny Niu also said, “At my age, I’d only hold you back if I went. But take the weapons I just finished forging with you.”
They had all, to some extent, been protected by Xiao Hei—especially Pang Cancan and Le Rui. It was no exaggeration to say that without Xiao Hei, they would have died long ago, either in X City’s zombie horde or at the hands of malicious survivors.
Seeing their determined expressions, Su Su’s heart suddenly warmed.
Her Xiao Hei—despite its bad temper and inherently vicious nature—was still cared about by so many people, just like she was.
“No need.” She was happy, but she still rejected their offer to accompany her. “I’ll go alone.”
“How can that be?! That’s way too dangerous!”
“Sister Su Su, take us with you!”
Only now did Pang Cancan and Le Rui erupt in strong opposition.
Even on clear days, many ability users from the base wouldn’t dare to venture deep into the hunting zone lightly. Now, with the torrential rain pouring down, the danger level had multiplied several times. How could they just stand by and watch Su Su go in alone to find Xiao Hei?
Su Su shook her head. “No need. I’ll go by myself.”
No matter how much Pang Cancan and the others tried to persuade her, she refused to budge.
Wei Yan, who had brought them back, stood quietly in the corner, his presence nearly nonexistent.
He silently watched the scene unfold in the hall, taking in Pang Cancan and the others’ immediate reactions.
At that moment, he finally understood where he had gone wrong.
All along, he had relied solely on his own strength to fight his way to this point, so he had never fully realized just how important the giant python was to Su Su and the others.
It wasn’t that Su Su was deliberately excluding him—he was the one who, while fully aware of the situation, had sunk deeper and deeper, trying to claim a place in her heart that was even more important than Xiao Hei’s.
Wasn’t that a kind of arrogance?
“Brother Wei, do you think it’s dangerous for Sister Su Su to go into the hunting zone alone? Should we go with her?” Pang Cancan suddenly threw the question at him.
Wei Yan paused for a few seconds before looking at Su Su. “I respect your decision.”
Pang Cancan: “Huh?”
Wei Yan smiled, as if he had come to terms with something. “Xiao Hei isn’t just an ordinary battle pet. It has its own consciousness, and maybe something unexpected happened this time. If we all go looking for it, we might actually have the opposite effect.”
What was going on?
Pang Cancan glanced at Wei Yan, feeling like he was completely missing his chance. Shouldn’t he be using this situation to prove how mature and reliable he was?
Forget it! Men were all unreliable!
She had no choice but to turn back to persuading Su Su. “Sister Su Su…”
At the same time, Le Rui also tugged at the hem of Su Su’s clothes, looking up at her stubbornly. “Sister Su Su…”
Su Su’s heart softened for a few seconds.
But she couldn’t give in.
After a brief silence, she ruthlessly refused them. “Cancan, Le Rui, you can’t all come with me. The base still needs people to guard it.”
Ever since Pang Cancan advanced to Tier 4, her army of venomous insects had become the backbone of the base’s defenses. The most overpowered part was—her insects reproduced rapidly. Individually, they weren’t very strong, but they excelled in swarm attacks. Against a low-level zombie tide, they were practically invincible.
Of course, that wasn’t the most important reason.
The real reason was… Xiao Hei’s condition.
To outsiders, Xiao Hei seemed to be angry about sleeping separately.
But Su Su knew deep down that it wasn’t just about that.
It was because it realized that she was gradually distancing herself, refusing to accept the “desire” it was beginning to reveal. That was why it became both angry and disappointed, ultimately running off into the hunting zone, unwilling to see her.
That was the true reason for its departure… right?
Su Su hesitated.
Maybe there were other factors too, but she wouldn’t know for sure until she found it.
And as for the unexpected situations that might arise during her search… to be honest, before she figured everything out, she didn’t want others to see through Xiao Hei’s thoughts. She also didn’t want their discussions to interfere with her state of mind.
Su Su’s attitude was too firm, leaving Pang Cancan and Le Rui with no choice but to give up, though their worry was evident.
“It’ll be fine. Did you forget what my ability is?” She smiled, pretending to be relaxed. “We’ll come back safe.”
By now, Wei Yan had already realized that Su Su likely had a dual ability—healing and zombie control.
He still had many concerns, but in the end, he could only sigh. “I’ll have people patrol the hunting zone constantly. You… come back soon.”
“Alright.”
Having gotten what she wanted, Su Su climbed into the off-road vehicle alone.
She had already changed into a new set of clothes, and the trunk was packed full of supplies that Pang Cancan and Le Rui had stuffed in like crazy. Even Granny Niu had installed various weapon mechanisms on the vehicle.
At the last moment, Wei Yan also stuffed in a bunch of bombs.
Guns were useless—now that zombies were evolving, a single bullet could no longer shatter their heads, nor could it precisely destroy the crystal inside their skulls. They were undead beings; even if half their heads were blown off, as long as the crystal remained intact, they could still keep moving forward.
Everyone watched as she drove toward the eastern hunting zone, listening until the roaring engine sound completely disappeared from their hearing.
The violent wind carried the torrential rain, lashing fiercely against the ground.
Pang Cancan stood under the eaves, staring blankly at the bean-sized raindrops before suddenly saying, “If Xiao Hei evolves to Tier 7, 8, or 9, what will it become?”
Wei Yan instinctively looked at her.
Realizing she had spoken thoughtlessly, Pang Cancan let out an awkward laugh. “I was just saying it casually.”
Before the apocalypse, who could have imagined that animals would develop intelligence?
Xiao Hei was only at Tier 5 now, yet it was already so human-like. If it grew even stronger… what would the result be?
Wei Yan was silent for a few seconds before saying, “No matter what happens, we need to speed up our advancement.”
He could sense it—this spring rain was accelerating the evolution of zombies.
Now, Tier 4 zombies were becoming more common, and Tier 5 zombies were starting to emerge. If a single Tier 6 zombie appeared, the southern base would face another city-wide catastrophe.
They couldn’t always rely on Su Su and the giant python. They had to catch up as soon as possible.
“Mm!”
—
Eastern Hunting Zone Entrance.
The ability users guarding the entrance recognized Su Su’s vehicle, and their tone unconsciously became more respectful. “Lord Su, are you here to find Lord Serpent?”
Even if she hadn’t been paying much attention, Su Su felt a little embarrassed when she heard that.
“Lord Su” and “Lord Serpent” were nicknames the people in the base had come up with on their own.
That night when He Heng incited the entire city’s ability users to capture her, one person and one snake had devastated half the base, leaving a lasting impression on everyone. Even now, people generally acknowledged Wei Yan as the base’s administrator, but Su Su and Xiao Hei were recognized as its strongest beings.
“Mm.”
The ability users swiftly opened the way for her. “Please come back safely.”
Su Su had observed them closely.
At first, the guards might have felt some fear toward Xiao Hei’s violent rampage, but once the zombie tide had retreated, that fear had turned into reassurance.
The base had nearly been wiped out two or three times. In a world like this, only having powerful beings to hold the line could allow people to live in peace.
Of course, to outsiders, Xiao Hei was seen as her “battle pet.” It was naturally assumed to stand on the side of humans, and all of its ferocity was directed solely at zombies.
Su Su let out a quiet breath of relief. “Alright.”
The off-road vehicle passed through the protective fence, driving into the heart of the zombie nest under the relentless downpour.
She had initially expected it would take some effort to track down Xiao Hei. But the moment she entered the outer perimeter, she immediately spotted traces of the giant python’s rampage.
It was too obvious.
The bright headlights illuminated the wreckage of destroyed buildings… The last time she had been here, they had still been standing strong. Now, some were reduced to half their original height, while others had completely collapsed.
Scattered everywhere were the remains of countless zombies—anyone could see the brutality and ferocity of the culprit.
Su Su forced herself not to overthink and focused entirely on following the trail forward.
As she ventured deeper into the central area of the hunting zone, the noise grew louder and louder, even drowning out the roaring wind and rain.
Bang!
Pa!
Boom!
Between several buildings, a familiar half-section of a snake’s tail flashed by, its immense force seemingly slicing through the wind and rain. In an instant, it smashed a six-story building to the ground.
“Hissssss!!!”
The main structure collapsed with a thunderous roar, sending debris flying in all directions.
Su Su stopped her vehicle at a safe distance and pressed the horn heavily a few times.
The honking mixed with the crashing rubble and the pounding rain—sounds that would normally be piercing but now felt utterly insignificant.
Yet, the massive python in mid-rampage still keenly caught the noise.
It emerged from behind a building, its lantern-like, dark green vertical pupils coldly locking onto her.
Su Su sat in the driver’s seat, her figure obscured by the rain and the windshield.
This high, commanding gaze sent a sudden pressure through her, making her hold her breath for a few seconds as her heartbeat pounded violently.
Xiao—Hei—
She tried to call out to it, but the words stuck in her throat. What came out was only the silent movement of her lips.
The high beams were glaring—Xiao Hei must have seen the vehicle.
But with the rain acting as a veil, Su Su had no idea whether it recognized her or not.
Time ticked by rapidly.
After a dozen seconds of stillness, the massive python moved again.
Under Su Su’s gaze, its vertical pupils first shifted away indifferently before it turned and slithered deeper into the ruins.
“Beep— Beep— Beep beep beep—”
The horn blared madly, but the python only moved faster, gliding away without a single pause.
Su Su wanted to chase after it, but the collapsed buildings blocked the path forward. She had no choice but to take a detour.
Bang!
She slammed the steering wheel hard, waves of confusion, frustration, and grievance surging through her.
If she really caught Xiao Hei, she absolutely, absolutely… If it was still the same Xiao Hei, she would definitely punish it severely.
But in those brief ten seconds of eye contact just now, she had sensed an unfamiliar, dangerous aura from the python.
Su Su bit her lip hard.
Maybe it was just an illusion. It had to be an illusion.
She turned the steering wheel and took a longer, more winding route, carefully navigating around the collapsed area.
But by the time she made it through—Xiao Hei had already vanished into the darkness once more.