Chapter 283 Many Survivors...

Under the gloomy sky of the polar night, three-meter-high ice shields rose from the ground around Hongfa Shopping Mall, resembling a crystal city wall.

The nearby superhumans could only see blinding lightning crackling across the surface of the ice shield, with blue-purple electricity twisting wildly and crackling.

Inside the lightning-infused ice shield, towering flames tore a hole in the night sky, and the billowing tongues of fire dyed the clouds orange-red.

I could almost hear the sound of dripping water...

As the flames gradually died down and black smoke still swirled in the air, more and more survivors gathered around the mall.

The survivors huddled in small groups around the edge of the ice shield, watching the blinding lightning constantly exploding on the ice surface. Fear gripped their faces as they hesitated, no one daring to approach...

"How about...we team up and make a hole in the ice shield?" a man in a worn-out military coat suggested. "Let's sneak inside and check things out..."

"Yeah, just waiting around isn't going to solve anything... We didn't dare come to this area before, it's teeming with zombies... So, I reckon there are still quite a few supplies in this mall..."

"Heh..." A woman wearing several layers of coats, looking somewhat bulky, interrupted with a sneer: "Anyone with eyes could see that someone cleared this area beforehand. Otherwise, would you have made it this far alive? Now you think you can just go in and take advantage of the situation? Dream on!"

"You stinking woman, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? You're here for the supplies too."

The woman stood with her arms crossed, a mocking smile playing on her lips, her face obscured. "I'm just here to watch the show... If you're so capable, why don't you go and do it yourselves? You're just trying to make others cannon fodder, you've got a good plan!"

A few snickers rang out from the surroundings. In this dog-eat-dog world of the apocalypse, no one is a fool.

The survivors all took a few steps back, leaving only the team of the two men who had proposed the 'ice-breaking' standing there alone, their faces alternating between pale and flushed.

As darkness gradually fell, the unique deep blue of the polar night once again enveloped the earth.

Inside the shield, Lu Beiye and He Zhuo and the others had already removed the protective shield used to burn the corpses.

Chi Yanzhou raised his hand and waved it lightly. The surrounding ice sculptures were restored, and the burned and damaged ground and walls were instantly restored to their original state, as if nothing had happened...

"The fire seems to be out. Do you think the superhumans won?"

"The superhuman definitely won."

"I really want to go in and see who's so powerful."

"This ice shield...is imbued with lightning; without a level four or five supernatural ability, it's impossible to break through."

The burly man who first made the suggestion muttered resentfully, "If we don't try to get in, what are we doing just waiting here?"

The man in the tattered military overcoat spoke again: "If we don't find supplies soon, we'll all starve to death. Although we're not from the same base, we're all survivors, we're all compatriots. Look at this freezing weather..."

"Go yourselves if you want to!" someone immediately interrupted him: "Don't try to morally blackmail me!"

A sarcastic voice came from the crowd: "Nobody's stopping you from being a warrior~ Please go ahead~"

Inside the shield, Lu Nange scanned the surroundings with her mental power, avoiding the area where the survivors were clustered together, and then raised her hand to create a wind blade.

The sharp airflow cut through the thick ice shield, forming an archway through which passage was possible.

The group quickly evacuated, their footsteps perfectly masked by the howling wind.

After they had left safely, Chi Yanzhou waved from afar—"Crack!"

The ice shields surrounding the mall shattered instantly, dissipating into the air along with the wandering lightning...

The surrounding survivors immediately stirred into a commotion...

"Look! The ice shield is gone!"

"The lightning has disappeared too!"

The burly man in the military overcoat was the first to jump up: "The bold get rich, the timid starve! I'm going first!"

Someone behind him sarcastically called out, "Coward, the guy took off his shield, and now he's acting like a big shot..."

"Let's go, hurry up and follow them to see..."

Seeing this, the other survivors couldn't hold back any longer and followed in twos and threes.

Someone muttered quietly, "Hopefully the experts can leave us some supplies..."

......

While the survivors around them rushed toward Hongfa Shopping Mall, Lu Nange and her group had already quietly retreated toward the hospital where they had settled.

Several groups of survivors encountered along the way stopped and secretly observed Lu Nange and her group with surprised and uncertain eyes.

Wearing thick, clean winter clothes, long boots, professional goggles, and a mask, they looked like they were not to be trifled with.

No one dared to approach and speak to them, nor did anyone dare to stop them; they simply made way for them.

Only after Lu Nange and the others disappeared around the street corner did the suppressed murmurs begin to erupt.

"Holy crap, that equipment is seriously professional!"

"Shh...keep your voice down! Those guys don't look like trouble..."

"They came from the direction of Hongfa Shopping Mall... those commotion just now..."

"Stop speculating! It's best we don't discuss anything that could cause such a commotion..."

"Those goggles are really cool, I wonder where they got them..."

The whispers, carried by the cold wind, quickly dissipated among the ice sculptures...

The main road leading to Hongfa Shopping Mall was filled with waves of survivors arriving. To avoid trouble, Lu Nange and her group took a detour through secluded alleys and returned to the hospital where they were temporarily stationed.

"Brother..." Gu Wan stepped onto the icy pavement and spoke to Gu Qi beside her, "Tell me, we caused such a commotion at the hospital the other day, why didn't we see a single survivor come? And why is this mall like a bustling market today?"

Gu Qi: "Hospitals are zombie hordes; normal people would run for their lives. But shopping malls are different. It's worth the risk for supplies... Besides, think about how many zombies we've cleared along this road these past two days?"

Lu Nange pulled her scarf tighter: "We've cleared out too many zombies these past two days... I reckon survivors will soon be tentatively heading towards the hospital."

He Zhuo chimed in from behind, "Sister, are we not going back to the hospital? It's too cold, and I really don't want someone to grope me while I'm sleeping..."

Lu Nange: "Don't worry, it won't be that fast."

Seeing Lu Nange crouching down to wrap a scarf around Lu Beiye, Lu Xici explained, "Today, the survivors' attention is all focused on the mall. Although it's polar night, the temperature at night is still lower than during the day, so I estimate that at the earliest, it won't be until tomorrow or the day after that that any ability users will venture into the surrounding area..."

He Zhuo nodded: "That's great, getting up on this cold night is such a torture..."

The group continued along the secluded path, and several zombies, completely frozen inside ice sculptures, came into view, with only their heads protruding, like gruesome ice sculpture exhibits...