Pan Lizhi and the others still wanted to salvage the situation, but Lu Jing, without even turning his head, unleashed his bone whip from the void, with green Netherworld Flames burning wildly.

Carrying an aura of destruction, it lashed out at the crowd.

'boom!!'

Everyone instinctively flew backward, but the bone whip wasn't aimed at them; instead, it carved a deep trench in the wall of the corridor.

The walls were shattered, rubble was flying everywhere, and green flames burned along the edges of the ravine, making it a terrifying sight.

Lu Jing stopped and turned his head slightly: "If you dare to follow again, then die." After saying that, he left with Professor Chen.

………………

On the rooftop, the wind howled like a knife, carrying an undeniable chill and urgency.

It was pitch black all around. Looking down from the building, the entire coastal city was shrouded in death.

As soon as Xiao Jin and Cen Nian stepped onto the somewhat empty rooftop, their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the imposing military helicopter on the roof.

This helicopter stands quietly on the rooftop, like a steel behemoth poised to pounce, with a maximum capacity of up to ten people.

Originally, the helicopter was specially dispatched by the official security zone to welcome the researchers, and it was accompanied by five fully armed security personnel.

However, as soon as these people got off the plane, they were all killed by Lu Jing, who had been tasked with ambush there in advance.

He really mastered the art of murder and robbery!

He'd taken over the helicopter and assumed command of the mission objective. If it weren't for Xiao Jin's unexpected turn of events, everyone below would likely have perished here.

Lu Jing walked slowly toward Xiao Jin, his steps steady, a slight smile on his face: "Looks like I'm in luck today."

He stretched out a hand towards the helicopter: "I'm lucky to have met someone who knows how to fly it. Now I don't have to worry about not completing the mission."

Xiao Jin's reaction to Lu Jing's words was unusually cold.

She didn't even glance at the outstretched hand, but simply stepped aside, bypassed Lu Jing, and headed straight for the helicopter's cockpit.

Cen Nian followed closely behind, her gaze shifting back and forth between Xiao Jin and Lu Jing.

Xiao Jin entered the cockpit, and the others followed suit.

As mentioned earlier, this helicopter can carry a total of ten people. Including Professor Chen, Xiao Jin has three people, and Lu Jing has five.

This left two seats on the helicopter.

Xiao Jin sat in his seat, checking the equipment as he said, "Stop pretending. Someone like you wouldn't easily entrust your life to someone else."

Lu Jing showed no embarrassment at being exposed, but instead laughed loudly: "Haha, so you still understand me."

This acknowledges that he can fly a helicopter.

"No." Xiao Jin glanced at her indifferently: "It's not that I understand you, but that I'm the same kind of person as you, which is why I fly helicopters."

Soon, the camouflage-covered, metallic-looking helicopter suddenly shuddered amidst the billowing dust.

With the roar of the engine, like a giant beast awakening, the rumbling sound instantly pierced the deathly silence of the sky and echoed in every corner.

The deafening sound caused the surrounding zombie horde to surge like a tide.

Their withered arms waved to the sky, their empty eye sockets gleaming with a bloodthirsty light, emitting chilling roars.

As the helicopter took off, Xiao Jin turned the joystick and took one last look in the direction of the Huanyu Building before leaving.

A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips; she hoped he would like the gift she had left behind…

——————

Inside the helicopter, a tense atmosphere permeated the cramped space.

Cen Nian's face was cold and stern, his arms crossed over his chest, as if surrounded by an invisible layer of frost. He leaned back in his chair with a dark expression.

Meanwhile, the other players sitting in the back were staring intently at him, exuding an aura that suggested they were not to be trifled with.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" A burly man with a full beard called out to Cen Nian in a rough voice.

Xiao Jin and Lu Jing were sitting in the driver's seat at the moment, and Cen Nian had no way to avoid it, so she would naturally be in the same space as the other players.

His past experiences made him particularly dislike interacting with players, so when he heard the other party's question, Cen Nian had no intention of answering.

He looked disgusted and turned his head away.

The burly player grinned and said, "Hey, didn't you hear me talking to you?"

A player sitting next to him, with a malicious smile on his face, deliberately raised his voice and said, "Oh, this kid looks down on you."

His words carried a hint of provocation and mockery.

However, Cen Nian simply turned her head slightly, her gaze sharp as a knife, coldly sweeping over the man before withdrawing it, her disdain almost blatant.

The man's face darkened.

But then again, given Lu Jing's personality, even if the underlings he recruited were temporary, he wouldn't settle for a bunch of idiots.

That wouldn't be a helper, but a useless burden.

The burly player didn't get carried away; he glared at the player next to him who was stirring things up.

"Go away, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. If you want to find out the situation, go ask yourself!"

"Tch, boring." He curled his lip in exasperation.

Cen Nian noticed their conversation and frowned slightly, but then he understood what they meant.

They wanted to find out about Xiao Jin's brother from him.

"Ahem, well..." Seeing that indirect approaches were ineffective, the burly player went straight to the point and began to implement a policy of appeasement.

"Hey young man."

He was that kid just a moment ago, and now he's a little brother!

"Look, our two families are now cooperating, and my boss and your boss are acquaintances, so let's get to know each other!"

"Heh~"

"Why are you so stubborn, child!"

"Who are you calling a child?" Cen Nian glared.

"Hey! You're not even as tall as my leg. If you don't want me to call you that, then I'll call you Little One."

Still in her developmental stage, Cen Nian silently raised her knife, gritting her teeth: "Die..."

Lu Jing glanced behind him: "Hmm! It seems they get along well."

Xiao Jin wasn't as optimistic as him; he only hoped that those players wouldn't be killed by Cen Nian before they reached the Ark base.

"Hey, why did you bring a little one along this time? Isn't it a hassle?" Lu Jing poked at the button on the instrument in front of him, his fingers darting around.

Xiao Jin glanced at him indifferently: "Didn't I bring you along? One more or one less won't make a difference."