Qiao Qiao frowned, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Damn it! Even this place has been invaded by these zombies!"

Upon hearing this, Chuanliu looked at the gradually darkening sky and suggested, "Sister Qiaoqiao, it's getting dark. Why don't we just drive straight there? Safety first."

But Qiaoqiao shook her head firmly, her gaze piercing through the danger ahead and landing on the village on the edge of the Spade City that they were about to reach. "No, if we don't deal with these zombies, they will harm the villagers."

Even under the sunlight, the dozens of rotting corpses moved slowly but steadily drew closer, gradually surrounding the car in front of them.

Qiaoqiao's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly gave Chuanliu the order: "Lock the car doors! Don't get out!"

Before she finished speaking, Qiaoqiao had already rushed out of the car, closed the door, and moved with agility and determination.

Her nine men followed closely behind, their movements perfectly synchronized.

A long sword drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed accurately in Qiaoqiao's palm.

The dim, setting sun hung listlessly on the horizon, casting a faint crimson hue over the earth. An eerie silence reigned; even the wind seemed to hold its breath, unwilling to disturb the impending battle.

It's getting dark.

They knew time was of the essence. Every second was a matter of life and death, and even more so, the safety of those innocent people.

We must act swiftly and decisively.

Clang—

Ten sharp longswords were drawn simultaneously, their cold light gleaming like ten silver dragons, shimmering brilliantly in the afterglow of the setting sun, slicing through the surrounding darkness.

"kill!"

Sister Qiao's red lips were pressed into a straight line, then suddenly opened, uttering a cold word.

At a command, ten men, wielding long swords, pounced like cheetahs at the slowly approaching corpses.

The longsword traced silver trails in the air, each swing accompanied by the sound of wind breaking, and collided with the decaying limbs of the corpses to produce a chilling, dull sound.

Qiaoqiao weaved through the horde of zombies, her movements incredibly powerful, each attack landing precisely on their vital points.

However, as the battle continued, she gradually realized that these zombies were completely different from those she had seen in Plum Blossom City.

Not only do they remain conscious and active in the sunlight, but more importantly, their physical condition seems to have improved significantly; they are more resilient and less afraid of pain.

Ordinary attacks can only slow down their attack speed; only by decapitating them or piercing their hearts can they be completely eliminated.

Each time the long sword struck the corpse, it caused some damage, with dark red blood flowing continuously from the wound, but the corpse seemed completely oblivious to the pain.

What shocked Qiao Qiao even more was that these zombies were also exceptionally powerful, as if they had been given stimulants. Even a master like her found it quite difficult to fight them.

She couldn't help but wonder to herself what kind of changes these corpses had undergone to become so terrifying.

Is this the trump card that the City of Plum Blossoms has been hiding in its hands all along?

But she had no time to think further; the battle continued.

Qiao Qiao took a deep breath, banishing all distracting thoughts from her mind. She swung her longsword once more, unleashing an even fiercer offensive, and together with her men, launched a more ferocious charge against the evil corpses.

In the midst of the fierce battle, a sudden turn of events instantly made the situation tense.

Several zombies roared and, using their companions as cover, surrounded one of Qiao Qiao's men.

Although this subordinate was brave and skilled in battle, fighting against an enemy several times his size, he was eventually overwhelmed and found himself isolated and helpless.

When Qiaoqiao and the other team members realized it, he was already in danger, surrounded by restless zombies.

Seeing this, Qiaoqiao was terrified. She desperately tried to break through the encirclement to rescue her comrade. However, the zombies surged like a tide, layer upon layer, separating her from her subordinate in the center of the battlefield, leaving her to watch helplessly as the situation worsened.

In the face of life and death, a zombie's claws ripped through the air like lightning, tearing apart the subordinate's defenses. Blood, like blooming red lotuses, instantly stained his battle armor.

"Xiao Lou!"

This scene made Qiaoqiao's heart sink, but what shocked her even more was what she discovered next.

The wounded Xiaolou lay on the ground, struggling in pain. The corpses surrounding him did not immediately rush forward to tear him apart. Instead, they revealed a strange expression—a look that was a mixture of cruelty and evil. They seemed to be admiring their "victory" and showing a smug smile.

Then, the corpses swarmed forward, completely engulfing the small building with their sharp teeth and claws.

They greedily sucked the blood from Xiaolou, like thirsty people finally finding a spring, emitting chilling roars that echoed across the battlefield.

"Hiss—hiss—"

Qiao Qiao was shocked to realize: these zombies actually possessed self-awareness!

They are no longer mere zombies, but organized and thinking beings.

This discovery shocked her like never before, because she knew that the battle against a self-aware enemy would become much more difficult and unpredictable.

She quickly adjusted her mindset and focused on dealing with the crisis at hand.

At the same time, she sent an emergency signal to her other subordinates, and they began to formulate strategies and tactics to fight against these self-aware zombies.

As the sky gradually darkened, the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon.

The surroundings were completely shrouded in thick darkness, with even the last ray of light being swallowed up by the greedy night. The moon hid behind thick clouds, and the stars had also disappeared, plunging the entire battlefield into a depressing and desperate silence.

Night officially became the domain of the zombies.

Half of the zombies had been completely dealt with, but the remaining zombies showed no fear whatsoever; instead, they became even more frenzied. Their spirits seemed to be strengthened as night fell.

Looking at the pitch blackness before her, a sense of crisis welled up in Qiaoqiao's mind.

She looked around, trying to find a glimmer of light in the boundless darkness. The surroundings were eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional low growl, a reminder of the presence of those terrifying enemies.

The corpse attacked the nine people again.

Just then, one of the three cars suddenly started, followed by a roar of the engine, like a sleeping beast being suddenly awakened.

The headlights suddenly lit up at that moment, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, instantly dispelling the surrounding darkness and illuminating the entire battlefield.