That day, a major event occurred at the base, so much so that even Xiang Wan, who always stayed in the laboratory, heard the news—a zombie siege.

The person delivering the food looked alarmed and grave, completely unlike their usual self. When Xiang Wan went to collect the food, she was kindly informed of the situation.

Since her return from the ice, An had a change of heart and had an extra meal delivered, though of course, the food wasn't up to An's standards. Even so, Xiang Wan was already very content; at least she didn't have to eat other people's leftovers.

Xiang Wan always greeted the people who brought her food with a smile and was very polite. Even though they had been told beforehand not to get too close to Xiang Wan, they couldn't resist her enthusiasm.

Such a significant matter naturally attracted whispered warnings from those who couldn't stand it. In any case, whether this place could be saved was still uncertain. To add to that, if they were still alive in the future, a little punishment wouldn't be a big deal.

As evening approached, she asked the system to report the situation outside. Little did she know, this system was incredibly vengeful, still holding a grudge for the past offense she had inflicted upon it (only Xiao Qi could speak human language). Having a system like this must be exhausting.

"Xiao Qi, your life is at stake! If you don't step up now, you might not see the sun rise tomorrow. We're one!"

"...Seeing how sincere you are (Xiang Wan: ???) this system will reluctantly tell you that a seventh-level zombie was born just a month ago. That zombie was dissatisfied with the provocation of humans and gathered a lot of zombies to attack cities and territories and turn humans into domesticated creatures."

"They even know about such a hidden thing? And those zombies can talk?"

"Some small bases have already been captured, and there are still living people inside. They're being fed, and once they get fat, they're taken out and eaten. You'll find out later whether high-level zombies can talk."

The system is becoming increasingly unlovable, even keeping us in suspense. Okay, actually, it does have a few cute traits, like letting her soul leave her body at crucial moments.

If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Even if the sky falls, there's still someone as tall as Peng Liuliu to hold it up, right? At worst, there's still that group of followers. It's definitely not Xiang Wan's turn to be affected.

Although it may seem irresponsible, she's still on the villain's side, and tragically, she's just an employee.

An continued doing his own thing methodically, as if he hadn't heard anything about it.

Xiang Wan wondered if she should remind him. Just as she was about to speak, Peng Liuliu sent someone over to assist An with the relocation.

"Not moving."

An replied with those two words, then stared at Xiang Wan, signaling her to quickly send the person away.

The original owner did not experience such a thing in his previous life, or perhaps something changed.

Relocation is indeed a good way to save one's life, but where can they find another base? Peng Liuliu said she would move, and she was determined to move. Would An really follow her as she wished?

"Let me tell you, Empress, desertion in the face of battle can easily destabilize the army. Thinking about retreating before even starting the fight means you've already lost half the battle. The world is vast, but it's teeming with zombies. Where can you escape to? Instead of focusing on defense, she's eyeing the laboratory. What are her intentions? I'm telling you, An won't leave, and neither will I. Even if the base is captured, we'll just perish together."

His resolute gaze and fearless demeanor intimidated the group. They exchanged bewildered glances, but the panic and confusion in their eyes had vanished. Xiang Wan added fuel to the fire: "An is researching how to fight the zombies and will succeed soon. This is our hope; we absolutely cannot move away now and let all our efforts go to waste. I believe in An; he has the ability to resolve all of this."

These words were spoken with absolute certainty. Even An turned her head to look at her, then continued what she was doing without saying a word, though the corners of her lips, hidden behind her mask, curled up slightly.

"If you are willing, you can help protect this laboratory and keep humanity's last hope alive, for yourselves and your loved ones. If you are not willing, you may leave on your own. Ann and I will stay here."

Several people exchanged glances, nodded, picked up their weapons, and stood guard by the door. The others shook their heads, sighed, and left. Finally, a boy, barely an adult, remained. He looked earnestly at Xiang Wan and asked, "Can he really solve all this? Will he develop a deadly pathogen to wipe out all the zombies? Or will he turn the zombies back into humans? If he can turn the zombies back, can he save my little sister first? She's so young."

As the child spoke, his head drooped, and his shoulders trembled as if he were crying.

Just as Xiang Wan was about to squat down to comfort him, An pulled her back and stared at the child with wary eyes.

"Hehehe, how did you find out?"

The child looked up, his face deathly pale, devoid of color, his lips bluish-purple, and his teeth sharp. As he spoke, he licked his black fingernails with his tongue, his clear, fish-like eyes fixed on Xiang Wan.

Oh my god, this is terrifying! It's a living zombie that can even talk! Could this be the legendary seventh-tier zombie?

An exuded a dangerous aura as he stared intently at the zombie.

"Such delicious snacks, no wonder I wanted to keep them with me. What a pity."

After saying this, the zombie turned and ran away, moving so fast that it was impossible to catch a glimpse of its form with the naked eye.

He said something nonsensical and then ran away. Is this supposed to be a high-level zombie? Where's his dignity?

But the fact that even a talking zombie could be scared away by An shows just how dangerous An is. Luckily, she never considered confronting him head-on, otherwise her life wouldn't have been enough for him to mess with.

By the way, what did that zombie's last words mean? Who's the snack? What a pity.

This question was destined to remain unanswered, because An thought she was too stupid, unable to even see through the zombie's illusions, and doubled her workload every day. Xiang Wan was also frustrated; who knew that a mindless zombie that only knew how to devour flesh could not only talk but also transform? Her level wasn't high, so it was perfectly normal that she couldn't see through it.

Xiang Wan secretly thought that An must be taking revenge on her because An had abused her authority. The tragic thing was that even knowing this, there was nothing she could do. After all, An's fists weren't as hard as his. She could only be suppressed.

The atmosphere at the base grew increasingly tense, with unease permeating the air. One morning, the base's alarm sounded, and the battle officially began. Xiang Wan, who had originally intended to observe, was instead kicked into a horde of zombies by An, leaving her with only a fleeting glimpse of her back.

Before Xiang Wan could even get angry, her attention was forcibly drawn back by the zombies' blood-stained fingernails. This time, she truly had no choice but to fight desperately.