Chapter 4
Chen Mengzhou's gaze remained unwavering. In that infinitely stretched, blood-filled moment, her choice had already been made.
Save, of course we have to save.
But how to rescue them and what happens after they are rescued is another matter.
The spatial energy condensed in his right hand did not transform into a sharp blade, but suddenly spread and twisted! Instead of attacking the zombies, it acted on the fallen man and the small piece of ground in front of him!
"Buzz—"
The air made a slight hum.
The man felt an overwhelming force suddenly seize him, as if being yanked by an invisible hand. His head spun! His forward trajectory was abruptly altered, and he flew sideways two or three meters, dozens of centimeters off the ground, landing awkwardly on a pile of loose construction debris. He groaned in pain, stirring up a cloud of dust.
And almost at the same millisecond that his body was torn apart!
The three zombies' sharp claws, wielding a vicious wind, fiercely clawed at the spot where he was about to fall! But they grabbed nothing! The rotten claws even dug deep into the concrete floor from the excessive force, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound.
The zombie's simple brain couldn't understand why its prey suddenly moved, and its movements became stiff and confused for a moment.
Now is the time!
Chen Mengzhou moved!
Her figure was like a ghost, sliding out of the door silently. Her left hand had grasped the multifunctional saber (although ordinary, but sharp enough) with incredible precision from an extremely tricky angle, from bottom to top, and suddenly stabbed it into the jaw of the zombie on the far left!
Phew!
The tip of the knife penetrated the rotten flesh and went straight into the brain!
At the same time, she opened the five fingers of her right hand and clenched the space in front of the two zombies in the middle and on the right!
“Crack!”
The air seemed to instantly transform into invisible, brittle glass, then shattered by her bare hands! — Space was squeezed and shattered!
Although the range is extremely small and the power is far less than directly tearing the space, the instantaneous impact force and sonic boom effect it produces are amazing!
"Bang! Hoo!"
The two zombies were like being hit head-on by an invisible sledgehammer. Their heads jerked back, their cervical vertebrae made crisp sounds as if they could not bear the weight. Their roars were abruptly interrupted, and their whole bodies staggered backwards, temporarily losing their balance.
The whole process happened in a flash, no more than two seconds.
Chen Mengzhou had already drawn her saber with a swift movement, sending a puff of black blood flying as she dodged sideways. She didn't even glance at the two zombies that had been temporarily repelled, nor did she immediately address the man who had fallen dizzily. Instead, she flicked her wrist, the blade flashing again, and she precisely finished off the zombie whose brain had been pierced and was now twitching.
Ensure the kill, gain "experience"? Or, just eliminate all accidents.
It was not until then that the other two zombies staggered back to their feet, their cloudy eyes once again locking onto a new target—Chen Mengzhou standing in front of them.
Chen Mengzhou shook the blood off her saber, her eyes eerily calm. She didn't use her superpowers again, but simply assumed a basic fighting stance and faced the oncoming zombies.
She parried one claw with her saber, dodged the bite of another, and moved nimbly, searching for the next chance to strike. Her movements were swift and efficient, with an almost cold rhythm, as if she were not engaged in a life-or-death struggle but rather conducting some precise anatomical experiment.
She was saving her powers and also... observing.
Using the most energy-saving method, she quickly eliminated the last two ordinary zombies. When the last zombie collapsed to the ground, black blood flowing, the small area temporarily returned to a dead silence.
Chen Mengzhou finally breathed slightly, wiped her saber on the relatively clean clothes of a zombie, and sheathed it. Then, she turned around, her eyes finally landing on the pile of construction debris.
The man struggled to sit up, coughing violently. His face was covered in dust and blood from scrapes, looking utterly miserable. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a jacket whose original color had long since faded. His eyes were filled with the terror of having survived a catastrophe, and... a hint of barely concealed shock and wariness at Shen Mengzhou's inhumane actions.
"Thank...thank you so much for saving me!" His voice was hoarse and trembling. He tried to stand up, but fell back down due to injuries and exhaustion. He had no choice but to look up at Chen Mengzhou, trying to force a grateful smile, but his eyes flickered.
Chen Mengzhou didn't say anything, but just looked at him quietly, his eyes sweeping from the fear on his face to his tightly pursed lips, then to his hand subconsciously pressing on the bulge on his waist (there seemed to be something hidden there), and finally back to his flashing eyes.
Her silence carried an invisible pressure, making the grateful smile on the man's face increasingly stiff.
[Future Dream Fragment Trigger: Information Correlation… A weak energy reaction (non-supernatural) has been detected, matching the description of "Gene Enhancement Potion Type I (Defective)." Source: Carried by the target individual.] The system's prompt sounded coldly.
Genetically enhanced drug? Defective product? In his possession?
A hint of understanding flashed across Chen Mengzhou's eyes. So that's how it is.
"It's just a piece of cake." She finally spoke, her voice flat and emotionless. "Are you hurt?"
She took two steps forward, as if wanting to check on his injuries, her posture appearing non-threatening.
The man's body tensed imperceptibly for a moment, his hands tightening on his waist. He quickly said, "No, it's okay! I just fell, it's nothing serious! Girl, you... you're amazing! What was that just now? A special ability?"
He tried to change the subject and find out about her background, his tone full of deliberate curiosity and flattery.
Chen Mengzhou stopped a few steps in front of him, not moving any closer. She suddenly bent down and picked up a small, blood-stained metal plate from the remains of the zombie that had been shot in the head at her feet. It looked like some kind of identification badge. She toyed with it absentmindedly, her side facing the man.
"It's just a little trick." She said it lightly, as if she was not the one who distorted the space and crushed the zombie's head. "What about you? Alone? You don't look inexperienced." Her eyes swept over his windbreaker, which was dirty and torn but made of good material, and the pair of hiking boots that were still in good condition.
This was a subtle temptation and also an opportunity for him to weave a lie.
The man's Adam's apple rolled, his eyes flickering rapidly, as if he was thinking rapidly: "Ah... yes, I escaped alone. There was a team, but they all... died. I was lucky and picked up some supplies..." He subconsciously touched his waist again, his tone filled with sadness and fear. His performance was so sincere that it could almost fool people if it weren't for the system prompt.
Chen Mengzhou stroked the cold metal plate with his fingertips without piercing him.
She saw the calculation and greed deep in his eyes that he tried hard to hide - greed for her power, and perhaps also the assessment that she was alone but looked relatively "clean".
In the apocalypse, pure kindness doesn't last long. Being a bit scheming and knowing how to hide it is the norm.
If such a person is used well, he might become a temporary helper in exploring the western suburbs and searching for clues to the "safe zone," or at least provide some local information. If he is used poorly, or if he backfires, it would be fatal stupidity.
She needed information, needed to familiarize herself with this completely unfamiliar apocalyptic environment. And he needed her protection. Moreover, the "potion" he thought he had hidden well and treasured was no longer a secret to her.
An alliance in which both parties are fully aware of each other's situation but have to use each other seems to have a preliminary foundation.
As for intrigues and deceptions, it all depends on one's ability.
Chen Mengzhou finally turned around and faced him, with a very faint smile on his face, whose true meaning could not be seen.
"Really? Looks like we're both lucky then." She casually threw the blood-stained metal plate away, making a crisp sound. "It's not safe here. The smell of blood will soon attract more things. Can we still leave?"
She held out a hand to him, as if to pull him up.
His actions seemed friendly, but his eyes were calm, like a deep pool, reflecting no emotion at all.
The man looked at the hand stretched out before him. It was white and slender, yet it had just easily killed three zombies. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes struggling, but ultimately, he put on a grateful smile and reached out to hold her hand.
"Yes! I can walk! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The two hands separated as soon as they touched.
Chen Mengzhou felt a thick layer of calluses and cold sweat on his palms with his fingertips.
And at the moment of contact, he felt the unusually low temperature of the other person's fingers, which seemed to contain some kind of power, and made his heart inexplicably chill.
The cooperation has begun.
In other words, the game has begun.
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