The zombie horde was dense and swarming, like locusts. Wherever they went, their rotting flesh and foul-smelling saliva polluted the area, making people want to vomit.
The team suffered heavy losses on this mission and was out of ammunition and supplies on the way back, now almost in dire straits.
The driver in front also noticed something was wrong and sped up again.
Many more people set up guns, and those with superpowers quickly used their abilities to begin blocking the way. Ruan Qing'an, however, did not step forward. She simply gripped her Tang sword and firmly protected Zhou Ziqi behind her.
"Boss, be careful."
"Okay, sure."
Zhou Ziqi answered verbally, but remained sitting calmly.
He didn't seem worried at all. His upturned phoenix eyes were silently observing Ruan Qing'an, as if he were studying research material.
As the zombie horde drew ever closer and the distance to the container truck shortened, the already exhausted group began to panic. Just then, a clear female voice rang out.
A woman with short hair and a dashing appearance stood up.
"Everyone, gather your bullets together. The superhumans who control the earthen wall will hold the line at the front. Those who run out of power can switch to guns and fire from behind."
She was giving instructions methodically, and many people felt reassured. Even Zhou Ziqi glanced over, his slightly effeminate phoenix eyes holding an unreadable expression.
He suddenly asked, "Who is that woman?"
"Responsible logistics for the action team, Jia Lan."
Ruan Qing'an silently added, "This is also the female lead in the original story. I didn't expect the male and female leads to meet at this point in the plot. It's not without reason that the original owner was provoked by the female lead to lie on the dissection table."
037: [Huh... the male lead is interested in the female lead?]
"No, nobody knows what this madman is thinking."
Ruan Qing'an had barely uttered a sentence when, as expected, Zhou Ziqi beside him suddenly said, "So many people have died, and the replacement logistics personnel have managed to survive until now. Interesting. Haven't they shown any special abilities yet? Or do they not have any special abilities but possess unique skills, like you, Ruan Qing'an?"
"I'm tempted to cut it open and take a look, maybe I could try to get my hands on it. But Xiao Ruan, you're the same way, right? Too bad you're just an employee I hired."
Zhou Ziqi sighed softly, seemingly disappointed.
Nguyen Thanh An: ...
037: ...
[Sorry, my ancestor, I'm not worried anymore. The male lead isn't human; he's practically an antisocial personality!]
Seemingly noticing Ruan Qing'an's silence, Zhou Ziqi smiled gently, his expression as warm and bright as a clear stream and the moon. He patted Ruan Qing'an's head and said, "Don't worry, the compensation for hiring you doesn't include the part where you lie on the lab table."
So, should I say thank you, boss?
"No need, Xiao Ruan."
Zhou Ziqi's smile became even more beautiful.
Ruan Qingan had a blank expression, clearly not wanting to continue the topic.
Soon, Jia Lan noticed the two whispering to each other: "Ruan Qing'an, why are you slacking off?"
"Sorry, my mission is to protect the boss."
Ruan Qing'an, holding the knife, shook his head: "Without his orders, I will not take action unless the boss's safety is endangered."
Just as Jia Lan was about to say something more, the man with the gun next to her spat and said to her, "Ignore her. That guy is just a knife; he only listens to Researcher Zhou."
Jia Lan's expression changed slightly. At this moment, Zhou Ziqi suddenly said, "Xiao Ruan, go help them. I'm not going to run away."
"Yes, boss. Please be careful."
Nguyen Thanh An nodded, picked up a knife in one hand, and walked towards the container truck.
Although there were superhumans trying to stop them, quite a few escaped. Accompanied by a beast-like roar, a speed-type zombie approached rapidly. Its body was tattered, but it was extremely fast.
The superhuman controlling the earthen wall was horrified, but the zombie leaped out of the hole he hadn't even finished building!
Sharp claws, foul-smelling saliva dripping down—
"Aaaaaah!!"
The superhuman couldn't stop screaming. He was manipulating the earthen wall and couldn't free his hands at all. It seemed like he would be dragged off the vehicle at any moment.
But just then, a faint blue light flashed by.
Before the superhuman could react, the zombie that jumped up and approached him was pierced through the head by the tip of a dark blue Tang sword!
Immediately afterwards, he was violently thrown away!
The superhuman was panting heavily, looking at Ruan Qing'an beside him: "Thanks, thanks..."
"fine."
Ruan Qingan shook his head and gripped the Tang sword tightly once more.
Soon, with Ruan Qing'an joining the team, the pressure on the entire group was greatly reduced. If any zombies managed to slip through the net, a long, dark blue blade would flash past, and blue energy would surge into the broken parts of the zombies, pulverizing them. The margin for error was greatly increased.
Nguyen Thanh An also glanced back to observe the situation during a lull in his sword swings.
At this moment, Jia Lan waved to Zhou Ziqi: "Researcher Zhou, why don't you come over and hide? It's safer with more people around."
"knew."
Zhou Ziqi still had that same interested look in his eyes, as if he were looking at research material, but it was hidden behind a smile and not obvious. He bent his legs and sat in the corner of the container car.
Seeing this, Ruan Qing'an narrowed his eyes slightly.
"This woman is making overtures."
037: [Huh?]
To be precise, in the original story, the female protagonist Jia Lan is actually reborn. In her previous life, she was a good person, but she was betrayed and died by her best friend's boyfriend. After being reborn, she turned evil and firmly believed that everyone would be punished by heaven if they did not act for themselves. In the later part of the original story, she colluded with Zhou Ziqi.
Using the advantage of his rebirth, Jia Lan recruited powerful figures from all walks of life in advance, unified the major human bases, and became the leader of humanity.
It seems that Zhou Ziqi is also someone Jia Lan wants to recruit.
After barely managing to fend off a wave of zombies, the group finally had a little time to rest. Ruan Qing'an was also exhausted. She picked up her knife and walked back to Zhou Ziqi's side, leaning against the side of the carriage.
037: [Ancestor, there's a crack in the train carriage.]
"crack?"
Ruan Qing'an was slightly taken aback, noticing that the corner, which should have been pitch black, was faintly emitting a sliver of light, and the crack looked as if it had been cut open by a sharp knife.
Before she could even get a good look, Jia Lan suddenly approached and asked, "Can we talk for a bit, Ruan Qing'an?"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an subconsciously looked at Zhou Ziqi.
Zhou Ziqi was resting with his eyes closed when he casually said, "Go."
Jia Lan then smiled and led Ruan Qing'an to the corner, which happened to be the cracked area. But her smile was cheerful and generous, and she had the appearance of a tomboy, so no one could tell that there was a problem.
The entire container was noisy, and after Jia Lan deliberately lowered her voice, no one could hear her clearly.
“Ruan Qingan, you should go and help the action team.”
"I was hired by the boss; I'm only responsible for his safety."
Jia Lan shook her head with a hint of regret. She said softly, "If you hadn't been so stubborn and only focused on Zhou Ziqi, I wouldn't have resorted to this drastic measure. After all, you are a useful tool."
Ruan Qingan didn't speak, but just looked at Jia Lan warily.
The next moment, the ruthlessness hidden beneath Jia Lan's cheerful and unrestrained tomboyish image suddenly emerged—
"Compared to Zhou Ziqi, you are not that important."
"So, please just die!"
She spoke in a low voice, her eyes filled with malice. Ruan Qing'an instinctively wanted to grab the Tang sword and hold Jia Lan hostage, but the crack behind her suddenly pierced into the zombie's sharp claws.
The next moment, a large piece of sheet metal from the train carriage was ripped off!
Zombies crawling on the carriage roared at the group from the hole. The first to be attacked was Ruan Qing'an, who was closest to the hole. A zombie dog with sharp teeth bit down hard on her calf!
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