They were just about to move forward when they found themselves trapped by zombies on a particularly narrow street. There were far more zombies this time than anyone had expected.
Da Laocu's expression turned grim. Perhaps they should wait for another time; there were simply too many zombies today, and they still needed Pei Yufeng's ability.
He was just about to suggest this to He Qiuyun beside him, only to see He Qiuyun staring at the horde with bloodshot eyes, his hands trembling with excitement.
Da Laocu sighed. Forget it, since He Qiuyun was so desperate to kill Pei Yufeng, he might as well let him.
"Stop spacing out!" Yan Jiasui barked sharply.
Hiding in the back, Ji Zhaoxi quickly snapped to attention. Gripping the heavy pistol with both hands, she deftly pulled the trigger, each shot accurately piercing a zombie's skull.
He Qiuyun shot a glance at Da Laocu, who looked back in hesitation. He Qiuyun's face darkened, and he charged straight out.
"I'll clear the way!"
Yan Jiasui stared at his retreating back in disbelief. "He Qiuyun, come back here!"
Da Laocu was also startled by He Qiuyun's sudden move. He actually dared to charge in?
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the fleeing He Qiuyun in sheer bewilderment. What kind of way was he trying to clear out of the blue?
The way to heaven?
Yan Jiasui pressed her hands firmly against the ground. Cyan-grey vines burst forth from the earth, instantly flipping the front row of zombies onto their backs as cold sweat continuously beaded on her forehead.
Ji Zhaoxi cautiously hid behind a wrecked car, coordinating her attacks with Yan Jiasui. Whenever a zombie managed to dodge the vines, her bullet would fire with a loud bang, blowing the creature's eyeball clean out.
Unlike the nature-type ability users whose attacks packed a serious punch, she wasn't as strong, so she always made sure to hide in what she deemed the safest spot.
Ji Zhaoxi frowned at He Qiuyun's back. What was he sneaking around for?
Just then, He Qiuyun stopped fighting the zombies and suddenly aimed in her direction.
Ji Zhaoxi: ?
More accurately, he was aiming in the direction of Pei Yufeng, who was standing not far from Ji Zhaoxi.
Boom—
A highly radioactive white phosphorus fire suddenly exploded not far from Ji Zhaoxi, sending up billowing black smoke and a blinding white light. The high-frequency radiation from the blast traveled along Pei Yufeng's mental threads, directly backfiring into his brain.
The zombies that had been under control instantly snapped out of it, immediately lunging toward Ji Zhaoxi and Pei Yufeng.
Ji Zhaoxi, hiding behind the wreckage: ...
Was He Qiuyun out of his mind?!
Ji Zhaoxi frantically glanced back at Pei Yufeng. Sure enough, his eyes had been affected.
We are so dead, we are so dead.
He Qiuyun conjured a wall of fire, blocking not only the zombies but also the path for anyone else to come rescue Ji Zhaoxi and Pei Yufeng.
Startled by the oncoming horde, Ji Zhaoxi panicked and began firing wildly at them. But no matter how many she shot, more seemed to appear, swarming toward them in an endless stream.
Terrified to the point of tears, Ji Zhaoxi immediately bolted toward Pei Yufeng.
Pei Yufeng's eyes were already a bloody mess. Ji Zhaoxi scrambled to heal his injuries.
Tears streamed down her face as she treated him. Why was her life so miserable?
"Pei Yufeng, hold on! I don't want to die yet!"
In the past, Ji Zhaoxi never fully healed anyone because she always wanted to reserve some energy for herself, but right now, she couldn't care less about that.
An abundant flow of healing mental energy surged into Pei Yufeng's brain, repairing his spiritual core and sharpening all of his senses once more.
Ji Zhaoxi kept glancing over her shoulder as she healed him. Seeing the horde of zombies drawing closer and closer, her despair deepened.
It was over. This was going to be her first failed world.
If the system ever gave her another chance, she would definitely kill that He Qiuyun ahead of time!
The front row of zombies was practically on top of them. Their withered fingers swiped through the air with a menacing whoosh. One zombie, reduced to just its upper half, managed to scrape its nails against the sole of Pei Yufeng's boot.
Sobbing, Ji Zhaoxi scrambled to climb on top of Pei Yufeng. Maybe if the zombies ate him first, they would be too full to eat her.
Her pale green energy continued to pour into Pei Yufeng's body.
Pei Yufeng's face was deathly pale. He instinctively pulled Ji Zhaoxi into his arms as his mind gradually cleared.
He looked up at the dense swarm of zombies looming over them, his eyes completely bloodshot.
Boom—
In the next split second, an invisible wave of mental energy violently erupted. The heads of all the zombies instantly exploded. Viscera was squeezed out and splattered across the ground with a sickening squelch, filling the air with the thick, metallic stench of blood.
Nearby, He Qiuyun's wall of fire also instantly ruptured, backfiring directly onto him. He coughed up a violent spray of blood and collapsed to the ground.
A sudden, eerie silence fell over the area.
Da Laocu silently backed away, putting some distance between himself and He Qiuyun.
A thin layer of sweat broke out on Pei Yufeng's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged. Why did he suddenly feel like he was suffocating? He could clearly sense that his mental energy had been fully restored.
Was He Qiuyun's white phosphorus fire still affecting him somehow?
The grip around his neck continued to tighten. Pei Yufeng's mind finally cleared enough to realize what was going on. He fell silent for a moment before tugging at Ji Zhaoxi, who was practically strangling him.
She didn't budge...
The corner of his mouth twitched. Whatever.
He'd better leave her be, lest he accidentally snap the flailing girl's arms off.
He Qiuyun watched Pei Yufeng approach with an ashen face. Slumped amidst the zombie remains, he didn't even dare to move a muscle.
Yan Jiasui was severely injured, so Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Ruixin hurriedly helped her into the car. Yan Jiasui glanced at the two men opposite them but remained silent.
As Ji Zhaoxi healed Yan Jiasui, she kept staring intently at Pei Yufeng in the distance.
Thinking she was worried about him, Yan Jiasui offered a weak word of comfort, "Zhaoxi, don't worry. Yufeng can handle this."
Ji Zhaoxi forced a bitter smile.
She wasn't worried about Pei Yufeng; she was worried about her crystal core.
She desperately wanted to dig out He Qiuyun's crystal core, but everyone else was watching.
Da Laocu sat in the car without saying a word. He cast one final glance at He Qiuyun, who lay dead among the corpses, before hastily averting his gaze.
Thank god he hadn't made a move earlier, or he'd be lying right there next to him.
Seeing that He Qiuyun was dead, a piece of Ji Zhaoxi died inside, too.
On the ride back, no matter how much Pei Yufeng jostled her, she remained completely immersed in her sorrow.
Everyone had sustained injuries. When they returned to their base, the other residents in the building were shocked to see them in such a battered state.
With a heavy heart, Ji Zhaoxi healed them one by one.
By the time it was Pei Yufeng's turn, he was the very last one.
The night grew darker, and a leaden moonlight spilled into the room, casting a chilly, gloomy atmosphere.
Ji Zhaoxi sat on the edge of the bed, a pale green light lingering around her fingertips. Her head was bowed, and she looked thoroughly deflated.
Pei Yufeng leaned lazily against the headboard. With half of his face cast in shadow, he lowered his gaze to study her expression.
"Why so down?" Pei Yufeng asked, gently tugging at a strand of her hair.
Smack—
In the next second, the back of Pei Yufeng's hand was slapped red.
Ji Zhaoxi sat there sullenly, her mind entirely occupied by the loss of that fire-type crystal core.
"Tsk."
Just then, a hand suddenly reached out in front of her. The palm slowly unfurled, revealing the item inside.
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes lit up instantly.
The crystal core in Pei Yufeng's hand was a translucent, deep red, as if an eternal flame were burning within it.
"A crystal core!"
Pei Yufeng's gaze rested on Ji Zhaoxi. Her eyes were wide and round as she eagerly leaned closer to him, almost bumping into his hand. Her cheeks were flushed pink from pure excitement.
"Pei Yufeng, did you dig this out specifically for me?"
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him with teary, shimmering eyes, carefully holding the crystal core in her hands.
Pei Yufeng met her burning, bright eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he looked away.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Ji Zhaoxi didn't care what he said, happily grabbing his hand and swinging it back and forth.
"Pei Yufeng, why are you so good to me? Could you help me dig out crystal cores in the future too?"
Pei Yufeng impatiently pressed his hand against her forehead to keep her at bay. "Don't act like we are close."
Taking advantage of the contact, Ji Zhaoxi nuzzled affectionately against his hand, looking at him pitifully. "I'm not acting. We are close! Aren't we good friends?"
His slightly calloused palm rested against the soft flesh of her cheek, and Pei Yufeng's fingertips curled instinctively.
"Stop talking. Your noise is giving me a headache."
Ji Zhaoxi huffed. "I'm not noisy. Mingfei used to say my voice sounded like a nightingale."
Pei Yufeng scoffed. First a little rabbit, then a deer, and now a nightingale. She was going to run out of animals in the world to compare herself to at this rate.
"I don't hear a nightingale, but you definitely sound like a sparrow, chirping away all day long..."
Before Pei Yufeng could finish his sentence, Ji Zhaoxi angrily punched him.
"Hiss—"
Pei Yufeng's face paled, and he clutched his chest in pain as Ji Zhaoxi stormed off angrily.
What a violent woman.
In truth, Pei Yufeng didn't even know why he had dug out this crystal core in the first place.
At the time, he had watched Ji Zhaoxi pressing eagerly against the car window, staring in his direction. She hadn't dared to come over, but she couldn't bear to leave either, the longing in her eyes impossible to hide.
Perhaps he was just annoyed by her staring, figuring he might as well dig out He Qiuyun's crystal core while he was at it.
When he had approached the crystal core, the leftover tentacles from Ji Zhaoxi had still tried to attack him. He merely let a trace of his lightning ability spark from his fingertips, and the tentacles instantly shrank into a tight ball.
Thinking of the way Ji Zhaoxi had hit him and immediately run away just now, Pei Yufeng lowered his head and chuckled.
"A bully to the weak, but a coward to the strong."
Those tentacles were exactly like their owner.
