As the group introduced themselves, Zhan Hao and the rescue team members listened attentively. It turned out that these four young people were indeed students, and not just any students—they were from Nancheng University!
“What a coincidence! Our Rescue Team One just came back from Nancheng University yesterday. I heard the situation there was pretty bad. How did you guys manage to escape?” Chen Xiaochong asked with curiosity. Rescue Team One had been armed to the teeth, yet they still lost over a dozen members during their retreat.
“We had a van. Just smashed our way out,” Fu Ying said, pointing to the small delivery van behind them.
To be honest, while the van looked ordinary, its performance was top-notch. They had crashed through so many zombies, yet the vehicle only had a few scratches. It was like the fighter jet of delivery vans!
“Smashed your way out…” Chen Xiaochong gave them a thumbs-up. The words sounded simple, but those who had experienced it could imagine how thrilling it must have been to drive through a horde of zombies.
“I’m Zhan Hao,” Zhan Hao suddenly said after the group finished their introductions.
Zhan Hao? After the introductions, Li Yanqi lowered her head, racking her brain to recall the name. She realized she had never heard of it before.
“Sir, where do you usually place the survivors you rescue? Is it safe?” Gao Yuan, trailing behind, asked Zhang Jinhang, who seemed approachable.
“There’s an abandoned construction site in the east of Nancheng. It was sparsely populated even before the apocalypse, so it’s relatively safe now. We also have people stationed there,” Zhang Jinhang replied.
An abandoned construction site… Gao Yuan pictured it in his mind. Why did that sound so unsafe?
“If it’s an abandoned construction site, isn’t it less safe than here?” Li Yanqi asked, feigning confusion as she pointed to the street office they were at.
She was all too familiar with that construction site. In her previous life, she had spent a full month there. But one night, a few mutant zombies attacked, and more than half the survivors perished…
“It was an emergency decision at the time, and the place already had some infrastructure. It’s not easy to relocate now,” Zhang Jinhang said, glancing at the street office, which indeed seemed safer. It had two layers of tall walls, sturdy buildings, and, most importantly, higher ground. Any danger approaching would be easily spotted, unlike the weed-infested construction site.
Knowing she couldn’t be too obvious with her warnings, Li Yanqi didn’t say anything more.
By this time, the group had finished digging out the crystal cores, which they treated like worthless glass shards. They grabbed a plastic bag and had the people helping collect the dirty cores toss them in.
“Let’s go. There are fewer than a hundred zombies in the street office courtyard. The rest are all gathered in the main hall,” Li Yanqi said to the group.
Fewer than a hundred. The rescue team members now had a clear idea of what to expect, so they set aside their apprehension and followed Zhan Hao inside.
In the past, the team would always feel nervous during rescue missions, worried about facing too many dangers or getting surrounded. But with Li Yanqi’s guidance, they felt calm and composed.
At first, the rescue team noticed that Li Yanqi and her group stayed at the back of the formation. But soon, they realized the group was actively taking down zombies approaching from the rear and sides.
“Zhang Tao, four o’clock, one zombie,” Li Yanqi called out.
Zhang Tao nodded, delivering a swift side kick that sent a zombie crashing to the ground. Before it could get up, Gu Yao darted in and plunged her knife into its head.
“Woohoo! That’s my first one today. Gao Yuan, keep track for me!” Gu Yao said excitedly.
They had made a bet before heading out to see who could kill the most zombies.
“That’s cheating! That was a team effort. If you take credit, isn’t that unfair to Zhang Tao?” Gao Yuan protested.
“It’s fine. Let Gu Yao have it,” Zhang Tao said with a smile.
“Pfft, you’re one to talk. You’ve just been standing there doing nothing,” Gu Yao teased, rolling her eyes at Gao Yuan. Even now, he instinctively dodged when he saw a zombie. No wonder Fu Ying often got annoyed with him.
On the other side, Li Yanqi had already taken down two zombies with her long blade, moving with precision. Fu Ying had also dispatched one.
“Make sure to use your abilities more. Practice makes perfect,” Li Yanqi said to the group, including herself. Every strike she made was infused with her telekinesis-like ability.
“Got it,” Fu Ying nodded. She had noticed that with repeated practice, her ability to control metal weapons had improved slightly in terms of speed and range compared to the previous day.
The rescue team members, who had been firing at zombies with their guns, glanced at their weapons and then at the group using melee weapons and abilities. Suddenly, they felt outclassed. Their attacks were straightforward but relied entirely on firearms.
“Should we… start practicing too?” one of the rescue team members asked a teammate. Most of them had abilities as well—having abilities was a priority during recruitment. But even though they went out to kill zombies daily, they rarely had a chance to practice their powers.
Zhan Hao glanced at the young group fighting the zombies. This was his first time seeing Li Yanqi take down zombies with such skill. Honestly, her speed wasn’t far off from their firearms.
“Watch out!” someone in the team shouted. A zombie had lunged at Li Yanqi from behind.
But Li Yanqi didn’t even turn her head. Her long blade swung diagonally, and the zombie’s head rolled to the ground.
So that’s how it was—she hadn’t seen the zombie, but she had sensed it.
“Is she really just a student?” Jiang Hongchang muttered to himself. This student was a bit too impressive, wasn’t she?
“Focus, everyone. No one’s stopping you from using your abilities, but only do so if you can ensure your own safety. Understood?” Zhan Hao said, having overheard the team’s murmurs. With Li Yanqi acting as their danger-sensing guide, he thought it was a good opportunity for the team to practice their abilities.
“Understood!” the rescue team members replied, their faces lighting up with excitement.
As the number of zombies in the street office dwindled to just over a dozen, the rescue team began experimenting with their abilities. Though their skills were still rough, the thrill of unleashing magic-like powers was exhilarating.
Those without abilities grabbed whatever weapons they could find and started hacking at the zombies.
“Man, close-quarters zombie-killing feels completely different from shooting them from a distance,” Zhang Jinhang said, catching his breath.