Xiao Huang Mao rolled down the car window and smiled at the soldier outside. "Hey, buddy, what’s going on?"

"You can’t pass for now. Just wait a moment." The soldier ignored Xiao Huang Mao’s cheeky grin and spoke with a completely serious expression.

Xie Ning poked her head out of the back window, her gaze landing on the village committee building not far away.

’It looks like these soldiers have cleared out all the zombies in front of and behind the building!’

’Great. This makes the Song Family Pavilion that much safer.’

Just then, Ji Taixian’s cursing voice drifted from one of the two vans behind them. "Hey, what are you doing?"

The soldier turned his head and saw a woman with disheveled hair, looking utterly mad, jump out of the van and run desperately toward them.

"Help me, help me!" Annie rushed frantically toward the soldiers and grabbed one by the arm. "Soldier, please, help me! I’ve been kidnapped!"

Xie Ning let out a scoff. She simply sat in the car and watched the woman’s performance, not saying a word to stop her.

Song You’ai, however, grew nervous and quietly tugged on her daughter’s sleeve.

"It’s alright, Mom." Xie Ning gently patted the back of her mother’s hand, signaling for her to relax.

BANG!

At the same time, a zombie in tattered clothes leaped from the third floor of the village committee building, wisps of a black, scorched aura rising from its body as it fled frantically in their direction.

’A First-tier Zombie!’

Xie Ning’s entire body tensed. She quickly pushed open the car door and jumped out. "Stay here and don’t move."

This was the First-tier Zombie she had sensed inside the village committee building earlier.

’I didn’t expect it to evolve so quickly.’

Its running speed was already comparable to that of a normal human—nothing like the dim-witted, stumbling, and disoriented Initial-stage zombies.

Annie shrieked, let go of the soldier’s arm, and shoved him forward to block the path of the frantically approaching First-tier Zombie.

The soldier was no fool. He quickly raised his rifle and fired several shots at the zombie.

But because he was too close and had acted in haste, the bullets didn’t penetrate the zombie’s head, instead peppering its body.

But in the brief moment the zombie was stalled, Xie Ning had already darted to the soldier’s side. Several Metal Spikes shot from her hand, flying toward the zombie’s skull with lightning speed.

CLANG! CLANG! A series of crisp metallic sounds rang out. The Metal Spikes failed to pierce the skull, completely blocked.

’It’s a Defense Type First-tier Zombie!’

The thought had barely formed in Xie Ning’s mind when two figures burst from the building, sprinting toward them one after the other.

At the same time, two bolts of lightning struck the Defense Type First-tier Zombie’s head with irresistible force. CRACKLE! SIZZLE!

The zombie howled as the ferocious lightning flashes instantly shattered a part of its skull.

Xie Ning’s pupils constricted. This was the first time since her rebirth that she had seen such a powerful Thunder Ability User.

It reminded her of her former captain.

Xie Ning immediately pushed the fleeting thought away.

She looked up again to see a baby-faced youth rush forward and blow the First-tier Zombie’s head apart with two shots. BANG! BANG!

Xie Ning slowly retracted the Metal Spikes in her hand, her eyes meeting two curious gazes.

The baby-faced youth ran up first, a strange, joyful expression of reunion on his face. "It’s you, miss! I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Xie Ning found his voice vaguely familiar. Her scrutinizing gaze swept over him. "And you are...?"

The baby-faced youth immediately put on an exaggerated expression, as if to say, ’It’s me! And you’re pretending not to recognize me?’

"Me!"