Chapter 75: Chapter 64: A Difference of Opinion

On Highway 320, the expressway to Azuregard City, all sorts of cars and trucks were strewn about crookedly, blocking the path for all travelers.

The ground was covered in dried bloodstains and reeked of the acrid, dry smell of zombie brains. Under the afternoon sun, the stench only fermented, becoming a nauseating odor that tested the senses and stomachs of everyone present.

Flora Bloom had Vert and the golden cicada remain high in the sky on lookout, making sure they weren’t spotted by anyone else.

"Captain Lawson, I have to warn you. When we’re holding off these zombies in a moment, whatever you do, don’t go past that red Mercedes over there. Another thirty-odd zombies are lying in ambush on that side. If we make too much of a commotion, we might alert them too."

Although Flora Bloom said this, she was thinking something else entirely.

Level one zombies had no intelligence; once they formed a horde, they rarely split up unless something more enticing drew them away.

Among the dozens of zombies present, however, was one Second Level zombie. Second Level zombies possessed rudimentary intelligence and held sway over Level one zombies, allowing them to issue simple commands—such as setting an ambush.

Therefore, Flora Bloom was more inclined to believe that the other thirty-odd zombies had been deliberately placed in hiding by this Second Level zombie, intending to launch a surprise attack on a formidable enemy.

But Flora Bloom kept her thoughts to herself. After all, it was still the early days of the apocalypse; people weren’t yet familiar with the different zombie levels or their behaviors. Even if she explained it now, it was unlikely anyone would believe her.

"What? Another thirty-something of them? Hiding in the shadows?" Holly’s voice suddenly rose, her face a mask of sarcasm as she faced Flora Bloom.

"Hmph. I say, little girl, you’ve been watching too many zombie movies, haven’t you? Zombies that know how to hide? Do you think we’re all idiots or what?" Charles Sawyer chimed in. He hadn’t trusted this young woman from the very beginning.

Every zombie they had encountered on their journey had pounced and bitten on sight, never stopping until its brain was destroyed. They had never seen a zombie that knew how to hide. ’Are they trying to ambush us?’

"Are you sure?" Evan frowned too, his gaze on Flora Bloom filled with hesitation. The Second Level zombie here was indeed powerful, and it did seem to be commanding the Level one zombies to attack and retreat.

But if these zombies could really set ambushes as the girl claimed, did that mean future zombies might possess human-like intelligence? Or even become identical to humans?

The thought made Evan’s blood run cold. ’Just imagine... once zombies possess human-like intelligence, are stronger than you, have more powerful superpowers than you, and are greater in number.’

’What would become of humanity?’

He would rather believe Flora Bloom was spouting nonsense. At least then he could calm down; the thought would be easier to bear.

Flora Bloom glanced at Evan and casually said, "Positive," then turned to make arrangements with her own people.

"I was planning on taking the main road, but that seems a bit difficult now. If we can kill the Second Level zombie first, that would be great. Otherwise, our only option is to head into the forest."

"Mr. Wallace, in a moment, you’ll follow me. I’ll hold off the Second Level zombie; you’ll be responsible for the attack." Although Flora Bloom was a Water Ability User, having broken through to the Second Level, both her physical fitness and her reaction time were superior to anyone else present.

Neal Wallace gave a slight nod, having no objection to Flora Bloom’s arrangements.

"Dad, how many more weapons can your superpower strengthen right now?" Flora Bloom suddenly moved close to her father and asked in a low voice. To kill a Second Level zombie, ordinary weapons were useless. Only a weapon enhanced by a Gold Ability User could break through the defense of their skulls.

"Two."

After a quick mental calculation, Flora Bloom pressed the Crystal Core she had just dug out of the armored truck driver’s head into her father’s hand. Using Ethan Monroe’s body for cover, she signaled for her father to enhance both her and Neal Wallace’s axes.

Seeing her father’s exhaustion from expending his superpower, Flora Bloom bit her lip and said nothing more. ’Once I get a little stronger, maybe Mom and Dad won’t have to suffer like this.’

"Dad, absorb the Crystal Stone to restore your superpower. Don’t let those people find out."

"Old Monroe, you and my dad stay here to protect my mom and Caleb."

Holding the weapon her father had enhanced, Flora Bloom walked over to Evan. "Captain Lawson, are you ready?" Truth be told, if it wasn’t necessary, Flora Bloom had no desire to cooperate with this group. For starters, she intensely disliked the three Koreans. Beyond that, if these people weren’t around, it was only a single Second Level zombie. She could just release the little pets from her dimensional space, and these zombies would be powerless to stop her group.

"Captain, we can’t trust her. Who knows if she’s just trying to get us to hold off the zombies so she can take her people and make a run for it?"

Just as Evan was agonizing over what to decide, Vert and the golden cicada sent Flora Bloom a warning from the sky.

The zombies had spotted them and were now heading in their direction.

Flora Bloom frowned, turning toward the direction of the approaching zombies before walking back to her own group.

"Be ready, they’re coming."

Flora Bloom warned everyone, but only her own people fell into a ready stance. On Evan’s side, only Cynthia Grant followed suit, her expression tensing up.

"Cynthia Grant, whose side are you on? Don’t let them fool you!"

Holly’s words had barely faded when the sound of thirty-odd shuffling zombies made them all realize the truth.

Flora Bloom sneered at them and said, "Still dawdling? Did you think the horde was deaf? Their hearing and sense of smell are much stronger than a human’s."

Having lost the element of surprise, Flora Bloom was too exasperated to bother with Holly, who was still glaring at her.

"Mr. Wallace, watch our rear. We’re retreating into the forest in a moment."

As Flora Bloom listened to the approaching footsteps of the zombie horde, something felt off. Thirty-odd zombies couldn’t possibly make such heavy, chaotic sounds. Judging by the cacophony and weight of the footsteps, there were far more than thirty of them.

The thirty-odd zombies that had been hiding must have joined the main attacking force.

Flora Bloom’s brow furrowed as she watched the horde advance. The teeming mass of heads suggested there were probably more than sixty. She immediately yelled to Evan, "Captain Lawson, I don’t care if you believe me or not, but something’s wrong with the number of zombies over there! If you want to live, follow us and retreat!"

Evan finally noticed the rapidly swelling numbers of the approaching horde and realized Flora Bloom hadn’t lied. He hastily ordered everyone to turn back and retreat down the highway.

"Quick, fall back!"

Flora Bloom had already formed a rough guess about the situation, but before she could stop Evan and his group, they were already retreating down the other end of the highway, not following her group into the forest.

By this point, Flora Bloom was already moving slowly into the forest with her own people.

"Flora Bloom, don’t go in there! There’s something in there, something really powerful!" Cynthia Grant shouted in terror, attempting to stop Flora Bloom and her group.

Flora Bloom just smiled faintly, watching as Evan, Cynthia Grant, and the others grew more distant. At that exact moment, from the direction Evan’s team was retreating, the same sounds of approaching zombies suddenly rang out.

Flora Bloom turned her head to look. Sure enough, another large horde of zombies was rushing toward them from that direction. The number of zombies from both ends combined had to exceed one hundred and twenty or thirty.

At this, Flora Bloom finally grasped the situation. ’It seems this horde has been targeting us for a while. To be precise, that Second Level zombie planned all of this the moment it detected our arrival.’

Evan, Cynthia Grant, and the Koreans had obviously realized something was wrong too. Their faces suddenly turned deathly pale, their eyes darted about, and they began to tremble all over.

"Get over here, now!"

Flora Bloom yelled urgently to Cynthia Grant. She couldn’t afford to lose a doctor. ’In the apocalypse, doctors are a scarce resource, and it won’t be easy to find someone who can deliver my baby.’

"It’s over, it’s over! We’re surrounded!" Evan led Holly and the others in a quick retreat back to Flora Bloom’s position. Several of the women in his group suddenly burst into tears, their legs trembling so hard they collapsed, plopping onto the ground and wiping their eyes with dirty hands.

Seeing this, Flora Bloom shouted, "We’re retreating into the forest!"

Upon hearing Flora Bloom’s words, the first person to run over was Cynthia Grant, then Charles Sawyer, followed by Evan. In the end, everyone except for the three Koreans was standing by Flora Bloom’s side, preparing to retreat into the forest.

"Are you crazy? Have you forgotten what’s in that forest?"

Sienna Kensington shouted, her petite face twisted in fear, making her look completely helpless.

"No one’s asking you to come with us." Flora Bloom paid her no mind. With a single command, Vert and the golden cicada flew from their position over Highway 320 to survey the situation above the forest.