After the incident with Song Chen, Xie Qi gradually gained the recognition and acceptance of the others. Even Lu Muyang, who had previously looked down on him the most, changed his attitude and stopped going out of his way to cause trouble for him.
However, because Xie Qi always maintained a completely indifferent attitude, seeming to have no interest in anything, the other team members misinterpreted his behavior. They assumed that Xie Qi was acting this way because his physical condition had deteriorated after saving Song Chen.
Moreover, because Xie Qi lacked any supernatural abilities and was both physically weak and fastidious about cleanliness, he appeared exceptionally fragile within the team. He effectively became the team’s top-priority protection target, a veritable "national treasure" of the group.
To borrow Lu Muyang’s words: "Duh, of course we have to protect him. Look at how his brother dotes on him—he might as well be his future sister-in-law!"
In reality, Xie Qi was simply too lazy to move. If his supernatural abilities were excluded, no one in the entire team could actually beat him in a fight; after all, his reputation as a former school bully wasn't just for show.
Two days later, as the group continued their journey, they drew closer to the base.
Suddenly, while they were moving forward, they heard cries for help echoing from a distance. The sounds were intermittent, with more than one person shouting for their lives.
They followed the sound and discovered a building where many people were trapped. The survivors were frantically pounding on the glass doors and windows, screaming at the top of their lungs, while outside the building, a crowd of twisted, terrifying zombies had gathered.
When Yu Tian saw that these were merely low-level, ordinary zombies, his fighting spirit ignited. Unable to suppress his impulse, he looked at Lu Ze with a firm, confident expression and said, "Captain, let me handle this! It's a perfect chance to test the extent of my improved abilities."
After carefully observing the situation and confirming there was no major danger, Lu Ze nodded in agreement. With their current strength, dealing with these low-level zombies was an effortless task.
Having received the Captain's permission, Yu Tian stepped forward without hesitation. His movements were as light and agile as a panther. At the same time, he channeled his power, causing metallic objects to sharpen into lethal weapons under his control. Wherever he went, the metal pierced the zombies' brains like lightning. With a series of dull thuds, the zombies collapsed one after another.
Before long, all the zombies surrounding the entrance had been wiped out by Yu Tian.
Lu Ze and the others climbed out of their vehicle. As they reached the entrance and considered how to enter the building, the door was suddenly opened from the inside. They walked in without fear.
Once inside, however, they noticed that neither the ordinary people nor the ability users showed any signs of joy at being rescued.
While they were still puzzled, an ability user approached them, staring intensely at Xie Qi and choosing him as the target for conversation.
"Don't be nervous, we mean no harm," the man said to Xie Qi in a calm tone. "We just hope to ask for your help with something." He added, "Don't worry, once it's done, there will naturally be rewards for you."
When Xie Qi saw the hand extended toward him, waiting for a response, he pointed at himself and asked with surprise and confusion, "Are you asking me? I'm just an ordinary person. And I only listen to our Captain."
The moment the words left his lips, an expression of disbelief appeared on the other man's face, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"
Among the entire team, Xie Qi’s attire was the most eye-catching. Wearing sunglasses and immaculately clean clothes, he stood in stark contrast to everyone else around him. How could anyone believe he was just a mundane, ordinary person?
Just then, Wang Wencheng noticed Lu Ze shielding Xie Qi behind him, and he suddenly had a realization. He had initially held a sliver of respect for Xie Qi, but his gaze now shifted subtly, changing from respect to deep contempt. To him, someone like Xie Qi—a "dodder flower" who could only survive by clinging to the strong—wasn't worthy of his respect.
Lu Ze saw the disgusting look the man gave Xie Qi and simply ignored him, taking Xie Qi’s hand and turning to leave.
"We’re leaving!"
Upon hearing the Captain, Song Chen and the others followed without hesitation.
However, seeing that these people gave him no face at all, Wang Wencheng suddenly broke into a wild laugh. "I’m afraid you won’t be leaving. It would be better to just cooperate with us, hahahaha..."
The group felt a bit suspicious, but they didn't pay much attention, dismissing his words as empty boasting.
But the moment they stepped out of the front door, the road, which had only a few zombies moments ago, was suddenly flooded with a dense, surging tide of them. They rushed toward the group at breakneck speed.
Seeing this, Lu Ze immediately shouted, "Fall back!"
Although their ability levels were far higher than others thanks to Xie Qi's help, they still felt overwhelmed when facing a horde of thousands of rushing zombies. Worse still, these zombies seemed to be controlled by someone; their strength and persistence were far beyond expectations.
With no other choice, they were forced to retreat back into the building. Only then did they finally understand why the people inside had acted the way they did.
"You dare to play us?!" Lu Muyang roared in anger. He threw a punch, sending Wang Wencheng flying several meters until he slammed heavily against the wall.
Xie Qi, witnessing this shocking scene, looked at Lu Muyang in astonishment before turning his gaze to Wang Wencheng. He clearly remembered that the last time Lu Muyang had said that, it had also been because of him.
At that moment, another ability user approached. He was tall, muscular, and walked with steady, powerful strides, his eyes revealing determination.
Hua Wu stepped in front of them and introduced himself: "Hello, my name is Hua Wu. You’ve surely seen the situation by now. If we don’t join forces, it will be very difficult for any of us to escape."
Lu Ze looked at Hua Wu vigilantly and asked, "Are you threatening me?"
"No, no, you’ve misunderstood. We just want you to cooperate with us."
"For what purpose?"
Hua Wu answered frankly, "Our goal is simple: to get out alive."
Hua Wu then explained their predicament in detail. It turned out that the building had inexplicably become a cage that one could enter but not leave. The culprit was a zombie with immense psychic power, possessing intelligence akin to a human’s.
It used the horde of low-level zombies to surround the building, attracting survivors. Once people entered, they would be met with a frenzied assault from the horde the moment they tried to leave. Even more eerily, the zombie seemed to treat humans like clowns; once they entered the building, it would stop the attacks. It was as if its only goal was to trap them there and watch them die slowly in fear and despair.