Chapter 141: Withdrawal

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Withdrawal

After some fuss, they confirmed that the injuries of Kevin Keane and the other two were completely fine. The group checked the time and saw it was almost 3:30 in the afternoon. They quickly packed up and headed downstairs, ready to evacuate.

"We’ll head in the opposite direction of the mushroom. If we can’t afford to provoke it, we can afford to hide from it. A wise person avoids unnecessary danger. I’m not being a coward, though!" Luna Dawson said indistinctly, a cheese stick dangling from her mouth.

Kevin Keane looked at the map and turned to discuss it with her. "There’s a logistics transit station ten kilometers away. Should we rest there?"

Luna didn’t even look at the map. She nodded and agreed, "Anything works. It’s up to you."

Hearing this, Kevin felt an instant surge of joy.

The route remained the same. Vegetation grew wildly without end, with vines, weeds, and various flowers tangled together, taking up more than half the street.

Ignoring the zombies with their guts spilling out nearby, it truly possessed a breathtaking, thrilling beauty.

Luna’s spirits lifted. She pulled out a camera and dragged the others over to take photos, especially the three girls. She took quite a few shots, muttering, "Even in the apocalypse, we need to capture the best moments of our lives!"

There were indeed many zombies in the urban area. Fortunately, luck was on their side. About half of the zombies were tightly bound by the plants, only able to flail blindly, completely unable to move.

They howled, throwing superpowers at the group. Fireballs, ice blades, small electrical sparks, and little earth spikes flew everywhere. However, before they could even reach the group, the attacks lost their momentum and vanished into thin air.

What was even funnier was that many zombies stepped on the slippery moss and ice, unable to stand steady. They stumbled and slipped in place, looking like they were performing a comical dance. The group couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

The group didn’t waste any time. Using the plants as cover, they zigzagged forward, effortlessly dispatching the "free delivery" zombies that stumbled into their path.

After about two hours, night slowly fell. They finally walked out of that overgrown area, having covered two or three kilometers in total.

The harvest from this trip was quite substantial. They didn’t encounter anything above the Fourth Rank. With Little Sweet Potato and Rollo around, the group slaughtered zombies as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Even the Sullivan siblings harvested one or two hundred Crystal Cores, effortlessly making a massive profit.

Seeing that the field of vision ahead had opened up, Luna immediately took out the Marauder vehicle from her space. "Hurry up and get in! We’re heading straight to the Ninth District Logistics Park!"

They quickly hopped into the vehicle. Kevin slammed on the gas pedal, and the car sped away.

---

Inside a row of shops in the Ninth District, Jasper Payne and his group hid in the leasing office on the second floor.

Earlier in the dense forest, they had seen many zombies restrained by vegetation. Treating it like they had hit the jackpot, they slaughtered them frantically. Everyone became even more convinced by Jasper’s words: they could only gain a richer harvest by venturing deeper!

The group painstakingly approached and killed the zombies. In just a few hours, they obtained two to three hundred First and Second Order Crystal Cores. This was an unimaginable amount before!

Just as everyone was enjoying the thrill of the slaughter, a Third-tier Thunder System female zombie suddenly darted out, cradling a zombie infant in her arms.

At the time, they were taking the opportunity to frantically stuff supplies into their backpacks at a nearby convenience store, leaving only two team members outside to keep watch. The female zombie stood on a tree trunk over twenty meters away and silently unleashed a Thunder Snake.

CRACK! One of the male team members was struck, instantly turning into a charred corpse before collapsing to the ground!

A burnt smell permeated the air, scaring the wits out of everyone in an instant!

Eliza Hale, the other female team member keeping watch, let out a scream and slumped to the ground in terror. Hearing the noise, the people inside the convenience store immediately shouldered their backpacks and rushed out.

Jasper looked over from a distance. Unable to sense the female zombie’s rank, he knew immediately that she was a monster they couldn’t afford to provoke!

Looking at his fallen team member’s corpse, he steeled his heart, quickly dug out the man’s Crystal Core, and dragged Eliza toward the car. After all, as a Water Ability User, she was indispensable to the team. With his right arm, he didn’t forget to scoop up Yolanda Kramer, hurriedly pushing both women into the vehicle. The two off-road vehicles sped off rapidly in the direction of the overpass.

Seeing her prey about to escape, the female zombie, who had been standing on the large tree, leaped straight down with the bruised, livid-skinned infant in her arms and sprinted after them like a maniac.

It was clearly visible in the rearview mirror. The female zombie had her massive mouth stretched all the way to the base of her ears. Inside were densely packed sharp fangs, with dark red shreds of flesh faintly hanging between the gaps in her teeth.

A terrifying vertical tear, thirty to forty centimeters long, marred her lower abdomen. As she ran intensely, the wound continued to split apart, creating a sight that made everyone’s stomach churn.

Sitting in the rear vehicle, Shay Kramer happened to turn her head and look back. The moment she caught sight of this horrifying scene, a piercing, bone-deep chill instantly shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making all the hairs on her body stand on end!

She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out. Only one thought remained in her mind: "I shouldn’t have come. The sights in this Containment Zone are simply too terrifying!"

Jasper and the others didn’t know how long they had been driving. Seeing the sky darken, they hurriedly parked the cars in the leeward area of a row of shops off the overpass. The group slaughtered the dozen or so zombies nearby and went up to the second floor.

The trunks of both cars were packed with supplies, and everyone carried a backpack. Because Quentin Miller had died, the eight-person team was now reduced to seven: three women and four men.

Because they were near the Northcrest Ring, which was mostly outbound highways, there usually weren’t many people around, meaning there were fewer zombies now. They planned to hide out for the night and set off on their return journey tomorrow. After all, this trip had indeed yielded a bountiful harvest.

"What was that sound just now?"

Jesse Payne looked out through the window, but some trees blocked his view of the distance.

After more than half a month of recuperation, coupled with his brother spending quite a few Crystal Cores to hire an official Healing Ability User to treat his injured leg, he was recovering quite well. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t even notice the slight limp in his step.

Standing nearby, Shay said, "I can’t see clearly. It sounds a bit like a car. Could someone be coming over?"

"Please don’t come over," Henry Hayes hastily waved his hand. "We finally managed to shake off that female zombie. What if they lure her back?"

He then turned to look at Jasper and said, "Who knows where that female zombie is. I’m really terrified that she’ll be waiting for us nearby the moment we step out tomorrow morning."

Jasper’s expression was incredibly grim. What was supposed to be a smooth supply run outside the district had unexpectedly led to an encounter with a Third-tier Zombie. Considering he had only advanced to the Second Order about half a month ago, the zombies were truly evolving way too fast!

Right now, their team only had seven people. Their bodyguard, Jackson Carter, and Shay were both non-ability users, while Eliza was only a First Order Water Ability User with absolutely no combat prowess.

Only Kurt Spencer’s Speed Ability and Henry’s Wood Ability provided some combat strength. Fortunately, Yolanda, Henry, and the two Payne brothers were all at the Second Order, so it shouldn’t be too big of an issue.

Although Jackson didn’t have a superpower, his physical fitness was exceptional. From their evacuation of the urban area until now, he had participated in multiple breakthroughs and supply gathering runs. His combat effectiveness was very strong, no less than that of many Superpower Users below the Second Order.

Jasper thought for a moment before frowning and speaking up. "I don’t know. It might be a good thing if someone comes. They can help draw the potential danger away from us."

Leaning to the side, Yolanda was also incredibly nervous. Even though she had just advanced to the Second Order a week ago, her practical combat experience was pitifully scarce. To this day, she only dared to deal with First Order zombies.

The hideous appearance of that Third-tier female zombie earlier had scared her out of her wits. Her heart had practically leaped out of her chest. Her fingers deadlocked around the arm of her boyfriend, Jasper, her knuckles turning white from the grip.