People in the cave looked at them with some caution.
"Apologies for the intrusion," Qin Mingyang straightened his collar, a signature smile on his face, looking at the cave dwellers with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"We are just passing by, heading to the capital base, and would like to spend the night here. We hope everyone can get along." With that, he waved his hand, and his subordinate, Shuicheng, took out a pile of food from storage, signaling that it could be shared with others.
This was not the first time he had done this. Most people they encountered were very willing, and even grateful.
However, the group in front of them clearly wasn't swayed by this.
The bearded man in the lead glanced at him with a hint of mockery. "You're still so well-dressed in the apocalypse. You look like a young master who's never suffered."
Qin Mingyang's face instantly froze, the warmth in his eyes chilling slightly. "If you feel the supplies are insufficient, we can discuss it further. These are minor matters. Supplies are plentiful for us." He was quite adept at being arrogant.
"Pfft." The man let out a slightly amused laugh.
"We are all survivors, and we won't make things difficult for you. As long as we can check your physical condition and confirm you are not infected, staying overnight is fine."
He simply found it amusing. How many people had survived until now through their own abilities? Who didn't have food?
Just because they had food, they thought it was a handout to others; that attitude was truly laughable.
"If that's the case, thank you. Please accept this food." Qin Mingyang, seeing the other party agree, breathed a sigh of relief.
Wouldn't that make Luo Xiaole look down on him?
Luo Xiaole and the others followed them into the massive cave.
There were about forty to fifty people inside. Although there were only a few ability users, the overall aura made Luo Xiaole inexplicably feel that this large group was quite capable in combat.
After all, for so many people to have survived in this group was already a miracle in the apocalypse!
After the mutual checks were complete, confirming no one was infected.
"You can rest over there. It's less windy and less likely to catch a chill." The rough-looking man, despite his appearance, showed a meticulous side.
"Then we thank you for now." Qin Mingyang maintained his fake smile, expressing his gratitude like a leader.
As Luo Xiaole passed by, the rough-looking man cast a glance at her.
However, his gaze lacked the mockery he had directed at Qin Mingyang. If a girl in a group lacked ability, she wouldn't be able to stand so upright.
He was rather curious; how had this seemingly frail girl managed to survive in this cannibalistic apocalypse?
...
The wind howled fiercely in the middle of the night.
The rough-looking man's large group and Luo Xiaole's group had assigned people to take turns on guard duty.
"Hoo—" Amidst the sound of the wind, a hint of something unusual could be detected.
The rough-looking man immediately became alert. His hearing was excellent. Something was approaching the cave, using the wind as cover.
"There are ten zombies." A clear female voice suddenly reached his ears.
It was that little sprout.
"What?" He was surprised. How could she be so accurate? This girl's ability was detection...
He suddenly understood. If a team had such a detector, their dangers would be greatly reduced. No wonder this girl could establish herself in the group.
"Xiao Lin, Xiao Qin, be on guard." The rough-looking man had high authority. The two immediately brought their weapons and surrounded him.
"Three o'clock direction." Their eyes glinted with intelligence as they moved to surround that direction.
Luo Xiaole squinted her eyes, watching with satisfaction as the few of them quickly dispatched the ten minor zombies with swift strikes.
Not bad. These people were efficient and decisive in their combat, not dragging things out. They were good prospects for the apocalypse.
It was as she had expected.
"Thank you." The rough-looking man and his group, having dealt with the zombies, smiled at Luo Xiaole.
They were straightforward people and found Luo Xiaole, who wasn't pretentious, much more agreeable than hypocrites like Qin Mingyang.
"You're welcome, I didn't help much."
The rough-looking man and his group were taken aback. She was actually humble! Excellent!
Luo Xiaole, with sleepy eyes, yawned and went back to sleep after Chen Xiaolin took over the night watch.
Less than ten minutes later, she jolted awake again...
"Something's not right..." Why could she inexplicably smell that monster's scent?
She had been fighting monsters daily recently and had become a "monster expert." Was she hallucinating?
Why was the smell getting closer?
At the same time, the rough-looking man and a few others from the group had gone just outside the cave to relieve themselves.
They felt a shadow growing larger and closer.
The monster appeared, its massive form directly blocking the moonlight in the sky.
Fear and the despair of death enveloped everyone in an instant.
They had heard the warnings from the capital base, but they never expected to be attacked by this "Zombie King" so soon.
The monster's saliva alone quickly formed a large puddle at their feet.
With such a disparity in strength, how could they possibly fight it!
"Attack... attack!" The rough-looking man made a final struggle.
All their psychic attacks were unleashed simultaneously!
"Th-they were all blocked..."
"Run!" the rough-looking man shouted again.
The few of them turned and ran back, but a ball of fire shot out from the monster. Although it didn't hit them directly, the impact on their backs sent them flying further away...
Despair filled their faces, and their limbs involuntarily stiffened. They had used all their might, yet they were still... like moths to a flame?
The mental blow was too immense...
"What's wrong? All disheartened?" Luo Xiaole's light laugh echoed.
"Sister, we... we can't win. Hurry back! Hide in the cave, you might still survive!" The few of them shouted desperately.
"Don't be like that. How will you know if you don't try?" Luo Xiaole picked at her ear.
"Huahua." She called out softly.
"Giant... Giant Man-eating Flower!" The few of them exclaimed.
Using monsters to fight monsters? Using magic to fight magic?
So she had such a powerful pet! And she was a puppet ability user...
Their eyes were filled with shock.
However, in the next second, their mouths gaped in even greater astonishment...
Luo Xiaole, like a berserk loli, pulled out a large number of guns and cannons from who-knew-where, "bang," and tossed them onto the ground.
She even threw a few to the man-eating flower...
What... what was this development?!
Familiarity breeds skill. Luo Xiaole no longer needed to think when dealing with this monster; it was like muscle memory.
"Huahua, let's see who makes it fall first?"
Amidst the rain of bullets and cannon fire, the group could only see Luo Xiaole, a lollipop in her mouth, leisurely and skillfully operating the guns and cannons, competing with the man-eating flower, firing shots and cannons at the monster's figure...
Illuminated by the monster's raging flames, she was like a rose blooming in the midst of war.
Appearing delicate, but actually thorny and incredibly fierce!
"Splash..." A pool of sludge appeared once more...
Luo Xiaole clapped her hands in satisfaction, then removed her lollipop.
"Good job, Huahua, it's a draw this time. We're done."
The man-eating flower excitedly twitched its tentacles, its master had praised it!
Luo Xiaole turned to leave.
"Wait, Goddess!" The rough-looking man and the others called out anxiously.
"Your weapons, do you perhaps have any spares you could sell us? Money is no object!"