Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Lin An stood behind Wu Shuangxue, shoulders hunched, holding a dog, his timid and quiet figure starkly contrasting the chaotic, blood-stained battlefield.

Truthfully, Lin An felt his ability wasn't well developed, his most adept skill being a water tornado that could instantly rip the zombies caught in it to pieces, a "cleaning method" he had mastered unconsciously.

But now, with zombies amidst the crowd, almost every zombie surrounded by people, he lacked confidence to use the water tornado without endangering those around him.

Hence, after hesitating, Lin An switched to a different approach.

At this moment, everyone's focus was on the zombies; even if someone noticed Lin An, they would only see his extreme timidity and quickly look away.

Lin An stood quietly, his gaze subtly lifting, his crimson eyes calmly observing the zombie closest to them from beneath his hair. It was a muscular, powerful zombie, with especially strong legs and arms. Next to it, Udo looked tiny, as if one blow would reduce her to a bloody pulp.

"Wuduo looked up at the towering zombie, devoid of fear. She had seen all sorts of zombies - like pools of mud, ones with endlessly extending limbs, and even bloodied, furless zombie animals. Just one look at these could shatter the psyche of an ordinary person."

At least this zombie retained a human form, albeit a more robust one. In fact, if there were a zombie beauty contest, this one might rank highly.

All these thoughts flashed through Udo's mind in an instant. She never underestimated any zombie, gripping her razor-sharp knife firmly, she struck at the zombie without changing her expression.

The zombie didn't dodge. It had encountered too many humans attacking it with knives; even the sharpest blades were mere toys to it, its body as tough as steel and iron, unafraid of any weapon. Only a few humans' abilities made it slightly cautious.

But when the pristine white blade cut through the grey skin and reached the flesh and veins, the zombie's blood-red eyes widened in disbelief at its own wound. Its proud, strong body was easily sliced into, not deadly but enough to infuriate the zombie. It glared at Udo, a seemingly insignificant human, a mere piece of food, daring to wound it.

The zombie roared, its mouth opening wide, its turbid eyes full of malice and anger. In the next moment, its black, blood-stained claws fiercely swiped at the small human before it, intent on ripping her apart.

But before it could touch her, the grey arm drooped powerlessly as if crushed by a heavy weight.

The once-strong arm shriveled significantly, and other parts of its body began to "shrink" as well. Its tight skin became wrinkled and saggy. The zombie couldn't react to what was happening to its body before the smaller human in front of it decapitated it with a single strike.

The zombie's transformation was over in an instant. Udo, noticing the anomaly, seized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. Watching the zombie's body struggle and convulse in the sand, even without a head, Udo quickly finished it off. Only when the zombie was undoubtedly dead did she look up at Lin An, who was behind Granny Wu, and gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin An's eyes sparkled, bolstered by his coordination with Udo.

Although his ability to extract moisture was limited in range, it was ideal as it neither harmed his teammates nor drew attention. He simply had to stand there, drawing moisture from the zombies around him, weakening their combat capabilities.

For someone with social anxiety, this was a perfect solution.

Lin An stood there quietly, and wherever his gaze fell, the moisture in the zombies' bodies continuously drained away. Their once steel-like bodies seemed to deflate

"A cool breeze with a hint of moisture swept across the dry desert, ephemeral and refreshing."

"He engaged in the battle in his own way, facing the fight head-on."

"Only among his companions did Lin An let his guard down, coordinating with their abilities to slaughter the zombies. Shen Xiuzhe had noticed this when he incinerated the first zombie, but he only made his flames brighter and more splendid, covering up the zombies rapidly dehydrating and turning into mummies in the fire."

"Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong also noticed the change in the zombies. Weakened in combat strength, the zombies were no match for their coordinated takedown. Grandma Wu, appearing absent-minded, was actually manipulating the approaching zombies, slowing their pace and controlling their movements."

"Only Xiao Fu was held back from running around, but it had long grown accustomed to everyone's actions during zombie fights, sitting obediently next to Lin An."

"The darkness of night provided excellent camouflage. The supernatural beings had strong night vision, yet their intense focus in battle made them oblivious to the subtle anomalies around them."

"Their long-standing battles with zombies had taught them one critical lesson: any distraction could lead to death."

"After Shen Xiuzhe and his group engaged, others nearby also began to fight."

"They were stronger than the front-line supernatural beings, ensuring no zombie broke through the defenses to enter the town behind them."

"An A-class supernatural being had just slain a zombie charging at him. Observing the dismembered corpse, he looked slightly puzzled. The zombies today seemed... weaker?"

"Shifting his gaze upward, the bloodstains and fallen supernatural beings outside the low city walls indicated the usual ferocity of the zombies. Yet, he had killed this one using only a third of his power."

"He didn't dwell on this thought for long, as the next zombie was already upon him."

"Perhaps it was due to the increase in his powers from frequently killing zombies."

"By midnight, the clamor of battle gradually ceased, leaving behind a landscape scarred by combat. Despite tonight's increased zombie numbers, they had held their human stronghold."

"After initial severe human casualties, there were almost no deaths later in the night. Among the fighting supernatural beings, Shen Xiuzhe and his companions stood out remarkably."

"As newcomers who had just entered the Desert's Eye that day, their all A-class abilities had already drawn attention. Many watched their defense of the city that night, curious about their combat strength."

"And they were indeed formidable. Every approaching zombie was killed, often without even leaving whole corpses. Later, zombies even deliberately avoided their area. But these individuals were not only strong in close combat; their long-range attacks were also not to be underestimated."

"As is well known, the use of supernatural abilities is related to distance. The lowest-level abilities require physical contact to be effective. As abilities strengthen, the controllable distance increases. The fire user among them, just by standing in place, could incinerate distant zombies to ashes, a feat unmatched by other fire users of the same level."

"If these individuals could be recruited, their combat power would significantly enhance."

"'Who are those people?' asked a tall man in a grey robe, his smoke-grey eyes cold and indifferent. Although far from Shen Xiuzhe and his group, the sudden bursts of platinum flames had certainly caught his attention. He knew of no other fire users with such strength."

"As soon as the man spoke, a cat-eyed youth beside him quickly replied, 'They're supernatural beings who arrived today, six in total, all A-class.'"

"'All A-class?' The man's tone rose slightly in surprise, though his face remained expressionless."

"'Yes, several teams are considering recruiting them, and our people are already making moves.' Even though his team had numerous A-class and even an S-class leader, the potential absorption of such a powerful group by another team was somewhat troubling."

In the Eye of the Desert, teams restrain each other; the stronger the team, the greater their influence and the more resources they can acquire. Whichever team these newcomers join will instantly alter the current situation.

"Do you know the name of that pyrokinetic?" The man felt a sense of familiarity with that figure.

The boy with cat-like eyes standing beside him frowned slightly: "I'll go ask."

Each team has members dedicated to gathering intelligence. These individuals might not have strong abilities, but they spare no effort in uncovering rumors, and tracking the movements of other teams.

The boy with cat eyes found their team's intelligence gatherer, clarified all information about the newcomers, and then approached the team leader.

"That pyrokinetic is named Shen Xiuzhe."

"Shen Xiuzhe?" The man, usually expressionless, showed a hint of emotion, surprising the cat-eyed boy. Did their leader know him?

The man, with his grey eyes, stared at Shen Xiuzhe for a while before suddenly turning and walking towards him.

"Leader," the cat-eyed boy quickly followed, intrigued to see his leader take interest in someone.

Shen Xiuzhe, who was talking to his teammates and checking if they were injured, looked up upon noticing someone approaching. Recognizing the grey-robed man, he raised an eyebrow: "Lu Li?"

Xu Fang and the others were surprised that Shen Xiuzhe knew someone here, eyeing the man called Lu Li. He was quite tall, probably over 1.9 meters, with ash-grey eyes that seemed cold and aloof, exuding an air of detachment that made others keep their distance.

He was followed by a dozen or so people, looking like they were there to start trouble.

Upon being recognized, Lu Li replied coolly, "Didn't expect you to still be alive."

Compared to Lu Li's detachment, Shen Xiuzhe's profound features and his fierce phoenix eyes seemed more aggressive. He smirked slightly: "As long as you're alive, how could I possibly die?"

Just these few words put both groups on edge, ready for conflict.