Chapter Seventy-Nine

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Lu Li was incredibly powerful, ranking among the top in the Desert's Eye. If he faced a few special-type zombies alone, he would still stand a chance in battle.

But the special-type zombies they could see numbered in the dozens, and all his companions were only A-level supernatural beings, no match for these special zombies.

On seeing so many special-type zombies at the energy storage site, Lu Li immediately decided to retreat, but by then it was too late.

The zombies had already noticed them.

Others stepped forward to deal with the temporarily frozen zombies, while Lin An hesitated before checking on Lu Li, who had suddenly collapsed backward.

Thus, they had no choice but to fight.

Lu Li had to not only kill the zombies but also protect his teammates, making the fight incredibly tough.

Whether as an explorer or a team leader, he would not abandon his companions.

These people had known the dangers of the dunes yet still chose to trust and follow him, so he was determined to protect them at all costs.

At least he had to ensure his teammates survived and left alive.

Lu Li gathered everyone together to resist the encircling zombies, while he used his lightning-based supernatural abilities to kill the zombies as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, Lu Li and his teammates worked together seamlessly, and the information about special-type zombies they had received from Shen Xiuzhe helped them hold out for a long time.

But the zombies seemed endless, and Lu Li's supernatural abilities were nearly exhausted.

In the final moment, Lu Li unleashed all his abilities to carve a path of survival for his comrades.

Thick, purple lightning tore through the air with immense force, darkening the clear sky. Everything within sight was devoured by the lightning, instantly turning the surrounding zombies into charred remains with its astonishing power.

Yet, he still failed. His strongest strike only killed half of the zombies. The rest, undeterred by the corpses of their kind, surged forward again, giving no respite.

Lu Li felt a sense of despair; he couldn't save himself, let alone his companions.

His brain grew foggy, his body ached under the unbearable strain, and his vision blurred.

In the last moments before collapsing, Lu Li saw a hallucination. He saw the ferocious zombies around him suddenly stop, as if time had paused.

And in his daze, a figure appeared before him.

He lay on the ground, slowly blinking his eyes.

Lu Li saw a young man squatting in front of him. The stark contrast between his jet-black, smooth short hair and his snow-white skin resembled a striking ink painting, accentuating his clear and pure features.

A pair of crimson eyes, similar to those of the zombies but completely different in expression, clear and pristine, like the purest rubies.

Bathed in sunlight, the figure behind him shimmered with tiny, translucent sparkles, converging behind him to form a pair of ethereal wings, like an angel descended from heaven, gazing at him with tender concern.

Lu Li gave what he thought was a charming smile to the angel and then closed his eyes contentedly, seemingly accepting his fate.

Seeing an angel after death, did that mean he had reached heaven?

His life seemed too short. He hadn't even experienced love. He wondered if angels fell in love. Could one even pursue romance after death? If he managed to woo an angel, wouldn't that surpass Shen Xiuzhe?

And this angel was truly beautiful, undoubtedly a thousand times more attractive than Lin An, whose face he had never clearly seen.

Lu Li passed out.

All these were Lu Li's fanciful thoughts. In reality... when Shen Xiuzhe and others arrived, Lu Li had already unleashed his strongest attack, and he and his teammates were on the brink of being devoured by zombies.

Lin An immediately activated his abilities, encasing all the zombies in ice.

Squatting beside Lu Li, Lin An tried to see if he was okay. The man was clearly lying on the ground but kept his eyes fixed on Lin An.

Lin An: "......"

As Lin An's gaze wandered, mustering up the courage to ask how the other felt, he saw Lu Li suddenly give him a strange smile, then faint.

"Why... why is he smiling so weirdly? Is something wrong with me?"

Realizing that Lu Li's breathing was stable and he was merely exhausted from overusing his ability, Lin An quickly checked himself for any issues.

After all, for someone with social anxiety, compliance was the norm. Rejecting someone, especially a child, was an incredibly difficult task.

Lin An was taken aback to see himself covered in dust and blood stains, a mess he hadn't noticed earlier.

Since living alone, he had never been this dirty.

The realization struck him with shock.

Lin An stood frozen, speechless.

After a while, Lin An promptly cleaned himself with his abilities, meticulously covering every corner, quickly regaining his clean and tidy appearance.

So, was Lu Li laughing at him for being too dirty just now?

Lin An couldn't think of any other reason for Lu Li's laughter. For someone with social anxiety, a single glance, an ambiguous remark, or an odd smile from others could cause great unease, fearing they had done something wrong.

After Shen Xiuzhe cleared the surrounding zombies,

He turned to see Lin An squatting in a corner, withdrawn, like a lifeless mushroom.

Xu Fang went to comfort Lu Li's companions, fetching energy sources, while Shen Xiuzhe strode towards Lin An. He was about to tousle his hair but stopped three steps away, realizing he was dirty.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Lin An looked up hesitantly, "I was so dirty just now."

He was embarrassed to admit thinking Lu Li might have been mocking him. It was just a guess; perhaps the other had smiled unconsciously, but it was hard not to care.

Shen Xiuzhe chuckled, raising his hand for Lin An to see, "Aren't I dirtier now?"

Indeed, Shen Xiuzhe had just slain more zombies, his clothes layered with blood, looking filthy and disheveled.

Forgetting his gloom, Lin An stood up, "I'll tend to your wounds. You can't move with so many injuries."

Shen Xiuzhe's arm was bleeding profusely from a recent cut.

Anxiously searching for a medical kit, Lin An realized all their medical tools were in Udo's space. He had nothing.

"…I'll use my powers to freeze the more heavily bleeding areas first, then bandage them later." Lin An carefully lifted the torn clothes, then meticulously sealed the wounds with ice.

Shen Xiuzhe watched Lin An, who was looking down. The soft gasps at the sight of the wounds revealed his furrowed brows and anxious concern.

Moreover, Lin An seemed unaware of his own dirtiness. Months ago, Lin An's first reaction would have been to clean up, but now he ignored the filth to tend to Shen Xiuzhe's wounds first.

This reflected Lin An's less severe obsession with cleanliness and, perhaps, Shen Xiuzhe's growing importance over his cleanliness fixation.

Shen Xiuzhe felt content despite the pain and wounds covering his body; his heart was inexplicably tender.

"Does it hurt?" Lin An asked with genuine concern. He feared pain and felt discomfort just seeing the extent of the injuries. While he could handle his own pain, the sight of others' wounds, especially those gory and bleeding, felt unbearable, almost more painful than for the sufferer.

When Lin An looked up, Shen Xiuzhe immediately frowned and sighed, "It hurts a lot."

"Then I'll be gentler."

At a distance, Grandma Wu watched expressionlessly. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, with others, went to fetch energy sources. Only she, a comatose man on the ground, and the two seemingly oblivious youths remained.

"Hey~~~ Can you stop flirting and notice the zombies coming? It's just me, an old lady, fending them off while you two are all lovey-dovey, touching each other. How about showing some respect for the elderly first?" Grandma Wu shouted with evident annoyance.

Her voice was loud, echoing through the surroundings.

Likely, those inside the warehouse fetching energy sources heard her.

Like a timid mouse peeking out of a hole, Lin An immediately retreated at the slightest noise. Grandma Wu's blunt words were like a bolt from the blue to him, thin-skinned as he was, and he swiftly withdrew his hand.

No, that's not right. He was just treating a wound. Why feel guilty?

Shen Xiuzhe turned expressionlessly towards Grandma Wu, who, unapologetically pointing at the horde of zombies behind her, said, "Work first. I'll even officiate your wedding when we get back."

Shen Xiuzhe: ...Fine.

As some fought the unending waves of zombies outside, Xu Fang and his team successfully secured the energy sources. They left the small dune town with the injured and unconscious Lu Li, meeting up with their waiting allies.

Udo was among them.

Previously, everyone had fled together, but the zombie was too strong. Concerned, Grandma Wu wanted to return. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong felt the same. Despite their lesser abilities compared to Shen Xiuzhe and Lin An, they wanted to stand with their companions against the crisis until the end.

Udo also wanted to stay, but she knew her responsibilities were paramount.

In case... if no one returned, she had to take the meteorite back to Baize City.

Now that grandma was conscious, Udo respected her decision, whether to stay or leave. She understood her grandmother's stubbornness and pride as an explorer, who would never abandon her companions.

As Udo anxiously counted the seconds, finally, everyone emerged.

Not one was missing.

Though Lu Li was unconscious, they all knew what had to be done.

Lu Li's teammates removed all the heavy weapons from the vehicle, setting them up on the ground.

Meanwhile, under the town square, a mass of intertwined "hair strands" writhed, slowly separating and twisting towards different directions underground.

The energy sources were loaded into the weapons, initiating their countdown.

"Leave no spot unchecked, especially the center. Fire extra there. The stronger the zombies, the more we kill, the fewer human losses," Shen Xiuzhe instructed, looking towards the town.

Lu Li's teammates, knowing they owed their rescue to him, naturally followed Shen Xiuzhe's lead in their leaderless state, without any objections.

"All set, prepare to launch!"

Underground, the hair-like strands continued seeking hosts to parasitize. Though weakened, they could still recover by devouring enough humans and zombies.

Projectiles were launched, exploding upon contact with various parts of the town.

The Zombie Emperor's avatars were numerous, and even a single surviving strand could resurrect it. However, this was not to be; the soft sand was churned by the powerful blasts and waves of heat, incinerating the fragile strands, leaving no trace.

Every avatar of the Zombie Emperor perished, eliminating any possibility of resurrection.

Lin An, Shen Xiuzhe, and the others stood a kilometer away from the town, watching as the dune town was bombarded, a huge sound accompanying the rising dust-yellow mushroom clouds.

The artillery fire was relentless, many zombies unaware of what was happening were blasted to death.

Yet, some stubbornly survived.

And these zombies were what they would have to gradually clear out later; their task for today was already complete.

Only after firing off all the artillery shells in one go did Shen Xiuzhe and the others drive towards the Eye of the Desert.