The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

With a vehicle, they quickly arrived at the bus stop in front of People's Park.

Zombies lurking nearby, drawn by the scent of the living, had already swarmed towards them. By the time the bus stopped, it was practically submerged in a sea of zombies.

The ability users, led by Lou Dian and Qiu Rong, remained unfazed. They kicked the bus doors open, sending the metal doors and the zombies clustered around them flying. Taking advantage of the opening, they jumped off the bus and climbed onto its roof to deal with the surrounding zombies. The others hesitated for a moment, but despite some initial panic, they joined the fight.

After some time, although some were injured, they finally eliminated the surrounding zombies. Before more could arrive, everyone rushed into People's Park. While they regretted not being able to dig out the zombie crystal nuclei, seeing Qiu Rong and Lou Dian's grim expressions, they reluctantly gave up.

They soon reached the woods within the park. The woods weren't particularly large, as it was a park built within the city, and after planning, the area the woods could occupy was limited. However, if the entire woods were perilous, that was a different story.

Standing before the woods, they could see the mutated vines lurking within, poised to strike. They estimated that if they entered, they would be attacked by countless vines.

Qiu Rong observed for a while, then turned to Lou Dian. "Fire conquers wood. Do you think a fire attack would work?"

Lou Dian looked at the sky. It was dry and prone to fire. However, if the fire got out of control, the entire city might suffer, and those trapped within wouldn't fare well either. Moreover, if they cornered the old locust tree, it might resort to mutual destruction, sealing off the city and leaving them with no escape route, which was equally terrifying.

Lou Dian observed for a while longer and said, "Sister-in-law, let's proceed with the original plan for now."

Seeing Lou Dian's hesitation, Qiu Rong nodded thoughtfully. She acknowledged Lou Dian's strength, so when faced with difficult decisions, she usually sought his opinion. If even he had reservations, it was best to proceed cautiously. She didn't believe that with so many of them, they couldn't wear down a tree that couldn't move.

With that thought, Qiu Rong began issuing orders. Offensive ability users were to be at the front, defensive ability users on both sides, and finally, the ability users with weaker abilities. The team entered the woods in a fan formation. Lou Dian, Qiu Rong, and Wang Xin were at the forefront as the main attackers. Lou Ling was behind Lou Dian, focusing on defense, followed by the earth ability users.

As Qiu Rong gave the order to enter the woods, the mutated plants lying in wait also sprang into action. Qiu Rong's fireballs, Wang Xin's lightning, Lou Dian's spatial blades and Tang knife all cleared a path ahead.

In fact, with Lou Dian's own strength, crossing the woods directly wouldn't be a problem. However, now with nearly thirty people, he had to coordinate with the group's actions, and defense could only be entrusted to others. Of course, he had great trust in Lou Ling's abilities and confidently left his rear and flanks to her, only needing to deal with the mutated plants blocking their path.

What was originally a twenty-minute journey took them an hour. By the time they reached the old locust tree, half of them had sustained various injuries.

Qiu Rong examined their injuries, her brow twitching. Several second-tier ability users were severely wounded by the mutated vines. Looking at Lou Ling, who was still full of energy and relatively unscathed despite being only a first-tier ability user, she realized that individual combat power wasn't solely determined by ability level but also by combat experience. Even after half a month of training, these people were still unbearably weak.

Wang Xin also noticed the reason for Qiu Rong's displeasure. His face darkened as he realized that in his attempt to win people over, he had indeed been too lenient with them. Now, when they needed to contribute, they were only just beginning, and half of them had already lost their fighting capacity.

Of course, even if Qiu Rong was dissatisfied with their incompetence, there was nothing she could do. After all, their lives were their own, and at this point, she couldn't control them too much. As they arrived, the mutated locust tree rustled its branches, summoning even more mutated vines to attack them.

The mutated vines flailed in the air. Qiu Rong unleashed fire, Wang Xin struck with lightning, and others used wind blades, earth evasion, and other abilities to protect themselves.

Lou Ling stayed close behind Lou Dian, protected by a mutated vine, only needing to use her knife to deal with those that slipped through the net. She was more composed than the others, not driven into a frantic state. Some people were even caught by the mutated vines, hoisted upside down, and left screaming in mid-air.

Qiu Rong and Wang Xin's attacks were extremely powerful and formed the main fighting force. They had no time to deal with those entangled by the vines until a piercing cry of "Wang Xin" rang out. The sound was like a death knell. Wang Xin glanced over and saw Liu Xia hanging upside down, her foot caught by a mutated vine. She could only cry out to Wang Xin for help.

Wang Xin's face darkened. On a whim, he sent a bolt of lightning towards the vine entangling Liu Xia. The vine snapped, and Liu Xia fell to the ground. However, while he was distracted saving Liu Xia, a nearby vine lashed out, striking his back and sending him flying towards the old locust tree. He crashed into the iron fence surrounding the tree.

"Ah—"

A scream pierced the air. Wang Xin had fallen into the fence at the base of the tree. Where his body touched the tree, he couldn't pull away. His face contorted in agony, and as he screamed, his skin rapidly withered, as if his flesh and blood were being sucked out. Finally, only a layer of skin remained, flattened and limp on the ground.

A living person, just moments ago, was gone, as if he had been devoured by a demon in a ghost story, leaving behind only skin.

Witnessing this scene, everyone was horrified.

Overcome by terror, some ability users broke down, screaming and turning to flee, only to be caught by the waiting mutated vines, hoisted up, and thrown into the iron fence.

"No—I don't want to die—Save me—"

Amidst the person's screams, their body also gradually turned into a husk of skin.

"Sister-in-law, fire attack!" Lou Dian suddenly shouted. He held a plastic bucket and splashed the liquid inside onto the tree.

The smell of eco-friendly oil filled the air. Lou Dian had collected a lot of this oil before the apocalypse. Qiu Rong and two other fire ability users immediately threw fireballs. The fireballs ignited the oil on the tree, and with a whoosh, the flames erupted, engulfing the entire tree. The fire blazed brightly in the sunlight, as if even the air was about to ignite.

"Earth wall!" Lou Dian shouted again.

Three earth ability users quickly absorbed crystal nuclei to replenish their energy while erecting earth walls around the burning tree. This separated the spreading fire from the rest of the woods, preventing the old locust tree from using the fire to destroy the city in a final act of desperation.

While they were busy, the others dealt with the summoned mutated vines. Because the mutated tree was on fire, and fire countered wood, it suffered greatly, frantically summoning surrounding vines for help. It emitted a terrifying, silent mental force that assaulted everyone's minds.

Just as everyone felt a splitting headache, Lou Dian's mental force spread out, alleviating their pain.

Lou Ling also felt her mind clear from the pain, but she didn't dare to let her guard down. She slashed away an attacking vine and noticed Lou Dian's pale face, beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks. She then realized that he was using his mental force to battle the mutated tree, which also possessed mental abilities.

The mutated tree's mental power was greater than Lou Dian's; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to trap him in the city, rendering him helpless. That was why Lou Dian hadn't rashly attacked it before. Now, he could use his mental power to fight it because the tree was on fire and its mental strength was weakened, but it was still a tremendous strain on him.

Lou Ling was extremely anxious. She guarded Lou Dian, preventing the mutated vines from sneaking up on him, while also keeping an eye on the old locust tree. Noticing that the flames on the tree seemed to be weakening, she shouted, "Sister-in-law, the fire is going out!"

Qiu Rong also noticed. Her ability was almost depleted. Gritting her teeth, she began absorbing energy from crystal nuclei to replenish her power and continued to unleash fire. The other two fire ability users did the same.

At this moment, Lou Dian took out two buckets of oil from his spatial storage. He was too exhausted to do anything else. Lou Ling understood his intention, took the buckets, had her mutated ivy hold one, and directed it to pour the oil onto the old locust tree from above. She poured the other bucket around the base of the tree herself.

The fire surged again, burning fiercely.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, making it look as if the area was ablaze from afar. Even the people in the supermarket noticed the fire, making them extremely nervous, fearing the mission's failure.

Lou Dian focused on battling the injured mutated tree with his mental force, entrusting his safety entirely to Lou Ling. His face was as pale as a sheet, but he didn't give up. His mental force formed a net, slowly strangling the old locust tree's mental power, dismantling and devouring the mental barrier that sealed the city bit by bit. This process was long and agonizing, making it difficult for him even to stand.

Lou Ling noticed his condition and had her ivy support him, protecting him on all sides.

The mutated tree burned in the fire, further weakened by Lou Dian's relentless mental assault. It became increasingly feeble, unable to use its mental power to extinguish the flames, allowing the fire to rage even more fiercely.

Suddenly, Lou Dian's body relaxed, and he almost fell backward, saved only by the ivy supporting him.

"Brother!" Lou Ling immediately noticed something was wrong and rushed to support him.

Lou Dian's face was deathly pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. He said to Lou Ling, who was holding him up, "Xiao Ling, it's done!" The old locust tree's mental power had been strangled and devoured by him.

As his words fell, the mutated vines' attacks weakened, and some even retreated. After a while, the attacking vines disappeared. Apart from the fiercely burning tree surrounded by the iron fence and earth walls, everything was calm.

The battle was over.

Realizing this, everyone collapsed, sitting limply on the ground, covered in sweat and dirt, more disheveled than ever.

Lou Dian's eyes were bright, contrasting sharply with his pale face. His eyes reflected the flames as he said to Lou Ling, who was holding him up, "Xiao Ling, I think I'm about to advance… I'll leave the rest to you." His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, audible only to her.

Lou Ling was surprised. Just as she was about to ask him what he meant, Lou Dian closed his eyes and leaned against her, unconscious.

"Lou Dian?" Alarmed, Lou Ling reached out to touch his face. Finding his breathing steady, she finally relaxed.

The old locust tree within the earth walls burned for an entire day before turning to ashes. During this time, Qiu Rong and the others, fearing a final outburst, continued to use their abilities to fuel the fire.

When the fire finally died down, it was already evening. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and soon a light rain began to fall.

Holding Lou Dian in her arms, Lou Ling sheltered under a tree with an umbrella, watching Qiu Rong and the others bury the dead ability users on the spot. Thirty people had come, but twelve had died. Five were drained by the old locust tree, and the rest died fighting the vines.

Watching the rain wash over the freshly turned earth, everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Regardless of what these people had done before, they had died to break the city's siege. They had died for a cause, even Wang Xin, who had committed many evil deeds, evoked a sense of sorrow at this moment.

After a while, they left in the rain.

Lou Dian remained unconscious. Lou Ling didn't dare entrust him to anyone else and carried him herself. Although he was a grown man, as a first-tier ability user, she had the strength. Qiu Rong held an umbrella beside her, trying to keep the rain off them.

They took the bus back.

Because of the rain, there were fewer zombies on the streets. Although some still pursued them, Qiu Rong and Zhao Wen used Lou Yan's specially made guns to blow their heads off, eliminating the need for the others to fight in the rain.

By the time they returned to the supermarket, it was already dark.

The people in the supermarket looked at them expectantly. Seeing that more than ten people were missing, they felt a pang of sadness, touched by the fragility of life. However, when Qiu Rong announced that the city mission was complete and they could now move freely, they rejoiced, and the sorrow brought by the deaths lessened considerably.

Lou Ling carried the unconscious Lou Dian into the resting room, laid him on the bed, and wiped the rain from his face with a towel. Looking at his pale face, Lou Ling felt a sudden fear, realizing that the man she considered invincible could also be injured and collapse, that he wasn't truly all-powerful.

Author's Notes: Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Strive to become stronger, to protect the fragile pervert!

Lou Dian's goal: Strive to become stronger, to surpass everyone!

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