The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

When the zombie crashed to the ground, the people on the platform still hadn't grasped what had happened. They only saw the man suddenly leap into the horde of millions of zombies below. Perhaps due to their faith that such a powerful individual wouldn't do anything meaningless, when the zombie fell dead, everyone cheered. It was as if a surge of power coursed through them, their exhausted spirits revived, and their flagging morale restored, rekindling their fighting spirit.

While Lou Dian killed the intelligent zombie, the other zombies, which had previously attacked with some purpose, suddenly lost their organization. Their attacks became chaotic, driven only by the instinctual craving for fresh flesh as they lunged toward Lou Dian.

From the platform, a mutated vine rapidly extended downward—ten meters, twenty meters, fifty, seventy, one hundred—reaching its limit. The man, trapped within the zombie horde, weaved through the throng, finally reaching the mutated vine. Grasping it with one hand, he propelled himself upward, flying lightly across the space and landing on the platform.

“Lou Dian!” A hoarse voice called out. Lou Dian, still holding the mutated vine and supporting Lou Ling's waist with his other arm as she clung to the other end of the vine, saw Lei Hongming, his eyes bloodshot from the relentless fighting, running towards them.

“The intelligent zombie leading the horde is dead. Tell everyone,” Lou Dian said directly, wasting no words.

Even though Lei Hongming had suspected as much, hearing Lou Dian's confirmation filled him with a lingering fear. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gave Lou Dian a deep look before turning to leave.

“Everyone, the intelligent zombie leading the attack is dead! Persevere, and we will repel the zombies!” Lei Hongming's voice boomed across the base through a loudspeaker.

Everyone in the base looked towards the figures on the platform, their gazes shifting from Lei Hongming to the man in black. Too overwhelmed with joy to dwell on the "intelligent zombie," their hearts filled with hope for the future, the previous air of despair vanishing completely.

Jiang Qi and Ge Daguang simultaneously glanced at the man on the platform who was still maintaining the psychic energy net protecting the sky. They were grateful they hadn't, like Liu Tianquan, offended this terrifying man. Despite their exhaustion, the imminent victory brought a surge of joy.

The battle continued, but it was much easier now. Without the intelligent zombie's strategic command, the mindless zombies fought individually, lacking coordination, and were easily dispatched by the combined efforts of the ability users.

As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, the battle finally ended.

“Everyone, the zombies have been eliminated!” When this weary yet powerful voice rang out, the entire base erupted in cheers.

Next came the cleanup. The ability users, who had fought for a day and a night, went to rest. Inside and outside the base, corpses were piled high. The bodies of unmutated humans were carried to one location, while the zombie corpses needed to be destroyed quickly.

The ability users worked together. Wood ability users used mutated plants to transport the bodies, earth ability users dug a large pit in an open area, fire ability users incinerated the zombie corpses in the pit, and wind ability users controlled the air currents, directing the putrid smoke away from the base.

The zombie corpses burned for a day and a night. When Lou Ling woke from her deep sleep, she could still see the smoke rising in the distance outside the base.

A pair of arms embraced her, the man's body pressed against hers, his soft voice whispering in her ear, "Sleep a little longer."

“I'm not sleeping anymore!” If she slept any longer, her bones would turn to jelly.

Lou Ling tilted her face up, receiving the kisses that rained down upon her. Like two small animals, they silently enjoyed the intimacy, the post-battle tenderness that she couldn't bear to refuse, her heart overflowing with warmth.

However, since she was being so obedient, not seeking some benefits would be a disservice to herself and contrary to a certain black-bellied deviant's nature. So, when someone said, "I'm not sleeping anymore," well, then it was time for a round of intimacy.

A vigorous workout was indeed a primal way to relieve stress. When the man finally rose, licking his lips with satisfaction, Lou Ling, who had declared she wouldn't sleep anymore, drifted back to sleep, only to be tossed and turned, pressed and rolled in her dreams – a veritable nightmare.

When she finally awoke again, the sun was high in the sky, and the weather had transitioned from the chill of early spring to the heat of summer.

This time, Lou Dian didn't torment her further. Instead, his eyes filled with tenderness, he attentively helped her dress and wash, followed by a table laden with delicious food.

Lou Ling held her bowl of rice and chopsticks, consuming the food with ferocious efficiency while maintaining a semblance of decorum. Having been hungry for two days, she was deeply moved to finally have a proper meal.

Lou Dian only ate a little before the beeping of his communicator, discarded on the corner of the table, interrupted their meal. He picked it up, and Lou Yan's extremely excited voice filled the air.

“Brother, Sister Ling, where are you? Did you encounter a zombie attack? Let me tell you, there were so, so many zombies, constantly attacking the base…”

Lou Ling: "…"

Lou Dian: "Jinx!"

The young woman was momentarily speechless, then realized, saying, "So you encountered a zombie attack too! Sigh, there were zombie attacks a few days ago as well. From last year to this year, except for when the snow was heaviest, there have been many zombies and mutated zombie animals around the base, like they can't be eliminated no matter how much we try. A while ago, we thought we had cleared the zombies near the base, but then suddenly, out of nowhere, this huge horde of zombies attacked. It was unbelievable…”

“Get to the point!” Lou Dian said concisely.

Lou Ling couldn't help but laugh. When Lou Yan got excited, she turned into a chatterbox, rambling on and on, loving to recount every detail, capable of talking for a day and a night without stopping, which could be quite a headache.

“…The point is, Dad and Brother said that zombie hordes have appeared in many places, and many smaller bases have fallen. They suspect it's a zombie conspiracy. It's possible that the zombies have developed intelligence and understand strategy, encircling cities from the countryside, gradually overwhelming humanity. So be careful.”

“How is the base?” Lou Ling asked. “Is everyone alright?”

“They're doing great!” the young woman exclaimed excitedly. “A few days ago, when the zombie horde attacked the base, many people went to the walls to fight, and I went too! I even distributed the guns I made to many of Dad's subordinates, and we killed a lot of zombies. But the most amazing one was Brother Tan Mo. The zombie birds that were trying to attack the base from the sky somehow couldn't find their way, like Brother Tan Mo had hidden the base, and the zombie birds were completely fooled! Later, after Brother Tan Mo and Sister Lin killed an intelligent zombie, the zombies retreated…”

After the communication ended, Lou Ling tapped the table with her chopsticks and said, "Why did the zombies at the Northwest Base retreat, while the ones here fought to the death?" Were they bullying this smaller base?

Lou Dian smiled. "It's not surprising. There was probably another intelligent zombie among the attacking horde. Realizing they couldn't win, it retreated. Apart from intelligent zombies, ordinary zombies lack reason and act purely on instinct. Intelligent zombies can command ordinary zombies, and ordinary zombies are absolutely obedient to them."

After hearing this, Lou Ling frowned, summarizing, "Zombies can develop intelligence after evolving to Tier Six. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Can you estimate how many zombies have evolved to Tier Six now?"

Lou Dian recalled something scientists had discovered seven years into the apocalypse in his previous life. "In a city, out of ten million zombies, one intelligent zombie can emerge. Considering the number of mutated zombie animals as well, I'm afraid there are currently around twenty intelligent zombies nationwide."

Twenty intelligent zombies didn't seem like a lot, but if all twenty were Tier Six or higher, it would be terrifying. Even among humans, ability users who reached Tier Five were a minority, let alone Tier Six. Not everyone was as unique as Lou Dian. Perhaps, apart from the powerful large bases, many smaller bases had already fallen under the attacks of intelligent zombies, creating even more zombies and further shrinking humanity's living space.

"Besides that, I suspect there's an even more powerful zombie leading them, above the intelligent zombies," Lou Dian speculated. "Zombies have no moral constraints, only a strict hierarchy. Zombies of the same tier cannot coexist; they can only fight each other, devour each other, and evolve, using absolute strength to suppress and lead other zombies."

Lou Ling was speechless, just staring at him.

"And we can call this zombie with absolute power the Zombie King!"

"…"

After a while, Lou Ling exhaled and asked, "Can you guess where the Zombie King is?"

The man, who had been speaking eloquently, looked at her with a gentle smile and teased, "Although I'd love for Xiao Ling to think I'm omnipotent, unfortunately, I don't know!"

"…"

Lou Ling reflected deeply on herself. It seemed that she had inadvertently been swayed by this man, starting to believe he was omnipotent. It wasn't entirely her fault. From the beginning of the apocalypse until now, Lou Dian had always maintained an air of effortless control, navigating the apocalypse and resolving any thorny situation. Gradually, it gave people the illusion that he was all-powerful.

Alright, admitting one's mistakes was important! Lou Ling apologized sincerely, "Sorry, I was wrong."

Lou Dian stood up, walked over to her, bent down, and kissed the corner of her lips. "It's okay. I don't know now, but I should be able to find out the Zombie King's whereabouts soon."

"…"

Lou Ling felt like she was being swayed by him again.

After lunch, it was already past noon. Lou Ling naturally didn't want to stay cooped up inside, so she dragged Lou Dian out.

In just a day and a night, order had been restored to the base, as if the previous day's carnage was a distant memory.

Indeed, humans were remarkably resilient creatures. After shedding tears, life went on. Perhaps because they had become accustomed to it, they could face death with composure and quickly return to their normal routines.

Walking along, Lou Ling observed the base, which looked much the same as usual, and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

People always had to adapt!

Just then, Lou Ling heard a commotion ahead. Looking towards the source of the noise, she saw a group of people in dirty clothes, carrying various containers, queuing for water. She paused.

After watching for a moment, just as she was about to leave, she heard a surprised voice, "Mr. Lou, Miss Lou!"

They turned towards the voice and saw You Jun carrying a bucket of water, accompanied by a thin woman. His face, no longer etched with worry, looked unusually spirited. The woman seemed timid, glancing at them quickly before lowering her head and shrinking behind You Jun.

Lou Ling greeted them with a smile and asked curiously, "Aren't you an ability user? Ability users have a designated area for water collection. You shouldn't have to squeeze in here, right?"

You Jun gave a hearty laugh. "We're not getting water for ourselves. We're helping others." He gestured towards a row of small houses in the distance, where several elderly women could be seen.

Lou Ling understood, and You Jun's image in her mind instantly became more admirable.

"By the way, this is my girlfriend, Ah Ya! Ah Ya, these two are my lifesavers," You Jun introduced.

Ah Ya lifted her slightly dirty face, glancing at them quickly before lowering her head again and murmuring a thank you. You Jun looked a little embarrassed but didn't say anything, merely offering an apologetic look.

Lou Ling didn't comment, exchanging a few more pleasantries with them before leaving.

You Jun watched their retreating figures, then, carrying the water bucket and holding Ah Ya's hand, he walked away, murmuring, "Ah Ya, what do you think of them? Can we trust them?"

Ah Ya shook her head, her bright eyes glancing cautiously in the direction the Lou siblings had gone. "I don't know. I don't dare to gamble."

Hearing this, You Jun sighed. He didn't dare to gamble either! People's hearts were too unpredictable in the apocalypse. They couldn't afford to take the risk.

"But, this time, it's thanks to them that the base survived," You Jun sighed again. "Even zombies have developed intelligence. This world is truly terrifying. Ah Ya, let's observe the situation a bit more. If they're good people, we can tell them about your ability. It can be considered an equal exchange."

Ah Ya looked worried but nodded nonetheless.

Elsewhere, Lou Dian and Lou Ling hadn't walked far before they were stopped again, this time by Lei Hongming's adjutant, Lei Xianyun.

"Excuse me, you two. The General requests your presence," Lei Xianyun said with utmost sincerity and politeness. "If you're free, the General is waiting for you in his office."

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Strive for the future of humanity!

Lou Dian's goal: Strive for their future!

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