The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

The next day, they left the villa. After bidding farewell to Huang Zhiling and the others, they drove south.

The weather grew colder and colder. Heavy snow fell, blanketing the entire world.

The world seemed to be frozen. Even zombies rarely ventured out, lest their bodies become encased in ice. With heavy snow blocking the roads, travel became difficult, so they found places to rest, waiting for the roads to clear. Therefore, their journey was slow and drawn out. However, because they weren't in a hurry, it felt more like a leisurely trip.

Compared to the early days of the apocalypse, when they struggled to reach the capital base, their current strength made them unafraid of the dangers on the road. They could even clear their own path. Except for the inconvenience of heavy snow, there were no major obstacles. Because they were fearless, they traveled at their own pace, rarely entering bases to seek rest.

Traveling in this stop-and-go manner, they spent the New Year on the road. It wasn't until spring arrived that they finally neared Major General Lei's base—County C.

The ice and snow melted, and everything revived. Green shoots sprouted along the roadside, dyeing the landscape with a vibrant green. Humanity, like these weeds, persevered through harsh conditions and continued to live tenaciously in the spring.

As the weather warmed slightly, many people left the safety of the base to gather supplies.

In the fourth year of the apocalypse, supplies in many places, except for the large cities occupied by zombies, had been almost completely scavenged by survivors. Consumption outpaced production, and even with the limited land resources and the abilities of those with powers, supply couldn't meet the demands of the vast number of survivors. This forced people to risk leaving the safety of the base to search for food.

Fortunately, nature is fair. When one door closes, another opens. Mutated plants had research value, mutated animals provided food for those with powers, and zombie crystal cores provided humans with power and energy. Conversely, humans were also prey for these creatures. The balance of nature remained unbroken, maintained within a certain framework.

The car drove slowly, unhurried.

On the main road, many power-wielding travelers on foot looked at the passing car with envy. Due to the non-renewable nature of gasoline, most of it had been seized by various factions. The majority of people had to travel on foot to gather supplies, a truly arduous task, but a necessary one. Therefore, in the eyes of most, anyone who could afford to drive a car was no different from a wealthy tycoon.

Lou Ling, inside the car, touched her nose. She never thought that in her lifetime she would become a tycoon—no, it should be said that she had unexpectedly latched onto a tycoon.

At this moment, the said tycoon was driving slowly, paying attention to the road conditions. The potholes forced him to drive slowly to avoid excessive vibrations that might disturb Lou Ling, who was drinking soup.

"Drink it quickly before it gets cold."

"I know," she muttered to herself, thinking of him as a fussy housekeeper. She slowly drank the soup, known for its nourishing and blood-enriching properties for women. This winter, she had been so well-nourished that her cheeks were rosy. If she hadn't maintained her daily exercise routine, she would have become plump. Therefore, compared to those who were emaciated and yellow-skinned from hunger after the apocalypse, her fair and tender appearance was truly enviable.

Lou Dian, having overheard her muttering once, simply chuckled coldly. In the apocalypse, strength was paramount. If you had the strength, you could eat until you were fat, and no one would dare say a word. Those who would speak were just insignificant people driven by jealousy. Such insignificant individuals, whom they could easily deal with, were not worth paying attention to.

"How much longer until we reach County C?" Lou Ling asked, feeding him a piece of meat while she drank the clear broth.

"At this pace, about a day."

Lou Ling nodded. Under normal circumstances, it would only be a few hours' journey. However, many roads were now unmaintained and impassable for cars, making the journey difficult.

After finishing the chicken soup, she curled up in her seat, closed her eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Lou Dian glanced at her, reached out to pull the blanket higher over her, and continued driving.

After an unknown amount of time, Lou Dian's calm gaze suddenly froze. His vision seemed to penetrate the road ahead, looking towards an unknown distance.

After a while, Lou Dian withdrew his extended mental energy and tapped his finger lightly on the steering wheel. He recalled that in his previous life, during the third year of the apocalypse, County C had fallen. They had fled in panic from County C towards the capital base. In this life, because of his early intervention, County C base remained intact and hadn't been breached by zombies. Now, it was the fourth year of the apocalypse, but he hadn't expected that what was meant to happen would still happen, only delayed by a year.

With that thought, he patted the sleeping Lou Ling and whispered, "Xiao Ling, wake up."

Lou Ling woke up the moment he touched her. Opening her eyes, there was no drowsiness in them. She was instantly alert; this had become instinct.

"What is it?"

"Let's get out of the car. The road ahead is not good."

Lou Ling assumed he meant the road was damaged again and impassable for the car. She expertly grabbed the backpack from the back seat and checked its contents: a blanket, bread, water, a knife, seeds. Then, she attached the silver-gray stick to her waist.

Evolved zombies, mutated plants, and animals were no longer something a Tang knife could handle. This silver-gray wooden stick was a specially crafted weapon she made herself. Using mutated plants, she repeatedly stimulated their growth and then took the hardest section. She had Lou Dian help her process it. Imprinted with her mental energy, it was her most comfortable weapon.

After Lou Dian stored the car in his spatial storage, they set off on foot.

The road ahead was indeed difficult, full of potholes and rocks, a true test of a car's durability. Even the best car couldn't withstand such abuse. Besides the road conditions, Lou Ling clearly smelled the stench of decay in the air, mixed with the smell of blood. Her initially gentle eyes instantly sharpened, her body tensed like a drawn sword.

"Let's go!"

Lou Dian took her hand and they moved forward at an incredible speed.

After running for an unknown distance, they saw a dilapidated factory by the roadside. The factory wasn't large. Before the apocalypse, it was a freezing plant. Screams came from the factory's workshop, and a group of zombies crowded the entrance.

After assessing the situation, Lou Ling, without a word, drew the wooden stick from her waist. The stick quickly extended like a spear, and she swung it, smashing a fourth-tier zombie's head. Zombies felt no pain and lunged straight at her. In addition, the zombies that had been desperately trying to squeeze into the workshop changed their target because of the sudden appearance of the two and all rushed towards them.

The end of the long stick, like a sharp awl, swept across, directly piercing the zombies' eyes and then thrusting into their brains through the sockets, causing their heads to explode instantly. Clean and efficient, not a second wasted.

The people in the workshop went from fear and despair to unexpected relief. When they saw the woman charging towards the zombies, wielding a long stick and instantly exploding their heads, they were stunned. Seeing her move among the zombies, precisely exploding their heads through their eye sockets, they felt a sense of absolute power, though this head-exploding action was still terrifying.

Compared to Lou Ling, Lou Dian's methods were much gentler. The Tang knife was merely decorative. Spatial blades slipped into the zombies' heads, unseen. The spatial blades destroyed the zombies' vitality from within, digging out the crystal cores from their brains, causing instant death.

There were over a hundred zombies in total. The number wasn't particularly large, but if they were all fourth-tier zombies, it would still be a burden.

The people in the workshop had originally braced the door, engaging in a stalemate with the zombies. They never expected such a sudden turn of events, to be rescued. Their morale instantly soared, and some brave power-wielders began to fight back, joining forces to eliminate the zombies.

Finally, after eliminating over a hundred zombies, the air was filled with the stench of blood and decay. Everyone was panting, but they felt the thrill of being alive. Some even had tears in their eyes.

Compared to them, Lou Dian was calm and composed. Lou Ling's cheeks were flushed, and she had a light sheen of sweat, but she wasn't panting. The previous situation, for her, was a minor skirmish. However, in the eyes of these people, their appearance was the symbol of strength, the kind possessed by high-level power-wielders.

Understanding this, everyone looked at them with excitement and gratitude.

"Are you all right?" Lou Ling asked politely. "Which base are you from?"

"County C base," a thin, middle-aged man replied. He stood up and expressed his gratitude to the two, and the others followed suit.

"Thank you. My name is Lai Xiaoyu. Thank you so much today. May I know your name…?"

As Lou Ling was talking to the others, she heard a saccharine voice that gave her goosebumps. Her personality was more straightforward and carefree. She couldn't affect such an artificial tone. Turning around, she saw a woman with ear-length hair talking to Lou Dian with her back to them.

Lou Dian was extremely cold and indifferent, completely ignoring her. He walked to Lou Ling's side and said, "There are still zombies here. Let's leave."

Lou Ling naturally nodded and specifically looked at the woman who finally turned around. She found the woman to be truly beautiful, with delicate features that exuded a gentle charm. Even before the apocalypse, she would have been considered a beauty. Not to mention now, in the precarious times of the apocalypse, despite her slightly dirty clothes, she still maintained a glamorous appearance, with fair skin, clearly someone who lived a pampered life.

And this pampered life must have been provided by someone willing to do so.

A flicker of displeasure crossed the woman's face, especially when she noticed Lou Ling's gaze. She glared at Lou Ling with hostility.

This hostility was not unfamiliar to Lou Ling. She glanced at Lou Dian and realized she was once again the victim of misplaced jealousy. This had happened many times over the years. Whenever they rescued people, if there were women among them who wanted to cozy up to a strong person for protection, they naturally resented her presence.

She shrugged inwardly, equally dismissive of the woman.

Hearing Lou Dian's words, everyone was startled. Without him needing to elaborate, they quickly gathered their things and left.

Before leaving, Lou Dian glanced towards the distance beyond the factory. Unnoticed, he flicked his fingers, and transparent spatial blades shot through the air…

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Save people like a saint!

Lou Dian's goal: Swat away flies!

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