The birds in the forest were startled, and the sound of trees collapsing could be heard continuously, raising countless dust clouds.
The bloodthirsty crocodile had tough skin and thick flesh. Bai Qingqing fought it for a long time, ultimately relying on attacking its eyes and using poison spikes to pierce through it before killing it, obtaining a fourth-tier crystal core.
After the battle, she was sweating a lot. She handed the bodies over to the mutated animals that eat meat and returned to her small wooden house with the crystal core.
The mutated animals and plants in the forest were like the birds and swallows in her backyard, obediently following her. This territory had become her domain.
After returning to the wooden house, Bai Qingqing immediately went into her space to freshen up. She had built a bathhouse by the lake, surrounded by yellow bamboo, and planted exotic flowers and plants, creating a unique space.
The pool inside was like a hot spring. After taking off her clothes, she stepped into it, bathing and then lying in the water, looking up at the blue sky.
Her spatial ability had reached the sixth tier, but her control over plant and animal manipulation abilities remained at the fifth tier. If she wanted to continue upgrading, she needed to obtain higher-level crystal cores.
The highest tier of animals and plants in the entire forest was only the fourth tier. Unless she went to the coastal area or the towns to find fifth-tier or higher zombies, there were not many options.
In the past six months, she had been living carefree and happy in the forest, becoming somewhat lazy. She didn’t want to go out at all, but she couldn’t continue idling. The post-apocalyptic environment was becoming increasingly harsh, and she had to speed up her levelling.
In the past six months, there had been quite a few ability users passing through the forest or accidentally venturing into it. From their accounts, she learned some news.
Yaoyang Base was attacked by a zombie horde led by the Zombie King. Two consecutive attacks nearly breached the city. The leader, Cheng Yan, died at the hands of the zombies. If Cheng Rui hadn’t reached the seventh tier, the survivors in the base would have likely been bitten to death by zombies.
The southwestern base, which was closest to her, fell into the hands of zombies after several zombie horde attacks. One of the five major bases had been destroyed, and the future of humanity was precarious.
The Snowfield Base had a cold climate, making it difficult for both humans and zombies to survive. Besides being attacked by mutated sea creatures, they didn’t face any major issues at the moment.
As for the farthest Jingzhou Base, the largest base in the world, news from there took ten to fifteen days to reach her. She heard that Fu Chen had become a vegetative state and had not woken up. She didn’t know if it was true or false.
Bai Qingqing took a deep breath and suppressed her frustration. She didn’t believe that Fu Chen, one of the main characters, would die so easily.
Half a month ago, Bai Qingqing learned from the leaders of several bases that they had instructed all the ability users on missions to carry her portrait and search for news of her all over the world.
She had no intention of appearing before them yet. This was also one of her strategies. Only by staying separated and making them long for her without being able to find her would they remember her deeply in their hearts.
She was waiting for the right moment.
“Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest and obtaining a key. You can now open the big gift package.” The voice of the system suddenly rang out.
Bai Qingqing was startled. The system, which had been silent
for so long, suddenly appeared and informed her that the side quest was completed. It almost scared her out of her wits.
“A side quest?” It had been so long that she had almost forgotten about it.
The system asked, “Host, have you completed the side quest to help Li Jin find virus clues? Would you like to open the big gift package now?”
“Open it.”
The system reminded her, “Host, by using the gold key, you have unlocked the big gift package and obtained Light Element Ability, 10,000 system points, and a lucky coin.”
Is that it? This is the big gift package?
Bai Qingqing felt a bit greedy and asked, “What is the use of the Light Element Ability? Is it for performing photosynthesis for plants?”
“Host, zombies are dark creatures, and the Light Element Ability is one of the supreme abilities that can directly eliminate zombies.”
Bai Qingqing became excited. After hearing the system’s explanation, she felt invincible. Which big shot could be as powerful as her?
Thinking about eliminating zombies, she remembered Shen Mingxuan, whom she had left behind. She didn’t know if the dog zombie had regained his memories and where he was now.
Recently, the frequency of zombie hordes launching attacks had been increasing. It seemed like they were systematically attacking each base. It was likely that the Zombie Emperor couldn’t bear it any longer and wanted to eliminate humans as soon as possible.
After Bai Tiantian was captured by the Zombie Emperor, she should still be alive. Otherwise, this world would have collapsed long ago.
Bai Qingqing stood up from the warm pool, dried herself, and changed into clothes. She stepped out of the space, and a group of small animals immediately ran over, eagerly expecting her to feed them.
She took out the spiritual fruits grown in the space, sat on a lounge chair, and slowly fed the adorable and cute mutant animals.
Having gained the ability of light manipulation, she felt more confident. She decided to go hunting by the seaside in the afternoon, aiming to quickly upgrade to the sixth rank. Once she reached the sixth rank, she would be one of the powerhouses in the apocalypse and would no longer need to disguise herself as prey.
…
The glacial snowfield, a survivor base covered in white snow. Thick layers of snow accumulated on the roads as rows of soldiers cleared the snow within the base.
The climate was becoming increasingly harsh, making it difficult for humans to survive in the snowfield base. Many physically weak ordinary people had even frozen to death. If it weren’t for the base leader frequently taking the ability users to hunt edible mutant animals, the entire base wouldn’t have lasted long.
Several high-ranking ability users gathered in the office of the base’s top executives. The air conditioning was on, but the air still carried a chilling sensation.
The man standing by the window wore all white and had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His appearance seemed approachable, with a gentle and jade-like demeanour, but deep down, he was indifferent and distant.
The ability users in the room dared not make a sound as they looked at their leader with a cold expression.
After this man arrived at the snowfield base, he quickly established a position for himself within the base through his own strength and intelligence. His strategic thinking saved the snowfield base from being swallowed by the central base.
In the past six months, the various high-ranking ability users in the snowfield base willingly followed him.
The man glanced at the goose feathers flying outside for a moment, then turned back to look at the others, his voice gentle. “Has A1 team, who went on a mission, returned?”
“They have returned, leader,” a man with a scar on his face replied.
Liang Zhiyu casually asked, “Any news?”
The scarred man looked somewhat embarrassed. Faced with the man’s cold gaze, a cold sweat broke out on his back as he said, “None.”
The ability users in the base knew that the leader was searching for someone, a woman who was important to him. Everyone speculated that he must be looking for his lover, which was why he had all the ability users going on missions carry a portrait.
Hunting and searching for resources could be put on hold, but the most important thing was to find that woman.
Her name was Bai Qingqing.
Liang Zhiyu didn’t reveal any expression of blame, but a hint of sorrow flickered in his eyes. It had been six months, and he had dispatched ability users almost all over the world, yet there was no news of her.
He regretted leaving the City of Death hastily. If he had been more resolute, perhaps he wouldn’t have lost his little fox.
The other bases were also searching for Qingqing, and everyone was practically searching openly. If she was still alive, there shouldn’t be a complete absence of information.
Someone spoke up, “Leader, the base’s food reserves are running out.”
“I called you here today to discuss this matter,” Liang Zhiyu pulled out a chair and sat down, opening the projector. “This island used to be an official storage location. Tomorrow, I will lead a few
ability users to go and take a look.”
“Leader, are you going personally?” someone disagreed. “The situation is dire right now, and you should stay in the base.”
Liang Zhiyu was the lifeline of the entire snowfield base, and he couldn’t leave the base to avoid any dangers.
“I have already made up my mind. It’s not a matter of seeking your opinions now, but informing you,” Liang Zhiyu said with a smile.
Even though the man smiled gently, the others dared not question his decision anymore. Beneath his gentle facade was a cunning and ruthless nature, like that of a fox.
The scarred man changed the subject and said, “Leader, I have some news.”
Liang Zhiyu looked at him and said, “Go ahead.”
The scarred man continued, “Recently, the Central Base experienced a small-scale zombie wave. They suffered significant losses, but they have been concealing the news.”
“Those bastards,” another person gloated, “they deserve it!”
“Shouldn’t we take advantage of their weakness and take their lives?” someone suggested.
The Snowfield Base and the Central Base had formed a grudge a few months ago. The two factions despised each other, and given the opportunity, they would definitely choose to devour each other.
Liang Zhiyu furrowed his beautiful brows. Another zombie wave? In the past half year, the zombies seemed to be controlled by someone, launching relentless attacks on several bases.
By all means, the Zombie Emperor, who was severely injured, should have temporarily chosen to retreat, heal his wounds, and improve his strength. How could he constantly launch zombie waves, sacrificing more than he gains?
The ability users discussed the topic of zombies again.
“I also heard that the zombies have a leader. The Zombie King obeys the Zombie Emperor. I don’t know if it’s true or not.”
“Some people say they have seen the Zombie Emperor, who looks similar to a human in appearance, with silver-grey pupils and accompanied by a giant black panther…”
“I think he’s just bragging. No one could survive after seeing the Zombie Emperor.”
Doubt flashed in Liang Zhiyu’s eyes as he asked, “Silver-grey eyes?”
After Bai Tiantian was captured by the Zombie Emperor, they had considered rescuing her. After all, Bai Tiantian was Qingqing’s sister.
He still remembered seeing the Zombie Emperor in the City of Death. His eyes were clearly deep blue. Could the upgrade change the colour of his pupils? That seemed unlikely.
Liang Zhiyu took a pen and his expression turned solemn. He said, “Tell me more details about the appearance of the Zombie Emperor.”
The laughter and chatter ceased, and they quickly described the appearance based on the rumours they heard. The man’s well-defined fingers swiftly sketched on the paper, and soon a portrait emerged, revealing a face with exquisite features.
The pen suddenly dropped onto the table with a “clack.”
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