Disguise

Wen Ya gripped the axe handle with both hands, pressing the other end against Wang Jianguo's neck.

Disgusting scum.

Unlike Zhang Youwei, who was still young and naive,

she was far too familiar with the look in the greasy old man's eyes before her.

She applied force with her wrist, and the sharp Fire Axe instantly sliced a bloody line across Director Wang's neck.

"Right now!"

"Three seconds. If you don't lower the rope, I'll kill you!"

Wen Ya's gaze was icy. The moment Wang Jianguo made the slightest move, she would strike without hesitation.

By the time she heard Zhang Tie's voice coming downstairs, it was already too late. Wang Jianguo's people had taken everyone hostage.

Seeing that everyone had given up on rescuing them, she reacted instantly and hid behind the door.

The people here were all ordinary civilians. They had simply been frightened by Wang Jianguo.

As long as she controlled him, there was still hope of making those people lower the rope.

Fortunately, Wang Jianguo had suddenly gotten lustful. He had let down his guard, giving her the opportunity she needed.

Director Wang's heart jolted. He could feel the killing intent radiating from Wen Ya behind him.

Damn it, how could I forget that Lin An has people here too!

He forced himself to remain calm and tried to intimidate Wen Ya into backing down.

"Little girl, don't do anything rash."

"Killing someone is against the law!"

"Shut up!"

Wen Ya's wrist jerked, and the axe blade immediately opened a wound on Director Wang's neck.

"Don't do it!"

Wang Jianguo panicked. He had never expected Wen Ya, who looked like a refined young lady, to act so decisively.

"I'll lower it!"

"I'll lower it!"

The situation had unfolded too suddenly, and Wang Jianguo's people instantly became flustered.

"What are you waiting for? Lower the rope!"

The voice did not come from Director Wang. It belonged to Yu Shihao, who had been hiding behind the crowd and watching from the sidelines.

He walked out from behind the crowd, his face filled with righteous indignation.

"However you put it, your lives were saved by Brother Lin!"

"Brother Lin is so strong that whether he was infected or not is still uncertain! Besides, what's the difference between someone who doesn't know how to be grateful and a beast?"

He spoke with such conviction that he rushed straight into the crowd that had seized the rope and yanked it back.

Despite his outward display of righteous fury, he was actually feeling somewhat anxious inside.

Ever since the crowd had begun arguing, he had been hiding in a corner and secretly calculating his options.

Pulling Zhang Tie up was risky. After all, he might have been infected.

But unlike the others, who had only seen the risk, he had also discovered the enormous opportunity hidden beneath it!

Fortune favored those who braved danger!

Over the past two days, he had thought it through clearly. Without power, whether he died sooner or later, he would still die.

Having often climbed to the rooftop to look around, he had long since discovered that the entire city was crawling with Zombies, with not even a trace of the military to be seen.

He did not believe a single word Wang Jianguo had said.

Now that Wen Ya had suddenly made her move, rescuing the two of them had become inevitable.

So he might as well do them a favor and pretend to stand on Wen Ya's side.

Once Zhang Tie and Lin An were brought up, he might be able to learn from them how to become an Awakened.

As long as he gained the same power they had, what could Zombies possibly do to him?

Moreover—

A trace of greed flashed through Yu Shihao's eyes.

He had noticed that when Zhang Tie returned, Lin An had an extra Glove on his hand, along with the mysterious ring he had already been wearing!

The two of them had risked their lives to charge into the hospital. One had fallen unconscious and the other had been gravely injured, yet they had returned with an additional item. The answer was obvious.

Would something obtained at such a great risk really be ordinary?

Without understanding the inside story about Awakened, he saw it this way:

Zhang Tie was already burly by nature. He could understand how turning into a bear had given him powerful abilities.

But what about Lin An? He looked frail and scholarly, with jade-like skin that could make any girl jealous.

Thinking about it that way, the ring and the Glove were very likely the source of Lin An's power!

Wen Ya looked at him suspiciously, her hands still tightly gripping the axe handle.

She had no impression of Yu Shihao.

The man before her was so enthusiastic and righteous, trying to persuade everyone to rescue Lin An and Zhang Tie. He seemed like a decent person.

But she still felt that something was strange.

If he really wanted to save them, why had he said nothing earlier?

Unlike Wen Ya's wariness,

You Wei looked at Yu Shihao with a face full of gratitude, convinced that he was a good person.

"Whoosh—"

The rope was thrown down. Under Second Uncle's grateful gaze, Yu Shihao grabbed it tightly and shouted toward the truck where Zhang Tie was hiding:

"Brother Zhang! Get up here! The rope's down!"

In the back of the truck, Zhang Tie's face lit up when he heard him.

Although he did not know why everyone had taken so long, they had lowered the rope in the end.

He glanced back at Lin An's pale face, his eyes filled with determination.

Team Leader Lin, hold on!

"Bang!"

He summoned the last of his strength and slammed the sealed truck door open. The Zombie Crowd outside was shoved aside, briefly creating a narrow gap.

Charge!

With a furious roar, Zhang Tie carried Lin An on his back and sprinted desperately toward the hotel.

The Zombie Crowd was packed together like ants. With his Combat Power completely gone, he realized in despair that he could not break out at all.

Unless he abandoned Lin An and the strange Bandaged Girl.

The Corpse Snake's spine lashed about, but it could only protect a small patch of open space around them.

Bear Transformation!

Zhang Tie let out a bitter laugh. His Mental Strength had long since been exhausted, and he vaguely realized that reopening the skill would come at an excruciating cost.

"Roar!"

The Black Bear appeared again, but it was no longer as hulking and enormous as before.

Without the support of Mental Strength, Zhang Tie felt as if he had aged ten years. The hard fur that had once covered his entire body had become sparse and patchy, making him look utterly wretched.

"Bang!"

The giant bear burst out of the encirclement, smashing through the Zombies along the way.

"Brother Zhang! Hold on to the rope! I'll pull you up right now!"

Yu Shihao's face was full of concern as he signaled for the people behind him to pull together.

"One, two, three!"

"Up!"

"Roar!"

The Zombie Crowd howled as Zhang Tie struggled to grip the hemp rope, which was as thick as a wrist, and climb upward with all his might.

"Boom."

A heavy object hit the ground.

He first threw Lin An and the Bandaged Girl up to the second floor from midair with all his strength, then laboriously climbed up after them.

The Zombie Crowd below howled, its countless rotting hands reaching toward the second floor like tangled seaweed.

The crowd panicked, and after pulling Zhang Tie up, they hurriedly used debris to block the opening.

As if not seeing the Zombies would give them even the slightest sense of security.

"Brother!"

"Lin An!"

Seeing that Lin An was unconscious and unresponsive, Wen Ya rushed over anxiously, while You Wei ran toward Zhang Tie in tears.

Before Wen Ya reached Lin An, she glared fiercely at Director Wang, then drove her foot heavily into his stomach.

"Scum!"

The Fire Axe never left her hand. A pure and adorable young woman dragging an axe nearly half her height looked rather bizarre.

"Quick... give Brother Lin some water and medicine!"

"The medicine can save him..."

"He was... bitten by a... Zombie..."

Zhang Tie, dazed and disoriented, instinctively instructed Wen Ya before his vision went black and he fainted.

After hearing Zhang Tie's words, everyone instinctively retreated.

Although Zhang Tie had not finished speaking, they had already guessed that Lin An was definitely infected.

Guessing and confirming were two different things.

Everyone stared at Lin An in Wen Ya's arms with complicated expressions. Many were frightened and did not dare approach even half a step.

Yu Shihao hurriedly brought over a cup of water, then crouched beside Wen Ya.

"Quick, do as Brother Zhang said. Give him the medicine!"

His voice was full of urgency, and he did not seem to be faking it.

While helping feed him the medicine, he secretly touched Lin An's dangling right hand with his left.

With no one noticing, his heart pounded wildly, and his eyes filled with shock!