"Seems like there's a big battle over there!" Baozi climbed a tree and pulled out a pair of night-vision goggles, trying to make out the fighting in the distance.
A battle breaking out in a mass graveyard was hardly a good thing.
"Boss, should we go over and join the fun?"
"Of course not." Ying Xiaoxiao patted down the last shovelful of dirt and switched to her long spear. "Let them kill each other. We'll keep doing our missions."
Anyone who casually talked about robbery and wrapping zongzi was clearly not a proper team leader.
Following her, they stealthily crept toward the edge of the battlefield.
In the distance was utter chaos. Explosions, furious roars, and agonized screams rose and fell without end.
Nearby, Ying Xiaoxiao raised her spear, targeted lone zombies, and knocked them out with a single blow before digging a hole and burying them on the spot.
"Phew~~ That makes three zongzi. Next, let's look for Corpse Companion Flowers. They look pretty distinctive, so they should be easy to find."
You fight your battle, we'll search for ours. Ying Xiaoxiao's uniquely independent style left Xu Jiang both amused and helpless.
Of course, no one was going to persuade her to provide rescue now.
After all, anyone who came to a mass graveyard in the middle of the night could hardly be a good person, right?
They were nothing more than bounty hunters and grave robbers. Even if they were rescued, one still had to worry about getting stabbed in the back. It was completely pointless.
Just then, Xiao Hei sent over a report. He had discovered what had caused the battle to break out.
Apparently, some mercenary group had accepted an investigation mission and used some Arcane Art to locate the source of the mutation. Then, unsurprisingly, they had alerted a large number of zombies and come under attack.
"Are the enemies strong?"
"Their combat power is average, but there are a lot of them. They fear neither death nor injury, and they seem to be poisonous. They're troublesome."
Xiao Hei had intercepted this intelligence from other gangs.
After all, quite a few hired teams were operating tonight. Once they ran into trouble, they sent requests for aid to their respective gangs, and the information quickly spread.
It could be said that the deeper one went, the more dangerous it became. Fortunately, they were only searching for medicinal herbs around the outskirts, so they were quite safe.
At least, for the moment. They had not even caught sight of a Corpse Companion Flower, and Ying Xiaoxiao was already getting irritated!
"Ah! This is so annoying. If we can't find Corpse Companion Flowers, we'll have to go deeper and continue the mission."
"Hm? Is the Corpse Companion Flower mission that important?" Xu Jiang asked curiously.
"Very important, because it pays well! Aren't you moving into a new home? I was planning to give you a big gift. The reward for wrapping zongzi alone won't be enough."
Hearing that, Xu Jiang was genuinely moved.
She had come to a graveyard late at night just to buy him a housewarming gift. Xu Jiang even felt a little guilty about it.
"There's really no need. If we can't find Corpse Companion Flowers, then forget it. The thought is enough. There's no need to take risks." Xu Jiang kindly tried to persuade her, but Ying Xiaoxiao refused.
"No. I said I'd give you one, so I will. If we can't do these two missions, we'll take some others."
Other missions? The group exchanged puzzled looks. Could they still take on other missions now?
"Of course. Here they are." Ying Xiaoxiao opened her communicator, which was filled with red alerts.
"These alerts are..."
"The company's distress signals. Some of our company people are trapped inside and requesting reinforcements."
"Distress signals? You only noticed them now?"
"No, I saw them ages ago. I just couldn't be bothered to save them." Ying Xiaoxiao shrugged. Her answer was utterly unapologetic.
If not for the bounty, she probably would have ignored them altogether.
It was not the team leader's fault either. The person asking for help was a senior executive from another faction. Xiao Hei chimed in through the communicator.
It seemed both of them had received the distress signal, but whether they would help was another matter.
From a humanitarian standpoint, they ought to help their colleagues in the company;
But this involved internal corporate conflicts and divisions between factions, so it was understandable if they chose not to help.
"Let's go take a look. I know that person somewhat. He isn't too bad, so saving him won't hurt." Ying Xiaoxiao settled on a target and led the group deeper into the mass graveyard.
Along the way, human-flesh zongzi, dog-meat zongzi, and lion-meat zongzi littered the ground. Even Xu Jiang's group felt immense pressure.
Zongzi were mutated corpses, and corpses were the one thing this place lacked least, so their numbers were enormous.
They were not like Lost Minds infected with Mad Calamity, who would definitely die once their heads were cut off.
These things had already died once. Even without heads, they could still fight.
Unless they were hacked into eight pieces, or countered by Xu Jiang's Silver Bullets and Ying Xiaoxiao's dark lightning power, they were very difficult to kill.
After walking for a while and rescuing some people along the way, they finally reached the destination of the distress call and met the legendary company vice president.
How should he be described? He was foolish, but lucky.
He looked under thirty. His combat strength was not high, and no one knew how he had managed to reach such a central location. Zombies surrounded him from every direction, leaving him no route of escape.
Fortunately, his luck was not bad. He was a shield guard by profession, with a huge shield held before him. Though he looked miserable, he could barely stay alive for the time being against these low-attack zombies.
"His name is Duan Quan. He has no real ability. He only climbed to vice president because he has a father." Sha Tu explained from the side.
Nine Rivers Corporation had only three directors, and this man's father was one of them. No wonder he held such a high position at such a young age.
"So we're definitely saving him?" Xu Jiang looked at Ying Xiaoxiao. Rescuing a senior executive from another faction felt a little like aiding the enemy.
But Ying Xiaoxiao nodded. "Of course we're saving him. I just asked Third Miss. She said this guy is an incompetent wastrel. If we save him, he can drag his father down."
Was the calculation really that deep? The enemy's spoiled son was his ally?
Having made up her mind, Ying Xiaoxiao sent a message over the company channel: I'm Ying Xiaoxiao, leader of Team 17. My team was patrolling nearby and happened to arrive to provide rescue. We've already found Duan Quan!
Really? Hurry!! Save my son! Someone else's father roared through the communicator.
At that moment, factional issues no longer mattered. As long as someone could save his son, anything was acceptable.
Don't worry. We'll definitely get your son out!
After saying that, Ying Xiaoxiao shut off her communicator, raised her long spear, and charged forward.
The surrounding zombies saw her and roared as they rushed in to stop her.
But Ying Xiaoxiao was immensely powerful, seeming to transform into a streak of violet lightning. Every monster in her path was blasted flying by dark lightning.
The short distance vanished in the blink of an eye. Ying Xiaoxiao rushed behind Duan Quan and unleashed a move like a dragon emerging from the water, swinging the spear shaft down hard toward... Duan Quan's back of the head?
Bang!
Duan Quan's head split open, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious from the blow.
Everyone: ...
Zongzi: ...
"Wait, Boss, are you rescuing him or killing him?" Xu Jiang's hurried steps faltered, and he nearly stumbled to his knees.
Kill monsters if you wanted, but wasn't Duan Quan the person they were supposed to rescue? Had she gone so bloodthirsty that she was even smashing her own people?
Ying Xiaoxiao planted her spear and said smugly, "I said I would save him. I never said I'd send him back intact."
"You have a grudge against him?"
"Nope! But he has money!"
With that, Ying Xiaoxiao snapped her fingers at Baozi.
Baozi immediately understood and ran over, stripping Duan Quan of his armor, shield, and all the money he carried...
Before you continue