A Horde of Zombies

In less than two seconds, all the mutant dogs went berserk. They abandoned their opponents and charged at Doggie, snarling, their hackles raised as though they had five, six, seven, or eight stacks of rage buffs!

Seeing this, Doggie let out a howl, turned around, and ran behind Bai Yaoyao, wearing an expression that said, Master, those dogs are bullying me!

Bai Yaoyao: d(ŐдŐ๑)

Bai Yaoyao hurriedly pulled out guns and tossed them to her teammates. How the hell else were they supposed to fight this many mutant dogs?

It no longer mattered if the gunfire attracted a whole lot of zombies. Zombies were easier to fight than mutant dogs, right?

Handling guns was a basic skill, and everyone was a decent shot. Before long, the mutant dogs began to buckle.

The mutant dogs had some intelligence-at least more than Doggie. Seeing that their side had suffered too many casualties, they retreated without hesitation.

But even under gunfire, they did not forget to bark viciously at Doggie before leaving, just like humans making parting threats. It was quite amusing to watch.

Only after all the mutant dogs had left did Doggie charge out from behind Bai Yaoyao again, howling and launching into another round of taunts.

Doggie was the perfect example of a bully hiding behind a powerful backer! Worried that Doggie would call the mutant dogs back, Bai Yaoyao hurriedly shouted for Doggie to return. She really wanted to go over and clamp that mouth shut!

Doggie turned around and saw a hint of danger in Bai Yaoyao's eyes. Hastily putting on that signature devilish grin, Doggie trotted over and rubbed that head hard against her trouser leg.

That entire canine face was full of fawning appeasement.

Bai Yaoyao took a deep breath and told herself for the ten-thousand-and-first time...

Don't get mad, Yaoyao, don't get mad. No one can suffer for you if anger ruins your health!

Dog meat tastes bad; only I know how much I've had to bear!

Lord Doggie saved my life. Once we're home, I'll smack that behind!

"Sister Yao, a horde of zombies!"

The sustained gunfire had attracted quite a few zombies, which gradually gathered into a horde.

Bai Yaoyao hurriedly stored away the mutant dog corpses on the ground to roast back home. Official research had shown that mutant beast meat could improve human constitution and strength, with particularly noticeable effects when people first started eating it.

They fought as they retreated, only to discover that more and more zombies were gathering. They did not even have time to collect the crystal cores.

Bai Yaoyao brought out three Marauders she had collected in R Country. Everyone climbed aboard, and they barreled straight ahead, sending countless zombies flying before finally breaking out of the encirclement.

The sun was about to set, and everyone was tired after a full day of fighting zombies. Bai Yaoyao simply took them back to the Villa and called it a day!

They needed a good rest. There was still something important to do that night.

The Villa.

"Oh my god, we're finally home! This whole day has worn me out!" Keke collapsed onto the couch.

"Keke, if Master heard that, you'd be dumped in some remote mountain forest for at least half a year." Xiaomi nagged, but did not forget to pour Keke a glass of water.

"Hehe, thanks, Brother Xiaomi! Love you!"

"You and that mouth!"

Although Master treated everyone well, the training was genuinely grueling, and the punishments for failing to complete it were harsh.

Still, their missions were usually short assassinations that emphasized concealment, timing, and explosive bursts of action. They rarely encountered prolonged combat like this.

Bai Yaoyao took out all of that day's gains: 316 crystal cores and twelve mutant dogs. Everyone received twenty-five crystal cores, and she kept the remainder.

Bai Yaoyao kept the level-zero and level-one Enhancement Type crystal cores for herself. There was no need to explain so much to her own comrades. She had more experience, and leveling up sooner would maximize the team's gains.

"Sister Yao, should we pool our resources first and build up a few people with strong offensive abilities? Won't splitting them evenly take too long to improve our team combat effectiveness?"

"My healing ability, for instance, is basically useless right now. Today, I fought directly with a blade too," Peiqi said after some thought.

Bai Yaoyao shook her head. "Today was our first day. Twenty-five crystal cores should be enough to reach level two. Let's get everyone to level two first. Starting tomorrow, we'll split into three groups. That'll be more efficient."

"Sure!"

"Okay, no problem!"

A-Dai suddenly raised a hand. "Sister Yao, it's time to eat!"

Bai Yaoyao vigorously ruffled A-Dai's soft hair. A-Dai killing people and A-Dai asking for food were practically two opposite extremes!

That adorable contrast was so much fun.

Bai Yaoyao tossed out two mutant dog corpses and said, "We're eating these today."

A-Dai silently lowered that hand. "Sister Yao, I'm not hungry yet. I want to lose weight!"

"Huh? Come on, boss, don't we have loads of food?"

"Isn't eating Doggie's brothers a bit wrong?"

"Woof! Awooo, awooo, awooo! Woof, woof! Awoo, awoo, awoo! Woof, woof, woof!"

Bai Yaoyao explained, "Mutant beast meat improves your constitution and strength. The effects become even more noticeable if you keep eating it."

A-Dai lowered that hand again. "I'm hungry again. Eating meat doesn't seem to make you gain weight."

"Who knows how to cook?" Fat Brother asked earnestly.

Bai Yaoyao rolled up her sleeves. "I'll do it!"

"No, Sister Yao!" Peiqi hurriedly wrapped her arms around Bai Yaoyao.

Xiao Shiliu added, "No need, no need, Sister Yao. Go get some rest. You've had a tiring day!"

The thing was, everyone else looked completely in agreement too.

Bai Yaoyao planted both hands on her hips. "Do you not trust me?!"

"No, not at all! How could we? Sister Yao is invincible! What can't you do? It's just roasting some meat!" everyone denied.

Were they kidding? Let Sister Yao cook, especially something as difficult as roasting meat? Did they not want the Villa anymore?

Finally, Chenxuan stepped forward. "Sister Yao, I'll do it. I can handle it!"

Dada Juan also said, "Monkey and I will help. He'll supply water to wash it, I'll supply fire to roast it, and Little Brother Xuan will direct us. Don't worry. Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest."

Seeing how determined everyone was to keep her from helping, Bai Yaoyao felt a little helpless, but she did not have much confidence to argue either.

After all, she really had burned down a house while cooking before.

So she put some quick meals on the table, and everyone had a little to tide them over while waiting for the roast meat that evening.

Once everyone had returned to their rooms to shower and rest, the three began working. After a spell of utter chaos... well, at least it was cooked.

Dinner that day was deeply unpleasant. Even A-Dai, who loved eating most, was unhappy.

Still, not a single person wasted even the tiniest scrap of meat. In the apocalypse, getting stronger was what mattered most. A few complaints were just a way to let off steam and help everyone relax.

Chenxuan gnawed on the mutant dog meat, which was hard to swallow, and silently vowed that he would learn to cook properly!

When they had finished every last scrap, everyone, Doggie included, let out a deep breath. The meat was tough and tasted strange, with one bite unbearably salty and the next utterly bland.

Bai Yaoyao had asked Chenxuan to roast a separate dog for Doggie, without any seasoning.

For a while, Doggie suspected that this was punishment for making Master angry that day. It was too terrifying. Never again.