Black Shadow

After Bai Yaoyao left, a dark figure suddenly appeared at the entrance to the clothing factory.

The figure gazed in the direction Bai Yaoyao had gone, lost in thought for a long time. Perhaps only you can put an end to all this. I can no longer do it. May the world know peace again, with tranquil times and bountiful harvests...

With a wave of one hand, the psychic and speed zombies from earlier came back to life. The corpses strewn across the factory entrance all vanished as well.

A trace of tenderness surfaced in those icy eyes as the figure looked in the direction Bai Yaoyao had left.

I hope we can meet again. It would be even better if the apocalypse were already over by then...

After Bai Yaoyao returned to the villa, she knocked on Fat Brother's door to let him know she was back before heading upstairs to her room.

She didn't need to probe with her psychic power or even think about it. Fat Brother definitely wasn't asleep. He had to be waiting for her.

It had been the same on her very first mission. She had been eight that year, and the mission itself had gone smoothly. But on the way back... ahem, she had gotten lost. Everything on the mountain looked the same, and somehow she had wandered around to its far side.

It had taken her two days to get back to the base. The instant she walked through the door, Fat Brother burst into tears, sobbing even harder than when Master whipped him.

Lulu later told her that ever since she left, Fat Brother had sat by the entrance waiting whenever he had nothing to do. He hadn't even noticed Monkey stealing his chicken drumstick at lunch.

When she hadn't returned that evening, he stayed awake the entire night. If Master hadn't forbidden him from going out, he would have gone looking for her long ago.

Only after learning that Bai Yaoyao had merely gotten lost, rather than injured, did Fat Brother finally relax. He ate six big white steamed buns in one sitting before his sobbing stopped.

When Master saw that six buns were already missing from the freshly steamed batch before mealtime, he was so angry he nearly grabbed a stick to beat someone.

In the end, Bai Yaoyao had only managed to soothe him with fruit she had picked on the mountain and a nonstop stream of sweet talk.

Remembering her childhood, Bai Yaoyao couldn't help smiling. Today was such a good day. I got Little Crook and wiped out so many zombies~

Only when Fat Brother heard Bai Yaoyao knock did his tightly furrowed brow finally relax. Hearing her light footsteps heading upstairs, he knew she was not only unhurt but had also accomplished her goal. She sounded like she was in a pretty good mood.

He closed his eyes, reassured. Less than three seconds later, his snores thundered through the room.

Next door, Stone thought, The snoring I've missed is finally back! It's practically impossible to fall asleep without Fat Brother's snores keeping me company!

After returning to her room, Bai Yaoyao went straight into her space, took a shower, and changed her clothes.

Then she began absorbing crystal cores. A single level-two special-type crystal core brought her psychic ability up to level two.

She gave it some thought. A level-three spatial ability would grant her spatial blades, but they weren't very powerful-not even as good as Dog Brother's claws.

There weren't many mutated zombies in the early stages, either. Most of the time, she would still be fighting with a knife or a baseball bat, so she prioritized upgrading her strength ability.

The speed zombie's crystal core came in handy. Together with another 222 level-zero crystal cores, it brought her to exactly level three.

The higher the level, the harder it was to advance. Reaching level three alone took more than ten times as many crystal cores as reaching level two. The exact number varied from person to person; it wasn't fixed.

To raise an ability to level four, level-zero crystal cores would no longer work. Even level-one crystal cores would take around a hundred. Most importantly, starting at level four, there was an essential requirement: a crystal core of the same level.

In other words, to reach level four, she needed a level-four crystal core.

But even level-one zombies were rare right now, let alone level-four zombies. She would probably have to wait a while before reaching level four.

Bai Yaoyao checked the time. It was three in the morning. She didn't delay any longer and hurried to bed, even though staying up late was routine in her line of work.

But Master had said that avoiding late nights would help her live a little longer.

Early the next morning.

"Dada Juan, look!" Monkey raised his hand and released a stream of water beyond the balcony.

It still had little offensive power, but it looked much stronger than it had yesterday.

"Brother Monkey, you leveled up too! Check mine out!" Dada Juan had a fire ability and began shooting flames at the tree downstairs.

"Damn, fire abilities are awesome! That looks way stronger than my water. I'll put it out for you!"

The two of them then began subjecting the tree downstairs to an utterly merciless ordeal.

Dada Juan burned it, Monkey doused it. Dada Juan burned it, Monkey doused it. Dada Juan burned it, Monkey doused it...

Seeing what they were doing, Keke hurriedly stopped them. "Cut it out! The tree's getting angry!"

"Huh? What the hell? Has it mutated too?" Dada Juan hastily withdrew the flames.

"Even if it hasn't, you'll make it mutate out of sheer anger." After saying that, Keke didn't even bother with the door, vaulting straight down from the second floor.

Closing her eyes, she gently rested a hand on the tree's trunk.

The entire tree suddenly shuddered.

"Keke, be careful!" Monkey warned, afraid she might be in danger.

"It's fine. My wood ability leveled up too. I can sense the tree's emotions," Keke said.

Ever since gaining her wood ability, Keke had found herself feeling differently about the flowers and plants along the roadside, even though she had never been much of a nature lover before...

"I'm sorry. My friends didn't mean it. Their abilities just leveled up, and they got too excited.

"Here's something to make it up to you!" Keke took out a crystal core. She had only used twenty-four to level up yesterday, leaving exactly one.

The tree shook its leaves, as though saying it was all right.

Still, it curled around the crystal core and drew it back, while offering Keke a vine.

"Is this for me?" Keke asked.

The tree shook again.

"Hahaha, thank you! I'll work hard killing zombies today and bring you more crystal cores when I get back!" Keke wrapped the vine around her wrist as she spoke excitedly.

The tree rustled its leaves, as if cheering her on.

Bai Yaoyao came out just in time to see this scene and couldn't help marveling at Keke's luck. The tree must have only just mutated and knew little of the world. After being bullied, it had sensed Keke's kindness and help, then immediately given her the best thing it had to offer.

Bai Yaoyao abruptly turned her gaze on Dada Juan and Monkey. These two troublemakers!

Dada Juan and Monkey suddenly felt a chill on the backs of their necks. Turning and seeing Sister Yaoyao's stare, they instantly wanted to bolt. Oh, crap! Sister Yaoyao had learned that look straight from Master. One glance, and you knew she wanted to beat someone.

"We were wrong! We were wrong! Sister Yaoyao, we're sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah! We forgot for a moment that animals and plants can mutate too."

Bai Yaoyao rolled her eyes helplessly. "Don't let it happen again. You two are having mutant dog for lunch today, too."

"No! Please, Sister Yaoyao! Didn't you say yesterday we'd only have it for dinner?"

"Boohoo, Sister Yaoyao, I'm sorry!"

Once everyone had come downstairs, Bai Yaoyao quickly brought out breakfast. As they ate, she discussed the day's battle plan with them.

Monkey and Dada Juan cradled their egg-stuffed flatbreads in both hands, unwilling to let even a crumb fall to the floor. This was the only normal food they would get today.

The two exchanged a glance. Fellow heroes understood each other's plight!