Outside the business car, zombies swarmed in overwhelming numbers, surrounding the vehicle so tightly that there was no way in or out.
Even if everyone inside used up all their powers, they couldn’t completely eliminate them.
The car could barely move.
“Open the sunroof.” Zhou Wangye ordered.
He and He Sheng stood up through the sunroof, using their abilities to slash the zombies at the front, trying to carve a path so the car could inch forward.
Secretary Wang, through the window gaps, used vines to fling the zombies blocking the way outward.
Gu Xiangwan used her space blades to kill the zombies outside the windows.
But the space blades could only be used twice consecutively before needing a break.
Seeing everyone using their powers to fight zombies, Lin Ran stopped absorbing zombie cores, intending to save them to help replenish everyone’s energy.
Zhou Wangye noticed her action. “Lin Ran, stop hesitating. Keep absorbing the cores. Only by upgrading to level three can you use the space blades.”
He spoke to her gently.
He had his lapses in attention—better to let her protect herself than watch her every moment.
Turning back, Zhou Wangye continued killing zombies.
The zombies kept advancing relentlessly.
Those in front fell, but the ones behind immediately filled their place, blocking the car completely, making it impossible to move.
Zhou Wangye realized the situation was worse than expected. “Everyone, stop using your powers. Get back in the car and conserve energy.”
With the sunroof and windows closed, everyone quietly stayed inside, alertly watching their surroundings.
Then… it appeared!
Lin Ran silently thought.
As everyone held their breath, a male zombie wearing a black cloak appeared, standing atop a building directly ahead.
With a wave of its hand, the zombies in front of the car miraculously stepped aside for a moment.
Meng Yan asked, “President Zhou, the car can move now. Shall we go?”
Zhou Wangye shook his head. “Wait a little longer.”
The cloaked zombie looked almost human—aside from pale skin and black nails, it had no wounds and its eyes were sharp and alive.
“It can control the zombies!” Gu Xiangwan exclaimed. “What is that thing?”
Zhou Wangye’s gaze sharpened. “A psychic-type zombie.”
“Being able to mentally control hundreds of ordinary zombies, it must be at least a level-three.” Secretary Wang worriedly asked, “President Zhou, what should we do now?”
Zhou Wangye didn’t answer her question but instead looked deeply at Lin Ran.
After a moment, he spoke:“In one minute, Secretary Gu will release the SUVs. I, Secretary Gu, and Meng Yan will board the SUVs.”
Gu Xiangwan brightened—Zhou Wangye had chosen to fight alongside her, clearly not considering Lin Ran.
Haha, Lin Ran, the fool, couldn’t even stay close to him at a critical moment.
But the next second, her smile shattered when she heard Zhou Wangye say:
“Secretary Wang and He Sheng, you two must protect the Young Madam. We will regroup at the next location.”
He paused, then continued:“If we haven’t arrived before nightfall, collect supplies as quickly as possible and return to the villa to meet the Young Master.”
No one objected—they had always followed Zhou Wangye’s orders.
And he had never made a mistake.
Gu Xiangwan, shocked, looked at Zhou Wangye: “President Zhou… you mean… you’re going to personally act as bait, drawing away the psychic zombie, just to protect Lin—”
In her panic, she nearly said: “…just to protect Lin Ran, that fool!”
“What about your ambition? Didn’t you want to build a secure base in this apocalypse?”
Zhou Wangye frowned, interrupting: “Secretary Gu, I never said I’m committing suicide. Don’t get so worked up.”
What was going on with Gu Xiangwan? Before the apocalypse, she had been calm. Why so restless these past two days?
Zhou Wangye continued:“This is a temporary measure. I’m confident I can avoid this psychic zombie.”
But bringing Lin Ran along would likely slow him down.
Moreover, he had promised his mother to protect Lin Ran’s safety at all costs.
He looked at Gu Xiangwan: “If you’re willing to go with me, you can swap places with Secretary Wang.”
He Sheng couldn’t move; he was Zhou Wangye’s most trusted aide and had to stay with Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, the troublemaker, could be entrusted to others.
Gu Xiangwan anxiously said:“President Zhou, I don’t want to go with you. I’m just worried about your safety.”
“I won’t swap. I’m willing to ride the SUV with you as bait!”
“For you, I won’t shrink from a mountain of knives or a sea of fire!”
Zhou Wangye looked at her oddly: “It’s just drawing that zombie away… do you have to be so dramatic?”
But considering she was still a woman, it was natural to fear zombies; he wasn’t that cruel.
He said, “You should swap with Secretary Wang instead.”
Gu Xiangwan looked devastated—why did Zhou Wangye only notice her efforts?
She composed herself and spoke calmly:“President Zhou, as a secretary, it’s my duty to accompany my boss. I volunteered to ride the SUV and draw away the psychic zombie.”
Zhou Wangye nodded—Gu Xiangwan had overcome her inner fear.
He glanced at Lin Ran, worried she might cause trouble again, given her track record.
But he saw Lin Ran pale, eyes shut, forehead sweating.
What was happening? Could absorbing zombie cores really drive someone to the brink of madness?
“Lin Ran!”
“Lin Ran, wake up!”
If anything happened to her, he dared not imagine how his mother would react.
Unbeknownst to others, Lin Ran, who seemed to be losing control, was actually trying to copy the psychic zombie’s ability.
Unfortunately, her attempts repeatedly failed.
But she learned the pattern of copying abilities:
If the target was alert or wary of her, she couldn’t copy their powers.
This explained why she initially couldn’t copy Zhang Qiang’s ability, but later could.
So… in the villa, those people had no defenses against her, which is why she could copy their abilities easily.
She felt a little frustrated—even the main character, usually hostile to her, was still cautious.
She also speculated another reason she couldn’t copy the psychic zombie’s ability—she was only a level-three copier, while the psychic zombie was a level-five psychic-type.
So she concluded: a lower-level copier can’t copy abilities stronger than their own.
That was the information she had for now.
It was a pity.
According to the novel, this cloaked zombie eventually became a zombie king, controlling zombies to conquer several military bases—the black cloak was its trademark.
Since she couldn’t copy its ability, she couldn’t stop it from surviving.
Later, when it became a zombie king, killing it would be nearly impossible.
So when Zhou Wangye called her name, she opened her eyes in time.
Seeing she was alive, Zhou Wangye exhaled a heavy sigh of relief.
Gu Xiangwan, speaking with concern:“Miss Lin Ran, are you alright? You really scared us. It’s the first time we’ve seen a mutant mishandle a core—we didn’t know how to help. Luckily, you woke up.”
Lin Ran sneered at Gu Xiangwan.
Ah, the heroine stuck to her usual routine: concern on the surface, mockery underneath—even absorbing cores she managed to mess up, pathetic.
Lin Ran wasn’t planning to indulge her:“What else could I do? Naturally, I upgraded to level three successfully.”
“If you keep poking me subtly every time, trying to stir trouble, I’ll call you out directly. You’ll regret coming into this world. How’s that?”
Gu Xiangwan habitually looked at Zhou Wangye—but he wasn’t looking at her; he was focused entirely on Lin Ran, making sure she was safe.
That sly fox, Lin Ran, constantly trying to seduce Zhou Wangye!
Gu Xiangwan silently cursed while wearing a facade of grievance.
Lin Ran noticed and a mischievous smile crept onto her lips:
“Gu Xiangwan, you only target me because you like Zhou Wangye. Too bad—if I weren’t bothering him, he’d be looking at you instead.”