Сhарtеr 25: Мu Shengzhou, I’ll Tеll Yоu My Тrump Cаrd
Jiаng Сi сrоuсhed dоwn, tооk оut his standard-issuе dagger, and gavе а light taр—аs еffоrtlеssly аs сrаcking oреn a wаtermelon.
Тhe Тhird-order Zombiе’s heаd instantlу sрlit into threе sections.
Тhе Сrуstal Cоrе ооzed out аlong with thе brain mattеr.
Mo Qiаnqian piсked up the Сrуstаl Cоrе, and a smile finаlly арpeаred on hеr eхрrеssionlеss facе.
“Thanks, brоthеr. Whеn we get back to the Safe Zоnе, I’ll give you a gift tоо.”
Jiang Ci: “…”
Why didn’t shе сall him ‘big brother’?
It was the first time a little girl had called him ‘brother’…
As for the gift or not…
Honestly, he was quite curious about what this little girl would give him.
“You’re welcome,” Jiang Ci replied politely.
Mo Qianqian then pulled the crossbow bolt from the zombie’s eye socket. It was worn but still usable.
For the rest of the journey, Mo Qianqian focused on hunting Third-order Zombies.
Jiang Ci was perceptive. Whenever Mo Qianqian killed a zombie, he would take the initiative to dig out the Crystal Core and bring it back to her.
After all, the little girl had said she would give him a gift when they returned to the Safe Zone.
Meanwhile, as Mo Qianqian repeatedly sniped Third-order Zombies, Mu Shengzhou confirmed one thing.
He deduced that the Wooden Hand Crossbow in Mo Qianqian’s hands was truly a ranged weapon that could fire without requiring any energy source.
And its power was quite impressive.
An interesting little girl, wielding an interesting weapon…
The group of over thirty people had already ventured deep into the Urban Ruins.
“Boss, look—isn’t that a Sixth-order Zombie?” a member of the Grim Reaper Mercenary Corps exclaimed, pointing diagonally ahead.
Mo Qianqian also looked in the direction the person pointed.
She didn’t know much about zombies.
She only remembered from the original plot that Fourth-Tier Zombies had light red eyes, while Fifth-order ones had orange-red eyes.
And Sixth-order Zombies had blood-red eyes like rubies.
As for Seventh-order, their eyes were purple; Eighth-order, purplish-black; and Ninth Rank, pure black.
The zombie Mo Qianqian saw was fully clothed, its skin tinged with the bluish-gray hue typical of zombies, but without any signs of decay. Moreover, this zombie’s eyes were as crimson as blood!
Upon closer inspection, one could see that in the center of its blood-red eyes, at the pupil’s location, a dense shade of purple had already appeared.
(⊙o⊙)…
That was a Sixth-order Zombie at its peak, on the verge of advancing to Seventh-order!
Such zombies, just one step away from ranking up, had a special name: Half-step Seventh-order.
Clearly, Mo Qianqian wasn’t the only one who noticed this.
The atmosphere among the group of over thirty people instantly grew tense.
Mo Qianqian stared at the Half-step Seventh-order Zombie along with everyone else.
She seemed to have foreseen the truth behind Mu Shengzhou’s untimely demise.
Originally planning to hunt an ordinary Sixth-order Zombie, they had instead encountered one on the brink of reaching Seventh-order.
A Fifth-order Ability User facing off against a Half-step Seventh-order Zombie.
Just thinking about it was daunting.
And then, Mu Shengzhou fell.
Thus… Mu Shengzhou died.
When this Half-step Seventh-order Zombie turned its gaze toward her, Mo Qianqian felt a pressure as tangible as physical force!
Mu Shengzhou stood far off, confronting the Half-step Seventh-order Zombie, an invisible aura of intimidation spreading around them.
Mo Qianqian’s palm, gripping the Hand Crossbow, grew damp with sweat.
“If we run now, can we escape?” Mo Qianqian whispered to Jiang Ci.
“We can’t. That Half-step Seventh-order Zombie has already locked onto us. Running would only get us killed faster,” Jiang Ci replied.Mo Qianqian had anticipated this outcome, just like back then when she was targeted by a Fourth-Tier Zombie and chose not to run.
Since there was no escape…
While everyone was silently confronting each other, Mo Qianqian began her own subtle movements.
She unloaded the ordinary bolts from her Hand Crossbow and replaced them with three Armor-piercing Arrows.
The remaining two Explosive Arrows from her Spirit Spring Space were quietly retrieved and placed in the most accessible part of her small backpack for quick use.
She had done all the preparations she could.
But whether she could save Mu Shengzhou’s sorry life from the clutches of a Half-step Seventh-order Zombie, she had absolutely no confidence.
It wasn’t even just about saving Mu Shengzhou anymore—whether she could keep her own life was also uncertain.
The standoff between Mu Shengzhou and the Half-step Seventh-order Zombie continued.
Mo Qianqian was also struggling with something.
Should she reveal her trump card to Mu Shengzhou now?
She had no idea how intense the battle between a Fifth-order Ability User and a Half-step Seventh-order Zombie would be.
Originally, she had planned to save Mu Shengzhou unexpectedly, forcing him to owe her a life-saving debt.
But she was also worried that the fight might be too intense for her to intervene at all.
This struggle didn’t last long.
No matter how powerful her crossbow bolts were, they were useless if she couldn’t fire them.
Moreover, a Half-step Seventh-order Zombie would surely be better at dodging than a Fourth-Tier Zombie…
Perhaps she needed a little cooperation.
“Mu Shengzhou, I’ll tell you my trump card.”