A Five-Part Burst, Vote for a Monthly Ticket!!! ...

Ye Chen casually stated, "I'm here from the Guild to support you. You can verify with Xu Tianguo using your communicator." The short-haired man paused, studying Ye Chen closely.

Seeing no sign of deceit, he grew serious. "I don't have a communicator on me.

When I link up with the main force, I'll take you to see the Hall Master for verification then!" Ye Chen nodded and asked, "Where is the main force?" The short-haired man glanced at him. "I can't tell you that yet.

Just follow us, and you'll find them." He worried Ye Chen might be a spy from another Guild, intending to get the location, then kill them or slip away unnoticed. Ye Chen's eyes flickered, and he pressed no further.

"I'm Roger. What's your name?" the short-haired man asked Ye Chen.

Ye Chen replied coldly, "Wolf!" "Wolf?" Roger paused, then understood that Ye Chen preferred not to reveal his real name. He dropped the subject.

"Let's go!" He led the way to the street curb, and as they walked, the others cast curious glances at Ye Chen but remained silent, following their leader cautiously while scanning their surroundings. Ye Chen trailed behind the group, observing the environment while mentally refining combat techniques and practicing his fighting prowess.

This team operated with extreme caution; not a word was spoken along the way, everyone remaining on high alert. After a short walk, Roger spotted three corpses slumped near a heavily dented vehicle.

Being meticulous, he noticed the fingernails of all three bodies were bright red, with debris embedded in them. His gaze sharpened; he recognized these as "Dormant" zombies!

"How many rounds do you have left?" Roger whispered to those behind him. "I have 52!" "I have 67." "I have 32." They exchanged quick, hushed reports.

Their voices were so low that an ordinary person standing nearby wouldn't hear them, but these individuals were New Humans with superior hearing. "We don't have many bullets; conserve them," Roger murmured.

He then reached behind his back, grasped his steel saber, and slowly drew it. He motioned to the two burly men beside him.

"The three of us go in together; be careful! If we can't handle it, we pull back." He then addressed the other man and two women.

"You two watch for an opening and be ready to provide cover fire!" "En!" They all nodded in unison. Roger glanced at Ye Chen, who had his head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Roger shook his head internally. This guy is reckless, daring to be distracted in the wilderness.

If a zombie suddenly charged, he'd be finished. However, he kept this thought unspoken, unwilling to risk offending anyone.

"Go!" The three gripped their sabers tightly and rushed forward. "Gurgle..." Of the three still figures, one's finger suddenly twitched, then it snapped its head up, its face hideous, locking onto the three charging figures before leaping forward like a hunting leopard.

"Die!" Roger led the charge, bringing his saber down in a deadly arc toward the zombie's head. The zombie snarled, blood film clinging to its teeth, looking terrifying.

It ignored the descending saber, tilting its skull just enough to evade the blow, lunging directly at Roger as if seeking mutual destruction. Roger certainly wouldn't fall for it.

He leaned his upper body back, driving a kick into the zombie's abdomen while simultaneously swinging his saber horizontally. The zombie let out a low growl, making no attempt to dodge, instead thrusting its hand out to grab Roger's exposed thigh.

"Thwack!" The zombie's head was severed. Its claws raked across Roger's thigh.

Roger grunted in pain, quickly planting his saber on the ground and snapping his leg back. He saw a small tear in the protective padding of his knee guard, revealing a slight graze on his skin that instantly turned red and swollen, akin to a mosquito bite, but it was not a serious wound.

He breathed a sigh of relief. By this time, the other two zombies had also been dealt with.

Roger was relieved to see his two comrades unscathed. He then stood up, used his combat blade to slice open the severed zombie's abdomen, and prodded inside with the tip of the knife, slightly disappointed when he didn't find the expected fatty white material.

"Let's move..." Roger cast a glance around. The silence of the street sent a shiver down his spine.

He quietly instructed the three behind him and led the way forward. At this point, the sun had already set, and the twilight glow painted the street in a layer of gold.

The world between heaven and earth felt desolate. Roger checked the sky; it was getting late, and traveling at night was inadvisable.

"Let's find somewhere to bed down for the night and set out again at dawn," he suggested. "En!" The others agreed.

Ye Chen had no objection either; night travel was too perilous, with all sorts of powerful monsters emerging. Even with his skills, he couldn't guarantee absolute safety.

The group arrived before a large building. Roger leveled his firearm at the entrance and exchanged a look with a burly man beside him.

The man nodded, stepped forward, kicked the massive door open with force, and immediately retreated quickly without looking back. Roger aimed his gun at the dark expanse inside.

Seeing nothing rush out, he relaxed slightly. The interior was pitch black, the sunset unable to penetrate, looking like the gaping maw of a demon awaiting its meal.

He reached to his waist, pulled out a small flashlight, and shone it into the building. It was quiet inside, utterly silent.

The beam swept across the area once; no zombies were ambushing. Shining further in, he suddenly spotted a pool of dried blood on the floor; it had likely been there for some time.

Roger's heart tightened. He swung the flashlight around the surroundings and noticed several bones near the bloodstain, along with half a palm and a severed head.

The face was too indistinct to identify, but the short hair suggested it belonged to a man whose body ended below the neck... Roger swept the light over every corner, from left to right, and found three pools of dried blood in total.

No zombies were in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and led the way inside.

Everyone entered, with Ye Chen standing in the center. After the last person stepped in, he swiftly closed the heavy door, ensuring they could focus forward without fear of being attacked from behind.

With the heavy door shut, the room plunged into darkness. The others pulled out their flashlights, scanning around.

They located a staircase, near which was another pool of blood and several finger bones stained crimson. A sense of tension gripped them, and they grew wary.

"Let's check upstairs," Roger said, frowning slightly after examining the bloodstain, feeling a slight unease in his stomach. He then told the group, who readily agreed, accepting his leadership.

Ye Chen remained calm; if any monster suddenly charged out, he would instantly eliminate it! Roger led the ascent to the second floor.

Standing at the stairwell, he shone his light up, and finding no zombies, slowly stepped onto the landing. His beam illuminated a long corridor, marked by several bloodstains and a corpse cut off at the torso.

Along both sides of the corridor were numerous rooms; some doors were shut tight, others ajar. Roger lowered his voice.

"Check the rooms one by one." He headed to the first door, the others crowding around, their muzzles aimed at him. He tried the knob, found it locked from the inside, and moved on to the next.

A locked room, even if it contained a zombie, was less of a threat. If a zombie managed to break out, they would know in time and could kill it then, as zombies, after all, didn't know how to pick locks.

The next room was slightly ajar. Roger felt a spike of nervousness and slowly pushed it open with his foot.

"Creeeeak..." The sound of the door opening was jarringly loud in the silent, dark corridor. Several flashlight beams pierced the interior.

The room was a mess, but thankfully, there were no zombies. They let out a collective sigh of relief and moved to the next room.

No one noticed, however, that tucked away in the corner behind the door they just opened, a man stood rigidly still. As soon as the flashlight beams moved on toward the next room, the man slowly opened his eyes.

A faint, pale green tint... He extended his tongue and licked his lips.

In the quiet corridor, only the sounds of their footsteps and breathing could be heard. Roger searched seven or eight rooms consecutively, finding no zombies, which struck him as odd, but he didn't dwell on it, proceeding to the next.

Suddenly, he heard a low, guttural hiss, immediately followed by an icy hand clamping down on his ankle! Roger's heart leaped, his pulse hammering.

He shone his flashlight downward and saw that the half-bodied corpse from earlier was, in fact, a zombie, writhing and opening its mouth to bite down on his leg! "Ah!" A female member, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but gasp.

Bang! Suddenly, the zombie's head exploded.

Ye Chen released his grip, focused his gaze on Roger's ankle, and seeing no injury, finally relaxed. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to kill Roger before he could turn into a zombie upon infection.

Seeing the zombie's head blown apart, Roger felt a rush of relief, throwing a grateful look toward his teammate behind him, assuming someone had used a silencer to take the zombie down instantly. Everyone shared this assumption, and even if someone harbored doubt, they dared not voice it in such a perilous environment for fear of attracting more of the infected.

The group finished clearing the last two rooms, finding no zombies, and finally relaxed slightly, though they remained highly cautious. Roger led them into the final room, walked to the light switch, and flipped it.

The lamp remained dark; power was likely cut. He dismissed it and thoroughly checked all the corners and cabinets before closing the door.

"Let's eat something," Roger said, taking out rations from his backpack—cured meat, flatbread, along with candy and chocolate. The others unshouldered their packs, taking out their provisions, and sat down in one corner of the room.

One person dismantled some bedding, gathering some wood and a set of blankets, which they lit, closing the windows and drawing the curtains to ensure the firelight wasn't visible from outside. The group huddled around the small fire, beginning to eat.

Suddenly— A faint sound of footsteps echoed from outside. The room instantly went silent; everyone froze, exchanging glances.