Chapter 180: The Mutated Beast and Song Haitang's Strength

Chapter 180: The Mutated Beast and Song Haitang's Strength

In this world, a disaster had been wreaking havoc for two to three years.

Even the most well-prepared households would have run out of food by now.

At this point, food was undoubtedly the most scarce and vital resource. Yet, in the convenience store they had just encountered, there were only a few zombies wandering around, despite the abundance of food inside...

This was definitely not a normal occurrence. Even without the presence of psychics, ordinary survivors could have easily dealt with just a few zombies.

It was impossible for them to have survived this long.

This was the reason why Song Haitang hadn't taken action earlier.

Now, it seemed her suspicions were confirmed.

When Song Haitang proposed cooperation to the middle-aged man, it was to gather useful information...

Listening to the conversation among the survivors, it seemed that a terrifying creature was lurking around the convenience store.

...

After some deliberation, the group on the second floor finally made a decision.

They wanted to cooperate.

This decision was made out of desperation.

They hadn't eaten for two to three days, and almost all edible items in the vicinity had been consumed. If they didn't find food soon, they would be left to die when their energy ran out.

So, they couldn't afford to wait.

Moments later, someone descended from the second floor.

This time, it wasn't just the middle-aged man, but three people.

In addition to the middle-aged man, the other two were young men.

Song Haitang clearly heard six voices speaking earlier, including both male and female voices.

This meant there were three more people upstairs.

"We're willing to cooperate!"

The middle-aged man spoke directly, "But before we do, we want to confirm if you're a psychic."

Song Haitang didn't respond; instead, she raised one hand.

In the next moment, a burst of flames erupted from her palm, instantly illuminating the surroundings and dispelling some of the chill.

The three people in front of her were startled.

The middle-aged man quickly said, "That's enough, please put out the fire. It might attract the monster's attention..."

His tone unintentionally carried a sense of respect.

Hearing this, Song Haitang waved her hand, and the flames vanished without a trace.

The surroundings fell back into darkness.

Song Haitang noticed that the two people behind the middle-aged man exchanged glances, and both saw a hint of joy in each other's eyes.

She understood what they were happy about.

After the disaster, thick fog gradually enveloped the entire world, blocking out the sunlight and causing the ground temperature to drop.

Even though it wasn't winter, the highest daytime temperature was only a few degrees, and it would drop below freezing at night.

Having a fire-based psychic in their team would be a great advantage during the night.

Additionally, fire-based psychics typically possessed high attack power.

They were highly sought after by various factions.

"I never expected you to be a fire-based psychic."

The middle-aged man spoke up, "But I'm not sure how we should cooperate."

Song Haitang replied, "You should show your sincerity in cooperating first."

"Sincerity?" The middle-aged man was taken aback.

Song Haitang remained silent.

She wasn't familiar with the environment or the situation.

At this point, saying too much might lead to mistakes.

So far, every word Song Haitang had spoken was carefully chosen, revealing nothing about her disadvantage.

The middle-aged man furrowed his brows and thought for a moment.

Then, gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

"Alright, to show our sincerity in cooperating, I'll take the lead and lure out the monster. Once it appears, you can make your move."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two young men behind him were shocked.

"Uncle San..."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, signaling the young men not to speak, and looked at Song Haitang, waiting for her response.

Song Haitang smiled slightly.

Initially, she had thought that sharing information would be a good outcome.

But now, there was an unexpected bonus.

Although Song Haitang's heart was inclined towards kindness, she was also practical.

In the Spirit Realm world, her top priority was self-preservation, and only when her life was secure could she afford to be benevolent.

So, having someone take the lead and scout ahead was something she had no objections to.

"Alright, let's do it!"

Song Haitang agreed.

She was also curious about the creature hiding around the convenience store.

Thus, a temporary alliance was formed between the two parties, each remaining cautious and vigilant towards the other.

Song Haitang wasn't worried about being abandoned by these people after the task was completed.

After all, she was the publicly recognized "Newcomer First," and her current mental attribute, including the championship reward from the 'National Spirit Realm,' was already close to five thousand points. Her overall strength had reached the Fifth Rank.

Even in this world, she was considered a powerful being. She had even mastered the ability to partially transform her body into elements.

The firearms held by these survivors posed no threat to her at all!

"It's getting dark. Since we're in agreement, let's get moving quickly!" the middle-aged man said.

"At night, the monsters are even more formidable!" he added.

Song Haitang nodded.

The teacher had also mentioned that the night was a haven for monsters, and their strength would increase significantly.

The group began to approach the convenience store.

On the way, a young man approached the middle-aged man and whispered, "Uncle San, why did you suddenly decide to take the lead? Weren't we supposed to let the psychic go first?"

The middle-aged man replied, "Don't treat them as fools. Although they're young, not many of those who have survived on their own are idiots."

"Also, our team is really weak. We need the protection of a psychic! I'm doing this to show our sincerity and leave a good impression, so we can negotiate later."

The young man was taken aback. "Uncle San, do you mean you want to recruit that psychic into our team?"

"What are you dreaming about? Can't you be more realistic? Our team is just a few young men with a few guns. Do you really think a psychic would stoop to join us?"

Uncle San scolded the young man and then said, "We should rely on that psychic! We must treat them with respect!"

Hearing this, the young man's initial hesitation faded.

However, when he thought about Song Haitang's appearance, he suddenly felt that it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

To be honest, when he first saw Song Haitang, he was genuinely amazed by her beauty, even more so than the big stars of the peaceful era.

If it weren't for his current hunger, he might have even started daydreaming...

"Uncle San, let me take the lead instead," the young man volunteered.

Uncle San glanced at him with disdain. "It's not your turn yet, kid. Wait until you've mastered the skills I taught you, then you can think about that."

Although his tone was mocking, there was a look of satisfaction on his face.

...

They quickly reached the convenience store.

At this moment, the group had already taken up their positions.

The survivors with guns occupied concealed spots around the store, aiming their weapons towards it.

It was clear that they were a well-coordinated team.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, glanced at Song Haitang in the other direction, nodded, and then approached the convenience store.

As he walked, he drew a silenced pistol from his waist.

As the middle-aged man approached, the zombies loitering around the store immediately noticed him and charged towards him with loud roars.

These zombies moved very quickly, almost as fast as normal humans, not the slow-moving kind.

"Bang! Bang!"

The middle-aged man fired his pistol, shooting one zombie after another, almost always hitting their heads.

His actions showed that he had likely been a soldier before, as his gun-handling posture was very standard, and his skills were also very agile.

Indeed, survivors who managed to stay alive in the apocalyptic environment seemed to have some real skills.

In just a few breaths, the middle-aged man had taken out all the zombies.

He had now reached the vicinity of the convenience store.

But just then...

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

A dark shadow suddenly leaped out from the second-floor window of the convenience store, directly pouncing towards the middle-aged man.

The man had been aware of the presence of hidden monsters and was on high alert.

Seeing the monster appear, he rolled on the ground, moving away from his original position.

As he stood up, a Desert Eagle appeared in his left hand, and he aimed both guns at the monster!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The gunfire continued.

The middle-aged man's aim was also very accurate, rarely missing a shot.

Surprisingly, even the large-caliber Desert Eagle seemed unable to inflict effective damage on the monster.

The monster charged forward, taking the bullets head-on, and rushed towards the middle-aged man again.

At this moment, Song Haitang finally got a clear look at the monster.

Its appearance was very similar to that of a zombie, with extensive decay and a hideous face.

Moreover, through the wound in its chest, one could see its beating heart.

Song Haitang immediately recognized what kind of monster it was.

Her teacher had taught her about this! In a large group of zombies, there would occasionally be mutated individuals, which the locals called "mutated zombies."

Compared to true monsters, the mutated zombies may have some differences in strength.

However, once a zombie mutates, it can activate its brain, gain intelligence, and even control common zombies.

Earlier, when she heard those people talking, Song Haitang had already guessed that the monsters around the convenience store were likely mutated zombies.

Because only mutated zombies, with their ability to control common zombies, could make these six or seven zombies loiter around the convenience store entrance.

At this moment, Song Haitang's gaze was fixed on the mutated zombie.

She was analyzing the strength of the mutated zombie before her.

The strength of mutated zombies was not static; it evolved over time, and some powerful mutated zombies were even comparable to those terrifying monsters...

...

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out.

This shot was incredibly loud.

Song Haitang's sharp eyes caught the shooter—a young girl on the rooftop behind them.

In her hands was an AWM sniper rifle!

The rifle used 0.338 Lapua Magnum bullets (8.6mm caliber), which packed a powerful punch.

Moreover, the girl's marksmanship was incredibly precise, and the bullet struck the zombie's head directly.

However, the expected scene of a headshot did not occur.

The bullet had lodged itself in the mutated zombie's skull...

It was worth noting that the power of this shot could penetrate steel plates, yet it failed to pierce the mutated zombie's skull.

Everyone around, including Song Haitang, was shocked by this sight.

But there was no time for further contemplation.

The mutated zombie seemed to be enraged, and with a roar, it abandoned the middle-aged man. It leaped onto the second-floor rooftop and pounced towards the girl.

From the ground to the second-floor rooftop, there was at least a height of seven or eight meters.

The zombie's ability to leap so high proved its exceptional jumping ability!

"Xiaona, get down!"

A young man shouted and quickly raised his rifle, firing at the zombie.

Others hiding in the shadows also opened fire.

The firepower in the hands of those who had survived until now was indeed formidable.

However, their bullets were unable to stop the mutated zombie.

The girl, referred to as "Xiaona," did not panic or flee immediately. Instead, she aimed at the mutated zombie once more.

"Bang!"

She fired again.

However, this time, an abnormal phenomenon occurred.

The mutated zombie slightly sidestepped, dodging the bullet.

What a beast! Its reaction speed was so fast, and it could even dodge bullets? It must have thought dodging was unnecessary earlier.

Up until this moment, the girl Xiaona showed a hint of panic and fear.

She quickly stood up from her prone position, holding the sniper rifle, and began to run.

Seeing this, Song Haitang knew it was time for her to take action.

She had hesitated earlier, wanting to observe the strength of this team and the coordination among its members.

Now, with the girl about to be caught by the mutated zombie, it was time to intervene to prevent a tragedy.

"Puff!"

A small flame ignited on Song Haitang's index finger.

Then, aiming at the pursuing mutated zombie, she flicked her finger!

"Whoosh!"

A piercing sound filled the air.

That small flame shot towards the mutated zombie like a bullet.

At first, the mutated zombie didn't seem to take the small flame seriously.

But when the flame hit it, it realized its fatal mistake.

"Bang!"

An explosion sounded.

The small flame suddenly detonated on the mutated zombie's body, igniting a roaring flame.

Instantly, the mutated zombie let out a painful scream, stopping its pursuit and rolling on the second-floor rooftop before falling to the ground.

It wasn't dead, but it was desperately trying to extinguish the flames on its body.

Song Haitang wasn't about to give it that chance.

With a wave of her hand, a ball of flame fell onto the mutated zombie's body.

Instantly, the raging fire engulfed the mutated zombie.

Everything around them was illuminated by the flames, and the temperature rose sharply.

Even the survivors who were a distance away felt the heat wave.

"Ouch!"

The mutated zombie continued to scream in the sea of flames.

Soon, its screams faded away.

Song Haitang waved her hand, dispelling the flames.

Everyone immediately looked over.

On the ground, there was no longer a mutated zombie, only a pile of charred remains.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end