The young woman, about the same age as the cold-faced man, was dressed in casual clothes and had delicate features. She smiled slightly at us and said, "Hello, my name is Lena."


    The cold-faced man spoke curtly, "Kale."


    The man in the blood-stained white suit, who had been playing with fire, finally put out the flames, looked up, and said, "Ace."


    Since they had the courtesy to introduce themselves first, I followed suit. "George," I said. Then, Ares, Sophie, and Zara introduced themselves as well.


    Lena then asked, "Are all four of you the chosen ones? Let''s form an alliance, support each other, but not interfere in each other''s affairs. How about it?"


    I smiled and replied, "That sounds good to me. But it would help if we introduced our abilities to each other first, so we know how best to cooperate."


    Lena smiled back. "Sure. My ability, as you already know, is mental communication. It also has a minor offensive effect." She spoke calmly as she watched me.


    I nodded. "My abilities are fairly balanced—not particularly strong in offense or support."


    The cold-faced Kale said bluntly, "I specialize in heavy offense."


    Ares tilted his head as sunlight hit him just right, making him look almost heroic—or at least, that''s what he thought. With a smug grin, he declared, "I am an ultra-powerful support type! If you ever catch a cold, get diarrhea, or have a sore throat, just leave it to me—I will take care of everything!"


    I almost burst out laughing. This guy was a natural comedian...


    The man in the white suit ignited flames in his hands again. "Fire element manipulation," he said.


    Sophie glanced at Kale''s ice blade and said calmly, "Sophie. Assassin."


    The three of them visibly flinched. Even the usually indifferent Ace raised his head to look at Sophie more carefully.


    Then, all three of them turned their attention to Zara. She shrank back in fear, waving her hands frantically. "I don''t know what you''re talking about! I have no abilities at all!"


    They frowned, clearly skeptical. The tension in the air was rising. I frowned as well and explained, "We just met her. The cars we’re using? They’re all hers."


    Ace and the others still seemed unconvinced but decided not to press the matter. Lena changed the topic. "Where are you guys heading?"


    Instead of answering, I asked, "What about you?"


    Lena didn''t hesitate. "We were heading to the survivor camp in the northern district. Word is, the military is protecting the survivors there. As you’ve seen, more and more chosen ones among the zombies are awakening, commanding large groups of them. We rarely see lone zombies anymore because they''re all being gathered together. Like what happened earlier—when faced with tens of thousands of zombies, all we could do was run. That''s why we''re heading to the survivor camp."


    I nodded. "Yeah, the chosen zombies are making survival harder. Just now, the horde was chanting ''Marn.'' What does that mean? Is it some kind of zombie language?"


    Lena shook her head. "You really don''t know? The leader of all the zombies in this city is called Marn. He controls millions of them… He''s terrifying."


    I frowned. "We hadn’t planned on going to the survivor camp, but since you’re headed there, would you mind taking Zara along?" I gestured toward her.


    Lena shook her head. … Yeah, I figured they''d think I was trying to sneak an insider into their group to betray them from within.


    Fine. I sighed and said, "Alright, then we''ll go with you to the northern survivor camp, just to drop Zara off. But we''re not staying."


    In my mind, I knew two reasons for avoiding the camp: One, we might run into Duke there. Two, once inside, we''d likely be restricted, and all chosen ones would probably be forced to fight off zombie attacks. Zara had indirectly helped us by giving us the cars, so taking her to the camp was the least I could do in return.


    "You guys lead the way," I said. "I don''t know where the survivor camp is."


    Lena nodded. "Alright."


    The three of them got back in their car and drove off. We followed closely behind.


    Zara whispered softly, "Thank you… Thank you so much."


    Ares flashed what he thought was a charming smile and said, "No need to thank us! I live to embody selflessness, spreading good deeds without asking for anything in return!...."


    I smiled slightly. For the first time, I realized that Ares actually had an impressive gift for talking...


    Sophie also had a faint smile on her lips as she glanced at me. Meanwhile, Zara was already laughing uncontrollably at Ares'' antics.


    But just then—something unexpected happened!


    A massive fireball suddenly shot up from the roadside bushes and hurled straight toward Lena''s car!


    For a moment, I was frozen in shock. But before the fireball could hit, a hand extended from the car—flames flickering around it. The hand reached out toward the fireball and, unbelievably, the massive flame began to shrink rapidly, then flew straight into the hand!


    It was Ace! I was stunned.


    Why did every other chosen one seem so powerful, while Ares and I—aside from the mysterious Sophie—felt so weak in comparison?


    But before I could dwell on it, another change unfolded.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A huge earthen wall suddenly shot up from the middle of the road!


    The piercing sound of brakes screeching filled the air as Lena''s car came to an abrupt stop.


    I shouted, "Sophie! Turn around! Go back!"


    But Sophie replied calmly, "It''s too late."


    Even as she spoke, another earthen wall rose behind us, sealing off our escape route.


    From the right side of the road, five people slowly emerged...


    Another group of chosen ones!


    Both our team and Lena''s team quickly got out of the cars and temporarily formed a unified front. All of us were on high alert, ready for a fight.


    Among the five approaching figures, a bald man stood at the front, smoking a cigarette while staring at us.


    Behind him, one of his underlings grinned and said, "Voss, looks like we''ve got three chicks in this group. Heh heh..."


    The man called "Voss" squinted his eyes and said, "Don''t get careless. From what I can tell, there are at least five chosen ones on their side. The woman with the dagger, the man with the lightsaber, the guy gathering sunlight, the fire-wielding one, and the guy with the ice blade. But they seem to be divided into two factions... Mia, test that woman next to the ice blade guy."


    The man behind "Voss" nodded and did nothing at first—just stared at Lena. Suddenly, a ripple spread through the air...


    A beam of light shot from his eyes at incredible speed, aiming straight for Lena!


    Kael instantly stepped in front of Lena, blocking the light with his ice blade. The beam dissipated upon impact. Without hesitation, he swung his blade again, unleashing a wave of chilling energy that materialized into an ice spike, shooting straight toward "Mia"—even faster than the beam of light!


    But then, "Voss" simply raised his hand and swiped the air. The ice spike disintegrated instantly...


    My eyes widened in shock. This guy was strong!


    Sophie, noticing my reaction, murmured, "He''s not as powerful as you think. His ability likely involves some kind of disintegration."


    Ace, head lowered, conjured a fireball in his hand. Without even looking, he flung it straight at "Voss."


    As expected, "Voss" simply waved his hand again, and the fireball vanished into thin air.


    "Hmph." "Voss" sneered. "Child''s play. Brothers, take them out! Watch out for those two women—they might not be the chosen ones!"


    With that, "Voss" and two of his men charged straight at us!


    "Run!!" I shouted.


    I didn''t bother checking on Zara. I just grabbed Sophie and sprinted toward the open field.


    But Ares... that idiot actually grabbed Zara, trying to take her with us...


    Gritting my teeth, I used the secret technique I had secretly activated three times before—the Sunflower Manual—one more time, casting it on Zara. The strain left me feeling even more mentally exhausted.


    As expected, Ares and Zara didn''t make it far before their pursuers started closing in...


    I let out a frustrated sigh. Without a word, I turned back and charged toward Ares.


    To my surprise, Sophie was even faster than me—running straight toward "Voss" and his two men!


    I was shocked and shouted, “Sophie!! Come back!!”


    But Sophie didn''t respond. She flicked her dagger, and in an instant, a green glow wrapped around the blade—then she disappeared!


    I had completely forgotten—Sophie was far more formidable than I had ever imagined!


    Seeing Sophie suddenly disappear, Voss and his two men also froze in their tracks, their eyes darting around in alarm. This brief hesitation gave Ares and Zara the perfect chance to escape.


    Ares pulled Zara along and ran toward me...


    Though Voss seemed startled at first, he quickly regained his composure. “Watch the surrounding grass!” he ordered. “Even if she can turn invisible, the grass will bend under her footsteps…”


    I immediately realized this too. Without hesitation, I charged toward the bald Voss with my lightsaber—not to kill him, but to distract them!


    Ares hesitated for a moment before understanding my intention. Taking advantage of the bright midday sun, he raised his hand and focused on a beam of light. But how could Voss and his men just stand still and wait?


    One of them swiftly formed two fireballs in his hands and hurled them toward Ares and me!


    They were fast!


    I barely dodged in time, feeling the intense heat scorch the side of my hair, leaving a burnt scent in the air. But I didn''t stop—I kept charging forward…


    Ares had originally intended to fire his light attack at the three enemies, but the incoming fireball threw him into a panic. He reflexively swung his hand, scattering a burst of light that countered the fireball, extinguishing it.


    At that moment—


    One of Voss''s men, who had been standing back-to-back with the others, suddenly let out a strangled scream.


    A pitch-black dagger had embedded itself deep into his skull!


    The dagger spun through the air, leaving a dark blur as it shot toward the stunned Voss!


    At the same time, Sophie’s figure reappeared.


    Voss''s pupils shrank sharply as he instinctively retreated at high speed. Meanwhile, the man Sophie had just killed collapsed, and a glowing Essence Shard emerged from his body—instantly merging into Sophie.


    I had already reached the fire-wielding man. Gripping my Thunderlight Sword, I slashed down with full force!


    Although the man was panicked, he reacted quickly. He raised both hands and conjured a shield made of fire.


    My sword struck the blazing shield, causing it to shatter instantly. The force of the impact sent the man staggering backward.


    The impact also numbed my hands, but I seized the moment and lunged forward again, delivering another heavy slash.


    The man desperately formed another fire shield in front of him.


    Boon!!


    The shield shattered once more.


    He fell back onto the ground, shouting in terror, “Voss!! Help me!!”


    But Voss was too occupied dealing with Sophie—he had no time to save him!


    I closed in again and delivered one final, merciless slash…


    This time, he couldn''t block it. My sword cleaved straight into his skull.


    Two Evolution Seeds emerged from his body and merged into mine.


    I turned my gaze toward Sophie.


    She was relentlessly attacking Voss, slashing at him repeatedly with her dagger.


    Voss suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the two underlings fighting against Lena''s group.


    Strangely, despite their strength, Ace and Kael hadn''t managed to take down a single enemy!


    I quickly realized why—


    Both of Voss''s remaining men were energy manipulators. In other words, they specialized in ranged attacks. And they were far stronger than the two we had already eliminated.


    One of them continuously created earthen walls on the ground to block incoming attacks. The other had an icy glint in his eyes—summoning a barrage of ice spikes that rained down upon Ace and his allies.


    As Sophie pursued Voss, a massive earthen wall suddenly erupted in front of her!


    But her reflexes were astonishing—she spun midair and executed a flawless backflip, narrowly avoiding a sharp earthen spike that suddenly jutted up from beneath her feet!


    No wonder Ace and Kael hadn''t been able to get close.


    Within a certain radius, that earth manipulator could create deadly spikes on the ground at will!


    Razor-sharp and lethal—anyone struck by them would suffer dire consequences. If Sophie hadn''t been so agile…


    “Retreat!!” Voss finally reached his two underlings and shouted.


    I rushed to Sophie''s side. She stared coldly at Voss and muttered under her breath, “Three… two… one…”


    Hissss…


    Suddenly, green smoke began rising from Voss''s body.


    The smoke spread rapidly, soon engulfing him and his two remaining allies.


    Everyone present widened their eyes in shock, staring at the swirling green mist.


    Except for me and Sophie.


    The others assumed this was one of Voss''s escape tricks.


    But I knew the truth—


    Sophie had only grazed him with a few dagger cuts earlier.


    So how…?


    I was utterly shaken.