Chapter 159: Divine Blessing

After all, the average strength of the girls was far superior to Guo Yu's team.

At the rear, Guo Yu's tier-three fighters formed the rear guard, with Guo Yu personally holding the line.

Liu Rui took command of the central force, responsible for deploying personnel to defend against zombies on both flanks.

"Sister, it's so terrifying."

Even Jing Ru, now wielding a combat saber, stayed closely by her younger sister Jing Yi's side.

Besides the two of them, Doctor Jiang, the little loli, and Wang Ke were also here, all gripping weapons and ready for action at any moment.

A short distance of just over a dozen kilometers felt as endless as eternity.

From the start of the battle until now, half an hour had passed, yet the entire contingent had barely advanced at all.

"This cannot go on."

Positioned in the middle, Liu Rui had a clear view of the situation all around.

In half an hour, nearly a hundred people had died, while the distance advanced was less than two kilometers.

At this rate, by the time they reached Guangzhou, hardly anyone in the team would be left alive.

The other women were right beside Liu Rui and naturally heard her muttering to herself.

Yet, facing such a predicament, there was simply no alternative.

Damn that cursed highway—why on earth did it have to break apart like that? Otherwise, how could they possibly be forced to face so many zombies?

Regrettably, these were only thoughts kept in her heart; one could hardly run over and curse the highway now.

"Perhaps... I might be able to help a little."

Wang Ke stood there as well, hesitating for a moment before speaking up.

"You?"

Liu Rui looked at the woman who was merely a tier-three fighter. Ever since Fang Xia brought her back yesterday, a room had been arranged for her in one of the tents.

Yet no one had interacted with her, and she had stayed inside her room the entire time.

After setting off today, even though everyone was traveling together, there was always an unspoken feeling that she was isolated from the group, completely devoid of any presence.

Yet unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, she actually claimed she could help?

"Yes, I am an awakened fighter with an ability as well."

Wang Ke did not mind Liu Rui's skepticism. Having once been a team leader herself, she knew that put in the same position, she would feel the exact same doubt.

Now that she had spoken, she might as well be open and frank about it.

Furthermore, if the team failed to force its way into Guangzhou, death awaited them all the same.

"What is your ability?"

Hearing this, Liu Rui was no fool. Since Wang Ke dared to step forward and speak, she must have a certain degree of confidence.

Physical strength was out of the question, so it had to be a special ability.

"Divine Blessing. Once cast, all humans within a fifty-meter radius receive a blessing bonus."

"After receiving the blessing, within five minutes, they become immune to viruses of the same tier and their regenerative powers are enhanced."

"Brother Fang, Sister Rui is calling you. She wants you to hurry over."

Fang Xia was commanding the front lines when a young woman suddenly ran up to him and relayed Liu Rui's message.

Though he did not know what Liu Rui wanted, Fang Xia quickly jogged toward the center of the formation.

He knew Liu Rui would never mess around at a time like this; there had to be an important matter.

"What is it?"

Arriving in the middle, Fang Xia noticed a hint of a smile on Liu Rui's face.

"Not bad, Brother Fang. You really picked up a treasure and brought her back."

When she uttered the word "treasure," Liu Rui intentionally emphasized her tone, casting a glance toward Wang Ke.

Fang Xia was somewhat baffled. She called him over just to act inexplicably jealous? Was this truly the time for jealousy?

"It is a genuine treasure. If you don't believe me, have your treasure explain her ability to you."

A smile remained on Liu Rui's face.

Puzzled, Fang Xia looked over at Wang Ke.

Once Wang Ke explained her skill to him, Fang Xia's eyes gradually widened, and by the end, he broke into a smile just like Liu Rui.

To think he had genuinely brought back a treasure this time, and had nearly pushed her away.

If she had mentioned this earlier, there would have been no need for that awkward middle-of-the-night door-crashing incident; he would have warmly invited her back without a second thought.

"Liu Rui, how many tier-two upgrade crystals do we have left?"

Fang Xia suddenly asked.

"Still have some, around seven or eight hundred. Why?"

Tier-two upgrade crystals were currently the most consumed resource in Fang Xia's team. Whenever a thousand were accumulated, a young woman would immediately upgrade successfully.

"Upgrade her! Once she reaches tier four, her ability will upgrade too."

Liu Rui's eyes lit up. In her previous excitement, she had completely forgotten about this possibility.

However, her expression quickly dimmed again. They probably didn't have a full thousand.

"I still have some of my own right here."

With that, Wang Ke took out the tier-two upgrade crystals from her spatial storage and carefully counted them: 227 pieces.

Liu Rui likewise produced all of her tier-two upgrade crystals: 743 pieces.

Good grief, they were still short by 30 pieces.

"We've been killing for so long, picking them up off the ground should be enough! Hurry up and check, and ask Guo Yu's side as well. Send someone to ask immediately, and bring him over while you're at it."

Anxious, Fang Xia singled out someone nearby and told her to rush off to find Guo Yu.

Before long, a blood-stained Guo Yu hurried over and, without a word, pulled out one or two hundred tier-two upgrade crystals.

"Enough, enough! Quick, upgrade her."

Fang Xia directly pulled out a tent, placed it on an open patch of ground, and motioned for Wang Ke to go inside.

Upgrading also required time, and at this moment, every single second was agonizingly urgent.

The sky was already showing signs of darkening. If they dragged this out for another half-hour or so, they might very well find themselves staring at the gates of Guangzhou, sighing in despair as night fell.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Wang Ke stowed all the upgrade crystals into her spatial storage and hurriedly dived into the tent.

"Tell the people in front not to move for now. Everyone hold your positions!"

The contingent came to a halt, but the fighting did not stop because of it.

Zombies swarmed from all directions, and tier-four zombies popped up from time to time. The only consolation was that no tier-five zombies had been seen yet—a small mercy in this great misfortune.

"Brother Fang, I have to head to the rear. Otherwise, they won't be able to hold out."

The pressure at the back was no less intense than at the front. If the formation kept moving forward, things would have been manageable.

Once they stopped, however, the pressure from all sides became roughly equal.

Without Guo Yu holding down the fort, relying solely on a bunch of tier-three fighters plus Xiao Qiang at tier four, they wouldn't last long, even with a few other tier-four girls assisting them on the flanks.

"Alright, go ahead."

Fang Xia nodded. Staying here was of no use; all he could do now was wait for Wang Ke to emerge.

Time ticked away, second by second.

This was perhaps the fastest time had ever seemed to pass in Fang Xia's perception since the apocalypse began.

He truly wished time could slow down, allowing Wang Ke to come out sooner.

Otherwise, once night fell, no matter how powerful Wang Ke's skill effect was, Fang Xia doubted how many people would still be left alive by the time they fought their way into Guangzhou.

5:30 PM.

Anxiously, Fang Xia gazed up at the sky.

It was growing darker by the minute. Without a doubt, total darkness would descend before 6:00 PM.