Chapter 83: Another Fourth Tier

Now that she had set foot on the second floor, did this mean she had won?

With a swirl of feelings in her heart, Li Qianwan finally saw the commander and his wives.

Was this their dinner?

Three big question marks seemed to float above Li Qianwan’s head, while her mouth was already watering uncontrollably, her playful little tongue secretly licking her lips.

Spicy hotpot—who could resist such temptation?

“Want some?” Fang Xia nodded toward Liu Rui.

The head housekeeper grudgingly fetched a set of bowls and chopsticks from her storage space and tossed them onto the table.

They’re eating together today—who knows, maybe tomorrow they’ll be sleeping together.

“Eat, hurry up. Once you finish, you’ll level up.”

These women spent all day letting their imaginations run wild; Fang Xia no longer cared to deal with them. Did he really seem so impatient for pleasure? Once this zombie mess is over, I’ll show you what impatience really means.

Li Qianwan, bewildered, sat down and picked up her utensils, diving into her first hotpot meal since the apocalypse—and it was still steaming hot.

Wait, what did the commander just say? Eat quickly and you’ll level up?

Did she hear that right? The excitement seemed almost too sudden.

Could it be that the commander had taken a sudden interest in her? But with so many ladies here, inviting her so openly to dinner like this didn’t seem quite right.

“Snap!”

A flick to her forehead brought her back.

“Hurry up and eat. What are you daydreaming about? Time waits for no one. If you don’t eat now, you won’t get any.”

Li Qianwan had no room for further speculation—she’d better eat first and think later.

After devouring everything the others had left behind, she was still unsatisfied. If there hadn’t been others around, she’d have finished off the hotpot broth as well.

“Go into this room. Here are twelve hundred second-tier upgrade crystals. Get on with it.”

Li Qianwan was shoved into the room. Piles of gleaming upgrade crystals lay on the bed, and the door was already shut, making it clear she wouldn’t be allowed out until she’d leveled up.

She had no choice but to comply and follow the instructions.

Everything was proceeding according to Fang Xia’s plan. All she hoped for was a slightly easier night.

At midnight sharp.

Most of the men still alive in Dawn City stepped out of their houses, scattering near the major groups, ready to face the zombie assault.

This arrangement had been agreed upon by all the major powers that day.

Either supply manpower, or pay double the protection fee, collected daily.

They could hardly protect themselves, let alone others—no one would be allowed to escape this.

Those who provided manpower were assigned territories by each group. Any zombies killed within those boundaries would be their spoils; not only would no one compete with them, but their rights would also be protected.

The carrot and stick approach was the only way to force these cowardly people out of hiding.

Fang Xia’s territory was no different.

The ladies’ battlefield had returned to the courtyard of Fang Xia’s villa, while the other thousands squeezed into the area where the women had previously fought.

Whether chaos erupted there or not, Fang Xia didn’t care. As long as they were present, when midnight struck, they would have no choice but to fight for their lives.

Fang Xia himself sat on the rooftop terrace, planning only to intervene in the first wave tonight. Unless major chaos broke out, he wouldn’t involve himself again.

If he had to do everything himself, what was the point of all this effort? He wasn’t about to keep a bunch of useless people.

The zombie rain arrived as expected, and everyone’s nerves were taut.

“You take the left, I’ll take the right.”

With a leap, Fang Xia landed steadily in the courtyard, two war blades already in hand.

Hoarse howls rose up as the zombies landed, instantly catching the scent of fresh prey. Just as they prepared to feast, their heads were severed.

“What are you screaming for? Since you’re the loudest, you’ll be the first example.”

Fang Xia exploded with full force, his body a blur. The newly landed zombies had no idea what was happening before they were all dispatched.

On the other side, Bai Xing’s graceful figure made it seem as if she were dancing, not fighting zombies.

Yet her speed was not lacking; as soon as Fang Xia finished, only one zombie remained on her side.

All dealt with.

Fang Xia returned to the rooftop, blades still in hand, choosing a good vantage point to observe.

Below, the zombie horde had already engaged the ladies.

With seventy new third-tier women, including five with resilience abilities, the pressure was much less than the previous night and their margin for error greatly increased.

Looking farther afield, the other survivors’ battlefield was a scene of carnage.

There was no unified command or coordination; they suffered devastating blows from the start, nearly causing the defensive line to collapse.

Fortunately, those in the rear withstood the pressure and began to adapt, gradually stabilizing the defense.

Not all these people were novices—there were some second-tier fighters as well. As long as they didn’t encounter several third-tier zombies at once, they should be able to hold out.

Fang Xia paid them no further mind; even if they all died, he wouldn’t feel a thing. Better them than him.

Tonight, Li Xiaochun was no longer at the very front. Instead, she stood in the middle of the courtyard, side by side with Liu Rui.

Liu Rui’s hand was still not fully healed; if a high-level zombie broke through, it would be very dangerous.

As a fourth-tier fighter, Li Xiaochun was eager to test her strength against a fourth-tier zombie—to see which of them was tougher.

That chance soon arrived.

Perhaps the women’s steadier performance tonight had made the fourth-tier zombie impatient.

It was preparing to act personally and sow chaos.

In the distant darkness, nearly twenty zombies quietly merged into the horde, moving forward in line, indistinguishable from ordinary zombies, driven by instinct.

Closer and closer.

The women were oblivious to the approaching danger, still valiantly battling the zombies before them.

“Li Qianwan.”

As always, Liu Rui was the first to notice and give orders.

Two women with fire abilities immediately stepped forward, the others making way. Four with resilience abilities moved to the front, serving as their shields.

Four serpents of fire shot from the hands of the two women.

Compared to the others, Li Qianwan’s fire serpent was noticeably longer and thicker.

Its two-meter length gave her a much safer casting distance.

But this was only the beginning. Suddenly, more than a dozen zombies in the horde surged forward, leaping across the short distance.

“Bai Xing!”

Liu Rui shouted again.

She had already sensed something was wrong—there was a fourth-tier zombie hidden among them.

Bai Xing’s figure vanished from the courtyard—she had activated her skill, just as Liu Rui had instructed her.

Li Xiaochun tensed up, eyes locked on those figures, fully alert. She was not only Liu Rui’s last line of defense, but, aside from Bai Xing, the only one in the courtyard capable of facing a fourth-tier zombie.

Li Qianwan, lacking experience against high-level zombies, panicked as the dozen or so high-level zombies charged toward her, her hands instinctively raised a bit.

“Li Yi.”

Another name leapt from Liu Rui’s lips.