Chapter 88: The Burden Weighing on Liu Rui

“This time you got lucky; next time, upgrading with crystal energy won’t be enough.” With that, Fang Xia turned and walked away.

“Captain Fang, it’s all a misunderstanding. Come back for tea next time!” Lone Wolf followed behind, shouting loudly. He wanted everyone to know he’d been extorted for fifty third-tier upgrade crystals—if word got out, Fang Xia’s reputation would be ruined; it would be as good as killing him.

“Captain Lone Wolf, no need to see us off. We have matters to attend to in the group. Next time.” Fang Xia waved amicably, as if leaving an old friend’s house after a meal, leaving the onlookers stunned.

“Let’s go home.” Seeing that the terrifying visitor had finally left, Lone Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. Things couldn’t go on like this; he needed a solution. How could the leader of a major group be reduced to such humiliation? Moreover, the zombies at night would be another headache.

...

Returning to the second floor, except for Li Xiaochun and Dr. Jiang, the other four women were present, but the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone knew what had happened to Li Xiaochun. The little girl had even stormed into the dorms of the older sisters, interrogating anyone who’d been close to Li Jie over the past few days.

As a squad leader, Li Jie’s team had been dispersed and reorganized. “Reporting comes with rewards; if you’re found out, you might as well be dead.” The little girl left these harsh words before returning to the second floor.

Fang Xia, upon learning this, merely patted her head. The conspirators were likely gone; if any remained, Li Jie would have taken them. She was up against formidable opponents—Li Xiaochun, Liu Rui, Fang Xia—all fourth-tier. She wouldn’t let any combat power slip away.

When Fang Xia returned, Liu Rui silently removed all her spatial gear. As the group’s steward, she carried more than half of the group’s wealth.

“Brother Fang.” No one spoke, until Bai Xing finally called out. She had witnessed Liu Rui’s actions the whole time, but because that person was Li Jie—her childhood friend from before the apocalypse—her heart softened, leading to these consequences.

“Keep your things. Don’t let this happen again.” Fang Xia said. “Tonight, the Lone Wolf group probably won’t make it.”

Gazing at the fifty third-tier upgrade crystals, Fang Xia couldn’t help but think of Lone Wolf again. The man was actually quite decent—a timely help in a snowstorm. Combined with his own crystals, Fang Xia’s stash finally surpassed a hundred, but a thousand still seemed out of reach.

---

“Brother Fang, here’s the loot from the past couple of days’ supply drops. Sister Rui asked me to give it to you.” The little girl approached his room, placing a spatial bracelet before Fang Xia.

What had they done? Was the loot so plentiful it needed a bracelet for storage? Fang Xia was intrigued—if memory served, they’d opened a top-tier supply drop today.

Touching the bracelet, its contents immediately flashed through his mind. Advanced upgrade elixir—just as expected, though he could no longer use it himself. Battle armor—ten sets, so many? This must be just two days’ haul. The quality of the third wave of supply drops had clearly improved.

Antidote pills—capable of curing fifth-tier zombie toxins. Staring at these, Fang Xia fell into thought. Maybe it was time for another spree?

He skimmed through the rest; mostly daily necessities. Folding cots—extra soft, sturdy, but not particularly useful. Climbing ropes—just ordinary ropes, really, though longer and sturdier. Perfect for use with the cots above.

...

The battle armor was more than he needed; he’d have the little girl distribute them, deducting the cost from their wages. The advanced upgrade elixir posed a real dilemma. If not for recent events, it would have gone to Liu Rui, but now, it still seemed best for her. Her abilities were a true trump card—if she moved fast enough, she could instantly kill even fifth-tier zombies.

Still, his group was too small—just over nine hundred people, nowhere near enough to withstand a massive zombie assault. But that wasn’t a problem that could be solved quickly. Since the apocalypse, female survivors had always been far fewer than males, let alone those willing to fight zombies head-on. In this regard, men still held both psychological and physical advantages.

Night fell. Fang Xia stepped out of his room, first checking on Li Xiaochun next door. She was awake, but her face remained pale from excessive blood loss.

“Brother Fang, I’m fine. Don’t blame Rui.” Such a good person—the first thing she said was to plead for Liu Rui.

---

Fang Xia couldn’t help but silently complain, though his expression betrayed nothing.

“Without Li Xiaochun tonight, will there be any problems with the zombies?” Liu Rui had been at Li Xiaochun’s side the whole time, speaking only when Fang Xia addressed her.

“No,” she replied hoarsely, clearly from crying.

“All right, take this upgrade elixir.” Without waiting for her reaction, Fang Xia left the room.

Midnight.

Dawn City once again repeated the events of the previous two nights. Tonight, the women’s squad was fighting with extra ferocity, whether from the little girl’s scolding or the shock of betrayal. Perhaps their zombie-killing speed was so fast it frightened the hidden fourth-tier zombie—it didn’t even have time to strategize before Bai Xing found it.

“Farewell!” Bai Xing’s figure appeared, then vanished, leaving only the corpse of a fourth-tier zombie behind.

In the eastern part of the city, the Lone Wolf group faced its greatest difficulty since its formation. Lone Wolf, fueled by rage, imagined the fourth-tier zombie before him as Fang Xia. Amid furious roars, he managed to defeat it single-handedly, rekindling a measure of respect among his members.

...

“Brother Fang, big news: the Lone Wolf group is gone—or rather, it’s changed.” Guo Yu, always full of gossip, relayed fresh news to Fang Xia daily.

“Explain.”

“This morning, Lone Wolf’s group merged with four other small groups. Lone Wolf is still group leader, but now there are four vice leaders.”

A merger? Was this a takeover? Fang Xia didn’t understand—did the Lone Wolf group really have the strength to absorb four other groups? After several tough battles, the small groups were all growing towards thousand-member teams. Four small groups likely matched Lone Wolf’s numbers.

“Don’t be fooled by Lone Wolf still being leader; it’s only nominal now. Every decision requires a vote. Lone Wolf is just a major shareholder, with two votes.”

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