Chapter Fifty: Coordinated Operations

Chapter Fifty

Night had fallen. Mei and the others gathered around the electric cooker, savoring steaming hotpot. After Mo Chen personally modified a battery, he finally freed himself from the fate of being a human generator. Though he still had to recharge the battery often, it was far better than before. In the past, if he wanted hotpot, he’d have had to simply watch.

While they enjoyed their meal, not far away, the group assigned to keep watch over them drank hot water and ate steamed buns with a meager sliver of sauced meat. This was already considered good treatment in the base—only mercenary teams under the three ruling families had such privileges. Even members of the fourth family, the Ye clan, could only eat compressed biscuits while on missions, let alone catch a glimpse of meat.

“Do you think the Ye family has gone mad from hunger? Just a few people, and they dare venture into this death manor? They must really have no fear!” one man remarked, glancing toward the distant truck in bafflement.

His companion quickly agreed, “Exactly! What are the higher-ups thinking? They know these people are marching to their deaths, yet still send us to watch them. Do they really think this handful can take the farm? I don’t buy it. We sent so many and were wiped out. Now it’s kids and women—what, are they supposed to be superhuman?”

“You know nothing!” another nearby scoffed, looking at his companions with disdain. “Do you even know who the Ye family sent this time?”

“I heard it’s one of the Ye family’s young masters—so what? There are plenty of those. Isn’t that Ye Jingnan also a young master? He’s as weak as they come, always hiding in the base, afraid to step out,” the slighted man protested.

“That’s just it—you don’t get it. What was the Ye family famous for? All their young masters start training at four or five, facing elimination after elimination, until only the next heir remains. You think Ye Jingnan is as fragile as he looks? Let me tell you, his methods are ruthless. He could kill you without even using powers. Why do you think the other three families never confront him directly? They know his ways. He’s not best at killing, but at defeating without a fight.”

“Is Ye Jingnan really that formidable?” someone questioned, skeptical but, given the base’s current state, unable to dismiss it entirely.

“So who’s the one here, then?” another asked curiously.

“This one is even more dangerous than Ye Jingnan. Mark my words: if he survives this mission, avoid him at all costs. That’s Ye Jingxuan, the next clan head chosen by the Ye family!” The man, well-versed in their affairs, pointed toward the truck with awe in his eyes.

“The young master himself? Why come in person? Why not send subordinates? Doesn’t the Ye family have plenty of guns? Why not just send a squad and level the place?”

“Their weapons are a last resort—once used, they’re gone. They won’t waste them unless the situation is dire. And you think the young master is ordinary? He’s infamous—a bloodthirsty demon, with savage skills. It’s said that anyone who falls into his hands begs for a swift death, otherwise they’ll find neither life nor release. Remember that small fry from the Mad Wolf Squad? Sent to scout, he came back with his hands crushed to powder, tendons severed—Ye Jingxuan did that himself. If not for that Xiao family girl, he’d be dead!”

“Harsh!” The others shivered in unison.

“But what good is Ye Jingxuan alone? That young girl—I don’t believe she can kill zombies!”

“Hmph, what do you know? That girl is under special surveillance. Besides tracking their movements, our main job is to keep an eye on her. If we get the chance, we’re to lend a hand.”

“What’s so special about her? Why the extra attention?”

“Do you know where they’re from?”

“I heard they came from the Moonlight Base. It was overrun by the zombie horde, so the entire base moved here.”

“That girl, on a mission at Moonlight, shot and killed a mutant giant python with a single arrow.”

“Seriously? Can she really be that strong? You’re not exaggerating?” Killing mutant animals was notoriously difficult; no one had ever heard of a single person taking one down, let alone a young girl.

“Whether it’s true or not isn’t our concern. Orders are orders. Tomorrow, stay sharp and keep your eyes on them!”

Early the next morning, after making preparations, Mei and the others put away their vehicle and, under Ye Jingxuan’s lead, set out for their designated location.

All of them were Awakened. Even Qu Wenjuan, who was the lowest in rank, kept up easily as they moved at speed. With Ye Jingxuan’s familiarity with the area, they soon lost their tails.

Ignoring the furious trackers, Mei’s group arrived smoothly at the farm’s northwest corner. Mei sent out her spiritual sense to scan the area, confirming there was no immediate danger, and the six of them climbed over the wall one by one.

Inside the manor, everyone gripped their weapons, ready for battle. An Ziyou cast a blessing spell over the group, then took up his gun to keep watch. Qu Wenjuan, not skilled in combat, coated herself with water energy to bolster her defenses and avoid becoming a burden.

Mei wore a snakeskin glove on her right hand, nocking an arrow to her bow. The glove had been given to her by Ye Jingxuan that morning—worried she’d injure her fingers again, he’d spent most of the previous day making it, wasting countless pieces of snakeskin and spider silk before finally producing a passable version. Though it barely looked like a glove, as long as it didn’t hinder her dexterity, she accepted it.

It was a token of Ye Jingxuan’s care, and Mei took it as such.

She thought he was simply being considerate of a comrade, so she didn’t notice the faint blush on Ye Jingxuan’s ears as he handed her the glove, nor the slight lift at the corner of his mouth and the light in his eyes when she put it on.

Mo Chen, however, saw all of this. He just curled his lip and said nothing. The snakeskin was his contribution, and he’d watched Ye Jingxuan’s awkward crafting closely. If not for knowing the glove was for Mei, and his own powers being unsuited for detailed work, he wouldn’t have given up the material even if Ye Jingxuan begged.

Now he could only let Ye Jingxuan seize the chance to curry favor with Mei.

Not long after they entered the farm, a massive Tibetan mastiff, as fierce as a charging truck, burst into view.

Mei’s arrow shot straight at the beast’s gaping maw. Immediately after, Mo Chen’s lightning and Lin Shaojie’s wind blades struck, trying to halt the giant dog’s advance.

Ye Jingxuan, his whole body sheathed in gold energy, charged head-on. Qu Wenjuan tried to hinder the dog with water, while An Ziyou began chanting another spell Mei had taught him—a curse.

The mastiff had apparently awakened some kind of power, but each time it tried to use it, Mei’s arrows interrupted. Mo Chen’s lightning, amplified by Qu Wenjuan’s water, grew even more potent. With Ye Jingxuan’s frontal assault, Lin Shaojie’s harrying tactics, and An Ziyou’s weakening curse, despite some rough edges, they quickly brought it down.

“Yes! That felt amazing!” Lin Shaojie ran two circles around the mastiff’s corpse, shouting in excitement.

Qu Wenjuan’s face was also alight with joy, thrilled to finally play more than a background role.

Everyone else looked equally satisfied. It was their first coordinated battle, and to have fought with such tacit understanding was truly something to celebrate.

After a short rest, Mo Chen split open the mastiff’s skull with a knife, extracting a chunk of yellow-brown crystal. Ever since they’d found a dark green crystal in a snake’s head, they’d realized animals had crystals too—bigger than those of zombies of the same level, and crucially, these animal crystals weren’t tainted by death energy and could be absorbed directly. Since then, the group had become enthusiastic about mutant animals. While others avoided them, they hoped to encounter more.

“Judging by the color and size, this must be nearly level four,” Mo Chen said, wiping the crystal clean and tossing it to Mei.

Though it didn’t need her to dispel death energy, the group had gotten used to giving all crystals to her for safekeeping. Besides, this one was earth-type—other than Mei, who could absorb any type, no one else could use it.

“It’s close. Give it a few more days and it should break through,” Mei judged after a glance.

“So our timing is perfect! A great omen!” Lin Shaojie exclaimed with relief.

The gap between level three and four was vast. For the first three levels, each upgrade doubled one’s strength, but reaching level four meant a fivefold increase over level three—a massive leap. Yet breaking through wasn’t easy; Lin Shaojie himself had been stuck at level three for ages.

After stowing away the mastiff’s corpse, the group moved on.

Beyond the kennel, heading east, they found a large fish pond surrounded by willows planted for shade, ideal for anglers.

As they neared, the calls of ducks and geese reached them—loud and overlapping, indicating far more than just a few birds.

The group exchanged glances, surprise and doubt in their eyes.

Could it be that all these fowl had mutated?