Chapter 32: Who Is Scheming Against Whom

The third zombie appeared, and as Meng Ran turned to the side, she spotted a fourth.

Because their group was so large, they drew the attention of quite a few zombies; in a heartbeat, ten more arrived.

Xu Zhuoqun stood among the crowd, showing no intention to intervene. He merely remarked in an indifferent tone, "Quite a few have shown up."

Meng Ran scanned the area, wondering if any of them were ability-wielding zombies. She raised her hand, and thorns sprouted from the snow, lunging straight for the zombies' heads. Her strikes were decisive and fierce; within moments, all the zombies had fallen. None of them possessed special abilities.

Xu Zhuoqun’s eyes flickered. This person was truly formidable; her power surpassed his own. As for the siblings, Chang Yan and Chang Xingwen, he still couldn't gauge their strength. He would have to make them expend more of their mental energy for now. As an ability user himself, he knew the weaknesses of such powers better than anyone.

"My god," Peng Zucong exclaimed, then lowered his voice. "Brother Xu, she’s too strong."

He felt she would be difficult to deal with. Did they really have any certainty of taking these three out on their way to the mall? If they couldn't land a killing blow, it would only lead to endless trouble.

Meng Ran walked over to Chang Yan, and they continued forward.

"I’ll handle the fighting; you conserve your energy."

Meng Ran knew her limits, and besides, her abilities were indeed a bit stronger.

Chang Yan nodded and instructed Chang Xingwen, "Keep an eye on the surroundings. Don't let your guard down, especially when it comes to Xu Zhuoqun and his lot."

She said the last part softly, but Chang Xingwen heard her clearly.

"Don't worry, sister."

Even if he weren't watching the zombies, he would still be keeping a close eye on those schemers.

After witnessing Meng Ran’s combat prowess, the men who had been digging through the snow to clear the path were even more terrified of her and went back to their work diligently.

Xu Zhuoqun’s expression remained unchanged. He knew more about the situation here than the others and had the advantage in that regard, so he wasn't worried for the time being. Meng Ran understood Xu Zhuoqun’s agenda: to drain their mental energy, use them as stepping stones, and then turn on them once they had seized the mall. Given that almost everyone had left the supermarket, she wondered what the situation was back there.

When it came to schemes, it was hard to say who was really playing whom.

Back at the supermarket, the young woman from the previous night finally understood Meng Ran's intent. With Xu Zhuoqun taking most of the men away, only Zhang Zhi and one other sturdy man remained behind. Although there was a gap in strength and physical build, there were many of them, and if they put their minds to it, it wouldn't be impossible to resolve the situation.

Meng Ran had done all she could; now it was up to them.

The woman sitting at the front stood up, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and spoke in a pitiful voice. "Zhang Zhi, I’m hungry."

Zhang Zhi held a sandwich, beckoning to her as if calling a dog. "You know what to do, right?"

The woman nodded submissively and approached, glancing at the other man present. "Let's go somewhere else."

Zhang Zhi had no interest in an audience. He told the other man to guard the area and led the woman into a tent.

The four people outside had glowing eyes. Now that Zhang Zhi had been lured away, only one man remained. When someone’s stomach grumbled, the man looked over. They had to pay a price for every scrap of food, otherwise, these guys wouldn't even acknowledge them. They feigned weakness to lower his guard.

"Brother Li, we’re hungry too."

Li Zhixiao wore a playful smile. "You lot are quite obedient today."

A young woman stepped forward. Her name was Zhuang Qingqing, the one who had pleaded with Meng Ran the night before. She grabbed Li Zhixiao’s hand and knelt on the ground. "Please, we promise we’ll never do it again."

Seeing the person who was usually the fiercest drop her guard and soften her attitude made Li Zhixiao feel immensely satisfied. The others gathered around him, and for the first time, Li Zhixiao enjoyed the kind of adoration usually reserved for Xu Zhuoqun, becoming completely lost in his own arrogance.

It was at that moment that a sharp screwdriver was plunged into Li Zhixiao’s throat. Several people covered his mouth, muffling his agonizing cries. Blood instantly stained the ground. Zhuang Qingqing’s face was cold as she watched Li Zhixiao take his final breath.

From the other side, the person who had left with Zhang Zhi dragged his corpse out. "Zhuang Qingqing, he’s dead too."

After the initial suppression, the group broke into tears and laughter.

Zhuang Qingqing stood up. "Quick! Throw the bodies out—as far as possible! Then we take our supplies and leave this place!"

Fearing the corpses might quickly mutate into zombies, it was safer to get rid of them. Zhuang Qingqing and the others moved with agility, returning to the supermarket to stuff their hiking backpacks with supplies. Then, while it was still daylight, they grabbed whatever they could use for self-defense and finally left the supermarket that had held them captive for over half a month.

Meanwhile, Meng Ran had just finished clearing two waves of zombies and finally enjoyed a moment of peace.

Because so many people were living in the area, there were many zombies, and the situation in other places was likely much the same. Meng Ran took a deep breath and pressed on.

Xu Zhuoqun had been observing; Chang Yan and Chang Xingwen still hadn't made a move. He knew what Meng Ran and Chang Yan’s abilities were, but the teenage boy remained a bit of a mystery.

Chang Xingwen moved casually with his pack on his back. Having used his ability, he naturally sensed Xu Zhuoqun’s prying eyes.

"Sister, he’s just trying to plot against us," Chang Xingwen muttered.

Chang Yan was speechless. "You just realized that now?"

She and Meng Ran had sensed it since last night. Their attitudes had been clear enough, yet Xu Zhuoqun had insisted on going to the mall—wasn't it just to use the three of them as laborers so he could reap the benefits?

Meng Ran leaned on her trekking pole in the snow. "Are there more zombies?"

Chang Xingwen shook his head. "None in sight for now."

Meng Ran took the opportunity to recover some of her mental energy. She hadn't expended much today; because the zombies had approached openly, she didn't need to waste any effort—she just had to target their weak points. After taking down so many, she even felt she was becoming quite adept at it.

This lasted only a short while. As the men ahead were clearing the path, four or five zombies emerged from behind their group, catching them completely off guard.

"Ah!"

A short, sharp scream rang out. Meng Ran turned to see someone bitten by a zombie, its greyish-white face stained with fresh, crimson blood. It tore through the victim’s throat, chewing on something. The person hadn't even closed their eyes before they stopped breathing.

Xu Zhuoqun’s face turned grim. "How are ordinary zombies capable of sneaking up on us?"

They had approached silently and swiftly; even Xu Zhuoqun hadn't noticed them. Xu Zhuoqun condensed wind blades in his hands, but Meng Ran felt something was wrong and used her plants to probe first. The zombies moved with agility and even possessed keen senses, dodging Meng Ran’s lethal strike just in time.

"They’re stronger than the last two waves," Chang Yan commented objectively.

Xu Zhuoqun heard Meng Ran’s words. He knew zombies had intelligence, but now, it seemed they had become even cleverer.