Chapter 59 An Ordinary Person is Crippled

In an instant, cold sweat beaded on the strong man's forehead. He had truly brushed past death in that moment. "Thank you, boss!" the strong man said thankfully. "As long as you're not injured, that's good!" Zhao Qingxuan nodded. "Who else wants to try?" The dozens of ordinary people exchanged glances, and a middle-aged man said, "I will!" Having seen the previous lesson, he didn't use an axe this time, but a steel rod. The zombie that had been sent flying earlier lunged forward again, an axe still stuck in its head. The middle-aged man ran towards it quickly, but the zombie was faster. Its claws lunged towards his chest. "So fast!" The middle-aged man was startled and quickly dodged to the side. The zombie's claws scraped past his clothes. "That was close!" If the zombie had any intelligence, he would have been dead already! However, he reacted quickly. He spun his body and swung the steel rod with all his might, smashing it towards the zombie's back of the head. With a "bang," the sturdy steel rod instantly created a deep pit in the back of the zombie's head, but it didn't kill the zombie. "Hiss!" The middle-aged man was shocked. He had used all his strength, and it had only created a deep pit. It was incredible! Just as he was about to deliver a second blow, the zombie suddenly turned around and spat out a green fireball the size of a basketball. "Holy crap!" The middle-aged man's face changed drastically, and everyone at the entrance of the villa area was stunned. This ordinary zombie could actually use an ability? The fireball was incredibly fast, instantly reaching the middle-aged man. The scorching heat made him break out in a cold sweat. "Boss, save me!" he cried urgently. Swish! A white beam of light pierced through, shattering the fireball. It then continued unimpeded, striking the zombie's head and decapitating it. This was Yang Shu's B-class ability - Blade of Light! "Holy crap! This... this ordinary zombie can actually use abilities? This is truly leaving no way out for us ordinary people!" They had been somewhat disbelieving before, but now they truly believed it. "With these abilities, we ordinary people can't withstand them!" "Alas, there's nothing we can do. We can only stay in the villa area from now on!" "Oh, heavens, why are you so unfair to us ordinary people!" "..." However, no matter how much they cried out, they couldn't change this reality. "So, do you understand now why we treat people differently?" Zhao Qingxuan said calmly. "And this is just the beginning. As zombies continue to evolve, they will even develop considerable intelligence, and that will be the most terrifying time!" "Zombies might even act like assassins, infiltrating the villa area to hunt humans. Only awakened individuals will be able to resist them then!" Everyone's hearts sank. The thought of zombies evolving intelligence was terrifying. "When will this apocalypse end?" someone sighed. But in the end, they could only return to the villa area helplessly. The area outside the villa had become their forbidden zone. "The zombies have all evolved to Black Iron rank, so we can no longer be as reckless as before. For safety, we need to improve the overall combat strength." "Therefore, the task for the next few days is to hunt zombies, obtain energy source crystals, and reach Bronze rank, one level higher than the zombies, as quickly as possible!" Zhao Qingxuan, with her pigtails tied, stood before all the awakened individuals, hands clasped behind her back. This was a decision made after discussions with Wang Luo. Although almost everyone here had reached Black Iron rank, it was still not enough. For their safety, all awakened individuals had to reach Bronze rank to face the zombies with more confidence. They were a large group now, with over 100 awakened individuals, all at Black Iron rank. Such a massive team could naturally hunt zombies at an extremely rapid pace. Before long, the sounds of battle erupted on the main street in front of the villa area. Various brilliant abilities bloomed, clashing with zombies and creating explosions like firecrackers in the air. Zhao Qingxuan and Yang Shu had both already reached Bronze rank. Even if they encountered Assimilators who had also reached Bronze rank, they could at least retreat safely even if they couldn't kill them. That was why Wang Luo felt at ease letting them lead the team out. "Damn it... these zombies are so strong now!" an F-class awakened individual lamented. He could previously deal with nearly ten ordinary zombies at once, but now, facing a Black Iron rank zombie, he could only contend with one at a time! The difference was immense! "These disgusting creatures have significantly increased in strength, speed, and defense compared to before!" "At the same level, F-class awakened individuals can only fight one-on-one!" "Alas, I really envy the leader and the others. They don't fear facing nearly ten zombies at once!" "Give me a break. You should be glad you awakened. Otherwise, you'd just be stuck in the villa area like everyone else!" "Hahaha~ That's true~" Actually, staying in the villa area wasn't bad. The main issue was the lack of meat! "Ah!" Suddenly, an awakened individual screamed. He had been splashed with venom by a zombie. Several people nearby quickly helped him to the back. "This is..." "Getting infected by a zombie's ability?" Their faces changed. Green infected markings had appeared on the man's arm! "Quick, go call Leader Yang!" Among their many awakened individuals, only Leader Yang possessed light-based abilities, and her second ability had the power to purify the zombie virus. They had encountered this situation before, and Leader Yang had always been responsible for the treatment. A moment later, Yang Shu arrived. After examining the injury, she spread her hands, and pure white light bloomed from her slender, jade-like palms, then permeated into the man's arm. This was her second awakened ability, S-class - Purify! Combined with her SS-class ability and Bronze rank, she could even purify Bronze boss-level zombie viruses. Sizzle! Green smoke rose from the man's arm and then dissipated. "It's done!" In just over ten seconds, the green virus markings on the man's arm vanished. "Thank you, boss!" the man said gratefully. "It's nothing!" "Get an awakened individual with wood-based healing abilities!" Yang Shu called out to the crowd. Her purification ability could only cleanse viruses and did not have the ability to heal wounds. "Goddess, I'm here!" Huangpu Yu responded enthusiastically and quickly ran over. Green light bloomed from his hands as he began to treat the man. "Ah! So comfortable!" The man moaned. "Holy crap, brother, can you stop moaning so seductively?" Huangpu Yu was somewhat speechless. If a beautiful woman made such a sound, it would be pleasant to hear, but a man's voice sounded so awkward!