The relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long.

Soon, their wristbands alerted them to incoming mail— their squad’s assigned location had been confirmed. It was in the southeast, not far from where they were, in a residential area with a considerable population.

The message stated that mutant bats had been spotted and warned them to stay alert and proceed immediately.

The wind outside was still howling, toppling many trees in the neighborhood. Though the rain wasn’t heavy, since the mission had already been assigned, they, as a combat squad, had to set out. Without hesitation, they confirmed the task.

Everyone hurriedly took a few bites of food before getting up and heading out.

While waiting for the elevator, they stretched their limbs—rolling their necks, moving their legs, and doing some warm-up exercises in preparation for battle.

Earpieces were secured.

Qin Luo started assigning roles. “Xu Duoduo, you’re with me. Xiao Bai and Lao Wang, together. Xiao Fei will act alone.”

Bai Shu’s physical endurance was weaker, so pairing him with a tougher teammate was better.

Chen Xiaofei, on the other hand, had become much faster. Bai Shu might not be able to keep up with him, and Wang Weihu couldn’t either. It was more efficient for him to fight solo.

The three had no objections.

As teammates who had been on countless missions together, they could adjust their formations as needed.

Qin Luo didn’t leave the little zombie alone this time. Since he had already witnessed her lethal ability, she might as well train with them. The apocalypse was ever-changing, as they had all seen firsthand. Without effort, it was easy to be eliminated.

They had assumed her spatial ability was just for support—none of them had expected it could be lethal. It was indeed a useful power.

Xu Duoduo pulled out her chainsaw. She was still most comfortable using it.

Was she scared? Not really.

Seeing the four of them made her feel reassured, as if she were part of a team in combat. She wasn’t alone as a zombie!

The 3A Combat Squad officially entered battle mode.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, they rushed into the storm. The wind was still strong, but the rain had lightened.

Now that the squad members had all improved their abilities, their speed had increased significantly.

They didn’t take the subway.

They ran.

The location was only about ten minutes away.

Xu Duoduo’s speed was 1.5 times that of an average person, but that was nothing compared to Qin Luo and the others. So, Qin Luo simply carried her while running.

“Tch, these ears and tail are such a nuisance!” Qin Luo grumbled, shaking his wolf-like ears impatiently.

Although he was faster now, the newly developed beast ears were too sensitive, and the tail trailing behind him felt unnatural and awkward.

Xu Duoduo had already gotten used to being carried. From her vantage point over his shoulder, she could see his tail swishing through the rain. Since the rain wasn’t heavy, his tail remained dry and fluffy.

She stared at it.

She liked it.

She wanted to hug it. Wanted to pet it. Wanted to rub against it!

But they were on a mission.

Meanwhile, Wang Weihu was having a rough time as well. He almost lost his balance due to his new tail but quickly adapted.

Chen Xiaofei, on the other hand, was completely uninhibited—he ran a few steps before spreading his wings and taking off.

He even used his wind ability to blow the rain away from his wings, keeping them dry. Genius!

Eventually, he grabbed Bai Shu and carried him up high before dropping him. Bai Shu then glided down, covering great distances.

It was well-intentioned.

But the first time Bai Shu got grabbed and thrown from that height, he cursed.

“Chen Xiaofei, thanks to you, I owe gratitude to eight generations of my ancestors!”

Still, he quickly got the hang of it. Soon, Bai Shu was cutting corners, climbing onto rooftops, and gliding down to accelerate—saving a lot of energy.

Chen Xiaofei just laughed, reveling in the exhilarating freedom of flight.

Until Qin Luo warned him not to overdo it—his energy was limited.

Chen Xiaofei snapped out of his excitement and quickly acknowledged. “OK, OK! 3A Special Combat Squad—Eagle has arrived at the destination.”

“Target group identified— a swarm of large, pitch-black mutant bats circling the residential buildings. When they spotted me, they scattered.”

“I’m going in!”

With that, he launched the first attack, activating his abilities and charging in.

The battle began.

Bai Shu was the second to arrive. He reported, “3A Special Combat Squad—White Mouse in position. Encirclement begins.”

The four of them instinctively split into four corners, locking in their positions before converging toward the center—an old habit of theirs.

Wang Weihu soon reached another corner of the residential area. “3A Special Combat Squad—Tiger in position. Encirclement begins.”

Qin Luo responded, “Received.”

He had also arrived at the farthest corner.

Setting the little zombie down, he said, “I’ll let a few bats through for you to practice on. Figure out your combat style. Stay close behind me.”

With his level of combat ability, guiding a rookie was effortless.

Xu Duoduo, gripping her chainsaw, nodded.

Then, she watched as Qin Luo reported the start of combat, twitched his wolf ears, and charged forward. His dual blades crackled with lightning, turning his strikes into dazzling bursts of electricity and sparks.

There were countless bats—dense, overwhelming.

Qin Luo dominated the frontline, but occasionally, a few massive bats slipped through. They were each about the size of a basketball, with sharp, monkey-like features, blood-red eyes, and dark, leathery wings—definitely not cute.

Xu Duoduo felt a rush of nervousness, but when they lunged at her, she swung her chainsaw.

Bat blood splattered.

A few drops landed on her pale face. She wiped them off with the back of her hand.

Looking at Qin Luo’s back, she tightened her grip on her chainsaw and pushed herself to keep up.

Noticing she had taken down her first bat, Qin Luo widened the gaps in his defense—allowing more mutant bats through for her to fight.

Before the apocalypse, Xu Duoduo had been an ordinary girl. She graduated, found a job, and lived a routine life. The closest thing to combat she had ever experienced was military training in school.

She had never been exposed to anything like this.

Yet, her courage was impressive.

Though it was clear she was afraid, she adapted quickly.

Even if she stumbled, she kept up with him.

Qin Luo couldn’t help but admire her.

She was a little clumsy.

But the little zombie was trying her best.

What now?

Qin Luo found her even cuter.

How was she so damn likable?!

The bats weren’t particularly strong, but they were endlessly persistent. No matter how many were slain, more kept coming, pouring into the base.

Most likely, the extreme weather had disrupted their migration pattern, leading them straight here.

And they were surprisingly resistant to the typhoon—more so than the ability users!

At times, even Qin Luo struggled to maintain balance in the wind. Xu Duoduo, on the other hand, had been knocked head over heels several times.

But with her thick skin and low pain sensitivity, she simply got up every time and charged back in—just a little dirtier each time.