Even though it was noon, the sky was as dark as night. There was an unusual sense of unease in the air. Humans were naturally afraid of darkness.

The wind was growing stronger.

Even the tall buildings began to sway, and everyone in the base felt inexplicably anxious.

The survivor base in H City was currently one of the largest in the country. Under normal circumstances, it could withstand most dangers, thanks to its massive walls and monster interference devices. Entering the city required passing through multiple checkpoints.

For the civilians living inside, their safety was generally well guaranteed.

But natural disasters were beyond human control.

And the failure of the interference devices meant that mutated monsters would soon arrive.

The personnel on duty were still making preparations against the typhoon.

Then, the number of people outside gradually decreased, and the entire base fell into absolute silence.

Only the howling wind remained.

In the New Human Residential Area.

On the 19th floor of Building A, warm light seeped through the door cracks of Xu Duoduo’s apartment.

She had taken out a rechargeable desk lamp and placed it on the coffee table, urgently learning how to use abilities with her teammates. After upgrading with the serum today, they had a better understanding of their powers—it was as if they had finally grasped something.

“Activating abilities requires concentration. Squad Leader, try focusing and see if you can use any skills? By the way, our abilities come from the serum, but you and Qin Ge were born with yours. That’s amazing!”

Chen Xiaofei, the chatterbox of the group, was munching on extra-spicy snacks while holding a can of sweet soy milk. He talked non-stop, chewing, drinking, and speaking all at the same time.

The coffee table was covered with snacks.

Bai Shu was reading information on his tablet. “The sensation of using abilities? It’s hard to describe. It feels like a kind of energy you need to mobilize yourself.”

It was usually dormant inside the body.

Flowing like blood.

When needed, one had to concentrate to activate it. How to use it depended on the individual.

Wang Weihu agreed, “My ability just enhances my strength. When I throw a punch, the power naturally gathers in my fist.”

He demonstrated for the little zombie. Clenching his fist, he swung it through the air, and the force generated a visible gust of wind. “See? Like this! After the serum, I can feel my ability has increased several times over.”

If before, he could throw fifty powerful punches, now he could throw a hundred!

The little zombie stared at them in surprise. She could definitely sense the change in them.

Qin Luo’s wolf ears twitched. It was his turn to share insights. “Xu Duoduo, just follow your instincts and try. First, focus and see if you can lock onto a small area.”

He wasn’t great at explaining—he was more of a brute-force fighter. So, the best way was for her to try it herself.

Chen Xiaofei and the others immediately cheered. “Wow!” They gave Qin Luo a thumbs-up.

“As expected from the Captain!”

Bai Shu adjusted his glasses. “Yes, no amount of theory can compare to actually trying it out.”

The little zombie contemplated for a while, then nodded firmly and closed her eyes, trying to find the feeling they described.

One minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

Three minutes passed.

The four of them went from watching intently to looking a bit deflated.

Their beast-like features still hadn’t disappeared—likely needing another day to fade. Their emotions reflected in their transformed parts: Qin Luo’s wolf ears twitched from time to time, Wang Weihu flicked his tail, Chen Xiaofei kept shaking his wings, and Bai Shu just stared at the little zombie, worried.

Xu Duoduo struggled for a while before she finally grasped something. The multi-faceted cube space in her mind started rotating again.

This time, she didn’t feel nauseous. Instead, she found it dazzling and fascinating. She tried controlling its movement—she could manage for a second or two, but most of the time, it spun wildly on its own.

Suddenly, she had a realization. She opened her eyes and focused on the water cup in front of her, trying to pull it into her spatial storage without touching it.

And—it worked?!

“Holy crap! Telekinetic retrieval?! Squad Leader, you’re amazing!”

Chen Xiaofei jumped up, absolutely thrilled.

Wang Weihu’s eyes widened. “She learned it just like that? That’s crazy!”

Their reactions gave the little zombie more confidence. Qin Luo also smiled and slid his drink toward her. “Try again. Every step is progress, just like Professor Ji said—keep experimenting.”

This time, Xu Duoduo was more adept at it. She focused on an item, locked onto it, and successfully stored it in her spatial dimension.

Before, she had to touch objects to store them.

Now, she didn’t need to anymore?!

She was beyond shocked—this meant she could store things much faster in the future!

Excited, she tried pulling in a small decoration from the TV stand, but it didn’t work. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn’t do it.

She frowned. Even pushing herself, it only made her head ache.

Bai Shu, who was taking notes, noticed her struggle. “There’s probably a distance limit.”

Qin Luo immediately stood up, picked up the decoration, and walked toward her. “No rush, try one at a time. Let’s see how far your range is.”

Chen Xiaofei and Wang Weihu continued cheering her on.

“Squad Leader, it’s okay! Take your time!”

“Keep going, you got this!”

The little zombie looked at her four teammates and nodded, regaining her confidence. She started testing one by one. Qin Luo kept adjusting the distance—if she failed, she shook her head, and he stepped closer.

Eventually, they pinpointed the range—one meter.

Bai Shu recorded the findings. “Great! One meter is already progress. With more practice, you might extend the distance even further.”

Encouraged, the little zombie nodded vigorously. She had finally understood what they meant by “activating abilities.”

It really did feel like an energy coursing through her body, moving with her blood.

As long as she concentrated, she could control it.

Xu Duoduo was overjoyed. She looked at her teammates gratefully, knowing that without their patient guidance, it might have taken her years to figure this out on her own.

She was so happy that she started twisting excitedly, then stuffed their hands with food—braised snacks, fried chicken, beer. Meanwhile, she grabbed a chew toy and started gnawing on it.

Biting when happy.

Biting when upset.

She really loved to chew.

It was stress-relieving!

Qin Luo and the others burst into laughter, finding her adorably silly.