The group of seven, led by Nan Muran, directly leapt down the railing, a distance of almost ten meters. Each person landed steadily.

The moment they landed, the small Liu on Nan Muran’s wrist jumped out and started clearing the way ahead.

Si Ye, Jiawu, and the others, along with Han Yingtian and a few others, positioned themselves on the left and right wings, cooperating to handle the scattered zombies that had just collided with them.

“We have to follow them,” said the bookworm wearing black-framed glasses, who, despite his legs shaking in fear, closed his eyes and jumped down.

After landing, the boy was momentarily dazed. Once he regained his senses, he struggled to keep up, following behind Xiangxi and Chengcheng, heading straight for the iron gate below the water tower.

The first boy to jump down seemed to be okay, which encouraged another boy to jump after him, followed quickly by Zhou Ling.

“Jump quickly, the zombies are coming!” Zhou Ling, standing under the bridge, looked up at the two girls on the railing, pale-faced and frozen in place. His tone was full of urgency.

“Wen Wen, don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you, jump quickly!”

The two girls on the railing were already crying in fear.

But zombies from the bridge above were getting closer. If they delayed any longer, the horde below would gather as well, and they would be trapped with no way out.

The girls clutched each other’s hands tightly and, making up their minds, jumped down together.

As they fell, it seemed certain they would crash badly.

Suddenly, a burst of control appeared, catching the two falling girls and gently lowering them to the ground.

It was Chengcheng, walking at the rear of the group.

She didn’t care much for the lives of the five behind her.

But as a soldier, she couldn’t bear to let ordinary people fall to their deaths in front of her without doing anything.

The girls who had narrowly escaped death immediately ran over to Zhou Ling, tightly following behind Nan Muran and the others.

Si Ye, at the front, had already opened the rusted iron gate of the water tower.

The group began climbing the stairs toward the top.

The five who had been watching the rear—Shiyi and Jiawu—hesitated, not daring to approach. They noticed that neither of them had even given them a glance.

Lowering their heads, they hurried inside and began to climb, fearing they’d annoy them and end up thrown to the zombies.

The platform at the top of the water tower was built around the tower itself, only about two meters out. It was small, but quite valuable—standing at the top, one could easily observe the surroundings.

The five, struggling to follow, finally reached the top of the tower, collapsing onto the ground, panting heavily.

Wen Wen, dressed in a red woolen dress and exquisite makeup, was now a mess, curled up beside Zhou Ling, too terrified to even breathe.

The other three huddled together for warmth. The sun had already set, and being this high up, the cold wind was biting.

At the base of the water tower, Shiyi had used earth walls to block the entrance, preventing any zombies from getting inside.

With that, the group felt a bit more at ease.

“There’s gotta be over ten thousand zombies here, right?” Han Yingtian frowned, looking at the horde of zombies around them. If they had to fight, they’d be completely worn out.

Their two vehicles on the elevated highway were completely surrounded by zombies.

When the zombies on both ends of the overpass met, they began attacking each other.

Their attack methods were as awkward and stiff as ever.

They approached, bit, and collided. But for some reason, even if a zombie fell, it didn’t stop the others from advancing.

For a time, limbs, heads, and bodies were scattered everywhere, jumping and bouncing, a strange but almost harmonious sight.

“There’s a level 5 zombie king at the front and the rear,” Nan Muran observed, watching the continuous battle between the zombies.

“What?” Eagle was startled. A level 5 mutated zombie? That sounded terrifying.

The five people huddling behind her were also frightened.

One of the boys, with yellow hair, was so scared that his body stiffened, and he lost control.

“Damn it,” Eagle cursed at the smell of urine but turned to look at the fearful expressions of the five, losing his temper.

After all, if more people peed themselves, they wouldn’t be able to stay on the tower’s top at all.

“Do you think the fighting will reach us?” Han Yingtian asked, concerned.

Nan Muran looked at the relentless horde of zombies below and sighed lightly. “It’s unavoidable. But we’ll have to wait for them to decide the winner first.”

“Why so stubborn? Is it really necessary? Why this irreconcilable conflict?” Han Yingtian found it strange.

Nan Muran chuckled softly. “Congratulations, you guessed right. They truly are incompatible. One is a water-type mutated zombie, the other a fire-type.”

The others laughed at this, especially Eagle, who couldn’t help but recall Si Ye’s initial awakening.

As time passed, the cold wind and snowflakes began to fall. Two hours later, the zombies below were still attacking each other as they had been at the start.

“This is really boring,” Eagle complained.

“I agree,” Xiangxi said, nodding in agreement.

Nan Muran smiled. “The space on the platform inside is decent. Let’s go rest there.”

“Perfect, I’m hungry. Let’s eat something.”

The group entered the water tower, and Han Yingtian immediately pulled out a flashlight, casting a wide beam of light. The small water tower platform was instantly as bright as day.

“Let’s start a fire for warmth,” Jiawu began taking out his camping tools from his backpack.

Shiyi stood up, wordlessly chopping a worn-out, shabby wooden table into firewood.

Before long, the twenty-square-meter platform began to warm up, thanks to the fire in the center. They each took out moisture-proof mats from their bags, laid them out, and sat down around the fire.

Eagle automatically went outside to keep watch.

The five people outside, freezing from the cold, wanted to enter but didn’t dare.

Finally, Zhou Ling gathered his courage. “Hey, um… can we come in to warm up?”

Shiyi, standing at the edge, gave him a cold glance but didn’t respond. The others ignored him as well.

“My father is Zhou Gang, the deputy head of the Lan City Safe Base. Are you heading to the base? I can take you there,” Zhou Ling said, his voice trembling.

Nan Muran gave Zhou Ling a quick glance.

Han Yingtian and the others had already understood the situation before they set out. If this coward really was Zhou Gang’s son, he might be useful.

But some things were better left unsaid in public.

“We’re just passing by, not going to the Lan City Base,” Han Yingtian replied, casually opening a pack of military self-heating rice.

Zhou Ling immediately grew anxious. “You have to go to the Lan City Base. It’s a very safe place, and life there is plentiful. They treat ability users really well.”

“I’ll take you there, and you’ll get the best treatment.”

Looking at their still indifferent expressions, Zhou Ling trembled. He hadn’t told a single lie, so why did they look so suspicious of him?

“I’m the only heir to the Zhou family. If you help me, my father will definitely thank you properly. Really, trust me. I don’t dare lie.”

Shiyi saw Nan Muran trying to stifle a laugh before turning to Zhou Ling. “Let them in, just stay in that corner.”