When asked about his superpower, the little boy smugly tilted his head back. "Woman, are you asking for my guidance?"
Everyone stared at him, speechless.
Housekeeper Youen quickly smiled and explained to the group, "What our young master means is that his superpower is a bit... unusual."
The little blond boy cocked his head to look at the expressionless Xie Ning, a smug look on his face. "My superpower lets me see other people’s superpowers and Levels. I can get a clear picture of the number and Level of any zombie within a ten-kilometer radius."
"Ten kilometers," Xie Ning murmured.
’That’s actually a pretty good skill. It’s like having a hacked minimap in your head.’
But Xie Ning decided to take him down a notch. "So, can you see my superpower and Level?"
The little boy shot her an indignant glare. "At the moment, I can only see that you have a Spiritual Ability."
"Meaning you can’t see anyone who’s a higher Level than you," Xie Ning noted, nodding.
Although she hadn’t intended to mock him, the little boy still detected a trace of disdain in her cool tone.
"Ten kilometers is just a short drive," Xie Ning said, ruffling the little boy’s hair. "Lots of room for improvement. You’ll get there."
The little blond boy’s face puffed up with anger. He wished he could charge forward and give this woman a piece of his mind with his fists and feet.
Seeing his intent, Housekeeper Youen shot forward and grabbed his young master around the waist. "You mustn’t, Young Master!"
He shouted, "You can’t beat Miss Xie Ning!"
Their group, plus Cres and his servant, Zhu Yong and his son, and the addition of Yu Tianfeng, now totaled a full nineteen people.
The minivan and the RV obviously couldn’t fit that many people.
Zhu Yong’s bus had already broken down at the base entrance.
Just as Xie Ning was about to pull a car out of her underground garage, Zhu Yong spoke up. "Why don’t we all take one vehicle? We can save some gas."
"I got a minibus yesterday. It’s parked next to the garage, full of gas. It’s just big enough for the nineteen of us."
"Uncle Yong, you even had this prepared!" Song Kexin said, her face alight with joy.
Xie Ning smiled and nodded. "Great! No time to lose. Let’s move out immediately."
She went outside and stored the minivan parked by the broken gate, then turned to see that dork Ji Taixian staring at her in shock.
"Sis, your ’little’ Space isn’t so little, huh?"
"Mm, it’s just a tiny bit... smaller than yours," Xie Ning said, making a pinching gesture with her fingers.
They had already packed everything in Bamboo Orchid Garden the day they decided to leave, taking even the bedsheets and duvet covers.
There was no need to rush around salvaging things now. Everyone, from the oldest to the youngest, wore a backpack of a style and size they had chosen themselves.
Those with more stamina carried large hiking packs, while the children carried smaller bags with a few necessities and some food.
After boarding the minibus, Zhu Yong took the driver’s seat, while Xie Ning and Song You’ai sat in the first row by the door.
The elderly and the children took the middle seats, and the rest scattered themselves throughout the bus.
Song Youzhi and Housekeeper Youen exchanged a smile and sat in the back row.
It was sweltering inside the minibus. Everyone who boarded couldn’t resist pulling a small neck fan from their bag, aiming it at their face, and blasting it on full.
The temperature outside had already reached fifty-five degrees Celsius and was threatening to climb toward sixty.
The modified car Xiao Gu had given her had a specially treated chassis, body, and tires; it probably would have been fine in this high heat.
As for this minibus, however, Xie Ning was worried. The rising temperature greatly increased the chance of a tire blowout.
However, as the minibus pulled away smoothly, Xie Ning began to relax.
Master Zhu was clearly a veteran driver; he should be able to handle any unexpected situations.
Just then, the base’s loudspeakers crackled to life. "Good evening, all base residents. Due to the appearance of mutated creatures on Lanshan and uncertain factors affecting the waters of Ta Lake, we have made the decision to conduct an emergency evacuation of the Lanshan Tower Lake area."
"All survivors within the base: if you have a vehicle, drive it yourself and follow the others. If you do not have a vehicle, proceed quickly to the main North Gate. Vehicles will depart as soon as they are full! I repeat, vehicles will depart as soon as they are full! We are leaving now! Depart immediately!"
Zhu Yong drove toward the North Gate. In the distance, they could see a long line of vehicles loaded with the base’s supplies also heading that way.
"Move out!"
Speaking of rapid reactions, none were faster than Li Dawei and his Fierce Tiger Squad...
Li Xiang had been watching Xie Ning’s house next door day in and day out.
With such a major incident happening today, how could they possibly not know?
When Li Dawei learned what had happened, he made a snap decision and had all his squad members get ready to flee.
And sure enough, as soon as night fell, Xie Ning was taking her whole family and making a run for it!
Li Dawei’s group had already packed their personal belongings. As Xie Ning’s group boarded the minibus, the Fierce Tiger Squad piled into two of their own vehicles, starting their engines almost at the exact same moment.
Xie Ning soon noticed Li Dawei’s group was right behind them.
She was growing exasperated with them...
Of all her old neighbors from the Song Family Pavilion, Li Dawei’s group was the most cunning, constantly keeping an eye on her.
At the same time, a dense layer of green lights suddenly appeared on Lanshan.
As if in concert with the lights, the once-calm surface of Ta Lake suddenly began to churn violently.
By the shore of Ta Lake, the wealthy residents of the villa district, who had been enjoying a leisurely dinner, were stunned when a massive wave surged from the lake, sweeping a school of bizarre fish directly onto their second-floor balconies.
The strange fish all had teeth as sharp as hacksaws, which clacked and chattered as they snapped their jaws. When one latched onto a person’s leg, it could instantly tear away a chunk of flesh.
The blood mixing with the water drove the saw-toothed fish into an even greater frenzy. One leaped high into the air, sinking its teeth into the neck of a middle-aged man who was scrambling to run, and began to feed savagely.
"AHHH!" Panicked screams filled the villa district.
When the base loudspeakers had first gone off, they had been cursing the leadership for their incompetence, angry about the sudden evacuation order during their dinner with no explanation.
Now, they didn’t even have a chance to go back for their belongings.
But compared to the screaming villa district, the shantytown was the true epicenter of hell on earth.
Great swarms of green light descended the mountain almost instantaneously, moving with the speed of the wind.
Three minutes ago, the green lights might have only been on the mountainside; now, they had completely overrun the base.
Annelina’s father had just stepped out of their tent when he looked up and was immediately engulfed by a small swarm of green light.
He let out a short, shrill cry, and then... nothing.
Annelina’s mother held her daughter for dear life, not daring to go outside after hearing her husband’s horrific scream.
But soon, swarms of green light began pouring through the gaps in the tent, surrounding the mother and daughter.
Annelina only had time to ask with a look of pure innocence, "Are they angels coming to welcome the princess?"
Then, the layers of green light tore through their bodies.
When the swarms of green light retreated from the tent, all that remained were two sets of hand bones, one large and one small, overlapping on the ground.
"Fuck, these green bugs are a plague!" Li Dawei roared at the man driving. "Step on it! Go, go, go! Stay right behind Xie Ning’s group!"