The simultaneous attack from the man and the zombie not only failed to harm her in the slightest, but it also sent the High-level zombie flying. Flora Bloom seized the opportunity, swinging her axe at the High-level zombie. The ear-piercing shriek of metal scraping made Flora Bloom’s eardrums ache and her eyes water.
The man in white frowned. Immediately after, a pressure even more crushing than before descended upon Flora Bloom, rendering her immobile.
The man in white pinched Flora Bloom’s cheek, studying her with great interest. "Not bad at all. To think I’d find such a treasure in this world. Little lady, how about we discuss something?"
Flora Bloom’s gaze remained placid as she looked at the man. While pulling her axe back, she swept her arm forward, slicing at his wrist.
The tip of the axe sliced across the man’s slender, pale wrist, instantly carving out a gash.
The cut was bone-deep. Flora Bloom could clearly see the distinct tendons, blood vessels, and muscle within the wound, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out. It was bizarre.
’A creature of flesh and blood, but with no blood... could he be a zombie too?’
"What in the world are you?"
This man had a tranquil, almost lazy air about him, with a fair and handsome face. Yet just moments ago, when he was about to kill her, his eyes had been utterly bloodthirsty.
The apocalypse had begun less than three months ago, yet not only had Middle Level zombies emerged, but another High-level zombie—Isla Preston—had also appeared. On top of all that, this man before her, who might not even be human, was surely a far more terrifying existence than any High-level zombie.
Flora Bloom had just seen it herself: the man had merely waved a hand at the High-level zombie, and the creature had obediently bowed its head, turned, and leaped off the behemoth’s back.
"What am I? Hmm, let me think... How should I explain myself to a human?" The man seemed intrigued by Flora Bloom’s question.
"You’re... a zombie, too?" Flora Bloom asked cautiously. But the man just curled his lip in disdain. "A zombie? I’m nothing like those filthy things. I am far more noble!"
"Noble? Ganging up on a defenseless woman—you call that noble?"
The man in white gave a wicked smirk. "So what? For someone as noble as myself, killing is just a casual, everyday form of entertainment. It just so happens that you’re an unlucky one!
I’d give up struggling if I were you, little lady. Hand over that combat suit, and I’ll spare the rest of you humans. How does that sound?"
Flora Bloom frowned, playing dumb. "Combat suit? What combat suit?"
The man in white arched an eyebrow, his interest in Flora Bloom intensifying. "You don’t know? Then allow me to help you remember!"
Flora Bloom’s face paled. She frantically pounded on a certain spiritual power in the thatched hut within her space via their spiritual link.
’Faye! Get out here! My space has been nurturing you for so long, the least you could do is help me deal with this bastard! If you don’t come out now, I’m really going to die!’
Faye’s spiritual power flickered faintly in the space. ’I can’t do anything about this bastard right now! If my true self were here, I wouldn’t fear him. But I’m just a sliver of spiritual power. If he captures and refines me, the loss would be far greater than any gain!
Sigh... I suggest you find a way to slip away. This guy is frighteningly powerful, so don’t you dare go looking for trouble! My junior martial brother might be able to handle him, but he’s not here. My combat suit can withstand a High-level zombie, but if this guy is dead set on killing you, the suit will eventually give out!’ Faye sighed. ’Once he lifts the spatial confinement, you can retreat back into the space. Listen to me. Forget about those other people. Your life is the most important thing!’ With that, Faye fell silent.
Flora Bloom felt utterly suffocated. She couldn’t win, and she couldn’t escape. What was she supposed to do? Her eyes met the man’s—a gaze so chillingly, purely terrifying—and she suddenly broke into a wide smile.
"Um, Sir... isn’t it a bit inappropriate to ask a pregnant woman like me to strip in public? Besides, these clothes were a gift from a friend, so I can’t just give them away. How about this: is there anything else you need? I could try and get it for you?
And this blasted combat suit is a dress, anyway. It wouldn’t look right on a big man like you, would it?"
"Oh? A dress?" The man in white mused for a moment, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile. "So, it’s Faye’s..."
Flora Bloom looked up at him. "You know her?"
The man in white pulled his hand back, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "Of course I do." His voice was light, and a smile still played on his lips as he abruptly leaped into the air, shaping his fingers into claws and striking down toward Flora Bloom’s head.
The sound of tearing air reached Flora Bloom’s ears. That claw attack was unbelievably fast. If it really landed on her, could Faye’s suit withstand it?
’I’m totally toast, aren’t I?’ Flora Bloom thought. Every one of this guy’s attacks came with a spatial confinement effect that left her unable to dodge or retaliate. All she could do was stand there, frozen, and wait to die. The feeling was both agonizing and, perversely, thrilling.
The white light flared again, lasting longer this time. When the man’s claws struck the light, he was instantly thrown back two or three steps.
Flora Bloom squinted, watching this unfold, and finally felt a sense of relief. That last strike was clearly a full-power attack. An attack like that would have been devastating under any other circumstances; without the combat suit, she would have been dead for sure.
’Looks like this suit can take a hit!’
That was the first thought that flashed through Flora Bloom’s mind.
Now, with the combat suit, she could do more than just survive—she might even find a chance to counterattack.
To escape, she had to break the spatial confinement around her. The man in white had created it, so to get rid of it, she either had to kill him or convince him to undo it willingly.
Killing him was likely beyond her current capabilities. But getting him to release the confinement... that wasn’t entirely impossible.
Lex Cross had once told her that Earth’s dimension placed a special restriction on all foreign lifeforms. If they surpassed a certain threshold, this natural law would shackle their power, preventing them from unleashing their true, full strength.
When the man in white saw Flora Bloom remain unfazed by his attack, the satisfaction of toying with his prey eluded him, and he suddenly found the whole thing exceptionally dull.
"I’ve tested Faye’s combat suit. It really is quite good. It’d be a shame to destroy it! Human, I’ll give you a chance. If you agree to follow me from now on, I won’t kill you. What do you say?"
Flora Bloom’s brow tightened. "Follow you? With someone like you?"
The man bent over, laughing wickedly, a stark contrast to his usual cold, aloof aura. "Hahaha! Because you couldn’t bear to watch an entire base full of people die! And that’s why you *will* agree to my terms!"
Cold sweat beaded on Flora Bloom’s back. The chill in her eyes was palpable as her composed expression finally cracked. "What makes you so sure you can wipe out an entire base? You’re seriously underestimating us humans!"
The man in white paid no mind to Flora Bloom’s scornful expression, instead chatting with her as if they were old friends.
"Humanity’s understanding of the natural world is so superficial. Take a look. There may only be a little over ten thousand zombies here, but do you have any idea how many snakes, insects, rats, and ants there are? With a single command, the swarms of ants and rats alone could overrun your entire base."
"Oh, and look," he added. "Those humans on the back of your giant alligator—the ones injured by the venomous scorpions. Aren’t they about to turn?"
The spatial confinement acted like a barrier; she couldn’t get out, but she could see everything outside. Flora Bloom followed the man’s gaze. Just as he said, the few superpower users who had been stung by the black scorpions were beginning to change.