Lucas Lockwood didn't respond immediately, just quietly sizing her up with a scrutinizing gaze.
The girl before him was neatly dressed with a healthy complexion... In the apocalypse, that alone was enough to prove she had impressive survival skills.
'If that was the case... why would she want to join them?'
Lucas Lockwood had never been a fan of unpredictable variables.
"Sorry, our team is full. You can look for another group," he said, his voice calm and distant.
Josie Quinn wasn't discouraged. She kept trying. "You should reconsider. My superpower could be helpful to you."
"There's no need. We're leaving soon."
Before the words had even left his mouth, Lucas Lockwood had already turned and strode out of the empty house on his long legs.
Josie Quinn's brow furrowed slightly. 'After all the trouble I went through to find a superpower user who can recharge me, I'm not about to let my "power bank" just walk away.'
She immediately channeled the small bit of superpower she had just recovered, transformed herself into a thin sheet of paper, and floated lightly into his pocket.
As he walked downstairs, the clamor of voices gradually grew clearer.
But exhaustion from the sleepless night washed over her, and amidst the jolting of Lucas Lockwood's movements, she drifted off into a daze.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she slowly woke from her deep sleep.
Her body was being tossed up and down with a certain rhythm, and the constant jolting left her dazed for a moment...
Then she remembered she was hiding in Lucas Lockwood's pocket in the form of a piece of paper.
The air was filled with the roars of zombies, mingled with the gasps and panicked screams of fleeing humans.
Clearly, the group had already evacuated the small building.
She immediately checked her internal energy reserves.
To her pleasant surprise, maintaining her transformed state for so long hadn't consumed any energy; in fact, her reserves had grown.
This discovery solidified her resolve to follow him for the time being.
She needed a continuous supply of superpower, and hopefully, she could use it to break through her current level's limits.
In her past life, she had barely survived for three years and had never met another shapeshifting superpower user.
It was said that rare superpowers would exhibit astonishing potential in the later stages.
'I want to see what my superpower will become after it levels up!'
"Senior, the zombies from the whole village are catching up to us..."
"If we don't fall back now, it'll be too late!"
Lucas Lockwood made a swift decision. "Abandon the remaining supplies! Everyone, maintain formation! Break out in this direction! Move!"
Josie Quinn was being tossed around violently in his pocket, but she could still imagine the critical situation outside.
Amidst the overlapping gasps, the sounds of fighting zombies could be heard intermittently.
Fortunately, the group of college students all seemed to be unharmed.
After a long chase, a bored Josie Quinn suddenly wanted to see where they had fled to.
She leaped up lightly, clinging to the edge of the pocket to peek outside.
But one look made her heart tighten!
'They're heading toward the survivor camp?'
'That won't do! It took me so much effort to dig that huge pit for Alice Sullivan.'
'If I go back now, I'll be walking right into a trap, and the lies I told about Alice Sullivan will fall apart on their own.'
'At that point, I'll be in a completely passive position, let alone get my revenge.'
Gazing up at Lucas Lockwood's sharp, chiseled profile, she couldn't help but sigh with regret.
'I wanted to use him to level up my superpower, but it looks like we'll have to part ways now.'
She was the type of person who acted decisively once she made up her mind.
She struggled to the edge of the pocket, just about to turn into a pebble and roll away...
"Halt!"
A group of people suddenly appeared ahead, blocking the college students' path.
Josie Quinn looked up, her gaze landing right on Landon Hughes's pale, haggard face.
In just one day, it was as if all the life had been drained from him. His eyes were unfocused, and his stubble was a mess.
Alarm bells rang in Josie Quinn's head. 'Why is Landon Hughes here?'
Cursing inwardly, she quickly shrank back into Lucas Lockwood's pocket, not daring to peek out for now.
'I absolutely cannot let Landon Hughes find me. I will have nothing to do with that man ever again in this life!'
'In my past life, I hadn't slept with Cole, so my superpower awakened later, and Landon Hughes never knew about my shapeshifting ability.'
'So as long as I hide well enough, Landon Hughes shouldn't be able to find me. I can definitely evade their search.'
Landon Hughes indeed had no idea that the person he yearned for was right under his nose.
His handsome face was haggard, but his eyes swept over every girl in the crowd like a searchlight.
The male students immediately formed a human wall, shielding their female classmates behind them.
Though terrified, they stood their ground together, facing the newcomers defiantly.
Only Lucas Lockwood remained standing perfectly still.
"Can we help you?" He was already prepared to channel his superpower and fight at a moment's notice.
But Landon Hughes paid him no mind. After confirming there were no familiar faces, the light in his eyes abruptly died out.
"Are you coming from Young's Village? Have you seen a particularly beautiful girl?"
Josie Quinn held her breath, awaiting the verdict of her fate.
'The others might not have seen me, but the man I'm stuck to has.'
"No," the students answered in unison. On their way here, they'd seen plenty of zombies, but very few survivors.
Lucas Lockwood's expression, however, flickered slightly.
Landon Hughes didn't give up. "She has very fair skin, delicate features, dimples when she smiles, and a small mole on the side of her nose."
Josie Quinn pressed her lips together. 'With such a detailed description, the man who just met me is bound to make the connection.'
'For now, all I can do is wait. If my identity is exposed, I'll transform and escape immediately.'
Lucas Lockwood's steady voice came from above her. "We haven't seen the person you're describing. Can we go now?"
Landon Hughes's sharp gaze swept over each person one by one.
There wasn't the slightest flaw to be found in the students' clear eyes.
Suppressing the surging despair, Landon Hughes's face fell in dejection.
After waking from unconsciousness, he had ignored everyone's advice and charged out of the city, slaughtering all the zombies before digging three feet into the ground in his search.
Amidst the bloodstains covering the ground, he still couldn't find the girl he loved.
'But finding no remains means there's still hope!'
He didn't want to face the most terrifying outcome.
He just told himself that Cece must still be alive—she was just angry and hiding from him.
'As long as I find her, apologize sincerely, and keep my distance from Alice Sullivan...'
'Cece will definitely forgive me!'
Noticing the other man's abnormal state, Lucas Lockwood shot a look at his companions.
Landon Hughes, standing there in a daze, didn't seem to notice, nor did he try to stop them again.
"That guy must be looking for his girlfriend, right? I wonder if she's okay. He looks so pitiful."
"In times like these, people are parted by life and death every day."
"But... he looked so sad. He must have been crazy in love with his girlfriend."
The girls' discussion clearly reached Josie Quinn's ears.
'Love?'
She scoffed. 'Right. I "died" when he supposedly loved me the most.'
'Maybe there was an ounce or two of sincerity in it.'
'But so what?'
'In his heart, there would always be his more important "best girl friend." He'd believe anything Alice Sullivan said.'
'And in my last life, he was the one who personally drove me to my death.'
The excruciating pain of zombies tearing at her flesh and blood still lingered in the marrow of her bones.
The sounds of chewing and swallowing were like a cancer clinging to her bones, making her shudder every time she remembered.
'In this life, the next time she and Landon Hughes meet, they will only be mortal enemies.'
'To the death!'