That was an evolved zombie!
They possessed special abilities, just like superpower users, but were far stronger than any ordinary superpower user at this stage.
If the group of college students were discovered, the casualties would be devastating.
Fortunately, having been tempered by the apocalypse, the students had all developed exceptional courage.
At that moment, everyone was huddled together, holding their breath. The entire jewelry store was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long wait, the evolved zombie seemed not to have found them. It finally gave up its search and shuffled away with heavy steps.
"Is it gone?" someone asked in a hushed voice.
No one answered. Cautiously, Lucas Lockwood moved to the glass door to check.
Seeing no trace of the zombie by the glass door, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're safe. Howard Chase and I will take the first watch tonight. The rest of you, get some sleep."
The successive scares had left everyone utterly exhausted.
Once their taut nerves relaxed, a tide of exhaustion washed over them, and soon, everyone was fast asleep.
Josie Quinn was just as exhausted. As she closed her eyes to rest, her nearly depleted superpower began to steadily replenish itself...
This went on for several days, filled with one high-intensity battle after another.
Ultimately, with Josie Quinn's secret help, the group of college students miraculously made it through the zombie-infested city and reached the suburbs.
Josie Quinn had spent the entire day luring zombies away. Seeing that the number of zombies in the area had dwindled, she planned to lead away one last group before rejoining Lucas Lockwood.
She rolled carefully along the base of a wall, just about to break free from the horde, when something kicked her hard, knocking her off her intended path.
It was too late to stop. The small stone rolled uncontrollably toward a corner, finally tumbling through an iron-barred window that had no glass.
With a dull THUD, she hit the ground hard.
At the same time, several streets away, Lucas Lockwood's heart inexplicably tightened, and he kept looking back over his shoulder.
The zombies in the suburbs were noticeably fewer. Even without Josie Quinn drawing the horde away, they could just about manage.
He subconsciously patted his empty pocket. "Everyone find a place to rest around here. I'm going to check on the situation nearby."
He was worried Josie Quinn's power had run out and that she was trapped in a horde, so he went to meet up with her, just as he had the past few days.
Meanwhile, when Josie Quinn came to her senses and her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realized she had fallen into an inhabited room.
The room was surprisingly tidy. A man's clothes were casually draped over the back of a chair, and a basin and bucket in the corner were both filled with clean water.
Josie Quinn looked up. This seemed to be a basement, with the window at street level.
She tried to jump, but in her stone form, she could only manage a hop of about a foot.
Even if she returned to her human form, the gaps in the iron-barred window were too narrow to fit through.
Confirming she couldn't go back the way she came, her gaze fell on the room's only exit—a closed door.
Since someone lived here, there had to be a way to the outside.
Just as she was about to turn human and open it, the door creaked open.
A young woman in a black lace slip dress sauntered in, and the thick scent of her perfume instantly filled the space.
Josie Quinn hurriedly rolled toward the doorway, but with a BANG, the door was slammed shut.
The woman's makeup was exquisite. Though her face was plain, her figure was incredibly sultry.
She lazily lay down on the bed, deliberately tugging her slip dress down to expose a large swath of pale skin. The hem was so short it barely covered anything.
The young woman kept shifting on the bed, striking one seductive pose after another.
Josie Quinn couldn't help but wonder, 'What is this person doing?'
As she puzzled over it, she suddenly felt her superpower about to run out.
With no time to think, she decided to risk it all and make a dash for the door.
'Maybe if I'm fast enough, I can turn human, unlock the door, and roll out before the person on the bed notices me.'
Just as she was struggling to roll toward the door, it opened again.
A long leg clad in cargo pants stepped inside.
With another BANG, the door slammed shut again.
Felix Fields was covered in zombie blood and filth. He deftly tossed off his jacket and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, about to pull it off...
Josie Quinn glimpsed his well-defined abs, but in the next second, the man seemed to sense something was off. He abruptly let go of his shirt, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the bed.
Almost simultaneously, the man pounced on the bed like a panther, his iron-like hand clamping around the woman's neck and lifting her up.
"Wilder, it's me, Joanna Cross~"
Far from being scared, the woman took the opportunity to let her slip dress slide off her shoulder. Her voice was so sickly sweet it was like dripping honey. "What's so great about a scrawny girl like Jane Alden? Let me keep you company tonight, okay? Wilder~"
Faced with such a titillating scene, Josie Quinn ultimately couldn't resist sneaking a couple of peeks.
The young woman was practically pressed against the man, and from Josie's angle, their position looked very intimate.
This man felt dangerous to her. She hesitated for a moment, deciding it wasn't a good time to make a run for the door.
'I'll just wait a little longer...'
The man's back was to her. His T-shirt clung to his tall, solid frame, exuding a powerful, magnetic tension.
Josie Quinn couldn't help but peek, wondering, 'If a rated-R scene is about to unfold, should I watch? Or should I watch?'
Before she could decide whether to watch, she suddenly saw the man grab a bedsheet and haphazardly wrap it around the scantily clad woman.
"Wilder, what are you doing wrapping me up?"
"Oh, so you like this kind of foreplay? All right, I'll play along with whatever you want, Wilder~"
Josie Quinn saw the man's face as he turned; there wasn't a trace of lust in his expression. It was completely cold.
He mercilessly dragged the young woman, who was now wrapped up like a rice dumpling, to the door.
Open door, throw out, close door... all in one smooth motion.
Josie Quinn wanted to use the opportunity to slip away, but she only managed a futile little hop, watching her chance disappear.
'In this morally bankrupt apocalypse, a man who can refuse a woman throwing herself at him is a rare find indeed.'
She couldn't help but take another look at the man.
The last rays of the setting sun outlined his chiseled profile. Beneath a strong, straight nose, his thin lips were pressed into a firm line... It was a handsome face, full of masculine charm.
After dealing with Joanna Cross, Felix Fields decisively stripped off his shirt and began washing himself with the clean water in the room.
Once he was clean, he collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.
Although this survivor outpost had superpower users who could maintain the basics for survival, he wasn't content to just hole up here like a rat.
That was why he was always out exploring, hoping to find a place in the world that hadn't been contaminated by the zombie virus.
But every time ended in disappointment. There was no light left in this world.
He rubbed his temples, his heavy eyelids gradually drooping shut.
Josie Quinn felt her superpower about to run out, and her mind was a battlefield.
But in the end, she decided against trying to open the door.
'Outside the door lay the unknown, but inside... at least there was a man who had just resisted temptation. Comparatively speaking, it was safer in here.'
Her chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down.
When the last wisp of her superpower dissipated, Josie Quinn inevitably returned to her human form.
Felix Fields, who had been sleeping lightly on the bed, snapped awake instantly, his sharp gaze shooting toward her like a knife.
He had thought Joanna Cross had come back, but when he looked up, he was met with the face of a beautiful, complete stranger.