After a moment of thought, the soldier named Liu Zi ran in the direction Chen Wan and her group were heading.
A slightly older officer shouted, "Liu Zi, come back!" Ignoring his teammate Zhao Lei's call, Liu Zi caught up with Chen Wan and her group, saying, "Wait a moment."
Chen Wan and her group had already walked halfway when they heard the soldier calling them, so they stopped.
Chen Wan turned around and asked, "Is there something else?"
Liu Zi lowered his voice, "The safe zone might not be what you expect. If you don't go there, finding a place nearby to settle is also safe. This area has been cleared of zombies."
Liu Zi's words weren't very clear, but Chen Wan and her group immediately understood.
Chen Wan smiled and thanked him, "Thank you for the warning, but we have to go to the base to find our family. We can't avoid it, but thank you anyway."
Liu Zi, being a beta, blushed when thanked by such a beautiful alpha like Chen Wan.
Luckily, his skin was tanned from long hours of standing guard, or he would have wanted to find a hole to hide in.
He replied, somewhat flustered, "No need to thank me, it's what we should do. Be careful on your way."
"Okay." Chen Wan smiled at him, thinking that this soldier, whom they had only met once, had a good heart.
She then turned and continued towards the long line at the base gate.
Liu Zi ran back to the checkpoint, and Zhao Lei teased him, "Liu Zi, you're just too soft-hearted. Last time, you also advised two girls who wanted to settle inside the base, and they turned around and called you crazy."
"She's different. She just thanked me." The soldier glared at Zhao Lei.
"What's different? I saw her holding a child, probably already married. You don't stand a chance." Zhao Lei joked with his partner as no vehicles were passing by.
Meanwhile, many people in the long line had noticed Chen Wan and her group.
After all, they were four beautiful women, each with a different charm, and one of them was even holding a child, sparking discussions among those in line.
A sleazy man even whistled at Chen Wan and her group, drawing laughter.
The women and Omegas in the line were relatively quiet, while the male betas and alphas, feeling safe at the base, began to act more recklessly.
Chen Wan didn't spare them a glance and led her group to the end of the line.
The tattooed man, feeling embarrassed that Chen Wan ignored him, signaled to his lackeys.
Leaving one to hold their place in line, the tattooed man and four burly lackeys surrounded Chen Wan and her group.
People in line turned to watch the commotion.
A bespectacled man in front of Chen Wan even looked at her with a hint of regret.
Chen Wan, holding Yang Yang, remained still, her face expressionless.
The tattooed man and his lackeys approached, eyeing Chen Wan and her group lecherously.
"Oh, there's Alphas among you? No problem—my brothers and I are all Betas. There won't be any conflict between us.
Even in a safe zone, there are dangers. Beautiful women like you need protection.
Come with us—we can keep you safe. Besides, you're carrying a baby.
Can you really protect her?"
Yang Yang trembled in Chen Wan's arms, frightened by the man's words.
Chen Wan gently soothed her. "Don't be afraid, Yang Yang. Mammy's here."
"Little one, your name is Yang Yang, right? From now on, I'll be your daddy—protecting you alongside your mommy." The tattooed man ogled Chen Wan before sweeping his gaze over Yi Yi and the others, smacking his lips in admiration.
"Your friends are all so pretty. I'll take them all. Don't be jealous."
Chen Wan let out a soft chuckle, momentarily catching the tattooed man off guard.
She handed Yang Yang to Jiang Yanxin.
Just as Chen Wan was about to make a move, Qin Ke acted first. She lunged at the nearest thug and drove her fist straight into his face.
His nose broke instantly, blood gushing as he collapsed to one side.
Qin Ke didn't stop.
While he was still reeling, she hooked her arm around his neck and twisted sharply.
The thug struggled desperately, but he was no match for her—especially after her strength had been enhanced by crystal cores and mutant beef.
With a sharp crack, his head snapped to the side, and his body went limp.
Qin Ke tossed him aside and fixed the remaining men with a cold stare.
Everything happened so fast that the tattooed man and the others didn't even have time to react before one of them was already dead.
The combat techniques taught in special forces aren't flashy.
They're designed to neutralize an enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible—no wasted movement, no concern for appearances.
"Fuck! What are you all standing around for? If we don't cut these women to pieces today—"
Before the tattooed man could finish, a sharp pain exploded across his face. He was sent flying backward, landing several steps away as he spat out broken teeth.
At the same time, Qin Ke was already locked in combat with another tall man.
The remaining two men, seeing their leader struck down by Chen Wan, rushed forward to retaliate.
This time, they came prepared.
During the earlier chaos, they hadn't drawn their machetes—but now they did, charging straight at Chen Wan.
On the other side, Yi Yi stood protectively in front of Jiang Yanxin and Yang Yang, unconcerned.
These men weren't worth her effort.
The man on Chen Wan's left swung his machete down.
Chen Wan sidestepped, grabbing his wrist with one hand and his arm with the other, then pulled sharply.
His arm went limp, and he screamed, "Ah! My arm!"
The other man, wearing a green T-shirt, seized the opportunity and slashed toward Chen Wan's side.
Chen Wan didn't release her grip. Instead, she yanked the first man forward and used him as a shield.
The blade struck his own companion.
The man in the green T-shirt froze in shock.
In that instant, Chen Wan twisted the captured man's wrist and drove the blade straight into the attacker.
Panicked, the man couldn't dodge.
Chen Wan released them both, leaving the two impaled against each other.
Blood splattered across her clothes—something she'd already grown used to.
Meanwhile, Qin Ke, though smaller than her opponent, moved with speed and precision.
After landing several blows to provoke him, she found an opening. Slipping behind him, she wrapped her legs around his thighs and locked him in place.
Her arms tightened around his neck.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Eventually, his strength gave out.
The tattooed man, witnessing all of this, was utterly terrified.
Who would have thought that two seemingly delicate women could be this ruthless? In mere minutes, all his men had been taken down.
Seeing Chen Wan approach, he collapsed into panic, his speech slurred from missing teeth.
"Spare me… please, spare me, sister. Have mercy. I was wrong—I'm nothing but trash.
If I'd known how capable you were, I never would have approached. I'll kneel, I'll kowtow—just let me go!"
"Let you go?" Chen Wan smiled faintly. "You've done this before, haven't you? Hurt a lot of people, I'm guessing?"
The man trembled, backing away in fear. "No, no, I haven't! Please, have mercy!"
"Weren't you just threatening my daughter? Why are you so cowardly now?" Chen Wan asked calmly.
"I'll apologize! I'll kneel and apologize to your daughter—just spare me!"
As he spoke, his hand slipped behind him, grabbing something.
In the next instant, he lunged forward, knife flashing toward Chen Wan's chest.
Chen Wan merely shifted slightly and caught his wrist mid-strike.
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Her grip was unshakable.
Panicking, he shouted toward the nearby men:
"Help me! This woman won't let us go—she won't let us go!"
The man in a white short-sleeve shirt standing in line was so scared his legs went weak, hoping they wouldn't call him, thinking he might get away with it.
But the woman had already looked at him.
The man in the white short-sleeve shirt shakily held a machete, ready to strike Chen Wan, but Qin Ke rushed out and kicked the machete away.
Seeing the machete gone, the man in the short-sleeve shirt turned and ran, trying to seek help from the soldiers at the gate.
Qin Ke picked up the machete and, after the man had run three or four steps, threw it with all her might at the man's back.
The man only felt a warmth in his chest, followed by waves of pain, and fell directly to the ground.
On the other side, Chen Wan used the knife held by the tattooed man to directly slash his throat.
Chen Wan wiped the blood off her hands and didn't forget to take the bags from the tattooed man and his group, intending to see if there was anything useful.
Each of the six men had a backpack.
Chen Wan and Qin Ke calmly took the backpacks back, and the commotion at the base gate had long since disappeared.
Everyone in line was as quiet as a mouse, even the bespectacled man who had pitied Chen Wan earlier was now trembling with fear.