"No," Xu Qian shook her head gently. "I won't go back south. Besides, if they discover you're harboring me, what will happen to the girls at the base?"
She paused, then sighed. "Thank you for coming to find me. You should go back quickly. Too many people have entered R Province these past few days, and it's not a good omen."
They had encountered many people in recent days. There used to be no cars on the road, but now one appeared every ten minutes, or even a whole convoy.
They were driving a jeep, which was inconspicuous, making it easy to blend in.
Upon hearing this, the two women exchanged glances. They had come to R Province specifically to help her, and Xu Qian had helped them so much before; they couldn't be ungrateful.
Xie Yayun spoke first, "Xiao Qian, we all want to stay and help you. You don't need to worry about the base at all. We've made arrangements."
Yi Chun nodded vigorously.
Xu Qian's heart softened. Besides Xiang Jintian and this silly zombie, this was the first time anyone had been willing to go against the current with her.
"Do you know why I'm being hunted?"
The two women shook their heads. They didn't know the reason, only that it seemed various factions had started targeting Xu Qian over the past few months.
"I destroyed their experimental base."
The two women looked stunned, at a loss for words. Destroying a base...
Was she that formidable?
Xu Qian glanced at them, then continued, "The X Group's experimental bases are all about researching how to mutate humans and animals. I can't let them continue doing this."
The women's eyes sparkled. Their strategist was so kind.
"Knowing this, do you still want to come with me?"
The two women nodded even more vigorously in unison.
"We are willing to contribute to the apocalypse."
"The X Group is so evil, they must be eliminated."
Xu Qian's eyes curved into a smile. "Good, then let's go together."
In the past, she did it for system missions and for Xiang Jintian. Now, it was still for system missions, but there was a trace of something unexplainable in her heart.
Perhaps, possibly, this world needed her to save it.
Independent of the system, independent of others.
"Sister..."
Xu Lu tugged at her sleeve, whimpering. Sister was too busy chatting with them and completely ignored him.
Xu Qian snapped back to attention, pulling the little zombie from behind her and introducing, "This is Xu Lu."
She then continued, "This is Sister Yayun, and this is Sister Yichun."
Xu Lu lowered his head, refusing to speak.
Xu Qian didn't force him. Zombies disliked interacting with humans; it was in their nature. She was probably an exception.
She explained patiently, "He's just shy, don't blame him."
The two women waved their hands, not minding, but their gazes held a hint of oddness.
Xu Qian secretly shook her head. With a thought, she conjured identical black masks in her hands.
"Except when we're in the car, we have to wear these at all times. I don't want to drag you down."
"Okay."
The two women obediently put on the masks. The trio, along with the zombie, slowly descended the steps.
The battle below was brutal, with countless corpses, severed limbs, and burning vehicles.
The two women couldn't bear to look and averted their gazes.
These weren't just zombies; they were real people.
Xu Qian led them through the battlefield without changing her expression. There weren't many Germans; several of their vehicles had been blown up. Most of the remaining corpses were X Group men in black.
The X Group captured her, and even Lian Du saved her...
He hadn't even been willing to forcibly take her back; it was truly ironic.