"Lu Chen! You stop right there!" Her voice was both angry and anxious.
Catching that familiar voice amid the cries of thousands, Lu Chen managed to halt his steps, looking up somewhat dazedly.
Su Mo, with the help of others, finally reached his side and embraced him: "What are you doing! Have you lost your mind!"
The soft body and the familiar scent at the tip of his nose slowly brought Lu Chen back to his senses: "You’re alright?"
"I’m fine, I’m fine! Snap out of it," Su Mo’s heart raced with fear from the shock; she quickly comforted him by holding him even tighter.
Feeling the strength around his waist, he hugged her tightly, his normally cool voice trembling slightly: "I wanted to save you, but there were too many zombies, I couldn’t make it fast enough."
He was terrified at the thought of seeing her lying bloodied and lifeless in front of him once again.
A lump formed in Su Mo’s throat; he was scared she would get hurt. She lifted her head from his chest, cradling his face: "I can take care of myself, you have to believe me."
"Can you two finish up and catch up later?" Zhao Changsheng was getting irritated; not only did he have to deal with zombies but also their reunion, his whip snapping and sparking with fire.
"Lu Chen, can we clear out the zombies first?" she asked him softly, soothing as if talking to a child.
"Okay," he clutched her hand tightly, the unusually cold touch making Su Mo’s heart ache; she handed him some tea to drink.
With his depleted energy somewhat replenished, Lu Chen’s complexion looked a bit better.
Li Qian had been safeguarding Su Niang and Ling Ye. Seeing her return, he also breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, the situation behind them would have been difficult to manage.
With Su Mo’s return, Lu Chen’s fighting capabilities soared; his superpower no longer going haywire. She took a sip of Biluochun Tea, and without telling Lu Chen about the wound on her stomach, she picked up her Tang Blade and charged out, the team’s cooperation impeccable.
After Bai Ling returned, she stayed close to Rong Bai; this powerful Level 3 Gold Element Superpower User was her only guarantee for survival.
Li Chuan was guarded by many soldiers, as specifically instructed by Rong Bai. Other than casting a few fireballs, he didn’t do much, just leisurely watching as soldiers fought for his life and death.
With everyone’s strong offensive, all the zombies were cleared out. The screams continued from the civilian group not far away; one after another, people perished in the biting and tearing, in death achieving a perverse form of immortality, an evil cycle.
Seeing this, Rong Bai, not wanting his own people to be affected, had no choice but to send more help over there. Only then did the battle finally come to an end.
His expression darkened as subordinates reported the cleanup of the battlefield and the casualties.
The Crystal Cores that Jianxiong and his team were entitled to were all collected and handed to Su Mo for safekeeping.
Su Mo led Lu Chen to Su Niang, looking down at Ling Ye, who was hanging his head low, avoiding her gaze, blood still seeping from his ankle.
She crouched down in front of him, examined his ankle, and handed him a bottle: "Drink this."
Ling Ye said nothing, so Su Niang took the bottle for him, adding: "This kid was in a panic just now, worrying about you being in danger."
Realizing that the boy had run to seek Lu Chen’s help meant there was still hope for him; Su Mo felt rather good about this.
"Really?" Su Mo looked at him, then asked, "Was it that woman who deliberately tripped you?"
She had clearly seen the weak vine; in the heat of the moment, she had not had time to think it through, but now everything clicked. If not for her timely intervention, the child would probably have ended up as a zombie’s feast.
Ling Ye glanced at her and slowly nodded his head.
Getting up, Su Mo let go of Lu Chen’s hand and extended it to Ling Ye: "I’ll give you a chance, do you want to take revenge?"
Ling Ye looked at her, startled for a moment, then hung his head and shook it.
"What tripping?" Having fed Ling Ye some Biluochun Tea, Su Niang asked.
Su Mo briefly explained the whole story.
Jianxiong’s rough temper flared up as he rubbed his fists and palms together, "Even a child she won’t let off?"
Su Mo nodded and, preoccupied with her own thoughts, grabbed Ling Ye’s hand and cheerfully said, "Let’s consider this a reward for your kindness."
She led Ling Ye straight toward Rong Bai.
At his side, Bai Ling was clinging tightly to him.
When she saw her approaching, Rong Bai greeted her, "How are you? Haven’t been injured, have you?"
Su Mo shook her head and strode past him to stand in front of Bai Ling, whose pale face looked down as she shrank back toward Rong Bai, knowing full well that Su Mo had come to seek retribution.
"Admiral Rong, help me," she said tentatively, clutching a corner of Rong Bai’s clothing.
"Come out," Su Mo said to Bai Ling.
"What’s going on here?" Rong Bai, seeing her confrontational stance and the woman behind him who could barely stand steadily, couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
"Are you stepping aside, or shall I hit you too?" Su Mo replied to him with a smiling face.
There wasn’t the slightest sign of jest in her eyes. Lu Chen followed from behind, giving Rong Bai a meaningful look.
He, seeing this, knew there was an issue and frowned as he stepped aside, "Come out, whatever it is, settle it face to face."
Bai Ling was forced to step forward, and upon seeing Ling Ye’s angry gaze, she stuttered, "It wasn’t... I didn’t mean to do it on purpose."
Su Mo walked up to her, uninterested in her explanation, and swung her palm with full force across Bai Ling’s cheek.
"Ah!" Bai Ling staggered backward, nearly falling to the ground had Rong Bai not steadied her.
"What gives you the right to hit me!" The burning pain on her face brought tears to her eyes, making her appear heartbreakingly fragile.
But no one present had the spare sympathy for her; their losses had been heavy, and everyone was in a gloomy mood.
"On what grounds?" Su Mo, looking at that pitiful, unyielding face, got even more enraged and slapped the other, unscathed cheek.
This time, without Rong Bai to catch her, Bai Ling fell straight onto the ground.
"All I wanted was to survive; what did I do wrong!" Bai Ling, holding her face, began to bleed from the nose, staining her chest red.
Su Mo, holding Ling Ye, crouched down in front of her, and with an icy cheerfulness said, "Wanting to survive isn’t wrong, your mistake was simply messing with my person."
"You!" Bai Ling was furious but dared not speak out, the slap leaving her head spinning.
Su Mo, in disgust, released her grip, wiping the bloody fingers on Bai Ling’s clothing.
She turned to Ling Ye with a grin, "She nearly killed you, want to stab her back?"
The Tang Blade appeared in her hand and she handed it to him.
"Enough," he said, his head hung low as his eyes began to well with tears, conflict stirring within him. He broke free from her grasp and went back to Su Niang.
Su Mo didn’t insist. She put away the blade, stood up, and looking down at Bai Ling, said, "Remember, this life was spared by Yezi."
After that, she couldn’t resist a parting shot at Rong Bai, "Taking in just anybody? Aren’t you afraid of indigestion?"
Lu Chen took her hand, and they turned to leave.