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nChapter 21

nEven though Wang Xiong was an Awakened, it still took him and Zhang Lixin a few hours to clear the bodies of the zombies on the street.

nAfter finishing the task, it was already late in the day. When he returned home, he found that Meng Jie had already brought the corpse of the giant zombie back to the house.

nThe foul rotten smell filled the entire house and made Wang Xiong frown. However, Meng Jie said to Wang Xiong excitedly, “This is excellent research material. Perhaps I can find the secret of the growth of an Awakened from this zombie.”

nHearing the words “growth of an Awakened,” Wang Xiong seemed to have been triggered and became interested.

nCircling the giant zombie a few times, Wang Xiong disregarded the stench and just chuckled, saying, “Meng Jie, you’re amazing!”

nMeng Jie waved her hand, saying, “It’s nothing impressive. This is what I do… It’s just that we have too few experimental equipment here. I can’t conduct many experiments.”

nBut there was nothing they could do about it.

nAfter a brief chat, Wang Xiong pulled Zhang Lixin along to find food and water—this time, they did not knock on Lu Ming’s door.

nThe night passed uneventfully.

n…

nOn Tuesday, the tenth day of the Apocalypse Calendar, Back-Training Day.

nHe got out of bed, washed up, cooked, ate, and peeped through the window.

nCoincidentally, Lu Ming saw Wang Xiong and Zhang Lixin leaving the house.

nWang Xiong’s sharp eyes saw Lu Ming and he greeted him with a smile. Lu Ming nodded in response.

n—For the sake of ammunition.

nAfter watching Wang Xiong and the other walk far away, Lu Ming closed the observation window and began his training for the day.

nAn hour and a half of fitness training.

nLu Ming’s attributes became:

nStrength: 13.9 (14.7) ↑.

nPhysique: 14.4 (15.2) ↑.

nAgility: 15.5 (16.3) ↑.

nFitness Lv3 (100

/300).

nAfter a cup of protein shake and the feeling of sweat, Lu Ming nodded in satisfaction.

nHe suddenly thought of something and went to the observation window to look out.

nSoon, Lu Ming closed the observation window in disappointment.

n“It’s a pity that Wang Xiong didn’t lure the monsters today.”

nThere was a significant difference in the skill proficiency gained from fighting zombies versus shooting at targets. After yesterday’s battle, Lu Ming realized that it was not too dangerous to crouch on the second floor and fight zombies with the cooperation of someone.

nThinking that if Wang Xiong could still lure the monsters today, Lu Ming would reluctantly cooperate with him. However, he was a little disappointed.

nPicking up the bow and arrow from the table, Lu Ming aimed and shot at the target—one shot after another. There was no other way; he had to keep practicing the skill, even if progress was slower.

n…

n“Brother Zhang, it’s over there.”

nOn a low building near the village entrance, Wang Xiong whispered to Zhang Lixin.

nZhang Lixin was definitely familiar with the environment ahead—his troops had suffered a crushing defeat here.

nReturning to the old place, Zhang Lixin felt not only desolation but also a sense of helplessness.

nBecause the horde of zombies had not completely dispersed.

nWithout any sound to attract them, the zombies obediently gathered around the military vehicle, wandering around but not moving far. To obtain the military vehicle and weapons, the only way was to use Wang Xiong’s method – to lure the monsters.

nHowever, with that number, even if there were no giant zombies in the horde, Wang Xiong, although an Awakened, would probably be severely injured if he was not careful.

n“Aye.”

nWith a deep sigh, Zhang Lixin spoke up, “In that case, we can only proceed slowly… Never mind, let’s not worry about this for now. We need to go out and find food, water, and trace the survivors.”

n“If possible, I think…”

nAs he spoke, Zhang Lixin hesitated.

nHe wanted to gather the survivors.

nFirstly, there was strength in numbers, and sticking together in a disaster was certainly not wrong..

nSecondly, protecting the people was the duty and responsibility of a soldier.

nThirdly, the neighborhood near Lu Ming’s house was relatively safe.

nHaving two awakened individuals responsible for security is much better than leaving the survivors to fend for themselves.

nThe reason why he hesitated was that Zhang Lixin was afraid that Wang Xiong did not agree with him.

nAfter all, the apocalypse had arrived, and everyone should focus on their own survival.

nAwakened ones might have stronger abilities, but Zhang Lixin had no reason to demand that those with stronger abilities must shoulder more responsibilities.

nUnexpectedly, Wang Xiong suddenly reached out and patted Zhang Lixin’s shoulder.

n“I also want to gather the survivors and protect the people.”

nTurning to look at Wang Xiong, Zhang Lixin noticed that a sense of righteousness seemed to radiate from his face.

nWang Xiong spoke softly, “I used to like superhero movies the most. My favorite line was, ‘With great power comes great responsibility!’”

n“The reason why I learned mixed martial arts is firstly because I have the talent for it, and secondly, I thought I could use it to promote justice in the future…”

nZhang Lixin smiled. “Before the apocalypse, we lived in a society governed by law. It was the responsibility of the police to punish evil and promote good.”

nWang Xiong scratched his head with a silly smile, “Well, I was still young back then and didn’t understand much…”

n“In any case, I understand your thoughts, Brother Zhang. Besides, this is also my thought.”

n“The shelter you mentioned to Sister Dong is too far away… And the shelter is not able to protect everyone. In fact, after I met the Slingshot brothers yesterday… no, it should be after meeting Lu Ming, I had this thought.”

n“That is, to set up a reliable shelter centered around the street at Lu Ming’s house.”

n“By doing so, I think it can help a lot of people.”

nAs he spoke, Wang Xiong’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

nZhang Lixin suddenly understood.

nHe had been deceived by Wang Xiong’s formidable combat power…

nBecause fundamentally, Wang Xiong was just a 23-year-old young man who was righteous and heroic.

nWith this realization, Zhang Lixin spoke softly, “You are a natural-born hero.”

nWang Xiong scratched his head shyly.

n“Brother Zhang, you soldiers are the real heroes.”

n…

nBoth of them were quite reliable in their execution capabilities.

nThat afternoon, they brought back three survivors.

nIt was a family of three.

nThe father and mother were about 30 years old. The child was only eight years old.

nWang Xiong temporarily settled this family of three in a house nearby that had been cleaned, and then he went to Lu Ming’s house.

nHe rang the doorbell, and soon, Lu Ming’s voice sounded.

n“What’s the matter?”

n“Brother Lu Ming, three more survivors have come to our block. I was thinking that we should have a meal together today and get to know each other…”

n“I’m not going.”

nWhether a newcomer came or not had nothing to do with Lu Ming.

nJust don’t come into my house.

nLu Ming was even less interested in gathering for a meal or anything like that..

nHe was about to hang up the call when he heard Wang Xiong’s voice come through again.

n“Okay, I understand your situation, brother. I just want to tell you more about what’s going on outside.”

n“Let’s not talk about the city, but there are quite a few survivors in our Good Hope Village. However, there are even more zombies.”

n“Tomorrow, I’ll prepare…”

nIt was undeniable that Wang Xiong was a good person.

nBut at the same time, he was a chatterbox.

nHe stood outside Lu Ming’s house and rambled on and on, unaware that Lu Ming had already left the electronic screen and gone to the kitchen to start cooking.

nIt wasn’t until Wang Xiong’s mouth was dry that he finally walked away in satisfaction.

nHe did not realize that Lu Ming had not heard a single word he said.

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