Chapter 150: Healing Ability

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Healing Ability

As they neared a newly developed residential area awaiting handover, the number of zombies noticeably dwindled. The group felt a nagging sense of doubt. It was highly likely that since the apartments hadn’t been handed over and were uninhabited, the zombies couldn’t be bothered to wander over.

Miles Dawson was quite surprised. "There are so few zombies here."

As soon as he spoke, they spotted a horde of zombies swarming the ground-floor courtyard of a building ahead. Almost all the zombies within a few hundred meters of the neighborhood had gathered there. Their roars gave everyone a splitting headache. The zombies shoved and trampled over one another like lunatics. It was obvious at a glance that something in the courtyard was drawing them in.

"GRR! GRR!"

The zombies frantically clawed and banged against the security windows and the front door, which had been reinforced by Earth Element and Gold Element superpowers. Given the sheer ferocity of the attack, even those enhancements wouldn’t hold out for much longer. Inside the house, three men and four women were using a sofa to brace the doors and windows with all their might, their faces drained of color.

"ROAR!"

A female zombie with long, straight black hair and rather exquisitely manicured nails pried open a crack in the window. She thrust her hands inside, blindly grasping at the air, and jammed her face against the window frame. She squeezed so hard that a chunk of her cheek peeled off. The flap of rotting flesh dangled loosely by the window, making everyone’s skin crawl.

"Fuck!"

The obese Gary Gordon suddenly surged with force, grabbing the frail Penelope Phelps next to him and shoving her toward the crack in the window. "Block it for a second! It won’t kill you!"

"Ah!" Penelope screamed and struggled in terror.

"Are you crazy, Gary Gordon?!" Quincy Miller reacted with lightning speed, snatching Penelope back with such force that Gary stumbled. "If anything happens to Penelope, I’ll tear you to pieces!"

Owen Quinn immediately stepped in front of the group, his back straight as a ramrod like a solid brick wall. "Everyone step back, I’ll hold them off!"

Gary panted heavily, still running his mouth. "Sheldon Shea! Uncle Quinn! You two can’t hold them off! Just leave this worthless trash without a superpower here to block them, and we can run! She’s useless anyway!"

"Bullshit!" Shannon Quinn trembled with rage. If she didn’t have to keep her weight against the door, she would have smashed a chair over his head. "Gary Gordon, if you aren’t going to help, then shut your mouth! Don’t make things worse!"

Quincy glared at him as well. "Exactly! If you’ve got the guts, step up. If not, stop dragging us down!"

Joyce Wright was so terrified that she shrank into Gary’s arms. Her voice was sickly sweet and laced with a sob. "Brother Ken, I’m so scared... If I had known, I wouldn’t have come out scavenging for supplies. Joining the official Special Operations Department would have been so much better. We wouldn’t have to suffer like this!"

While everyone else was fighting for their lives, those two were slacking off in the back, muttering complaints. It infuriated the rest of the group, but no one had the energy to bicker with them. The zombies were slamming against the door with increasing force.

Just when everyone felt a chill in their hearts, convinced they were going to meet their end right then and there, a somewhat familiar female voice drifted in through a megaphone from outside. Crisp and commanding, it ordered, "Everyone inside, get down!"

Owen froze for half a second before snapping back to reality and roaring, "Get down! Now!"

The group instinctively dropped to the floor, not even daring to breathe.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!"

The sound of silenced submachine guns rang out. The zombies outside fell in swaths, dropping like a scythe cutting through wheat. Immediately after, countless vines shot forward, wrapping around the remaining zombies. With a few swift snaps, the vines pierced their brains at a ridiculously fast speed.

In less than a minute, the roaring ceased, leaving the courtyard eerily silent. When the group looked up, they saw the exterior walls and window sills plastered with black and yellow brain matter. The ground was densely covered with zombie corpses, a sight that made their stomachs churn.

"We... we survived?" Gary was the first to react. He scrambled to his feet, rushed to the window, and poked his head out.

Joyce hurried over as well, her eyes lighting up. "Brother Ken! They’re wearing combat uniforms! I think they’re from the military! We’re saved!"

Owen patted his wife’s and daughter’s backs to comfort them. He stood up, dispelled the earth wall reinforcing the window sill, and saw an off-road vehicle driving into the courtyard across the street. He hurriedly opened the door, grabbed an entire bag of supplies, and ran over, showering the people who had just stepped out of the car with endless thanks.

Everyone from the vehicle had gotten out. Luna Dawson was squatting in the courtyard, pulling out supplies, while the others were setting up tables and arranging tableware. They didn’t look like a rescue squad; they looked like they were here for a picnic.

Blake Blue had just parked the car and was about to enter the courtyard when Owen called out to him.

"Comrades, thank you so much! Are you the official rescue squad? This small batch of supplies is just a token of our gratitude!" Owen offered the bag, his face brimming with appreciation.

Since the group was all wearing masks, Owen didn’t recognize them. Blake glanced at Luna. Seeing her nod, he reached out and took the bag. "You’re welcome. We were just here to kill zombies and collect Crystal Cores. Saving you was just a coincidence."

With that, he turned and walked into the courtyard without another word. His stomach was growling with hunger, and he had no time for idle chatter.

Owen wanted to express his thanks once more, but then he heard fierce arguing erupt from his own team diagonally across the street. The loudest voice belonged to his daughter, Shannon. He quickly bowed several times to the people in the courtyard, then turned and sprinted back.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Penelope pointing her finger right at Gary’s nose. "Gary Gordon! You fat pig! What gave you the right to push me just now?!" Penelope’s voice was trembling, her eyes blazing with fury.

Gary looked slightly embarrassed but remained stubborn, waving his hand impatiently. "You’re fine, aren’t you? Is there really a need to make a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Fine?!" Penelope’s voice grew shrill with anger. "Next time, I’ll shove you out to feed the zombies and see if you’re fine!"

"As if you could," Gary sneered, his mouth as vile as ever. "If you hadn’t slept your way in with Wesley Wallace, who would have ever brought a worthless piece of trash without a superpower like you into the team? Don’t push your luck!"

"Shut up! You don’t deserve to speak Brother Leo’s name!" Penelope’s eyes instantly turned red. She grabbed a nearby barstool and swung it at Gary’s head. "I’ll kill you, you piece of scum!"

Shannon also snatched up a stool and charged forward. "Penelope, hit him hard! If you don’t kill him, I’ll finish the job! Scum like him deserves to have his head smashed in!"

Quincy hastily grabbed the two girls’ arms, shouting anxiously, "Don’t be rash! Calm down!" Both Quincy and her daughter possessed strength superpowers. If they brought those stools down on him, Gary would be dead beyond a doubt. Although they had long grown numb to killing zombies, killing a living human with their own hands was a line they still struggled to cross.

Sheldon spoke up hesitantly, his tone soft and meek. "Let it go... He has a Healing Ability. If we lose him, what will we do when we get hurt later?"

Gary instantly grew arrogant, tilting his chin high in the air. "Did you hear that? You cheap trash! Your lives aren’t worth as much as mine! If you know what’s good for you, don’t mess with me!"

"Enough!"

Owen strode in, his face livid. He glared at Gary, his eyes practically ready to devour the man. This man had only recently joined their team. Initially, they thought his Healing Ability would be a tremendous asset, but they never expected him to be such a backstabbing coward. They had only gone on two supply-gathering missions together, and he had already caused numerous problems.

Last time, when they were surrounded by a zombie horde in the market, it was Gary who pushed Wesley out to act as a meat shield, getting him killed. And now, he had tried to pull the same trick, attempting to sacrifice Penelope!

Seeing that Owen was genuinely furious, Gary immediately changed his tune. "Uncle Quinn, I didn’t mean to. I was just panicking too much earlier. In the heat of the moment, I lost my head. You know I only have a support superpower and no real combat strength. I just panicked and lost my cool."

"Cut the crap," Owen said, his tone icy and unrelenting. "Apologize to Penelope!"