Fewer and fewer people remained around her, and Wen Yi Tong realized something was wrong.
Although her ability level was very high, she had rarely used it since becoming the base leader.
Wen Yi Tong spent more time overseeing the base, enjoying the crystal cores hunted by others. Her abilities had been built up with crystal cores. Even when going out on missions, there were very few situations that required her to act.
She hadn't taken action in a long time, and today, separated from her subordinates and forced to face the zombies alone, she understood that she truly lacked combat experience.
Wen Yi Tong could only continuously unleash her spatial blades. She wasn't without weapons in her space, but those weapons were too heavy for her to wield effectively for more than a few swings.
Her abilities were slowly draining, but the zombies before her seemed to be multiplying. Many zombies still surrounded Wen Yi Tong, but her powers seemed to have reached their limit, with longer and longer intervals between her spatial blade attacks.
Several times she was nearly injured by the zombies. She glanced around with the corner of her eye, searching for an escape route, but had no idea where to go.
"Team One, prepare. The rat is cornered, let her rest for a while," Lin Yan said, watching the woman on the screen who was nearing her limit, and instructed Team One to prepare to ease up.
It seemed this leader Wen had indeed lived too comfortably. A level five ability user reaching her limit so quickly, it really showed a lack of practical combat experience.
At this level, any one of the children around her could probably crush her. Those children had fought their way through real battles, far more useful than her watered-down level five ability.
Wen Yi Tong momentarily lost focus and was scratched on the arm by a zombie's claw. She quickly swung a spatial blade, cutting down the zombie that had injured her.
"Boss!" someone from the other side arrived, clearing some zombies around Wen Yi Tong. "Let's go over there. I saw an office that was partially hidden. We should be able to take shelter inside."
"Good," Wen Yi Tong replied quickly. She was nearing her limit, and if she couldn't find a place to replenish her abilities soon, she might be torn apart by these zombies.
After they regrouped, they fought their way back, eventually retreating into a half-covered office. They quickly entered.
There was only one zombie in the office. It lunged at them as soon as they entered. Wen Yi Tong's spatial blade split it in half.
The door was closed, trapping the horde of zombies outside.
Wen Yi Tong slumped against the door, her arm bleeding profusely. She no longer cared about cleanliness. This was the most disheveled she had been in a long time.
She took out some crystal cores from her space to absorb and replenish her lost abilities, also handing a portion to the person beside her.
The two of them sat on the ground, absorbing crystal cores, while the horde of zombies surrounded the door.
"Boss, this door looks quite sturdy. You should wrap up your arm first." Although ability users wouldn't get infected by the zombie virus, the smell of blood could attract more zombies.
"Mm." After replenishing some of her abilities, Wen Yi Tong took out a first-aid kit from her space.
The person beside her immediately took the kit and began to bandage Wen Yi Tong's arm.
"Boss, there are really too many zombies in this building. Should we retreat?" he asked cautiously, as Wen Yi Tong's expression wasn't good, and he was afraid his words might anger her.
"We have to gather everyone before we can leave, right? We don't even know where they're scattered. How can we just abandon them!"
"Hmph! Hypocritical!" Sui Sui scoffed disdainfully upon hearing Wen Yi Tong's words.
"This Leader Wen actually has some leadership qualities. At least she didn't abandon her companions and run off alone," Xu Nan felt that Wen Yi Tong had some redeeming qualities.
"That's because these people are still useful. She knows clearly that she can't get out of this building alone," Lin Yan revealed Wen Yi Tong's intentions.
Wen Yi Tong was a person who prioritized self-interest. If these people were of no benefit to her, or even a burden, she would abandon them without hesitation, just as she had abandoned the original host back then.
Lin Yan would make them taste what it felt like to be abandoned. Sui Sui and the original host had experienced it, and they would naturally have to go through it as well.
However, going from abandoner to abandoned, Lin Yan wondered if Wen Yi Tong could handle it, but even if she couldn't, she had to endure it. This was what she owed the original host!
As for death, how could Lin Yan let Wen Yi Tong die so easily?
Death was the easiest thing in this apocalypse. Sometimes, living was the most painful.
"So that's how it is," Xu Nan thought about it and felt that it was indeed so, but she didn't quite understand such a mindset.
"You don't need to understand. This kind of selfish thinking is extreme egoism. Although I want you to think more for yourselves, if you truly learn to be like this, you'll likely have no one genuinely by your side," Lin Yan reached out and petted Xu Nan's head.
The apocalypse would pass quickly. Once the people in the bases verified the effectiveness of the ability awakening potion, their Taoyuan Base would send out people to deliver the medicine.
With their excellent Qinggong skills, it was easy for them not to be caught by zombies in this apocalypse.
At this time, the animal mutations were not yet severe, and the skies were safe. As abilities increased, some flight paths could be reclaimed. This would make travel between bases much more convenient.
Once the bases were able to communicate and exchange resources, and with their hands freed up, they could begin to jointly clear the zombies in the country.
When survivors all became ability users, and the zombie population stopped increasing, the end of the apocalypse would be within sight.
Therefore, they didn't need to learn about the "strongest prevails" mentality, nor did they need to understand egoism. They only needed to grow up in their own way and live peacefully and securely in the world after the apocalypse ended.
To marry and have children, or to be beautiful alone, to enjoy the tranquil years they created for themselves, to pursue whatever they desired.
They would be the hope of the apocalypse, and also its backbone.
Lin Yan had always emphasized democracy, fairness, and the rule of law in Taoyuan Base, precisely so that after the apocalypse, these people could adapt to the peaceful life that followed.
Although such actions might seem foolish to others, Lin Yan believed this was the most important aspect in the apocalypse.
Zombies were not frightening, nor were the mutations of plants and animals. The most terrifying thing was the human heart.
The zombie onslaught and the biological mutations were not the end times. The true end times were when society lost its constraints, when the dark side of humanity surfaced, and when everyone lost hope for the future.
Taoyuan Base was the spark Lin Yan preserved in this chaotic world, the last hope in Pandora's Box.
Lin Yan looked forward to the wildfire ignited by this spark!