It was exactly midnight.
Most of the remaining men in the Future City had come out of their houses and dispersed around the various major gangs, preparing to fight off the zombie attack.
This was what all the major factions had agreed on today.
Either send people out, or double the protection fee and collect it daily.
They themselves could barely stay safe, let alone protect others - not a single one was allowed to escape.
For those who sent people out, each gang had divided up the territories for them. Any zombies killed within their territory belonged to them as spoils of war. Not only would they not fight over them, they would also be responsible for protecting their rights.
With the carrot and the stick, these cowards who feared death were finally willing to come out of their houses.
Xiao Jun's territory was the same.
The little sisters' battlefield had returned to the courtyard of the Xiao Jun villa, while the other few thousand people were crammed in the place where the little sisters had fought before.
Xiao Jun didn't care whether his gang was in disarray or not. As long as they were here, when midnight struck, they would have to fight for their lives whether they wanted to or not.
Xiao Jun was still sitting on the rooftop terrace. Tonight, he would only step in during the first wave. After that, unless a major disruption occurred, he would not intervene.
They had to do everything themselves. It would be too much effort to raise a bunch of useless people.
The zombie rain arrived as scheduled, and everyone's hearts raced.
"You take the left, I'll take the right."
Xiao Jun leaped down from the terrace, landing steadily in the courtyard, with two steel blades already in his hands.
One by one, the hoarse howls rang out. As soon as the zombies landed, they smelled the delicious scent nearby. But just as they were about to feast, their heads flew off.
"What's all that howling about? Since you're the happiest one howling, I might as well start cutting you open."
Xiao Jun unleashed his full power, his body almost becoming a blur. The zombies that had just landed were all dealt with by Xiao Jun before they could even figure out what was happening.
On the other side, Wan Qianya's graceful figure made it seem like she wasn't killing zombies, but rather dancing.
Yet her speed was not slow. By the time Xiao Jun had finished, only one zombie remained on her side as well.
Everything was taken care of.
Xiao Jun returned to the terrace again, not sheathing his steel blades. He chose a spot with a good view and watched on.
Below, the zombie horde had already engaged the little sisters.
With the addition of seventy new third-tier little sisters, including five with the Toughness Ability, the pressure was much lower than last night, and the margin for error had increased significantly.
Looking further, the battlefields of the other survivors were already a gruesome sight.
Without any unified command or coordination, they had suffered a fatal blow right from the start, and their defensive lines had almost collapsed.
Fortunately, the people behind held their ground, and gradually became accustomed to the combat tactics, slowly stabilizing the situation.
There were no complete novices among these people. Some were at the second tier, so as long as they didn't encounter several third-tier zombies, they should be able to hold their ground.
Xiao Jun didn't bother looking in their direction anymore. Even if they all died, he wouldn't feel sorry - their deaths weren't his loss.
Today, Li Jingyin didn't charge to the front line. Instead, she stood in the middle of the courtyard, side by side with Jiang Yue.
Jiang Yue's hands were still a bit inconvenient, and it would be very dangerous if a high-tier zombie broke through.
The fourth-tier Li Jingyin also wanted to test the strength of a fourth-tier zombie to see who was tougher.
This opportunity soon arrived.
Perhaps because the little sisters were performing more consistently today, that fourth-tier zombie became a bit impatient.
It decided to step in personally and cause some chaos.
From the distant night, nearly twenty zombies quietly merged into the main horde, queuing up like ordinary zombies driven solely by instinct.
Closer and closer they came.
The little sisters remained unaware of the danger silently descending upon them, still bravely fighting off the zombies in front of them.
"Li Qianwan."
It was Jiang Yue who first noticed and gave the order.
Two little sisters with the Fire Ability immediately stepped forward, with the other little sisters making way for them. Four little sisters with the Toughness Ability came to the front, acting as shields for them.
"Boom!"
Four fiery serpents spewed forth from the hands of the two little sisters.
In comparison, Li Qianwan's fiery serpents were noticeably longer and thicker.
Their two-meter length gave her a safer release range.
But this was only the beginning. More than a dozen zombies suddenly burst into action from within the horde, leaping over the short distance.
"Qianya."
Jiang Yue shouted again.
She had noticed something was amiss - a fourth-tier zombie was hiding among them.
Wan Qianya's figure vanished from the courtyard. She had activated her skill, something Jiang Yue had told her about beforehand.
Li Jingyin also tensed up, keeping a close eye on those figures. Not only was she Jiang Yue's last line of defense, but she was also the only one in the courtyard besides Wan Qianya who could confront a fourth-tier zombie.
Li Qianwan, after all, lacked experience in dealing with high-tier zombies alone. Suddenly facing this situation where more than a dozen high-tier zombies were charging at her, she couldn't help but panic a little, instinctively raising her hands slightly.
"Li Yi."
Another name came out of Jiang Yue's mouth.
Xiao Jun had some impression of this person, like she was the roommate of a little loli he had once asked to lead a team to search for an airdrop.
This time, it wasn't just one person who came out - thirty little sisters walked forward together.
The four little sisters with the Toughness Ability activated their skills, shielding the Fire Ability little sisters in the front.
After the brief moment of panic, Li Qianwan quickly adjusted her direction, steadily spraying flames toward the front.
A series of sharp collision sounds rang out as the four little sisters in the front row silently withstood the first wave of attacks.
This blockade allowed the thirty third-tier little sisters to take their positions and begin engaging the third-tier zombies nearby.
Another wave of attacks came, and this time the four little sisters could barely hold on, with one of them even being flung away.
Behind them, the remaining four little sisters with the Toughness Ability quickly filled the gap.
At this point, they had to ensure the safety of the Fire Ability little sisters. Otherwise, if the main zombie horde charged in, combined with the high-tier zombies, the chaos could easily lead to a breach in their defenses.
While everyone was focused intently, a seemingly ordinary second-tier zombie stumbled over.
As it entered Li Qianwan's fire range, it nimbly turned and headed toward another little sister instead.
It could still distinguish whose flames caused more damage.
A distance of just one meter was nothing for a fourth-tier zombie - a single leap would easily cover it.
The two little sisters with the Toughness Ability stood firmly in front, but this zombie suddenly leaping out of the flames still startled them.
Its sharp claws were about to make contact. A fourth-tier against a third-tier - even with the Toughness Ability, this strike could definitely break through their defenses.
Suddenly, a ripple appeared in mid-air, as if something had emerged from a calm lake surface.
Wan Qianya's exquisite face materialized, her dagger precise and elegant.