Xiao Jun returned to the second-floor living room, and he didn't need to watch the rest of what happened.
Apart from the wave of fourth-tier zombies during the night battle, which was worth Xiao Jun's attention, nothing else could stir any ripples within him anymore.
"You three must have leveled up as well."
Looking at the three people on the second floor—the twin sisters and Dr. Jiang Wei—Xiao Jun took out another three thousand Mutated Crystals from his spatial storage.
The elder sister grabbed them and casually gave one thousand to her younger sister.
Jiang Wei hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted them as well.
Was saving face important? Life was what mattered most.
Now they were comfortably hiding on the second floor, but if they couldn't hide tomorrow, they'd have to charge out and fight.
It didn't take long for the three of them to level up from tier two to tier three as they sat in a row on the living room sofa.
Xiao Jun held a bottle of nutrient drink, occasionally glancing out the window at the ongoing battle.
The elder sister finished leveling up first, ordinary and without any surprises.
The younger sister followed shortly after, unsurprisingly similar to her twin, lacking any special talent.
But Jiang Wei still hadn't finished, it seemed she was about to awaken an ability.
A hint of anticipation flashed in Xiao Jun's mind.
If it was a Tenacity ability, that would be interesting. Wearing a white lab coat on the front lines against the zombies?
About ten seconds later, a azure glow flickered above Jiang Wei's head before quickly disappearing.
It was the first time the twin sisters had witnessed the awakening of an ability in person, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of disappointment.
After all, it wasn't their own ability that awakened.
When Jiang Wei opened her eyes, meeting the curious gazes of the others, her pretty face flushed red.
"Why are you being shy? What ability did you awaken? Is it powerful?" Jing Ru blurted out impatiently, waiting for Jiang Wei to speak.
"It seems to be some kind of water-based ability talent, doesn't sound very useful."
"I can use it three times a day, each time collecting and purifying five hundred kilograms of water resources."
"So, you're a mobile water purifier?"
*Whack!* A loud smack landed on Jing Ru's head.
"Bro, why did you hit me?" Jing Ru whined, rubbing her forehead.
"Show some respect, she's not a 'mobile water purifier,' call her Dr. Jiang."
Xiao Jun's eyes shone brightly as he looked at Jiang Wei, this was a divine skill in the apocalypse.
There were quite a few high-tech water bottles now, but they would eventually run out.
No matter how frequently supplies were airdropped, once humanity's levels rose, there might not be a single drop for a year or two.
You think drinking river water after boiling it? People tried that in the previous world, and they just ended up infected with the zombie virus and turned into zombies themselves.
This was where the value of having a water-based ability user came into play.
Five hundred kilograms per use, three thousand kilograms per day.
The normal daily water intake for a human body was about one and a half to two liters.
Calculating at one and a half liters, that's three kilograms, just enough for Xiao Jun's team of one thousand people.
And that was just for drinking water, not counting other daily water needs, which would be a significant amount as well.
If that day truly came, a single water-based ability user would barely be enough to sustain Xiao Jun's entire team.
"Don't waste the three daily uses of your ability, use them all up, and store the water. You're in charge of water storage," Xiao Jun said, addressing Jing Ru.
She couldn't just eat and sleep all day, she had to do some work.
...
Today, Xiao Jun had a rare good night's sleep. He didn't overexert himself last night, and his entire being felt refreshed.
Reaching tier five, how to quickly level up to tier five, that was Xiao Jun's most important issue now.
The uneasiness in his heart had faded away yesterday, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't that simple.
"Damn it, there couldn't really be a tier five zombie out there, could there?"
He shook his head vigorously, heaven forbid he end up scaring himself.
He had encountered a tier five zombie once in the previous world.
Out of a squad of thirty-two people, only three survived.
Most likely because the zombie thought there was enough food...
While a tier five zombie still resembled humans in appearance, only retaining its tenacity, even the characteristic claws had started to revert to fingers.
Their intelligence had also greatly improved, reaching the level of a normal child.
One could say that apart from being unable to speak and moving in a somewhat rigid manner, a tier five zombie could pass as a human in every other aspect.
Perhaps the end goal of zombie evolution was to become human?
Xiao Jun stopped his train of thought, that idea was too horrifying.
Within the territory.
Quite a few of the team's girls had already gotten up and greeted Xiao Jun as he passed by.
Xiao Jun responded to each of them.
Just as he was about to leave the territory, two furtive girls in the corner caught his attention.
One of them should be among the original thirty, now considered a small leader within the team.
Curiosity piqued, Xiao Jun changed his course and headed their way.
"This is... the idea."
"Sister Yue is so powerful, she shouldn't... and also..."
Their voices were faint, and Xiao Jun could only catch fragments of their conversation.
Before he could approach closer, the two girls had noticed him.
"Bro/Team Leader."
The two startled, then hastily greeted him.
Xiao Jun neither nodded nor spoke, only calmly observing them.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds.
Xiao Jun remained silent, and they didn't dare leave, the girl Xiao Jun didn't recognize tightly clenched her fingers, betraying her nervousness.
[What's up with the Team Leader? Did he overhear what I said earlier?]
[He probably didn't, right? If he did, he shouldn't be acting like this.]
[But what I said wasn't wrong, Sister Yue's ability is strong, and she's always leading us, Sister Yue should be the Team Leader instead. What has Xiao Jun done every day?]
Interesting, Xiao Jun smiled.
"When did you join the team?"
His sudden question made the girl jump, and Xiao Jun had to repeat himself before she heard him clearly.
"I joined after Future City was established."
Not knowing Xiao Jun's intentions, the girl could only answer his question honestly.
Xiao Jun nodded, not asking anything further, and left, leaving the two girls somewhat perplexed.
Xiao Jun had already grasped the general situation.
After Jiang Yue's display of power the night before last, the girls who had only seen her as a high-ranking manager witnessed another side of Jiang Yue.
Talented in both civil and martial arts, she was a true team leader.
As a result, some within the team had developed other thoughts.
Previously, they thought they had to rely on their own strength, but now they felt that with Jiang Yue, Wan Qianya, and perhaps adding Li Jingyin, it would be enough.
And they had already approached one of the original thirty, so it wouldn't be long before they approached Jiang Yue? Or perhaps there would be action soon?
Xiao Jun wanted to see who these people were.
If Jiang Yue was unaware, then it would be easier to deal with, but if not...
A chilling glint flashed in Xiao Jun's eyes. Trying to be a rogue wolf? Let's see if you have what it takes.