"The Lone Wolf Group probably won't make it through tonight."
Looking at the fifty third-tier mutation crystals in his hand, Xiao Jun couldn't help but think of Lone Wolf again.
That guy was actually pretty decent, like a ray of light in the darkness.
Adding these to his existing third-tier mutation crystals, Xiao Jun now had over a hundred, but the number was still far from the thousand needed.
"Brother Xiao, this is the haul from the air drop crates the past couple days. Sister Jiang Yue asked me to give it to you."
The Little loli entered Xiao Jun's room and placed a spatial bracelet in front of him.
What have they been up to, storing air drop hauls in a bracelet?
Xiao Jun was intrigued, and if his memory served him right, there was also a premium air drop crate opened today.
Upon touching the bracelet, its contents appeared in Xiao Jun's mind.
Advanced mutation serum—just as he thought, though he could no longer consume it himself.
Combat suits, ten sets... so many?
This must just be the past couple days' haul. The quality of the third wave of air drop crates really has increased significantly.
Detox pills, capable of neutralizing fifth-tier zombie venom.
Looking at these, Xiao Jun fell deep into thought.
Perhaps it was time to go crazy again?
He gave the remaining items a cursory glance—mostly daily necessities.
What use are these high-tech camping beds, soft yet sturdy against shaking?
And this... climbing rope, isn't it just a regular rope, just longer and able to tie more securely?
Fitting to use with the camping beds above.
...
He didn't need so many combat suits for himself. He'd have the Little loli distribute the excess later and deduct the costs from their salaries.
The advanced mutation serum, now that was an issue.
If not for this situation, he would definitely have given it to Jiang Yue. But now, it seemed he'd still have to give it to her.
Her abilities were the true heavy firepower. As long as she was fast enough, she could instantly kill any fifth-tier zombie on contact.
Additionally, his own team was undermanned with just over 900 people, not nearly enough to fend off a massive zombie assault.
But this wasn't something to be rushed.
After the apocalypse, surviving females were already far fewer than males, let alone women brave enough to directly engage zombies head-on—those were pitifully rare.
In this aspect, men ultimately held the mental and physiological advantage.
As night fell, Xiao Jun emerged from his room.
First, he checked on Li Jingyin next door. She had awoken but her face was still deathly pale from excessive blood loss.
"Brother Xiao, I'm fine, don't blame Sister Yue."
You really are a good person, your first words asking for leniency for Jiang Yue.
Xiao Jun couldn't help but inwardly scoff, though his expression remained neutral.
"With Li Jingyin out tonight, will there be any issues with the zombies?"
Jiang Yue had been keeping vigil in Li Jingyin's room. When Xiao Jun entered, she said nothing until he spoke.
"No."
Her voice was hoarse, likely from excessive crying.
"Then here, eat this mutation serum."
Without waiting to see her reaction, Xiao Jun left the room.
Midnight.
Future City repeated the events of the previous two nights.
The Maiden Army tonight fought with pent-up fury, battling in an exceptionally ferocious manner—perhaps due to the Little loli's scolding or because someone had dared betray them.
Their killing speed was so fast that the hiding fourth-tier zombie was caught off guard. Before it could even think to attack, Wan Qianya had already found and eliminated it in a flash.
"Goodbye!"
Wan Qianya's figure flickered in and out of view, leaving only a fourth-tier zombie corpse behind.
Meanwhile in the east, the Lone Wolf Group faced their greatest challenge since formation.
Lone Wolf himself was bursting with rage. Fueled by his fury, he engaged the fourth-tier zombie in front of him as if it were Xiao Jun, eventually managing to take it down single-handedly amidst agonized roars.
His feat restored some of his subordinates' respect for him.
...
"Brother Xiao, big news! The Lone Wolf Group is no more. Well, not exactly gone, but changed."
Guo Yu had so many information channels, every day sharing some gossip with Xiao Jun.
"Be clear about it."
"This morning, the Lone Wolf Group merged with four other small groups. Lone Wolf is still the group leader in name, but there are now four deputy leaders."
Merged? This was practically absorbing the others, wasn't it? Xiao Jun didn't understand how the Lone Wolf Group, after enduring such brutal battles, now had the power to absorb four other groups all at once.
After a few tough fights, each small group had grown towards a thousand-strong gang. Four small groups combined likely outnumbered the Lone Wolf Group.
"Don't be fooled by Lone Wolf still being the leader—that's just a title. Now, any decision in the Lone Wolf Group requires a vote, and Lone Wolf himself only has two votes as a major shareholder."
Xiao Jun pondered this thoughtfully.
"Brother Xiao, the Gale Gang and Tiger Leopard Gang have ideas too."
Having cooperated with Xiao Jun for two days and profited considerably, these two groups' numbers and strength were now considerable.
"Let them merge if they want. They can station themselves in my territory by paying a fee, and I can assist them in nightly operations."
Xiao Jun knew their aims well—no high-tier mutants capable of handling the powerful zombies, so they needed a formidable ally.
But an ally too strong risked being absorbed, while one too weak was pointless.
Future City's forces were undoubtedly strong, but to their tens of thousands, the smaller groups meant nothing.
The Lone Wolf Group didn't even factor into their considerations—too weak.
Only the Bloody Clothes Gang and Xiao Jun's Harem Group remained viable options.
So they would use Guo Yu as a messenger to inquire about Xiao Jun—understandable.
Xiao Jun himself needed manpower now too. Quality women were hard to recruit, but having two thousand cannon fodder additions wouldn't be bad either.
And with his group's assistance, their losses could be minimized in exchange for a modest fee—more than fair.
That afternoon at 3 PM, Xiao Jun gathered all his ladies and informed them of a decision:
The Gale Gang and Tiger Leopard Gang would be moving into his territory as allies.
Allies? That's a relief, some had worried the leader was into men and recruiting male harem members now.
The two other villas were handed over to the two groups, who paid a hefty rental fee for them.
"Sell them any excess weapons, tents, and so on at slightly discounted rates."
Xiao Jun left the remaining matters to the Little loli while he continued being an idle proprietor.
"Brother Xiao, is something major about to happen?"
Instead of the twin sisters giving him a massage today, it was Wan Qianya.
As one of the people who knew Xiao Jun best after the apocalypse, Wan Qianya keenly sensed something was off about him.
"Fifth-tier zombies... are you afraid?"
Xiao Jun had no reason to hide anything from Wan Qianya. If they couldn't get past this, everyone would die.
"Not afraid. As long as you're here, I'm not scared."
Wan Qianya answered resolutely.
Xiao Jun didn't respond, his gaze shifting out the window toward the direction the fifth-tier zombie had been discovered earlier.
The detox pills... perhaps it really was time to give them a try.