One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Zhenxi District is a residential area of ​​Qingshan Town.

This place is completely different from the industrial atmosphere of the eastern district. The streets narrow abruptly, and the buildings on both sides change from tall factories to low-rise houses. Old houses with blue bricks and black tiles line the street, some are detached houses with their own courtyards, and some are row houses, with narrow alleys in between that can only allow two people to pass side by side. The alleys are dark and damp, with puddles of murky water on the ground, dark green moss climbing on the walls, and a musty smell and a faint stench of decay permeating the air.

The traces of daily life are more pronounced here than in the industrial area, making it all the more unsettling. Clothes, long since dried and stiff, still hang on clotheslines along the street; couplets on doorways are faded by the rain; a children's tricycle lies overturned in the middle of the road, its wheels still slowly turning in the breeze. Everything remains as it was at the moment the disaster struck, as if time had been frozen in place.

Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao advanced westward along the main alleyway.

Zhang Chulan walked ahead, a lightning talisman always clutched in his palm, ready to be activated at any moment. His eyes were sharper than usual, constantly scanning the windows and doorways on both sides of the alley. In this narrow environment, zombies could pounce from any direction, with only a fraction of a second to react, allowing no room for complacency.

Feng Baobao walked behind, her pace neither hurried nor slow, her expression as calm and undisturbed as ever. Her katana was already drawn, the tip slightly lowered, her wrist held at an angle ready to strike at any moment. Her gaze seemed unfocused, but in reality, she was perceiving the surroundings in a broader way—not staring at a single point, but taking the entire environment into her perception.

"Sister Bao'er," Zhang Chulan asked in a low voice, "did you feel anything?"

Feng Baobao tilted her head slightly, her nostrils flaring gently, as if she were sniffing the air.

"Up ahead, at the third alleyway," she said calmly, as if stating an objective fact, "there are seven. In the second courtyard on the left, there are three more. They're all hiding, not moving."

"...How did you know?" Zhang Chulan's eyes widened.

"I can smell it," Feng Baobao said. "Zombies have a sour smell."

Zhang Chulan subconsciously took a deep breath—and almost coughed up from the various strange smells in the air. He could only smell mold, sewers, and a putrid stench wafting from somewhere. As for which smell came from which direction from which of the zombies, he had no idea.

"...Alright, you're the professional." Zhang Chulan was convinced. "So, what's the plan? Which one should we do first?"

"They're at the alley entrance," Feng Baobao said, "blocking the way."

"Alright." Zhang Chulan changed the thunder talisman in his palm and chose a Five Thunder Talisman—the alley was too narrow, and using a Heavenly Thunder Talisman would easily blow himself up. "I'll lure them out from the front, and you can cut them when the time is right."

The two slowly approached the third alleyway entrance. When they were about ten meters from the entrance, Zhang Chulan stopped, took a deep breath, and then suddenly took a step forward, deliberately shouting, "Hey—friends inside! Come out and sunbathe!"

The sound bounced back and forth in the narrow alley, creating echoes.

Almost simultaneously, several dark figures darted out from the shadows at the alley entrance. Seven red-eyed zombies pounced out from their hiding places—corners, doorways, and behind the water tower—their speed terrifying, and their ferocity amplified in the confined space. The leader, a tall, imposing figure, must have been a strong man in life. Now, with its arms outstretched, it pressed down on Zhang Chulan like a wall.

Zhang Chulan was prepared. He jumped back half a step, and the Five Thunder Talisman in his right hand suddenly activated. Bright blue arcs of electricity exploded from his palm, forming an impenetrable electric net in the narrow alley. Lightning bounced back and forth between the walls on both sides, and the air was filled with ear-piercing crackling sounds and the acrid smell of ozone.

The seven zombies crashed into the electric fence.

Lightning's effectiveness against zombies was flawless. The moment the arc of electricity touched their bodies, it immediately spread along the zombie poison, raging wildly through their meridians and muscles. The zombies' bodies convulsed violently, as if being lashed by an invisible whip. The lead, large zombie was the first to be struck, forced to its knees by the lightning, wisps of white smoke rising from its bluish-gray skin.

But they did not fall. Red-eyed zombies are much more resilient than ordinary green-eyed zombies; even when struck by lightning, they only temporarily lose their ability to move and do not suffer fatal damage.

And that was precisely Zhang Chulan's goal.

"Sister Bao'er!"

Feng Baobao moved.

She darted out from behind Zhang Chulan, her movements as light as a swallow skimming across the water. The katana in her hand drew an extremely thin and bright silver line, as if she could slice the air itself in two.

A knife.

The arms of the large zombie at the front were severed at the shoulders.

Two cuts.

The two zombies on the left were simultaneously stabbed in the back of their legs, their motor nerves precisely severed. The two zombies instantly lost their balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Three cuts. Four cuts. Five cuts.

Feng Baobao's knife skills were so fast that they were invisible to the naked eye; only streaks of silver light could be seen blooming and disappearing in the air. Each of her strikes was precise to the millimeter, precisely severing the zombie's ability to move without causing irreversible, fatal damage. This kind of control was more than ten times harder than killing with a single blow. Because in the blink of an eye, she had to judge the angle, depth, and force of each strike to ensure that she could subdue the zombie without killing it.

Seven zombies, seven strikes.

When the arc of electricity in Zhang Chulan's hand dissipated, only seven red-eyed zombies, their motor nerves precisely severed, remained in the alley, lying haphazardly on the ground, only able to utter weak whimpers. Although their injuries appeared severe, they were all repairable damage—precisely what Nie Lingfeng had requested: "capture alive."

"Sister Bao'er," Zhang Chulan looked at the convulsing zombies on the ground, then at Feng Baobao's katana that wasn't stained with a single drop of blood, and swallowed hard. "You're too amazing! I feel like I could win by myself."

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work." Feng Baobao expressionlessly pulled a bundle of rope from her pocket and began tying up the zombies one by one. "The three inside haven't come out yet."

"Alright!" Zhang Chulan quickly put away his playful expression, picked up another thunder talisman, and followed Feng Baobao to the second courtyard. "By the way, Baobao, when did you learn this kind of swordsmanship? I've never seen you use it before."

"You'll get the hang of it after you've cut a lot of things," Feng Baobao said without turning her head.

"...This answer makes so much sense that I can't refute it."

The fighting in the southern district was equally intense.

Unlike the industrial atmosphere of the East District and the residential area of ​​the West District, the South District is the commercial area of ​​Qingshan Town. The main street here is wide and flat, wide enough for two trucks to drive side by side, and lined with shops, restaurants, hotels, and a two-story town hall. The scene on the street is even more shocking—shop windows are smashed, and goods are scattered all over the ground; restaurant tables and chairs are overturned, and the dishes on the tables have not been cleared away; a motorcycle is overturned in the middle of the intersection, the gasoline in the tank has long since evaporated, leaving only a rusty metal shell.

Wang Zhenqiu and Lu Linglong's tactics were completely different from the previous two groups.

Wang Zhenqiu was incredibly agile; he moved like a cat leaping between buildings, jumping from one shop awning to another's balcony, then vaulting from the balcony onto a lamppost—his movements were fluid and almost silent. His task was to lure the zombies lurking in the shadows out one by one and lead them to the open area in the middle of the street.

Lu Linglong waited in the middle of the street, holding the Qing Shuang sword, like a gladiator about to enter the arena.

"There are three in the pharmacy on the left, four on the first floor of the hotel on the right, and one hiding behind that overturned truck." Wang Zhenqiu squatted on top of a lamppost, overlooking the entire street. "I'll lure the ones in the pharmacy out first. Get ready."

"Come on!" Lu Linglong gripped the hilt of the Azure Frost Sword with both hands, the tip of the sword pointing diagonally to the ground. Her knees were slightly bent, her center of gravity lowered, and she assumed a ready-to-go starting stance.