The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Several soldiers fell silent. One broke off another piece of compressed biscuit, chewed it for a long time before swallowing. Another screwed the cap back on the half-empty bottle of water and put it back in his backpack. Another looked down at the dried bloodstains on his boots, lost in thought.

"What's her boyfriend's name?" a soldier suddenly asked.

"It seems... his name is something like Su Mu." Another soldier thought for a moment, "I heard Zhou Zhenguo's people mention it before."

Su Mu. The name echoed briefly among the soldiers before fading into the distant roar of gunfire. No one knew what the name meant, and no one cared. It was just another name mentioned and forgotten on this chaotic battlefield.

"What a poignant love story," someone remarked, then stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Alright, you've rested enough, time to get going."

Several soldiers picked up their weapons and marched back towards the front line.

The veteran walked at the very back, took a few steps, and then glanced back in Lin Xiaohe's direction. She was still there, still killing monsters, still repeating the same actions on that chaotic battlefield. The veteran's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to disappear into the smoke.

Military rules dictate that matters between survivors should not be interfered with.

All they can do is guard this line of defense, so that these people can have a relatively safe environment behind them.

As for what happened among these people, what would happen, and whether they would survive, that was not their concern. All they could do was shoot, shoot, and shoot again until the order to retreat came down.

During breaks, members of guilds and teams around Lin Xiaohe would involuntarily glance at her.

Some admired her abilities, some were curious about her background, and some were secretly plotting how to recruit her into their teams. But no one dared to actually step forward and invite her again.

"Look, hasn't that woman leveled up again? She's killing monsters much faster than this morning."

"It's not about leveling up, it's about proficiency. She keeps practicing, and her movements are becoming more and more fluid, with almost no unnecessary movements."

"If we could recruit someone like that into our guild..."

"Forget about it. Zhang Peng's people tried to invite them before, but they refused. Zhou Zhenguo's people also tried, and they refused too. They won't give face to either of them."

"Zhang Peng? The one with the mutant zebra calf? Didn't he just come back from the zoo and lose a lot of people? And he still has the nerve to poach people?"

"It's precisely because he's lost so many people that he's even more eager to poach talent. He desperately needs to replenish his elite forces and is looking for capable people everywhere. Didn't you see him leading his men around that area several times? They were looking at that woman."

Zhang Peng was indeed looking at Lin Xiaohe.

He stood on a slightly elevated abandoned platform behind the defensive line, his hands resting on the railing, his gaze passing over the layers of people and landing on the girl who was fighting monsters.

Beside him, the mutated zebra calf was munching on the weeds on the ground, occasionally raising its head to look around with its gentle, clear black and white eyes before continuing to munch on the grass.

This foal was the only thing he brought back from the zoo.

What he originally wanted to catch was that silver-spotted leopard cub... that rare mutated beast that was ridiculously fast, had silver-white fur, and had extremely high growth potential.

But the cub ran away into the predator enclosure, and he dared not chase after it.

He could only catch a mutated zebra calf from the herbivore enclosure to make up the numbers. Zebras are herbivores, and their fighting ability is questionable; whether they could even fight for him once they grew up is another matter entirely.

But at least it's a pet, a symbol of the Beastmaster profession. Without a pet, many of his skills are useless.

Zhang Peng shifted his gaze from Lin Xiaohe and glanced around.

He mentally reviewed the names of the guild leaders, small team captains, and top solo players. He needed people, a lot of people, and people who could fight.

Before going to the zoo, he had more than twenty people under his command, all of whom were carefully selected experts.

When they returned, only two or three remained, and several of them were injured.

Those who died were recruits he had acquired at great expense. Now he must replace them as soon as possible.

Lin Xiaohe was the first one he set his sights on.

He is strong enough, has outstanding individual combat ability, and is all alone, without a team or background... no, he has a background, Zhou Zhenguo.

But Zhou Zhenguo's side consisted of ordinary people, with very few even being job changers. What kind of support could they offer him?

In his eyes, this "background" was as good as nothing.

If he hadn't just seen those five people... the boy carrying the flowerpot, the burly man carrying the shield, the lean man with the Tang sword at his waist, and the woman who was as cold as ice... he would have already sent someone over to "invite" them.

But the five men returned and appeared beside Zhou Zhenguo. He didn't know what the relationship was between Zhou Zhenguo and the five men, but he knew that now was not the time to make a move.

Zhang Peng withdrew his gaze, turned and stepped off the platform, leading the pony towards his guild's temporary headquarters. His men followed behind, and one of them, sensing his thoughts, leaned in and whispered, "Brother Peng, that woman, should we...?"

"No rush," Zhang Peng interrupted him, his voice low but deep. "Let's wait and see. Those guys over there just got back, and Zhou Zhenguo is more confident now. It wouldn't be wise for us to make a move now."

He paused, then continued, "And... her boyfriend's name is Su Mu, right? Why does that name sound familiar?"

The subordinate beside him shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. Zhang Peng didn't say anything more and led his horse into the camp.

Lin Xiaohe was unaware that Zhang Peng had already set his sights on her.

She didn't care.

All she knew was that a level six mutated beast was charging towards her. She twirled her short sword in her hand, her body slightly lowered, preparing for the next battle. Her gaze pierced through the surging black tide, landing on the distant, hazy horizon.

That direction is towards the zoo.

In that direction, there was someone. She didn't know when he would return, but she knew he would. She had to become stronger before he came back.

......