You say the cataclysm only comes after you've cleared the entire dungeon?

Lou Fengyue was wiping her feet when she heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from the stairwell.

Luo Zeyan stepped forward first, followed by Li Yichen, Zhou Hao, Zhou Xuan, and the twelve ashen-faced survivors.

His gaze lingered on Lou Fengyue for a moment.

The person who just used the electric fence to clear the entire floor upstairs is now sitting by the flower bed, wiping his toes very carefully.

That serious expression made it seem like he was working on a complex math problem.

Luo Zeyan couldn't help but smile and walked towards her.

Lou Fengyue finished wiping her feet, threw the dirty wet wipe into the trash can, put on her new shoes, and stood up.

"Class monitor." Luo Zeyan stopped in front of her, looked down at her, and there was something indescribable in his eyes. "Thanks for today."

Lou Fengyue glanced at him and said indifferently, "I'm just here to earn crystal cores."

Luo Zeyan didn't expose her, but merely curved his lips into a smile: "Then... if it were another team that was trapped, would you still wear Crocs and make the trip just to earn crystal cores?"

Lou Fengyue subconsciously looked down at her brand-new Crocs, her long hair falling from her shoulders, tinged with a slightly burnt smell.

She did come out in a great hurry.

My hair wasn't tied up, my clothes weren't changed, I wasn't wearing shoes, and I even forgot to wear gloves.

Unfortunately, the system only gives us a 30-minute time limit.

"I'm very lazy." She looked up and met his eyes, which were as black and clear as obsidian. Her tone was as light as the evening breeze. "I only made the trip because we're old classmates."

Luo Zeyan smiled and said, "Then I'm honored."

"After all, you helped me back then," Lou Fengyue answered crisply, seemingly without any personal feelings involved.

"Really?" Luo Zeyan raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on her calm, peach-blossom eyes. "I don't remember."

"I remember that's enough." Lou Fengyue's tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion.

After arranging for the special police team to go in and clear out the corpses and the remaining zombies on the sixth floor and above, Qin Qian saw Luo Zeyan and Lou Fengyue chatting together.

It was somewhat unexpected.

It's unbelievable that someone can have such a pleasant conversation with Lou Fengyue, this ancestor.

I'm so glad I didn't die of anger.

"Comrade Loulan, you... know each other?"

"A high school classmate," Lou Fengyue explained briefly, glancing indifferently at Qin Qian. "Where's the crystal core?"

Qin Qian's words were choked in his throat: "Collecting also takes time."

"Let them drag the body down, I'll collect it myself." Lou Fengyue thought of the new prop she had just acquired and was eager to try it out.

If that doesn't work, the dog's system will need electrotherapy!

Qin Qian picked up the walkie-talkie and gave a few instructions.

He then turned to Luo Zeyan and said, "I am Qin Qian, the person in charge of the Linjiang City Security Zone operation. Thank you for your assistance today."

Luo Zeyan shook hands with him. "Luo Zeyan, a retired soldier."

"So you're a comrade-in-arms." Qin Qian's attitude immediately became even more friendly, and he looked at Luo Zeyan as if he had found a hot commodity. "The zombies over at Cuiping have been cleared out. Military tents have been set up in the mall. You and your teammates can rest there for now. After the zombies in Yunhe Community are cleared out, the housing will be redistributed."

"Thank you for your hard work." Luo Zeyan nodded politely, without saying anything else.

Shortly after, the SWAT team dragged all the bodies out of the stairwell and piled them on the open ground of the community garden.

Lou Fengyue took out the crystal core collector that the system had rewarded her with.

This thing looks like a metal detector, with a long pole and a disc hanging at the bottom.

Grasp the handle, aim the disc below at the pile of corpses and sweep it across; the cloth bags hanging on the pole immediately clink and clang.

The handle is connected to a small LCD screen, which displays the number of crystal nuclei collected—7.

Lou Fengyue nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad, not bad, finally it's not a useless prop anymore.

The people around her stared in astonishment, seemingly wondering where she had conjured up such a magical tool that could automatically collect crystal cores.

It's one thing to be strong, one thing to have a variety of superpowers, but there are also unusual gadgets!

They wouldn't believe it if he hadn't cheated!

Li Yichen leaned close to Luo Zeyan's ear and whispered, "Zeyan, I suddenly feel that you are not good enough for your class monitor."

Luo Zeyan glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about? She and I are just ordinary classmates."

"Oh right, right," Li Yichen rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him, "Let's see how long you can keep up this stubbornness."

Lou Fengyue weighed the seven crystal cores in her hand; they were a bit few, not even as valuable as a bottle of Holy Light Spring Water.

She casually handed the crystal core to Zhou Xuan: "Here you go."

Zhou Xuan looked at her, flattered, and dared not accept the gift.

Li Yichen immediately became unhappy and complained, "Class monitor, why did you only give it to her?"

Lou Fengyue glanced over lazily. "I can give it to whomever I want, it's none of your business."

Li Yichen: "..."

There is no rebuttal.

"Take it." Seeing that Zhou Xuan wouldn't take it, Lou Fengyue stuffed it directly into her pocket. "It will expand your storage capacity, so you can carry more things when you go out to search for supplies."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan no longer refused: "Thank you."

Lou Fengyue didn't respond to the thank you, waved her hand, and turned to walk towards the crossroads.

As he passed by Qin Qian, he casually greeted him, "Get out of here. You can handle the body."

"Okay," Qin Qian readily agreed.

Luo Zeyan stared at the figure for two seconds, then quickly followed, saying, "I'll take you."

The streetlights in the safe zone were off, with only the occasional patrol car passing by, its headlights emitting a blinding white light.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. In the still night, only the faint howls of zombies could be heard, sending chills down one's spine.

The two strolled slowly across the intersection, keeping an arm's length apart, neither too close nor too far.

"Luckily you arrived in time tonight," Luo Zeyan suddenly spoke, turning his head to look at the girl's thin profile. "Otherwise, we probably would have been wiped out."

Lou Fengyue, with her hands in her pockets, stared down at the pair of clean, white Crocs and suddenly asked, "When did you join the army?"

"I graduated from university." Luo Zeyan looked up at the dark sky. "I served in the Army Special Forces for two years and then came back."

Lou Fengyue nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "The authorities want to build a safe zone here and form a special abilities team. Are you planning to go?"

"I will go," Luo Zeyan said with certainty. "We've already started cooperating with the SWAT team today."

Lou Fengyue nodded again and uttered those two words: "Pretty good."

"And you?" Luo Zeyan turned to look at her.

Lou Fengyue shook her head: "No, I'm lazy."

Luo Zeyan lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "What a pity, I thought I'd have a chance to team up with you."

Lou Fengyue glanced at him but didn't reply.

In the end times, any interpersonal relationship will only be a burden. Keeping your distance is better for everyone.

She said this to herself.