After packing their things, Everyone had geared up with the few light armors that Ximen Xueya had prepared before the world ended. He had his husband distributed the armors and weapons in preparations of killing the evolved zombies outside. Seeing their numerous target count from high grounds, the soldiers had made changes in the formation. Of course~ Cao Junye and Ximen Xueya still took the lead. Ximen Chino was tasked to follow behind his daddy and father's back closely while under the protection of Zhi Yue and Uncle Wu.
Everyone was standing at the blocked by ice entrance of the hotel. Looking past the translucent ice wall in front of them, they could see countless energetic zombies hitting the ice wall but unable to break through it. The wall of ice was made too thick for them to break. After all Ximen Xueya the caster of the Ice Wall is an extremely strong ability user. Everyone was at awe seeing this difference of capabilities.
Only Cao Junye openly asked his wife's level, "Baby~ how high is the level of your Ice Ability?"
"You want to know...?" said Xueya as he busied himself rearranging his clothes. His long black loose sleeves cover most of his skin and the grey tight pants highlight his long yet slender legs. His plump butt is eye catching as they could roughly see his sexy body lines.
The general approached him and hugged him without care for the people in their surroundings. There's a smirk on his handsome face as he kisses his wife's neck.
"Yes~ After all, mine was only level 3 when I first awakened. Well it's level 5 now~" replied Cao Junye. His ability had upgraded thanks to meditation under the special spring from his wife's dimensional space
Ximen Xueya whispered his answer in his ears while the people around them were trying their best to listen. But what they didn't expect is that Xueya didn't say a thing instead bit his husband's ears hard enough to leave a tooth mark yet not bleed.
HISS! "Baby~ why bit me~?"
Pushed Cao Junye to the side and replied, "Nothing. Your punishment for this morning."
Cao Junye mumbled, "But you enjoyed it too~"
Ximen Xueya gave his husband a glare while the latter saluted instinctively.
"Get to work. I would push out the ice and create a distance. Prepare for battle. You must kill all zombies. The crystals in their heads are extremely useful."
"Yes, Sir!"
The soldiers responded while Cao Junye stood beside his wife intending to protect him. Their son was left for Zhi Yue and Uncle Wu to handle as the couple needs to be the vanguard for this fight.
"Get ready." yelled Xueya as he motioned his hand in a pushing gesture.
The ice followed the movement of his hand pushing away the zombies before the ice wall cracked and exploded towards the zombies piercing and cutting off its limbs.
As soon as the ice wall disappears hundreds of zombies smelled fresh meat and rushed madly towards the group. The amount of zombies is at most one hundred fifty, almost reaching two hundred. If not because Ximen Xueya had killed off more than half of it with his ice wall shattering at the zombies there would be almost five hundred zombies roaming around this whole district.
As soon as zombies smell humans they would all gather in that place to target the fresh delicious human meat. Moreover the blood rain had just passed and these zombies were like stimulated mutants as if they were drugged by their sudden upgrade in speed and strength.
Cao Junye motioned for the ability of users of their unit to go forwards and throw elemental spells on the countless zombies in front of them. He also created a domain made from darkness securing the back of the vanguard team safely. Different types of spells flew all over the place. Fireballs, wind blades, earth walls, water blades.
There are some close combat warriors wielding metal sticks or bats including shields, some soldiers punch the zombie heads causing it to explode like rotten watermelons with their strengthening ability. While some plant and agility ability users stay at the side giving support to their comrades.
"Be careful! Their speed and strength had definitely increased!!"
"Don't worry about getting scratched! Just don't get bitten!" yelled Wang Lei to the soldiers.
"Yes, Lieutenant!"
"Charge!!"
Meanwhile, the most badass scene among the battle is the small group lead by the little bun Chino. They could see Zhi Yue controlling zombies to eat one another, their instructor, Uncle Wu, kicking away the zombies making it fly away like unattached kites and the most important their 3 year old toddler saying nonsensical spell chants.
"Rain... Rain~ Ice Rain~ fall~" Then countless icicles appeared in the sky, falling directly on a group of zombies, instantly piercing them all over. It was like an AoE Ice spell found in RPG games that affect a wide area on the ground where everything within that area takes damage. The group of zombies were instantly killed.
[A/n: Xu Lin is Liu Yan's vessel's name.]
Meanwhile Xu Lin who is supposed to be an awakened plant ability user is confronting a zombie. This stupid host had always been scared in seeing things like zombies, ghost and spirit. Standing in this place full of zombies makes him want to try. His legs were trembling so badly that he shrieks everything a zombie growls at him.
Growls! "A-A-Ah~ Xiaobai~ save me (QAQ) (QAQ) (QAQ)." yells Xu Lin while running away scattering flower bushes like roses as he runs.
As much as he's scared, his plant ability gets weirder. Roses bushes start appearing at every land he steps on. This is the only flower seed he bought from the system mall as it could be used as a weapon. The thorn in rose plants can be controlled by the plant user to be used as an offensive attack. Sadly, the ability user is a stupid and scaredy cat one. The useful plant weapon became a botanical rose garden instead.
"Tsk! Stop running around! Run towards me stupid Yan'er!!"
Baize couldn't help but click his tongue seeing his host's stupidity even at these types of moments. Xu Lin hid behind his system's back and watched him slice off each zombies' head cleanly with an ordinary butcher knife as he took the hotel's kitchen. The rotten odor of the mince decaying limbs made Xu Lin weak stomach churn and puke.
BLERGHS~ URRGS~
Baized jumped away from his host to avoid the puke. "AH~ puke somewhere! Stupid Yan'er that's so disgusting!!" he yelled in complain but in the end still gently pats the back of his puking host. "Sigh~ What a life~"
Ximen Xueya who is watching everyone fighting against zombies with a frown also so Xu Lin suddenly pukes. He also feels unwell seeing this uncleaned scene. There will always be people who would feel puking as well when they saw some puke. Fortunately, Xueya isn't that type but he still feels repulsed with such a scene.
Cao Junye, who saw his wife's face suddenly turning dark, asked worried, "Baby~ are you okay?"
While gritting his teeth while holding back his feeling of nausea. "Yes... The place is just so dirty that it makes me uncomfortable. Can't they fight cleanly instead!?" complained Xueya.
"Baby~ only you could do such a thing." replied Cao Junye.
Pissed off with what he heard, Xueya kicked his husband on his butt pushing him to join the battle.
Xueya spoke, "GO join them! There's a level 2 Zombie lurking around. Leave the unawakened soldiers to me."
As if answering to Ximen Xueya's words, a bulky zombie fell from the nearby building just next to the hotel. It clearly jumped from a three floored building unharmed by its fall. The ground it fell onto created a small and swallow hole. This zombies muscles had clearly bulked like those in movies called Hu*k except it's skin didn't turn green instead it turned a bit darker like it was thickened by a metal coat yet distinctly hardened.
There were red eyes instead of the normal pitch black lifeless eyes from before. It stares at the ordinary soldiers standing behind Xueya with an obvious desire and thirst for blood and flesh making it look like a man eating monster. The targeted soldiers shiver from just meeting those beast-like eyes.
"It's really an evolved zombie. But instead of a normal level 2 zombie, it seems to be a dual type monster." commented Xueya with a frown as he covered his nose with the sleeves of his nose due to the flying dust when that bulky zombie just left the building.
Xueya didn't forget to lightly rub his husband's shin with his shoe, "Go, fight it. The others would just die if you let them fight. It's a metal and strengthening ability type. It's control for metal seems to be weaker than its strengthening ability. Since it's metal, its weakness is thunder. Just roast it to ash."
"B-Baby~ don't tease me~" said Cao Junye as he felt ticklish with his wife's foot rubbing on his shin, flirting.
Despite seeing an evolved dual ability zombie in front of them, the couple acted as they always do. Some soldiers fighting level 1 zombies also tripped when they've heard their bosses exchanged. But they did their best to urgently kill off the remaining level 1 zombies.
[A/n: Before zombies evolve, they don't have levels as they were too weak. After the blood rain, level 1 zombies had an increase in strength and speed while level 2 and above zombies gained elemental abilities like awakened ability users.]
Xueya kicked Junye in response. "Just kill it already!" he ordered.
"As you command, wife~" said Cao Junye.
The level 2 zombie's eyes had moved to Cao Junye who walked towards him nonchalantly with a devious smirk on his face. It jumped directly towards Cao Junye's direction. The leaping ability and speed of this zombie is not bad as well. With its huge fist directly punching towards Cao Junye, the latter just looked at the zombie expressionlessly. He snapped his fingers and the sky instantly turned dark with some thunder and lightning. The area is small but it is enough for Cao Junye as he is only level 3.
"Lightning Bolt, Fall!" Cao Junye used his ability to control thunder and lightning. An irregular zigzag line of violet light fell from the sky and hit the level two zombie directly.
The level 2 zombie's bulky body shook midair as the lightning directly hit him. He even shook like an electrified thing wriggling like a worm until it turned to black ash falling into the ground as a pile of black sand. Within those ashes is a two finger thick with a shade of grey yet white crystal. It's like an unpolished colored stone.
Cao Junye picks the greyish white crystal. Since there's more white shade on it than grey meant that this crystal had more strengthening attribute than metal.
The general threw it to his old butler as he is the closest person to him with a strengthening type of ability. Uncle Wu caught the crystal thrown to him by Cao Junye.
Uncle Wu, "This...! Master... it's..."
"Absorb it before we leave so you could level up. It's compatible with your ability. Get stronger if you want to be able to protect Chino." said Cao Junye.
The old butler no longer voiced what he wanted to say and looked at the innocent baby beside him, giving him a smile.
"What's wrong Grandpa Wu?~" asked Chino while smiling.
The old butler chuckles before saluting at the general with a determined look on his aged face. Despite the time leaving traces on his skin, his body is full fit thanks to his daily training. Plus awakening an ability and as a former soldier, Uncle Wu is no longer an ordinary elderly man.
"Thank you, general!" said Uncle Wu.
Cao Junye just nodded his head before looking at his quiet subordinates. Give some level 1 crystals to the unawakened ones. As for the rest, split it with the rest to increase your strength, defense and speed. One level 1 crystal means one point attribute point. You choose which attribute you want to enhance. Absorb the crystal fast. We will move before the sun sets." announced Cao Junye.
All the soldiers had saluted towards their general in uniform manner.
"Yes, General!"
They followed their general's orders and split the stones according to what Cao Junye had told them to do. Among the group only Cao Junye, Ximen Xueya, Ximen Chino, Zhi Yue and Baize didn't take a crystal. The systems like Zhi Yue and Baize don't need those crystals at all as they weren't really residents of this world, not even an ability user. While the family of three had too high level abilities that level 1 crystals are useless to them.
After an hour, all soldiers had become level 1 ability users, though those newly awakened ones had only awakened attributed abilities like strengthening, increase in speed or defense. They were still happy as they would no longer be the weakest link in their unit. Those who had awakened earlier had increased abilities and become a dual ability user of elemental and attribute one.
Like Wang Lei who awakened a wind ability first and now awakened a Strengthening ability as second skill. Though this dual awakening is still rare within their group. Except for Wang Lei who awakened as a second ability of Strengthening, Lou Lan who is a water ability user had also got a second ability which is mental type control, Telekinesis.
After the awakening process had finished the unit rode on their hummers and left the W district. Moving on the next town.