"What, still in the mood to laugh? How does it feel to be an enemy of the people, with everyone wanting to beat you?
Zombies are humanity's enemies. If you associate with them, you'll eventually nurture a tiger that will harm you."
Qingying laughed heartily, speaking sarcastically to Mingyue, her mood exceptionally good.
In this life, anyone who offended her would meet a terrible end.
Heaven had allowed her to be reborn, bestowing her with a halo of glory, ensuring she would never suffer injustice again.
However, Qingying's laughter soon ceased. Mingyue, tens of meters away, moved like lightning.
Her movements were so fast that Qingying couldn't even see how she moved. Mingyue appeared before Qingying, striking her face with both hands, delivering over a dozen slaps.
Then, she grabbed Qingying by the neck and lifted her, her feet leaving the ground.
"Your mouth is too foul; you deserve to be hit. Say one more word, and I'll kill you right now."
Mingyue's tone was casual, as if she were asking if Qingying had eaten, yet it sent a chill down Qingying's spine.
In Mingyue's grasp, she couldn't unleash any of her cultivation, and even her connection to space was severed.
She forgot the pain on her face, her heart filled with immense dread. At that moment, she felt as if she had returned to the instant of her death in her previous life.
Life was so fragile; with a mere flick of Mingyue's finger, her head would be separated from her body.
"Don't be impulsive. If you kill Qingying, you'll be making an enemy of the Vermilion Bird Base, and you'll face pursuit from the Four Great Base Alliance and nearly a thousand ability users."
Seeing Qingying in danger, Lou Yuyu risked his life to speak up for her. He was in a difficult position.
Mingyue's teammates included zombies, which were absolutely not allowed to be recruited. Therefore, Qingying could not be lost; otherwise, he would return empty-handed this time.
"Are you threatening us? We can just kill you all. Dead men tell no tales."
Before Lou Yuyu could finish speaking, Ji Shiyou grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
He mimicked Mingyue's actions, finding them incredibly cool and domineering.
The Vermilion Bird Base ability users gathered around, seeing their captain captured. They abandoned Ba Jiu and the others and surrounded Ji Shiyou, preparing to attack.
Mingyue waved her left hand, and dozens of bolts of lightning appeared, which she hurled towards them.
All the ability users were electrocuted, collapsing to the ground, their bodies convulsing, rendering them incapable of fighting.
"Waa! Waa! Waa!"
At this moment, a child's crying could be heard from a truck, whether from hunger or fear, it was unclear.
Emotions were contagious. Crying erupted from over a dozen trucks, including many adults.
They cried in despair. Having finally found hope for a place free of zombies, their hearts were filled with anticipation.
But then, unforeseen complications arose. Mingyue and her group intended to kill the people of the Vermilion Bird Base.
Without protection on the road, they would become food for zombies and would never reach the Vermilion Bird Base. They could only wait for death here.
The crying grew louder and more sorrowful. In an instant, the entire square was filled with heart-wrenching sobs, shrouded in gloom.
"Let's go."
Frowning, Mingyue threw the Qingying in her hands to the ground and turned to leave. Ji Shiyou also let go of Lou Yuyu and followed.
The others protected Ba Jiu and retreated together. Gong Que glanced at the fallen Qingying, gritted his teeth, and chased after their group.
"Captain, why didn't you kill Qingying?"
Having endured it all the way back to the villa, Gong Que could no longer hold back and asked Mingyue.
That vicious woman had killed all his comrades. He couldn't understand why Mingyue had held back when such a perfect opportunity presented itself today.
"Let me tell you. Today, we could have killed Qingying and the people of the Vermilion Bird Base. And then what?
Those ordinary people would have lost their chance to seek refuge in the Vermilion Bird Base. They are just ordinary people. If they stay here, their only fate is death.
So, Mingyue decided not to act and leave, to save those people's lives. It had nothing to do with Qingying.
We cannot let innocent lives be lost because of our personal grudges. That would be inhumane, do you understand?"
"I understand."
Watching the two exchange words, Mingyue felt a strange sensation. Of her entire team, Ji Shiyou, who had been with her the longest, understood her the best.
In fact, Mingyue didn't want to explain; it wasn't necessary. But Ji Shiyou articulating her thoughts made her feel as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"Ba Jiu, where are you going?"
Turning back, Mingyue saw Ba Jiu packing his favorite snacks into his small backpack.
He also packed the clothes she had given him, then slung the bag over his shoulder and was about to leave. Mingyue called out loudly.
Ba Jiu's mood had been off all the way. He was sullen. His current actions made Mingyue feel very strange.
"Sister, I'm leaving."
"Leaving? Where are you going? Are you running away from home? Can you bear to leave sister?"
"I can't bear it, but that bad woman said that if I follow you, I'll get you killed. Ba Jiu doesn't want you to die?"
His face was full of conflict. Ba Jiu really didn't want to leave everyone, but he also knew that he was different from his sister and Big Brother Ji.
He was a zombie, so he couldn't stay here anymore, even though he liked it very much.
"Give me your backpack and sit down."
Mingyue pulled Ba Jiu over and made him sit on the sofa. She cupped Ba Jiu's small head and looked into his eyes.
Since his advancement, Ba Jiu was indistinguishable from an ordinary human child. He could hide his fangs and eyes at will.
His little face was rosy and delicate, looking like a carved jade, making him irresistible.
"Listen to me, Ba Jiu. You are my little brother. I will never leave you, no matter what. Will you leave sister?"
"No, but..."
"No buts. Whether you are human or a zombie, you are my brother.
Sister doesn't care what others say, and I hope you don't either. Remember what I said.
We are family, and we should be together, not separated. Do you understand?"
Mingyue wasn't good at giving lectures or persuading people. After simply expressing her feelings, she hugged Ba Jiu tightly.
This was the most direct way to express affection. Ba Jiu hugged Mingyue's shoulders tightly, his eyes moist.
He was a zombie and lacked many human things, but Mingyue, with her familial love,
had nurtured the water of human emotion, tears, for Ba Jiu, a zombie.
"Hahaha, Ba Jiu, you're crying, shy, shy, shy."
Everyone gathered around and joked with Ba Jiu. In their hearts, they simply treated Ba Jiu as a child, having overlooked his zombie identity.
"That's right, such a young age, and you want to run away from home. Watch me spank you."
Ji Shiyou, to ease the atmosphere, raised his hand as if to spank Ba Jiu's bottom. Ba Jiu hid in Mingyue's arms.
"We can't go to any base. The Vermilion Bird Base will surely notify other bases about Ba Jiu's identity.
No base will take us in. We need to discuss our next plan."
Ji Shiyou described the current situation, added his analysis, and then looked at Mingyue.
They had developed a habit: all decisions were ultimately made by Mingyue, and they only needed to execute them.
"Since no base will take us in, then we'll build one ourselves."
Mingyue pondered for a moment and said slowly.