Zhou Haimei's heart leaped into her throat as she cautiously scanned her surroundings.
Despite her keen eyesight, she couldn't spot the wolf pack, nor could she hear them.
Yet, Zhou Haimei sensed an unusual atmosphere in the air, a pressure akin to impending death.
"Hold the torch steady. These beasts fear fire," Xu An whispered in her ear.
Hearing Xu An's words, Zhou Haimei's guard lowered slightly, and her free hand reached for her waist.
That's where she kept her most frequently used firearm.
But as her hand moved, Xu An stopped her.
"Don't use the gun."
Zhou Haimei looked at Xu An, bewildered, as if asking why.
Xu An tightened his grip on the long saber. "The gunshot will be too loud. I fear it might attract other beasts. Just hold the torch and stand by the fire."
She could hear the faint footsteps steadily approaching them.
But these footsteps were accompanied by no breathing sounds, which left Xu An troubled. She couldn't gauge the number of wolves by their breaths.
She could only rely on the sound of footsteps to estimate the wolf pack's size. However, the steps were light, and wolves, being the most cautious and vigilant creatures, made her uncertain.
Xu An herself couldn't be sure.
Almost instinctively, Zhou Haimei was about to retort, "How can you deal with the wolves alone?"
But she also understood that Xu An was right. They were in a dense forest, and who knew what more ferocious beasts might lurk about.
Zhou Haimei felt a pang of guilt. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't wanted something hot to eat, we wouldn't have lit a fire to cook."
Xu An gave a wry smile. "This has nothing to do with you. Besides, I wanted to eat too. You can't blame yourself."
However, Zhou Haimei wasn't comforted.
At the Lighthouse, Zhou Haimei had always acted as the elder sister, protecting Xu An.
Whether in the training hall, dominated by men, or on the training grounds.
Everyone greeted Zhou Haimei with, "Sister Mei, hello!"
With years of adulation, even Zhou Haimei, despite holding onto her original intentions, was inevitably influenced.
The first time she protected Xu An was indeed because Xu An was likeable and her personality suited her.
She had expected that after descending from the Lighthouse, it would be the same as before, with her fully looking after and protecting Xu An.
But she never imagined that the reality would be the exact opposite.
She ended up being the one being taken care of.
Moreover, along the way, there were many times when she not only failed to help Xu An but also became a burden.
It was only after descending from the Lighthouse this time that Zhou Haimei realized how limited her perspective had been.
She simply came from a better background.
If not for the Lighthouse's support and if she had lived on the ground,
She would probably have starved to death long ago or become someone's lackey.
But Zhou Haimei's heart didn't want to be a burden to Xu An.
She knew Xu An harbored secrets she didn't know and that Xu An concealed things from her in certain aspects.
For instance, the unexplained disappearance of monster heads or body parts.
As a member of the military, how could she not see through Xu An's little tricks?
But since Xu An didn't speak, she wouldn't ask.
She knew Xu An wouldn't harm her.
But today, when Xu An once again pulled her behind to protect her, Zhou Haimei's sensitive and fragile nerves felt as if they had been triggered.
For the first time, she felt like she was utterly useless.
Seeing Zhou Haimei's fluctuating expression, Xu An softly asked, "Sister Mei, are you alright?"
Zhou Haimei didn't answer, only shaking her head. But she gripped the torch tighter.
Although she knew this wasn't the time to discuss the issue and that they were in a crisis, all she could do was not drag Xu An down.
Despite knowing everything, Zhou Haimei couldn't help but ask.
"An'an, do you think I'm useless?"
She felt like someone who had fallen into water, desperately reaching out for help from passersby, but choked by the water, she couldn't make a sound.
Therefore, no one knew she was asking for help, and no one heard her cry.
But just as Zhou Haimei's eyes began to dim, as if she were about to retreat behind Xu An.
Xu An firmly grasped her wrist and looked at Zhou Haimei with unwavering determination.
"No! Sister Mei, you're very capable."
"You're not useless at all!"
As if affirmed by these words, a withered and barren part of Zhou Haimei's heart felt as if it had been meticulously watered, taking root and sprouting again.
Xu An didn't know how important those two sentences were to Zhou Haimei.
Nor did she know that what Zhou Haimei had been craving for years with her bravado was this feeling of firm validation.
But in a daze, Xu An felt that Zhou Haimei was somewhat different.
However, Xu An didn't know exactly where the change lay.
It was just that Zhou Haimei's gaze seemed to have become more resolute.
As they talked,
Xu An also sensed the approaching sounds of the wolf pack.
Xu An made a gesture for silence, but her long saber was already unsheathed.
Zhou Haimei stopped speaking, and both held their breath, waiting.
In a flash, Xu An's hand moved, and the saber descended.
Then, a wolf head, reeking of putridity, fell to the ground.
As if sensing the death of their companion, the remaining wolves whined incessantly and emerged from the concealing mist, their eyes fiercely fixed on Xu An, the saber wielder.
Only then did the two of them clearly see that the approaching wolf pack was entirely rotten.
Like zombies, they were covered in decaying flesh, their fur peeled back from their heads.
"Zombie wolves?"
Both exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with disbelief.
As the apocalypse progressed, many plants and animals had also been infected by the zombie virus.
These zombie wolves were even more difficult to deal with than ordinary wolves. Like zombies, they felt no pain and no fear of death. As long as they latched onto prey, they wouldn't let go.
But if they were bitten by these zombie wolves, Xu An and the others would turn into zombies themselves.
"Be careful not to get bitten by the wolf pack."
Xu An watched the encroaching wolf pack cautiously, while Zhou Haimei stayed close behind Xu An, not daring to let the torch extinguish.
This pack of zombie wolves didn't rely on sight to navigate but on the scent emanating from Xu An and the others.
If the torch went out, they would lose their only source of light.
And fall into an even more disadvantageous situation.
Xu An stood in front of the wolf pack, with Zhou Haimei behind her, so her current expression couldn't be seen.
Those were eyes fiercer and more ruthless than any beast's.
Xu An, single-handedly, dealt with nearly six zombie wolves.
Fortunately, although they were formidable, they couldn't withstand many exchanges under Xu An's saber.