C26 Elk District Police Station

The zombie leader bolted, sending the horde into a frenzied scatter in every direction.

The spectacle was hilariously absurd, with some zombies flailing away comically. One particularly clueless zombie smacked into the sturdy glass of a shop, pawing at it in confusion. Thankfully, a bolder zombie came along and shattered the barrier, preventing the other from becoming a glass-encased spectacle. Elsewhere, a zombie blundered into a car and was trapped, howling in distress. Its comrades struggled mightily to coax it into backing out before they could skirt the vehicle and flee.

Jiang Feng was doubled over with laughter. "It's just too good. There's something hilarious about these dim-witted creatures with just a hint of smarts."

The boy, witnessing Jiang Feng's wide grin, found no humor in the situation. Both he and the girl were petrified by this formidable figure who could disperse a zombie swarm with a mere shout.

"Are you some kind of superman sent from above?"

"Ah, superman? Hardly," Jiang Feng chuckled, a swell of pride hidden beneath his modesty. "Goodness, Su Kouye and Urendir had me feeling worthless, but out here, I'm a force to be reckoned with."

Jiang Feng's self-satisfaction was short-lived as the boy suddenly dropped to his knees before him, pleading through tears, "Please, you have to save us."

The girl, with equal difficulty, crawled to Jiang Feng's feet. "Hero, please save us. We're being hunted down."

"Calm down and start from the beginning. What's happened to you?" Jiang Feng said, helping them to their feet.

Tears streamed down Xun Xia's face as she managed to say, "My name is Xun Xia, and this is my brother, Xun Tian. We've escaped from a police station in the Elk District."

"Police station?"

"It's supposed to be one, but those people are monsters. They raped my sister," the boy interjected, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What kind of people are running the police station?"

Through her sobs, Xun Xia explained, "It's more like a refugee camp now. They've taken in hundreds of us. Some of the leaders are actual cops, others are soldiers, and a few are just men who've recently joined up."

"Refugee camp? That sounds good, doesn't it?"

"What refugee camp? If there are women among the refugees, they're treated like playthings, raped, and worse. It's monstrous," the boy exclaimed with righteous anger.

While the boy and girl shared their harrowing tales with Jiang Feng, Urendir, perched on the 18th-floor rooftop, stowed her sniper rifle and turned to Jiang Wei. "Looks like there's no trouble down there. Time to head down. Hop on my back; I'll carry you."

No sooner had Urendir hoisted Jiang Wei onto her back than a volley of gunshots erupted from below. Peering down, she spotted a swarm of individuals armed with submachine guns charging toward Jiang Feng and his companions.

Jiang Feng and the others, terrified, hit the deck. Thankfully, the assailants seemed to have no intention of killing, content to spray bullets around the area where Jiang Feng lay.

"Hero, those are police officers; please, save us!"

"With a barrage of assault rifles aimed at us, and I'm not bulletproof, let's not make any sudden moves."

Back on the rooftop, Urendir quickly retrieved her sniper rifle, peered through the scope, and took aim. Zooming in on Jiang Feng, she noticed him subtly shaking his head. Understanding the signal, Urendir swept her rifle back and forth, meticulously assessing the situation below.

There were roughly twenty to thirty of them, all wielding assault rifles. Urendir knew that for a moving target, a headshot would take her two seconds. Previously, she wouldn't have hesitated to eliminate the threat swiftly, and within a minute, none would be left standing.

But now, Urendir's concern for Jiang Feng held her back from taking the shot, fearing that before she could take down many, Jiang Feng might be riddled with bullets.

Jiang Feng was immensely strong, the equivalent of thirty men, but his defenses were still lacking against gunfire. Any action from Urendir could spell disaster for him.

"Sister, what do we do now?" Jiang Wei asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Stay calm," Urendir advised. "We'll watch and wait. They're not out for blood; they would've acted by now. Plus, I saw your dad give a slight shake of his head—he's signaling me not to shoot recklessly."

Jiang Feng, lying on the ground, felt a wave of relief wash over him. First, he was thankful he hadn't let Urendir and the others come down with him; they would have been wiped out. Second, he was grateful that Urendir had picked up on his intentions and hadn't fired off shots impulsively.

They were encircled by a group of people, and the leader addressed Jiang Feng, "Are you the backup these two kids called for?"

"Backup? Hardly. I'm just passing through."

"Hero, you can't say that! You have to save us!" The girl was crying with fervor.

"Ignore them. I'm seriously just passing through." Jiang Feng hastened to clarify, internally cursing, "Damn it, is this girl brainless? Think before you scream for rescue."

"Hero, you can't just—"

"Sis, stop it. He's really just passing through." Surprisingly, the brother intervened.

Jiang Feng sighed in relief, thinking, "Damn, thank the stars the kid's got sense."

After scrutinizing Jiang Feng, the leader instructed the group, "Take them to the police station. Stay alert, and keep your guns trained on this man at all times. He seems to have driven off the zombies with some bizarre sorcery."

Bizarre sorcery? Jiang Feng hadn't expected to be mistaken for a sorcerer. Well, they'd never grasp that he had actually used sheer strength to repel the horde.

The irony wasn't lost on him. Those zombies would have easily overwhelmed the twenty or thirty armed individuals, yet Jiang Feng, who had the power to fend off the undead, was now subdued by them. Different adversaries yielded different outcomes.

And so, Jiang Feng was escorted to the police station, while Urendir and Jiang Wei cautiously leaped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a watchful eye on him from above.

Upon arrival, Jiang Feng was taken aback by the robust defenses of the Elk District police station. Razor wire crowned the perimeter walls, and numerous guards with submachine guns stood watch.

The police station's walls were emblazoned with bold red letters: "Refuge Camp, Food, Water, Protection."

As Jiang Feng was led into the building, Urendir, perched atop the opposite rooftop, was at a loss for what to do next. Jiang Wei was equally unsure.

Despite Urendir's extraordinary powers, she was at a loss in this situation. Any hasty action could fail to rescue Jiang Feng and might even cost her own life.

While searching through her luggage, Urendir pulled out a pistol that once belonged to Jiang Feng. The magazine was empty, and it hadn't been used in ages.

Digging deeper, she finally found two bullets. "Ah, perfect, found them."

Jiang Wei didn't understand Urendir's intentions. "Sister, what good is a pistol? Even a sniper rifle is useless here."

"I have a different purpose for it."

Urendir fitted the silencer onto the pistol and aimed it at her palm.

"Sister, what are you doing?"

Without a word, Urendir closed her eyes, clenched her jaw, and fired.

The silenced pistol emitted a muted "Chi!"

Opening her eyes, Urendir inspected her palm. It was warm where the bullet struck, the skin slightly broken with a trickle of blood, but the deformed bullet hadn't penetrated.

"Excellent. If the handgun bullet can't pierce me, then submachine gun fire will only cause superficial wounds. I'm going to infiltrate the police station and save Jiang Feng. Stay here and don't move, got it?" Urendir instructed Jiang Wei.

"No way, I'm coming too," Jiang Wei protested.

"Silly kid, it's too risky for you. I'll bring your dad back."

"I'm going, I can handle it." Before Urendir could react, Jiang Wei grabbed the gun and shot her own palm.

Urendir gasped in horror, unprepared for Jiang Wei's impulsive act.

But to her astonishment, Jiang Wei's palm was unscathed, smoke rising from it without a mark.

Examining the small palm in disbelief, Urendir was astounded. "Little Jiang Wei, how is this possible? Your strength is a mere 8, yet your defense is so strong that bullets can't get through."

Urendir's mind suddenly flashed back to a particular incident: the time when Jiang Feng was gravely wounded and Su Kouye had transformed into his complete body. Jiang Wei's face had been slashed by the razor-sharp claws of a zombie. Despite the zombie's lethal talons, Jiang Wei suffered only a minor scratch. At that moment, Urendir sensed that Jiang Wei's defenses were unusually strong, though she hadn't dwelled on it much afterwards.

"I'm not sure why, but this means I can help save Dad, right?" Little Jiang Wei bubbled with excitement.

Unbeknownst to Urendir, Jiang Wei, despite her low strength, had inherited the Flame Power from the future Jiang Feng.

The Flame Power had become an integral part of Jiang Wei, passively boosting her defenses. As Jiang Wei's mastery over the flames grew, so did her defensive capabilities.

Now, Jiang Wei's defenses had multiplied several times over since Su Kouye's transformation into his complete body. Forget a pistol—by this point, even a sniper rifle couldn't harm her.

"Alright, you'll come with me. We'll disguise ourselves as mother and daughter refugees to infiltrate the station. Once inside, we'll locate Jiang Feng, and when the opportunity arises, we can easily take them down one by one," Urendir strategized.

Her plan wasn't flawless, but it was workable. As long as they weren't simultaneously peppered with gunfire from multiple assault rifles, picking off their enemies would be a breeze.

With their plan in place, they stashed their luggage and sniper rifles on the rooftop before stealthily descending to the ground. They deliberately tattered their clothing and smeared mud on their faces and bodies to appear as desperate, starving refugees.

As they edged closer to the police station, the guards at the entrance spotted them. Two guards, armed with assault rifles, hurried over to confront Urendir and Jiang Wei.

"Freeze."

Urendir lifted her hands in surrender. "We're refugees."

One guard kept his submachine gun trained on Urendir while instructing his companion, "Go ahead, search them."

The second guard lowered his weapon and gave Urendir and Jiang Wei a cursory check before saying, "Alright, come with us."

Perhaps because they were just a woman and a girl, the guards didn't consider them a significant threat and let down their guard.