The whole situation, to be honest, was resolved rather quickly. Everyone, still groggy and disoriented, somehow ended up following the lead of the 3A Special Operations Team without even realizing it.

  Those assigned to guard the suspects continued guarding, and those on night watch stayed on duty.

  It wasn’t until much later that everyone snapped out of it and started questioning themselves.

  “Wait a second, we’re all battle squads here. How did we end up just... blindly doing whatever they told us to do?”

  No one could figure it out, no matter how hard they thought about it.

  In the end, they concluded it must have been the overwhelming charisma of the 3A team.

  This whole ordeal dragged on until the early hours of the morning. Outside the base, the sound of crunching and gnawing could be heard again—those mutated sea snails and starfish had come back for another wave, chewing away at the walls.

  The battle squads took one look and collectively sighed. “Great, guess we’re not sleeping tonight.” Resigned to their fate, they grabbed their weapons and returned to the battlefield.

  “Damn it, these things just don’t stop! How many more waves are there?!”

  “Help! A sea cockroach! There’s a sea cockroach crawling up here!”

  “Why the hell are the sea snails eating the walls too? What’s so tasty about them?!”

  “I’m so tired! I just want to rest!”

  Everyone was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

  It wasn’t until the earthen wall suddenly thickened with an extra layer of reinforcement that they realized something was off. Then came the crackling sound of electricity in the air, and all the starfish and snails clinging to the outer walls were blasted away in an instant.

  A rich, savory aroma wafted through the air.

  The battle squads, now drooling, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my god, that smells amazing!”

  It didn’t take long for everyone to figure out who was responsible—it was the 3A team! They’d actually shown up!

  “I used to think the forums were exaggerating when they called the 3A Special Operations Team a bunch of beasts. But now...”

  “Starting today, 3A is my idol! They’re just too awesome!!”

  “Wait, are they even human? They spent almost the entire day clearing out the area, dealt with that ridiculous stunt the mayor pulled last night, captured that bodyguard, and now they still have the energy to take on these mutated sea creatures?”

  Everyone was dumbfounded.

  The 3A team, however, didn’t pay any attention to the chatter. Wang Weihu was busy reinforcing the walls. Chen Xiaofei’s ability, paired with his flying daggers, left a trail of death wherever he went—anything without a hard shell was instantly skewered. Bai Shu, on the other hand, was calmly taking out one-star sea monsters with precise shots, one bullet per kill.

  As for Xu Duoduo, the little zombie? She had thrown on a thick jacket and was wreaking havoc below, wielding a chainsaw and cutting down everything in her path. And as if that wasn’t enough, she was also sneaking around, stuffing seafood into her spatial storage whenever she got the chance.

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  Octopus? Delicious! Jellyfish? Perfect for cold dishes! Sea snail meat? So crunchy!

  Zombies love this stuff!

  So into the space it all went!

  Xu Duoduo wasn’t worried at all about her teammates accidentally hitting her with their abilities. She trusted them completely, and besides, she had her Spatial Shield ability to block anything if necessary.

  The others watched as a flash of bright green darted through the chaos, accompanied by the deafening roar of a chainsaw. It was a sight to behold, especially with blue blood splattering everywhere.

  “Dear god, is this really something a girl can do? She’s insane!”

  “Why do I find this... kind of cool?”

  “Joining 3A really does take something special. I’ll never doubt the forums again. The zombie girl is even cooler in person than in the photos!”

  “I want to marry her!”

  “Bro, you’re a guy. Marry who?”

  “Yeah, well, I’m a guy too, and I still want to marry her.”

  “Uh, I’m a girl, and I want to marry her too...”

  Everyone else: ...

  The world’s already gone crazy, so why not have everyone’s mental states follow suit?

  With the arrival of the 3A team, the battle squads suddenly felt no pressure at all. It was like being carried by pros in a game. The battlefield transformed from a nightmare into a playground, and they happily followed behind, only needing to finish off the stragglers.

  By dawn, the area behind the walls was piled high with the remains of sea creatures. The teams packed as much as they could into their spatial storage cards. The rest, carefully selected for minimal contamination and safe for human consumption, was hauled back to the I City base to cook up a massive seafood feast.

  The I City base was soon filled with the mouthwatering aroma of seafood. The tent zones at the entrance were dismantled, and the survivors began moving into their new residential areas in an orderly fashion.

  The survivors were confused.

  Why had the leadership suddenly changed? And why were they being moved into new homes?

  But confusion aside, they were ecstatic.

  The 3A team, on the other hand, was utterly exhausted, dragging their bodies as they made their way back.

  Bai Shu could barely keep his eyes open.

  Chen Xiaofei was practically sleepwalking, and Wang Weihu looked like he was about to pass out.

  Qin Luo, meanwhile, had to carry a little zombie who had overstuffed herself into unconsciousness. He was tired too.

  “Seriously, what were you thinking? Were you not afraid of overloading yourself? Just because you can store it doesn’t mean you should go all out. There’s plenty of time to stock up—what’s the rush?”

  The two pale legs dangling from his waist were so white that Qin Luo didn’t dare look too closely. They felt soft and cold to the touch, and even the sensation of her arms around him was something he tried not to dwell on.

  Captain Qin was blushing.

  The little zombie on his back, now soft and limp, had completely passed out from overexertion. She had only just discovered that her spatial storage had a limit when used in one go. The mutated sea creatures were so large that it didn’t take much to fill up an entire slot.

  Her ability consumption had skyrocketed.

  Xu Duoduo had lost track of how much she’d stored during the night. Addicted to hoarding, she’d kept going until she overdid it and passed out. Qin Luo had to scoop her up, and the sight of her limp state had scared him half to death. He’d been lecturing her nonstop ever since.

  But the little zombie was too tired to care.

  She’d even reverted to her “white-haired monster” form.

  Chen Xiaofei, seeing their little squad leader being carried, was green with envy. His eyes glazed over as he looked at Bai Shu and Wang Weihu, then shouted, “Ah, I’m gonna die of exhaustion! Old Wang~ Old Bai~ Carry me too! Carry me!!”

  Bai Shu shot him a glance, too tired to argue. “Want me to slap you instead?”

  Wang Weihu, still walking, looked like his soul had already left his body and didn’t even register the conversation.

  Chen Xiaofei kept whining, “I want a piggyback ride!” His voice was so grating that Bai Shu finally snapped.

  “Call me Daddy, and I’ll carry you.”

  Chen Xiaofei, feeling like his battery was at 1% and about to shut down, immediately shouted, “Daddy! My dear Daddy! Please carry me!”

  Bai Shu had no choice but to give in, reluctantly hoisting Chen Xiaofei onto his back. The weight made his legs tremble.

  The endless waves of sea creatures had been relentless, crawling out of the ocean nonstop.

  After fighting for so long, anyone would collapse.

  The fact that the 3A team was still standing was a miracle. The other battle squads had all collapsed by the base’s main gate.

  Determined not to embarrass themselves, the 3A team gritted their teeth and decided to find a proper room to sleep in.

  Bai Shu trudged forward at a snail’s pace, with Chen Xiaofei dragging his legs behind him. Barely staying awake, Chen Xiaofei complained, “Are you carrying me or dragging me?”

  “I’m only five centimeters taller than you! Five centimeters!!” Bai Shu, with his slender and scholarly frame, was no match for Chen Xiaofei’s brute strength.

  The two of them, one at 1.85 meters and the other at 1.80 meters, made for a hilariously awkward sight.

  Eventually, Qin Luo turned back to check on them and found Wang Weihu completely zoned out, while Bai Shu was struggling under Chen Xiaofei’s weight, moving at a snail’s pace.

  “Forget it. Sleep in the car. Old Wang, get the car out.”

  Qin Luo’s suggestion was swift and decisive, snapping the trio out of their stupor. “Why didn’t you say so earlier, Captain Qin?! Old Wang, wake up and get the car!”

  Wang Weihu jolted back to his senses, forcing himself to pull out their off-road vehicle.

  Without a second thought, the four men and one zombie piled into the car and immediately passed out.

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