55: Chapter 55 Level Two Mental Ability

Xiao Sinian's expression changed, and he refused without even thinking.

"No, it's too dangerous. You're alone..."

Qi Yin interrupted him sternly, her tone sharp.

"Stop talking nonsense! Can't you see the situation? This thing is clearly coming for Professor Zhou!"

"My life is important, of course, but Professor Zhou's life is also important. Don't forget today's mission."

Xiao Sinian fell silent; he couldn't leave Qi Yin here to take such a risk alone.

However, he couldn't let Zhou Zhiheng fall into danger either.

As he weighed his options, Qi Yin's voice rang in his ear again.

"Your mission isn't to be buried with me. Why stay? Can your lightning and fire guarantee you won't blow up our own people?"

Xiao Sinian said subconsciously, "I can..."

But Qi Yin's determined gaze made his next words die in his throat.

He glanced back at the pale Professor Zhou Zhiheng, then at Lu Yanxiu and the others' crumbling defensive line.

Reason told him that Qi Yin was right; this was the only choice that would allow everyone to survive.

But he couldn't give up on Qi Yin either.

"Go, quickly!" Qi Yin shouted again.

At the same time, she thrust her hands forward, and a burst of icy blue light erupted from her, quickly spreading throughout the stairwell.

A group of survivors watched their strange moves, panicking uncontrollably.

"Let's go. It's her duty to save us, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's their mission. Take us out of here, quick!"

...

Their repeated urgings died down under Xiao Sinian's incredibly cold gaze, and they all huddled into the corner, trembling.

Under Qi Yin's powerful freezing, the zombies at the front instantly slowed down, frost forming on their bodies and freezing them in place.

This also gave Lu Yanxiu and the others a chance to catch their breath.

"You guys go with Xiao Sinian."

Taking Chen Quan's machine gun, Qi Yin unleashed a barrage on the frozen zombies. For a moment, smoke filled the entire stairwell.

Although Lu Jinwen was usually delicate, she was indeed a violent little girl.

"I can't leave a companion behind. Sis, I'm staying with you."

Lu Yanxiu and the others stood behind her, their unmoving steps proving their stance.

They would stand and fall with Qi Yin.

Just then, the high-speed Mutated Zombies seemed to have adapted to the ice layer and let out a sharp howl.

It turned its full attention to Qi Yin, who was making it uncomfortable, its dark blue-black eyes staring fixedly at her.

With her back to them, Qi Yin's tone was decisive.

"Go!"

"Xiao Sinian, take them out. That's an order."

The word "order" made Xiao Sinian shudder.

It had been agreed before they came that Qi Yin would have absolute authority over this mission.

He looked at the back of Qi Yin standing alone before the tide of zombies; at this moment, her figure seemed fragile yet grand.

"Everyone, retreat with me! Fast!"

Xiao Sinian said this through gritted teeth as lightning blasted the zombies slowly surging up the stairwell again.

He led the people down the elevator shaft, retreating quickly.

Lu Jinwen, Lu Yanxiu, and the others had red eyes as they desperately protected the survivors while fighting off zombies along the way.

They knew that every second they gained would reduce the burden on Qi Yin.

At the top of the stairwell, only Qi Yin remained, facing the surging zombies and the clearly enraged Second-level speed-type Mutated Zombies.

The continuous frost was draining her Spiritual power, but her gaze remained as sharp as a knife.

She locked onto the dark blue-black figure constantly shifting positions in the cold mist.

Qi Yin whispered to herself, "Come on, you beast."

In her hand, she condensed a long ice crystal spear emitting an intense chill.

This was the first truly significant battle she had ever encountered!

The Mutated Zombies suddenly let out a sharp roar, seemingly loathing the ice crystal spear in Qi Yin's hand.

Its figure flickered again, turning into a blurred afterimage.

It bounced continuously off the walls and ceiling, its long claws lunging straight for Qi Yin's face.

Although the frost from before had slowed it down, it was still incredibly fast.

Qi Yin's pupils constricted as she dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

She waved her left hand to the side, condensing several sharp Ice Cones that whistled as they shot toward the Mutated Zombies.

The ice crystal spear wasn't idle either; under the control of her Spiritual power, it slid flexibly and lunged toward the zombie's head.

Unfortunately, the Mutated Zombies were too fast; the ice crystal spear missed, leaving a deep hole in the wall.

Qi Yin's heart sank. "Too fast..."

Relying solely on her Ice-type Ability, even at the third level, she could only restrict this creature's movements; it would be difficult to deal a fatal blow.

If this continued, she would be the first to fall.

The Mutated Zombies seized the opportunity to pounce again, and it was smart—this time, it switched to continuous attacks.

Its claws produced a whistling sound in the air, proving how vicious the strikes were.

Qi Yin could only rely on her combat instincts and ice armor to dodge, appearing slightly frazzled.

Her training uniform at the arms and shoulders was slashed open in several places.

If she hadn't been wearing armor underneath, it was hard to imagine what kind of horrific wounds those claws would have left.

After rolling away awkwardly time and again to dodge the attacks, Qi Yin knelt on one knee, cold sweat dripping from her forehead.

Looking at the Mutated Zombies gathering strength to charge again, the dizziness and weakness from her depleted Supernatural Ability gradually flooded her mind.

Was she going to die here today?

No!

She had survived ten years of struggling in the Apocalypse and hadn't had enough of the good life yet. How could she fall here?

Her intense desire to survive erupted like a volcano, and Qi Yin felt as if her brain was about to explode.

Deep in her mind, a powerful and pure force seemed to break free from some sort of restraint and gushed out.

In her lower abdomen, the transparent white energy ball that originally represented her first-level Spirit-type Ability had now mutated into blue.

Qi Yin was overjoyed; her Spirit-type Ability had reached the Second-level!

She swallowed an entire bottle of hand-rolled energy-restoring pills and calmed her mind to carefully sense everything around her.

Now, she no longer relied solely on sight and hearing; besides sensing the flickering dark-gray energy point of the Mutated Zombies, she could also see the energy flowing in the air.

The Mutated Zombies, moving so fast they left afterimages, now appeared to her as a moving mass of dark-gray mist.

Qi Yin snapped her eyes open and locked onto a certain position.

Now!

Her newly promoted Second-level Spirit-type Ability, mixed with ice energy, formed a needle containing extreme Ice Cones and a violent spiritual shock, which she thrust fiercely toward that mass of black mist.

Its Spiritual power under heavy assault, the Mutated Zombies let out a miserable shriek, its body instantly stiffening.

Then, right before Qi Yin's eyes, it clutched its head and twisted frantically, slashing wildly in the narrow stairwell and leaving deep gashes.

Qi Yin smiled.

This move was effective, but this Second-level Zombie's vitality was surprisingly tenacious.

Then, she would take its life while it was down!