32: Chapter 32 Delay Leads to Unexpected Changes

He intentionally deceived Zhang Lei.

This fat man was greedy, lustful, and cowardly, but he had no resistance to beast cores; pulling him along would surely be useful later. As for Zhao Tieshan, he was too calculating, and Chen Ye could not figure him out yet, so he decided to wait and see.

Zhang Lei's eyes lit up instantly, his chubby face full of excitement: "Really? A large amount of beast cores?"

Zhao Tieshan, however, frowned, supporting the weak Lin Qingqing: "I'm not going. Qingqing is injured; I need to take her to find an exit and find something for treatment."

Just as Zhang Lei was preparing to set off with Chen Ye, a hurried shout came from behind: "Don't go! That middle building is too dangerous!"

Everyone turned to look; it was the Armed Police officer who had been saved by Chen Ye earlier.

"Do not go to that middle building!" The voice of the Armed Police officer, Lu Zhenbang, was hoarse and urgent, carrying a heavy sense of exhaustion and sorrow.

The crowd turned to look and finally saw his current appearance.

His uniform was covered in bloodstains and holes, blood was still seeping from his left shoulder, and he was tightly carrying a pale, dying team member on his back.

His right hand was dragging another brother whose leg bone was deformed and who was unconscious.

Every step he took was staggering and difficult; he was clearly at the end of his rope.

"That building is guarded by a large number of beasts. We saw with our own eyes earlier that several groups of female survivors were forcibly dragged inside by the beasts!"

"Our squad tried to rush up to rescue them, but we were blocked by the beasts guarding the building. After fighting to the end, only these two are still breathing..."

Lu Zhenbang's eyes were red, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

As the captain of the Second Squad, failing to protect his team members had become his greatest agony at this moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Lei immediately straightened his fat waist, put on a righteous expression, patted his chest, and shouted: "I told you I came back to help save people!"

"You all judged me with the heart of a villain! Am I, Zhang Lei, the kind of person who only cares about himself?"

Zhao Tieshan rolled his eyes and his mouth twitched, "Are you purely going to help? Didn't you take the beast cores?"

Lu Zhenbang nodded wearily: "This fat brother did indeed help just now; he helped me find these two brothers who were still alive."

Chen Ye ignored their bickering and quickly walked over to crouch beside the two severely injured Armed Police officers.

Lin Qingqing leaned in Zhao Tieshan's arms, weakly lifting her eyes. Her long eyelashes were stained with fine sweat, and her pale little face was pitiful.

Her tight combat suit wrapped around her slightly trembling body, and even her breathing carried a faint pain.

Chen Ye lightly placed his fingertips on the injured person's pulse, secretly activating his Level 2 Restoration Ability.

Pale green energy silently seeped into the bodies of the three Armed Police officers, nourishing their damaged internal organs and healing their ruptured wounds. His movements were extremely secretive, not attracting anyone else's attention at all.

"You are..." Lu Zhenbang felt a gentle energy surge into his body, and the severe pain rapidly dissipated. He looked at Chen Ye with eyes full of shock.

"My name is Chen Ye." Chen Ye spoke calmly, lowering his voice, "Are you the captain of this Armed Police team?"

"Yes, my name is Lu Zhenbang, captain of the Second Squad." Lu Zhenbang lowered his voice, his eyes determined, "Are you a Superpower user?"

Chen Ye neither admitted nor denied it, just made a gentle shushing gesture towards him.

Lu Zhenbang understood instantly and nodded heavily, gratitude and realization flashing in his eyes.

The other party did not want to reveal his strength.

Under the nourishment of the Level 2 Restoration Ability, the two severely injured Armed Police officers soon slowly opened their eyes, looking around blankly.

The severe pain throughout their bodies was rapidly subsiding, as if the fatal wounds from just a moment ago had been an illusion.

They looked at Lu Zhenbang in confusion. The captain nodded slightly to signal them. The two immediately understood and didn't ask further, just choked out in a low voice to Chen Ye: "Thanks, brother."

On the other side, the argument between Zhang Lei and Zhao Tieshan had intensified. Both their faces were flushed red, and they had rolled up their sleeves, looking ready to fight on the spot.

"The beast core is what I picked up, why should I give it to you?"

"The beasts just now were all taken down by us first. You picked up the ready-made ones, and you still think you're in the right?"

"Enough!" Chen Ye let out a cold shout, his aura suddenly spreading out, instantly suppressing the two of them.

"Is now the time to argue about personal grudges? There are beasts surrounding us outside, the middle building hides unknown dangers, and there are dozens of survivors waiting to live. If you keep arguing, everyone will die here!"

The two were stunned by the shout and sheepishly put away their posturing, though they still glared at each other.

Chen Ye looked at Zhao Tieshan, straightforward: "You want to get out?"

"Of course!" Zhao Tieshan held the weak Lin Qingqing tighter in his arms.

The girl's slender arms were wrapped around his neck, her body leaning softly against him, appearing completely frail, "Qingqing is badly injured; we must leave as soon as possible to find medicine."

Chen Ye could have cured her first, but the backgrounds of these two people were really unknown, and he didn't want to take that risk.

"I will go to the middle building to attract the beasts' attention and create an opportunity for you to evacuate." Chen Ye's tone was steady, "You take Lin Qingqing and find a corner near the wall or the gate to hide, and wait for an opportunity to break out."

Lu Zhenbang immediately stepped forward, his eyes firm: "I'll go with you! Another person means more support!"

"No." Chen Ye shook his head, "You still have two brothers to protect, and more importantly, there are dozens of ordinary people you need to lead out."

Lu Zhenbang looked puzzled: "Ordinary people? Are there still living people in this Residential Community?"

Chen Ye raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the previous battlefield, although the thick fog had not yet dispersed.

One could vaguely see a group of figures walking over swayingly: "Look over there."

Everyone looked in that direction and saw that the male berserkers who had been controlled earlier were now waking up one after another, their eyes clear, their faces filled with confusion and helplessness.

They had clearly broken free from the control of the Soul-Eater Beast, remembering only the fear from before they were controlled.

Chen Ye had controlled the intensity of his lightning earlier, just stunning them without killing them.

Chen Ye said in a low voice, "You are wearing a police uniform; you are the only person they can trust right now. Assemble them immediately and take them to a safe area. Delay breeds trouble."

Lu Zhenbang was shocked, and the way he looked at Chen Ye changed completely.

This intelligence, this benevolence, this strength—he was definitely not an ordinary person.

He solemnly gave a military salute: "Brother Chen, great kindness requires no thanks. I, Lu Zhenbang, will remember this favor for the rest of my life!"

"Don't thank me yet." Chen Ye changed the subject, "Do you have any spare weapons on you? I need some hard gear." Fighting empty-handed was too passive; with firearms and sharp weapons, he could rampage in the middle building.

Lu Zhenbang did not hesitate and gave a look to the two awakened team members.

The team members immediately understood and took out a fully loaded pistol magazine and two high-explosive grenades from their tactical backpacks, and also handed over a military dagger with a cold, gleaming blade.

The military knife's handle was non-slip, and the blade was sharp—a hundred times better than an ordinary fruit knife, exactly what Chen Ye needed most.

Just at this moment, the violent roar of a beast came from the distance again, getting closer and closer. Clearly, it had been attracted by the previous battle!