Qi Zhimu waved his hand impatiently, and a visible storm rose from the ground, sweeping the horde of corpses along with the scrapped cars by the roadside into the sky.
Immediately following that, wind blades strangled them.
A rain of blood began to fall from the sky.
In the blink of an eye, numerous hideous and terrifying monsters turned into fragments scattered across the ground.
"Why aren't you continuing to lead the way?"
He looked back at the three dumbfounded people.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The three shuddered, witnessing the minced meat covering the ground; the fear in their eyes had reached its peak, yet it was mixed with awe.
Such a powerful Virtual Substance Lifeform—no wonder Black Tower would make a deal with him.
But they didn't dare ask about Qi Zhimu's background; they even avoided eye contact, fearing it would bring about their death.
Within the team, Black Tower observed silently.
Looking at the trembling, walking-on-thin-ice appearance of her three compatriots behind her, and then at the cold man, a strange feeling she had never experienced before welled up in her heart.
In the eyes of others, he might be a moody, ill-fated star, or even an unpredictable disaster.
But he had never treated her that way, even though he would tease her, saying he'd fatten her up before eating her.
By comparison, he could practically be described as gentle.
"Why are you spacing out?"
Qi Zhimu's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her thoughts.
"...Nothing." Black Tower shook her head gently.
Qi Zhimu didn't think much of it, naturally and habitually taking her hand to close the distance between them.
Black Tower didn't resist at all, tightening her fingers around his.
Under the gaze of the three behind them, these two figures—one large and one small—exuded an eerie yet harmonious aura amidst the apocalyptic ruins.
The difference in attitude was so obvious that it was hard not to overthink it.
Many conjectures popped into Isabella's and the others' minds, wondering what Black Tower had promised to make Qi Zhimu so willing to protect her.
Most zombies born within the Virtual Substance Lifeform category have combat power settings that don't exceed the mages in fantasy works; the gap between the upper and lower limits is too large.
Mages who can destroy a city with a simple gesture are common in fiction, but this kind of zombie is usually a final boss-level existence, as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.
The target audience for the genre isn't on the same level, so the probability of being born in the Yi Zhi World is naturally lower.
With a bodyguard like Qi Zhimu, Black Tower's desire to return to Azure Star was not just talk.
It was just the method of leaving this place...
Thinking of the ending of disorder, Isabella's eyes flickered quietly.
—The settings for Virtual Substance Lifeforms and the Yi Zhi World they are born into do not change.
According to the settings of disorder, to escape this place, someone must die...
Isabella lowered her eyelids, her gaze seemingly fixed on the ground, but her peripheral vision never left the back of that man.
Lightning, storms—supernatural powers came easily to him.
The more powerful one is, the more uncontrollable they often are.
At the final moment... she had to leave a way out for herself.
"Hmm, maybe we can find a car for transport."
Qi Zhimu's voice drifted over, interrupting Isabella's thoughts.
Not far ahead was an open-air parking lot.
Looking around, countless vehicles had crashed into each other during the panicked escape; some doors were wide open, containing the remains of human bones.
Qi Zhimu's gaze swept carelessly across the rows of scrap metal, finally stopping in front of a black off-road vehicle.
The car was covered in stains, with a human skull still hanging from the bumper, but the overall structure seemed fairly intact.
The heavy bull bar gave off a subconscious sense of security.
"This one's okay. Who can drive?"
As soon as he spoke, the two men who had been following submissively behind, trying to minimize their presence, suddenly seemed electrified.
"I can, I can!"
The round-faced man reacted the fastest, almost crawling and scrambling to the front, his face covered in a fawning smile.
"Sir, my car back on Azure Star was a similar model! No matter how bad the road is, I can drive it steadily!"
In this ghostly place where one could die at any moment, as long as he showed more value, this man might not easily treat him as cannon fodder.
However, the tall, thin man next to him had the same idea.
"Bullshit! You have the nerve to show off that driving skill of yours?"
The tall, thin man pushed the round-faced one aside and looked up at Qi Zhimu.
"Choose me, sir! My hobby is racing; my skills are definitely better than this brute who only knows how to step on the gas!"
"You're the one talking bullshit! This kind of road condition requires hard technique! What does a soft-legged shrimp like you who only knows how to drive on asphalt understand? Don't get everyone killed."
"Who are you calling a soft-legged shrimp? I think you're the one who wants to get everyone killed!"
The desire to survive made these two men, who were originally companions, turn on each other in a second. For the driver's seat, the insults grew nastier, and they even began to show signs of coming to blows.
"So noisy."
Two words. The voice wasn't loud, and no anger could be heard in the tone; it even carried a hint of lazy weariness.
But the moment those words fell, the air suddenly turned cold.
The two men felt a chill on the backs of their necks—a feeling no different from being targeted by a predator at the top of the food chain.
All the arguing and shoving came to a dead stop.
The two of them turned their heads stiffly, meeting Qi Zhimu's eyes, which were curved in a half-smile.
No killing intent or anger could be seen, yet they carried a hair-raising mockery.
It was as if... he was watching two ants fighting over a breadcrumb, finding it both boring and amusing.
"It seems you have a lot of energy."
The corners of Qi Zhimu's mouth curled up.
"Since you want to fight so much, why don't I send you a few kilometers away to spar with those zombies? I'm sure they'd be happy to practice with you."
"No... no need... sir..."
The round-faced man's legs gave out and he knelt down directly, his previously flushed face turning deathly pale.
Cold sweat dripped from his chin onto the dusty ground.
"Si... since he wants to drive... let-let-let him drive..."
He spoke stutteringly, his teeth chattering.
Qi Zhimu's gaze circled the two of them before finally pointing casually at the tall, thin man.
"Then you drive. As for you—"
He looked at the round-faced man.
"You sit in the passenger seat and watch him. If his hand slips and he drives the car into a ditch, I'll throw you both out to feed the zombies. Understand?"
The two of them nodded frantically, as if they had been granted a grand pardon.
Black Tower said nothing, pulled open the back door, and sat inside.
From beginning to end, she was an outsider observer, calmly watching this farce that was unexpected yet within reason.
"Aren't you coming in?"
Through the car window, she noticed that Qi Zhimu had no intention of getting in the car.
"It smells like mildew inside."
Qi Zhimu leaped lightly and sat steadily on the roof of the car.
"The view is better up here. You should come up too."
"...Okay." Black Tower's eyes flickered, and she agreed without hesitation.
She could probably guess what Qi Zhimu was thinking.
For Qi Zhimu, if an emergency occurred, it was always faster to escape from outside the car than from inside.
With his strength, he didn't have to worry about being thrown off the roof.
The engine roared, and the off-road vehicle sped out of the parking lot.