"Guys, don't just stand there! It's either her or us today. Quick, let's attack together!" one of them shouted urgently.
"Right, we must kill her first!"
"Damn it! Let's go all out! Once we kill her, this safe house and all the supplies inside will be ours!"
The others snapped out of their daze and charged at Yun Xiaoxiao with their machetes, looking fierce and menacing.
Yun Xiaoxiao's eyes narrowed, a wicked smile playing on her lips as a bloodthirsty gleam flashed in her eyes.
As one man's blade swung down towards her, she moved with graceful agility, dodging it effortlessly. In the same fluid motion, she gripped her dagger and slashed at his wrist.
In an instant, blood vessels burst, and blood gushed forth.
She then used his body as a springboard, leaping upwards with lightning speed. Grabbing his hair, she plunged her knife downward.
As the others rushed over, she pressed down on the first man's head, spinning around to kick all six of them in rapid succession.
She was like a slippery, venomous snake - impossible to catch or pin down. By the time you realized she was near, she had already bared her poisonous fangs and sunk them into you.
Only then did the men come to their senses, realizing how laughable their earlier confidence had been.
Was this an ordinary five-year-old child?
No!
She was a little demon, every fiber of her being brimming with violent impulses!
They deeply regretted their actions. Why had they thought a child would be easy to deal with?
Why on earth had they listened to that woman and come here to rob this place?!
As they frantically tried to fend off Yun Xiaoxiao, zombies from all directions began to converge on the villa complex.
In the end, filled with regret and unwillingness, they all closed their eyes, meeting their demise in various gruesome ways.
Yun Xiaoxiao had kept her promise - she didn't use a gun or her special abilities on them, sending them to the afterlife solely with her blade.
Only when dealing with the encroaching zombies did she employ her green vine ability.
"One, two, three... twelve, thirteen," Yun Xiaoxiao counted the zombies she had killed.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Your reward is an additional minute in the space!]
"Weren't there thirteen zombies?"
[Ten zombies equal one minute. Any number less than ten is stored and calculated together next time.]
Huh, talk about being stingy!
Yun Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and waddled back on her short legs.
Upon returning, she entered the space and continued her daily training.
The recent fight had made her acutely aware of her shortcomings.
Her strength was still too limited. For instance, when she tried to stab her knife into an opponent's forehead, it only penetrated about a third of the way before getting stuck.
Her speed was also insufficient. Even against these thugs who had no martial arts skills, relying only on brute force and viciousness, there were several moments when their blades nearly grazed her. If she were to face someone skilled in hand-to-hand combat or an ability user, she would likely end up severely injured, if not dead.
While special abilities were crucial, one's physical prowess couldn't be overlooked.
Even if two people had the same ability at the same level, a difference in their physical capabilities would lead to vastly different outcomes in battle.
Yun Xiaoxiao found sandbags among the supplies and strapped them to her feet.
Not only did she complete her entire training regimen, but she also added fifty frog jumps.
After finishing, she could only crawl.
She was utterly exhausted.
Fortunately, with the spirit spring water, her stamina quickly recovered through both drinking and soaking in it.
By now, when she bathed in the spirit spring water, it no longer expelled large amounts of impurities from her body as it had initially.
It seemed to have entered a new phase, reshaping her physique.
She could clearly feel her body becoming stronger, more resilient, and lighter.
For example, where she had previously reached her limit at 10,000 meters, after using the spirit spring water, she might be able to run 12,000 meters before hitting her limit in the next training session.
Over the next couple of weeks, Yun Xiaoxiao shut out the outside world and trained frantically.
Apart from eating, sleeping, and studying medical books, she devoted all her time to training.
During this period, the world outside became even more suffocating.
The city lost water, electricity, and internet access, making survival even more challenging for those who remained.
Countless people risked their lives to escape from the city to the countryside.
The lucky ones managed to evade numerous dangers and escape.
The unfortunate became food for zombies as soon as they left their homes or while on the road.
Some people were unwilling to risk their lives leaving the city, reasoning that while zombies were plentiful in the city, so were supplies.
As a result, small, self-organized bases began to emerge.
They had their own leaders and order, essentially becoming primitive social tribes where the weak had to obey the strong.
In this world overrun by zombies, the light of humanity was gradually being devoured by darkness.
Some abandoned their children to escape alone;
Others pushed their companions towards zombies for a packet of instant noodles;
There were even those who handed over their wives or girlfriends to secure a safe place for themselves, watching helplessly as they were abused;
This apocalyptic world had become a playground for lawless maniacs.
Far from finding the end of the world terrifying, they reveled in it as if they had finally come home.
Murder, greed, lust, and violence played out constantly.
One day, just as Yun Xiaoxiao finished her training, she caught a whiff of a foul odor.
She sniffed herself.
No, it wasn't coming from her.
Puzzled, she looked around, slowly following the strongest scent.
What she saw next left her devastated.
Excrement!
Chicken droppings, duck droppings, goose droppings, pigeon droppings, pig manure, rabbit pellets, sheep droppings, cow pats...
In short, as far as the eye could see, it was all excrement!
The feces were densely packed, layer upon layer, emitting a nauseating stench.
Yun Xiaoxiao wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could even see a layer of 'enchanting' mist hovering above it all.
Some of the livestock had given birth, while others... had died.
Yun Xiaoxiao: !!
She had forgotten that she had bought so many poultry and livestock!
She looked over at the fish tanks on the other side.
Sure enough, the bottom of each tank was pitch black, and the water was murky.
Yun Xiaoxiao: ......
She had never raised these creatures in her past or present life, so naturally, she didn't know that she needed to feed them herself, clean up their waste, change their water...
She had assumed they could fend for themselves...
Clearly, she had oversimplified things.
Yun Xiaoxiao stuffed cotton into her nostrils, put on gloves, and began cleaning with grim determination.
She also removed the dead animals from the space.
The dual assault on her sense of smell and sight was so severe that even the thought of food made her want to vomit.
That night, she couldn't eat a single bite.
It wasn't until she woke up hungry in the middle of the night that she managed to force down a little food.
She even considered getting rid of all these animals.
She could probably survive without meat, but having to clean up after them every day might be worse than death.
Fortunately, the situation took a turn the next day.
However, this turn of events made Yun Xiaoxiao curse out loud!
