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Just as Ye Yin slightly parted her lips, ready to utter those two words, the church doors were violently smashed open. A blood-soaked soldier stumbled in, took a few steps, and then collapsed to the ground, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.

The guests were in an uproar. Many stood up, whispering and discussing amongst themselves. Ye Yu stopped the guards from raising their weapons, stepped forward, and asked coldly, "What is going on?"

"Re-report, Commander..." The man’s face was filled with terror, his entire body trembling. His voice, strained by excessive panic, sounded like a leaking flute: "The zombie horde... has breached the city!"

As the wind gusted in, the partially obscured doors were pushed wide open, revealing the scene of a blood-soaked purgatory outside to the shocked crowd: severed limbs and gore stained the lawn red. The sentries had turned into zombies, gathered together to feast upon the service staff and guests who had been waiting outside. The entrance had long since fallen, and many civilians were trampling over the broken fences, fleeing toward the church while screaming for help. The overwhelming sounds of shrieking and chewing echoed into the church, as horrifying as the initial outbreak of the apocalypse.

Ye Yin was stunned. Without a second thought, she lifted her skirt and prepared to run outside. Zhuo Chenglan hurriedly grabbed her. She glanced back and smiled: "It’s okay, I’ll be back soon." With that, she vanished through a side door in a flash.

Ye Yu kicked the main door shut and loudly ordered her subordinates to seal all other entrances to prevent zombies or the infected from rushing into the church. Though the specific situation outside remained unclear, the combined power of imagination and painful memories was even more terrifying. A woman screamed, triggering a panic; the crowd began to flee, and in the pushing and shoving, a stampede seemed to erupt, filled with cries of terror. Ye Yu pulled out her gun and fired several shots into the ceiling, which finally suppressed the chaos.

"The place is crawling with zombies. Do you want to go out there and die?" Her face was dark, her voice steady as it reached every corner of the church: "The defenses within District B are reliable and should not have fallen. There are emergency vehicles in the church’s underground security tunnel. I will send people to escort you in batches later. From now on, sit in your seats and wait patiently. Whoever makes a noise doesn't get a seat on the vehicle, I don't give a damn who you are!"

The crowd quieted down instantly. Everyone knew she meant what she said; no one dared to be left behind at a time like this. Before long, people outside were fiercely hammering on the doors, begging for help. Everyone prayed fervently that Ye Yu hadn't built shoddy defenses, or they would all be finished today.

"What's going on?" Fuyunzi walked out, his face drawn: "How did it break so easily?"

"I'm not sure," Ye Yu said. "Our base's defenses aren't that weak. I suspect high-level zombies have arrived, and they came prepared."

"Fine, I’ll take my people out to hold them off for a while. If we don't stop these things, they might head toward the temple."

"Thank you for your trouble, Sect Leader."

Fuyunzi waved his horsetail whisk, opened the skylight, and soared away on a cloud. The cranes circling in the nearby sky descended one after another, and the disciples of the Qingyun Sect scrambled onto them, following their master. Soon, with the exception of the combat personnel, all the guests were sent to the safe zone. The vast church became empty and silent, save for the thunder and lightning, which felt like the prologue to a nightmare.

"Where is the bride?" Ye Yu asked, looking around in confusion.

"She just left through the side door," Zhuo Chenglan said, taking off his cumbersome formal coat: "I'll go look for her."

"Don't go," Ye Yu said. "She can handle herself out there. If you go, you’ll only distract her. I have long heard of your reputation as a commander; I must entrust you with leading the soldiers to defend the safe zone. Your wife’s family and friends are in there. Even if you cannot fight side-by-side on the front lines, at least ensure she has no worries behind her."

Zhuo Chenglan fell silent for a moment, then nodded and left.

"Boss, the personnel are mostly assembled. Who will take the lead? Apart from Master Yuan, the other candidates are all here," Li Lei asked.

"Me." Ye Yu was still wearing her military uniform, so she didn't need to change. She cracked her knuckles, smiling: "Since they’ve reached our doorstep, how can I not host them myself?"

Li Lei was stunned, then burst into a spirited laugh: "Yes! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Boss’s heroic demeanor!"

"Long live the Boss!"

"With the Boss in charge, victory is certain!"

"Go on, stop the flattery," Ye Yu sneered. "Just focus on keeping yourselves alive."

A million-strong zombie army, including thousands of high-level zombies, hundreds of tenth-level zombies, and three zombie kings... This was the most terrifying lineup ever seen in the history of zombie sieges. Even the Third Base, which had withstood several waves, could not guarantee they would survive this time.

The warning horns echoed across the sky. The Qingyun Temple deployed its "Heavenly Net" treasure, firmly protecting the parts of the base that had not yet fallen. The trembling civilians inside finally calmed down, teeth chattering as they watched the battle unfold.

"How long can this hold?" Ye Yu asked.

"Two or three days, perhaps." Fuyunzi, realizing the gravity of the situation, was no longer as calm as before: "We must finish this quickly."

"One question," Ye Yu said. "What about those people who have been watching you?"

"I don't know why, but more than half of them have disappeared over the past few days," Fuyunzi said, reading her mind: "In this situation, should we call them out to help? We can settle our grudges later."

Ye Yu curled her lips into a smile.

A few days ago, more than half of the ability users ordered to monitor the Qingyun Temple had suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. The Association had played dumb and made no clear statement. People tend to seek advantages and avoid harm; ability users were human after all, and there were many sharp-eyed individuals among them. They had been busy gathering information privately and were no longer enthusiastic about their surveillance duties.

Today, Fuyunzi laid it out clearly. The person currently in charge was easy to talk to: what else was there to say? When facing a common enemy, you fight together. We are all just working for a living; there’s no need to hold onto class distinctions.

Having resolved the internal risks, Ye Yu immediately deployed her troops in an orderly fashion, charging into the zombie horde with unstoppable force.

The Ye mercenary team took the lead, the Qingyun Sect members provided auxiliary magical shields, and the reinforcements attacked the weaker points to divert the horde. The massive zombie swarm was instantly split in two. Wherever the strike team cut through, blood and flesh filled the sky, signaling the beginning of a slaughter.

Ye Yu stood atop an armored vehicle, wind blades flying from her wherever she went, precisely and brutally severing zombie heads. When the vehicle was blocked by the sheer mass of the zombie horde, she gave a grim laugh, pressed her palms together, and slashed outward—a wind dragon erupted!

The wind dragon was ferocious and manic, shrieking as it annihilated all zombies within several miles of the vehicle in an instant. Even the deep-rooted old trees on the ground were uprooted and shattered into countless pieces. Destruction and tearing were the essence of the wind dragon; nothing could stop it. Even the entity hidden within the horde was forced to retreat, the scene one of indescribable exhilaration.

Ye Yu’s aura, as if a wind god had descended, shocked everyone present. They were so busy gasping that they even forgot to breathe.

"Congratulations, Boss, you’ve broken through to the tenth level!" Li Lei, realizing what had happened, beamed with joy and shouted his congratulations.

"Don't be too happy yet. There is another one in the horde nearby who has also broken through to the tenth level," Ye Yu said calmly. "Keep the convoy as your base and maintain a circular defense. If you can't hold, signal Fuyunzi to swap in. I’ll deal with the big one."

"Yes, Boss!"

The Qingyun Temple’s "Heavenly Net" was not truly an inescapable barrier. Zombies were creatures that feared no death. Even a wall of copper and iron could not withstand their suicidal scratching, and occasionally, a few stragglers slipped through the edges of the barrier.

"Two here!" Situ Fei was quick and sharp, immediately disposing of them, while Daoist Yihui hurriedly applied a seal.

"Oh dear, what should we do?" He said with a troubled face: "Good thing no one saw us, otherwise the panic would be unbearable."

"Don't worry, I can handle this level," Situ Fei said. "If a big one actually gets in, there’s no need to cry anymore; we can all just go underground and reunite with our relatives."

"Bah, stop saying such unlucky things."

The two looked blankly at the dense horde of zombies just dozens of steps away, and for a moment, they were speechless.

"Where is Brother-in-law Zhuo?" Situ Fei asked, finding it a rare time for such a topic.

"You mean the Minister? He took people to clear Districts C and D. Every bit of land we can reclaim counts," Yihui sighed: "At this rate, we’ll lose at least fifty percent of our people. What a tragedy."

"It’s all fate. Being alive isn't necessarily better than being dead," Situ Fei mused: "I wonder why Yin Yin is so unlucky. She finally gets married, and such a thing happens. How stifled will she feel when they celebrate their wedding anniversary in the future?"

"Her horoscope is bad," Yihui said dismissively: "For some, one general's success is built on ten thousand bones; for her, one woman marries and half the city dies. Tsk tsk."

"Bah, stop saying such unlucky things!"

Although District C’s defenses were not as strong as District B’s, they were decent, so they hadn't suffered much impact this time. However, the treatment between the primary protected targets and the secondary ones was vastly different; the barrier coverage and armed forces of the two districts were not on the same level at all.

Everyone understood how terrifying the virus was. Even with close relatives, no one dared to lead the charge in letting them inside. District C was still safe for the moment, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they were abandoned.

On the watchtower of the safe zone, Zhuo Zelian lowered his binoculars, his normally relaxed face unusually serious.

"How is it?" the adjutant beside him asked anxiously.

"Hard to say." He smiled: "Defend this place as if it were your own base. If the city falls, the other bases won't be safe either. You keep watch here; I’m going to see my eldest brother."

Reddish snow fell in succession.

A young woman stood blankly by an iron fence on the edge of District B, next to a soldier with a rifle. Outside the fence was a young man, her fiancé.

"Is your family doing okay?" The young man asked, keeping a certain distance while watching the soldier's expression.

"They're all fine."

"That’s good. Go back, stay home, and don't go out. It’s chaotic out there."

The seemingly quiet girl suddenly wailed and rushed toward the fence, intending to climb over. She was struck by a bullet and collapsed softly to the ground.

Zhuo Zelian looked at his brother in shock, feeling he was a stranger for the first time: "Why did you shoot?"

"If I didn't shoot, she would have been killed on the spot."

When the entrances from District B to District C were sealed, Ye Yu had given a death order—anyone who dared to break the blockade and disturb the order was to be shot on the spot! In her anxiety, the girl had forgotten that someone capable of ending her life was standing right beside her. If Zhuo Chenglan hadn't fired first, the soldier’s bullet would have pierced her in a much more cruel way.

Zhuo Zelian looked at the girl. She wasn't dead, just twitching on the ground; it seemed he had avoided vital organs. The young man realized that his impulsive meeting had almost killed his beloved, and tears of remorse gushed forth: "Go back! Maybe the horde will be wiped out by tomorrow? We’ve survived for so many years; it’s not worth dying here, right?" With that, he turned and ran away, forcing himself not to look back.

"Is... is Sister-in-law alright?" After witnessing the parting of this apocalyptic couple, Zhuo Zelian asked softly.

"She is blessed and will be fine," Zhuo Chenglan said. "Commander Ye is right; holding this place is what matters most."

Ye Yu stared coldly at the zombie king in front of her, her warlike blood boiling.

She didn't know the term "zombie king," but she judged by intuition and pressure that the opponent was at the same level as her, and its strength was definitely not weak. Having crawled out of piles of corpses, her sense of smell for danger was stronger than any beast’s. Even though the zombie looked like a dirty, bald old man, she was alert in every cell, adopting a posture of all-out combat.

"Little girl, hello!" The old zombie king greeted her with a grin: "You look so much like my granddaughter. Shall we be friends?"

Ye Yu smiled: "You look quite like my grandson. Shall I be your grandmother?"

The old zombie king paused, then grinned and ran over rapidly: "Come, let’s shake hands!"

Ye Yu frowned, raised her hand to unfurl her white umbrella, and rose dozens of meters into the air with the wind. To her surprise, the zombie king squatted down and leaped up like a frog, his hands stretching out like rubber toward Ye Yu: "Shake hands! Shake hands!"

His long claws were sharper than an eagle's; if Ye Yu hadn't dodged quickly, he would have gouged out her eyes. Ye Yu stabilized herself, injected a large amount of wind energy into the umbrella, and soared even higher. After the old zombie king landed, he took another massive leap, reaching the same height as Ye Yu. With a rattling, creepy laugh, he stretched his limbs and leaned in: "Come, let Grandpa give you a hug!"

Ye Yu waved her left hand, and five wind blades flew toward the old zombie king with murderous intent. He tilted his head, twisting his body in an extremely distorted way to dodge the five blades that came from different angles, all aimed at his life. Unfortunately, Ye Yu’s wind-type ability had reached its peak; even an ordinary wind blade carried an incredibly sharp attacking force. The old zombie king, already bald, had even more hair shaved off, making his head shine like an old monk's.

"Bad child!!!"

The old zombie king’s figure surged in anger, and he attacked Ye Yu like a lightning bolt, looking like a demonic Rakshasa. Ye Yu sneered slightly, her right hand curving to twist a wind rope, and she met him without fear...

While Ye Yu’s battle reached a white-hot stage, things were not easy for Fuyunzi.

Perhaps because his reputation for lechery had spread to the zombie world, the zombie king that came for him was a stunning woman. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but her clothes were also tattered, leaving nothing to the imagination.

She didn't speak much, merely changing into seductive poses and pathetic expressions, occasionally letting out soul-stirring moans from her lips, forcing Fuyunzi into a cold sweat and making his attacks sluggish.

"Come here." The beautiful zombie king stretched out her jade arm toward Fuyunzi, her index finger curling slightly: "Come over."

Just as Fuyunzi was about to put on a self-righteous expression to rebuke her for her lack of shame, the zombie king suddenly transformed into his wife’s younger self, smiling and calling to him: "Come over, I'm here."

Fuyunzi froze, dazed: "Cha'er?"

"It's me." Her smile held a hint of tears: "You told me to wait for you on the other side, to be reincarnated together in the next life. How could you not recognize me?"

"No... that’s not right... you are a zombie..." Fuyunzi’s tongue began to tie.

"Silly, I was already dead," his wife walked slowly toward him: "I’ve waited for you for so many years; I’ve finally seen you again..."

Just as she was less than ten steps away from Fuyunzi, he suddenly laughed. He laughed more and more wildly, finally turning into a desolate, booming roar: "Cha'er would never call me 'silly.' She had a unique way of calling me, something no one in the world could imitate, let alone a piece of filthy, stinking meat like you!" Before the words faded, several beams of golden light struck "Cha'er" fiercely. The figure reverted to its original form and drifted a hundred meters away, dodging the attack.

"I joined the sect late, and the Mistress was already gone by then. How... how did she call the Master? Why could no one in the world imitate it?" Yixiu, who had been guarding Fuyunzi and watching the whole process in a daze, stammered, asking the other guard, Yijue.

"You shameless, thousand-cutting, thieving, turtle-necked, philandering, useless, cowardly, cheap-barked, wrinkled old ghost." Yijue nearly lost his breath: "That was the abridged version; the full sentence omitted about four hundred words."

Yixiu fell silent.

"The Mistress must have had good lung capacity."

"Of course, her family has practiced the Lion’s Roar technique for generations."

The earth-shattering airwaves shattered the clouds in the sky and the snow on the distant mountains. Ye Yu and Fuyunzi unleashed their ultimate moves simultaneously, heavily wounding their respective opponents and sending them fleeing in panic.

Fuyunzi was about to pursue his advantage when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Ye Yu seemed to feel it too; both hesitated and stopped.

"It’s a trap," Ye Yu used the wind to transmit her voice to Fuyunzi: "There were clearly three big ones. Where is the other one?"

Fuyunzi pondered for a long time, then gasped: "Oh no, hurry back to the base! We have unknowingly moved so far away!"

Ye Yu was also stunned, but then she thought of something and laughed in spite of herself: "Don't panic. There’s still the bride."

"Uh, I almost forgot about that female bandit. Perhaps she is the one dealing with the last one."

...

Just when everyone thought Ye Yin was fighting bravely on the front lines, the truth was that she was being held prisoner in a dark, sunless place, in a state of utter humiliation.

It was shameful to say: she had charged out of the church side door with great momentum, only to have her vision go black, and when she opened her eyes, she was in this state.

She could feel what was binding her—it had branches, vines, small leaves, and thorns; it must be some kind of vine. This thing seemed to be a natural nemesis of the Witch Clan. Not only was she unable to use her secret arts or abilities, but she couldn't even break free using her powerful physique. Her spatial storage and refining field still worked, but with her hands and feet immobilized, she couldn't even pull out the Heavenly Punishment Sword, let alone find something to cut the vines. As for mental control, that was a joke.

If her guess was right, wasn't she now like fish on a cutting board, ready to be hacked to pieces at any moment? Terrible. What about the zombie horde at the base? She wondered if people like Fuyunzi and Ye Yu could survive this calamity. Also, where was she now? And who had captured her?

The thought was terrifying. Ye Yin finally gave up struggling and lay on the ground like a dead fish, letting the cold seep into her marrow...