Chapter 85: Breaking Through the Encirclement and Seizing the Opportunity

"Alright!" Duzhi could feel the excitement surging within Du Yun and couldn't help but get excited as well. As the core of an intelligent system, having been bested by a horde of zombies and nearly destroyed, Duzhi also harbored a simmering anger.

"What should I do?" Du Yun felt as if she could see thousands upon thousands of energy crystals hurtling toward her, her eyes shining with anticipation. But how should she begin? It didn't seem like something she could simply will into being.

"Collect the energy crystals from the zombie corpses. As long as you scan for the exact location, I can retrieve them," Duzhi replied with absolute confidence.

"Alright, shall we start?" Du Yun's gaze landed on a zombie not far away, recently felled by a barrage of machine gun fire. Her eyes instantly projected a faint green, magnified image, highlighting a tiny red dot, no larger than a grain of rice.

"Is this it?!" Du Yun was momentarily stunned. Why was the zombie's energy crystal so small?

"The zombie density in this harbor district is so high and the quality so impressive? Even a first-tier zombie can condense an energy crystal!" Duzhi's astonished voice echoed in her mind. In the next instant, Du Yun watched as the rice-sized energy crystal appeared in her storage compartment.

"My god, a first-tier zombie?!" Du Yun felt as though she'd just won the lottery. Even first-tier zombies yielded energy crystals—this was incredible! It didn't matter that the crystals were small; every little bit added up!

"Let's go, quickly!" Du Yun's mind was filled to the brim with thoughts of energy crystals. Her eyes shifted to another zombie corpse; she scanned it and collected another crystal.

Around the small building, the bodies of fallen zombies were piled nearly two meters high, forming a gruesome barricade. One by one, Du Yun scanned and retrieved the crystals, and soon, her storage compartment was filled with a small mountain of them. Her heart nearly leaped from her chest.

This was a true windfall!

"Du Yun, get ready to move!" Just as Du Yun was leaning out the window, madly collecting energy crystals, their leader suddenly opened the door and entered, fully armed with a heavy energy weapon, looking every bit prepared for a desperate fight.

"All set?" Du Yun was still lost in the exhilaration of her haul, but snapped to attention at the sight of their leader. She promptly drew a burst-fire energy gun from her storage compartment and gripped it tightly.

"Let's go." Their leader, seeing Du Yun's readiness, nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Du Yun called out, quickly fishing out a handful of energy crystals from her storage and handing them over. "Take these. You might need them soon."

"What are these?" The leader stared in disbelief at the vivid, ruby-like grains in his hand, his eyes widening. "Where did you get these?"

"I'll tell you later. Time is short—let's move!" Du Yun relished his astonishment. Knowing her storage compartment still held many more crystals, her lips curled into an even wider smile.

"Let's go!" The leader's eyes flashed; he said nothing more, hefting his heavy energy gun and heading into the corridor.

"Boss, everything's set up inside the building. Where should I put the rest of these?" Skinny Monkey hurried over, holding several fist-sized bombs, visibly exhilarated.

"They're for attracting zombies," the leader replied, glancing at Du Yun.

"Leave it to me." Du Yun instantly understood his intent. She took the bombs and strode up to the rooftop.

Standing atop the building, she looked off at another distant structure. With a single thought, the bombs in her hands vanished from her storage compartment, materializing inside the other building.

"Two on the roof, three on the first floor," Du Yun reported the placement.

"Good." The leader nodded, squeezing the remote detonator in his hand. He looked around at the group, everyone grimy and battle-worn. "Downstairs, take cover. Get ready."

The remote was triggered. In the next instant, a thunderous explosion erupted from the building less than a hundred meters away. The blast was so intense it drowned out the gunfire from Du Yun's own building. The zombies, drawn by the deafening roar, abandoned their assault and surged toward the blazing inferno.

Zombies hurled themselves into the flames without hesitation, their reckless, death-defying charge sending chills down the spine.

As soon as their attention was diverted, the leader gave the order. Everyone rushed out of the building, heading straight southeast.

With the rooftop now abandoned, several zombies had gathered in front of the building. Others, not drawn by the explosion, spotted the living and charged in their direction.

Weapons blazing, the team cleared a path through the encircling zombies, finally reaching the southeast perimeter, ready to break through the wall of undead.

The leader pressed the detonator again. Another eruption of fire and sound split the air, and seizing the chaos, Du Yun, Big Zhuang, and Skinny Monkey unleashed their weapons, blasting a gap through the two-meter-high barricade of zombie corpses.

"Go!" At the command, everyone sprinted for their lives, firing as they ran at any zombies drawn by the noise. Most of the undead, however, were distracted by the explosions and fire, clearing a bloody path for their escape.

They broke through the encirclement, running five hundred meters before turning back. The burning building still blazed, and only a few zombies gave chase. At last, Du Yun and her companions could breathe easy.

After dispatching the stragglers, the team quickly made their way back to the old logistics dormitory. Exhausted but exhilarated, they knew such a narrow escape was a rare stroke of luck.

Du Yun felt a different kind of elation. Back in her room, her eyes narrowed with delight as she stretched out her hand. Instantly, several vividly colored energy crystals appeared in her palm, each one larger than a pigeon's egg.

"The quality of zombies here is truly impressive. I've struck it rich!" Du Yun's eyes sparkled as she admired the crystals, as radiant as the finest blood-red rubies, her heart overflowing with joy.

Even while fleeing, she hadn't forgotten to scan the zombies for crystals. Over those three days, countless undead had fallen, yielding a trove of high-quality energy crystals that Du Yun had diligently collected. Now, she was, without doubt, a little lady of fortune.