Chapter 494: A Painful Victory

Chapter 494: A Painful Victory

After what felt like an eternity, Bian Junwu and his team finally returned.

The seven of them looked battered and exhausted, a stark contrast to their usual composed demeanor.

Baili Changqing was supporting Wu Di, who had always been an arrogant loudmouth—but now, his face was ashen like gold leaf, his steps unsteady as if his body had lost all strength.

Kong Sheng, the Enhancement-type superhuman, had his shoulder wrapped in bandages, but his other arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken during battle.

All seven of them were covered in blood, their injuries varying in severity.

And yet—

They were smiling.

It was clear that the assassination mission had been just as brutal as the battlefield fight.

But they had succeeded.

As the investigation team entered the camp of the Followers of the Snow God, Bian Junwu scanned the survivors.

His expression remained impassive.

They had won—but only barely.

Everyone had pushed themselves to their absolute limits.

And there was no need for pointless words of comfort.

Zhang Yi stepped forward and asked directly, "Did you eliminate all the Zombie Kings?"

Bian Junwu’s reply was as cold as ever. "There were five in total. We killed them all. The bodies are in the vehicle."

“Good.”

With confirmation that the Zombie Kings were truly dead, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Without the Zombie Kings’ command, the remaining zombies in Tianhai City were just mindless wanderers.

There was no longer a risk of them organizing into massive hordes.

From here on out, they could deal with the stragglers at their own pace.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Yi reached into his Spatial Storage and retrieved several Superhuman Energy Dishes, handing them to Bian Junwu.

Bian Junwu glanced at the food with curiosity. “What’s this?”

“Food made for superhumans. Helps restore energy, stamina, and mental focus. It’s extremely useful.”

Zhang Yi replied with a smile.

Bian Junwu’s eyes flickered with brief amusement before he let out a barely noticeable smirk—though even that small smile looked forced on his stoic face.

“Seems like you have a pretty impressive Support-type superhuman in your team.”

Without hesitation, he took the food and returned to his snow vehicle with his team.

Meanwhile, the rest of the survivors—now assured of their victory—could finally rest.

Everyone was too exhausted to talk much.

The fighters withdrew to their own resting areas, while those who hadn’t fought tended to the wounded and distributed food.

That night, no one spoke much.

...

After an entire day of rest, everyone’s mental and physical state had improved significantly.

However, the number of injured survivors was far too great.

Given the circumstances, it was impossible to leave just yet.

So, the group decided to remain at the Followers of the Snow God’s camp and recover before heading back.

But there was still one lingering issue—

Tianhai City was still crawling with zombies.

Even without the Zombie Kings, they still had their predatory instincts.

For now, staying together in one place was the safest choice.

Zhang Yi and his team could have left immediately.

But at Bian Junwu’s request, they chose to stay.

Right now, Zhang Yi’s team was by far the strongest combat force among the survivors.

Bian Junwu hoped they would remain and protect the others until everyone had fully recovered.

Zhang Yi, despite longing to return to his shelter, to collapse into his soft bed with Zhou Ke’er in his arms,

He ultimately agreed—

Out of respect for Jiangnan District’s authority.

Thus, Zhang Yi’s team stayed behind, primarily tasked with clearing out the scattered zombies in the surrounding areas.

For them, this was an easy job.

The remaining zombie hordes were small, only numbering a few thousand at most.

Without the Zombie Kings, they were mindless, weak, and disorganized—

A few superhumans working together could wipe them out effortlessly.

Over the course of several days, the survivors noticed a significant drop in zombie activity.

The threat wasn’t entirely gone, but it was no longer an immediate crisis.

Bian Junwu and his team continued monitoring the situation.

Only after confirming that there were no more large-scale zombie movements would they return to Jiangnan District to report their success.

Meanwhile, after fighting side by side for so long, the relationships between the five major factions had undergone a dramatic shift.

Ironically—

The so-called "Five Major Factions" could hardly be called "major" anymore.

After this war, over 80% of their core combat forces had been wiped out.

They were shadows of their former selves.

Fortunately, the zombie horde had attacked indiscriminately—

Not only did it devastate them, but it had also annihilated the smaller factions of Tianhai City.

Had those smaller groups survived, the "Five Factions" might not have been able to hold onto their own territories.

But now?

Tianhai City was practically a dead city—so what was the point of having a large territory when there were hardly any living people left to occupy it?

Thus, the past tensions between the factions faded away.

They no longer saw each other as rivals, but rather as fellow survivors of the apocalypse.

And Zhang Yi felt it the most.

Because over the past few days, the other factions had constantly been trying to befriend his team.

Of all the groups, Zhang Yi’s suffered the least losses.

In fact—

Aside from using up a significant amount of ammunition, Zhang Yi’s team had taken no real damage.

And ammunition was cheap.

Zhang Yi had his own private armory, and with Lu Keran, his mechanical genius, constantly manufacturing more weapons,

His team would remain the strongest force in Tianhai City for the foreseeable future.

The first to extend an olive branch was Xiao Honglian.

She walked up to Zhang Yi with confidence, offering a friendly smile.

“Zhang Yi, we may have had some… disagreements in the past. But look at Tianhai City now—it’s in ruins. There might not even be 10,000 living people left.”

“From now on, let’s be friends. None of us can afford more conflict. If you ever need my help, just say the word.”

Xiao Honglian extended her hand with a bold, straightforward demeanor.

Zhang Yi had been deeply impressed by her leadership on the battlefield, her ability to rally troops and fight fiercely.

Unlike the women around him, she was a true warrior—strong, commanding, and fearless.

Zhang Yi had no love for unnecessary conflict.

Since she was offering peace, he saw no reason to refuse.

Past battles had been about resources—not personal grudges.

So he shook her hand, smiling. “I’ve always admired a woman who can lead a faction.”

Curious, he asked, “You’re skilled. Were you in the military or police before all this?”

Xiao Honglian chuckled softly. “I was a police superintendent in Tianhai City’s Criminal Investigation Unit.”

Zhang Yi smirked. “I knew it! A true badass.”

Then, a thought crossed his mind. His eyes gleamed mischievously.

“So… does that mean you have records on all of us?”

Xiao Honglian grinned. “Of course. I know all your basic information. Well… at least everything from before the apocalypse.”

Author's Note