As soon as he stepped into the downpour, Jiang Jiang's pained cry rang out.
His tragic scream immediately attracted the attention of the zombies wandering and getting soaked in the rain.
The zombies, upon hearing the sound, looked towards Su Ling and the others. Having found their targets, they surged towards them, washed by the torrential rain.
Watching the zombies swarm from all directions, Su Ling noticed their speed had clearly increased.
However, she had no time to dwell on this at the moment. She looked at Jiang Jiang, writhing in pain on the ground, and vaguely guessed that his suffering was related to the downpour.
Gu Shangse and Shou Zi had already moved the howling, pained Jiang Jiang to a safe area, weapons in hand, preparing for battle.
Su Ling glanced at Jiang Jiang, curled up on the ground, his face contorted in agony. She tightened her grip on the Tang Dao she held and walked over. She would guard Jiang Jiang herself, rather than let Gu Shangse and the other two.
She knew Jiang Jiang's situation; Gu Shangse and the others did not.
If Jiang Jiang mutated and attacked them, she would be the first to deal with him.
The effect of Jiang Jiang's cry was such that zombies from within the building and from outside had all converged.
A battle of attrition was about to begin.
While Su Ling and the other three fought the zombies, Jiang Jiang had already removed his mask, curled into a ball in pain.
He didn't know what was happening to him, only that the mutated side of his face was incredibly painful.
It felt as though he had been doused with devil pepper water, the capsaicin drilling into his skin. His face felt as if countless unseen ants were gnawing and tearing at it.
It wasn't just half his face; it was also half of his body on the mutated side that felt the same.
Currently, one half of him was fine, the other half was consumed by pain.
The sensation was akin to having a wound that hadn't healed, then being forcibly submerged in steaming chili water.
No matter how he struggled, it was useless. He was entirely pressed into the chili water, completely immersed.
The rain continued to pour heavily, a downpour. The fallen zombie corpses already piled up on the ground.
Among Su Ling and the other three, Su Ling was doing alright; she didn't feel particularly strained.
However, Gu Shangse and the other two, especially Pang Zi and Shou Zi, were gradually feeling their strength wane, their movements becoming sluggish.
Pang Zi could no longer hold on. He stumbled, and the weapon he swung veered off course, missing the zombie's head. Instead, it enraged the zombie, which bared its teeth and lunged towards Pang Zi's face, attempting to bite him.
Su Ling fired a rocket, which pierced the zombie's head directly.
With a 'boom,' the zombie collapsed.
Pang Zi, now out of danger, swayed. Shou Zi caught him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"You guys rest, I'll handle it," Su Ling declared, wielding her Tang Dao in one hand and conjuring fire with the other.
She was both beautiful and formidable, her movements fluid, clean, and efficient, without any hesitation.
Her blade struck swiftly, accurately, and decisively, never missing.
Shou Zi and Pang Zi sat on the ground to rest. Gu Shangse could still manage, continuing to fight zombies.
While killing zombies, Su Ling kept a watchful eye on Jiang Jiang's condition.
When the last zombie was slain, Su Ling plunged her Tang Dao into the floor, supporting her body weight.
She looked towards Jiang Jiang, her eyes cold and devoid of warmth. She was waiting for Jiang Jiang's reaction.
If he mutated, she would strike him down with a single blow, ending his life.
If he didn't mutate, then congratulations, he had evolved.
Gu Shangse glanced at Su Ling, confirming she was unharmed. He picked up a short knife and split open zombie heads to collect their cores.
Knowing she liked them, he saved them all for her, grudgingly keeping none for himself.
Of course, he discovered that he also improved this way; his ability level rose rapidly, and his physique strengthened with the enhancement of his powers.
Depleting his abilities and then allowing them to sprout and grow had a more pronounced effect than reaching saturation with energy from core absorption.