Chapter 163: The Shift in Hu Ke's Attitude

Hu Ke let out a curse while using his gun to strike directly at the zombie rat closest to him. Retreating cautiously from the room, he searched for the whereabouts of the others.

Awakened with a start, Feng Fei not only felt no fear upon seeing the mutant rats covering the floor, but instead wore a strange, eerie smile.

She released her little white worm, which rapidly darted among the zombie rats, causing the creatures inside the room to vanish without a trace in a matter of moments.

With a smug smile, Feng Fei imagined Qin Yu and the others frantically struggling to eliminate the zombie rats while she herself remained so leisurely here, a thought that thrilled her immensely.

Watching the endless stream of zombie rats pouring in, she tossed out the little white worm and quickly sought out Hu Ke, stepping right to his side.

A flash of surprise crossed Hu Ke’s eyes when he saw Feng Fei completely unscathed. He had previously dismissed this woman as merely a pretty face with spatial abilities, but it now appeared he had misjudged her entirely!

Thinking of how that person had forcefully insisted on having her join his team for the mission in the city, he had felt deeply resentful, but right now, he was exceedingly glad! After all, having a powerful teammate meant an extra sliver of hope for his own survival and a better chance at completing that assignment.

Giving Feng Fei a sideways glance, Hu Ke noticed she merely lingered behind him without lifting a finger, yet the zombie rats surrounding them had indeed dwindled significantly. His impression of Feng Fei instantly took on a mysterious hue.

"Miss Feng, quickly wipe them out, and let's get out of here right now!" he said to her in pleasant surprise.

Feng Fei struggled to grasp the meaning behind his words. She had assumed Hu Ke discovered the existence of the little white worm, but upon second thought, only she could see the creature. Why, then, had his attitude shifted so drastically?

Though puzzled, the current situation left no time for deep thought. Regardless of the reason, this change in attitude worked entirely to her advantage.

Fighting their way out of the village all the way to the vehicles, Qin Yu and her companions caught sight of Hu Ke and the others following closely behind, and exchanged knowing glances, relieved that everyone was safe.

Only Zhao Meng felt a wave of displeasure upon seeing Feng Fei by Hu Ke's side—how could this woman possibly have made it out alive?!

Hu Ke's attitude toward Feng Fei could now be considered nothing short of respectful. He arranged for her and Zhou Zhou to swap cars so that he could sit closer and foster a better rapport with Feng Fei.

As the group watched the zombie rats continuing their relentless assault, they immediately drove away from the area, while the zombie rats pursued them relentlessly, refusing to give up the chase.

Unseen by anyone, Feng Fei's little white worm kept annihilating the zombie rats the entire time, leaping back into her arms at the exact moment the windows of her vehicle were rolled up.

Right at that very instant, Murong Yi inside her car glanced up toward Feng Fei's direction, a flicker of doubt passing through her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ouyang Jue asked with a hint of concern, noticing Murong Yi suddenly freeze as she lifted her head.

Murong Yi shook her head and said hesitatingly, "Just now, I thought I saw a flash of white light vanish ahead."

"Really? Xue Qi, Feng Ke, did either of you see anything?" Ouyang Jue asked the two men in the front seat.

Both Feng Ke and Xue Qi shook their heads to indicate they had seen nothing. Receiving a definitive answer, Ouyang Jue patted Murong Yi's shoulder and said, "It must have been your imagination; neither of us saw a thing."

Murong Yi nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. Although she was a drought demon, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was in utter chaos today, and her millennia of cultivation had been wiped out by years of deep slumber. Currently, her strength was equivalent only to a fourth-rank flying corpse zombie, with the realm of the drought demon still lying ahead of her. She needed to exercise utmost caution, Murong Yi reminded herself—she had no desire to fall into another slumber lasting centuries!

Ouyang Jue offered some words of comfort, letting Murong Yi lean back against his chest to rest. Although she had no biological need for sleep, she still endured mental fatigue, and a brief rest would do her good, Ouyang Jue thoughtfully considered.

Over on Qin Yu's side, however, the atmosphere was lively indeed! Having escaped the territory of the zombie rats, Zhao Meng was overcome with a sense of surviving a catastrophe. She kept chattering away to Xia Cheng about her own bravery, occasionally throwing in expressions of mock disdain toward him.

Xia Cheng indulged her every word, matching whatever Zhao Meng said with agreeable nods, his eyes brimming with pampering affection.

Feng Ji drove the vehicle with his eyes fixed straight ahead, maintaining an air of absolute concentration—that is, assuming one ignored his constantly twitching ears and the occasional hesitation of his hands on the steering wheel. Aside from that, he could truly be called a competent driver. As for why he was eavesdropping on Zhao Meng's conversation, Feng Ji reasoned that he was actually paying attention to Xia Cheng's reactions. *Heh, better take notes so I can coax my own wife in the future,* he thought.

Leaning against the window, Qin Yu wore a deeply contemplative expression. Suddenly, she spoke up, "Little Meng, did you notice which car Feng Fei got into just now?"

Pausing her chatter, Zhao Meng thought for a moment before replying with certainty, "She was with Hu Ke. I saw Zhou Zhou get into Feng Fei's original car just now. It looks like they swapped places."

"Rather strange, isn't it?" Qin Yu murmured thoughtfully.

"Indeed. Logically speaking, Hu Ke shouldn't have any fondness for her. Furthermore, Zhou Zhou's combat prowess is clearly superior to Feng Fei's. Why would he discard a powerful teammate and choose to have Feng Fei accompany him instead? Besides, I noticed that Feng Fei didn't seem afraid of those zombie rats at all—if anything, she actually looked... rather happy." Zhao Meng recalled the expression she had seen on Feng Fei's face.

Qin Yu was equally baffled. If the zombie rats had simply decreased in number, that would be one thing, but the hundreds and thousands of zombie rats in that village had formed a dense, swarming mass. How could anyone look at them without even a shred of fear? Even if someone possessed exceptionally strong psychological resilience, there was no reason for them to look joyful. What kind of trickery was at play here?

"Could it be that she controls the zombie rats?" A flicker of dread crossed Zhao Meng's eyes. If that were true, then Feng Fei was far from as simple as they had assumed!

"Probably not. I saw zombie rats attacking her as well, only they vanished mysteriously right before they could strike," Qin Yu said, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"If that's the case, Feng Fei must possess some sort of precious treasure. That would also explain why Hu Ke's attitude suddenly took such a bizarre turn," Zhao Meng analyzed.

"Yes, indeed. It seems Feng Fei didn't take on this mission blindly; she definitely has her own trump card for self-preservation. We must be extra careful!" Qin Yu gazed into the distance with profound eyes, her expression unreadable.

Zhao Meng nodded in agreement while mentally raising Feng Fei's threat level by a few notches, officially classifying her as a primary subject of surveillance. Little did Zhao Meng know at the time that this heightened vigilance toward Feng Fei would end up saving her life in the future!

Hearing their conversation, both Xia Cheng and Feng Ji wore contemplative expressions, their guard against Feng Fei hardening considerably.

As for Xia Cheng, keeping that woman far away from Zhao Meng was his primary objective; he certainly didn't want any harm coming to his wife.