Pull Yourself Together, Split Up

"What have you found?"

When everybody rested, Yun Che stood up, walked over to the dead gorilla and started scrutinizing it. Xing Feng was with him, but he couldn't see anything. Xing Feng turned to Yun Che, wondering what he had found. Since here they met a level-5 zombie beast, there must be more level-5 ones out there, so they'd have to be more careful moving forward.

"It ran out of the zoo and went through the first natural zombification. It was a full psychological manipulator, which means its IQ was high before the zombification."

Yun Che shook his head and stated the information that everybody could figure out. But it seemed full-on manipulation was energy-consuming. Zombies and zombie beasts under level-6 wouldn't know how to use superfunction strategically, not even psychological ones. They just went all out with every strike. At first, the gorilla controlled superfunction possessors under level-4, after Yun Che gave the order, it started to control level-4 superfunction possessors, but apparently, it controlled fewer level-4 ones. It meant that unlikely Ye Xingchen who could control same-level beasts, the gorilla could only control the creatures whose level was lower than his, otherwise, he could've controlled Yun Che to save the trouble.

"It leveled up to level-5 so fast. I wonder how many superfunction possessors, mutant beasts or the crystal nuclei of zombies that he had eaten. Thanks to Cheng, we are still alive, or else, we'd be screwed."

Yu Wenqing heaved a sigh at the body after he came over. He couldn't believe the one-level gap would make such a big difference, which was kind of scary even. They'd have to keep leveling up because when zombies reached level-6, they would have the ability to think, things would become more difficult for humans if their level was lower than the zombies.

"Warn all the squads about the level-5 zombie beast when we're back because soon, we'll meet level-5 zombies. We'll be in real trouble if we're ill-prepared."

With a heavy nod, Xing Feng told his boys in a serious tone of voice. In the same-level confrontation, superfunction possessors were no match for other creatures, all humans could do was outsmart them. If humans couldn't out-level them, the entire race would be doomed.

"We can't have 3 detachments from now on."

Lei Dashan, too, put on a serious face. Loser currently had some 40 superfunction possessors whose levels ranged from 2 to 4. The squad would normally be divided into 3 detachments, but from now on, they could only have two. The points didn't matter, staying safe mattered the most.

"Yeah. Better safe than sorry."

Yun Che approved of what Lei said. So the detachment of Peak would be following the core unit to quests for the time being because those guys' levels were too low.

Speak of the devil, Jiang Yuan and the other Peak 2 guys came over with sorry looks on their faces. "Sorry, Che, we…"

"It wasn't your fault. The gorilla was two levels higher than you, it was normal that you couldn't resist his mind-control. Zeyu is level-4, he, too, was controlled. Putting the level discrepancy aside, even the one who achieves a breakthrough earlier is stronger than the late-achievers. Fortunately, it was just a zombie beast. If it had been a psychological mutant primate, he would have been able to control me if it was focused. If you feel guilty, just fight harder to level yourselves up."

Yun Che cut him off. What happened was unavoidable and wasn't anyone's fault.

"Got it."

Yun Che cheered the guys up. They looked at Yun Che with a fortitudinous look on the face. At first, they just wanted to catch up with Leng Yehan and the others, but after the zombie gorilla incident, the real world had taught them that leveling was more than a competition.

"We don't know when the doomsday ends, so our leveling mustn't stop. Let us all do better."

With one arm around Yun Che's shoulder, Xing Feng scanned every single one here.

"Yes!"

Everyone in Chaoyang, Peak, Joy and Loser gave a loud, affirmative reply that reverberated through the entire mountain. Luckily, they got Yun Cheng here, so the zombies just roared and snarled at them from a distance, otherwise, loads of zombies would be drawn here.

"I can't see Chenchen. Where is he?"

Lei Dashan got worried. He looked around in search of the boy. Others in Joy and Loser put on a worried look on their faces. Yun Che comforted him, "It was chaotic, I asked Heiyu to take him away. Don't worry."

Fortunately, he sent both Heiyu and Chenchen into Space. Yun Che successfully muddled it through.

"Phew, good. I thought… No, no, I can't be a jinx."

Lei Dashan patted himself on the chest as he caught himself. He then slapped his own face. The worried look on everybody's face went away. Chen Hua had pulled himself together. He forced a smile at Yun Cheng. "Yun Cheng, thank you. If it wasn't for you, more would have been dead."

Unlike Peak and Chaoyang, most Joy members were only level-3. If the gorilla escaped and controlled more people in the dark, Zhang Wei wouldn't be the only dead man.

Yun Cheng, however, just looked at Chen Hua in confusion. Leng Yehan leaned in and whispered to him. Yun Cheng then replied with a beaming face, "You're welcome."

Yun Cheng didn't know why Chen Hua thanked him at the beginning because he just killed the gorilla for the crystal nucleus in its head and incidentally saved these people.

"Do we start chopping the bamboos?"

Knowing that Yun Cheng was actually less clever than he seemed, Chen Hua didn't mind. He then turned to Yun Che.

"OK. Let's split up into two groups. One stays here to cut down bamboos and dig shoots, the other follows me to find mutant pandas. I need them."

The purple dots, which meant mutant beasts, had shown on the air panel. Many high-level ones clustered, they should be the mutant pandas.

"When you're gone, the zombies will…"

Lei Dashan looked at Yun Che with a concerned look on the face. He hated to admit this but his men couldn't follow them to find the mutant pandas but cutting down bamboos, digging shoots while fighting the zombies would be too difficult for them.

"Hehe. Don't worry, Cheng, Yehan and Peak 2 will stay here with you."

"Glad to hear that."

After dramatically heaving a sigh of relief, Lei Dashan continued, "The two level-4 guys in my squad will go with you. We should be fine here with your brother and Yehan around."

Lei Dashan had heard that the mutant pandas' level was high, the two level-4 Loser members could be of help to some extent.

"No, just Chaoyang and core unit of Peak. Beware, there are still zombie beasts lurking in the village. And I've noticed when we entered the village that this village is connected with nearby villages. Zombie and zombie beasts have good noses, I think they're coming for us after sniffing our smell in the air."

Yun Che turned him down. He didn't worry about the zombies, but Cheng couldn't intimidate zombie beasts. Since most people here were only level-3, Cheng and Yehan alone couldn't fight all the zombie beasts.

"OK, then. You be careful, turn back to us if things go down."

Lei Dashan made eye contact with Chen Hua. Yun Che nodded, "Guys, move aside. Yafei will clear up a space to pile all the timbers and shoots."

Neither Joy nor Loser brought their space superfunction possessor because Yun Che and Xing Feng told them they'd personally participate in the operation. Now that Chu Haoling and Meng Xu were on the panda-searching team, the timbers and shoots would be put into space when they came back.

"OK."

People jumped into the bamboo forest, leaving Zhan Yafei alone. With the first stomp, all the houses sank under the ground. With the second stomp, the ground returned to normal, there people saw a 10-meter long, 5-meter wide open space with nothing on it.

"Yehan, you and Cheng stay here."

After landing on the empty space, Yun Che took a scan of the zombies around them. Leng Yehan nodded after looked him in the eyes for a while. "Be careful. Also, don't join the battle unless necessary."

Yun Che had fought in the previous two battles, he should fight no more. What if the baby was affected? Even if it was just a fertilized egg at the moment.

"You can shut up."

Yun Che couldn't believe these people still weren't over this nonsense. He rolled his eyes. Yun Cheng suddenly held his hand and grouchily shook his arm. "I want to be with you. I don't want to be here."

He wasn't in the same car with his brother, now he was to part with him again? No!

"Hehe. Come on, be a good boy. I've put the level-5 crystal nucleus in the water, I'll give it to you when we're back if you listen to me."

Yun Che was slightly taller than Yun Cheng. He lovingly stroked his head. The Jade Spring would enhance the power of crystal nuclei, which Yun Che discovered by chance. Yun Cheng would ask his brother if the crystal nuclei had gone into the spring before he ate them because he only ate the crystal nuclei soaked in Jade Spring. Yun Cheng had become pickier and pickier.

"OK, OK, but you must return as soon as possible."

All of a sudden, being separated from his brother for a little while seemed acceptable to Yun Cheng. A big innocent smile came back on to his face. Yun Che smiled as well. "You're going to be a glutton like Chu Haoling."

"Heehee!"

"Hey, Che, what's with your analogy? As if I'm a bad influence."

Yun Cheng beamed. Chu Haoling protested. Yun Che's expression returned to seriousness. "All right, let's move. It's almost noon, we'd better wrap it up."

"OK."

Almost immediately, everybody switched their faces to seriousness as well. After Yun Che located the mutant pandas on the air panel, they moved out at full speed. Peak 2 clutched their fists, swearing inside that they'd level up harder because they didn't want to be left behind every time.

"All right, let's get to work."

After the panda-searching team disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest, Chen Hua called everybody. They picked up the machetes that Yun Che left for them and started chopping the bamboos. When Leng Yehan handed Yun Cheng a machete, Chen Hua said, "Yehan, you and Yun Cheng stay here. Cutting down bamboos is a waste of his ability."

"OK."

Leng Yehan looked at Chen Hua, then at Yun Cheng before he nodded. "Don't let level-4 superfunction possessors cut bamboos. Order them to split up and stay on guard around us."

This was their preparation for emergencies.

"OK."

Chen Hua was on the same page with Leng Yehan. After making eye contact with Lei Dashan, they went to give the order to the level-4 superfunction possessors in their squads. Leng Yehan took Yun Cheng under the shade and quietly asked him to be on alert. After all, Yun Cheng got the highest level, so he was better at detecting danger than others.