The zombie rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire. But instead of dying out, the black flames grew larger, eventually engulfing its entire body.
With Jin Xuyan pouring more energy into the flames, the zombie soon turned into a pile of black ash. At the same time, the surrounding zombies were also reduced to ash.
Seeing the crystals glistening on the ground, Xiao Qi quickly collected them into his space.
With the level-three zombie defeated, Jin Xuyan and his team resumed clearing the remaining zombies with their BB guns.
It took them several hours before they finally reached the entrance of the shopping mall. By this point, Xun Che and his team were already feeling tired.
Even if they didn't use their abilities to kill the zombies, holding onto the guns for so long had still caused their arms to feel sore. With the addition of tense nerves and full focus, they were mentally drained.
Noticing their fatigue, Jin Xuyan said, "We will clean up the ground floor and rest first."
"Understood," his members replied in unison.
Seeing that they were still full of energy and stamina, Xun Che and his team could only grit their teeth and continue to follow them. This time, they finally realized the true strength of one of the strongest teams in the country.
"Captain Xun, can you hold on for another half hour?"
Suddenly hearing a sweet, soft voice beside him, Xun Che turned his head and saw Jiao Lizhi looking at him with concern. Besides a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and nose, she didn't show any signs of fatigue.
Feeling embarrassed at being weaker than a young girl, he nodded and said, "I'm fine."
Seeing how his clothes were drenched in sweat, Jiao Lizhi thought for a moment, then took a crystal core from her pocket and handed it to him.
"Captain Xun, you are an ability-user, so you should try to absorb the energy in this crystal. Although I don't know what your ability is, absorbing the energy should help you recover some stamina and strength."
Xun Che was surprised when he heard her words.
Thanks to the doctors and researchers whom they rescued from the hospitals, they knew that the crystals found inside zombies' heads contained an unknown energy. But not many people knew this, let alone know how to use that energy.
Seeing he was lost in thought, Jiao Lizhi called out, "Captain Xun?"
Snapping back to his senses, Xun Che accepted the crystal core and asked, "How do I absorb the energy?"
"Captain Xun, when you hold the crystal, can you feel energy flowing into your body from it?" Jiao Lizhi asked.
Focusing his mind, Xun Che felt a faint warmth seeping into his body through his pores. He nodded and waited for her next words.
"Try to guide the energy into your body."
Following her instructions, Xun Che concentrated. The faint energy soon became a steady stream, entering his body.
As it flowed through his veins, it washed away his fatigue and muscle soreness. When the energy reached his brain, it was absorbed by an unknown force.
In that moment, his energy and stamina recovered instantly. Feeling the changes in his body, he looked at Jiao Lizhi with astonishment.
Meeting his gaze, she knew he had succeeded. She took out a handful of crystal cores from her pocket and handed them to him.
"Captain Xun, distribute these to your team and teach them how to absorb the energy. We still have a long day ahead, and everyone needs to recover quickly," she said with a smile.
After finishing her words, she moved to the back of the formation. Walking beside Jin Xuyan, she glanced at him but didn't see any change in his cold expression. Even so, she could feel the low pressure around him.
She knew he was angry—and probably jealous. While she thought his feelings were domineering and overbearing, she understood. After all, she also got annoyed when she saw him talking to another woman.
While she was observing him, Jin Xuyan waved his hand and burned the surrounding zombies into ashes. He couldn't vent his irritation on Ah Zhi, so he took it out on the zombies.
Once he had absorbed a large amount of energy, he took her hand and silently transferred some to her.
Seeing this, Jiao Lizhi chuckled and intertwined their fingers while asking playfully, "Brother Yan, are you jealous?"
Jin Xuyan glanced at her but didn't answer. He didn't want to lie to her, but he also didn't want to admit it. So he stayed silent.
"Brother Yan, don't be angry. I only taught Captain Xun how to absorb the energy from the crystal core. If they collapse from exhaustion, they will drag us down. I did it for our team," she explained.
Hearing her explanation, his mood improved, and he finally asked, "Really?"
"Of course! Brother Yan, you know you are the most important to me. So, can you stop ignoring me?" Jiao Lizhi asked softly.
Feeling better, Jin Xuyan cleared his throat and replied, "I wasn't ignoring you. It's Ah Zhi who was ignoring me."
"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I apologize. Don't be angry anymore, alright?" Jiao Lizhi gave in and coaxed him.
Since they were still surrounded by zombies, Jin Xuyan simply nodded and said, "Okay."
While the two of them whispered to each other with pink bubbles practically floating around them, their attacks were fierce and brutal.
The Phantom Team members watched them and felt a chill run down their spines.
With energy from Jin Xuyan, Jiao Lizhi summoned water blades and beheaded the zombies around them. As the blades flew past their heads, they sliced through the rotting skulls and split the brains clean in half.
As the zombies collapsed, black blood and rotten matter splattered across the ground. The dried, cracked pavement was quickly covered in sticky blood, and the air was thick with a rancid stench.
With Jiao Lizhi covering the left and right areas, Jin Xuyan guarded the rear.