Chapter 170: Death Of Ling Dong

She nodded and hurried after him.

Together, the mercenaries escorted Jamie and her remaining husbands through the back entrance.

...........................................

After leaving Swan Base, the group encountered several abandoned vehicles along the road.

However, none of them dared waste time examining the vehicles.

They had no gasoline, and the zombies were still pursuing them.

Besides, Jamie had originally hired the mercenary team to escort her family safely out of Swan Base.

Unfortunately, the unexpected ambush had separated the group, forcing several mercenaries to protect one of her other husbands.

By the time they returned to Jamie, Ling Dong had already been bitten.

The mercenaries could only focus on getting the remaining survivors out alive.

Jamie was completely devastated.

She could barely walk, so one of her husbands carried her while the others continued running.

The group traveled without stopping, desperately trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the fallen base.

Even after the zombies stopped chasing them, they didn’t dare rest for long.

They were terrified that another horde might appear.

Four days and four nights passed before they finally reached a relatively safe location.

By then, everyone had reached their physical limits.

Several people collapsed the moment they stopped.

Some even fainted from exhaustion.

Those who were still conscious quickly took out their remaining food and water.

They ate whatever they could before helping the people who had lost consciousness.

After making sure everyone was breathing normally, they settled down for a brief rest.

Jamie lay quietly with her eyes closed. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Eventually, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw someone standing before her. It was Ling Dong.

He looked exactly as he had when she first met him in middle school.

His features were handsome, and his smile was as warm and charming as she remembered.

He slowly approached her. "My love."

Jamie stared at him, unable to believe her eyes.

Ling Dong smiled gently. "Please take good care of yourself."

His voice was filled with tenderness. "I won’t be there to protect you anymore."

Tears immediately welled up in Jamie’s eyes.

He continued, "Perhaps we’ll meet again in our next lives."

"No!" Jamie reached toward him. "Ling Dong, don’t leave me!"

However, his figure gradually faded.

"NO!"

Jamie suddenly jolted awake. Someone was shaking her shoulder.

"Jamie! Wake up!"

Only then did she realize that she had been dreaming. Ling Dong was gone.

The reality of his death struck her once again.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she covered her face and began sobbing.

Her remaining husbands sat around her in silence.

They didn’t know what to say. All they could do was stay beside her and offer what little comfort they could.

However, not everyone was grieving.

One of her husbands, Yin Jing, secretly felt a trace of happiness.

With Ling Dong dead, the position of primary husband was now vacant.

And that meant someone else could eventually take his place.

’Perhaps this is my chance.’

He looked at Jamie, who was still crying over Ling Dong.

Rather than feeling jealous, he became increasingly hopeful.

Her reaction proved just how deeply she was capable of loving one of her husbands.

’If I become her primary husband, maybe she’ll love me just as much.’

The thought filled him with anticipation.

He carefully concealed his emotions and continued sitting beside her, pretending to share her grief.

.............................................

Meanwhile, Hina was sitting a short distance away with Max.

She had been unusually quiet ever since they escaped Swan Base.

The strange voice she had heard continued troubling her.

After hesitating for a while, she finally turned toward Max.

Her expression was serious.

"Max, would you believe me if I told you I heard something very strange?"

Dong Wei, who was sitting a short distance away, frowned.

"What voice?"

Hina hesitated before answering.

"For the past few days, I’ve been hearing strange words like ’success,’ ’destiny,’ ’reward,’ and ’mission.’"

She looked at her companions.

"It’s almost as if someone around us has a system. Do any of you possess something like that?"

Everyone shook their heads. Hina murmured under her breath. "Then why do I keep hearing those words?"

Max looked at her seriously. "Can you tell us when you usually hear this voice?"

Hina thought for a moment. "The first time was when we were discussing whether to leave Swan Base."

She paused.

"The second time happened during our mission in the suburbs, when we were sent to retrieve those special crystals. And the third time was when we were escaping from the base."

She rubbed her forehead.

"It’s strange. I’m certain the voice sounds mechanical, just like the system notifications described in novels and audiobooks."

Hearing her explanation, everyone exchanged glances.

However, none of them knew what to say.

Eventually, the conversation ended without any conclusion.

.......................................

That night, the mercenary group arranged a rotating guard schedule.

When Hina’s turn arrived, she reluctantly opened her eyes.

She was exhausted after several days of traveling, but she still forced herself to get up.

Their temporary campsite was located inside a heavily shaded forest.

Tall trees surrounded the clearing, and the dense branches overhead blocked most of the moonlight.

Before settling down, the mercenaries had carefully inspected the area to ensure there were no mutated plants or dangerous beasts nearby.

They had also taken precautions to conceal their presence.

Recently, survivors had discovered an unusual method of disguising human scent.

Ordinarily, spraying zombie blood into the air was extremely dangerous because it could spread the virus.

However, when zombie blood was mixed with the extract of a special fruit known as the Poison Fruit, its properties changed.

The mixture no longer posed the same infection risk to humans.

Instead, it produced an odor resembling the presence of zombies, discouraging other infected creatures from approaching.

The discovery had become extremely useful for survivors traveling through dangerous areas.

Hina sat down near the edge of the campsite and looked toward the dark road.

The forest was unusually quiet.

Apart from the occasional rustling of leaves, she could barely hear anything.

Just as she was beginning to relax, the familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside her head.