Hearing Chen Qianfeng''s shout, everyone rushed to the backyard. Zhou Huajian was shocked to see his friend had fainted and been enveloped in a ball of water.

    "Qianfeng, what''s wrong with you?" he asked, worry etched on his face.

    Fearing something bad had happened, he ran toward him. But just as he was about to reach out, someone said, "You can''t disturb him!"

    Startled, Zhou Huajian stopped in his tracks and turned his head. He saw a young man and a young woman standing atop the wall. Recognizing them, he said, "It''s you two."

    Gu Shaoze and Rong Mo''er leapt from the wall and landed lightly in the yard. They walked over to the Phantom Team and stood a few meters away from Chen Qianfeng.

    "Why did you stop me?" Zhou Huajian asked.

    "Your friend is in the middle of a breakthrough. If you disturb him, the consequences could be dire," Gu Shaoze said calmly.

    "How do you know?" Zhou Huajian pressed.

    "Because I have experienced it myself. I recently broke through and became a level-one ability-user," Gu Shaoze said with a smile.

    Surprised by his words, Zhou Huajian said, "Congratulations, Brother!"

    "Thank you."

    "So, what should we do now?" Zhou Huajian asked.

    This time, Rong Mo''er replied, "All we can do is wait and guard him until the breakthrough is complete."

    After hearing this, the Phantom Team exchanged glances. Zhang Yuan then said, "In that case, Brother Bohai and Sister Jiang will stay here to guard Qianfeng. The rest of you will take turns watching the backyard."

    "Understood," the members responded in unison.

    Once he was done giving instructions, Zhang Yuan turned to Gu Shaoze and said, "Comrade Gu, I didn''t know you and your friend were staying here."

    "We were planning to leave and search for my girlfriend''s family, but because of the zombie horde, we decided to stay and help out," Gu Shaoze replied.

    Zhang Yuan nodded in approval and said, "Comrade Gu, thank you for lending a hand."

    "When friends are in trouble, it''s only natural to help."

    With those words, Gu Shaoze had shifted their relationship from acquaintances to friends.

    Zhang Yuan noticed his intention but didn''t refute it. Even in peaceful times, it was rare to meet people willing to help in dangerous situations, let alone in the apocalypse.

    Since Gu Shaoze and his friend had no ill intent toward the Phantom Team, it was fine to befriend them. More friends meant more allies.

    Zhang Yuan smiled and replied, "Brother Gu, you are right."

    Hearing Zhang Yuan call him "Brother Gu," Gu Shaoze smiled in turn and said, "Brother Zhang, I would like to discuss something with you."

    Zhang Yuan nodded and said, "Let''s talk inside."

    Sitting in the living room, Zhang Yuan gestured for them to take a seat and asked, "Brother Gu, what do you want to discuss with me?"

    Before answering, Gu Shaoze waved his hand, and suddenly, a boy appeared beside him. Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Sёar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Noticing their reactions, he said, "Brother Zhang, this is Zeng Changchao. He is 14 years old and an ability-user. His ability is stealth."

    "While he can turn invisible, he still has body temperature and scent. Although his ability is useless against zombies, it''s a great ability when facing other ability-users."

    Hearing this, Zhang Yuan nodded and said, "His ability is indeed unique."

    After laying the groundwork, Gu Shaoze continued, "Besides Changchao, there are three more children who have awakened their abilities, and five who haven''t."

    Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Brother Gu, if you have something to tell me, you can say it directly."

    Gu Shaoze smiled and said, "Mo''er and I are looking for her family, so we will be traveling a lot. If possible, I would like you to accept the children into your team."

    As soon as he said this, Zeng Changchao spoke up, "Brother, I don''t want to join them, I want to follow you."

    Zhang Yuan observed the boy for a while before saying, "I can''t make that decision on my own. How about we wait until my Captain returns and discuss the matter with him?"

    "No problem. We will be staying in the camp until the zombie horde situation is resolved," Gu Shaoze said with a nod.

    Having stated his purpose, he stood up and said, "Brother Zhang, it''s late. We won''t bother you and your team any longer."

    Zhang Yuan nodded and saw them off. After they left, the Phantom Team had already finished washing up and were preparing dinner. While some took turns guarding Chen Qianfeng, the rest sat down to eat.

    At the same time, Jin Xuyan and his team were on their way back to the camp after clearing out the two zombie hordes.

    While he drove the car, his girlfriend slept in the passenger seat, and the rest of the team napped in the back seats. He lowered the window and drove with one hand, leaning against the door.

    The drive back to the camp was peaceful, as the red moon was nowhere to be seen tonight.

    When they arrived at the gate, a guard walked over and said, "Comrade, the gate has been closed. If you want to enter, you will have to wait until dawn."

    Hearing this, Jin Xuyan replied, "Comrade, please inform your captain. Just tell him that Jin Xuyan is waiting for him at the gate."

    The moment the guard heard this, he nodded and said, "Please wait a moment."

    After the guard went to report, Jin Xuyan stepped out of the car and stretched. While waiting, he leaned against the car and stared at his girlfriend''s sleeping face through the windshield.

    Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because Jiao Lizhi stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes, only to meet a pair of dark, deep eyes filled with intense emotions.

    Startled by his gaze, she sat up and blinked a few times. When she looked at him again, he was watching her with a gentle expression and asked with a smile, "Girlfriend, why are you so startled? Did you have a nightmare?"