Chapter 267

The armored SUV barreled down the street, plowing through zombies that went flying like ragdolls. Lucy White gripped the handrail until her knuckles turned white as the vehicle jolted violently.

"Military convoy ahead!" Finn Wallace shouted suddenly.

Rows of military vehicles stood in formation, soldiers evacuating survivors. Sam Wilson suggested joining their retreat, but Lucy politely declined.

"Keep the truck." Sam tossed her the keys. "Consider it repayment."

He marked their route on the map before jogging to join the soldiers. As the engine roar faded, Finn slid into the driver's seat and floored the accelerator.

Central Plaza loomed ahead. The once-bustling shopping district now lay in ruins, littered with corpses. Crushed glass crunched beneath their tires with ear-splitting screeches.

"Ram through?" Finn tightened his grip on the wheel.

Xavier Boone shook his head. "Won't work. They'll just swarm again."

Lucy produced several red firecracker strings from her backpack, their fuses glinting metallically in sunlight.

"When did you grab those?" Asher York's eyes widened.

"Underground garage." Lucy smirked. "Borrowed from Sam's trunk."

Jasper King whistled. "Always prepared."

The firecrackers exploded with deafening bangs, drawing the zombie horde like moths to flame. Finn seized the moment to execute a sharp U-turn, tires leaving scorch marks on asphalt.

"Split up!" Xavier commanded. "Asher guards the vehicle. Everyone else with me."

Sunlight danced across weathered inscriptions on a stone monument. Lucy's fingers traced the eroded characters when she suddenly froze.

"Jewelry store!" She sprinted away mid-sentence.

A cash register computer flickered to life with eerie blue light, its mechanical female voice echoing through the empty shop:

[Kindness Points×30% + Merit Points×30% + Contribution×30% + Hidden Quest×10% = Total Score 100%]

Lucy pressed her watch's record button, cunning glinting in her eyes.

"Recording?" Xavier arched an eyebrow.

"Insurance policy." She wiggled her wrist. "Might fetch a good price."

Jasper snorted. "Shrewd businesswoman!"

The screen abruptly darkened, displaying a final blood-red warning: [Evidence tamperers will be disqualified immediately!]

"Move out." Xavier pushed through the glass door. "Time to earn our first 'kindness points.'"

Distant zombie growls echoed as Lucy made three backup recordings, stashing them in separate pockets. Sunlight filtering through shattered display windows cast golden flecks across her eyelashes.