Chapter 267

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

"Military convoy ahead!" Miles Sutton shouted suddenly.

Rows of military vehicles stood in formation, soldiers evacuating survivors. Kieran Sterling suggested joining their retreat, but Aria politely declined.

"Keep the truck." Kieran 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, Miles slid into the driver's seat and floored the accelerator.

Meridian 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?" Miles tightened his grip on the wheel.

Ronan Caldwell shook his head. "Won't work. They'll just swarm again."

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

"When did you grab those?" Ezra Vaughn's eyes widened.

"Underground garage." Aria smirked. "Borrowed from Kieran's trunk."

Declan Ross whistled. "Always prepared."

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

"Split up!" Ronan commanded. "Ezra guards the vehicle. Everyone else with me."

Sunlight danced across weathered inscriptions on a stone monument. Aria'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%]

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

"Recording?" Ronan arched an eyebrow.

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

Declan snorted. "Shrewd businesswoman!"

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

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

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