Enter the villa area

Mia responded with an "oh" before explaining, "Hmph, I'm healthy and not afraid of catching a cold! I'm just worried that if the main output force of our team, you, catches a cold, then I'll be the only one left worrying on the sidelines, waiting to be wiped out by the zombies."

Alex felt a slight warmth in his heart upon hearing Mia's caring words.

But Mia's words also made him chuckle at her hidden meaning.

Teasingly, he said, "It's okay. Dr. Mia, you're the team's nursemaid. Just give me a few sips of your milk, and I'll be good as new."

After saying that, Alex continued walking forward.

Mia blushed at Alex's teasing, feeling shy for a moment.

Seeing Alex walk away, she didn't dare to linger too long in the same spot, so she stomped her feet to vent her slight frustration and quickly caught up.

"Alex, wait for me!"

Finally approaching the villa area, Alex and Mia hid in a lookout tower not far away. Alex was holding binoculars, observing the situation in the villa area.

After a long while, Alex slowly lowered the binoculars and fell into silence.

Seeing Alex's furrowed brow, Mia hesitated to disturb him at first. However, after a while passed with Alex remaining silent, she couldn't help but speak up, "Alex, is the situation in the villa area really bad?"

Alex snapped out of his thoughts.

He noticed Mia sitting beside him, her expression revealing concern.

Alex patted her hand reassuringly and said, "It's okay, it's just that the situation here differs from the previous intel. There are quite a few zombies here, even more than expected, but they're not too difficult to handle. It just requires some arrangements, and I'm thinking about how to go about it."

Mia earnestly suggested, "Alex, if the villa area is really too dangerous, we can actually hold off on going there. We could find another safe refuge and come back later when we're better equipped."

Alex smiled and said, "When have you ever seen me foolish enough to charge in and kill zombies directly? When I said I would take you to live in the villa, I meant it."

"It's you who shouldn't let me down, adapt to survival in the apocalypse as soon as possible. Even if one day I'm not here anymore, I hope you can survive well on your own."

Mia hastily responded, "Don't say ominous things!"

But then, she muttered, "I know I let you down, but... I'm really scared when I see zombies..."

Alex softened at Mia's self-blame.

"I understand. It's natural for a girl to be scared when facing zombies and such, but Mia, this isn't a game. When you die, you're really dead. As your teammate, I hope you can live well and become someone I can rely on. This is the last time I'll say these words, it's up to you from now on."

Alex patted Mia's head and said no more.

Mia least liked others touching her head, but Alex's words made her mind whirl with thoughts, allowing him to stroke her hair like a gentle cat.

Alex set his sights on the most luxurious villa in the villa area.

For no other reason, he just liked its north-facing position and its location by the lake.

It was a good view.

Even though they were in a world of apocalypse and escape, nobody wanted their living environment to be too shabby if conditions permitted.

Alex traded some Molotov cocktails and two grenades on the trading platform, preparing them to deal with zombies.

Additionally, he bought a crossbow and arrows for Mia's self-defense.

"Mia, we're about to enter the villa area. You must stick close to me and follow my commands. This crossbow and arrows are for your self-defense, but don't shoot zombies randomly to attract attention. Now, take them and practice for a bit," Alex instructed.

Taking the crossbow and arrows, Mia's gaze was determined as she said, "Alex, you can rest assured. I won't drag you down!"

"Good, I trust you. Let me teach you how to use the crossbow," Alex said, proceeding to teach Mia how to handle the weapon.

Once he ensured that Mia had some self-defense capability, he felt relieved.

"Alright, let's go in now," Alex said to Mia.

"Given this weather, it's likely to rain. Let's make it quick, and we'll sleep in the big villa tonight!" Mia chuckled, "Hopefully, there's a big bed inside where we can get a good night's sleep!"

Without further ado, they prepared their supplies and set off towards their destination.

Entering the villa area, Alex led Mia along a grassy path behind the villas.

This path was usually used by property management for inspections and was rarely frequented by people.

However, with the zombie horde around, Alex wasn't sure if this path would be infested.

He was taking a gamble.

After all, a direct assault would only serve to attract the zombies.

They were lucky; the grassy path didn't encounter any zombies.

Just as Alex and Mia were about to exit the path, a zombie suddenly emerged at the end of it.

Alex was the closest. As the vanguard, he had been leading from the front, almost coming into direct contact with the zombie.

At this moment, Alex didn't have time to draw his gun as the zombie swung its arms towards him.

Swish!

Two arrows flew from behind Alex, grazing past his ear and directly into the zombie's mouth.

The zombie burst into thick fluid and collapsed forward onto Alex.

Alex pushed the zombie away and looked back at Mia, who was holding the crossbow with a trembling hand. He gave her a thumbs-up.

"I didn't expect you, Dr. Mia, to have such strong shooting talent," he praised.

Regaining her composure, Mia asked anxiously, "Are you okay? I was so scared just now. I shot the zombie directly, but you and the zombie were so close! I was afraid I might hit you! But luckily, I managed to kill the zombie directly..."