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Upon spotting Kisha, the evolved zombie conjured earth spikes that rose from the ground up to her knees, forming a jagged path as they pursued her.

Meanwhile, the ice wall was rapidly cracking under the pressure.

From atop the building, Duke was readying more than a dozen ice spears, prepared to rain them down on any zombies that got too close to Kisha.

Simultaneously, Kisha readied her flying daggers, ensuring she was prepared for any threat.

Behind her, the evolved zombie let out an enraged shriek that made the ground tremble.

The zombie horde grew more agitated, surging against the ice wall and pouring in from the central part of the community.

As Kisha ran, she glanced up at the building and noticed several windows that had been closed earlier were now open.

People were leaning out, screaming for her to help them.

"Help us! Hero!" a middle-aged woman shouted, waving her hands frantically in the air to get Kisha’s attention. Another window opened, and a middle-aged man joined in, their eyes filled with hope as they looked at Kisha, expecting her to save them from the nightmare they were trapped in.

"Help!"

"Here, we have a few of us here!!!"

They all thought Kisha was a soldier because of her courage.

Having witnessed the apocalypse and the evolved zombie’s abilities, they weren’t surprised to see the dog disappear into thin air.

They had been watching everything unfold: the fireballs raining down on the zombies, the ice wall materializing from nothing.

It was clear to them that whoever came was strong and capable of protecting them and leading them to safety.

When they saw Kisha descending from the roof, they believed she could help them.

Knowing she was a woman, they hoped to play on her empathy by appearing weak, assuming she would feel compelled to help them.

Kisha ignored their pleas and instead pulled out a grappling gun from her inventory.

She aimed it at the top of the building and fired.

Once the hook secured a firm position, the gun started reeling her in.

As she was being lifted, the angry evolved zombie broke the spikes on the ground and hurled them at her. Fortunately, Duke was ready.

He countered the incoming earth spikes with his own ice spears, protecting Kisha as she ascended back to the rooftop where he was waiting.

The evolved zombie, now even angrier, directed the horde to break down the building’s entrance, aiming to reach the rooftop where Kisha and Duke were. It continued to hurl earth spikes at them until Kisha finally made it to the top.

Duke unleashed his remaining ice spears, raining them down on the evolved zombie. He knew they might not cause significant damage, but they would distract the zombie long enough for them to make their escape.

When Kisha reached the roof, she and Duke didn’t rest; they immediately began jumping from rooftop to rooftop without breaking their momentum.

When Kisha thought the next roof was too far to reach, she used her flying dagger as a stepping stone.

Duke, inspired by her, created stepping stones out of ice.

As they continued to run, the zombies below still believed Kisha and Duke were on the rooftop and attacked that specific building, scaring the residents inside, who quickly closed all their windows in fear.

Unfortunately for the residents, the zombies were relentless in their efforts to get inside the building. In a fit of anger, the evolved zombie used its earth’s ability to break down the door. Soon, the zombie horde flooded the hallways, directed by the evolved zombie, who stood as their leader.

It let out a long, powerful, angry shriek, urging the zombies to ascend and find Kisha and Duke on the roof.

By then, Kisha and Duke were already far away, but they still managed to hear the roar, full of rage. With her heightened senses, Kisha heard it loud and clear. She only smirked.

She had no intention of exposing the community’s residents to a zombie raid, especially with an advanced zombie leading the charge.

It would undoubtedly cause problems. However, she also knew she couldn’t help them if they weren’t willing to help themselves and relied solely on her.

Such attitudes would only create issues in the shelter in the long run.

She couldn’t afford to worry about others when she was struggling to protect herself and those she cared about. She had grown weary of playing the hero, always rescuing everyone and leaving herself vulnerable to betrayal.

Duke and Kisha pressed on until the gas station came into view, carefully descending the building via an alley to avoid detection.

Emerging stealthily, they acted as if they had already scouted the entire area.

Kisha noticed everyone was taking a brief rest, with Sparrow having finished refilling the tank and the canisters as she had instructed.

Though she hoped to secure more gasoline, they couldn’t find additional containers. Returning promptly, they resumed their journey swiftly, completing the task in just an hour away from the group.

Duke never asked about the fate of the big dog, knowing Kisha had stored it in the same place as her Scarlet Bees.

He imagined the bees and the massive dog either curiously observing each other or possibly fighting.

Not that he was concerned about the Scarlet Bees; if the dog provoked them, they’d undoubtedly remind it who was in charge.

He couldn’t help but imagine the dog emerging looking like an inflamed balloon from the Scarlet Bees’ stings.

This amusing thought was overshadowed by his curiosity about Kisha’s actions.

How did she know there was a fight in that area?

It was obvious she came specifically for the dog.

Was it part of her past life? Had the dog been one of her most beloved companions then?

Many questions swirled in his mind as he silently sat there, letting Kisha rest for a bit, just as he did, both of them recovering their spent spiritual energy.

[Congratulations for Completing the Hidden Mission: B Class Mission "Save The Lonely Mountain"]

[You have received 30,000 points for completing the Hidden Mission: B Class Mission "Save The Lonely Mountain"]

In her previous lives, 30,000 points were like her life savings.

It was the most she could accumulate after slaving away on the system’s missions, only to receive meager rewards in return.

She thought that was the limit—barely enough to buy anything significant, mostly miscellaneous items like amulets and potions, which she had to treat like treasures due to their high cost.

But now, looking at the five-digit number she received from just one mission, she felt a surge of relief.

This reward came just in time, as she was starting to feel anxious about spending so many points recently without any missions to replenish them.

She feared running out of points in times of emergencies.

The 30,000 points were only enough to cover the gap from what she spent on the blue and black vials of liquid for the Winters and their men during the rescue mission.

Additionally, she had also used points on the pricey amulets and numerous stamina boosters, which altogether cost more than 100,000 points.