"Which base did you guys come from?" one of the girls among the three asked. Scanning Emma and Amy up and down, they were dressed in black suits, looking healthy and clean. The RV that had crashed into the tree appeared highly advanced, showing that these two were from a wealthy base.

Before Amy could answer, Emma stepped in front of her. "We're from Autumn," she declared. She didn't want Amy to reveal that the base was named Emma's Territory, she would be seen as narcissistic then. When Emma had to name the base, she hadn't thought of any other name, so she went with her own. Quickly in her mind, she navigated to the panel that allowed her to change the territory's name and renamed it Autumn, her favorite season. She thought it was a better name compared to Emma's Territory. Amy nodded behind Emma.

The three nodded their heads in response. They had never heard of that base before, but they remained respectful.

Emma scanned them up and down with her newfound mental abilities, honed through practice to read the powers of others. The three standing in front of her each possessed supernatural skills related to water, wood, and earth. "You guys look like a well-prepared group," she noted, impressed by their power levels. It was rare for a group at this period to be this strong already.

"I'm Xyla," said the girl who had asked the question earlier. She found Emma and Amy quite interesting. She smiled warmly at them. "We will protect you guys in there, don't worry," she assured them. Unaware of Emma and Amy's supernatural powers, Xyla was extending a genuine offer of protection based on their initial impression alone.

Emma's mind raced as she processed the name "Xyla." Her eyes lit up with recognition. In her previous life, Xyla had been one of the top leaders at the Aires Base due to her powers.

Noticing Emma's lack of response, Xyla didn't seem to mind. However, Xavier, who had returned and was standing beside her, nudged her with his elbow. "We never agreed on that," he whispered. They only had two guns each and were unsure if they would even come out alive themselves, let alone be able to protect others.

Xyla rolled her eyes at Xavier's comment. "Remember, Xavier, we're soldiers. We're supposed to protect them anyway," she retorted. Before the apocalypse happened, they had all been part of the army, and Xyla was not about to abandon her sense of duty just because of this new world they found themselves in.

Xavier: ... "Fine, whatever," he muttered. He was done with his innocent leader and teammates.

Even though the two were whispering, it floated into Emma's ear. But she didn't mind. It was right for people to be on guard against strangers they didn't know. She would probably be the same as Xavier. But she didn't reject Xyla's offer, "Thank you then." She smiled warmly at her, "We will both feel safe with you guys around, right Amy?" Next to her, Amy also nodded. She already felt safe right next to Emma, the other people were just additional protection.

Her words only made Xavier doubt them even more. Who trusts people this easily? There's something wrong with these two.

As Mark finished gathering the weapons, he handed them out to everyone. "Okay, get ready."

Emma raised her eyebrows at them. "Aren't you guys driving up there?"

Mark shook his head. "No. We plan to close down all the factory doors first, then enter each building one by one. A car will only attract more zombies."

Xavier glared at Mark from the side. "Who tells strangers their plans?" he screamed in his head.

Emma nodded her head. "I recommend that you drive." Once the zombies realize there are people outside, even if they close the doors, they will start attacking the doors. If they don't have a car once the doors break down, they will be in trouble.

After she said that, she motioned for Amy to get back in the car. As the two turned their backs on the group, Mark looked at them and thought about their strategy.

Emma got into the driver's seat herself this time, as she was done with Amy's reckless driving method. Amy pursed her lips, thinking her driving method was fast and efficient. She believed there would have been no accidents if that car wasn't there.

As the RV gets closer to the factories and notices that the Aries group hasn't shown up yet, Emma presses the Electric button. As the zombies come towards them, they all turn into ashes. She turns the microphone on to attract more zombies to come out of the factories and towards her, then she turns towards Amy, "You knew him from kindergarten?"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The way that she acts, Emma was given the impression the two were best friends during kindergarten.

Amy shakes her head, "Yeah. But I just guessed and took a shot."

Emma made an okay face. Sensing with her mental powers that a car was approaching, she swiftly turned off the microphone and the electricity. Having already killed one-third of the zombies that were at this factory, she decided to take a break and let others handle the rest.

She carefully drove the RV near the opening of the first factory building. As she did so, the zombies around her got smashed into meaty crumbs under the RV's wheels if they failed to move out of the way. Meanwhile, the remaining zombies trailed after the RV.

As the Aries' Group drove their car nearer to the entrance, some zombies ran towards them, but their attention was more focused on the RV.

"What are they doing?" another boy in the group asked. His name was Dean.

"Do you think they need help?" Xyla asked anxiously, her eyes fixed on the RV surrounded by zombies. The creatures were pounding on the windows relentlessly. She feared that any second now, the windows would shatter under non stopping assault.

"Focus," Mark clapped, trying to gather the group's attention. His voice carried a sense of urgency. "We need to stay on task and finish this mission." He turned his gaze towards the RV, where zombies were swarming around, pounding on the windows. Pointing in that direction, he outlined their plan. "We'll shut that door down first, then we'll go help them."

The group nodded, their expressions determined as they prepared to execute Mark's plan.

Inside the RV, Emma gestured for Amy to observe the Aries' Team closely. She wanted Amy to learn how to fight by studying their movements and techniques. Emma knew that seeing these skills would greatly benefit Amy during future encounters with zombies. After all, that's how she learned—watching others and then doing it herself.

The team started with Mark forcefully pushing his side of the door aside. The door slammed into the undead behind it, sending one sprawling to the ground with a loud thud. As the door swung open, creating space for them, Mark stepped forward. Fire erupted from his palms, engulfing the zombies in roaring flames. The heat ripped through their decayed flesh, turning them into charred husks that crumbled into ash, which scattered in the air like dark confetti.

Each of the group members came forward, their unique powers working in symphony. Xyla manipulated the wood around her, generating a gust of wind that fanned Mark's flames, spreading them rapidly through the mass of zombies. Dean's earth bending, creating piles of dirt and rock that he hurled at the approaching undead, burying them under cascades of dirt. Mila uses her water manipulation skills to transform the dirt beneath the zombies' feet into mud then quickly removes the water molecule, trapping them in place like statues frozen in time. Meanwhile, Xavier swiftly moved among the immobilized zombies, his blade slicing through their necks.

As Amy watched in awe, Emma pressed the button for electricity to start zapping and killing the zombies around their RV again. The crackling energy arced out, with bursts of light and the smell of ozone.

"See how Xyla is controlling the plants?" Emma asked Amy, pointing toward Xyla who was now done controlling her plants to make a whirlwind that spread Mark's fire even faster. "What is she doing?"

Amy furrowed her brow, trying to understand. "Making wind?"

"Yes, but look closer," Emma encouraged. "She's using her power in another way other than just attacking."

Amy observed Xyla's technique more carefully. Suddenly, a realization dawned on her. She can do that too. She felt like a floodgate of new possibilities for her powers had opened in her mind, and she wanted to try them out.

Emma let Amy think for herself while she focused her attention back on the fight. Most of the zombies were still focused on her RV, and soon the group finished fighting their zombies and moved towards Emma. Seeing this, Emma increased the electrical power even more.

By the time the group reached the RV, most of the undead had been electrified to death by Emma's RV. Emma turned off the electricity, and the rest were quickly finished off by the group.

Mila scratched her head when the last zombie was burned to death by Mark's fire. She swore there were more zombies when they were far away.

Mark knocked gently on the RV's window, catching Emma's attention. She rolled it down, her expression full of relief.

"Glad to see you guys came. We were so scared," Emma said, her voice tinged with gratitude.

Next to her, Amy raised her eyebrows skeptically. Yes, they were supposedly so scared that Emma started talking about fighting strategies. She found it quite amusing.

"Well, if you guys want to join us, we're going into this one part of the factory first," Mark replied. Without seeing Amy's face, and only looking at Emma, his heart softened. After Emma had found the flaw in their strategy, their approach changed to taking down one building at a time. This can be their chance to thank Emma for finding that flaw.

Emma nodded her head in consideration. Her original plan was just to follow behind this group, allowing her and Amy to sit back and wait for all the zombies to be killed. But after realizing Amy needs more practice in fighting, her plan has changed. Following behind this group would be too slow.

"Thanks for the offer, but we'll fight on our own," Emma said.

"But—" Xyla started, concerned in her voice, but Xavier quickly pushed the team forward hurriedly, his face stern. "Let them do what they want to do. There is another wave of zombies coming."

And sure enough, there was. The sound of approaching footsteps and moans echoed through the air as zombies from neighboring buildings were drawn by the commotion. While the building before them had mostly been cleared out, now there were zombies trapped in rooms, their growls audible from within.

The group hastened their entry into the building, the urgency clear. As they stepped inside, Mark turned to Emma one last time, his expression questioning. "Are you sure?"

Emma met his gaze with determination and nodded firmly. With a click, the heavy door shut behind them, sealing off the outside world and the approaching undeads.