Just as the argument was about to escalate, Felix stepped in, his eyes sharp with calculation.

"Instead of arguing, how about this? Ivy should hold a knife. If she starts feeling dazed again, she can use the pain to snap herself out of it."

Ivy immediately nodded, seeing the logic in his words, but Kael hesitated. "That could hurt her."

Martha, who stood beside him, gently tugged at his sleeve, her expression serious. Kael glanced at her, and his resistance softened slightly.

"If we don’t take this chance," Martha said quietly, "who knows when we’ll be able to deal with these superior beings again? They’re far too dangerous."

Kael exhaled slowly before finally nodding. "Fine." However, he tightened his hold on Ivy’s hand, unwilling to let her out of his reach.

Time passed slowly as they remained in position.

Several of the zombies wandered dangerously close.

At one point, a decayed hand reached out and grabbed Mia’s leg, trying to drag her away.

She stiffened in terror, her breath catching in her throat, almost letting out a scream.

Ava quickly covered her mouth, while Lily stepped forward without hesitation and struck the zombie down, its body collapsing with a sickening thud.

Just as frustration began to creep in from staying in one place for too long, movement caught their attention.

Three figures emerged from the factory.

They looked human at first glance, but something about them was... wrong. Their silver hair shimmered unnaturally.

The group instantly recognized them.

Superior beings.

Ivy’s eyes gleamed sharply, a dangerous light flickering within them. "We split," she whispered urgently. "Half of you distract two of them. I’ll take the tallest one."

Everyone nodded, their expressions turning grim with determination.

’This is it... our chance,’ Ivy thought, her heart pounding.

Though they didn’t fully understand why these superior beings were targeting humans, Ivy had a faint idea. ’They need human vessels to exist here... that must be it.’

If those beings succeeded in possessing humans, dealing with them would become nearly impossible.

Her instincts screamed at her.

This was the best, and perhaps only, opportunity to eliminate them before it was too late.

With that thought settling firmly in her mind, Ivy gave a slight nod, her expression sharpening with resolve.

Without wasting another second, Kael, Mia, Caleb, and Martha split off, their footsteps fading into the distance as they moved toward their assigned positions.

Lily, Felix, Ava and Annie stayed behind, forming the second group. They exchanged brief, tense glances before slipping away to the side.

Ivy remained where she was, her breathing slow and controlled, her senses stretched to their limits as she waited patiently for the right moment.

’I can’t rush this... one mistake and everything collapses,’ she reminded herself, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides. Being the strongest among them, she knew she had no room for error.

As soon as she noticed two of the superior beings moving away, seemingly drawn by a distant disturbance, Ivy’s eyes narrowed.

The remaining one stood alone now.

Moving with extreme caution, Ivy began to approach him, each step light and deliberate, careful not to disturb even a single pebble beneath her feet.

When she noticed his attention drifting, she acted.

With precise calculation, she picked up a small stone and hurled it far into the distance, nearly two kilometers away.

Instantly, the superior being’s head snapped in that direction.

Without hesitation, he dashed toward the sound at an inhuman speed, his figure vanishing almost like a blur.

’Now!’

Ivy surged forward.

Her body shot ahead like a streak of lightning, the wind whipping past her ears as she closed the distance in seconds.

By the time the superior being, Paris, realized something was wrong and began to turn back, it was already too late.

Paris’s eyes widened in disbelief as a human figure with flowing pink hair appeared before him, her presence overwhelming. Before he could react, Ivy struck with brutal precision, knocking him out instantly.

As darkness swallowed his vision, a single thought flickered through his fading consciousness. ’I’m... doomed...’

Ivy wasted no time. Her hand moved swiftly, and Paris’s unconscious body vanished into her temporal storage.

’Can you restrain him?’ she asked internally.

A mechanical response echoed within her mind. [One million KB points required to hold the superior being as a hostage.]

Her expression tightened for a brief moment, but she did not hesitate. ’Do it.’

With Paris secured, she immediately turned and rushed toward Felix and Annie’s side. Since their group was near her, she knew it was a better choice.

As soon as she arrived, the scene before her made her eyes narrow.

A female superior being was engaged in combat with Felix, Ava, Lily and Annie, her movements fluid and terrifyingly precise.

Without warning, Ivy vanished from her spot and reappeared behind the woman.

A sharp strike. The woman, Siya, collapsed instantly.

Ivy caught her before she hit the ground and stored her just as quickly, not wasting even a second.

She immediately turned and dashed toward Kael’s direction, her heart pounding slightly.

But when she arrived, she froze. There was no one there.

Kael stood alone, his expression stunned, his chest rising and falling heavily. "The superior being... it left. It ran too fast," he muttered, still trying to process what had happened.

Ivy’s brows furrowed slightly, but she simply nodded. She was about to move again when she suddenly paused mid-step.

Her nose twitched. She inhaled slowly.

A foul, strange smell lingered in the air... something unnatural, something that didn’t belong.

Her eyes narrowed. "What is this smell...?"

Kael frowned, confused. "What smell?"

"There’s something rotten... something wrong," Ivy murmured, her gaze slowly shifting.

It landed on Mia.

Mia stiffened under her stare, frowning slightly. "What is it?"

Ivy stepped closer, her movements slow and deliberate. She leaned in slightly and took another careful breath.

The smell was coming from her.

Ivy straightened, her expression unreadable. She didn’t say anything, only giving Mia one last look before turning away.

’I’ll deal with this later...’