With Sylas's command, everyone hurriedly boarded the bus. Fortunately, the bus was large enough to accommodate everyone. Sylas had already asked, and Tilda knew how to drive, so he assigned her to drive while he protected the vehicle.
The zombies along the way were numerous, and there was also the possibility of encountering mutated zombies. Without Sylas's protection, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Under Tilda's control, the bus quickly pulled out of the supermarket. The noise of the bus drew a large number of zombies instantly. Tilda's face turned pale with fear.
Sylas calmly instructed, "Don't be afraid, just drive through them."
Gritting her teeth, Tilda stepped on the gas pedal, and the bus plowed through the zombies, knocking them aside. Although it was Tilda's first time driving a bus and her driving skills were average, the bus's power was enough to overcome the ordinary zombies.
Their luck was quite good, as they didn't encounter any mutated zombies along the way. Although they did run into some trouble, Sylas handled it swiftly, clearing the obstacles without much issue.
The bus safely returned to the neighborhood. Sylas personally handled the rear, killing all the zombies following the bus. His method of killing zombies left Tilda and the others in awe. Tilda had always known Sylas was strong, but she hadn't realized just how powerful he was. Facing a large group of zombies, Sylas could still dispatch them in seconds.
Sylas's immense strength was beyond Tilda and the others' comprehension. Once Sylas had killed all the zombies, he returned to the bus.
"Everyone off the bus and follow me," Sylas said to the group.
Tilda took the lead, guiding the women as they disembarked from the bus.
At that moment, the system's task completion notification appeared before Sylas again. Sylas was delighted to find that the mission to save the women had been successfully completed. The reward for the mission was, of course, the Female Warrior Mark.
The Female Warrior Mark didn't enhance Sylas's own combat abilities, but its function was still incredibly powerful. By using the Female Warrior Mark, Sylas could transform an ordinary woman into a female warrior. A female warrior's initial abilities weren't strong, but she could improve her combat skills by killing other life forms.
The number of Female Warrior Marks available to Sylas was related to his strength. The stronger Sylas became, the more Female Warrior Marks he could use. Sylas checked the current number of available Female Warrior Marks and found he had 100.
As Sylas's strength increased in the future, the upper limit of Female Warrior Marks would also continue to rise. The more Sylas thought about this skill, the more he liked it.
"Why not use a Female Warrior Mark now to test its true effect?" Sylas thought to himself.
His gaze fell on Tilda. After all, Tilda was the captain of these women, appointed by Sylas himself. Since Tilda was the captain, it made sense to let her test the Female Warrior Mark first.
Noticing Sylas's gaze, Tilda quickly walked over. "Leader, do you have any orders?" she asked.
"Tilda, do you want to gain great power?" Sylas asked.
Tilda was taken aback but quickly replied, "Leader, I want to gain great power." After all, she wasn't foolish. Given the opportunity to gain power, who wouldn't want it? Tilda was naturally willing.
Sylas nodded and said, "Since you are willing, I will grant you this power. From now on, I appoint you as a female warrior."
Sylas made a show of it, pretending to chant a spell and perform some ritualistic gestures. This was deliberate on Sylas's part, intended to increase their loyalty.
Sylas spoke seriously, "Tilda, remember this: your power is granted by me. I can give you great power, and I can also take it back."
Tilda immediately knelt down and sincerely said, "Everything I have is given by you, Leader. I will always be loyal to you."
Tilda was smart; she knew that clinging tightly to the Leader would ensure a better future for herself.
At this moment, the effect of the Female Warrior Mark began to manifest. Tilda felt a surge of power infusing her body, sweeping away all her fatigue and filling her with strength. It was the first time Tilda felt so invigorated and full of energy. Along with the physical strength, a wealth of combat knowledge was also injected into her memory, which she quickly assimilated.
Sylas could see Tilda's personal attribute interface. It showed Tilda's loyalty, which had reached 90 out of a possible 100 points—a very high level of loyalty. The interface also displayed Tilda's level and skills. She was at level 0, with skills in Body Enhancement and Combat Mastery. Tilda could improve her level and strength by killing other creatures and absorbing their life force.
Sylas said, "Come with me. Let's go out and try killing a zombie."
Sylas took Tilda outside to find a zombie and test the effects. After receiving the Female Warrior Mark, Tilda's physical abilities became comparable to those of a special forces soldier. She was also proficient in martial arts, making her a close-combat expert. These two abilities gave Tilda formidable hand-to-hand combat skills.
However, this strength was significant only compared to ordinary people. To someone like Sylas, such strength was negligible.
A zombie appeared before them, charging at Tilda. In her hand was a katana given to her by Sylas. Despite gaining the Female Warrior Mark, Tilda still felt immense pressure when facing a zombie directly. As the zombie drew closer, Tilda gripped the katana tightly.
Suddenly, the zombie entered Tilda's attack range, only a meter away. Tilda shouted to boost her courage and swung the katana hard. The blade struck the zombie's neck, decapitating it in one swift motion.
An invisible energy flowed from the zombie's body into Tilda, slightly enhancing her power. Killing a single zombie didn't provide much of a boost, but it proved that Tilda could indeed increase her strength by killing zombies.
On the other hand, Sylas received no reaction from killing ordinary zombies. He speculated that this was due to his significantly higher power level; killing regular zombies no longer affected him. Only killing mutated zombies could enhance his strength.
The Female Warrior Mark, however, wasn't inherently powerful and had lower requirements for power. Thus, killing ordinary zombies could still improve Tilda's abilities.
Sylas had also studied the Female Warrior Mark and discovered that he could manipulate it further.
Sylas could transfer his own energy to the Female Warrior Mark, thereby quickly enhancing the warrior's level and strength. Thus, there were two ways to improve the power of the Female Warrior Mark: killing zombies or receiving energy from Sylas.
Sylas tried transferring some of his energy to Tilda. In an instant, an invisible golden light flashed over Tilda—visible only to Sylas. Even Tilda couldn't see it. Tilda leveled up, rising from level 0 to level 1. This sight astonished Sylas because the energy he gave Tilda was equivalent to what a single mutated zombie could provide. He hadn't expected that the energy from just one mutated zombie would be enough for Tilda to level up.
Upon reaching level 1, Tilda's physical abilities significantly improved, and her combat skills became more refined. Additionally, she gained a new skill called Precision Shooting. This skill enhanced her accuracy in ranged attacks, making her more precise with firearms, bows, javelins, throwing knives, and other projectiles.
Sylas speculated that each time the Female Warrior Mark leveled up, it granted new skills. Although the Female Warrior Mark didn't bestow extraordinary abilities, its potential was immense. The most crucial aspect was that the Female Warrior Mark could be produced in large quantities. The stronger Sylas became, the more female warriors he could create. With this mark, Sylas could build a formidable army of female warriors.
"Try killing a few more zombies to test the effect," Sylas said to Tilda.
"Yes, Leader," Tilda replied eagerly. She was extremely excited, feeling her newfound strength. Compared to her previous weak self, she was now much more powerful.
If the current Tilda were to encounter Dwight, she definitely wouldn't be easily bullied and would have the strength to fight back. Afterward, Tilda killed a few more zombies, finding it much easier than before. However, Sylas noticed that Tilda's level didn't match the level of the zombies she faced.
A level 1 Tilda couldn't defeat a level 1 mutated zombie. She was stronger than an ordinary person but weaker than a mutated zombie. One could say Tilda was at the lower end of level 1. Her abilities were well-rounded, with decent speed and strength, and she was skilled in combat. But lacking extraordinary power, she was at a disadvantage against mutated zombies.
Still, Sylas was very satisfied with Tilda's strength. After all, this kind of power could be mass-produced.
"How do you feel?" Sylas asked.
"Great, I've never felt this good before. I feel like my body is filled with power," Tilda said excitedly. For the first time, she realized what it felt like to possess strength.
"That's good. From now on, you should go out every day to kill zombies. Killing zombies will make you even stronger," Sylas encouraged.
It was true that female warriors could become stronger by killing zombies. However, Sylas didn't tell Tilda that killing ordinary zombies would increase their strength very slowly. Only by killing mutated zombies could they improve quickly. Since mutated zombies were Sylas's targets, he naturally wouldn't let Tilda and the others kill them.
Back in the community, Sylas gave the remaining women the Female Warrior Mark as well. With a quota of one hundred marks, there were more than enough to go around.