Chapter 115 | Chapter 116 | Chapter 117
Chapter 115: I Can Make It Alone
When she reached the foot of the misty mountain, Pei Xiqing realized she was nearing Base Three. Just beyond this fog-shrouded peak lay the massive fortress.
She remembered the last time she was here; she had inhaled the strange mist, fallen asleep, and been carried the rest of the way. When she woke up, she was already outside the base walls. Ling Lang had deliberately tricked her back then.
Seeing this mountain meant the base was close.
By the time Pei Xiqing arrived, her breathing was ragged and unstable. She had only managed a few sips of water along the way. As for food, unless she managed to catch a wild fish from a roadside stream, her only options in the wasteland were rotting meat and decaying corpses. Even though her zombie physiology made her somewhat sensitive to the scent of blood, she absolutely refused to consume such filth. She would rather starve to death than take a single bite!
She had walked toward the place in her memories for a long time. She didn’t know why she was so incredibly persistent, or how she had found the strength to travel all the way here from that desolate stronghold.
Without a map or a compass, she had wandered the wilderness like a headless fly, relying entirely on her intuition and the faint tire tracks left by Pei Yanting’s convoy to slowly navigate her way back.
Perhaps it was the gnawing anxiety in her heart that pushed her forward, step by step. Her legs felt like they were breaking, and the injury on her ankle flared up with sharp pain, yet she didn’t dare to rest for long.
However, counting the three days she had been held captive by Pei Yanting, nearly six days had passed since the extraction time she had originally agreed upon with Long Yan and the others.
She had missed the window, let the time slip away, and there was nothing she could do about it. She held no hope that they were still there. In fact, she had silently begged them in her heart not to wait for her.
Limping up to the rusted road sign Long Yan had designated as their rendezvous point, Pei Xiqing found nothing but zombie corpses littered across the ground.
There were piles of them at her feet—twice as many as she had seen during her entire journey. It wasn’t hard to imagine the fierce, desperate battle that had taken place here.
She looked around and spotted a saber half-buried under the corpses. It was plunged straight into the chest of a mutant.
Pei Xiqing gripped the hilt and pulled it out.
Instantly, the zombie sprang to life, scrambling up from the mud like a vengeful ghost. It lunged at her, but just as it was about to attack, it caught the scent of its own kind. It stopped abruptly, letting out a frustrated, guttural roar in her face.
Pei Xiqing was speechless.
She weighed the saber in her hand. It was a beautiful weapon with a premium, heavy texture. This was high-end gear—it was highly likely Long Yan or the others had left it behind. There was even a string of mysterious inscriptions and serial numbers etched into the cold steel.
But where was the scabbard?
Pei Xiqing rummaged through the pile of rotting bodies for a long time but couldn’t find the sheath, only a carpet of spent bullet casings scattered across the dirt.
Standing beneath a large, gnarled tree, she looked up and saw several zombie corpses draped over the thick branches. She stared in shock for a moment.
Following the blood trail, she found clear signs that someone had taken refuge up there. There was a smear of dark human blood on the bark, but even after searching the immediate area, she couldn’t deduce who had been in the tree.
Pei Xiqing hopped down from the exposed roots and accidentally twisted her sore ankle again.
She sighed, rubbing her leg, and dragged over the half-dead zombie she had pulled the saber from. Half of the creature’s head had been violently chopped off, yet it was still somehow “alive.” The tenacity of the zombie virus was genuinely terrifying.
The zombie’s ruined throat couldn’t form proper sounds; it only emitted sharp, jagged hisses. She stared at it for a few seconds before asking, “Who stabbed you with this saber?”
She didn’t know if they could actually communicate, but she figured she might as well try.
To her surprise, the zombie actually turned its mangled head to look at her. Then, it aggressively banged its head against the trunk of the nearby tree, a ragged, continuous growl vibrating from its throat.
Pei Xiqing slowly pieced together the scene.
It had to have been Long Yan and the rest of the team. Either Qiu Chao or Ling Lang had been up in that tree fighting for their lives. Only the elite operatives from Franlun wielded custom weapons like this.
Pei Xiqing scoured the surrounding area for a long time but found nothing besides more zombie corpses. Aside from the saber, the team had left no gear behind.
She slumped against the base of the tree, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.
They weren’t here, and there were no human bodies to be found. That meant they had successfully retreated and made it back to headquarters.
She could walk the rest of the way on her own.
She just missed Xiaobai a little bit, and she was still deeply worried about the severe injuries Duan Xiaolin and Ling Lang had sustained.
As long as Xiaobai was kept safely in their vehicle, the dog should be fine. But she wasn’t sure how the capital headquarters would react to the husky. After all, it was a mutant zombie dog. If no one actively protected it, it might get bullied or put down. What a pity…
Duan Xiaolin had told her that with Qiu Chao’s emergency serum in his system, there shouldn’t be any major complications. Ling Lang was a dual-element ability user, so his natural physical resilience was incredibly high. She just had to hope they were all safe.
As for everything else, there was nothing she—a lone zombie wandering the wasteland—could do to help.
Pei Xiqing sat quietly beneath the road sign for a long time, watching mindless groups of zombies shamble past her in the dark. Only when she finally opened her heavy, exhausted eyelids did she realize that dawn had broken.
At least ten different waves of zombies had passed her by during the night. Each cluster contained three or four infected, shuffling along obediently in a uniform herd.
They all seemed to be migrating in the exact same direction.
She wasn’t in any hurry to flee. She straightened her ragged clothes and looked down at the saber resting beside her.
Its design resembled a traditional Tang Hengdao—a straight-backed sword. The craftsmanship was exquisite, perfectly blending historical elegance with modern, tactical military utility.
Pei Xiqing scavenged an abandoned leather backpack from the debris, wrapped the blade carefully in a scrap of cloth, and stowed it inside.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she deliberately walked in the opposite direction of the migrating zombie horde.
Her top priority right now was finding a secure place where she could take a proper shower, find some clean clothes, and finally eat something. However, outside of the heavily fortified survivor bases, places like that basically didn’t exist anymore.
And she was absolutely never stepping foot inside a base again.
She would just have to try her luck out in the wild. It would be amazing if she could stumble across an intact, abandoned hotel like the one she and Duan Xiaolin had stayed at during their previous journey.
She walked for the better part of the day, utterly exhausted, until the jagged skyline of an abandoned city finally appeared on the horizon. The urban ruins were covered in the scars of the apocalypse—shattered by the infected, with many of the high-rises charred completely black. Adjusting the straps of her backpack, she ventured into the desolate streets alone.
After wandering through the concrete labyrinth for a while, she stumbled upon a hidden residential estate tucked away in a remote corner of the city.
The location was remarkably unique, completely encircled by man-made lakes.
The property was isolated from the ruined streets by two massive, heavy black iron gates. She leaned against the metal bars and peered inside. Although the exterior of the villa looked somewhat weathered and dilapidated, the courtyard was filled with fresh, vibrant green plants, and warm, inviting lights glowed through the windows.
Compared to the wasteland outside, it looked like a paradise on earth.
Perhaps Pei Xiqing’s longing stare was a bit too intense, because the heavy front door of the villa suddenly swung open.
A young girl stepped out. She was wearing a tactical backpack, with a sleek pair of twin swords and a firearm strapped securely across her back.
The girl was incredibly petite, standing barely five feet tall. Oddly, she was wearing a puffy, frilly princess dress that completely clashed with the deadly weapons she carried. Her hair was styled in a sharp, short princess cut, framing a delicate face that made her look undeniably cute and adorable. She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.
Seeing Pei Xiqing standing at the gate, the girl looked stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and said sweetly, “Sister, this place operates as a neutral rest stop. The spare key is hidden under the flowerpot by the door. You can come inside if you want to rest. But once you’ve recovered, you need to leave as soon as possible. Zombies could wander by at any moment, and you really can’t stay here long-term. The military occasionally monitors this sector.”
“Okay, thank you,” Pei Xiqing replied, surprised by the hospitality.
“You’re welcome! I’m actually just here scavenging for some good loot myself, hehe,” the girl giggled.
“Are you with the military?” Pei Xiqing asked, eyeing her arsenal.
“Yep, I’m enlisted! But I got separated from my main unit a while ago, so I’m just operating solo right now. What about you, sister? Judging by the state of you, it looks like you just barely escaped from a base. Did you run into some trouble?”
Chapter 116: I Have a Friend
Pei Xiqing laughed and offered a few casual excuses, deciding not to get too friendly with her.
The girl narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Sis, if you don’t want to talk about it, then I’ll leave you to it. See you around, if we’re lucky.”
With that, the girl pushed open the iron gate and skipped away, her small leather shoes clicking against the pavement as if she were dancing.
Pei Xiqing watched her retreat, deducing that she must be a military ability user. She looked incredibly cute, and anyone who could confidently wear a frilly skirt out in the apocalypse definitely possessed high-tier abilities and a significant status within their unit.
Pei Xiqing found the spare key hidden beneath the designated flowerpot, locked the heavy iron gate behind her, and stepped inside the house.
The interior looked like an ordinary civilian home, but it was stocked with essential survival supplies, clean water, and spare clothing.
In the apocalypse, many factions—whether regular military units or rogue ability users operating in the wild—would establish temporary safe houses to facilitate rest and physical recovery between battles.
This place appeared to be a military safe house.
She noticed that the scattered supplies on the shelves, much like the saber strapped to her back, were all stamped with serial numbers.
Pei Xiqing couldn’t wait to finally take a bath. The water temperature was freezing, barely warming up by the time she finished. She kept sneezing as she stepped out and began towel-drying her hair.
There weren’t many clean clothes left in the house. Most of the garments were bloody, torn tactical gear discarded by operatives who had rested here previously. Most of it was men’s clothing heavily damaged in combat. She even spotted a torn, blood-stained skirt—likely belonging to the girl who had just left. It had once been very beautiful, but now it was ruined, coated in the dark blood of the infected.
Pei Xiqing dug through the closets for a long time before finally finding something clean and wearable.
In the past, her wardrobe choices had been meticulously curated; she had to dress like a polished celebrity anytime, anywhere. Now, in the apocalypse, she could finally wear whatever she wanted without her agent barking criticisms at her.
Right now, she only had one priority: dressing as plainly and inconspicuously as possible.
Staying warm was the primary goal.
Most of the available clothing was military surplus. Wearing a full military uniform would draw far too much unwanted attention, so she opted for an unworn, dark brown long-sleeved T-shirt and a low-profile black jacket over it. She topped the outfit off with a tactical cap and a face mask, ensuring that practically no one would be able to recognize her.
Unless, of course, someone knew her intimately well.
There were a few spare weapons stored in the safe house, but they were all incredibly low-tier. However, she did manage to find a scabbard.
She slid the saber into the sheath; it was a perfect fit.
Now she wouldn’t have to worry about the razor-sharp tip slicing through the bottom of her backpack.
Pei Xiqing didn’t dare take too many supplies.
Fearful that an actual military squad might arrive at any moment, she quickly grabbed two packets of compressed biscuits and left the safe house.
In truth, she had already formulated a survival plan once she finished those two biscuits.
She had swiped a lighter from the house. During her time at Base Three, she had read extensively, and from her daily grocery shopping, she had gained a rough understanding of which wild plants were edible and which were toxic.
Simply put, she was going to forage for wild vegetables.
She didn’t know how other people’s foraged vegetables tasted, but the wild greens grown in the apocalypse actually tasted surprisingly good. In fact, many of the vegetable dishes she had eaten at the base were made from wild, mutated flora.
If she was still hungry after foraging, then she’d just have to put the Qiong Snake to work hunting and cooking for her.
“Hey, Qiong Snake,” Pei Xiqing murmured to her palm. “You used to cook for me back at the base. Since I can’t cook to save my life, I’m going to have to rely on you.”
The condensed supernatural energy hovering in her palm instantly vanished.
The snake: …
Pei Xiqing’s eyes curved into a bright smile.
When Duan Xiaolin wielded the Qiong Snake, he exclusively used it to slaughter enemies, cast horrifying curses, or violently devour targets. He probably never expected that it could also be utilized as a personal chef.
Although using a lethal, top-tier entity for cooking was a bit of a waste, she didn’t harbor any lofty ambitions.
She had recently come to a belated realization: the Qiong Snake operated much like a single-use supernatural battery. Once its energy was depleted, it vanished.
That was precisely why the ability had disappeared from Duan Xiaolin.
However, the unique mutation developing within her own body allowed the Qiong Snake to regenerate its energy infinitely, even amplifying its strength over time. Did this classify as infinite endurance?
In a sense, she and the Qiong Snake were partners. She provided the host environment that prevented it from dissipating entirely, and in return, the Qiong Snake resided within her and performed tasks for her.
This was excellent news. There was still hope for catching some wild fish.
Furthermore, because of her unique biology, the zombies wouldn’t attack her. Wandering through the wild was practically no different from taking a leisurely backpacking trip.
As for any other necessary equipment, she could just scavenge it along the way.
Having rested enough, her strength had gradually returned. Brimming with anticipation, Pei Xiqing began picking through the piles of corpses, hoping to scavenge some decent loot. She spent a long time turning over bodies, but found absolutely nothing.
She approached the dead with a respectful attitude, silently praying before attempting to take anything. She only checked for basic survival gear and refused to touch any personal valuables or expensive items. However, it seemed the black market scavengers possessed zero morals. They had already picked the battlefield entirely clean, leaving her with absolutely nothing.
Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but sigh. Those black market thugs were so incredibly greedy; they hadn’t even left the deceased with their underwear.
Fortunately, the original host’s cell phone was still functioning. She walked for miles, seeing nothing but wandering zombies. She didn’t encounter anything remotely interesting and completely lacked the desire to take any photos.
When she had traveled this route previously, she had spotted several scenic locations worth exploring, but why was there absolutely nothing interesting near her current position?
Pei Xiqing grew listless and tired.
She sat down beneath a tree by the side of the road, idly playing with a few mutated squirrels that had emerged from their burrows to forage for food. She hadn’t been resting for long when the heavy, thundering sound of footsteps echoed from the village up ahead, followed closely by the sharp crack of gunfire and the clashing of metal spikes.
Still holding a squirrel, she looked up toward the commotion. Suddenly, she saw the cute girl she had met at the safe house earlier sprinting wildly out of the village, clutching her weapon.
Trailing closely behind the girl was a massive, ferocious horde of sprinting zombies.
The girl blew past her position.
Then, she abruptly skidded to a halt and reversed a few steps.
She marched right up to Pei Xiqing.
Seeing Pei Xiqing lounging lazily under the tree, casually playing with a squirrel amidst a zombie pursuit, the girl didn’t say a word. She simply grabbed Pei Xiqing by the arm, yanked her to her feet, and bolted.
Before Pei Xiqing could even process what was happening, she was forced into a dead sprint. Utterly exhausted, she gasped, “Wait a minute! Wait!”
Her ankle was still healing!
It had finally started feeling better, but now the agonizing pain was shooting right back up her leg!
“If you don’t run, you’re going to be eaten by the zombies!” the girl panted heavily. “Hurry up and run with me!”
“I’m not afraid of zombies—”
“How can anyone not be afraid of zombies?! You’ve got to be kidding me, sis! Hurry up!”
Pei Xiqing was mercilessly dragged into an entirely unnecessary marathon.
By the time they finally stopped, she was completely out of breath, her legs feeling like jelly.
The girl holstered her weapon and looked at her critically. “Sister, your physical stamina is really poor. You definitely don’t exercise regularly.”
“…” Pei Xiqing was utterly speechless.
The girl smiled brightly. “Oh my, it’s a good thing I came along and saved you, otherwise you would have been torn apart by those monsters. You should thank me.”
Pei Xiqing forced a bitter smile. “I do… thank you.”
She hadn’t run that hard in her entire life.
“I’ll make sure to take you running again next time we need to escape.”
“That really won’t be necessary.”
Pei Xiqing rolled her eyes, but a thought suddenly struck her. She deliberately shifted her tone. “You’re amazing! This is the first time I’ve ever seen a girl as cute and capable as you out in the wild. Which base actually managed to train such a powerful ability user? I have a friend who isn’t nearly as skilled as you.”
“Which friend?” the girl asked, intrigued.
“Oh, just someone I knew at a base, but I’d rather not mention them.”
“I’m from Base One,” the girl announced proudly, patting her chest. “The training regimen at Base One is incredibly strict, and the selection process for our vanguard units is extremely rigorous.”
Pei Xiqing stared at her, a slow smile forming beneath her mask. “Base One…”
That’s perfect.
She just needed this girl to do her a massive favor.
Chapter 117: Have You Ever Suffered a Loss?
The girl’s eyes, as bright as dark gemstones, flickered with sudden suspicion. She nervously took two steps back, her hand subconsciously reaching for the tactical backpack on her shoulders. “There’s something wrong with the look in your eyes… Are you actually from a rogue scavenger team? Are you trying to trick me into your territory so your people can ambush me like a helpless sheep?”
The wasteland was swarming with rogue survivor teams, and none of them harbored good intentions. They either burned, killed, and looted outright, or resorted to deceit and traps. They specialized in treating fresh rookies from the bases like gullible fools, bleeding them dry until they were left with absolutely nothing.
Pei Xiqing was momentarily stunned by the girl’s intense defensiveness before bursting into a light laugh. “No, I promise. I just think you’re quite interesting.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take advantage of me just because I’m from Base Two?”
“Of course not.”
“You’d better not.” The girl looked a little embarrassed but lowered her guard. “I believe you. Don’t lie to me, sister. I really believe you.”
“You believe me? This is only the second time we’ve ever met.”
“Because you’re pretty, and pretty people never lie.”
That logic was… certainly unique.
“Sis, if you didn’t intend to harm me or steal my equipment, then why were you asking me all those questions?”
Pei Xiqing’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I’ve never been to Base Two, so I don’t know much about it. I was just asking casually.”
“Which base were you from before, sister?”
“I was at Base Three.”
The girl covered her mouth in shock. “Base Three! But that place was completely destroyed! Are you a survivor from there?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Tang Yitong immediately began chattering non-stop. “I heard there was a massive incident there a few days ago! A colossal zombie horde swarmed the walls, and everyone—humans and infected alike—got trapped inside when the absolute defense system locked down. Then, some kind of explosive viral weapon was set off. It’s been days, and no one even dares to cross the river into that territory. The toxic pollution is too severe. Anyone who breathes in that poison gas will instantly have their brain fried.”
“Is it really that severe?”
“Oh, absolutely. The viral strains over there are no joke.”
Pei Xiqing nodded thoughtfully.
“I’m Tang Yitong, by the way. What’s your name, sister?”
Pei Xiqing almost asked about Duan Xiaolin. “Do you know the Duan at the headquarters…?”
“Oh? Is your last name Duan, sister?”
Pei Xiqing blinked. ???
She was stunned for two seconds before deciding to just play along with the misunderstanding. “Duan… Qing. Yes. Why?”
“Nothing! Then I’ll just call you Sister Qing!”
Pei Xiqing hadn’t expected the girl to act so overly familiar. She wanted to correct her but ultimately gave up. Out here in the wasteland, she couldn’t afford to completely trust anyone anyway, so using a fake name was much safer. Less trouble was always better.
It was quite a coincidence, but the main takeaway was that Tang Yitong clearly didn’t listen very closely to what others said.
“But your name, Duan Qing… sounds like ‘severing love.’ Have you ever suffered a massive loss at the hands of stinky men, sister?”
Pei Xiqing paused. “…That’s not exactly the case.”
In reality, countless men had suffered losses at her hands. However, it wasn’t exactly convenient to brag about that to this naive, ignorant young girl.
Tang Yitong smoothly changed the subject. “Sister, where are you heading next? What’s your plan? Do you want to come back to the base with my team? Base Two is very safe.”
“No, thank you. But there is a small favor I might need to trouble you with.”
“Just name it, sister! As long as you don’t plan on killing me, anything can be discussed.”
“Do I look like I’m capable of killing you?”
Tang Yitong raised a finger and wagged it. “Sister, you clearly have supernatural abilities. You’re not weak at all. That’s actually why I freely gave you the location of the safe house key earlier. I was terrified you’d kill me to silence me if I didn’t cooperate.”
“Oh? Do I look that powerful?”
“My ability is perception,” Tang Yitong said without hesitation. “I can see through a person’s disguise and gauge their true ability level.”
Pei Xiqing’s interest was instantly piqued. “So, what level do you think I am?”
Tang Yitong propped her chin in her hand, staring intently at Pei Xiqing for a long time before finally speaking. “It’s a bit strange.”
“Hm?”
“Your supernatural energy is incredibly strong, but it feels like there’s something else… unusual about your body. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I can sense your raw power, but I can’t decipher the specifics. I’ve analyzed the abilities of countless people, but yours is a complete blur to me. This is the first time I’ve ever encountered someone like you. It’s really bizarre.”
It’s fine to be seen as bizarre. Satisfied that the girl couldn’t see through her half-zombie nature, Pei Xiqing curled her finger, beckoning her closer. “I really do need to ask you for a favor.”
Upon hearing the specific request, Tang Yitong’s eyes widened slightly. “I don’t have my comms equipment on me right now, and my personal devices are dead. I’ll have to meet up with my teammates first before I can send that message for you.”
Pei Xiqing was slightly disappointed. “Is that so…”
“Did you forget I’m out here wandering the wilderness too?” Tang Yitong spun around playfully. “Don’t I look like a lonely kid who got separated from her squad?”
“No.”
She was wearing a frilly skirt and looked as delicate as a pampered princess. If she hadn’t explicitly stated it, no one would have ever guessed she was a wandering ability user surviving in the wasteland.
Tang Yitong grabbed her hands reassuringly. “Oh, don’t worry! This is a super simple favor. Once I regroup with my team, I can get it done in a minute. It’s just a bit difficult right this second. Are you super worried?”
“A little…” After thinking for a moment, Pei Xiqing sighed. “If there’s no other way right now, then we can only wait. Sorry for the hassle.”
“You’re welcome!”
After chatting for a while longer, the two gained a basic understanding of one another. They walked together down the dirt path. Suddenly, Tang Yitong noticed the distinct, chaotic movement of zombies ahead. She immediately started looking for a high vantage point to hide. She loaded a fresh magazine into her weapon and turned around. “Sister Qing, let me tell you, when those zombies get closer, we’ll count how many there are and then—”
She froze.
Pei Xiqing was casually squatting by the side of the road, happily pulling up wild vegetables with both hands.
Tang Yitong stared in disbelief. “Sister… what are you doing?”
Pei Xiqing looked up innocently. “Ah? Is something wrong?”
Tang Yitong pointed frantically down the road. “The zombies are coming! Aren’t you worried at all?!”
Pei Xiqing waved dismissively. “Oh, it’s fine. I’m not afraid. You just go hide in the tree and watch your step. I spotted a ton of delicious wild vegetables over here. I’ll dig them up and cook them for you tonight.”
Tang Yitong was completely dumbfounded. “But… there are probably a lot of zombies! If you just wander around down there, what if they bite you?”
“Did you forget I have superpowers?” Pei Xiqing stuffed a handful of freshly picked greens into her backpack and smiled up at the girl. “It’s really okay. Just take care of yourself. I’m going to head a little further down the bank to take a look. Yell if you need anything.”
“Wait—!”
Before Tang Yitong could even finish her sentence, the zombies surged forward in droves. From the looks of it, there were well over a hundred infected in this wave alone.
Tang Yitong touched the spare magazine in her pocket. After surviving for so long in the apocalyptic wilderness, she was actually running dangerously low on ammunition. Her strategy was to hide whenever possible, saving her bullets for absolute emergencies until she could safely reunite with her team.
But right now, she was incredibly worried. Her new ‘sister’, who had casually strolled off to dig up wild vegetables, had completely disappeared into the brush.
Meanwhile, Pei Xiqing was entirely focused on finding her favorite edible greens. Next to her ran a heavily polluted river. The water was a toxic, murky grayish-black and emitted a foul, stomach-turning odor. She took one look at the sludge and carefully moved away from the bank. However, just as she locked eyes onto a perfect patch of wild vegetables, a bloody hand suddenly shot out of the reeds and grabbed her wrist. The sudden yank caused her to pull the vegetables up crookedly.
The horde of zombies was currently swarming across the road behind her, roaring and snarling in every direction, but Pei Xiqing couldn’t care less. She only cared about her hard-earned food being ruined.
It wasn’t until the man slowly raised his head that Pei Xiqing realized he had just dragged himself out of the toxic river. He wasn’t a zombie, but his physical condition was absolutely horrific.
“…Aren’t you from the S1 unit?”

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