“Everyone, go back and rest for now. Tonight, I will prepare a celebration feast—it’s a good opportunity to celebrate our harvest from this trip!”
The town mayor had once again put on a smiling face, as if the dark expression from earlier had been nothing more than a fleeting moment.
Lin Weiran forced a smile. “Since everything is settled, I wonder when the mayor plans to send us away?”
In truth, they could leave at any time if they wanted.
However, the supplies the mayor had promised, along with the spoils they had gathered this afternoon, still needed to be secured.
“Tonight. Tonight, everything will be completely resolved.” The mayor smiled faintly. “By then, whether you wish to leave immediately or rest for a few days before departing, it’s up to you.”
The group exchanged glances, momentarily pacified.
Su Su carried her backpack and quietly walked toward her room at the end, completely blending into the background.
Suddenly, a strong force yanked her backpack.
Zhao Zhenyu emerged from behind, glaring at her with hostility. “Don’t think I don’t know—you did that on purpose!”
He was referring to how Su Su had deliberately hinted that Zhang Da and Zhang Er’s accident was inseparable from Zhao Zhenyu.
“You think telling the mayor will make him stand up for you?”
Zhao Zhenyu flicked the shoulder strap of her backpack and sneered viciously. “Not a chance. That old fox may say nice things, but when real trouble comes, he’ll just play dumb.”
Su Su pressed her lips together. “What does this have to do with you? Let go!”
“Heh, what if I don’t? Just like if I decide to mess with you—do you really think you can escape?”
Zhao Zhenyu’s gaze swept up and down her body, filled with malice.
Fair skin, delicate features, and a harmless appearance—she was the kind of person who easily incited the urge to be bullied.
“Look at you—so pretty. If you had just been smart enough to follow Wu Zhi from the start, none of this would be happening.”
Su Su forcefully snatched back her backpack.
“Who I’m with is my business! Don’t touch my things!”
“You think I want to touch you?” Zhao Zhenyu sneered meaningfully. “That backpack looks heavy—seems like the mayor gave you quite a lot of benefits. How did you seduce him? Did you sleep with him?”
His words became increasingly vile. Su Su took a deep breath.
Just as Zhao Zhenyu thought he had struck a nerve, she suddenly asked a completely unrelated and unexpected question.
“And you? What did Lin Weiran and Si Zhe give you?”
Zhao Zhenyu frowned. “What are you trying to say?”
Su Su looked at him with sympathy, but her words were merciless.
“You risked your life helping them fight the Tier 3 zombie, but the mayor was only willing to give you two Grade 3 crystals.”
“Have you ever thought about this? If you actually got those two Grade 3 crystals, would you even get a share? Si Zhe has the strongest ability, so he would definitely take one. And the remaining one—do you think he’d give it to Lin Weiran or to you?”
“Fortunately, you guys let one zombie escape and could only get one Grade 3 crystal. Now you and Lin Weiran don’t have to fight over it—everyone’s happy.”
“Otherwise, despite all your hard work and sacrifices, Si Zhe would never have considered you.”
Rather than worry about scarcity, one should worry about inequality. In her past life, those two Grade 3 crystals ultimately ended up in Si Zhe and Lin Weiran’s hands, allowing them to ascend to Tier 3 ability users in one leap.
As for Zhao Zhenyu… no one knew what he truly thought.
Su Su was quite curious—did Zhao Zhenyu really accept this allocation without any resentment?
He and Lin Weiran were both Tier 2 ability users and had both contributed significantly to killing zombies. It was reasonable for Si Zhe to take one Grade 3 crystal, but Lin Weiran? What right did she have?
Su Su hadn’t originally given this matter any thought. If anyone was to blame, it was Zhao Zhenyu for repeatedly provoking her.
“Shut up!” Zhao Zhenyu was stunned for only two seconds before his face darkened instantly. “Are you trying to sow discord?!”
Su Su smiled.
Yes, she was indeed sowing discord.
Just like the story of two peaches causing the death of three warriors—since Zhao Zhenyu had the energy to trouble her, he might as well reflect on whether his contributions to the team were actually worth it.
“Think whatever you want.”
With that, Su Su slammed her door shut.
“You damn btch!” Zhao Zhenyu pounded on the door furiously. “Get out here!”
There was no response.
His expression flickered erratically for a long time before he finally stormed off to his own room in frustration.
Behind the closed door, Su Su let out a deep breath.
“Hiss~”
An impatient hissing sound immediately drew all of her attention.
Only then did Su Su remember—there was still a “transformed” giant python inside her backpack.
Her defiant stance from earlier against Zhao Zhenyu vanished instantly. Her hands trembled as she hesitantly unzipped the bag.
A thick python as wide as a human arm shot out instantly. Its massive head locked onto the human before it, and its crimson forked tongue flicked out impatiently.
Su Su fought against her instinct to flee, but her eyes betrayed traces of fear.
“Xiao Hei…”
The black snake slithered out of the backpack, revealing a two-meter-long body, appearing even more menacing and terrifying.
Given its weight, it was fortunate that Su Su’s physical strength had improved after awakening her ability. Otherwise, just carrying it for a few steps would have bent her back under the pressure.
Facing such a cold-blooded creature, Su Su’s legs trembled. “Y-you… why have you grown so big?”
She had finally gotten used to this Xiao Hei snake and had even managed to hold it without fear.
But who could have expected that after swallowing just one Grade 3 crystal, it would grow to the terrifying size of an Amazonian python?!
“Hiss!”
The black snake seemed to sense Su Su’s fear and hesitation. Its emotionless vertical pupils suddenly turned sharp and icy.
It slithered off the table, inching closer and closer toward the human.
Su Su instinctively wanted to flee, her feet already inching backward.
“Xiao Hei, y-you… can you just stay there for a bit?”
The black snake ignored her completely. In the blink of an eye, it had backed Su Su into the door.
Just imagine—a two-meter-long python appearing in a room, locking its gaze on you without looking away. This was a scene that would make 99% of humans scream in terror.
Su Su held back. She didn’t scream, but her voice trembled more and more. “I just need a little time to adjust. Can you—ah!!!”
Before she could finish speaking, the black python suddenly leaped at her, coiling around her layer by layer.
“Hiss~”
The snake’s head slithered around from behind, stopping right by Su Su’s ear, its forked tongue flicking in and out.
How dare this wretched human reject it!
Perhaps it was the result of swallowing the Grade 3 crystal, but that walnut-sized brain now held an unusual trace of human-like cunning.
It deliberately flicked its tongue, lightly licking the human’s cheek bit by bit.
Its vertical pupils stayed locked on her, as if the more she trembled and panicked, the more delighted and entertained it became.
Even its coils instinctively tightened around her a little more.
Su Su shivered violently. She couldn’t help but recall the news she had seen before the apocalypse—stories of pythons strangling humans to death with their massive bodies.
Xiao Hei… was it treating her as prey too?
In desperation, Su Su quickly activated her ability.
A familiar white glow seeped into the black python’s body. The warmth made it lazily close its eyes, while residual impurities from the crystal it had absorbed were slowly expelled from its body. A sensation of lightness spread through its limbs.
The black snake was finally somewhat appeased.
Yet its tongue still occasionally brushed against the human’s neck, and its tail had quietly coiled around her ankle.
“Xiao Hei…” Su Su mustered her courage and reached out to stroke its head. “Can you let me go? I can help you cleanse the impurities so you won’t feel uncomfortable anymore.”
The black snake opened its eyes.
Before today, it hadn’t understood human speech—it could only vaguely sense human emotions.
But now, it understood.
Let go?
Let go of its human?
Its chilling vertical pupils flickered as it hesitated.
Finally, in a rare act of generosity, it loosened its grip on Su Su.
This timid human was still useful. It couldn’t bite her to death, nor strangle her.
For now, she had done well enough in pleasing it.
The black python slithered back onto the table.
The dangerous cold-blooded creature had finally retreated.
Seeing that it was still willing to listen to her, Su Su discreetly let out a breath of relief. The fear in her heart lessened—just a tiny bit.
“Xiao Hei, you haven’t eaten much today. I still have some food in my backpack…”
She turned her backpack upside down—only to freeze in confusion.
The half-eaten smoked rabbit meat and the large, fluffy bread the town mayor had sent over had completely vanished.
The black snake remained coiled on the table, silently watching her rummage through her things.
However, the small table couldn’t accommodate its full size, and part of its tail dangled in midair, sweeping back and forth across the floor.
“Xiao Hei, have you seen my food?”
It wasn’t until Su Su spoke that the black snake reluctantly opened its mouth. Then, right before her eyes—
It spat out a plastic bag containing the smoked rabbit meat. And another bag, filled with fluffy bread.
Wait…!
Su Su’s eyes widened. “Xiao Hei! How did you even swallow these?!”
Both items were quite large. Even if it had turned into a python, stuffing them into its belly should have at least left a noticeable bulge.
But the way it had just regurgitated them—it was as if they had appeared out of thin air.
Su Su stared dazedly at the smoked rabbit meat and bread in her hands. “You… what exactly is going on?”
The black snake flicked its tongue with a hiss, offering no explanation.
Su Su’s gaze remained fixed on its body.
“Xiao Hei?”
Perhaps because it was being stared at for too long, the black snake suddenly acted out of rare generosity.
It slithered down from the table—then opened its mouth—
And swallowed the entire table!
The table disappeared without a trace!
Su Su clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at the black python in utter shock. “You… you don’t mean to say…”
Could it be that—
It had spatial abilities?!
—
TL: I’ll accept any gold finger