Bang!
The courtyard gate was kicked open.
Clang!
The metal knife aimed straight at Zheng Xiuwen’s occiput was struck away by an ice spike.
Zou Gaoming turned his head in shock and fury. “It’s you guys!”
That group of outsider ability users whom Wei Yan had invited into the village!
Seeing them, his heart inevitably wavered with panic.
Su Su swept past him, her gaze landing on Wei Yan, who lay motionless on the ground. His temple… She strode forward.
“He swallowed a crystal again?”
Even when facing the threat of death, Zheng Xiuwen hadn’t been as terrified as she was now, watching Wei Yan vomit mouthfuls of fresh blood. Her tears streamed uncontrollably.
“Brother Wei, Brother Wei swallowed a Grade 4 crystal! He had only just advanced to Tier 3 not long ago. Swallowing a Grade 4 crystal so soon—he won’t be able to withstand it! He’s going to die!”
An ability user who ingested crystals could feel the overload of energy within their body. When Wei Yan obtained that Grade 4 crystal, he hadn’t swallowed it immediately because he was wary of the potential catastrophic consequences of energy overload.
Who could have thought that Zou Gaoming would still push him to this point?
“If you don’t want to die, then move aside!”
Zou Gaoming was panicking, but at this point, it was either Wei Yan’s life or his. He had to kill with a single strike.
“This is our village’s business. If you insist on getting involved, don’t blame me for releasing more zombies!”
Whether he was bluffing or not, no one could tell. Perhaps there were more zombies hidden in the village, or maybe this was the only one.
Su Su was more inclined to believe the latter.
Without turning her head, she called out, “Can Can, Le Rui.”
“Understood!”
Pang Cancan immediately released a dozen venomous insects. They buzzed through the air, encircling Zou Gaoming in the blink of an eye. At the same time, a dense barrage of hailstones pelted down.
In desperation, Zou Gaoming gathered all the nearby metal, fusing and forging it to form a tightly sealed iron shell around himself, protecting his entire body.
The venomous insects crashed against the iron shell one after another.
Hearing the continuous thudding sounds, Zou Gaoming had barely let out a sigh of relief when he saw a row of sharp, serrated mandibles embed themselves into the iron sheet. As they gnawed persistently, more than a dozen holes rapidly appeared, each one widening.
His eyes turned red as he frantically drove metal knives to stab at every venomous insect trying to burrow inside. “Die, you damn things!”
Outside the iron shell—
Pang Cancan stood with her hands on her hips, sneering. “Stab away! Let’s see whose endurance lasts longer—your little knives or my babies’ teeth!”
The battle raged on over there.
Meanwhile, Wei Yan coughed up more and more blood. His temple swelled alarmingly, on the verge of bursting at any moment.
Su Su crouched beside him, her mind racing for half a second.
Her ability could cleanse crystal impurities—a secret known only to Xiao Hei. Even Pang Cancan and Le Rui only knew she could control zombies.
If she stepped in to save Wei Yan… it would mean completely exposing her ability in front of both her people and Wei Yan’s.
In that half-second, Su Su thought about many things—the consequences of exposure, the chain reactions that might follow.
But at the same time, she thought about nothing at all, because all of these scenarios were just assumptions. Perhaps it was foresight, or perhaps she was worrying over nothing.
The half-second passed.
Su Su made her decision. “I can save him.”
Zheng Wenxiu looked over in shock. “You can save Brother Wei?”
“Yes.”
Su Su answered without hesitation.
She wanted to save Wei Yan. Maybe it was because he had agreed to let them into Hot Spring Village. Maybe it was because of the two barrels of vegetables already stored in her space. Whatever the reason, it was a decision from her own heart.
If it led to bad consequences… Su Su smiled faintly. She had her own strength, and she had Xiao Hei, who was even more brutal and powerful. If that wasn’t enough to let her act as she pleased in the apocalypse, then she might as well just become a coward, completely distancing herself from others. That would be the only way to never risk exposing her ability.
Zheng Wenxiu stared at her in a daze.
She had seen that smile—a confident, radiant smile that made her instinctively trust this person’s words.
“How are you going to save him? Do you need my help?”
“No need.”
Su Su approached Wei Yan and extended her hand—white light instantly enveloped his entire body.
It continuously flowed into him, guiding the excess crystal impurities out of his system bit by bit. It even directed the rampaging energy, allowing it to be absorbed in an orderly and gradual manner.
As the ability continued to take effect, something miraculous happened!
Wei Yan finally stopped vomiting blood, and the bluish-purple swelling on his temple no longer showed signs of further expansion. Everything was stabilizing.
Zheng Wenxiu’s expression shifted from disbelief to joy and excitement.
She wiped away her tears, then suddenly smiled in a daze.
Brother Wei was a stubborn man with unwavering principles. His personality had allowed people like Zou Gaoming to grow more arrogant and resort to underhanded tactics in the shadows. But it was also that very personality that had earned her and Guan Zixuan’s loyalty and had led him to open the village gates to outsiders.
No one had expected that among those strangers, there would be a healing ability user—the one to bring him back from the brink of death!
That’s right. Zheng Wenxiu had already assumed that Su Su was a healer-type ability user.
She held her breath, staring at the scene in front of her, until a half-open courtyard door was suddenly pushed wide—
“Brother Wei! Wenxiu! I drove everyone out!”
Guan Zixuan rushed in from outside, panting heavily. The moment he looked up, he was met with the chaotic scene in the courtyard.
“What happened?!”
He looked around blankly. The moment he saw Wei Yan lying on the ground, he lunged forward in terror.
“Brother Wei?!”
Zheng Wenxiu reacted swiftly and grabbed him. “Brother Wei was ambushed by a Tier 4 zombie and was forced to swallow a Grade 4 crystal. He nearly exploded from the energy overload. Right now, Miss Su is treating him.”
A single sentence, packed with astonishing information.
Guan Zixuan bombarded her with questions. “Where did a zombie come from in the village? What do you mean by ‘exploding from energy overload’? Miss Su is treating Brother Wei?”
Zheng Wenxiu had no choice but to briefly recount what had just happened.
After hearing everything, Guan Zixuan was furious. “Zou Gaoming, that bastard!”
He spun around and charged toward the “iron shell” still under siege.
“Step aside! I’ll personally take care of this scum!”
Hearing this, Pang Cancan and Le Rui sensibly withdrew, leaving the battlefield to Guan Zixuan.
“Zou Gaoming! You ungrateful traitor! How dare you harm Brother Wei?!”
A massive wind blade slashed toward Zou Gaoming. He was well aware of Guan Zixuan’s ability—it had been honed through countless battles with zombies, a brutal and ironclad force. As someone whose strength was built solely on absorbing crystals, Zou Gaoming knew he was no match for Guan Zixuan.
Seeing the situation turn against him, he immediately scaled the wall and fled.
“Stop right there!”
Guan Zixuan bolted after him.
The chase stretched over seven to eight hundred meters, leading them to an open space where several villagers had gathered.
The gap between the two narrowed, and the glaring pursuit soon attracted a crowd of onlookers.
“What’s going on?”
“Why is Brother Guan chasing Brother Zou?”
“Is it because of what happened earlier? But Brother Zou was doing it for our sake!”
The murmurs and discussions did nothing to stop Guan Zixuan; instead, they only fueled his anger.
For their sake?
Had Brother Wei ever mistreated these people? The peace and stability of Hot Spring Village were at least seventy percent due to Brother Wei’s efforts!
And yet? Shunzi and his group had turned against him, and Zou Gaoming—someone Brother Wei had personally nurtured—had secretly been feeding zombies that countered Brother Wei’s ability since the second month of the apocalypse!
Guan Zixuan’s eyes burned red with fury.
Seeing the distance between them shrink, he raised his massive wind blade and swung it viciously at Zou Gaoming.
Clang!
As expected, the wind blade struck the metal-forged shield Zou Gaoming had created. However, to his shock, the shield only managed to withstand a third of the force before it split into two brittle sheets of metal in the next second.
“Ah!”
Zou Gaoming barely had time to let out a short, desperate scream before the wind blade cleaved through the back of his neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering across Guan Zixuan’s face and body, drenching him in red in an instant.
“Ahhhhhh!!!!”
The surrounding villagers screamed in horror, their minds momentarily crashing as they witnessed Guan Zixuan beheading Zou Gaoming right before their eyes.
Guan Zixuan stared at the severed head rolling on the ground, a fleeting trace of complexity flashing in his eyes.
No matter what, Zou Gaoming had been a companion he’d lived alongside for over a year.
But that thought was fleeting—his mind was soon filled with the horrifying image of Brother Wei’s near explosion, his life hanging by a thread.
Zou Gaoming deserved to die!
Guan Zixuan withdrew his wind blade and strode back with a cold expression.
As he passed by, the villagers shrank back in fear, their faces drained of color.
Only when the “God-Slayer” disappeared from view did they dare to regroup.
“What exactly did Brother Zou do to make Guan Zixuan insist on killing him?”
“Was it just because he brought back a few women? But he’s been guarding our village for so long—maybe he didn’t earn merit, but he at least worked hard! How can they just kill him like that?”
Their voices gradually filled with righteous indignation.
Perhaps they were speaking up for Zou Gaoming, or perhaps… they were terrified of ending up the same way.
A bachelor, whose home hadn’t been searched but who had still participated in the selection process, muttered, “Brother Zou was so strong, yet Guan Zixuan just killed him like that. What if… tomorrow, he decides he doesn’t like any of us who made mistakes? Will we be dragged out and killed too?”
The moment those words fell, silence blanketed the group.
Those who had supported Zou Gaoming had, to some extent, benefited from him and committed hidden transgressions.
If Guan Zixuan was truly so intolerant of any wrongdoing, then a blade would forever hang over their heads.
“Guan Zixuan is just an outsider—he has no deep ties to us. But Brother Wei is different. Even if his family moved to the city when he was young, he still has roots here. We’re his fellow villagers—there’s no way he’d be so heartless!”
“Then… should we go talk to Brother Wei?”
“Yes, let’s go!”
—
Inside the courtyard.
When Su Su withdrew her hand, the swelling on Wei Yan’s temple had already reduced to the size of a cherry tomato. His eyes looked much clearer.
Zheng Wenxiu asked anxiously, “Brother Wei, how do you feel now?”
Wei Yan rasped, “Much better. The energy inside me is slowly absorbing on its own.”
“That’s great!”
Wei Yan’s gaze landed on Su Su.
She stood with her back to the sunlight, and logically, he should only be able to see the outline of her face. Yet, inexplicably, he could make out every detail of her features—each and every nuance.
His heart began to race.
For a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was a side effect of swallowing the crystal… or the lingering exhilaration of being dragged back from the brink of death.
His rational mind told him this was just the suspension bridge effect.
But his emotions had already taken control, and he couldn’t suppress the rapid beating of his heart.
Just then, Guan Zixuan walked into the courtyard, covered in blood, giving Wei Yan a reason to shift his attention.
“Brother Wei, I killed Zou Gaoming!”
“…Killed him, then killed him.”
The appearance of that Tier 4 zombie had left Wei Yan completely disillusioned.
Not just with Zou Gaoming, but also with Shunzi, Da Zhuang, and all the villagers.
Did they really not know about the zombie’s existence? Did they truly support his leadership?
He didn’t have time to ponder further, as the villagers, uninvited, crowded into the courtyard.
“Brother Wei.”
The leading villager was the first to speak, immediately pointing fingers. “Brother Zou contributed so much to our village, yet Guan Zixuan killed him just like that! He’s so ruthless—who knows, maybe one day, if he doesn’t like us, he’ll kill us too!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
A group of villagers quickly echoed in agreement.
Guan Zixuan almost laughed in anger and turned to look at Wei Yan.
Wei Yan, however, simply gazed quietly at the villagers he had protected for more than half a year. “Then what do you want?”
The villagers exchanged glances, and the same man spoke again. “Brother Wei, we aren’t as unreasonable as him. But he has to leave Hot Spring Village! We can’t keep a murderer here!”
“By that logic,” Wei Yan sneered, “all the evil things Zou Gaoming did—you were his accomplices. That makes you murderers too. Should I kick you out of the village as well?”
“That’s different!” the villager retorted urgently. “We didn’t know what Brother Zou was doing—how can we be considered accomplices? And even if he was wrong, Guan Zixuan shouldn’t have killed him outright!”
Wei Yan let out a cold laugh. “So what? Should I have just kept him around, letting him enjoy all the benefits while trampling over the rest of you?”
His words dripped with sarcasm, and the complaining villagers fell silent.
Wei Yan took one last look at them before closing his eyes in exhaustion. “I’m tired.”
“Since you’re all so opinionated and so deeply believe in Zou Gaoming’s way of doing things, I have no reason to lead you any further.”
The villagers looked at each other in shock.
“Brother Wei, what do you mean by that?”
“I mean—” Wei Yan opened his eyes and spoke each word clearly, “Zixuan is an outsider. And I, someone who only returned to this village as an adult to start a new life, am also an outsider. Since we’re just outsiders, we won’t interfere in Hot Spring Village’s affairs any longer.”
The villagers panicked.
“Brother Wei! That’s not what we meant!”
“It doesn’t matter what you meant. My decision is final.”
“Zixuan, go cripple Shunzi and the others’ abilities. Then ask the women who were rescued whether they want to stay in the village or leave with us.”
“Xiuwen, pack up everything in the warehouse, and take everything that belongs to us.”
The villagers were thrown into complete chaos.
“Brother Wei, are you leaving the village?!”
“If you take all the supplies, what are we supposed to do?”
“What if someone comes to take over the village once you’re gone?”
A barrage of questions erupted, sounding more like an interrogation. The noise made Wei Yan’s temple throb painfully.
Wei Yan took a deep breath and suddenly roared, “Shut up! All of you!”
The scene finally fell silent.
With a cold expression, he said, “What does any of this have to do with me?”
For a moment, no one could answer. They could only watch in silence as Guan Zixuan and Zheng Wenxiu carried out all of Wei Yan’s orders.
“Brother Wei, all the supplies in the warehouse have been stored in the space. I also checked the greenhouses and took half of the vegetables.”
“I asked the women as well. They all want to leave with us. There are three vehicles in the village—we’ll be taking two of them.”
Wei Yan braced himself against the wall and struggled to his feet.
“Let’s go.”
Their presence was too overwhelming—no one dared to stop them. Fear silently spread in the hearts of the remaining villagers.
Wei Yan’s gaze finally fell on Su Su.
“Miss Su, what about you? Do you prefer to stay here, or will you come with us?”
Su Su froze, momentarily unable to respond.
“Sister Su Su?”
“Sister Su Sujie?”
The two called out to her at the same time, snapping her back to reality.
But instead of answering Wei Yan, she stepped past him, her eyes falling on Guan Zixuan.
From the moment the villagers had called out “Guan Zixuan”, her mind had drifted far away.
Guan Zixuan.
In her past life, a medium-sized base had risen in the city adjacent to the Southern Base.
The leader of that base had been named Guan Zixuan.
Su Su’s gaze returned to Wei Yan as she calmly asked, “Where do you plan to go?”
The cold wave was growing stronger, and a devastating blizzard was approaching.
Leaving Hot Spring Village—where would they go? Would they just find some random shelter and endure the storm?
Wei Yan’s lips curled into a brief smile. “The provincial capital has more than one hot spring.”
More than one hot spring?
Looking at the firm certainty in his eyes, Su Su chose to trust the local.
She turned to Pang Cancan and Le Rui—both had no objections, blindly following her lead.
Su Su looked back, making a swift decision. “Alright, we’ll go with you!”