So, what does this mean? Dual abilities?
Soon, the black snake spat the table back out and lazily lay down again.
It seemed as if the scene just now was merely to prove its newly awakened ability in front of Su Su.
Such a miraculous sight directly stunned Su Su for more than ten seconds.
By the time she reacted, she had already lunged forward, kneeling before the table, staring at Xiao Hei without blinking. Her already beautiful and alluring eyes sparkled brightly at this moment.
“Xiao Hei, you have a spatial ability, don’t you?”
“Hiss—”
The black python arrogantly flicked its tongue.
Su Su didn’t get a response, but that didn’t stop her excitement.
“Xiao Hei! You’re truly amazing!”
A spatial ability! In the entire post-apocalyptic world, barely anyone possessed such an ability that was practically a cheat!
Su Su, thrilled, wanted to hug it, but the moment she stretched out her hand, she froze midair.
Hug… how to hug? Would she really hold a nearly two-meter-long python in her arms?
The black snake keenly sensed her hesitation.
It coldly lifted its tail and rested it on the human’s knee in a threatening manner.
Su Su immediately understood.
“I’m not afraid of you.” She instinctively cradled its tail in her arms and showed a sweet smile. “I’m just not used to you becoming this big.”
Hmph.
The human’s words were still acceptable, and the tail was being held quite comfortably.
The black snake finally decided to be magnanimous and let go of this human, who had “disliked” it again and again.
Su Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Having spent so much time with this snake, she had vaguely begun to grasp some of its temperament—grudging, petty-minded… If she wanted to become a trusted long-term companion, she had to get used to Xiao Hei’s python body as soon as possible…
“Su Su?”
The call from outside interrupted Su Su’s thoughts—it was the mayor!
“The celebration banquet has already started. Why don’t you come too?”
“Xiao Hei, get in quickly!”
Su Su hurriedly opened her backpack and coaxed and dragged Xiao Hei inside.
“Shh.”
Through a tiny gap, Su Su carefully raised a finger in front of the snake’s vertical pupils.
“I’m taking you to the celebration banquet. It’ll be full of ability users, so you mustn’t make a sound, understand?”
The black snake seemed to truly understand. Although somewhat reluctant, it still obediently curled up inside the backpack without moving.
Su Su let out a sigh of relief. She couldn’t shake the feeling that after devouring the Tier 3 crystal, Xiao Hei had somehow begun to understand human speech.
Even its behavior appeared much more humanized compared to its previously primitive state.
“Are you inside?”
The mayor was still knocking outside. Su Su had no time to think further and could only open the door first.
“Your cousin and the others have all gone. I saw that you hadn’t come, so I came to get you.” The mayor lifted his hand and gently tucked a loose strand of Su Su’s hair behind her ear with considerate tenderness. “If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the celebration banquet.”
A man in his thirties, when pursuing a woman, could be meticulous in every possible way.
Coming alone to call on Su Su while leaving everyone else behind was enough to demonstrate his sincerity.
—This was an ability user, an ability user lowering himself for an ordinary person!
Su Su couldn’t help but recall the words of a companion from her past life.
She was supposed to feel “honored,” yet instead, an involuntary shiver ran down her spine.
Her subconscious wanted to refuse this celebration banquet, but after hesitating for a few seconds, reason prevailed.
No, she had to go!
In her past life, the mayor’s invitation had been like stepping into a den of wolves and tigers—something she wanted to avoid but had no power to reject. In the end, she was taken to the celebration banquet like a mere “plaything.”
Everyone’s gazes toward her were just like how they looked at the mayor’s accessory.
This life…
Su Su suddenly agreed.
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
The mayor didn’t notice anything unusual.
He looked at the girl before him, her head slightly lowered, and a hint of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.
“We’ll go together.”
“Mm.”
Perhaps out of consideration for Su Su’s pace, the mayor walked beside her at an unhurried, steady rhythm, never rushing her in the slightest.
Su Su subtly tilted her head, catching a glimpse of the man from the corner of her eye.
He was the mayor of an entire town and, at the beginning of the apocalypse, a formidable Tier 2 ability user.
Very soon, he would advance to Tier 3.
In her past life, she had keenly sensed his ulterior motives in approaching her, yet she had no power to refuse.
Just like Wu Zhi back then, everyone had simply assumed that she should stay in the town and rely on the mayor—otherwise, she would be deemed ungrateful.
Under such circumstances, all of the mayor’s gentle gestures had appeared in Su Su’s eyes as nothing more than a hidden guillotine waiting to fall.
But now…Su Su lifted her gaze, just in time to meet the mayor’s eyes.
She did not evade, did not flinch. Instead, she even tilted her face up slightly and curved her lips into a faint smile.
There was nothing to fear.
So what if they were ability users? She was one too now—a Tier 2 ability user—and she had Xiao Hei!
The fate of her past life, the tragic disfigurement… she would never walk down that path again.
Su Su’s arrival caused the celebratory banquet to fall silent for a few seconds.
Zhao Zhenyu, who had always targeted her, merely let out a cold laugh but, for once, did not mock her.
“Sit next to me.”
Faced with the mayor’s invitation, Su Su did not hesitate.
Most of the heartier dishes on the table were placed in front of the mayor and the other Tier 2 ability users. Even if it was just for the sake of her own stomach, she had to thicken her skin and sit there.
“This toast, I offer on behalf of the entire town!”
The mayor stood up, raising his glass toward everyone.
“Thanks to all of you, we successfully conquered the outskirts of C City. Not only did we acquire two Grade 3 crystals, but we also brought back a large amount of supplies! No need for more words—let’s eat and distribute the spoils at the same time!”
“Sun Wan, bring the goods in!”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned toward the door.
Even Lin Weiran and Si Zhe, who usually maintained an indifferent demeanor, immediately looked toward the wooden tray in Sun Wan’s hands.
On it were two wooden bowls, each containing crystals of various colors—all spoils of war from the afternoon’s battle against the zombies.
The mayor walked over to Sun Wan, grabbed a handful of crystals, and smiled. “In the recent battle, we obtained a total of 280 miscellaneous crystals, 100 Grade 1 crystals, 48 Grade 2 crystals, and two Grade 3 crystals.”
At the end of his words, he turned toward Si Zhe.
“Ability User Si, you’ve already received one of the Grade 3 crystals, correct?”
Si Zhe gave a slight nod. “Grade 3 crystals are quite valuable. After we killed that zombie, we kept it safe right away.”
“That works out well. I also kept one Grade 3 crystal. Although the final haul didn’t meet our expectations, plans can never keep up with changes—this is already the best possible outcome. Ability User Si, Ability User Lin, what do you two think?”
Lin Weiran let out a false smile. “Of course, having a single Grade 3 crystal is already quite good.”
Hearing this response, the mayor seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“It was my mistake in the fight that allowed one Tier 3 zombie to escape, burdening everyone. So how about this—let’s scrap the previous 70-30 split and split everything evenly instead! How does that sound?”
Lin Weiran and Si Zhe exchanged glances. The latter nodded in agreement.
Looking back at the mayor, Lin Weiran’s smile became a little more genuine. “The mayor is generous.”
An even split meant they would receive 24 Grade 2 crystals and 50 Grade 1 crystals. While they couldn’t compare to the rarity of a Grade 3 crystal, it was still a considerable fortune.
Any crystals their teammates couldn’t use could be traded with others for different resources.
All in all, this trip to the town was an absolute win!
A hint of joy appeared on everyone’s faces. Even Si Zhe, despite suspecting that the mayor had intentionally let the Tier 3 zombie escape, decided against making a scene. After all, the mayor had tried to pull a trick but ended up losing out instead—it wasn’t worth breaking ties over.
As the weighty crystals were handed to Lin Weiran, the mayor gave another order.
“Sun Wan, bring in the supplies as well.”
“Yes.”
Lin Weiran’s heart stirred.
What concerned her most was, first, the Grade 3 crystal, and second, the supplies the mayor had promised. Those were the main reason their group had come here in the first place.
Before long, batch after batch of supplies was carried into the reception hall.
“One hundred jin of rice, three boxes of bagged instant noodles, fifty cans of meat, thirty jin of sausages, fifteen smoked chickens…”
As the list was read out and the goods were placed before them, a flash of shock appeared in all the team members’ eyes.
In the pre-apocalypse world, these foods would hardly be considered luxurious.
But after six months in the apocalypse, hardly anyone could afford to bring out such supplies.
Not to mention, there was a full range of food—staples, meat, side dishes. Even the town’s own residents probably didn’t eat this well!
A sense of unease rose in Lin Weiran’s heart. “Mayor, isn’t this a bit too much?”
The mayor smiled casually, unfazed. “Not at all. This is just a token of goodwill from our town. Later, we’ll have it all loaded directly onto your vehicle!”
But even that statement couldn’t dispel Lin Weiran’s apprehension.
Dividing the crystals evenly could be explained as an attempt to placate them.
But what about these supplies? They had long heard that in this town, only ability users got to eat meat at every meal, while ordinary townsfolk had to trade labor just for a piece of flatbread.
Giving away so much food to outsiders—there was no way the town had resources to spare like this unless the mayor had ulterior motives!
Lin Weiran couldn’t help but glance at Si Zhe. A flicker of wariness flashed through his eyes as well.
Perhaps noticing their reaction, the mayor let out a hearty laugh. “Actually, the reason I’m giving you all these supplies is because I have a personal request…”
“What request?”
The mayor’s gaze swept past everyone and landed on Su Su, who was quietly eating at the table.
She had her head lowered, holding a bowl of rice, eating in silence. Her delicate, fair profile seemed to exist on a different layer from the people around her.
The mayor’s intent was clear.
Lin Weiran saw it. Everyone saw it.
And the meaning behind it was obvious without words.
“Ability User Lin, I want Su Su to stay. I can guarantee that she’ll live a good life.”
These words were addressed directly to Lin Weiran.
She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
It was Zhao Zhenyu who spoke first. Staring at Su Su, who was still eating without lifting her head, he suggested loudly, “Weiran, this is a good thing! Your cousin doesn’t have any abilities, and she’s a frail woman. If she follows us south, who knows when she’ll get eaten by zombies? Wouldn’t it be better for her to stay in the town? It’s safer, and someone will take care of her!”
Hearing this, Lin Weiran carefully examined the mayor.
This man had his own schemes, but his goodwill toward Su Su wasn’t fake. He was the leader of an entire town, a powerful Tier 2 ability user… Though he was older and had been divorced, in the apocalypse, strength and resources were what truly mattered.
Lin Weiran felt tempted.
In Lin Weiran’s eyes, Su Su’s best option was to stay in the town. The further south they traveled, the more dangerous it would become. Most of the time, she was already stretched too thin—how could she possibly protect an ordinary person with no combat abilities?
“Su Su, what do you think?”
The person in question had been eating the entire time. She had even taken advantage of the others’ focus on the crystals to quietly finish off an entire plate of cured sausages.
It was only when Lin Weiran asked that she finally lifted her head, slowly sweeping her gaze across the room.
Everyone was waiting for her answer.
The mayor’s eyes were filled with certainty, Sun Wan’s eyes were indifferent, Zhao Zhenyu’s were brimming with malice.
As for Lin Weiran—her so-called cousin—she was merely going along with the tide, her expression filled with “encouragement.”
The exact same scene as her past life.
Su Su didn’t respond immediately. She slowly chewed the last piece of sausage in her mouth, swallowed it completely, and only then spoke four words—
“I don’t want to.”
Her refusal drew shocked looks from everyone.
Zhao Zhenyu let out a cold laugh. “You don’t want to? Then what have you been doing these past two days? You’ve been eating and staying here without the slightest hesitation, and now you’re saying you don’t want to?”
Lin Weiran also frowned. “Su Su, I thought over these past two days… you had developed some goodwill toward the mayor. Isn’t that the case?”
The only one who remained silent was the mayor.
As if he had already anticipated that Su Su wouldn’t agree so easily, there wasn’t even a hint of surprise on his face. The smile remained at the corner of his lips as he quietly listened to the others “questioning” Su Su.
A young girl wanting everything—how could it be that simple?
Hearing their words, Su Su’s mind wavered.
What did they say in her past life?
“What? Wu Zhi wasn’t good enough for you, and now the mayor isn’t either? Who are you waiting for then? Si Zhe? Or is this just your way of playing hard to get? Trying to sell yourself at a higher price?” — That was Zhao Zhenyu’s mockery.
“Su Su, staying in the town is the best choice. Don’t be so stubborn, alright?” — That was Lin Weiran’s troubled persuasion.
As for the mayor, just like now, he didn’t even need to speak. A single smile was enough to let the situation unfold exactly as he wanted.
And her?
She had panicked, utterly unprepared for the consequences of rejecting the mayor’s goodwill and firmly expressing her resistance… But in everyone else’s eyes, it was just that she didn’t know what was good for her, that she lacked self-awareness.
Why? Why did she have to rely on a man? Had she truly burdened anyone along the way?
The world spun before her eyes, and for the first time, Su Su was terrified.
She feared that these people would decide her fate for her without a second thought, that they would disregard her will and leave her in the town.
But as she looked around, she realized—there was no one who understood her, no one who stood by her side.
Not even Lin Weiran, who always claimed to have her best interests at heart.
The memory ended there.
Su Su slowly let out a breath. “These past two days… hasn’t the mayor been hosting all of us?”
A fleeting trace of confusion and innocence appeared in her clear, untainted eyes as she glanced at the aggressive Zhao Zhenyu and the frowning Lin Weiran.
“Didn’t everyone eat and drink the same things?”
“Or… did I misunderstand your meaning? Was I not supposed to sleep in a room? Was I not supposed to eat this food?”