That night when they drove away the zombie horde was utter chaos.
Su Su only remembered that Xiao Hei had killed hundreds of zombies, their dense corpses piled up outside the back door. If no one had gotten there first, they should still be there now.
“The zombie horde surrounded the stadium for an entire day and night—there shouldn’t be anyone daring enough to come near.”
The three of them arrived at the back door and looked out—sure enough, the corpses were still piled up in their original spots.
Xiao Hei’s blue flames were too domineering. Some low-tier zombies, completely engulfed by the fire, burned to ashes on the spot, scattering their crystals all over the place.
Some zombies, either because they were farther away or had strong enough abilities, barely managed to leave behind charred corpses.
“Le Rui, you pick up the crystals scattered on the ground. Can Can and I will retrieve the ones inside the zombies’ heads.”
“Alright!”
With that, Su Su and Pang Cancan stepped outside the back door.
“Sister Su Su, you start from the left, and I’ll start from the right.”
“Mm.”
The two divided their work clearly and entered the heap of zombies, one to the left and one to the right.
Some zombies had been burned too thoroughly. When Su Su lightly kicked one, its head crumbled like coal from a furnace, breaking apart into pieces.
She effortlessly picked up the crystal that had fallen into the “charcoal.”
“Hiss—”
The black snake behind her, draped over her back, restlessly leaned in, its smooth head rubbing against her neck as if urging her.
Su Su casually fed it. “What’s the rush? You killed them, so eat as much as you want.”
The black snake swallowed the crystal in one gulp.
Like that, it ate as they walked, gulping down dozens of crystals of various levels in no time. Occasionally, when they came across a more intact charred corpse, the black snake would even spit out a puff of blue flames, burning it a little more.
This way, Su Su didn’t have to cut off the zombies’ heads and dig for the crystals—she only needed to give them a gentle kick.
The black ash scattered, and the crystal would automatically roll to her feet.
Gulp.
Another Grade 2 crystal was swallowed by the black snake.
Su Su stroked its belly worriedly. “Still not full?”
It wasn’t that she was reluctant to part with the crystals, but…
Humans could only consume a limited number of crystals.
For example, a Tier 1 ability user could consume unlimited Grade 1 crystals. The benefit was that it would strengthen their abilities, giving them an advantage against opponents of the same tier. But no matter how many crystals they ate, they could never break through to the next tier. To advance, they needed higher-tier crystals.
Moreover, the more crystals one consumed, the more impurities accumulated. Many ability users who blindly devoured crystals would suddenly explode and die at a certain stage.
In her past life, Su Su hadn’t understood this, and many others hadn’t either.
It wasn’t until much later that people figured out a pattern—slow down the pace of crystal consumption and give the body enough time to digest and absorb. Avoid consuming too many same-tier crystals; the best way to grow stronger was to consume only higher-tier crystals.
This was a pattern ability users had summarized, but no one truly understood the underlying reason.
Now that she had lived a second life and possessed such a unique ability, Su Su finally figured it out—those ability users who had consumed too many crystals likely perished because of excessive impurity buildup. The human body’s endurance threshold was too limited, leading them to destruction.
If humans couldn’t withstand it, then for animals, with their physical structure, it would be even more difficult.
Xiao Hei had devoured so many in succession…
Before Su Su could think further, her chin was suddenly nudged twice by the black snake’s head.
“Hiss…”
It bared its fangs in a grimace, appearing to be in pain, clearly suffering from the overwhelming energy and the impurities it couldn’t expel.
“That’s what you get for eating so much!”
Despite her words, Su Su still felt distressed and immediately released her ability. A dense, white light surged into the black snake’s body.
Tiny specks of impurities were quickly expelled.
Xiao Hei visibly relaxed at an incredible speed, and even its hissing no longer sounded as weak.
“Hiss!”
It slithered out of the backpack and climbed onto its servant’s shoulder in a show of pride.
Su Su, caught off guard, was abruptly weighed down and staggered, nearly toppling onto a zombie corpse.
“Xiao Hei!!!”
She angrily scooped the black snake off her shoulder and into her arms. “Do you even know how heavy you are?! If this keeps up, I’m going to turn into a hunchback!”
Besides, she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she had the distinct feeling that it was getting heavier.
But it hadn’t eaten that much, had it?
Su Su carefully examined Xiao Hei in her arms, and suddenly, something felt off—
Before, when she lifted it to her chest and used her other hand to support the lower half, its tail tip would dangle freely, suspended dozens of centimeters above the ground.
But now, her holding posture hadn’t changed, yet its thin tail tip was nearly touching the ground.
“!!!”
Su Su blinked. “Xiao Hei.”
“Hiss?” The black snake innocently flicked its tail.
“Did you… get longer?”
Its body seemed to have thickened as well.
Su Su stared at it in disbelief. “Could it be that eating these crystals makes you grow bigger?”
“Hiss~”
The black snake swayed its tail smugly.
She only realized it now? Just wait—once it ate a few more of these little stones and kept growing, it would eventually be able to coil completely around her.
“…”
Su Su finally understood why Xiao Hei loved devouring low-tier crystals so much.
It turned out that the energy within them not only sustained it but also allowed its body to grow. Though the changes weren’t as drastic as when it consumed Grade 3 crystals, it was clearly a slow and steady form of evolution.
But if it grew any bigger… she wouldn’t be able to carry it anymore.
The scene suddenly reminded her of raising a child—one that always clung to its mother for hugs, only to reach an age where it had to walk on its own.
Su Su chuckled, then struggled to adjust the “fat little thing” in her arms. “Fine, eat as much as you want. But once I can’t carry you anymore, you’re walking on your own.”
The black snake’s body instantly stiffened, and its earlier smugness deflated in an instant.
It still swallowed the crystals that followed, but its heart wasn’t in it.
Its vertical pupils frequently flicked toward the human’s delicate side profile. When she bent down to pick up a crystal, her soft pink lips pursed with effort, and her entire body tensed.
“Hiss~”
Suddenly, the black snake slithered back into the backpack, instantly lightening the load in her arms.
Carrying it on her back was much easier than holding it in her arms. Su Su let out a breath of relief, then gently kicked out with her right foot. The charred zombie’s head crumbled apart, and an orange crystal immediately rolled to her feet.
A Grade 3 crystal!
Su Su quickly picked it up, and when the black snake once again nudged its head forward, she refused it.
“This one is for Cancan. You can’t have it.”
Cancan. Again, Cancan!
The black snake abruptly turned its head, glaring resentfully at the annoying human who was happily collecting crystals not far away.
One day, when the opportunity arises…
Before it could dwell on the thought, a few Grade 2 crystals were brought to its mouth.
“Be good, eat these first.”
The black snake swallowed the crystals, narrowing its eyes in satisfaction as it enjoyed the surge of energy and the soothing wash of white light. In an instant, it completely forgot whatever it had been thinking about earlier.
A faint smile flickered in Su Su’s eyes.
Before long, she and Xiao Hei had cleared out all the zombies on the left side. Looking back, she saw that Pang Cancan’s side still had more than half left.
It would take some time, but she could easily handle it alone.
Since there was no need for her to help, Su Su turned and stepped into the hallway.
“Cancan, Le Rui, I’m going to check the front entrance.”
“Mm-hmm!”
The front entrance had been guarded by Lin Weiran and Si Zhe’s group. There were bound to be plenty of zombie remains left there as well.
As Su Su walked over, she indeed saw many scattered zombie piles. However… all the Grade 2 and higher crystals had already been taken, leaving only an overwhelming number of Grade 1 crystals.
It seemed that Lin Weiran and Si Zhe hadn’t let go of these benefits before they left.
Su Su didn’t mind and harvested everything she could.
After a rough count, she had collected over a hundred Grade 1 crystals. While they weren’t useful to their group for now—Xiao Hei didn’t even spare them a glance—they could be used as currency for trading when they reached the southern base.
By the time she finished at the front entrance, Pang Cancan had also cleared out the remaining zombies on her side.
The group reconvened, their collected crystals totaling several hundred.
Pang Cancan had mostly gathered Grade 2 crystals, while Le Rui held a massive pile of Grade 1 crystals, with only a few Grade 2 ones mixed in. Among them, one lone orange Grade 3 crystal stood out.
After counting everything, four pairs of hands extended at the same time, instinctively offering their spoils to Su Su.
Faced with their gazes, Su Su shook her head. “You guys keep them. No need to give them to me.”
“How could we accept that?!”
Despite her words, Pang Cancan’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a wide grin.
Oh, mother, when she was with Lin Wenzong and those bastards, they would run at the sight of a Tier 2 zombie. After more than half a month, she hadn’t even seen what a Grade 2 crystal looked like! But now, following a new benefactor, look at this—Grade 2 crystals could practically be weighed by the jin!
After a brief moment of polite refusal, Pang Cancan gleefully stashed away all her crystals.
Le Rui, on the other hand, hesitated as he pulled out the Grade 3 crystal. “Sister Su Su, this one is for you.”
“Keep it for yourself.”
Le Rui refused to take it back, stubbornly staring at her with unwavering determination.
Faced with the little boy’s persistence, Su Su had no choice but to make things clearer. “Le Rui, I promised you that I would make sure you survive.”
“But how comfortably and how dignifiedly you live—that depends on you. Only by improving your strength can you achieve all of that.”
“This Grade 3 crystal will at least guarantee that you reach Tier 3. In the apocalypse, that means absolute combat power. Whatever you want, you can earn for yourself.”
Living off gratitude alone was just prolonging the inevitable. One day, even gratitude would run dry.
And in the apocalypse, gratitude was the least valuable thing of all.
Su Su gently but firmly pushed Le Rui’s hands back. “Take it. Until you reach Tier 3, don’t reveal these crystals to anyone.”
The little boy’s thin eyelids quickly reddened, damp with emotion.
He nodded firmly. “I understand.”
Only then did Su Su exhale in relief. She then handed the Grade 3 crystal she had set aside to Pang Cancan.
“We’ll be back on the road soon. Hurry and improve your abilities. Just remember—don’t overconsume the crystals.” She emphasized the warning again.
Pang Cancan grinned so widely that the gap in her teeth showed. “Got it! Sister Su Su, from now on, I’m your loyal dog! Woof woof woof!”
Su Su: “…”
The black snake bared its fangs in a menacing grin.
Pang Cancan immediately swallowed her laughter and tossed the Grade 3 crystal into her mouth.
Seeing this, Le Rui followed suit and swallowed a Grade 1 crystal.
Su Su silently stood by, discreetly activating her ability. An invisible white light enveloped her two teammates, forming an unseen protective layer for their advancement.
—
The off-road vehicle hit the road once more.
By now, everyone inside had undergone a drastic transformation.
Le Rui had advanced from a low-tier ability user to a Tier 2 ability user.
Pang Cancan had become a Tier 3 ability user.
Su Su had broken through to Tier 4.
As for Xiao Hei… its snake body had grown to three meters long, weighing over twenty to thirty jin. The backpack could no longer accommodate its bulk, so it had, as always, claimed the front passenger seat. Its long tail draped down over the seat and coiled possessively around Su Su’s leg, its territorial instincts growing stronger than ever.
At first glance, this group looked like the perfect targets for an ambush.
But that was exactly the illusion they wanted to create. If it came down to a fight, who would be robbing whom was still up for debate.
“If the highway is blocked…” Pang Cancan traced a spot on the tattered map they had scavenged from a grocery store, her finger stopping at the next city. “We’ll have to detour through G City.”
G City.
Su Su recalled some rather unpleasant memories.
With a turn of the steering wheel, the off-road vehicle that was about to leave X City veered toward the large shopping mall on the roadside.
“We need to stock up on more supplies.”
—
Half an hour later, Pang Cancan walked out carrying a pile of bedding and mattresses taller than herself. Behind her, Le Rui was also unable to escape this fate, struggling under the weight of several large bags of down jackets.
Both of them were utterly confused.
In large malls like these—obvious targets—the food had long been looted clean. Why would they stockpile bedding and winter coats instead? There were still three whole months until winter!
“Sister Su Su, in three months, we’ll be at the Southern Base. A place like that won’t be lacking these supplies, right?”
Su Su, meanwhile, was carrying bundles of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—all things that others had discarded.
“It’s better to be prepared.”
She couldn’t explain further. If she said too much, it would be hard to make it sound believable.
After all, who could have predicted that the first winter of the apocalypse would arrive two months earlier than usual?
Except for a few cities in the far south, nearly all of Huaguo1Huaguo (华国) is often used as a fictional stand-in for China in web novels, especially in genres like apocalypse, cultivation, and sci-fi. It’s a way for authors to reference China without directly naming it, either for creative freedom or to avoid potential censorship issues. would be buried under heavy snow.
99% of regions would drop to -10°C, freezing countless ordinary people and unprepared low-tier ability users to death.