The villa district in the northern area.
Wan Pengfei walked briskly into a certain villa, just in time to catch the people inside having lunch.
He casually squeezed onto the dining table and enthusiastically said, “I just heard something amusing.”
Out of courtesy, a few people made space for him, and Lin Weiran thoughtfully served him a bowl of porridge. “What is it?”
“Some ability users are spreading rumors, saying that in the southern area, a fire-breathing snake has appeared.” Wan Pengfei burst into laughter. “This rumor is just too ridiculous! If this happened in the northern area, I’d go see it with my own eyes. But in the southern area? Those bottom-tier people would’ve already been eaten by the snake!”
His laughter triggered a chain reaction among the people present, their expressions filled with disdain. However, among them, four individuals did not join in the laughter. Instead, they exchanged glances.
Noticing that something was off, Wan Pengfei gradually stopped laughing and looked at Lin Weiran and Si Zhe in confusion. “Si Zhe, Weiran, why aren’t you laughing?”
Lin Weiran forced a small smile. “Tell me the details.”
Wan Pengfei had no choice but to explain carefully. “This rumor started spreading this morning. Apparently, three Tier 2 ability users went to the southern area, and when they came back, they spent a huge sum to find a healing-type ability user for help. When people asked how they got injured in the southern area, one of them said that a snake could breathe fire and nearly burned his hand to charcoal.”
“And then?”
“And then?” Wan Pengfei racked his brain for more details from what he had heard earlier. “Oh, right! He even cursed—‘That woman looks so damn fine, but her heart is so fing cruel!’”
“That was his exact wording.”
Hearing this, Lin Weiran and Si Zhe exchanged a look, both forming a guess in their minds.
Su Su, who had parted ways with them, had also arrived at the Southern Base.
It seemed that the shadow they had glimpsed outside the city that day had indeed not been mistaken.
Lin Weiran pressed her lips together. “Why is she staying in the southern area? Could it be that she doesn’t want to see us?”
“She’s definitely scared,” an old companion sneered. “We arrived at the Southern Base two months ahead of time, and our reputation is already well-established. If she did a little digging, she would know that both Si Zhe and you, Weiran, have become Tier 4 ability users, and we have also advanced to Tier 3.”
Another companion chimed in, “Even if she’s a Tier 4 ability user, her abilities only work on zombies. Any random Tier 2 ability user could take her life. At most, if you count that python, I could fight it for a few rounds myself. Of course, she’d be afraid!”
As for that girl who raised venomous insects and the ice-wielding kid, after two months, their abilities would at best reach second or third tier—no one was taking them seriously.
This explanation made a lot of sense.
Lin Weiran exhaled in relief. “As long as she knows to be afraid. If she really came to the northern area and we had to face each other every day…”
She wasn’t sure why, but she increasingly did not want to see Su Su.
It was as if ever since stepping off the highway, Su Su’s existence had represented instability. As long as she was around, the stable, upward-climbing life Lin Weiran had built would be disrupted.
Lin Weiran slowly let out a breath. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”
She got up not long before Si Zhe also stood up and followed her figure into the quiet backyard garden.
Standing in front of the pond, Lin Weiran seemed to be lost in thought.
Perhaps hearing the sound of footsteps, she turned her head and barely mustered a smile. “You’re here.”
“Your smile looks terrible.”
Si Zhe walked up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist. “Feeling down? Because of what you just heard?”
Lin Weiran remained silent for a long time before finally admitting helplessly, “Mm.”
She buried her head into Si Zhe’s embrace. The latter raised his hand and cradled the back of her head, his every movement filled with intimacy.
“Si Zhe, I think my mindset is messed up.”
“Su Su’s destination is also the Southern Base. I’ve known this for a long time, yet these two months of peace made me selectively forget.”
“It’s embarrassing to admit… but I’m really afraid of her coming here. Afraid that the life we’ve worked so hard to build will be disrupted again.”
From the small town to G City, every hardship they encountered seemed to have Su Su’s shadow lurking behind it.
Even in the hot spring village—though they hadn’t run into Su Su—they still encountered a giant python that looked strikingly similar to the one she raised. It was as if misfortune followed wherever she was involved.
Thankfully, on the day she broke her leg, Si Zhe had overridden the objections of their team, braving the dangers of traveling through the snow to reach the Southern Base early and get her leg treated. Because of that, they had seized countless advantages in their new environment.
Si Zhe tightened his embrace around her. “Weiran, don’t overthink it. Everything we have today is built on our own strength. She’s a Tier 4 ability user, but so are we. And in the future, we’ll be more than just Tier 4. What is there to be afraid of?”
His words of comfort didn’t completely ease Lin Weiran’s unease.
Perhaps it was a woman’s sixth sense, but she had a persistent, elusive sense of foreboding about Su Su’s arrival.
“I’m sorry.”
A faint dampness spread across his chest. Lin Weiran clung tightly to Si Zhe, taking a long time to finally steady herself.
“Si Zhe, I’ve been too weak.”
Si Zhe caught a fleeting glimpse of redness at the corner of her eyes. His embrace remained gentle, but a sharp glint flickered in his gaze.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone ruin the stability you want.”
If Su Su’s arrival would make Weiran feel this unsettled, then he would do everything in his power… to make her leave—or never appear again.
A tender, affectionate kiss landed on Lin Weiran’s forehead.
She quickly pulled herself together. “Let’s go. We still have an out-of-city zombie-hunting mission today!”
“Alright.”
…
Su Su rode a transfer bus for an hour before finally arriving at the ability user mission hall in the northern district.
“A hunter squad going out to scavenge supplies is short one long-range combatant. Join now, departure is immediate!”
“A twelve-member team is heading deep into the eastern zombie horde to hunt a Tier 4 zombie! Any Tier 2 or higher ability users interested in joining?”
“Urgently in need of gasoline! Is anyone willing to trade for gasoline?”
The noisy scene made Su Su feel like she had stepped into a pre-apocalypse high-speed rail station.
She pushed through the crowd with difficulty until she finally reached the large bulletin board at the front.
The ability user mission hall was divided into two areas. The official section posted high-difficulty, high-reward tasks. The free section was much more flexible—anyone could pay a Tier 1 crystal to have their task displayed on the LED screen in rotation. If they didn’t want to spend a crystal, they could also just hold up a sign and shout their offer in the free section.
Dressed in a black tactical jacket and a matching black mask, Su Su blended seamlessly into the crowd. Without drawing any attention, she quickly familiarized herself with the mission hall’s layout.
Honestly, the only task that caught her attention was the one about hunting the Tier 4 zombie.
A horde of millions of zombies had been blocked off in the east. With such a dense gathering, it was like breeding Gu—high-level zombie kings would periodically emerge. The stronger their level, the more intense their instinct to attack humans became, occasionally leading to small-scale zombie sieges.
The authorities encouraged ability users to eliminate these leading zombies, making it the fastest way for Southern Base’s ability users to grow stronger.
If she could kill a few more Tier 4 zombies, Cancan and Le Rui would be able to level up…
Just as she was deep in thought, someone suddenly gave her shoulder a heavy pat.
“Su Su?”
Qu Wen came around from behind, her gaze locking directly onto the only part of Su Su’s face that was exposed—her eyes. “It really is you!”
They had just parted ways two days ago, and now they had run into each other again at the ability user mission hall. Qu Wen was happy for a second before realizing something was off.
“What are you doing here?”
Su Su smiled. “I’m here to take on a mission.”
“You’re taking a mission?” Qu Wen’s expression froze momentarily before a thought suddenly popped into her mind. “You’re an ability user too?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”
Qu Wen’s expression was too serious. Just as Su Su thought she might be upset, the woman suddenly clapped her hands together. “No wonder you dared to stop a car on your own! And dared to enter the city alone!”
When they had arrived in the city two days ago, she had been worrying about Su Su’s survival. But Ji Junzhi had only responded faintly, “She’s not as fragile as you think.”
Someone truly weak wouldn’t have remained so calm throughout their entire journey here.
Flashes of overlooked details surfaced one by one in Qu Wen’s mind, and she finally realized—she had been blinded by Su Su’s beauty. Her first impression had led her to assume she was just a pitiful, abandoned little beauty.
Now that she understood, she relaxed and asked, “What’s your ability?”
At this point, Su Su didn’t bother hiding it. “I control zombies.”
If she was going to take on missions, her ability would be exposed sooner or later. There was no point in being secretive.
“Holy shit, that’s badass!” Qu Wen instinctively reached out to grab Su Su’s delicate hand.
“HISSS!!!”
A menacing snake head suddenly shot out from Su Su’s backpack, baring its fangs and scaring Qu Wen into stumbling back several steps.
“Xiao Hei!”
At the female’s reprimand, the black snake reluctantly shrank back into the backpack.
But the terror it caused lingered. The frightened party was still patting her chest, her expression filled with uncertainty as she stared at Su Su.
“You… you keep a snake? A giant python, no less?”
Judging by Qu Wen’s reaction, she didn’t seem like someone who could accept a cold-blooded animal. Su Su didn’t push the issue and instead said tactfully, “If you’re scared, you can look for another teammate.”
Find another teammate?
The delicate beauty in need of protection had suddenly transformed into a venomous beauty who kept a giant snake as a pet.
This contrast! This allure!
Once Qu Wen recovered from the initial shock, her gaze toward Su Su started shining with an odd, almost fanatical light.
“No need to look for anyone else. We’ve spent days together—we already trust each other more than some random stranger, right?”
“So, tell me—which mission are you taking? I’ll go with you!”
The sudden enthusiasm left Su Su a little overwhelmed.
She pondered for a few seconds, putting aside Qu Wen’s shifting orientation and the strange glint in her eyes.
Objectively speaking, she really was the most suitable temporary teammate for now.
“I plan to go outside the city to hunt a Tier 4 zombie.” Su Su pointed to a twelve-person squad not far away. “That team has eight Tier 3 ability users and four Tier 2 ability users. They are very familiar with the situation of the eastern zombie horde, so the chances of success are high.”
Qu Wen responded decisively, “Then I’ll go too. I just happen to need a Grade 4 crystal to advance.”
The two reached a consensus and together approached the leader of the twelve-person squad.
“You want to join?”
The middle-aged man took a drag from his cigarette, scrutinizing the two women before him without any unnecessary emotion.
Their clothes were brand new, their skin fair and complexion rosy—it was clear they were living well.
“What are your abilities? Show me something.”
Qu Wen immediately condensed a sharp ice blade in her hand. “Tier 3 ice element.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze shifted to Su Su. The latter said calmly, “My ability is controlling zombies. I can’t demonstrate it for you right now.”
“Controlling zombies?” The middle-aged man was immediately intrigued, his expression turning serious. “We’re planning to go deep into the zombie horde. This is life-risking work. If you dare lie, don’t blame me for throwing you into the middle of the horde!”
“You don’t need to throw me in. If I’m lying, the zombies will eat me first.”
“Good! Since you have the guts, I’ll believe you!” The middle-aged man jumped down from his chair and crushed the paper sign in his hand. “I’m an earth ability user. You two can just call me Brother Wang. Since we’ve got new recruits, let’s head out now!”
Qu Wen raised an eyebrow. “You’re bringing so few people? Aren’t you afraid that we’re all talk and won’t actually be of any use?”
Brother Wang snorted as he walked. “You think ability users are that easy to recruit? I waited in the hall for seven days, and aside from my eight existing teammates, I only managed to recruit four more people, two of whom are only Tier 2. If we couldn’t get anyone else, we were about to leave anyway.”