Base Medical Center.
All injured ability users had been brought here.
For minor injuries, doctors and nurses could provide simple treatment. Those who wanted to recover quickly could take out their precious crystals and seek the help of healing-type ability users.
In a VIP ward, a Tier 4 ability user was in unbearable pain. “How do I treat this?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses. “You’ll need surgery to recover.”
A family member beside him hurriedly asked, “How long will the recovery take?”
“Around six months.”
The entire family depended on the Tier 4 ability user to survive. If their pillar of support lost mobility, six months would be enough to drain their savings dry. By then, they’d all be left with nothing to eat.
The family member anxiously said, “Six months is too long!”
“There’s no other way.” The doctor spread his hands helplessly. “Medical equipment is lacking, and many surgeries can’t even be performed. If this weren’t the Southern Base, there wouldn’t even be a doctor available to operate on you.”
The family member wanted to continue arguing, but the doctor simply packed up his things. “Think it over carefully. If you don’t want the surgery, there’s another option—go find a healing-type ability user. Recovery will only take a few seconds, and the cost-performance ratio is much better.”
Healing-type abilities were incredibly rare, but even with billions dead, there were still over a hundred million people left. With such a large population base, healing-type ability users were no longer considered truly scarce.
There were more than a dozen in the Southern Base alone.
The medical profession had become quite awkward in the post-apocalyptic world. First, professional talent had dwindled. Second, professional equipment and medicines were nowhere to be found. Many surgeries and treatments simply couldn’t be performed, causing their status to plummet.
Injured ability users would rather hold onto their crystals and seek out healing-type ability users than undergo surgery and rest in a hospital. Doctors and nurses, paid a fixed salary by the base, spent most of their time treating the families of ability users. Only a small portion of their time was dedicated to treating ordinary people who came with crystals.
Thinking of this, the doctor felt a twinge of regret.
If he had known the apocalypse was coming, why had he spent so many years studying medicine?
Still, at least he had a skill to rely on, so he wouldn’t be thrown into the Southern District to squeeze in with those lower-class ordinary people.
The family member fell silent for a few seconds before hesitantly asking, “Th-then, for my husband’s injuries, what tier of healing-type ability user would be needed for recovery?”
This was a question the doctor could answer. “A Tier 4 one would be best—that way, he can recover quickly.”
Tier 4!
There was more than one injured person in the ward. Several others had equally severe injuries, but they were even worse off—they didn’t even have the option of surgery, as there were no doctors specialized in their conditions.
They had heard every word of the conversation just now, and their hearts sank.
The cost of a Tier 4 healing-type ability user’s services started at two Grade 4 crystals.
A Tier 4 ability user could grit their teeth and come up with the price, but what about Tier 3 ability users? If they had Grade 4 crystals, they wouldn’t still be stuck at Tier 3.
For a moment, the entire ward was filled with a heavy silence.
After a long while, someone suddenly muttered, “If only I hadn’t rushed out…”
No one responded.
But that person had already fallen into their emotions, continuing to mutter to themselves:
“I’m just a Tier 3 ability user. Even if the City Lord opened the private vault and let me choose a Grade 4 crystal, I would have to use it to treat my leg, and it might not even be enough.”
“Besides, how many Grade 4 crystals could there possibly be in the City Lord’s private vault? The Tier 4 ability users would get first pick. By the time it’s my turn, there might be nothing left. At that point, even if I had a hundred Grade 3 crystals, I wouldn’t be able to exchange them for a single Grade 4 crystal.”
“I shouldn’t have rushed out… Wouldn’t it have been better to just take the spoils of battle honestly? I killed over a dozen Tier 3 zombies. These crystals could have let me live comfortably for quite a while—why did I have to covet something that wasn’t mine?”
“What was I even thinking back then?”
These words resonated with everyone.
Yes, what were they thinking at the time? Why had they charged forward so recklessly?
If they had been injured while resisting the zombie tide, that would have at least been an unavoidable disaster.
But the key issue was—they had gotten injured in an internal conflict!
Whether it was the City Lord or the Tier 4 ability users who had rushed in first, they were fighting either for that Grade 5 crystal or for that giant python. Their infighting was at least somewhat justified. But what about them? They were just struggling to survive—why had they gotten involved in the power struggles of the base’s upper echelon?
And now, they had become sacrifices in a battle over interests.
Regret swelled within them, and alongside it, a quiet but growing resentment toward the higher-ups.
That giant python and that beautiful female ability user were clearly also part of the base’s defense.
What was the City Lord thinking? Why insist on driving such a powerful force out of the Southern Base? This zombie tide had only been resolved thanks to her and that battle pet. What about next time? Who would stop a Tier 5 zombie then?
“Look on the bright side,” someone tried to rationalize. “So many ability users died in this battle, but at least we’re still alive. Given how tragic this was, maybe the City Lord will be willing to cover the costs for us.”
That was practically the most hopeless form of comfort.
The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.
The family member who had initially asked the doctor couldn’t help but nudge her husband and whisper, “Should we go find Ability User Zhou to heal you first?”
He was the only Tier 4 healing-type ability user in the base. If they were too late, they might not even get a spot in line.
Someone with sharp ears sneered. “He doesn’t have time to treat you—he’s already been taken by the Eternal Squad!”
At the mention of the Eternal Squad, everyone exchanged a knowing glance.
That recently high-profile Si Zhe… Tonight, they had seen everything clearly. Now, they were just waiting to see if he could be healed.
—
VIP Ward.
“Ability User Zhou, this way!”
A teammate anxiously ushered him into the ward. He was one of the earliest companions who had followed Si Zhe and Lin Weiran, and their bond was exceptional. Now that Si Zhe was in trouble, he was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
When Lin Weiran opened the door, her eyes were already swollen from crying.
“You’re finally here!” She immediately pulled him to the bedside. “Quick, check on Si Zhe!”
Ability User Zhou was an old acquaintance of theirs. The moment he saw Si Zhe lying unconscious on the bed, his expression changed drastically.
“How did he end up like this?”
The entire bedsheet was soaked in blood. The man’s strikingly handsome face had already begun to take on a deathly pallor. But what was most shocking was the gaping wound in his abdomen—a bloodied hole that had pierced straight through his body!
The flesh around the wound appeared to have been scorched by flames, turning charred black. The broken internal organs were faintly visible within… Fortunately, an ability user’s body had already evolved; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long.
Ability User Zhou dared not waste a second and immediately began the healing process.
Under the influence of the healing ability, Si Zhe’s wounds healed at an astonishing speed. The charred scars fell away, fresh pink flesh regrew, and within the blink of an eye, the gaping wound had fully closed as if it had never existed.
Even his broken limbs were restored to their original state under the treatment!
Within just a few minutes, the man lying on the bed had been pulled back from the brink of death!
“All done!” Ability User Zhou withdrew his power and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “If the injuries had been any worse, I wouldn’t have been able to save him. Lucky, very lucky.”
Seeing her lover fully recovered, Lin Weiran was overwhelmed with joy and burst into tears. “That’s wonderful!”
At that moment, the door to the ward was pushed open again.
He Heng stepped in. “Si Zhe is fine now?”
Ability User Zhou was about to say something, but before he could, Lin Weiran had already wiped away her tears and answered, “He’s fine now.”
That easily?
He Heng subtly raised an eyebrow and slipped two Grade 4 crystals into Ability User Zhou’s hand.
“As long as he’s fine. I’ll cover the cost of the treatment this time.”
Ability User Zhou held the two crystals—though they were his rightful compensation, they felt scalding hot in his palm.
“Weiran, the City Lord…”
“What is it?”
His hesitant demeanor made both of them look at him in confusion.
Ability User Zhou gritted his teeth. “The person is fine, but his ability…”
Lin Weiran immediately tensed. “What about his ability?”
“His ability has been crippled.” Now that he had begun, Ability User Zhou decided to speak plainly. “Everyone knows that when an ability user’s energy is completely depleted, their dantian is left defenseless against attacks.”
“Si Zhe exhausted his energy, and his dantian suffered a heavy blow. When he wakes up, he may never be able to use his ability again.”
The dantian—a term coined by the base. Since the energy absorbed from consuming crystals always gathered two fingers below the navel, much like the ‘dantian’ described in xianxia novels, the name stuck.
He Heng was momentarily stunned before turning to look at Lin Weiran.
She seemed as though she had been struck by lightning, her entire body frozen in place beside the bed.
After a long silence, she finally found her voice. “You’re joking with me, right?”
Ability User Zhou understood her feelings and sighed without saying more.
“This is impossible! Impossible!” Lin Weiran refused to accept it. She lunged forward and grabbed his arm. “You can heal him, right? You’re a Tier 4 ability user! What do you want as compensation? Grade 4 crystals? Even Grade 5 crystals—I can find them for you in the future!”
Ability User Zhou pulled his arm free and replied sternly, “I currently have no ability to heal crippled abilities. No matter how much you offer, I simply can’t do it.”
Seeing that Lin Weiran was about to argue further, He Heng shot a meaningful glance at Ability User Zhou.
The latter seized the moment and quickly left the ward.
In the apocalypse, the greatest blow was not never having an ability—but having one and then losing it. And with Si Zhe’s formidable power, being crippled in an instant… even though he had survived, from now on, he would be nothing more than a “cripple.”
For those with strong wills, this was nothing to be grateful for.
He Heng sighed inwardly.
What a pity—the base had lost yet another talent. Even though Lin Weiran remained, without Si Zhe to support her, she was merely an ordinary Tier 4 ability user, hardly worth his further attention.
“Weiran, my condolences.” He Heng patted Lin Weiran’s shoulder.
However, Lin Weiran did not appreciate the gesture. She forcefully shoved He Heng’s hand away. “Condolences? Condolences for what?”
Her bloodshot eyes glared at him.
“He Heng, this is all your fault! If you hadn’t ordered us to capture Su Su and the python alive, none of this would have happened!”
He Heng’s face darkened slightly. “Weiran, I understand that you’re upset, but that’s not how things are.”
“Then how should I put it?!”
Her lover’s ability was gone. A proud man like him—how was he supposed to live after waking up to this? More than that, he had ended up in this situation to save her!
Lin Weiran was nearly hysterical. “How is this not your fault? If you hadn’t insisted on probing us about Su Su’s ability snake, if you hadn’t been so desperate to capture them alive, how could so many people have died in the base? How could Si Zhe have lost his ability?!”
Not just her—even their teammates were glaring at the City Lord with fury.
He Heng’s expression completely darkened.
Yet even now, he managed to keep his composure and said calmly, “Cool down first. I’ll be leaving now.”
Leave? Just like that?
His cold indifference utterly shattered Lin Weiran.
“He Heng! Aren’t you afraid of the entire base cursing your name?! You led them to their deaths!”
He Heng halted at the doorway.
Faced with Lin Weiran’s accusations, his voice was icily indifferent—colder than ever before.
“I suggest you get one thing straight. Si Zhe losing his ability is also a result of your own greed. Lin Weiran, you and Su Su are distant cousins. Since you were swayed by personal gain first, why should she show you any mercy?”
“Instead of blaming me, you should ask yourselves—were you heartless when you shouldn’t have been, and too merciless when you should have held back?”
“As for the rest of the base, I have my own ways of compensating them. That’s none of your concern.”
With those words, He Heng left the ward without a backward glance.
Lin Weiran collapsed against the bed in despair, covering her face as she wept.
What now? What would they do when Si Zhe woke up?
Was it really her fault…? Yes! It was her fault!
She should have hardened her heart long ago!
If, from the very beginning—on the highway, in the small town, or in X City—she had just eliminated Su Su before she could rise, none of this would have ever happened!
What He Heng had said, Si Zhe had said the exact same thing.
She had realized it far too late.
As Lin Weiran struggled in agony, a few of the newer team members had already silently slipped away from the ward.
There were too many squads in the base. The only reason they had initially chosen Eternal Squad was because of the formidable combination of Si Zhe and Lin Weiran. Now that Si Zhe’s ability had been crippled, Lin Weiran alone was no match for the other squads.
Better to disband early.
Those who had gathered for profit were also the fastest to turn their backs.
Not only did they leave, but they also spread the news— “Si Zhe has lost his ability.”
The rumor spread through the entire base like wildfire.
—
At the entrance of the Medical Center.
Having searched through every ward, He Heng sat in the off-road vehicle with a grim expression.
“How many people died last night?”
“Fifteen Tier 4 ability users, forty-seven Tier 3 ability users, one hundred and seven Tier 2 ability users…”
The more he listened, the darker He Heng’s face became.
This was nearly half of the base’s combat force!
And that didn’t even count the severely injured.
He had expected that the python might kill a small number of ability users, but he hadn’t anticipated that more people would arrive afterward and wipe out half of the base’s fighting power!
Individually, Tier 2 and Tier 3 ability users weren’t much of a threat.
But together?
They were the backbone of the base’s defense against zombie tides!
He Heng took a deep breath. “How is the compensation plan coming along?”
His trusted subordinate hesitated. “City Lord… There are only a few dozen Grade 4 crystals left in the private vault.”
Tier 4 zombies weren’t common. Across the entire base, the number of Grade 4 crystals in circulation didn’t exceed a hundred.
Last night, over a dozen injured Tier 4 ability users needed treatment! Not to mention the numerous Tier 2 and Tier 3 ability users filling up the Medical Center.
By now, they had all realized they had been used.
The resentment in the base was quietly coalescing into a force that could not be ignored.
He Heng closed his eyes, silently contemplating for a few seconds.
When he opened them again, his decision was already made.
“First, compensate all Tier 4 ability users—especially those squads closely tied to us. Let them know that the number of battle pets is increasing, and eventually, everyone will have one.”
“As for the Tier 2 and Tier 3 ability users, distribute fifty Grade 3 crystals to each of them.”
This way, the Tier 4 ability users could be barely pacified.
The Tier 2 ability users would be overjoyed to receive so many Grade 3 crystals.
And as for the mid-level Tier 3 ability users—they’d have to swallow their losses in silence. They weren’t numerous or powerful enough to shake his rule.
Right now, the biggest concern was whether another zombie tide would strike.
The base’s ability users had been crippled—either dead or wounded.
If another wave came, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the assault.
Fortunately, based on past experience—
After a Zombie King dies, a new one doesn’t emerge too quickly.
They still had a chance to recover and regroup.
He Heng took a deep breath. His once youthful, cherubic face had long shed its facade of friendliness, revealing his true, shadowy nature.
This was the biggest loss he had suffered since establishing the base!
Su Su, and those other unknown ability users—who exactly were they?!
Thinking about how his meticulously laid-out plan had completely fallen apart, he clenched his teeth in frustration.
No! He couldn’t just let her go!
“Go find that old hag, Granny Niu! I refuse to believe she’d abandon her own relative in the base and ignore her fate!”
Although he had only met Su Su a few times, he had already figured out her personality—soft, but with thorns.
But in the end, she was still soft-hearted.
As long as he controlled Granny Niu, she would definitely come back!
However, the people he had sent to monitor Granny Niu’s forge quickly returned with shocking news—Granny Niu had disappeared!
He Heng’s voice instantly turned sharp. “What do you mean she disappeared?! Didn’t I tell you to watch her at all times?!”
The voice on the other end of the radio stammered, “Sh-she entered her room and never came out. After we noticed something was wrong, we kicked down the door to search, but… but that old woman had completely vanished into thin air!”
“Idiots!!”
In a fit of rage, He Heng flung the radio away.
Crackle—!
The device tumbled more than ten meters outside the car window, shattering into useless scrap.
But no matter how furious he was, it was too late now.
Taking another deep breath, He Heng forced himself to calm down.
“Go find Qu Wen and Wang Qingnian.”
The young man, accustomed to power, quickly regained his composure, his tone cold and commanding.
“The Tier 5 zombie appeared too suddenly. I refuse to believe Su Su had planned for this in advance, and I don’t believe that old hag just disappeared without a trace inside the base.”
“It’s either an illusion set up by those unknown ability users, or the old woman realized something was off and took action herself…”
“Either way—keep a close watch on Qu Wen and Wang Qingnian.”
That old woman will have to leave the base sooner or later.
And when she did…
He would follow the trail straight to Su Su.