Someone who knew nothing lay on his side, with enough space between him and Jiang Ye for another person to fit. Jiang Ye sensed that the source of the mental power was actually the sleeping Bai Chen Zhu, and he was immediately stunned.
“How could it be…” Jiang Ye was slightly surprised, astonished that the mental power he thought belonged to an enemy turned out to be from the person beside him.
‘He wants to kill me?’ A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Jiang Ye’s eyes.
‘No, that’s not right.’ Jiang Ye frowned. He didn’t think Bai Chen Zhu would kill him, at least not at this moment.
This guy hadn’t even learned how to properly use mental power yet.
Mental power wasn’t physical and couldn’t be seen by the eyes; it was the sixth sense beyond the five senses.
But it wasn’t entirely traceless, just like temperature that couldn’t be touched or seen. In the early days of the apocalypse, very few people could detect its subtle presence, let alone use it.
And someone like Bai Chen Zhu, with such an obvious change, was extremely rare. When his mental power concentration reached a certain level, it was like soaking someone in ice water—that chilling sense of suffocation was impossible for Jiang Ye to ignore.
Jiang Ye dazedly lifted his hand. Strands of faint cold wind brushed over the back of his hand in the air, carrying a ‘fragrance’ that whetted the appetite. It was the faint mental threads belonging to Bai Chen Zhu. His body was unscathed, but the back of his hand genuinely felt the stinging pain.
“To have such talent right after awakening.” Jiang Ye, who had captured the mental power, frowned. He had long guessed that Bai Chen Zhu had awakened some kind of superpower.
But it was only today that he vaguely felt things were spiraling out of control.
Mental power represented the owner’s will. If the mental power wanted to attack him, then Bai Chen Zhu harbored the same thought.
‘He wants to attack me, even kill me.’
Jiang Ye withdrew his hand and clenched his fist.
Clearly, he had some fondness for Bai Chen Zhu, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose his ability to weigh the pros and cons. Now, Bai Chen Zhu brought him more wariness, especially after discovering that this person harbored hostility toward him for some unknown reason.
One time meant there would be a second. The best way to avoid it was to end it once and for all.
Jiang Ye stared at the sleeping man. His conflicted rationality told him: This was a rare ability user with extraordinary perception and control. If he could be put to use… But the existence of this power also made Jiang Ye feel threatened, especially tonight. He didn’t want to keep someone who posed a threat to him by his side.
He knew Bai Chen Zhu was very opinionated and had been deliberately or inadvertently opposing him since they first met.
Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. If this power couldn’t be used for him, it was better to destroy it from the start—that was the safest approach.
Jiang Ye loosened his clenched fist and slowly extended his hand toward Bai Chen Zhu, his gaze deep.
Such a person with no vigilance or sense of crisis needed only his throat gripped, and he wouldn’t last five minutes in his grasp before turning into a pile of dead meat.
Bai Chen Zhu seemed to be having a nightmare. He mumbled indistinctly, and the hostile mental power that had enveloped Jiang Ye dissipated completely.
He turned on his side, facing Jiang Ye as he lay, as if seeking a sense of security.
The face that came into view was utterly defenseless, or rather, he hadn’t yet learned the ability to protect himself.
Jiang Ye’s gaze flickered. Just as he was about to press down, he paused. His fingers instead fell gently, landing by Bai Chen Zhu’s temple, where he twirled a strand of hair.
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding. Bai Chen Zhu had no reason to harm him right now.
“Heh.” Jiang Ye scoffed. He had been too narrow-minded. Everything now served his interests, and this person’s weaknesses were too obvious. He didn’t even need to kill him; just toss him out, and the zombies would devour him completely.
In the dark night, Jiang Ye seemed to finally awaken from his nightmare. He withdrew his hand and curled his lips in a mocking smile.
Only absolute strength could grasp everything. He would never allow anyone to stand against him.
A rustling sound followed, and Jiang Ye lay down, turning his back to continue sleeping.
Beneath his eyelids, Bai Chen Zhu’s eyes moved twice. He imperceptibly rolled over again, as if he wasn’t sleeping soundly.
Under the covers, he—who had been startled awake by the nightmare and sensed Jiang Ye’s malice—quietly gripped the folded fruit knife in his hand.
It was a replica of the one Jiang Ye had used to threaten him by the roadside: small, exquisite, but with a razor-sharp blade when unfolded. After realizing that his unconscious attack on Jiang Ye had been discovered, he had prepared himself: if Jiang Ye tried to kill him, he would fight back.
In the early morning, Bai Chen Zhu clutched his chest as he sat up. Lingering immense terror gripped him. He gasped urgently, hand over his throat, his black hair disheveled and his forehead covered in sweat.
The cruelty of the dream was vivid in his mind.
One night, two nightmares, both so real, with such a profound impact. Bai Chen Zhu struggled to detach himself.
For protection, his body made the dream hazy and elusive. The more he tried to recall, the less he could remember, and his mood gradually calmed in the forgetting.
The curtains had been drawn early. In the morning light, Jiang Ye stood bent at the bedside, pinching the soft flesh of Bai Chen Zhu’s cheek and tugging it, then secretly twirling the hair at his nape. He drawled lazily, “Hey, time to get up and work.”
His eyes held a hint of scrutiny, masked by a surface smile.
“What work?” Bai Chen Zhu didn’t even register his words, much less observe his expression.
“Did you forget? We promised Zhou Zhuo Hua yesterday that we’d go look for her sister.” Jiang Ye, already washed up, urged him twice before walking out first, leaving Bai Chen Zhu alone in the room.
He wiped the red mark on his cheek and watched Jiang Ye’s retreating back with a sigh of relief. He told himself it was just some vague fragments—nothing to worry about.
Blossoming Flowers Residences, Building A, Room 901—that was their destination.
Zhou Zhuo Hua had emphasized repeatedly: if they couldn’t find her, come back. She didn’t want two people dying for her sister of uncertain fate.
The uncle at the front desk yawned over his newspaper, a picture of peaceful times. As they passed, he casually asked if they needed cleaning service today.
The two declined the service and only told the uncle not to let anyone disturb the room.
Once in the car, Jiang Ye turned the wheel, and the vehicle slowly accelerated along the smooth, straight roadside.
Compared to the city where buildings pressed against each other and people jostled shoulder to shoulder, this small city felt somewhat ‘desolate’ on both sides, like empty gaps had been inserted between the old urban buildings, stark and clear.
The deeper into the city they went, the denser the buildings became.
Bai Chen Zhu fiddled with the stick across his lap and looked helplessly at Jiang Ye, who had changed into beach vacation attire. “Hey, I’m going to die with you, so at least let me die knowing. Is your intel reliable? That’s a neighborhood full of people—what if we strike out?”
“If we strike out, I’ll toss you out to feed the zombies.” Jiang Ye slanted him a glance.
He couldn’t get a single word out of him. Bai Chen Zhu drew a breath. “I’m risking my life with a gentleman here. Asking for some details isn’t too much, right?”
“I don’t know the situation, and I’m no gentleman.” Jiang Ye laughed, his brows and eyes sharp and unruly as knives. Even the most sincere smile carried a blatant mockery.
“Keep being snarky, and I’m done hanging with you.” Bai Chen Zhu looked at him coldly, hand on the door handle—though he couldn’t open it and jump, his intent to bolt was clear.
“Fine, fine.” Jiang Ye watched the road ahead, dodging obstacles, and shared what little he knew.
“Zhou Zhuo Hua’s mother passed away early. Uncle Zhou happened to be on a business trip a few weeks ago. Zhou Meng Meng—Zhou Zhuo Hua’s sister—usually boarded at school and stayed at that house during holidays. The school shut down a while back, so Zhou Meng Meng was probably staying at the house.”
Jiang Ye’s voice grew low as he spoke. He tapped the steering wheel unconsciously, unsure if he hoped to strike out or not. He even feared seeing Zhou Meng Meng.
Though he didn’t believe in fate, the facts were before him. Zhou Zhuo Hua was indeed infected. What if… what if things followed the original trajectory, and she still…
Jiang Ye reined in his scattered thoughts. “The new house is in the city center, near the school, and the neighborhood has good security.”
His fingertips tapped idly on the steering wheel cover. “But now, none of that’s good for us. The only silver lining is it’s a new development—not many residents yet.”
