“The monsters are gone,” Zhou Zhuo Hua said when she saw how disheveled they looked, with wounds all over their bodies. She felt some pity for them. “You can go home now.”
“No! Impossible! You’re tricking us into going out to die!” The two men shouted, clutching their big bags tightly.
Only then did the group notice that there were three or five large backpacks filled with stuff beside them. Clearly, they had come to the supermarket to stock up too.
“Ignore them,” Bai Tao said, annoyed beyond measure. She reached out to pull Zhou Zhuo Hua. “Take it or leave it.”
At that moment, Zhou Zhuo Hua caught sight of a filthy hand reaching toward Bai Tao. She abruptly stood up and shoved Bai Tao toward Jiang Ye. Her ponytail was yanked hard from behind, and just as she was about to fall backward, she collided with a stinking, sticky chest. A knife pressed against her neck.
“I don’t care how you got in here!” One of the men in gray clothes bellowed threateningly. “You have to take both of us out, or I’ll kill this woman.”
Bai Chen Zhu said coolly, “Kill her, and you won’t leave alive.”
“If you don’t let my brother and me go, I’ll kill her!” The gray-clothed man stuck out his neck defiantly.
Bai Chen Zhu’s mental power swept over them, confirming that the two brothers were ordinary people. He hardened his expression and gave Jiang Ye a look, asking if he wanted to make a move.
Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. “You say, who to kill?”
“I said I’d kill this… Ah!”
Jiang Ye charged over at a speed too fast to see, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it back viciously. The knife clattered to the ground at their feet, and the man howled in pain as he stared at his mangled hand.
Bai Chen Zhu took the chance to pull Zhou Zhuo Hua back to his side. He said to Tang Zhao, “It came without any effort. Confiscate their stuff.”
Tang Zhao eyed their bulging backpacks and said happily, “You got it!”
After dealing with the two, the group’s luggage increased again.
The third floor was mostly the deli section, now mostly moldy. They took whatever usable essentials they could carry.
Zhou Zhuo Hua parked the car at the side door, and they made several trips back and forth to load everything up.
“Good thing the car’s big enough to hold it all,” Bai Chen Zhu said as he hefted stuff onto the vehicle.
Tang Zhao suddenly piped up. “What about our stuff, then?”
They didn’t have a car. Were they supposed to lug a pile of things while fleeing for their lives? The amount and weight of food and clothes they’d taken far exceeded what their bodies could handle.
Bai Chen Zhu looked at him, and Tang Zhao looked back innocently.
Jiang Ye’s back was soaked through. He tugged at his collar to let in some air and glanced sideways at Bai Chen Zhu’s movements. Hearing this, he immediately cut in. “What do you mean ‘your’ and ‘my’? You got on my car and now you want to walk?”
Was that an invitation? Tang Zhao’s eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Bai Chen Zhu like a puppy, excited. “Bro! Bro! Bro!!! ”
“I can hear you,” Bai Chen Zhu said with a laugh. He scanned the trunk full of supplies and couldn’t deny the appeal.
He looked at Jiang Ye again, who was also looking at him. No words were spoken, but their eyes shone.
Bai Chen Zhu’s gaze softened. “Then I might have to trouble you from here on out.”
“Jiang Boss.”
—
With ample supplies, they quickly drove away from the supermarket and headed out of the city.
That night, they found a spot to rest. After a day of hauling stuff around, everyone was exhausted. After dinner, they gathered together to discuss the next destination.
Jiang Ye scratched a simple map on the ground with a stone. “We’re in Floating Cloud City right now. As far as I know, the third fragment should be in Luozhou. We’ll have to check for gas stations along the way…”
“Wait, I have a question!” Tang Zhao raised his hand like a good student, voicing the doubt that had puzzled him for a long time. “Jiang Boss, why exactly do we need to collect those fragments anyway?”
He was the only one in the group who still didn’t fully understand the goal.
“Because once we gather five fragments,” Bai Tao said, propping her chin thoughtfully. She stood up and explained passionately, “we can summon the Divine Dragon! Then we can make a wish to it to end the apocalypse! From then on, the world will be bathed in light! We’ll become the saviors of the Great Divine Land! Great benefactors!”
Tang Zhao, head tilted up: …
The silly high schooler Tang Zhao was stunned. “Do I look that easy to fool?!”
Bai Tao nodded, then shook her head and sat back down. “It’s true. Don’t believe me? Ask your Bro Bai.”
Bai Chen Zhu smiled and nodded in confirmation. “Close enough, that’s the idea.”
Tang Zhao looked around in disbelief, but everyone’s attitudes confirmed Bai Tao’s words.
In the end, he had nothing to say and grudgingly accepted it. Cupping his face dramatically, he made a big fuss. “Oh my god, I’m going to be a savior. Wait, how do I know you’re not tricking me? Show me that legendary fragment quick!”
Bai Chen Zhu looked at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye took two fragments from his chest pocket. As soon as he let go, they floated up, merged into one, and formed a fist-sized ring. Under the moonlight, the ring’s surface glimmered with the cold, technological sheen unique to such artifacts.
Tang Zhao was shocked speechless and could only keep muttering “holy shit.”
He reached out shakily to touch the fragment. It felt smooth and cool in his hand, and a profound aura flowed from it into his fingertips, making him sigh in comfort.
“You know about mental power, right? Bai Tao and A-Zhu’s superpowers are related to it. These fragments retain a lot of mental power, so touching them feels good,” Jiang Ye explained.
Bai Chen Zhu added, “One of them was cut out from a mutated cow’s body. The fragments attract mutants. The mutated cow must have been drawn to it, swallowed it like a big fish eating a small one, and rapidly grew stronger by devouring the attracted zombies until it became the ‘zombie king’ of that area.”
He paused, then realized what he’d said and whipped his head toward Jiang Ye. “Jiang Ye, zombies can get stronger by devouring?!”
Jiang Ye understood his shock. “Yeah.”
“But didn’t you say before that ability users can’t upgrade by devouring?”
“I didn’t say ability users can’t. I just said zombies can’t? Zombies and mutants only strengthen by devouring things with mental power,” Jiang Ye sighed.
Things with mental power…
In that instant, Bai Chen Zhu—who had been given countless food-related nicknames by Jiang Ye—felt a chill down his spine. Beside him, Bai Tao was utterly shocked and touched her throat.
“Does this thing attract zombies?” Tang Zhao was still immersed in the magical ring, his brain lagging half a beat. “Won’t we get chased all over? But we haven’t seen any zombies chasing us these past few days.”
Jiang Ye’s expression turned solemn. “Because A-Zhu and Bai Tao can cover it with their own mental power, but it repels theirs, causing discomfort if they carry it. So I keep it.”
Tang Zhao exclaimed in awe repeatedly and handed the ring back for Jiang Ye to store away.
“Back to the main topic,” Zhou Zhuo Hua said, turning her face toward Jiang Ye. “Our next stop is Luozhou? It’s a big coastal city. Where exactly are we going?”
“There’s a vacation island there. We need to get to the island,” Jiang Ye replied.
At the mention of Luozhou, both Bai Chen Zhu and Jiang Ye paused. Their exchanged glance held a secret only they knew.
Luozhou Base—the place where Bai Tao’s father was in the original story.
Years later, Bai Tao had gone from young miss to ruler of the base. But after the Tang Jie incident, they knew the plot was now a total mess. Who knew what this trip to Luozhou would bring?
Bai Chen Zhu cleared his throat awkwardly. “Speaking of islands, Bai Tao, do you like the sea?”
Bai Tao looked at him puzzled. “It’s okay. What’s up? You gonna buy me a stretch of ocean?”
Bai Chen Zhu conceded defeat and signaled Jiang Ye with his eyes.
Jiang Ye paused, then went straight for it. “Qingming Festival is in a few days. Bai Tao, I remember your mom said before she passed to go find your dad. Where’s he at?”
Losing a close family member was taboo, and Jiang Ye had danced right into the minefield. As soon as he said it, Zhou Zhuo Hua punched his shoulder and glared. “Jiang Ye, you know Bai Tao’s dad?”
Jiang Ye shrugged. “I’d heard of him, but we’re not acquainted.”
Rumor had it Bai Tao’s father had been a businessman in his early years, rarely home, so her mother divorced him.
The first time Jiang Ye saw Bai Tao’s father was at his funeral, where Bai Tao used the occasion to invite base leaders and boldly declared herself the new leader with absolute dominance.
The funeral turned into a grand, festive affair. Those who didn’t know might have thought it was some special holiday.
But the current Bai Tao—the one from ten years ago—sat with her cheeks propped up, lost in thought. “Who knows where he croaked off to. Doesn’t matter. Mom wouldn’t want to see him. If you’re about to tell me about him, don’t. I don’t wanna know.”
Bai Chen Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d been torn about whether to tell her, but he and Jiang Ye had reviewed it and couldn’t confirm if Luozhou’s ruler at this point was still her father.
Bai Tao fiddled with the silver bracelet on her wrist. The peony pattern looked a bit dated, but the blooming flowers seemed lively. She sighed. “Time flies. Qingming Festival already.”
Jiang Ye nailed it down. “In that case, let’s head to Luozhou.”
—
They drove with stops along the way, and in less than a week, the car finally neared Luozhou.
It was morning. Bai Tao turned around to play cards with Tang Zhao in the back seat. Zhou Zhuo Hua drove, while Jiang Ye—who had switched with her—slept soundly against Bai Chen Zhu’s shoulder.
At that point, the car slowed down gradually, and everyone else inside went on alert.
“Jiang Ye, check ahead,” Zhou Zhuo Hua said. She stopped the car about a hundred meters from the gas station, narrowed her eyes to peer ahead cautiously. “There are people.”
Bai Tao rubbed her eyes, leaned forward vaguely to look, then widened her eyes. “Real people! And they don’t look ordinary.”
Four military vehicles were parked at the gas station, refueling one by one. Nearby stood a group of people with upright postures, disciplined in every word and action, guns holstered at their waists.
“Should we get closer?” Zhou Zhuo Hua asked.
Bai Chen Zhu closed his eyes briefly and made the call. “No, let’s go. There’s a psychic-type ability user there.”
From his and Bai Tao’s situations, he knew psychic-type ability users had unpredictable powers. Best not to tangle with them casually.
Especially since this was the first one he’d encountered besides Bai Tao.
Zhou Zhuo Hua murmured dazedly, “But they’re official people. They look reliable.”
Tang Zhao’s tense muscles relaxed, as if dropping his guard. “Sister Zhuo Hua’s right. Maybe they’re heading to Luozhou too? In this world, sticking with the officials is definitely the safe bet.”
Zhou Zhuo Hua and Tang Zhao suddenly seemed eager to make contact. Bai Chen Zhu and Bai Tao both frowned and looked at Jiang Ye in unison.
How could Jiang Ye miss what their looks meant? He sighed. “Don’t look at me. I’m not affected. Sister Zhuo Hua, switch spots with me. I’ll drive.”
In the time it took to say that, one military vehicle started approaching.
Bai Chen Zhu held down Jiang Ye as he tried to get up. “No switching. Too late. Think about how to handle this.”
He looked pointedly at Zhou Zhuo Hua and Tang Zhao. “You two, don’t speak.”
Though she instinctively felt the others were harmless, Zhou Zhuo Hua mimed zipping her mouth. Tang Zhao sensed something off and nodded obediently.
The military vehicle pulled up beside theirs. A stern middle-aged man with a buzzcut got out of the driver’s seat, while a woman in a white lab coat emerged from the passenger side.
She had a reserved demeanor, gentle and refined, fitting the image of an expert scholar.
The woman pocketed her hands and looked calmly at the five who got out. “Hello, everyone. I’m Han Yuyan.”
Calm, as if she weren’t the one stopping them.
Bai Chen Zhu was the last to exit, staying hidden at the back of the group, trying to conceal himself.
He didn’t know if she could sense his mental power. Jiang Ye, Tang Zhao, and Zhou Zhuo Hua’s couldn’t be hidden. But at least, they couldn’t let her probe everyone.
Unexpectedly, the woman’s gaze pierced straight through the crowd to the best-looking man in the group. She froze, then showed joy and hurried over. “Little Zhu, long time no see. Don’t you recognize your auntie?”
The others wanted to block her, but the buzzcut man stood guard beside Han Yuyan. Neither side wanted to fight, so they were at a standoff, watching the reunion.
The named Bai Chen Zhu looked up and saw Han Yuyan’s gentle face.
She gazed at him, her eyes full of nostalgia.
As he watched Han Yuyan drawing closer and closer, reaching out as if to hug him, Bai Chen Zhu took a step back, frowning as he assessed the situation before him.
He had actually encountered a relative of the original host, yet he hadn’t inherited any of the original host’s memories.
