In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks are nothing but paper tigers.
This famous saying is even more evident in the post-apocalyptic world. Among the fellow ability users, many were naturally envious of the formidable and extraordinary combat abilities of Xu Song and Yue Zheng.
However, no matter how jealous they were when such powerful strength reached a qualitative change, they couldn’t envy it. Or perhaps, they needed to reach the level of second tier before they could learn from these two individuals’ combat patterns and study why their killing power was so immense.
Of course, among this group of people, there was one who had a better chance of catching up with these two, and that was the leader of the Panlong team, Fan Wenbiao.
However, since his supernatural ability had advanced to the second level of the fire element, or rather, since he had acquired the extremely rare elemental supernatural ability, Fan Wenbiao gradually got used to the life of being above others.
He could lead his team members in bloody battles when they went out, set an example, and also help survivors they encountered on the road, leading them to safety. He even assisted some weaker individuals in escaping their inevitable doom.
But all of this was under one condition, he was in a position superior to others.
Accustomed to that feeling of superiority, it was difficult for him to lower his face and ask a boy who was obviously more than ten years younger than him for guidance. And so, the whole group was in a dilemma.
Outside, the soldiers quickly inspected and repaired damaged vehicles and equipment, while they gathered all the dead mutant beasts in one place. Captain Zheng had already contacted the city defense team through satellite phone, reporting the location of their prey, the situation they encountered, and the remarkable deeds of the two mutants truthfully.
The corpses of those mutant beasts, whether intact or not, were all piled together for the logistics troops that would come later to transport them back to the base.
The convoy set out again.
Xu Song excitedly bombarded his beloved with text messages, “Brother Yue, after this mission, can we go specifically to find animals at the zoo?” The crystal core, brimming with energy, emitted a dazzling light, even more so than before.
Fortunately, it was deep winter, and both of them were wearing thick clothes, so no one could see the glow of the crystal core inside.
Now, Xu Song could clearly feel the warmth radiating from his chest, flowing through his limbs and bones, incredibly soothing.
Even during the recent battle, every time they killed a mutant supernatural beast, the energy emitted by the dying creature replenished the mental energy they had consumed, giving them a feeling of vitality merging into their bodies.
No wonder the leader of Panlong said that he leveled up by killing monsters. If they continued to live in this environment and consumed the food of mutant beasts and plants for a long time, ability users would eventually level up! Just at a much slower rate than the two of them.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Yue Zheng nodded with a friendly smile, “I served for a few years and later worked in the criminal investigation brigade.”
“No wonder! We thought so too! You’ve got that military vibe!”
The two soldiers eagerly asked Yue Zheng to teach them some tactics, martial arts, and methods for dealing with mutant beasts that they had learned during their conversation. Yue Zheng generously explained, and within a quarter of an hour, a large group of people had gathered around them, all the soldiers who had come with the convoy.
It was undeniable that, compared to Xu Song’s fire-based abilities, Yue Zheng’s combat style was more suitable for ordinary people who hadn’t awakened supernatural powers. Moreover, Yue Zheng and they were from the same background, making explanations more convenient. All he had to do was explain what to watch out for and analyze the weaknesses of the mutant beasts.
Yue Zheng was a veteran, while these soldiers could be considered rookies in comparison. They had been unlucky enough to face the apocalypse while still in service, unable to return to their homes. Even if they could go back, their loved ones were most likely… So they could only live in confusion within B City’s base.
Watching the ability users among them, each with an imposing presence, treated as heroes within the base, these ordinary soldiers armed with guns and whatever weapons were left from before the apocalypse couldn’t help but feel somewhat lost about their future.
Now, even though Yue Zheng clearly had supernatural abilities, his combat skills were something everyone could learn! Even if they didn’t possess the same level of power, they could still emulate his techniques to some extent.
“Big Brother Yue, do you also have supernatural abilities?” suddenly asked one of the soldiers, a boy who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen.
Although everyone secretly scolded the boy for speaking without thinking, they still looked expectantly at Yue Zheng, hoping he would answer.
Yue Zheng smiled and replied casually, “You could say there’s been an overall enhancement in my physical abilities.”
“Does that mean you’re a second-tier ability user?” Physical enhancement generally refers to improvements in speed, strength, and various aspects of the body, including hearing and vision.
Yue Zheng shrugged, “I’m not entirely sure.”
He wasn’t deliberately keeping it a secret; the enhancements in his physical abilities weren’t as conspicuous as Xu Song’s elemental evolution, which could be discerned through color and manipulation.
“Oh, I wonder how one can upgrade their supernatural abilities,” sighed one of the soldiers.
Another soldier playfully tapped the first one on the head, saying, “Talk about upgrading after you actually have a supernatural ability!”
The crowd burst into laughter at this remark.
The soldier who had asked Yue Zheng if he had supernatural abilities earlier now curiously inquired, “Big Brother Yue, do you know how to upgrade your abilities?”
Yue Zheng looked at Xu Song, who gave him an innocent look in return. Both of them knew that the ability users in the outer circle of the crowd were eavesdropping.
“We’re not entirely sure,” Yue Zheng replied, disappointing the eager audience.
“So when did you guys upgrade?” another person asked, looking at Xu Song.
Xu Song was somewhat flustered. “We woke up one day and found that our abilities seemed to have upgraded.”
Though it was the truth, the others found it even harder to believe. If sleeping could upgrade abilities, then who in the base wouldn’t be sleeping all day?
Yue Zheng smiled and pulled the attention away from Xu Song, wrapping his arm around him to shield him from the intense gazes.
“We encountered a group of mutant creatures that day, and after the battle, we were so tired that we fell asleep on the ground. When we woke up, it seemed like our abilities had upgraded—perhaps, fighting monsters does accumulate experience for upgrades?”
This statement echoed what Ding Jianhua had said earlier, and Yue Zheng wasn’t lying. Killing mutant creatures and mutant plants did indeed temporarily increase the energy density in the surrounding air. Although it was slower than absorbing energy through crystal cores, it was effective when one spent an extended period in such an environment.
A fire crackled by the side of the convoy, and Yue Zheng and Xu Song sat by one of the campfires. They punctured a can of beef and tossed it into the fire, then brewed a cup of tea using the water provided by the convoy. With their cups of hot tea in hand, they sat around the campfire.
Xiao Shu quietly extended a root from Xu Song’s pocket, digging into the snow to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Surprisingly, even in the cold weather, Xiao Shu preferred staying in Xu Song’s pocket rather than venturing outside, seemingly reluctant to face the cold. It left them utterly speechless.
Yue Zheng turned his head to look at Xu Song beside him. With a cup of water in his hand, he squinted his eyes, wearing a mischievous smile, and stared at the can of soup bubbling in the campfire with eager anticipation. He curled his legs and placed his arms on his knees, and the orange glow from the fire illuminated his face, creating a tranquil and beautiful scene.
It seemed like his heart was filled with what he saw before him. Yue Zheng extended his hand, pulling Xu Song close to him, allowing him to lean against his chest.
“Yue, if your fire-based ability were to upgrade again, what color do you think it would become?” Xu Song knew there were other auditory ability users around, so he chose a topic that could be heard without raising concerns.
“Perhaps it would upgrade according to the color temperature chart of flames? It started as red, now it’s orange, and maybe it’ll become yellow, white, cyan, blue, or purple in the future?” Yue Zheng suggested.
Xu Song nodded, “Oh, that makes sense!”
Yue Zheng raised an eyebrow, “What about you? What do you think it would become?”
Xu Song stuck out his tongue playfully, “I thought it might turn into a rainbow… Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple…”
Yue Zheng chuckled, “That’s pretty close, just add green and remove white.” His hand, which had been ruffling Xu Song’s hair, moved down to his face. Luckily, the harsh cold hadn’t made his skin rough. Whether touching or kissing, the sensation was very pleasant…
Xu Song reached for a long tree branch nearby and used it to retrieve the canned beef from the campfire. “Time to eat canned beef!”
His excitement made it seem like he was about to enjoy the most delicious meal of his life. Yue Zheng shook his head with a smile and took out his military knife, helping him open the can.
Canned goods in the military supplies were quite practical. Inside were large chunks of meat with tendons, heated over the fire at this moment, and the rich aroma spread throughout.
Xu Song took out his pocket knife, stabbed a piece, and put it into his mouth. “Mmm… it tastes good. And there’s a lot of delicious beef broth inside. Most importantly, the can isn’t spoiled! We can actually eat it! Even though it’s been expired for six months!”
“You should try it. It would be even better if we had some bread,” Xu Song said while poking another piece and offering it to Yue Zheng.
“When we get back, we’ll have your mom steam some and stew some meat for you to enjoy,” Yue Zheng promised. Not every squad could afford to eat meat every day. Even big squads like Panlong and Splendor, when their harvests weren’t great, had to rely on points and money to buy the base’s basic food rations.
The hearing ability user who had been pointing at his ears lowered his head and wiped away tears. His teammate beside him was puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you hear something?”
The person sniffled and sighed, “No, I just remembered our squad’s usual meals…”
After witnessing the incredible combat abilities of those two, hearing them talk about going back to stew meat made him believe without a doubt that those two could afford to eat it every day!
Little tree hanging out in his pocket to avoid the cold—too cute! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🌳