PSW - Chapter 36
Chapter 36
"Do we need to clear out the zombies in the residential buildings door by door?" Zheng Yi asked. It was the first time she and Yu Yinan had taken on a cleanup mission, so they didn't know the specific standards or how thorough they needed to be.
"It's not that much trouble. We just need to clear the zombies wandering the streets," Xu Lanjun said, leaning against the side of the road to rest. The bodies on the ground had been burned to ash, the black soot mixing with the pavement tiles. There was no longer any snow or water on the ground. "Isn't that Zhao girl here? She'll keep a record."
So Chu Yi's surname is Zhao. Zheng Yi didn't press for Chu Yi's full name; it couldn't possibly be Zhao Chuyi, anyway. She nodded and condensed a stream of clean water. "Jiejie, come have some water."
"You should use your ability less and get more rest." Orbs of water were controlled to float to Yu Yinan's lips, and she had no choice but to open her mouth and swallow. The moment the orbs entered her mouth, they dissolved, and she drank them as naturally as she would a glass of water. She lowered her gaze, took Zheng Yi's hand, and silently began to warm it.
Xu Lanjun simply smiled kindly at the scene. She turned, pulled a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket, took out a long, slender one, and clipped it between her fingers before lighting it with a lighter.
After a short rest, it was time to move on to the next area.
No other squad had accepted a mission in this sector, yet there weren't many zombies around. The car horn was sharp and piercing; logically, it should have attracted a large number of them, perhaps even triggering a horde.
They decided to press on and see. If the squad's disappearance was related to mutated beasts or a zombie horde, they should run into it soon enough.
By the time they finished clearing another area, the sky had grown dim. The cleared sector was relatively safe, so Zheng Yi took her collection of pots and pans out of the trunk. She opened a small plastic bag from her luggage and took out a few blocks of solid fuel.
"Let's rest for a bit. How about some noodles together?" Zheng Yi said as she set up a small stove and placed two blocks of solid fuel underneath.
Yu Yinan walked over, flicked a finger to ignite the fuel, and then helped Zheng Yi arrange the pots and pans. She watched as Zheng Yi rinsed everything with clean water before starting to boil it.
Once the water was boiling, Zheng Yi first dropped in a small, individually wrapped block of hot pot base, stirring until it dissolved. Then, she added a handful of noodles, enough for four people, into the large pot.
Soon after, Zheng Yi pulled a can of luncheon meat and a small fruit knife from her pocket. The knife wasn't particularly sharp and shouldn't have been able to cut through tin, but in Zheng Yi's hands, it effortlessly pierced the top of the can and went all the way to the bottom. She then rotated it once around, separating the meat from the metal. Finally, she grabbed the unopened pull tab, lifted the lid off, and with a simple flip, the block of luncheon meat fell into her hand.
Holding the small fruit knife in her right hand and the luncheon meat in her left, Zheng Yi sliced quickly, and pieces of meat fell one by one into the pot. The entire process was unbelievably smooth, likely taking no more than three minutes from start to finish.
Finally, she added various seasonings for a final touch of flavor, and a large pot of hot noodles was ready.
"Ingredients are limited, so I hope you don't mind. Please, eat with us," Zheng Yi said, first filling a bowl to the brim and handing it to Yu Yinan, then to Xu Lanjun, and finally to Chu Yi.
"There's some for me?" Chu Yi seemed surprised. Perhaps on previous escort missions like this, other teams hadn't been willing to share their already scarce food with her for free.
"Thank you for coming all this way with us. It must have been tiring for you, right? Have something hot and get some rest. We'll be back safely soon," Zheng Yi said with a smile, nudging the bowl forward. Only after Chu Yi accepted it with some hesitation did she hand her a pair of clean chopsticks.
"Thank you."
Zheng Yi waved her hand dismissively. Just as she was about to serve herself, Yu Yinan handed her a prepared bowl. "Let's eat together."
"Okay, let's eat together." Zheng Yi smiled, glancing at the Saint Points she had earned for sharing food. Three points a day for feeding people didn't seem too bad.
Host: Zheng Yi
Saint Points: 51
Inventory Slots: 5
Special Ability: Water
Her Saint Points had finally passed fifty.
After they had eaten their fill, the task of cleaning the dishes and cookware naturally fell to Zheng Yi, the only water ability user. She was clearly practiced at this. She coated the surfaces of the bowls and the iron pot with a thin film of water, then used high-frequency micro-vibrations to draw all the grime and grease into the film before washing it all away with the dirty water. A final rinse with fresh water, and everything was ready to be packed away again.
"Do you want to lie down and sleep for a while? I can drive. You haven't had a proper rest."
"It's fine, I can do it. I didn't use my ability to kill zombies just now. What about you, Jiejie? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm okay. Using my ability frequently seems to improve my mental strength," Yu Yinan said in a low voice. "I don't feel any discomfort."
"I'm not tired either. We've only just started."
As they were about to argue further, Chu Yi pushed up her glasses with a sigh of resignation. She walked over to them and held out her hand. "Give me the keys. You two rest. I'll drive."
"Ah, that's too much trouble for you, really. You're not a member of our squad, just here to monitor the mission…" Zheng Yi was flattered and waved her hands frantically, trying to refuse.
"I ate your food. I should do something in return." Chu Yi kept her palm open and extended it a little further. "The keys. Give them to me."
"Do you need a map?" Yu Yinan took the car keys and placed them in Chu Yi's palm.
"No need. I know the way." At least, the way from before the apocalypse. Chu Yi tossed the keys in her hand, then shoved both hands in her pockets and walked to the car. She had been involved in mapping out the cleanup zones when they were first established.
Yu Yinan watched her get into the driver's seat. Chu Yi didn't rush them to get in and continue the journey; it seemed she had simply overheard their conversation and wanted to "repay" them for the bowl of noodles.
She then looked at Xu Lanjun, who had finished her cigarette and was leaning against a street corner, gazing into the distance. Perhaps she was deep in thought, or maybe she was just letting the smoke dissipate.
Truthfully, Yu Yinan still wasn't used to having two extra teammates. Although Grandma Xu was very kind and Chu Yi did her best to minimize her presence, Yu Yinan still felt a little awkward. She didn't know how to interact with them naturally. In moments like these, she envied Zheng Yi.
Kind, confident, warm, and generous. Even her "flaw" of being a Saint could be seen as the innocent, simple kindness of a young girl.
She was always happy to share, treating it as the most natural, ordinary thing in the world. A bowl of noodles, a piece of candy, a bag of cookies, a loaf of bread—what were they? Even when serving the noodles, she filled everyone else's bowl first before taking what was left for herself.
Had the apocalypse affected Zheng Yi at all? It seemed she hadn't changed one bit.
If Zero One could hear Yu Yinan's thoughts, it would have had a complete meltdown. If it had a physical form, it would have shaken Yu Yinan by the shoulders and screamed, [What kind of super-filter are you using?! Did you forget the unnecessary trouble she caused by giving that note to your parents? Can you please stop being fooled by that face?]
But there were no what-ifs.
Zheng Yi's cool fingertips touched her palm. Yu Yinan carefully cupped her hands, and once they were warm enough, she raised her hand and pressed the back of it against Zheng Yi's forehead to check her temperature. Only when she confirmed it was normal did she feel relieved. As she lowered her hand, she instinctively brushed a stray strand of hair from Zheng Yi's face.
Only after the gesture did Yu Yinan realize what she had done. She quickly pulled her hand back, only to meet Zheng Yi's dark, star-like eyes, which were watching her with a clear, gentle smile.
They always seemed to be looking at each other.
And every time Zheng Yi looked at her, there was always a smile in her eyes. In that instant, you could feel her complete focus, as if you were the only person left in her world.
"Let's get in the car and rest. You can… lean on me and sleep for a bit." Yu Yinan reined in her thoughts. Not daring to meet Zheng Yi's eyes again, she took her hand and led her back to the car. "Grandma Xu, would you like to sit in the front passenger seat?"
"I'm fine anywhere. Don't mind me," Xu Lanjun said with a wave of her hand and a chuckle. "You two sisters have such a wonderful relationship."
Subconsciously, Yu Yinan recalled Chu Yi's question: "How long have you two been together?"
A strange sense of guilt washed over her, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. It was Zheng Yi who squeezed her hand and said with a smile, "That's because Jiejie is just so amazing~"
"I'm so lucky to have met Jiejie in the apocalypse!"
She said it with such open, passionate sincerity.
Even though Yu Yinan was a fire ability user, she felt as if she were the one being burned.
"It's just that Jiejie isn't very used to dealing with other people. Um… isn't there a term, social anxiety? Jiejie might have a little bit of that, but she's a very, very good person and a trustworthy teammate. She's just a little slow to warm up."
"Alright, alright, I know your Jiejie is the best." Xu Lanjun couldn't help but laugh. She shook out her coat, walked over slowly, opened the passenger door, and sat down, a smile still lingering in her eyes.
The vehicle started. Chu Yi, expressionless, turned the steering wheel. She scanned the surrounding streets and quickly drove into a small alley. When she saw zombies wandering in this area, she stopped the car and waited for the others to begin their cleanup.
The three ability users were highly efficient. For some reason, there weren't many zombies wandering nearby. Even with the car horn blaring constantly, they failed to attract even a few hundred of them.
It was at a street corner that they discovered several dead zombie bodies.
The bodies had been cut down by a sharp weapon. One of them had its head smashed to pieces, and the zombie's bloodstained clothes even bore handprints left by someone resisting or attacking.
Besides that, there was a drag mark on the ground. But the substance that made the mark didn't look like normal blood; it was thick and had already turned black, more like something that had come from a zombie.
[Could it be that someone else besides you is raising zombies?!] The moment Zero One saw the mark, it was reminded of that early-apocalypse nightmare. This was impossible! There couldn't be another system in this world. Surely no one else had a thought process as bizarre as Zheng Yi's?
A necrophiliac? Or some other kind of pervert? Or maybe the zombie that was taken away was a family member or lover, so even after they turned, they had to be taken along to keep the zombie family together.
The trail ended abruptly, likely where the body was loaded into a vehicle. Judging by the way they killed the zombies, their skills probably weren't that impressive.
"Do ability users from the shelter… ever desert without reason?" Zheng Yi suddenly asked, looking at Chu Yi. "There are signs of another group active here." No wonder the zombies had been so sparse along their cleanup route.
"I'm not sure." Chu Yi had also gotten out of the car. She examined the zombie corpses and the surrounding tracks. "But the living conditions at Humanity's Light Shelter are very good, especially for ability users."
Just listen to the name: Humanity's Light Shelter. It was clear what kind of hope its founders had when they created it.
"It seems we'll have to find this group's base of operations," Chu Yi sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Five missing ability users. She didn't know if they had deserted or been abducted. The former would be better. If it was the latter…
Did that mean another powerful faction was lurking so close to the shelter?
To be optimistic, what if this group had nothing to do with it? Maybe some wanderers had just killed the zombies, and the missing squad had run into a mutated zombie or beast…
In this wasteland, Chu Yi was fundamentally unwilling to make enemies of her fellow humans or clash with other ability users. Her ability was extremely useful, as long as her enemies had self-awareness and weren't too numerous.
This was one of the reasons the shelter had sent her along.
"Are there any suitable places to use as a base around here?" Yu Yinan asked, recalling the map of the area. Then, something occurred to her. "I remember there's a high school about three kilometers from here, right?"
"Yes, a very large boarding school. I remember it has two dormitory buildings." Chu Yi frowned. When the shelter was first established, they had gone to that high school and brought back a few students who had been trapped in the dorms, unable to get home. Although the apocalypse had descended with sudden chaos, the emergency notices had also come out quickly, ordering schools and businesses to close. Most of the students at that high school had gone home.
Perhaps this group had moved in later. Building the shelter was a massive undertaking. They had to manage ability users, assign various tasks, and take care of the ordinary people as much as possible. They had tried to be comprehensive, planning everything too perfectly in the initial blueprint, which made the early implementation the most difficult phase. Now, although the shelter had stabilized somewhat, it was still in a developmental stage, and many aspects were not yet fully established.
While they issued area cleanup missions, the scope was never that large or that far out. After all, whether it was individual ability users or squads, everyone prioritized their own safety. They wouldn't take unnecessary risks or think about things like "fighting for the shelter" or "striving for the future of humanity." Those concepts were too distant; most people were still trapped by the struggles of their immediate lives.
The apocalypse… it had only been three months.
Chu Yi didn't immediately urge them to head for the high school or to conduct a wider search for a potential ability user base. She had them continue with the cleanup mission they had accepted. By the time all the designated areas were cleared, it was dusk.
The sky would soon be completely dark.
They had a simple meal of dry rations and water. After a short rest, Chu Yi placed her hands on the steering wheel.
"Should we continue investigating?" she asked. Darkness… If they drove, the headlights would be too conspicuous. But without them, it would be impossible to drive.
The main problem was not knowing where this potential group was gathered. Otherwise, the night would be perfect for infiltrating on foot to gather information.
Time-wise, they could reach the vicinity in twenty minutes, maybe even faster.
Zheng Yi looked at Yu Yinan, who in turn waited for Zheng Yi to speak. They exchanged a glance, then both looked at Xu Lanjun in unison.
Grandma Xu had been leaning lazily in the passenger seat, her eyes nearly closed. Sensing the silent atmosphere in the car, she slowly tapped her fingers and adjusted the hem of her coat. "Let's go, then."
"The sooner we check it out, the sooner we can go back."
At this time of night, even if the occupants were hostile, they wouldn't recklessly give chase.
"Then let's go!" Zheng Yi clenched her fist, full of energy. She looked at Chu Yi. "You've been driving all day. Why don't I take over so you can rest?"
"It's fine. We'll see when we get there." Chu Yi didn't feel tired. It was just driving. While Zheng Yi and the others were clearing zombies, she could get out and stretch her legs. She hadn't used her ability all day, so how could she be tired?
However, before they even reached the high school, on a street near it, Chu Yi spotted an obvious roadblock.
It was a man-made barricade of discarded bicycles, some metal barrels from who-knows-where, and a jumble of other junk, piled high like a garbage heap across the road. It stretched from one side to the other, not even sparing the sidewalk.
In the middle, a few sheets of metal had been propped up, with two tables pushed against them from behind.
Chu Yi didn't know if this contraption could stop zombies, but it could definitely stop a car. Of course, if you were determined to force your way through, you probably could.
Chu Yi stopped the car. Sitting in the driver's seat, she pushed her slightly slipped glasses back up. It seemed this was the place.
"A car's here! Yang Ge! Another car!" A few men scrambled toward the dormitory building. They ran up the stairs but didn't dare to push open the door or knock, instead shouting loudly.
If you listened closely, you could hear sounds coming from the room with its terrible soundproofing. However, the sounds were mostly a man's panting, with the occasional cry or wail of a woman.
"What's all the shouting for? Block them. I'm coming."
The messengers waited quietly until the dorm room door was violently shoved open. A shirtless man emerged, pulling up his pants. He casually threw a jacket over his shoulders and wiped the blood from his hands.
He wasn't burly or fierce-looking. He wasn't covered in muscles or tattoos. He just had a simple buzz cut and no scars on his face. If he were properly dressed and walking down the street, he would be the most ordinary, unassuming person in a crowd.
But he was the boss here, the "master" of this small base.
"How many men, how many women? Are they all ability users?"
"Four women, Yang Ge! All four are women! But one's an old hag!" one of them piped up, his voice high-pitched with excitement and a slight tremor. He winked suggestively. "The other three are top-notch. It'll be amazing." He gave a thumbs-up.
"Heh." He spat on the ground. "Women driving around in a car… four of them… There must be ability users among them."
"Get the boys together… Right, what about the ability users who just joined? Get them all. Have them go ask what's going on," he mused. "Maybe they're from the same shelter as them."
Chu Yi didn't rush to leave. Or rather, the men surrounded them too quickly, blocking their way.
"It's dangerous out here at night. Why not rest at our place for a night? Our boss has a soft spot for pretty ladies~" The men who surrounded them were all holding wooden clubs or other tools. They just smiled as they circled the car, eyeing the people inside like prey or property, occasionally exchanging glances and sharing indescribable smirks.
At the same time, Zero One heard Zheng Yi make a "tsk" sound. In that instant, Zero One guessed her thoughts: she was annoyed that she had too many teammates.
One of the bolder men even approached the car door and said mockingly, "Hey, little sister, how about you open the door~ Let your big brothers take good care of you~"
However, the moment he spoke, one of the men who had followed him over suddenly changed his expression. He lunged forward, pulled the jeering man back, and hissed in a low voice, "They're ability users! At least, the two in the back are."
In that same instant, Yu Yinan saw a familiar face. She frowned, trying to remember. He looked like one of the people from Li Yunhan's survivor camp—the one who had cried.
Jiang Jue.
"Ability users?" The words spread among them. The men's faces turned grim for a second, but they quickly started smiling again. They didn't dare retreat, but they also didn't dare continue their taunts.
So what if they were ability users? They were still just women. And women…
They exchanged another knowing look.
Zero One sensed that Zheng Yi was very calm at this moment. Or rather, she was suppressing her excitement and exhilaration.
'So many test subjects,' it heard in Zheng Yi's calm mental voice, which nonetheless carried a distinct "just what I needed" feeling.
[There are a lot of them, and there must be more ability users!] Although Zero One truly believed in Zheng Yi's strength and was curious about her limits, facing so many ability users… even with Yu Yinan and the others, it would probably be a tough fight, right?
Most importantly, Zheng Yi had to maintain her Saint persona! In a fight… against living people, it would be hard to look like a Saint in front of Yu Yinan and the others, wouldn't it? Even if Zheng Yi chanted sutras for the dead while killing them, people wouldn't think she was a Saint; they'd think she was a lunatic!
Zero One put itself in their shoes. If a sweet-looking girl was cleanly killing people while piously chanting sutras for them… it would be terrified.
'The more ability users, the better~' Zheng Yi looked at Jiang Jue, who for some reason had regained his courage and was looking back at her. She met his gaze and gave him a gentle smile. 'If they were all as weak as Jiang Jue and broke down so easily, how would I earn any Saint Points?'
"Don't be afraid." Just then, Yu Yinan took her hand. Zheng Yi turned to look, her emotions brewing, and saw Yu Yinan's body tense, seemingly ready for battle at any moment.
"You all stay in the car for now," Chu Yi said in a low voice as she pushed open the car door. She stood beside the car, her cold eyes sweeping over the men who had clearly come to block their path, guessing that the missing squad had met the same fate.
But five ability users… how could all of them have disappeared? At the hands of these ordinary men? Impossible.
She looked into the distance. Soon, a dozen or so people came swaggering over, flanking a man in the lead. The leader wore only an open jacket, revealing his bare chest. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her pupils glowed with a faint purple light.
They were all ability users.
Thirteen ability users.
They could be dealt with, but it would require issuing a large-scale joint mission for ability user squads.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she noticed two people being pushed to the front of the group. They were members of the missing squad.
Desertion?
"Chu-Chu Yi?!" The moment one of the members saw who it was, his face went pale with shock. The other, though not as flustered, had guilt and fear written all over his face.
"Even if you found a better place, you didn't even have time to go back and close out your mission?" Chu Yi sneered, crossing her arms as she sized up the base's leader.
At the same time, the leader was sizing her up, staring at her. But his gaze was disrespectful and flippant, as if he were looking through her clothes, appraising her figure, or imagining something far more vulgar.
It wasn't until one of the former squad members hurried to the leader's side and whispered something quickly that the leader's expression changed dramatically. He suddenly broke into a smile, pushing aside the men on either side of him while scolding the ones still surrounding the car. "Have you got no eyes? What are you still crowding around for?"
Then, he turned to Chu Yi with a smile, his entire demeanor becoming incredibly gentlemanly, his tone friendly. "Haha, my apologies, my apologies. This is a small base of ours, and they're all a bit jumpy. If they've offended you, I hope you can forgive them~"
"I've long heard of the great name of Humanity's Light Shelter. You must be Chu Yi, the person in charge of managing ability users. It's an honor to finally meet you~ I never expected you to be so young and beautiful in person."
How fake, Chu Yi thought, but she managed a polite smile. "An ability user squad went missing after accepting a mission, so the shelter sent me and my team to investigate. So… you're the one who took them in?"
"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! This is all a big misunderstanding," the man said, waving his hands dramatically as if performing in a comedy. He scratched the back of his head, then suddenly turned and pointed at the two ability users. "You two, come over here and explain things to this officer."
"I certainly wasn't poaching your members. Taking them in was just an accident."
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