If you ask Ruan Ning, that mutated zombie was truly unlucky. It probably could have terrorized a few more waves of survivors here and might have even become a high-level zombie in the future. But fate wasn’t on its side. Shortly after appearing, it ran into the protagonist’s team and ultimately ended up as a bright red crystal in the protagonist’s hand.
Gu Yicheng had no use for the fire-type crystal, so he handed it over to the fire-type ability user in their group, Xie Fei.
“Thank you, Mr. Gu!”
Xie Fei was both shocked and overjoyed as he accepted the crystal. The zombie had been killed entirely by Mr. Gu; their team hadn’t contributed much at all. Xie Fei never expected that the crystal would end up in his hands.
Not only Xie Fei, but even the rest of the team, including Captain Xue Chen, were surprised by this gesture. Now that they understood the value of the crystals, Gu Yicheng’s act touched them deeply.
As for the other survivors present, even if someone harboured thoughts of taking the crystal, they would have to weigh whether they stood a chance against Gu Yicheng’s group.
Anyone with a bit of self-awareness would realize that after the mutated zombie had caused them so much trouble, the crystal was never meant to be theirs.
The crystal from this fire-type mutated zombie was slightly larger than a thumbnail, with a deep, fiery red colour. One glance was enough to know it wasn’t an ordinary crystal.
Although Ruan Ning hadn’t seen the mutated zombie with her own eyes, the size of the crystal alone told her that the zombie was likely beyond the first tier. It had probably just reached or was about to reach the second tier.
Meanwhile, the protagonist emerged from the fight completely unscathed, showing that killing a second-tier mutated zombie wasn’t difficult for him.
Mutated zombies were generally more powerful than ability users of the same tier. Ning couldn’t help but wonder what level Gu Yicheng’s lightning ability had reached by now.
After thinking about it, she concluded that it must be strong—possibly nearing the third tier.
It had been less than a month since the apocalypse began. Some people still hadn’t awakened their abilities and were struggling to survive using only cold weapons. Others who had just awakened were still exploring their powers. Yet here was Gu Yicheng, already capable of defeating second-tier mutated zombies.
Comparisons really could be discouraging.
On one hand, Ruan Ning was happy that the protagonist was so powerful, as this increased her own safety as a “companion.” On the other hand, she felt troubled, wondering when she would become as strong as him.
…
After dealing with the zombie horde, the team was physically and mentally drained, with their abilities mostly spent. For safety reasons, Xue Chen decided that they should rest here and eat lunch before heading to the gas station.
The rescue team they had helped was also badly injured and in no condition to leave quickly. They were resting and taking stock of their casualties.
The rescue team had started with dozens of people, but most of them were regular survivors, with only a few ability users. After the zombie attack, five had died, and eight were severely injured. Nearly everyone had some kind of wound.
In comparison, Ruan Ning’s group fared much better, with only a minor injury to Li Bao. The rest of the team was unscathed.
What Ruan Ning didn’t expect was to see Qin Renhao here. He had also joined the rescue team.
Among the team, Qin Renhao was one of the least injured, with only a palm-sized burn on his arm. Still, even such a burn could easily lead to infection if not treated properly.
“Brother, I see a high school classmate over there. Can I go say hello?” Ruan Ning had initially wanted to head over directly but remembered that Gu Yicheng had told her not to wander off, so she decided to ask for permission first.
“High school classmate?” Gu Yicheng narrowed his eyes, following her gaze to a handsome young man standing outside the shop.
“If Ningning wants to go, you can, but don’t stray too far. Zombies could re-enter the area at any time,” Gu Yicheng said calmly as he withdrew his gaze.
Ruan Ning nodded, though she didn’t think the short distance between the shop and outside would pose much danger. With Gu Yicheng’s permission, she excitedly headed out of the car dealership.
“Ruan Ning? What are you doing here?!”
Qin Renhao had just learned from others how to cut away the dead flesh from his wound with a knife to prevent infection. His face was pale, and he looked weak.
However, when he saw Ruan Ning, his face lit up with joy and surprise. Ever since their last meeting in the safe zone, he hadn’t had the luck to run into her again. He didn’t know where she lived, and she hadn’t come to find him.
“Your wound is hard to bandage alone. Let me help,” Ruan Ning offered, remembering how Qin Renhao had been kind to her before, even offering to help her get cold medicine. Now that he was injured like this, she couldn’t just stand by and watch him struggle.
“Then… I’ll trouble you,” Qin Renhao initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the concern in her bright eyes, his ears turned red, and he nodded in agreement.
“I’ve never bandaged anyone before, so I hope you don’t mind if it’s not perfect,” Ruan Ning said as she took the bandages from his hands. Seeing his bleeding, untreated wound, she frowned slightly and asked, “Are you sure you don’t need to put any medicine on this?”
Qin Renhao shrugged it off. “After awakening abilities, wounds heal much faster than before. I can handle it.”
The rescue team had limited resources, and medication was scarce, especially for minor wounds like his. Antibiotics were even rarer. If they had more supplies, he wouldn’t have had to cut away the dead flesh to prevent infection.
Ruan Ning had some medicine in her space, but it wasn’t from her own stash; it was part of the team’s reserves stored in case of emergencies. She knew how important these supplies were in the apocalypse, and she didn’t feel it was right to decide on her own to use them for someone outside the team.
But letting him go with such basic treatment didn’t sit well with her either…
Just as Ruan Ning was debating whether to ask the team or Gu Yicheng for permission, Jiang Jingchao walked over and handed her a bottle of iodine and some Yunnan Baiyao.
**Nomad: Yunnan Baiyao is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used to stop bleeding, reduce inflammation, and promote healing of wounds and injuries.**
“Gu Ge asked me to bring this over. He figured your friend might need it,” Jiang Jingchao said before heading off to handle other tasks.
With the medicine already provided, Ruan Ning didn’t need to worry anymore. She quickly cleaned Qin Renhao’s wound with iodine, applied Yunnan Baiyao, and re-bandaged him.
While she was working on his injury, Qin Renhao asked casually, “By the way, who is that ‘Gu Ge’ the guy mentioned earlier?”
After tying the bandage in a neat bow, Ning finished her task and replied offhandedly, “That’s my brother. He’s a really powerful ability user!”
Upon hearing that response, Qin Renhao finally felt a sense of relief. Earlier, he had followed Ruan Ning ‘s gaze and happened to make eye contact with that man—Gu Yicheng. The sharpness in his eyes made a chill run down Qin Renhao’s spine.
Ruan Ning had always kept a low profile at school, so Qin Renhao didn’t know much about her family background or who her family members were. However, from just that brief encounter, Qin Renhao could tell that Ruan Ning ‘s brother was far from ordinary.
With someone like Gu Yicheng around, Qin Renhao thought, Ruan Ning would likely fare better in the apocalypse than most.
Qin Renhao had also heard rumours that it was Ruan Ning’s team who had rescued them from the horde of zombies and that powerful mutated zombie. Without their help, they would probably still be fighting for their lives.
Qin Renhao had once believed that after awakening his ability, he would be able to protect himself and the people he cared about. But after today’s battle, he fully realized how weak he was. Against that mutated zombie, he hadn’t even stood a chance.
Ruan Ning hadn’t just come over to exchange pleasantries with Qin Renhao—there was also something more important she needed to ask him.
Since they had already left the safety of the zone and might not cross paths again, Ruan Ning decided to ask directly instead of beating around the bush.
From Qin Renhao, Ruan Ning learned the answers she had been seeking.
Chen Ying’er, the girl who had betrayed Ruan Ning’s predecessor, hadn’t stayed with the original group from their high school for long. Before Qin Renhao had joined the rescue team, Chen Ying’er had left to join her boyfriend, who had also made it to the safe zone. Apparently, they left the safe zone together after replenishing supplies. Chen Ying’er’s boyfriend wasn’t from S City, and since he had only come to the safe zone for supplies, she had left with him when he moved on.
Ruan Ning listened and felt a brief moment of melancholy, but there was no real anger or resentment.
After all, it was the original Ruan Ning who had suffered those pains in the previous life, not her. Ruan Ning now only had those memories of what had happened, but she hadn’t lived through it herself, so she couldn’t truly feel the same grief.
She figured the only thing she could do for the original Ruan Ning was to give her a sense of closure if they ever crossed paths with Chen Ying’er again. However, if they never met or she didn’t get the chance to exact revenge, Ruan Ning wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
In truth, Ruan Ning wasn’t even sure how to teach Chen Ying’er a lesson. She had thought of several plans, but every time she would reject them early on.
After all, Ruan Ning couldn’t bring herself to stoop as low as Chen Ying’er had. She wasn’t the kind of person who could push someone else into a horde of zombies just to get even. Even if it was under the guise of avenging someone else, Ruan Ning couldn’t do something so cruel. As they say, you can’t sink to the same level as those who harm you—just because a dog bites you doesn’t mean you bite it back.
****Nomad: Sorry, I was sick for a while and haven’t been posting new chapters. Only the ones I had scheduled were posted. I will try to get back on track, but please bear with me in the meantime. Thank you.
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