The bandits were released one by one.
By rights, after seeing daylight again, these fearless men should have been swaggering around arrogantly. Besides, it had all turned out to be a false alarm, and they had not even ended up in police custody.
Yet every one of them emerged looking as though they had been violated, their faces full of grievance, each seeming to have something to say but unable to get it out. They looked as if someone had died.
Unable to hold back, Chu Yebai kicked Guan Tian, who was nearest to him. “You haven’t eaten for only two meals. Are you all about to die?”
Guan Tian’s knee buckled from the kick, and he nearly fell to his knees.
He could only console himself inwardly: Their boss’s legs were still strong enough to kick someone like that, so he probably had not been tormented too badly today.
It seemed that their boss had recognized the situation early, played along with her, and won her favor enough to escape disaster.
But thinking back to their boss’s usual domineering, untouchable manner, the change after barely a day was so drastic that it felt like something from a previous lifetime.
Their boss had now fallen to the point of ingratiating himself with a woman and living off her as a kept man.
All because they were such burdens.
Several of them could not hold back their sobs.
That infuriated Chu Yebai. In his own opinion, he had merely sacrificed a little dignity, and judging by the returns on his investment, he had come out far ahead. His choice had been shrewd and brought nothing but benefits.
Yet ever since yesterday, it seemed that his understanding of the situation had become completely disconnected from that of his men.
Did he have no pride at all?
By now, the group had already begun quietly resolving to work hard and make sure their boss suffered as little as possible.
But as soon as they came out, they happened to see members of the security team carrying things onto a ship. The markings on the crates looked strangely familiar.
When everyone reached the deck, they realized that this place also looked rather familiar.
Those who had been here before recognized it as the hideout of one of the smuggling groups they frequently dealt with.
Then they were pushed off the ship to help carry the goods.
The bandits were horrified.
“Boss, it’s not appropriate to go raid someone else’s hideout empty-handed, is it?”
“If we’re going to rob this place, we should at least make a plan in advance!”
The Appraiser cursed. “Idiots. They’ve already started moving the goods onto the ship, and you’re still worrying about whether anyone over there will resist?”
But the situation was so bizarre that everyone turned to look at their boss.
Chu Yebai said, “Let’s help carry the goods first. You’ll understand once you see what happens next.”
The men climbed off the ship suspiciously and approached in a speedboat. Sure enough, the security personnel who had gone ashore earlier were moving through the place as if no one else existed.
The firearms and weapons hidden inside the base, along with the neatly arranged diesel drums outside, were being carried away in an orderly fashion. The security personnel came and went as though they were entering their own homes.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought this was a supply station where everything had been arranged and paid for in advance.
But this was the headquarters of an arms-smuggling operation!
Where were the people? Where were the guns?
Whenever they came here to pick up a shipment, they had to face constant vigilance and gun barrels trained on them from every direction, whether openly or from the shadows.
Then the group stepped ashore and saw corpses scattered all over the pier, their deaths gruesome and most of their bodies no longer recognizable.
Their intestines had spilled out, half their faces had rotted away, and severed arms and legs were everywhere.
Everyone was startled and hurried over to take a closer look. The Appraiser was about to turn over one of the bodies when their boss’s voice came from far behind them.
“Don’t touch it!”
“You have a wound on your hand. If you get anything on it, you’re done for.”
As he spoke, he tossed the Appraiser a pair of medical gloves.
The Appraiser had not been shot the previous day, but the nylon restraints had broken the skin around his wrists. It would be a real joke if he became infected because of that.
He put on the gloves and immediately noticed that the bodies had decomposed to a degree completely inconsistent with normal circumstances. They looked as though they had been dead for several days.
But the bullet wounds were fresh. No one would waste ammunition shooting at corpses, especially not by firing every shot directly into the head.
The Appraiser was the most well-informed member of the group when it came to outside news. Before any operation, he always made sure to gather and maintain a steady flow of important information.
He suddenly remembered the many videos he had seen before the operation, showing people being attacked by what appeared to be rabid dogs in different places at roughly the same time.
At the time, he had assumed it was some kind of newly emerging infectious disease. The old woman who had gone berserk in the lobby and been beaten to death had displayed similar symptoms.
These people looked much like her, and the foul stench coming from their bodies was similar as well. The only difference was that their condition was far more advanced.
The Appraiser looked up and asked in a trembling voice, “Has everyone here been infected?”
If even a small smuggling base had such a high infection rate, what would the outside world look like now?
The Appraiser pressed a hand against one of the corpses. The area over the heart gave way at once, leaving a gaping hole, and the internal organs he could see inside were severely decomposed as well.
Pointing at the body, he said, “For an infection to reach this stage in such a short time... The chances that a vaccine and an effective treatment have already been developed are practically nonexistent.”
“And even if they have, there’s no way they could save someone in this condition, right?”
“No human being could still survive while carrying a body like this.”
After all, just a few days ago, before they robbed the place, a shipment had been sent out from here. At the time, these people had still been alive and full of energy.
The Appraiser was different from the other roughnecks. As the second brain of the team, and someone who could temporarily take command in their boss’s place, he was naturally much more meticulous and careful.
He looked at his boss and Pei Liang.
The two of them had not spent most of the day doing anything shameful at all. They had come straight here and taken down the entire arms depot.
There was no way this woman could have known the location of the place. That meant the interrogation Chu Yebai had mentioned yesterday might really have been an interrogation.
As for whether he had suffered any losses, that remained uncertain.
After all, who said an interrogator could not toy with a hostage while interrogating him?
What if their boss had not only given up the information, but had also been thoroughly taken advantage of?
The Appraiser’s face flushed slightly. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts back on track, and continued his analysis.
Based on the timing, their boss and that woman must have come here early in the morning, cleared the place out, and taken complete control of it.
If the situation outside really was this serious, then it had been a brilliant decision. Acquiring such a large stockpile of weapons would let them dominate within a limited area.
The Appraiser looked at his boss and the woman with undisguised admiration.
“Impressive.”
After listening to the Appraiser’s occasional explanations, the other bandits more or less understood what had happened. They, too, looked over with solemn respect.
“Seriously impressive. The two of them actually took control of the whole place.”
Chu Yebai thought he had finally recovered a little of his dignity.
Normally, he did not care much about things like this, and he rarely took the initiative to boast about his achievements.
But he had not merely become someone’s kept man. His men’s misguided attempts at being considerate had also left him unable to hold his head up. For once, he found himself feeling rather vain.
Unfortunately, that tiny bit of vanity had barely warmed him before he heard Guan Tian and the others muttering quietly as they carried the goods.
“It’s over. She’s this capable. Boss probably has no chance of turning things around now. He’ll just have to wait until she gets tired of playing with him and lets him go.”
“Why put it that way? Boss did contribute, at least.”
“You should have seen the state he was in when he came back last night. How much could he possibly have contributed?”
“Just get back to work. Stop overthinking it. Boss has had it hard enough.”
Chu Yebai: “...”
This smuggling base held plenty of valuable things. Besides the weapons and diesel, there was also a large amount of medical equipment and satellite communications gear.
Naturally, there were plenty of things like walkie-talkies, and the food stores were fairly substantial as well.
Most of it consisted of nonperishable dry goods and canned food.
After searching through nearly the entire base, Pei Liang finally ordered them to set sail and leave in grand fashion.
The appraiser soon found her. “Give me back my computer.”
Pei Liang thought for a moment. “I think a child took an interest in it yesterday, so I gave it to him.”
“What?” the appraiser exclaimed.
“Don’t worry. He didn’t take it to play Minesweeper.” Pei Liang smiled. “He’s a renowned physics prodigy. He’s probably already deciphered what was on the computer and connected to the signal to see what was happening outside, right?”
That was why the child had been exceptionally well-behaved that morning. Smart people took the initiative to understand a situation instead of letting the situation drag them along.
The appraiser was furious. “Make him give it back.”
Pei Liang nodded. “Room XXX. Go ask him for it yourself. Just remember not to frighten the child.”
Chu Yebai watched Pei Liang tease the appraiser, a smile on his face the entire time, but his heart had grown somewhat heavy.
The people aboard this ship were rather special. Naturally, many of them were completely incapable of taking care of themselves, but at the same time, some possessed tremendous value.
The proportion of talented people among these thousand passengers was much higher than in most places outside.
After all, there was even an academic banquet among them.
In other words, the people in his hands—even someone as outstanding as the appraiser—were not entirely irreplaceable.
As these thoughts turned in his mind, Chu Yebai led Pei Liang back to their room.
The moment they entered, he locked the door himself, then took a bottle from the liquor cabinet and poured them each a glass.
He handed one to Pei Liang. “You worked hard today. Would you like to take a bath?”
As the cruise ship’s owner’s honored guest, Pei Liang was naturally staying in a luxurious suite.
The bathroom was enormous. The bathtub stood beneath a massive floor-to-ceiling window, allowing one to soak in the tub with a glass of red wine while admiring the breathtaking starry sky over the sea.
After raiding a zombie nest—and especially one with such an overpowering stench—Pei Liang genuinely felt as though the smell had clung to her body.
She took a sip of wine and nodded. “Come to think of it, I nearly forgot.”
As she spoke, she headed toward the bathroom. With every step, the smooth fabric of her long dress slid from her body and fell onto the carpet.
She was just about to take another step when someone pulled her into his arms.
Chu Yebai’s voice brushed against her ear. “Let me do it.”
“After all, it’s my duty.”
Pei Liang smiled. “Are you sure?”
“You were pretty thoroughly worn out yesterday. I certainly didn’t hold back, and you went into another fight today. If you insist on taking on your duties while still injured, I’ll start to think I’m being too cruel.”
Although she said this, Pei Liang was practically crying with emotion inside.
She had been wondering whether she ought to wait a couple more days, and yet he had eagerly come forward to fulfill his duties, taking the field despite his injuries.
What professional dedication this pretty boy possessed! In all her life, she had never encountered anyone like him.
Meanwhile, Chu Yebai was growing anxious.
They couldn’t remain adrift at sea forever. Sooner or later, they would have to return to land.
Based on all the clues, he estimated that they would make landfall within half a month. That meant he had to win this woman’s favor completely within that period.
He needed to earn her trust—to the point where she would be willing to share at least some of the information he didn’t know—and accumulate as much capital as possible for the future.
Besides, she had already said that much. How could he, as a man, possibly withstand the blow to his vanity?
Chu Yebai clasped Pei Liang’s wrist. It was so slender that he felt as though he could snap it with a little force.
The irony was that, in reality, she could snap him in two with a little force.
Still, it was undeniable that, even aside from any other considerations, given the circumstances and Pei Liang’s beauty and allure, he would want to spend the night with such a stunning woman.
He smiled. “Try me and you’ll find out whether I’m up to the job.”
“I’m still rather uneasy about my current condition. What if you regret it later?”
Regret it? That was impossible.
A pretty boy of this caliber was exactly the sort of man Pei Liang would want to have, even if there had been no mission involved.
Since he was inviting her so openly, refusing would hardly be befitting of a woman.
And so the magnificent bathroom door closed behind them.
When they finally emerged, Chu Yebai’s steps were unsteady, and his expression suggested that he was questioning everything he knew about life.
He shouldn’t have been so overconfident. Based on his judgment, he could tell that although this woman was bold in what she said, she actually had little practical experience.
Her earlier claim that she had toyed with her fiancé together with her younger sister had most likely been nothing more than a line thrown out so she wouldn’t lose face.
There was a good chance that her current abandon had partly been provoked by betrayal. No matter how drastically her attitude had changed, a lack of physical experience was still a lack of physical experience.
How could she possibly be his match?
Not only had he been perfectly healthy beforehand, but after a night’s rest, he had already recovered his strength.
Before entering, Chu Yebai had genuinely believed that he could turn the tables, conquer this woman, and make her crave him from then on.
He had been too hasty.
How could he have known that she would have endless tricks up her sleeve, astonishing stamina, and consummate technique? Chu Yebai had nearly been brought to tears.
He had never known a person could be put through such things. It was as if he had been introduced to the entire matter all over again.
For the first time, Chu Yebai felt that he had lost.
Yet he was unwilling to accept defeat. In a resentful tone, he asked, “How are you so experienced?”
Pei Liang thought to herself: After handling two men at the same time for so many years, how could I not be experienced?
Of course, she couldn’t say that aloud. Even the most good-natured pretty boy would lose his temper over it.
She slipped her hand into his hair and comforted him. “It’s all right. You’re not feeling well, and it’s always like this the first time. You’ll get better later.”
She made him sound like an impotent virgin who needed reassurance from a woman.
Chu Yebai became even more withdrawn. He didn’t want to go out and face that pack of idiots, so he pulled up the covers and hid his head beneath them.
In the end, he was simply too unwilling to admit defeat. He threw off the covers and stared at Pei Liang. “Wait until I’ve recovered from my injuries.”
Pei Liang smiled. “All right, all right. Though actually, having your arms and legs broken wouldn’t interfere much.”
Chu Yebai tensed all over, unsure whether there was some hidden meaning in her words.
But Pei Liang’s expression showed no sign of one, which only made him feel more uneasy.
That evening, the two of them left their room together to have dinner in the restaurant.
They happened to run into Zhong An next door.
Pei Liang had shot straight through Zhong An’s thigh the night before, but it had been bandaged on the spot. Later, the medical team had arranged for someone to look after him.
Since no one knew what was happening outside and Zhong An was willing to pay, there were plenty of people happy to care for him.
But his heart was filled with resentment toward Pei Liang and Chu Yebai—especially Pei Liang. His leg had nearly been crippled.
She had treated him like that merely because he had wanted to kick that man a couple of times to vent his anger, and then she had taken the man back to her room right in front of him.
Now the two of them were emerging from the room together, making it obvious that they had gotten involved.
Zhong An felt no guilt whatsoever about drifting between the two sisters. On the contrary, he considered himself blessed with extraordinary luck in love.
But being cuckolded by his fiancée—even being shot by her for the sake of another man—was an unforgivable betrayal.
Yet no matter how much he hated them, what could he do? He didn’t dare show the slightest trace of displeasure.
Even when he saw Pei Liang and Chu Yebai emerge together in an intimate manner, he still had to force an ugly smile and greet them.
“G-good evening.”
Pei Liang smiled and waved at him. She even asked with genuine concern, “Are you heading out for dinner?”
“Your legs are injured, so you don’t need to go yourself. I’ll let the restaurant know and have them send something over for you later.”
Her tone was sincerely considerate, but Zhong An felt like he was choking on blood.
She made it sound as though he had injured his leg by being reckless and getting himself hurt, as if she had nothing to do with it.
Zhong An’s smile grew even more unpleasant, though he did his best to make it look ingratiating.
“No. I’ve been lying in bed for too long, so I came out to get some fresh air.”
Pei Liang nodded. Without saying anything more, she turned and left with Chu Yebai.
Chu Yebai did glance back at Zhong An, a hint of meaning in his eyes, but he quickly turned away again, as if it had been nothing more than an absentminded look.
Watching the two of them walk away, the man who had been promised a generous payment to look after Zhong An tried to placate him. “Brother Zhong, don’t bother watching them. They’re just a pair of dogs.”
“Don’t worry. Once we get off the ship, they won’t be getting away with anything.”
Zhong An nodded. Once they got off the ship, his parents would not let Pei Liang off either. And that was before considering the fact that her hands were stained with Ms. Zhu’s blood.
But when they arrived at the restaurant and everyone had finished eating, Pei Liang asked them all to remain calm.
She stood up. “The situation on the ship has stabilized for the time being. Mr. Chu and his group and I have reached an agreement. We have gone from enemies to allies, so everyone here is now on the same side.”
“I hope everyone on this ship can work together to get through this crisis and find a way forward for the future.”
Her words seemed rather inexplicable. The crisis on the ship was none other than this group of hijackers, wasn’t it?
But then everyone saw Pei Liang open the doors to more than a dozen cabins one after another.
Every doorway was covered by armed security guards and hijackers pointing their guns inside, while the crowd was ordered to retreat at least ten meters. It looked as though anyone who came out would be shot on sight.
The surrounding guests panicked.
“What are you trying to do?”
Were they planning to spout pretty words while executing the hostages to intimidate everyone? At that moment, nearly everyone thought so.
But when all the doors opened at once, people from three rooms charged out first.
By then, they hardly looked human. Their faces were bluish, their eyes had turned yellow, and their vacant gazes carried a chilling, aggressive hostility.
Every bit of exposed skin on their faces and bodies was covered in obvious scratches, as though they had clawed themselves.
The moment they came out, they hurled themselves at the crowd like madmen, startling the guests who had just been mourning them in silence.
Several gunshots rang out. The people collapsed with bullets in their heads.
From the dozen or so rooms, nearly everyone who emerged, one after another, was in this completely abnormal, frenzied state.
The rooms had been kept at a comfortable temperature, and the occupants had been given food. They had been locked up for less than twenty-four hours. Even if they had lost control of their emotions, there was no way every single one of them would have ended up like this.
The guests panicked.
“What exactly is going on?”
“Why did they become like this? Weren’t they just running a fever?”
Pei Liang shook her head. “Unfortunately, I had been hoping that at least one or two of them would pull through.”
The appraiser let out a mocking laugh. “How could they? This ship only has a thousand people. The odds of even one of them carrying antibodies are vanishingly small.”
I suppose they were hoping for the protagonists’ halo, Pei Liang thought. After all, both the male and female leads were here.
Then she instructed the appraiser, “Begin.”
The projection screen in the hall descended, and the appraiser’s computer display was mirrored onto it.
Pei Liang said, “Next, I’m going to show everyone what is really happening outside. No matter what you see, I hope you can remain calm.”
“At the very least, don’t cause a panic. Otherwise, I’ll be in a difficult position.”
Remembering how viciously she had broken her fiancé’s leg simply because his noise had annoyed her, everyone drew back and kept quiet.
But the images that appeared next made them gasp.
The screen split into numerous smaller displays, showing videos uploaded by people online as well as reports from authoritative news outlets.
It was an absolute vision of hell on earth. There were countless chaotic, bloody scenes filmed from tightly shut windows, and even a horrifying clip of a familiar news anchor having her throat bitten through by an out-of-control staff member while she was broadcasting the news.
Every timestamp showed that the footage had been recorded the previous night. The shocking images appeared before them without warning, and the people in the hall, who had been desperately trying not to make a sound, began screaming.
“How could this be?”
“It’s fake, right?”
“It has to be fake. It’s just movie special effects.”
The people around them instinctively refused to believe it, assuming the hijackers had fabricated the videos to make them feel trapped on an isolated island.
But then someone said in a trembling voice, “It’s not fake.”
Everyone turned to look at him. Tears streamed down his face.
“That scene…”
He pointed at one of the smaller screens, and the appraiser promptly enlarged it.
“That’s near my home. The person who was bitten in the surveillance footage was my neighbor. He’s even wearing the clothes my father gave him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone else broke down.
“I had a satellite phone hidden in my room. I secretly contacted the outside world last night. My parents told me not to leave the ship.”
“There really are corpses eating people everywhere outside.”
The genius child who had connected to the appraiser’s computer spoke up as well. “The signal jammer on the ship has been disabled. You can try checking for yourselves.”
As he spoke, the hijackers tossed a large bag of cell phones wrapped in tablecloths onto the table.
The guests hurriedly snatched up their phones. The network signal was still active, so they logged into their social media accounts, tried to contact their families, and attempted to verify the situation through sources they trusted.
Every answer they received was the same: the outside world had fallen.
Everywhere was filled with zombies as aggressive as the ones that had burst out of the rooms. Countless people had died across the world. Aerial footage showed that in nearly every city, corpses lay strewn across the streets.
Then those corpses would get back up and continue hunting the living.
The survivors were hiding in sealed-off places. Those who were lucky might have enough food to hold out, while those who were not could only endure on empty stomachs, praying that the government or military would restore order soon.
Some people managed to contact their families. When they heard with their own ears that one of their loved ones had died, they finally lost control and broke down.
Pei Liang sighed helplessly and said in a low voice, “Welcome to the apocalypse.”
But it was a blow everyone had to suffer. No one could escape it.
Many people were worried about their families and began shouting that they wanted the cruise ship to dock.
In a situation like this, the hijackers proved surprisingly useful.
Guan Shan raised his gun and fired a burst into the ceiling. Then he shouted in his booming voice, “What the hell are you howling about? Do you think this is a funeral?”
“Want me to pull over and dump you on the side of the road?”
The bandit’s intimidating presence quickly brought the situation under control. More than anything, however, people were relieved that they were on the cruise ship and that those who had mutated had been identified and isolated in advance.
After thinking it over, they realized that the cruise ship they had once desperately wanted to escape had somehow become the safest place left.
Pei Liang even returned the jewelry and valuables the hijackers had previously taken from everyone.
Her generosity relieved some people, but the smarter ones understood. Judging from the scale of the scenes they had witnessed, those possessions would probably have little value for a long time to come.
Someone therefore stepped forward on his own.
“During this time, is there anything we can do to help?”
One doctor said, “I’d like to perform autopsies on these bodies. Is that all right?”
“If the situation on land continues to deteriorate, then the supplies aboard the cruise ship should be redistributed. I can help with that.”
“And there’s the matter of labor. Given our current situation, the most important thing is for everyone to work together and get through this crisis. We’re no longer merely guests here, enjoying ourselves. There’s no reason to leave all the work to the ship’s crew.”
After all, they too were enduring the fear of facing a disaster and the pain of losing their families.
People with expertise in all kinds of fields stepped forward, gathering into a tremendous force of courage.
Pei Ning was somewhat moved. These were clearly events that had happened in her previous life as well, but back then, she had known only to hide in Zhong An’s arms. She had even shamelessly rejoiced when her older sister was taken away by the robbers, thinking that she could finally have her lover all to herself.
She had never experienced this swelling excitement, nor the eagerness to do her part and help.
Pei Liang smiled. That was precisely why, no matter what kind of world she found herself in, she would never lose faith in life.
The work was assigned quickly, and the technicians’ requests were accommodated as much as possible. Those who were still too emotionally unstable were sent back to their rooms.
That little genius and the appraiser hacked into a satellite monitoring system together, gaining a clearer and more comprehensive view of the situation across vast regions.
After several days of putting in an impressive performance and selling his looks to the absolute limit, Chu Yebai finally managed to exchange his services for useful information ahead of time from Pei Liang.
“There’ll be another wave of radiation in two days, but that’s a good thing,” Pei Liang said as she smoked. “Some people’s genes will evolve because of it. They may even gain superpowers.”
For a moment, Chu Yebai thought she was talking nonsense. Did she really think this was a movie?
But then he thought about it carefully. The entire world had fallen into this state in just a few days. That was already illogical enough.
Besides, after spending these past few days with her, he had figured out part of Pei Liang’s personality. She might be malicious, but she rarely lied, especially when it came to something resembling a “reward.”
When it came to sleeping with him, she had always been willing to pay the price, never stingy about giving him benefits.
Chu Yebai could not help feeling excited. Superpowers… He wondered what kind of ability he would awaken. If he could break through the limits of humanity—
He glanced at Pei Liang. At that very moment, she turned her head and looked at him with an amused smile.
“What? Thinking about what kind of mischief you’ll get up to after gaining superpowers?”
First on the list is doing you, Chu Yebai thought.
But he merely smiled. Since she had put it that way, it meant he was definitely going to awaken an ability.
He casually asked, “What about you? What’s your ability? Do you already know?”
Pei Liang thought for a moment. “No idea.”
According to Pei Ning, her older sister had not awakened an ability in her previous life. Pei Ning herself had at least awakened a useless one, while her sister had been an utterly ordinary person from beginning to end.
However, judging from what the system had said during its previous lottery, the original owner seemed to have awakened an ability. Otherwise, it would not have said, “Apart from the ability the original owner herself was destined to awaken, if you draw another one, you’ll have two abilities.”
But perhaps that had only been a trick. Maybe the original owner’s constitution was incapable of evolving, and the system had deliberately set a linguistic trap for her, causing her to misjudge the situation.
Given Pei Liang’s personality, she would certainly try to keep Chu Yebai under her thumb. At present, she was stronger than him, but what about after he evolved?
Once he became one of the strongest humans alive, would he retaliate for the humiliation he was suffering today?
After all, the ambition in his eyes had never disappeared, not even for a moment.
Since someone had already set their sights on her and wanted to “correct” her behavior, it was not impossible that this whole thing was a trap designed for her.
A smile spread across Pei Liang’s face. Rather than feeling threatened, she was eager to take on the challenge.
“There’s a chance I won’t awaken an ability at all.”
Chu Yebai watched the light in her eyes. With her shrewdness, she could not possibly fail to understand how dire her situation would become if she had no ability.
Yet she remained calm and arrogant, as though this were merely an increase in the game’s difficulty meant to make things more interesting. There was not the slightest trace of unease about the future.
This woman really was a lot like him!
No. She was far stronger than he was, in every respect.
That was precisely why pulling her down from that height would be so satisfying.
Two nights later, Pei Liang stood on the deck, letting the wind blow against her.
Although Pei Ning had said that this radiation was extremely penetrating—even many people hiding dozens of meters underground had awakened abilities—Pei Liang still wanted to see with her own eyes what this divine light that would transform life on Earth actually looked like.
The evolution brought about by the radiation was not limited to humans. As animals and plants evolved as well, humanity’s circumstances would become increasingly difficult.
At around eight that evening, a green light descended from the sky and flashed past in an instant.
It was over in the blink of an eye. So brief that many people thought they had imagined it.
Even Pei Liang was caught off guard. “That’s it?”
There was no pain, no fever, no symptoms of any kind.
Somewhat disappointed, Pei Liang returned to the ship and immediately issued an order for the captain’s bridge to set a course for one of their destinations.
They were to dock by noon the following day.
Hearing the order, Chu Yebai frowned. “Why choose X City’s port?”
“That place does have countless shipping containers, containing nearly every category of imported and exported goods. But there are too many zombies there, and the complicated terrain makes it easy for them to hide. Clearing the area would be extremely difficult.”
“Besides, it’s right by the sea. You said it yourself: humans aren’t the only ones who evolved. We also have to consider the threats in the ocean.”
If Chu Yebai were making the choice, his first priority would still be to return to a sparsely populated town.
They could establish a base, gradually clear the surrounding area, take in refugees, and restore productive capacity.
Once they had more manpower, they could consider coming to the port and other places to collect supplies.
Their armed forces were still too small. This choice was simply too reckless.
Pei Liang, however, said, “Otherwise, why do you think I seized such a large number of guns?”
Pei Liang smiled. “And don’t worry. We won’t be short on manpower.”
Chu Yebai frowned, unable to understand what she meant.
That night, almost everyone aboard the ship had fallen asleep.
Zhong An, however, was unable to sleep because of the itching and pain in his wound.
Ever since he had learned that the outside world had collapsed, the young man who had originally served him for the promise of a high salary had changed completely. Zhong An could only drag himself around on one injured leg.
It was all Pei Liang’s fault. Announcing something like this on the ship would only cause panic. He could not understand why she had insisted on exposing the truth.
Zhong An blamed Pei Liang for every misfortune in his current life. He could maintain the appearance of going on only by cursing her constantly in his heart.
But suddenly, Zhong An felt a stabbing itch in the area of the gunshot wound on his thigh.
He hurriedly removed the bandages and saw that the wound, which had originally been deep enough to expose the bone, was now healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
No, “healing” was not quite the right word. The wound seemed to have turned into metal, filling in the damaged area like a metal plate.
Panic filled Zhong An’s heart. He raised his hands and discovered that they too had become metallic.
Terrified, he swung his arm toward the side. The metal bedpost, as thick as his arm, bent under the blow.
His hand felt pain as well, but not nearly as much as he had expected. The skin on his hand gradually returned to its normal color.
Zhong An stared at his hand, an ecstatic expression flashing across his face.
He raised his head and looked toward Pei Liang, a vicious, triumphant glint in his eyes.
When Pei Liang got up the next morning, she saw that Pei Ning was already waiting outside.
Looking somewhat nervous, Pei Ning asked, “Well? Have you awakened your ability?”
Pei Liang checked herself. “I don’t feel anything yet.”
Pei Ning immediately grew anxious. “How could that be? Normally speaking—”
She stopped halfway through. Right. Given this body, if her sister hadn’t awakened an ability in her previous life, then things shouldn’t change in this life either.
The fact that this woman had returned from the apocalypse with all her skills intact was already a bug in the system. Perhaps it was only natural that she wouldn’t be favored by heaven this time.
Still, Pei Ning couldn’t explain the disappointment in her heart. She could only comfort her, saying, “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not like abilities awaken that quickly. They usually emerge gradually, and plenty of people don’t awaken theirs until six months later.”
That was what she said, but deep down, she was already pessimistic. Chu Yebai had been among the earliest group to awaken his ability, after all.
If Chu Yebai was planning to take back control now, then whoever awakened an ability first would have the upper hand.
With that thought, Pei Ning asked, “Where’s Chu Yebai?”
“He went out. Maybe he went to the restaurant?”
Oh no. That man had definitely gathered his allies and was preparing to seize control today.
Yet her sister still looked completely calm as she leisurely made her way to the restaurant.
Pei Ning followed behind her, jumping at every little thing along the way. If a robber so much as crossed their path, her heart pounded with fear. Whenever anyone glanced at them, she assumed they were harboring malicious intentions and plotting revenge.
But when they arrived at the restaurant, they found Chu Yebai sitting by the window. He waved at Pei Liang, and two breakfasts had already been placed on the table. It was obvious that one of them was for her.
When Pei Liang approached, he stood and pulled out the chair opposite him for her.
Then he said apologetically to Pei Ning, “I didn’t know you were coming with your sister, so I only brought breakfast for her.”
Pei Ning watched him, her heart filled with unease. As her sister sat down in the chair he had pulled out, he reached toward Pei Liang’s neck.
Pei Ning’s heart leaped into her throat, only to see him brush her hair aside and kiss her cheek.
Pei Liang relaxed a little as well. That was right—Chu Yebai had liked her sister in their previous life. Now that the two of them were passionately involved, perhaps even if he regained his former strength, he still wouldn’t—
She was still congratulating herself when Chu Yebai whispered in Pei Liang’s ear, “I’ve awakened my ability. What about you?”
“…”
Pei Ning’s heart shot back up into her throat.
But her sister showed no sign of bluffing. She answered frankly, “Not yet. Maybe I’m simply not one of the lucky few.”
“Heh.” Chu Yebai let out a soft laugh.
Pei Ning could practically picture him tearing off his friendly mask the very next second.
But before Chu Yebai could say anything, a faint, eerie voice came from nearby.
“Is that so? You haven’t?”
The three of them turned around and saw Zhong An, who had arrived beside them at some point.
