Wait, hold on! I am human.
The ice blade was only an inch from her nose, giving off a faint chill.
Chu Liuyue quickly raised her hands, revealing a pitiful expression.
The man in front of her wore a navy blue hooded tracksuit. His neck was long and slender, with the zipper resting just below his Adam's apple.
Under a black baseball cap, his tea-gray eyes flickered slightly.
On his right cheek, a faint scar ran from his cheekbone to his jaw, tracing a crescent shape across his cool, pale skin.
It was not ugly; rather, it added a touch of wild unruliness to his appearance.
A hint of surprise flashed across his chiseled face.
...Sister Xiaoyue?
Chu Liuyue focused her gaze on the tall man before her.
As her eyes rested on his face, she found him vaguely familiar.
You are...
Volunteer, research institute, we were in adjacent beds. The man paused, then added, I am Li Xichen.
Chu Liuyue finally dug up the information about him from her memory bank.
You are Xiao Chen.
Most of the volunteers at the Jiang City Research Institute were there for the money.
But Li Xichen was there for his sister.
His sister had contracted a severe terminal illness, requiring long-term hospitalization and chemotherapy. The exorbitant medical bills had caused their parents to collapse one after another.
Li Xichen was only twenty, yet he had dropped out of school early to shoulder the burden of his family.
For the sake of his sister's surgery fees, he resolutely became an experimental volunteer.
Normally, volunteers were not allowed to know each other or exchange information. Chu Liuyue was an exception, because the spot had not originally been hers.
It belonged to another woman.
Except that woman had gotten scared and run away right before departure.
Chu Liuyue had become the replacement candidate and entered the volunteer list.
And her first day entering the hospital was Li Xichen's last day leaving it.
After that.
No one knew what happened to the volunteers who left the hospital and entered the laboratory.
They had all signed confidentiality agreements.
They could not say a word more than necessary.
You awakened an ability.
Chu Liuyue stepped out of the elevator shaft before the doors closed, pulling him swiftly into an empty room far from the zombie horde.
The boy who had been cold and fierce just a moment ago instantly became shy.
Yeah, he nodded obediently.
Why are you here?
A trace of sorrow flashed in Li Xichen's eyes.
A week ago, my sister's surgery failed.
I took her back to our hometown and buried her with our parents.
After that... I was all alone and did not know where to go, so I thought I would return to Jiang City to find her attending physician and say thank you.
I know the doctor did his best.
I did not expect that right as I arrived in Jiang City, all the transportation hubs would be locked down. It was not until I rushed to this area that I found out a zombie virus had broken out.
I wanted to save that doctor, but unfortunately... I was a step too late. By the time I got here, he had already turned into a zombie.
Li Xichen pursed his lips and added, As for the ability, do you mean this?
He slightly raised his finger.
A beautiful ice flower bloomed at his fingertip.
Unlike the highly offensive ice blade from before, this ice flower was very decorative.
Chu Liuyue nodded, saying, An ice-type ability.
Li Xichen nodded thoughtfully.
So this is an ice-type ability.
The day my sister was buried, I cried for a long time. When I woke up, I found the entire room frozen.
That was also a week ago.
Around the same time Chu Liuyue awakened.
As if thinking of something, Li Xichen stared at the girl in front of him with his tea-colored eyes.
Sister Xiaoyue, why are you here?
I came to the hospital for an appointment, but I did not expect... Chu Liuyue patted her chest dramatically and said, Thankfully, I also have an ability, which is how I managed to escape.
Li Xichen nodded slowly.
He uttered a single word.
Oh.
Are you not curious about what my ability is? she asked.
I will not ask. If Sister Xiaoyue wants to tell me, you will say it.
We have only met once before. Why do you trust me so much? Are you not afraid I am tricking you? Chu Liuyue looked at him with a smile, teasing him.
Li Xichen shook his head and said, No, I...
He was about to say something, but was interrupted by a voice from outside.
Xichen, Xichen.
Where are you? Were you not supposed to gather medicine from the pharmacy? Where did you go?
The calls of two or three people with different voices came from outside the door.
Chu Liuyue raised an eyebrow slightly, asking, This is...?
Li Xichen explained, My companions.
As soon as he spoke, the door to their room was pushed open.
Outside stood two men and a woman.
One man was tall and thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses. The other was of average build with a round face, looking very approachable.
The other person, a woman with short hair, had a sharp gaze as she surveyed the room.
The round-faced man spoke first:
Xichen, we have been calling you for ages with no response. We thought you had been killed by zombies.
He paused slightly, his gaze falling to the side.
Who is this pretty lady?
The short-haired woman punched him hard and scolded, Where are you looking?
The man with black-rimmed glasses sighed and said, Lao Yu is always like this. He cannot walk when he sees a pretty girl.
Li Xichen glanced at Chu Liuyue.
He introduced them:
The chubby guy who just spoke is Lao Yu, and these are Brother Zhong and Sister Wan.
Pausing, he stood in a protective stance in front of Chu Liuyue and said to the group of survivors:
This is my sister.
Lao Yu smiled and rubbed his hands together, saying, Oh, so it is Xichen's sister. Then she is one of us.
Sister Wan smacked him on the back of the head again.
You never learn, do you?
My bad, my bad. I was wrong, honey. Lao Yu immediately dropped his goofy expression.
Lao Zhong smiled and spoke in a gentle tone:
Do not mind them, that is just how they are.
By the way, Xichen's sister, how should we address you?
Chu Liuyue smiled.
Just call me Liuyue.
They exchanged names.
Only then did Chu Liuyue learn that these people were also former volunteers from the research institute.
And the one who had gathered them together was actually Li Xichen.
After I discovered my freezing ability, I was a bit scared and felt it was like something out of a sci-fi movie. So, I just decided to try my luck and posted about it online.
It just so happened that they were also volunteers at the time and were all in Jiang City, Li Xichen explained.
Lao Zhong pushed up his glasses and said:
That is right. The three of us have all evolved abilities.
He appeared polite and cautious.
He said what needed to be said and not a word more.
After all, it was their first time meeting. There was no established trust; they were still just strangers.
Chu Liuyue curled her lips into a smile, taking the initiative to show goodwill.
I have an ability too. She tilted her head and smiled somewhat shyly. My ability is concealment. For three minutes after I use it, zombies will completely ignore my existence.
