Chapter 156

Before they left, every survivor living in this small-scale base had been working hard just to stay alive.

Vigor is a very strange thing. If you try to describe it in detail, it is not very obvious, yet it is something that can be recognized at a single glance.

The main reason Xie Zhou had been willing to return with Ms. Li before was that he saw this vigor in the members of this base.

He believed that a base capable of instilling such spirit in its survivors could not be too bad. Even if their front gate required a bribe of Crystal Cores to enter, it would not be as wretched as most people might imagine.

Xie Zhou led An An slowly inside. Since the barrier had vanished, a few zombies had already begun wandering the grounds, all of which were dealt with one by one by An An wielding his scythe.

From beginning to end, Xie Zhou did not see a single familiar face. The entire base had been thoroughly destroyed.

The swing on the balcony was still there, but the boy was in no mood to sit on it and play.

Just as Xie Zhou was preparing to leave, a Husky darted out from near the gate. One could tell from its appearance that it was the mutant Husky raised within the base.

During their previous meetings, although it was a Husky, it was clear that it had always been well-cared for.

But now, the dog’s fur was matted and filthy, its ears drooped, and even its eyes lacked their former brightness.

The moment he saw this Husky, Xie Zhou knew for certain that everyone else in the base had met with disaster. Otherwise, it would never have been left behind.

Xie Zhou prepared to take the Husky with him on the road. He had no way to use any mechanical transportation, and the boy was too small to help, so they could only leave on foot.

A high-level esper traveling with a child and a dog was a combination that quickly attracted a lot of attention.

In this era, most people could not even guarantee a full meal for themselves, let alone someone like Xie Zhou who brought along a child and a pet. The first impression he gave was that his strength was definitely out of the ordinary.

After someone noticed that Xie Zhou was injured, a doctor stepped forward and offered to bandage his wounds.

Xie Zhou did not like owing people favors, so he paid with Crystal Cores as compensation.

The doctor had originally just been unable to bear seeing someone suffer in front of him and had not expected this windfall at all.

After receiving the Crystal Cores, he became even more attentive in his care for Xie Zhou.

“Young man, looking at you, did you come out of that small base to the west?”

Xie Zhou gave a soft hum of affirmation. He wanted to know the reason why that base had vanished.

“Take my advice. Never mention this matter to anyone else again.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

An An, who had been focused on tugging at the Husky’s fur nearby, could not help but perk up his little ears to eavesdrop when he heard the doctor mention the topic.

As a Little Zombie, An An was exceptionally sensitive to many emotions.

Ever since he entered that survivor base for the second time, An An had a vague intuition.

Those people seemed to know he was a Little Zombie, especially that older sister. The way she looked at him was clearly different from everyone else.

It was filled with curiosity and inquiry, along with a complexity he did not understand, but there was never the slightest impulse to harm him.

An An, who had rarely been close to anyone since he was small, had finally found other people who liked him. It was just a pity that this affection did not last very long.

He had been so close to having it, yet just because he went out on a mission with Dad, everything was gone when he looked back. To say he was not sad would definitely be a lie.

If he were not a Little Zombie, An An would have surely buried his face in Dad’s chest and wailed loudly.

Seeing Xie Zhou’s expression, the doctor originally did not want to speak. After staring at the Crystal Cores he had already accepted for a long time, he hesitated before finally speaking directly:

“Ms. Li, the leader of that small base to the west, took in too many ordinary people who had been kicked out of Dawn Base. To prove that their choice to expel ordinary people was correct, the leaders of Dawn Base lured a zombie tide over there.”

“Ms. Li’s actions angered the people of Dawn Base. Most of the ordinary people in Dawn Base are family members of espers. They use ‘persuasion’ to make those family members leave voluntarily.”

What kind of methods did they use? Naturally, they claimed that doing so would allow their esper relatives to live better lives.

Everything was meant to prove that Dawn Base’s choice to abandon ordinary people was correct. Only Ms. Li’s actions were diametrically opposed to their plans, which was equivalent to slapping the faces of the Dawn Base leadership.

There were not many espers in Ms. Li’s base to begin with. After all, they were very close to Dawn Base.

Anyone with a slightly higher esper level or outstanding personal abilities would choose to go to Dawn Base.

In Ms. Li’s base, espers had to shoulder the burden of supporting ordinary people, whereas in Dawn Base, espers could enjoy many privileges.

In today’s world, there were not many people willing to sacrifice themselves to fulfill others. Most people simply wanted to live a good life themselves.

Small bases without powerful espers to guard them did not stand a chance; not a single one survived the zombie tide.

“There are countless high-level espers in Dawn Base. I advise you never to do anything you shouldn’t.”

“I’m telling you this news only for the sake of the Crystal Cores you gave me.”

After saying this, the doctor left with his team.

Xie Zhou glanced at the bandaged spot on his arm. He had to admit the doctor’s skill was quite good; the wrapping looked neat, far better than the messy job he would have done himself.

Perhaps because the medicine manufactured after the apocalypse was more specialized than before, his arm did not seem to hurt as much.

After Xie Zhou finished admiring the bandage, he looked back to find his Little Zombie already grinding his teeth in anger.

Even the Husky was making low, guttural growls in its throat.

When the level of a Mutant Beast’s power reaches a certain point, they gain thinking abilities similar to humans.

This Husky had been very popular back in that base and had eaten quite a few Crystal Cores.

Xie Zhou remembered Ms. Li’s younger brother mentioning with a very proud tone that this Husky was truly intelligent.

It must have understood what the doctor just said.

“Don’t be impatient. For now, Dawn Base is an existence we cannot afford to provoke.”

Xie Zhou’s own strength was not poor, but he was never arrogant. He firmly believed there was always someone stronger out there.

The system of Dawn Base sounded extremely cruel, but no matter who it was, one had to admit that under such a system, the strength of that base was indeed formidable.

The views of the Dawn Base leader had circulated before. He believed that ordinary people who failed to awaken powers were existences abandoned by this evolution; they deserved to become food for the zombies.

Only humans who awakened powers and possessed good talent were worthy of surviving in this world.

The espers of Dawn Base even called themselves “New Humans,” firmly believing that children born between New Humans would absolutely possess powers from birth.

Those discarded failures were simply not fit to survive.

Rather than an apocalypse, they viewed it as an evolution to weed out unqualified humans.

This cold egoism appealed greatly to the espers, making their base grow stronger and stronger.

Currently, Xie Zhou was traveling with the baby and the only remaining mutant beast from that small base. They represented the final hope of that fallen community.

No matter what happened, Xie Zhou would think twice before acting.

He would not allow the baby to take any risks, instinctively wanting to nip all potential dangers in the bud.

An An let out two dissatisfied “he-he” sounds, and the Husky followed suit. In a way, the boy and the dog were remarkably similar.

“Be good, baby. Let’s wait a little longer.”

“He!”

Xie Zhou absentmindedly stroked the baby’s head. An An, in turn, reached out to ruffle the Husky’s fur, finally agreeing with a look of stubborn reluctance.

As the doctor left with his squad, one of his teammates leaned in and asked:

“Why did you tell them all that? That ability user is clearly very powerful. If he’s willing to seek revenge against Dawn Base, no matter the outcome, he would definitely cause them some trouble.”

The doctor lowered his head to organize his medical kit, a cryptic smile playing on his lips as he countered:

“Knowing they are among the few survivors of that western base, if I advised them to let go of their hatred and not provoke the currently powerful Dawn Base, do you think they would actually listen?”

Of course not. On the contrary, it would likely stir up their defiance, making them even more determined to seek revenge against Dawn Base.

Furthermore, there was a high probability that his words would spark a sense of rebellion and resentment.

“If I’m not mistaken, that ability user was likely the hidden trump card of the western base. Even if he avoids trouble now out of caution, he will definitely retaliate in the future.”

…

Half a month later, a bout of Acid Rain fell. Most buildings were completely corroded, and skyscrapers that had stood firm for many years finally collapsed after the rain ended.

Driving along the roads, ruins were visible almost everywhere.

The various high-rises that had taken countless years to build before the end of the world were now utterly destroyed.

It would take at least two or three months for Xie Zhou’s body to recover. The damage caused by space folding to an ordinary person was severe, requiring proper rest to ensure no lasting side effects remained.

They were lucky enough to find an air-raid shelter that had been abandoned for an unknown amount of time. After a simple inspection and cleanup, they moved in.

An An didn’t like eating the bitter Wood-type crystal cores, and since it wasn’t convenient for them to go out and trade with others during this time, they simply stuffed them all into the Husky.

Xie Zhou hadn’t remembered the Husky’s previous name, so he gave it a new one: Pingping.

Paired with his own baby, An An, their names together formed “Pingping Anan^[1],” meaning “peace and safety.”

In the apocalypse, it was the simplest yet most extravagant wish.

Every day, An An would feed Pingping crystal cores, hoping that once Pingping became powerful, the dog would protect both him and his father.

When Xie Zhou saw through his baby’s desire to just lie back and be carried, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Who would place all their hopes on a Husky?

Even if a mutant beast had evolved, it was still just an animal. It was difficult for them to understand complex human emotions, and their capacity for independent thought wasn’t particularly outstanding.

Yet, every time An An fed Pingping a crystal core, he would make several “he-he” sounds at it. Pingping would “he-he” back as if it understood. The two communicated well and seemed to have reached a mutual understanding.

Inside the abandoned air-raid shelter, the Acid Rain could not reach them.

The quality of this shelter was excellent. If it weren’t for the fact that they couldn’t stay in one place for too long, Xie Zhou felt that living here would be a very good choice.

Xie Zhou’s injuries finally healed. It was no longer a problem for him to hold Pingping in one arm and An An in the other. Once he was certain of his recovery, he began planning when to leave.

The Husky was currently sitting on the pink swing, its tail hanging down and wagging back and forth.

The little zombie sat on a small stool next to the swing, holding a small jar and feeding the dog one core at a time.

Xie Zhou stood near the entrance of the shelter. He could see that the sunlight outside was pleasant today; it looked like it would be a fine day.

“Pingping, An An, pack your things. We’re getting ready to leave.”

“He-he.”

“He.”

Two responding sounds came simultaneously, and Xie Zhou could hear the reluctance in both.

No matter how much they hated to leave, they had to. The zombies in the vicinity had been wiped clean by the baby and Pingping over the past few days, and other wandering zombies instinctively avoided this area.

The supplies in his space ensured Xie Zhou’s survival wasn’t an issue, but if more time passed, the stored crystal cores for Pingping and the baby might not be enough.

As time went on, their appetites grew larger. They were like heartless crystal-devouring machines; their small bellies were like bottomless pits.

Since Xie Zhou had made up his mind, the two little ones wouldn’t refuse. Despite their reluctance, they packed their things and prepared to move out.

After that Acid Rain, the environment became increasingly harsh. Many rogue ability users who had been wandering freely were now seeking the protection of a base.

Under these conditions, the difficulties an ordinary ability user faced to survive were too great. After weighing the pros and cons, many decided to submit to a base.

Currently, besides the Red Star Base in the Capital City, the most famous was Dawn Base. Other scattered small bases had been destroyed in the zombie tides following the Acid Rain.

While Xie Zhou was looking for a vehicle with the baby and An An, they happened to encounter several small teams temporarily formed by rogue ability users.

Occasionally, during breaks, they would come over to chat, asking if Xie Zhou was also heading to Dawn Base. If so, they could travel together.

Entering that place required blood tests to ensure the blood didn’t carry the zombie virus. It had been inconvenient before with just the baby, let alone now with Pingping as well.

Xie Zhou was unwilling to answer most of these questions. Those ability users, accustomed to drifting outside, didn’t demand an answer.

Being alone for too long had become a habit; they could chatter for a while even to a wooden stick.

Although their destinations weren’t the same, they did need to share the road for a certain distance.

One ability user, who had been alone for so long he was practically dying for conversation, saw that Xie Zhou was heading the same way and directly approached him.

“Brother, looking at you now, you’re either going to Dawn Base or Red Star Base, right?”

“If your son is also an ability user, you’ll have a better life at Dawn Base. The treatment there is unparalleled in the apocalypse. I heard one ability user was even provided with six wives by Fang Sinian. Life there is quite comfortable.”

“But if your son isn’t an ability user, even though it’s a bit far from Red Star Base, you should head there instead.”

Previously, every time Zhou Li approached him to talk, Xie Zhou remained silent. Zhou Li had even suspected he was a mute.

But today, after he finished speaking, Xie Zhou suddenly snapped his head up and stared at him intently.

“What did you just say?”

“I said if your son doesn’t have an ability, you should go to Red Star Base. That place is better for ordinary people.”

Zhou Li thought he was hard of hearing, so he leaned closer and repeated himself loudly.

“I’m asking, who arranged six wives for an ability user?”

“The leader of Dawn Base, Fang Sinian. Haven’t you heard of him? Do you want six wives too? You’re still traveling with your son, that’s probably not a good idea.”

Xie Zhou had previously heard vague rumors about the conduct of the Dawn Base, and they had given him a strange sense of familiarity.

Now, hearing that familiar name, his mind went blank, and his eyes gradually turned a bloodshot crimson.

Before the apocalypse, Xie Zhou had served in the military and carried out numerous secret missions. For the sake of security and confidentiality, he had frequently been out of contact.

He and his wife had attended the same high school. After graduation, he took the initiative to confess his feelings, and the two of them made a pact to marry once Xie Zhou finished his service.

The bond between Xie Zhou and his wife was incredibly deep. He felt a lingering guilt for making her wait eight years for him, and after they married, he did everything in his power to make it up to her.

They spent two years living as a couple first, only starting to try for a baby once they were certain their lives were stable and peaceful enough for a child.

But before the baby could be born, the apocalypse arrived. His wife went into labor after the world had already ended. Fortunately, Xie Zhou’s abilities were powerful enough, and in that harsh environment, he had the stroke of luck to run into a gynecologist.

Later, the members of the squad traveling with Xie Zhou had always assumed his wife died from complications during childbirth. In reality, that wasn’t the case. His wife had chosen to commit suicide, leaving behind a single letter.

A woman who has just given birth is naturally weak, requiring careful attention and rest. Even after the initial recovery period, a regular human like her would have been a burden.

At that time, their food supplies were starting to run low, and Xie Zhou had been giving his entire portion to her.

Between the constant terror and the difficulty of finding anything nutritious to eat, she had no breast milk. The baby was so hungry he cried day and night.

In the early days of the apocalypse, zombies were attracted by sound and light.

The baby’s crying drew the zombies in, leaving Xie Zhou in a state of constant, exhausted desperation.

No matter how hard life became, Xie Zhou never once thought of giving up. His sole purpose for pushing forward every day was to protect his wife and child.

After a grueling day outside, seeing his wife and child waiting for him when he returned would fill his heart with joy.

The environment of the apocalypse was indeed getting worse, but Xie Zhou felt that as long as their family was together, everything would be alright.

Once, they went to a shopping mall to scavenge for supplies. While others were frantically searching for food with long shelf lives, Xie Zhou’s eyes immediately landed on a baby formula shop. He brought back an entire sack of formula.

At that moment, he was full of happiness, thinking that his wife no longer needed to worry about the lack of breast milk and could finally focus on recovering her health.

But he never imagined that when he went out to scavenge again the next day, he would return to find his wife had stopped breathing.

At the time, the only person in the room besides his wife was Fang Sinian.

In the letter she left behind, his wife wrote that she was unwilling to continue being a burden to others. Since she no longer had to worry about the baby’s milk, she could leave in peace.

She didn’t want to turn into a mindless monster that only knew how to bite, so she chose to end her own life, hoping Xie Zhou would take the child and live well in this broken world.

Before that, Fang Sinian had told him many times that he should just abandon his wife and child. With his ability level, he could have as many women and children as he wanted in the future.

Immersed in grief, Xie Zhou hadn’t thought much of it at the time. It was only later, when reflecting on every detail of his life with his wife, that he began to notice the suspicious points.

But by then, they had long since parted ways. In a country this vast, it was almost impossible to run into Fang Sinian again.

Xie Zhou could only suppress all his hatred for the time being and focus on raising the baby.

Now, hearing that familiar name again from someone else, and learning that he had become the leader of the largest base, those familiar methods and styles of operation brought that past flooding back to Xie Zhou.

“This Fang Sinian, what is his ability level?”

Hearing the question, Zhou Li felt a bit puzzled, but after a moment of thought, he answered directly.

“Metal-type. Publicly, he’s announced that he has broken through to the fourth rank.”

This level didn’t seem particularly outstanding; the Dawn Base already had several ability users who had broken through to the fifth rank.

However, Fang Sinian’s position as the base leader had never wavered from start to finish.

The same name, the same ability. Xie Zhou didn’t believe in absolute coincidences in this world.

All of this only proved that Fang Sinian was indeed the same Fang Sinian from his memories.

Initially, even though Fang Sinian was the only one there before his wife passed away and had urged him many times to abandon them, Xie Zhou hadn’t considered the possibility that he might have persuaded his wife to die.

It wasn’t until later, when he accidentally saw Fang Sinian manipulating a child, telling her she was a burden to her parents and that her mother wouldn’t have been hurt if it weren’t for her.

At that moment, Xie Zhou had a vague suspicion. Before he could even begin his revenge, Fang Sinian seemed to realize something and hurriedly left the squad under the cover of night.

“Why are you asking all this? Don’t tell me you actually know that Fang Sinian?”

“If you know him, then things will be easy. Could I trouble you to take me in with you?”

Zhou Li had only approached him for a chat because he hadn’t spoken to anyone in so long. He never expected he might have stumbled upon a powerful connection.

“I do know him. In the early days of the apocalypse, we lived together for a period of time.”

Xie Zhou’s voice turned slightly cold. Since Zhou Li was already used to his stoic expression, he didn’t notice anything unusual. Instead, he leaned in with extra enthusiasm.

“That’s great! It’s always better to deal with people you know.”

“Mhm.”

“Brother, have you decided to go to the Dawn Base now?”

Zhou Li could roughly guess that Xie Zhou’s original destination was definitely not the same as his. He might have been heading for the Red Star Base, or perhaps he intended to keep wandering.

But now that the leader of the Dawn Base, Fang Sinian, was an old acquaintance, it seemed most appropriate to go there regardless of how one looked at it.

“I’m going.”

Back then, his wife had died by suicide, but Xie Zhou always felt she wasn’t the type of person to be so psychologically fragile.

She had waited for him for so many years while he was in the service. Having finally found their way to each other, how could she end her life just because she feared being a burden?

Xie Zhou didn’t believe she didn’t know how much he loved her.

“Alright then, let’s go together. Your kid shouldn’t be a problem, but this dog… you might not be able to bring it into the Dawn Base.”

The Dawn Base was famous for not supporting idle people, unless they were attractive men or women used to please the high-ranking ability users.

A child might be allowed to stay by his side considering Xie Zhou’s high ability level, but a dog that needed care would most likely be dealt with the day after entering the base.

“Look at how much your son likes this dog. If anything happened to it, he’d be devastated.”

An An, who was currently hugging Pingping’s head and rubbing against it in hopes that the dog would spit out the Metal-type crystal core he had accidentally stuffed in earlier, looked up and stared at Zhou Li upon hearing this.

After so much time, both An An and Pingping had learned not to speak in front of others, at most making a few low rasps in private.

Seeing An An’s clear, innocent eyes, Zhou Li suddenly felt a twinge of pity. He sighed helplessly and said:

“It’s tough. Let me introduce myself properly. I’m a Wood-type ability user. My current level is rank five, though I only tell people I’m rank four.”

“How about this? When we enter the Dawn Base, why don’t you say the dog, or maybe the child, belongs to me?”

“Otherwise, even if you are a rank six esper, Dawn Base would never let you bring along two dead weights.”

The dead weights in question, An An and Pingping, shared a look between boy and dog. Pingping then hung his head and walked over to sit obediently by Zhou Li’s side.

The acid rain from not long ago had been a catastrophe for humanity, but for the zombies, mutant beasts, and mutant plants, it had been a significant evolutionary boost.

Now, aside from its voice and blood, there was no way to tell An An apart from a human child based on appearance alone. As for Pingping, aside from lacking the typical silliness of a purebred Husky, he looked just like an ordinary dog.

Xie Zhou glanced at the baby, who blinked back at him with an innocent expression.

The concerns Zhou Li raised were all very logical, but he had gotten one detail wrong.

Xie Zhou wasn’t rank six; he was at the peak of rank seven.