Chapter 230: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (35)

Brother Lei broke out in a cold sweat at those words. Shen Xiuyan was nothing like Father Su—he wasn’t someone you could reason with. Falling into his hands would be a nightmare.

He carefully pledged his loyalty. “Please, just give us one more chance. We’ll do anything for you from now on, be your horses or oxen if you want.”

He didn’t want to die, and he definitely didn’t want to be zombie food.

Shen Xiuyan was fully capable of doing all those things.

At the very least, it was clear from the look in his eyes during that fight just now. If Father Su hadn’t spoken up in time, he’d already be a corpse.

Shen Xiuyan chuckled lightly, as if something amusing had crossed his mind. “Be my horse or ox? Fine. Remember what you just said.”

Brother Lei nodded frantically. “I will. I swear I will.”

As long as he could stay alive, he’d agree to anything. Being someone’s horse or ox? That was just another way of saying he’d follow someone’s lead. In the face of overwhelming strength, he was more than willing to be the underling.

“Alright. We’ll deal with your situation later.” Shen Xiuyan crossed one leg over the other, resting his chin on one hand as he said casually, “For now, go fix my car.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll get right on it.” Brother Lei let out a breath of relief, knowing he’d passed this test.

He gave a quick bow, then darted out of the room like his life depended on it.

Whew, he’d finally escaped that terrifying place.

It was just too damn scary in there.

After Brother Lei left, Shen Xiuyan turned to Father Su. “By the way, where’s the injured driver? Can you take me to see him?”

“Of course, come with me.” Father Su stood up and motioned for Shen Xiuyan to follow.

The two of them walked to a room on the second floor. Father Su gently knocked on the door.

“A Cai, are you asleep?”

“No, Mr. Su. Come in.” A deep, raspy male voice came from inside.

Only then did Father Su open the door, and the two of them stepped in.

Lying on the bed was a man wrapped in bandages. His skin was covered in visible wounds, and blood had soaked through the bandages, suggesting the injuries underneath were quite severe.

When he saw Father Su enter, he struggled to sit up.

Father Su was startled and quickly rushed forward to press him back down. “Don’t get up. Just lie still.”

Maybe the pain was too much, because the man gave in and lay back down.

When he noticed there was someone else in the room, he turned his head—and his pupils trembled in disbelief.

“Young Master Shen…?”

Father Su smiled. “Surprised? My daughter and son-in-law came over from B City. I wanted to let you know—he’s a supernatural ability user too. That bunch outside? He already took care of them. We don’t need to leave anymore, so you can rest and recover without worry.”

“Took… took care of them?” A Cai took a deep breath, looking at Shen Xiuyan with admiration.

There were a lot of people out there. The only reason he could hold his own was because of the solid physique he’d built during his time in the military. Those people outside had abilities, sure, but no real combat skills.

But if he remembered correctly, Young Master Shen hadn’t trained in any self-defense techniques. He was just a top student from Q University, someone who probably couldn’t even lift a chicken.

Even with an ability, that shouldn’t be enough, right?

How did he manage it?

“Yeah. So don’t worry.” Shen Xiuyan nodded, then walked over and sat by his bed.

“You’re incredible.” A Cai was clearly curious, but didn’t ask directly.

Shen Xiuyan looked at him and asked, “What are your plans from here?”

A Cai repeated, puzzled, “Plans?”

“Yeah. Once we’ve rested up, we’re leaving. What about you?”

Father Su couldn’t help but interject, “Huh? Xiuyan, we’re leaving?”

Shen Xiuyan nodded. “Yes. This place isn’t somewhere we can stay long-term. There may not be any zombies now, but sooner or later, the ones gathering in the city will make their way here. The population density in S City is too high. It’s only a matter of time before it’s overrun.”

Father Su’s expression turned grim.

He hadn’t left the villa since the Apocalypse began, so he had no idea what things were like outside. Hearing his son-in-law say this now, he realized staying here really wasn’t a long-term solution.

A Cai pursed his lips, then cautiously asked, “Can I come with you?”

Shen Xiuyan was surprised. He hadn’t expected that. “You can, but what about your family? Don’t you need to find them?”

A Cai shook his head, then glanced at Father Su without saying anything.

Father Su sighed and quietly explained to Shen Xiuyan, “His mother is our housekeeper, Aunt Niu. She’s probably in the kitchen right now, which is why you haven’t seen her.”

He paused briefly before continuing, “As for his father… he got seriously ill a few years ago. We paid for the treatment, but it still didn’t work out. He passed away. This kid wanted to repay us, so after leaving the military, he gave up a guaranteed government job and came here to work as our driver. He also doubles as a bodyguard.”

Shen Xiuyan hadn’t expected that. So he was someone who knew how to repay kindness.

That explained why he’d fought so hard against Brother Lei and the others.

First, because his own mother was here in this shelter. Second, because he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude.

Thinking that, Shen Xiuyan smiled and said, “Of course you can come. You’ve got an ability—we’d be glad to have you.”

A Cai’s eyes lit up. If even Brother Lei and his gang couldn’t beat Young Master Shen, then following him with his mother in tow was undoubtedly the safest choice. He hadn’t expected Shen Xiuyan to agree so easily.

Gratitude filled his gaze.

Seeing the thanks in his eyes, Shen Xiuyan felt a surge of respect. Soldiers really did have a different mindset.

There was nothing to be thankful for. If anything, they should be thanking him. Without A Cai’s help, the Su elders would’ve been kicked out long ago. In a world full of chaos, who knew where they’d end up—maybe even turned into zombies by now.

Just then, A Cai seemed to remember something and looked a bit troubled. “But with all these injuries, I probably won’t be able to move for a while. Maybe we should wait another half a month… no, a week before we leave.”

Shen Xiuyan clapped his hands. Right, he’d completely forgotten about that.

But since A Cai was one of their own now, it was easy to handle.

He reached out his hand. “Give me your hand.”

Though confused, A Cai obediently extended his hand.

A soft green glow bloomed where their hands met, spreading across A Cai’s entire body.

Under his astonished gaze, the wounds on his body began to heal rapidly.

Moments later, beads of sweat dotted Shen Xiuyan’s forehead, and his body swayed slightly. Then he weakly let go of A Cai’s hand.

Father Su immediately rushed over and caught him. “Xiuyan, are you alright? What was that?”

Shen Xiuyan gave him a tired smile. “It’s my supernatural ability. I also have a Healing Ability. But this is my first time using it, and it turns out it consumes a lot of energy.”

“Wait—what? You have a Healing Ability too?” Father Su practically shrieked.

“You already have three abilities, which is insane enough. And now you’re telling me you have a Healing Ability too???”

Some people didn’t even have one ability—like him. But his son-in-law had four…

He had to be the chosen one. There was no other explanation.