Chapter 242: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (47)

Shen Xiuyan pinched her cheek. “You really have no shame.”

“You—” Su Mingyue flushed with embarrassment and anger, reaching out to punch him, but Shen Xiuyan caught her hand right on target.

“My bad, my bad, it’s all my fault. Who wouldn’t want to raise such an adorable little baby? Of course I’m tempted.”

Su Mingyue pouted. “I can never win an argument with you.”

Shen Xiuyan laughed and pulled her into his arms, promising, “You’ll have it. Everything you want, you’ll have.”

His words sounded like a promise to Su Mingyue, but also a vow to himself.

If Mingyue wanted a child, then he’d have to build his own base in this apocalypse.

Though he wasn’t a father yet, Shen Xiuyan was already worrying about his future child.

There wasn’t a parent in the world who didn’t want to give their child the best. If he could pave the way for them, even better.

As long as he established a base and became its leader, who would dare bully his child in the future?

With that thought, Shen Xiuyan, ever the man of action, had already begun mapping out his plan in his mind.

To avoid wasting time on the road, he set out at the crack of dawn the next day, leading a group of ability users to scavenge supplies.

Of course, he didn’t forget to leave a few people behind to protect those staying in the house.

To carry more supplies this time, Shen Xiuyan drove an off-road vehicle in front, while the others followed in a large bus.

They were in luck. They hadn’t driven even a kilometer before spotting a convenience store.

But it was clear the store had already been picked over by many others. There wasn’t much left that was edible.

Still, even a mosquito has meat. They weren’t picky and swept up everything they could find.

As they got back in the vehicle to continue searching, they discovered a supermarket less than five hundred meters away.

From the outside, the place looked huge. At first glance, the parking lot was crawling with zombies, enough to make the ability users in the vehicle hesitate.

Shen Xiuyan didn’t feel like wasting time. He pulled out his walkie-talkie and said, “I’ll go in and take a look. Wait for my signal.”

Brother Lei immediately responded, “We should go in with you, sir. There are too many zombies out here, it doesn’t look safe.”

“It’s fine. I can handle it alone.”

It was much easier for him to escape on his own if things went south. And besides, he had his spatial ability.

Bringing them along would only slow him down.

Before Brother Lei could say another word, Shen Xiuyan gave a few instructions to Su Mingyue in the passenger seat, then swiftly jumped out of the car.

He moved fast. In just a few breaths, he had disappeared into the supermarket entrance.

One of the younger men in the car muttered, “Does Young Master Shen have a speed ability too? How is he so fast?”

Brother Lei stroked his chin. “Probably not. Our speed increased after awakening our abilities too. I think it’s just that his level is way higher than ours, so he’s naturally faster.”

“Amazing… I wonder when I’ll be able to move like that.”

Brother Lei hooked an arm around his neck and snorted. “You? Better stop dreaming.”

The man wasn’t offended. He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, guess you’re right…”

There’s a reason why people say there’s a gap between mortals and gods.

Young Master Shen looked like someone chosen by the heavens.

They were just the little followers lucky enough to stand beside him. As long as they clung tightly to this thick thigh, they’d be set for life.

Soon, Shen Xiuyan returned, and his voice came through the walkie-talkie.

“There are a lot of zombies inside too, but the shelves are fully stocked. Everyone get down here. Let’s clear out the ones outside first.”

“Yes, sir!”

At his command, everyone poured out of the vehicles and launched into another round of battle.

Since he had brought along a wife who loved digging out Core Crystals, Shen Xiuyan didn’t just stand by and watch this time. He joined the fight himself.

With his help, the horde of zombies outside didn’t stand a chance.

In no time, the open space was completely cleared. Not a single zombie remained.

Shen Xiuyan knocked on the car window. “Mingyue, come on down. It’s your turn.”

Su Mingyue’s eyes lit up at his words. She grabbed the sharp little dagger Shen Xiuyan had prepared for her and hopped out of the car.

Seeing the ground littered with zombie corpses, Su Mingyue rolled up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She went to work, stabbing each zombie one by one with practiced ease.

Brother Lei and the others were stunned speechless by the sight.

It took a long moment before Brother Lei finally came back to his senses. He forced a smile and said, “Young Master Shen, what kind of grudge does Sister-in-law have against zombies…”

“Yeah, she’s being a bit too ruthless. It’s kind of… inhumane.”

“They’re already zombies. You care about being humane to them? If they were eating you, would that be humane?” Shen Xiuyan looked ahead with affection in his eyes. “Babe, there are two more on the right. Yep, right there.”

After giving Su Mingyue a few pointers, he turned back to Brother Lei and proudly declared, “Well? Isn’t my wife charming?”

Brother Lei: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Seriously, no one could say something like that unless they’d had a decade-long brain clot.

They turned mechanically to look into the distance. The Sister-in-law they’d thought was soft and gentle now looked downright terrifying.

Truly, there’s no one scarier than a woman.

Where exactly did Young Master Shen see the charm in that…

Looking at her delicate, refined face, they couldn’t see even a hint of allure.

All they felt was fear…

What kind of deadly beauty was this?

Brother Lei kept watching, then couldn’t help but shiver. Realizing he hadn’t responded to Shen Xiuyan yet, and determined to keep his grip on this powerful backer, he forced a laugh and said, “Charming. If you say she’s charming, then she’s charming…”

Shen Xiuyan beamed with pride. “And that charm belongs to me. Mine! All mine!”

The emphasis in his voice was like a puppy marking its territory, terrified someone else might try to steal it.

Brother Lei nodded furiously, like a chicken pecking rice. “Yes yes yes yes.”

She’s yours, all yours. Even if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, none of us would dare lay a finger on her.

Honestly, it made sense. She was Young Master Shen’s woman—of course she was extraordinary.

It was just like that old saying: people from the same family always end up under the same roof.

Seeing the strange expressions on everyone’s faces, Shen Xiuyan finally realized something was off.

Did they misunderstand?

His wife’s reputation was getting ruined for no reason.

He quickly rubbed his forehead and explained, “What are you guys thinking? My wife’s not desecrating corpses. She’s digging out Core Crystals!”

“Core Crystals?”

Brother Lei echoed blankly, his face full of confusion.

What the heck was that? He’d never even heard of it.

— Translator’s Notes —

• gap between mortals and gods: A Chinese idiom (凡人与神明之别) expressing an insurmountable difference in ability or status between ordinary people and exceptional individuals.

• people from the same family always end up under the same roof: A Chinese proverb (不是一家人，不进一家门) meaning that people who share similar traits or compatibility naturally come together.