Chapter 223: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (28)

Seeing the situation, Shen Xiuyan turned to Su Mingyue and said, “Mingyue, just wait and see. We don’t need to envy Young Master Huo’s supernatural ability. It’s not even that useful.”

Young Master Huo: “…”

That’s jealousy. Barefaced, shameless jealousy.

All she did was praise his ability a little—was that really necessary?

He never expected Young Master Shen to be this petty.

Young Master Huo shot him a look full of silent accusation. Shen Xiuyan responded with a smile. Yes, he was exactly that petty.

He jerked his chin. “Let’s go.”

Young Master Huo had no choice but to follow, his face scrunched up.

By now, the zombies in the parking lot seemed to have caught the scent of humans. They began slowly shambling toward the two of them.

Young Master Huo shivered at the sight.

Shen Xiuyan rolled his eyes at him. “This is all you’ve got? What are you going to do in the future?”

Young Master Huo pouted. “Not everyone’s like you, slicing up zombies like it’s nothing.”

“If you’ve got time to complain, you’ve got time to fight. I’ll take the left side, the right side’s all yours.” Shen Xiuyan flashed him a wicked grin and dashed off.

Young Master Huo watched Shen “Heartless” Xiuyan run off and shuddered.

His only sense of security had just vanished.

This wouldn’t do!

Young Master Huo quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for a new source of comfort. Soon, his eyes landed on a street sign that looked sturdy enough.

He ran over, grabbed it, and snapped it off cleanly.

He weighed it in his hands. Not bad. At least it was better than fighting zombies barehanded.

A few loud booms rang out. In the distance, Shen Xiuyan had already cleared his side. The ground around him was littered with smoking zombie corpses.

Young Master Huo: “…”

Comparison really is the thief of joy.

It looked so safe over there. He really wanted to switch sides…

Wait a second—what was Shen Xiuyan doing???

Shen Xiuyan had crouched down and was fiddling with something on a zombie’s body, his knife moving swiftly.

Young Master Huo glanced at him, then at the approaching zombies nearby. After hesitating for a moment, he let out a shout and charged forward, wielding the street sign like a weapon.

Because somehow, Shen Xiuyan right now seemed even scarier than the zombies…

Yeah, he’d rather stick to killing zombies over here.

…

Surrounded by piles of corpses and blood-soaked debris, Young Master Huo finally couldn’t hold it in. He squatted down and started vomiting.

At some point, Shen Xiuyan had already returned, holding Su Mingyue’s hand as they walked over. “See? Strength-type abilities really aren’t that great. Killing zombies is messy and ugly. Not like mine!”

Su Mingyue: “…”

So sour. She hadn’t expected her husband to be this childish. Su Mingyue couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead.

Seeing the hopeful look in Shen Xiuyan’s eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, yes, my husband’s ability is the best. Even if I could develop a supernatural ability, I’d want yours.”

“Exactly.” Shen Xiuyan, satisfied, reached out and gently tousled her hair.

Young Master Huo, who had just stopped vomiting, suddenly felt the urge to throw up again.

Why? Why did killing zombies have to come with a side of PDA?

Wasn’t he suffering enough?

Wiping his mouth, Young Master Huo stood up angrily, just about to complain when Shen Xiuyan spoke.

“Young Master Huo, go dig out the zombies’ brains. There are Core Crystals inside. Keep them. They’re valuable.”

Young Master Huo’s attention was instantly diverted. “I was going to ask—what were you doing crouched over those corpses just now? You were digging out these Core Crystals, weren’t you?”

“Bingo. You got it. But no prize.”

Young Master Huo looked a little disgusted and wasn’t too eager. “What’s the point of these things?”

Shen Xiuyan tossed the Core Crystal in his hand up and down. Both of them watched it rise and fall.

“These are just low-level zombies, so the crystals are the weakest kind. But they’ll serve as hard currency in the future. This is the new money. Later, when we encounter high-level zombies, their Core Crystals can be used to rapidly increase your supernatural ability level.”

“There’s a benefit like that?” Young Master Huo’s attitude changed immediately. He squatted down and, after some fumbling, managed to dig out his first Core Crystal, albeit clumsily.

Then he repeated the process, extracting the Core Crystals from the rest of the nearby zombies.

Looking at his sticky, goo-covered hands, he barely managed to suppress the urge to gag. He turned and urged, “Young Master Shen, hurry, water, water!”

The moment the words left his mouth, a gentle stream of water appeared over his hands. He quickly washed himself off.

Yeah, this Core Crystal harvesting job really wasn’t for him…

Young Master Huo sighed again. “Your ability is still the most useful.”

Su Mingyue casually replied, “Yours isn’t bad either—”

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Young Master Huo’s survival instincts kicked in hard. The moment he heard her words, he knew something was wrong and immediately interrupted her with a violent coughing fit.

Sister-in-law, please don’t set him up like that.

He couldn’t handle it.

Young Master Huo shoved the Core Crystals into Su Mingyue’s hands to change the subject. “These are for you. Keep them.”

Then he handed the rest to Shen Xiuyan. “These are for you.”

The couple exchanged a glance, surprised by the gesture.

Young Master Huo gave them a bitter smile. “I may not be the sharpest, but I’m not stupid. I know you’re doing this for my own good, helping me get stronger so I can survive in this Apocalypse. This is my thanks. Don’t turn it down. I’ll give you more in the future.”

Su Mingyue happily accepted them. “Not turning them down at all.”

Shen Xiuyan, however, handed his back. “Just give them to your sister-in-law. You keep the rest. I don’t need a few of these. I appreciate the thought.”

“Alright.” Young Master Huo didn’t argue and pulled his hand back.

Looking at the shimmering Core Crystals in his palm, he couldn’t help but ask, “So how do I use these to level up my ability?”

Shen Xiuyan patiently explained.

Young Master Huo gave it a try. The Core Crystal disappeared from his hand in an instant.

He closed his eyes and focused. While he didn’t feel any immediate enhancement to his ability, the energy he’d just used up seemed to have been replenished.

Whoa, so the Core Crystals could do that too? If he had enough of them, wouldn’t that mean he’d have an endless supply of energy? He’d basically be a perpetual motion machine!

Young Master Huo was amazed. This was practically a lifeline for ability users!

He looked at Shen Xiuyan with excitement. “Young Master Shen, how about we go back in and take another look?”

Shen Xiuyan curled his lips into a smile. “Not scared anymore?”

Young Master Huo shook his head like a rattle drum. “Not scared! Not scared at all! Who would’ve thought zombies had such good stuff in their heads? If I collect enough, I’ll be a lot safer.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Shen Xiuyan had been thinking the same thing. No one would ever complain about having too many Core Crystals.

Just as Shen Xiuyan turned around to tell Su Mingyue to wait in the car, she tugged at his sleeve first.

In a timid voice, she asked, “Can I come with you? Even if I can’t kill zombies, I can help dig out the Core Crystals…”

— Translator’s Notes —

• PDA: Public Display of Affection – while this English acronym is used, it appears in a Chinese cultural context where such displays might be viewed differently than in Western cultures.