Chapter 233: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (38)

This was a professional-grade walkie-talkie, with a signal range covering about three to ten kilometers. Fortunately, Shen Xiuyan didn’t plan to go far—just circling around nearby—so it was more than enough.

If he could find some supplies on this trip, that would be ideal. He could restock his spatial storage.

If not, he wouldn’t force it. He’d just pull out whatever was already in his space and head home.

In the courtyard of Liuan Mansion, Brother Lei was drenched in sweat. After working for half a day, he finally managed to fix the dent in the front of the car using the limited tools at hand.

Now, unless you looked closely, the car looked as good as new.

After finishing the repairs, he even brown-nosed a little by using the last bit of stored water to wipe down the car’s exterior. He didn’t want Shen Xiuyan to come back and make trouble over something like that.

As it turned out, that was a smart move.

Shen Xiuyan had originally planned to give him a little warning before heading out.

But seeing the now-gleaming car, he decided to let it go.

The guy had already taken a beating, then dragged his aching body to fix the car and even cleaned it. Giving him another warning on top of that felt a bit inhumane.

He wasn’t some heartless, exploitative capitalist.

He’d let it slide this time.

Brother Lei asked nervously, “Is there anything else you’re not satisfied with? Just let me know, I’ll fix it right away.”

Shen Xiuyan nodded. “No, it’s good. I didn’t expect you to have this kind of skill.”

Brother Lei scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. “I used to be a mechanic before the apocalypse…”

“Oh? So you’re a skilled tradesman.” Shen Xiuyan praised him sincerely. In the apocalypse, that was a valuable profession.

As long as people drove, there were bound to be bumps and scrapes. Once the various bases were established, even if he didn’t go out to kill zombies, he probably wouldn’t starve.

Skilled workers really were in demand no matter the era.

“Not much, just a little experience,” Brother Lei replied modestly.

But inside, he was shocked. This guy in front of him was clearly a rich young master. People like him usually looked down on workers like Brother Lei. Yet not only did he not see any disdain in Shen Xiuyan’s eyes, he actually saw genuine appreciation.

It left him with a strange feeling.

“Alright then, I’m heading out to scavenge some supplies. You all better behave here at Liuan Mansion. No funny business, got it?”

Shen Xiuyan shook the walkie-talkie in his hand. “I’ve got a walkie-talkie with me. If I find out you’re up to something, you won’t like what happens when I get back.”

Brother Lei scratched his head. “Wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare. We already said we’d be your oxen and horses, and we meant it. From now on, you’re our big brother. We promise to follow your orders honestly.”

“Let’s hope so.” Shen Xiuyan patted him on the shoulder, turned around, and got into the car.

The vehicle slowly pulled out of Liuan Mansion as Shen Xiuyan circled the surrounding area.

Zombies roamed the streets in swarms. Just looking at them was overwhelming. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of hell the center of S City had become.

Even if someone was lucky enough to awaken a supernatural ability, going out to scavenge supplies wouldn’t be easy.

His mood grew a little heavy.

But there was nothing he could do.

In the apocalypse, you could only rely on yourself.

Shen Xiuyan’s luck wasn’t bad. He had only driven about two kilometers when he spotted a gas station.

The gas station was swarming with zombies. The few passing vehicles didn’t dare stop.

He smiled slightly. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

He still had plenty of empty fuel drums in his space. Filling them up was the top priority.

He quickly parked and turned off the engine.

After confirming the coast was clear, he pulled out the fuel drums from his space and started filling them up.

The moment he got out of the car, the zombies caught the scent of a living human and immediately began converging on his position.

But they were all slow. Clearly, there were no high-level zombies among them.

Shen Xiuyan glanced around. Instead of dealing with the zombies directly, he took off running.

What a joke. If he cleared out the zombies now, the next passing vehicle would see the coast was clear and stop to refuel.

Then what would be left for him?

He wasn’t about to plant the tree and let someone else enjoy the shade.

If anyone was going to benefit, it would be him—after he finished filling all the barrels.

So the next few vehicles passing by witnessed a bizarre scene.

“Mom, look! That guy’s being chased by zombies!”

The mother in the car looked out and her pupils shrank in terror. She immediately reached out to cover her child’s mouth. “Don’t make a sound.”

“Old Qin, drive faster!”

“Okay, okay!” The man at the wheel was just as frightened. He stomped on the gas, and the car shot forward like an arrow.

After they had driven a good distance away, the woman clutched her chest, still shaken. “My god, that long line of zombies… That guy actually dared to stop there. He’s definitely dead.”

“Seriously. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was playing with the zombies. Isn’t he scared at all?”

“What good is being scared? Will fear stop the zombies from chasing you?”

The man gave a bitter smile. “Well, that’s true…”

“Forget about him. We should focus on where we’re going next…”

One car after another emerged sporadically, driving off into the unknown under the setting sun.

They didn’t know where they were headed. But at that moment, they had only one goal: to survive.

As for Shen Xiuyan, who they were sure would be zombie food, he was currently sitting idly on top of a wall.

That’s right. After all that running, he’d only managed to fill less than a third of the barrels.

He was tired.

So he found a reasonably tall wall and climbed up.

These zombies were ridiculously stupid. With no cognitive ability, all they could do was stretch their arms up uselessly. Not a single one thought to climb the wall.

Squatting on top, Shen Xiuyan looked down at their grotesque faces and felt a bit nauseated.

With nothing better to do, he started playing a little game of “Zombie Elimination.”

Hmm, that one and that one are too ugly. Let’s get rid of them first.

Two water orbs materialized out of thin air, transforming into sharp water arrows that shot straight through the heads of the two zombies in the blink of an eye.

Water, usually soft and all-consuming, became deadly sharp in that instant.

The two zombies collapsed with their hollow eyes still open.

Their companions, mindless and unaware of pain or fear, were still drawn by the scent of the living. They continued clawing and reaching up from below.

Shen Xiuyan casually twirled the water orb in his hand.

Hmm…?

That one in red looks unlucky. Let’s kill it too.

Another zombie fell.

Wait a minute!

Did that zombie just glare at me???

Unforgivable. Kill it, kill it.

As more zombies dropped one by one, the area around him turned into a zombie graveyard.

When the time seemed about right, countless water orbs rose into the air and launched an indiscriminate attack on all the zombies present.

Soon, every single one had collapsed without a sound. His swift, efficient methods gave them a clean death.

Shen Xiuyan jumped down from the wall and began collecting the oil-filled drums back into his space.

Once that was done, and in the spirit of not wasting anything, he started digging out the zombies’ Core Crystals.

After a while, he was drenched in sweat.

Ugh, it’s been too long since I last dug for Core Crystals. My technique’s gotten rusty. Not as ruthless as my wife’s.

No good. I need to step it up.

Otherwise, I might lose my place as head of the household.

— Translator’s Notes —

• plant the tree and let someone else enjoy the shade: A Chinese proverb meaning to do all the hard work only for others to reap the benefits.