AAISBMEBF Chapter 77: The Sky-High Price
Mr. Bai saw that Zhao Huanrui had deflated and continued to deliver another blow: "This is the official price, but in reality, the government has run out of satellite phones. They're all in the hands of scalpers, and their prices are even higher."
"Are there scalpers here? Why don't you do something about it?" the student union president asked with a frown. He also wanted a satellite phone.
"Why bother?" Mr. Bai glanced at Liu Shenghui and fell silent.
The group instantly understood, and they stopped discussing the matter.
Liu Shenghui hung up the phone, and Cui Xisheng stared at him, his attention fixed solely on him.
Meng Jiangtian was instantly jealous and pulled Cui Xisheng close, but still failed to get Cui's attention.
"I’ve already informed the Northeast safety zone about your parents' names. They’re looking into it, but it’ll take some time to get a response."
With those clear, large eyes focused on him, Liu Shenghui nearly forgot himself, but when he saw Meng Jiangtian's sharp gaze, he quickly pulled back and composed himself.
"General, could you help me find out about my parents as well? I’d really appreciate it," the student union president asked earnestly.
"Sure. Zhou Yao, bring over the phone. I'll ask for you guys," Liu Shenghui hesitated for a few seconds before nodding with a smile.
He was happy to help Cui Xisheng, but he felt that helping others was a hassle. However, now that he had already helped Cui, he couldn't show favoritism. So he agreed, albeit reluctantly.
In his mind, he started to harbor some resentment toward the student union president. How could someone who had once been a student leader be so clueless? Someone like that was better off as cannon fodder than being nurtured.
After making calls to different safety zones, Liu Shenghui received the same response from each one: they needed to wait.
Finally, he tossed the satellite phone to Zhou Hui, his face still wearing a kind smile.
"You don’t need to rush. Just because your parents aren’t in the safety zone now doesn’t mean something has happened to them. A lot of people are still hiding, and only a few have been rescued. They could be hiding somewhere, just like you were."
"If you’re still worried, you can buy a satellite phone. All the safety zone phone numbers are displayed in the lobby. You can call them yourself in the future if you want to find someone."
"A satellite phone is quite expensive, right?" Zhao Huanrui asked tentatively.
"It’s a bit pricey, but you’re all awakened abilities users, so as long as you have courage, earning contribution points is easy. Contribution points are like the currency used in the safety zone, and there are many ways to earn them. One of the fastest ways is through missions. Have you guys seen this?" Liu Shenghui pulled out a small energy crystal about the size of a soybean.
Except for the student union president and Meng Jiangtian, the rest of the group had never seen an energy crystal before. Liu Anna and Cui Xisheng, being ordinary people, naturally hadn’t seen one either.
Zhao Huanrui was visibly curious about it.
Liu Shenghui looked at their reactions and thought less of Zhao Huanrui. As an ability user, Zhao should be more sensitive to energy crystals. This was a sign of limited potential.
"What is this?" Zhao Huanrui asked, clearly not understanding.
"This is an energy crystal extracted from a zombie’s body, usually from its brain. Can you feel the difference? Does it have any special energy?" Liu Shenghui asked, extending the crystal toward Zhao.
Zhao carefully sensed it and, being an ability user, managed to detect the energy fluctuation within the crystal.
"This has energy! This must be the crystal core mentioned in novels!" Zhao Huanrui exclaimed in surprise.
"Is that what you young ability users call it? I didn’t realize that the term 'crystal core' had been mentioned in novels," Liu Shenghui chuckled.
Seeing Cui Xisheng staring curiously at the crystal, Liu Shenghui continued, "This is the source of all zombie abilities. Human ability users also have similar energy cores inside them. We are still researching the use of these crystal cores. Although we haven’t figured out their full potential yet, we are certain that the energy inside will be highly valuable."
"Right now, before zombies evolve faster than humans, it's the best time to hunt zombies and collect crystal cores. A crystal core of this size is a Grade 1, worth 10,000 contribution points. The higher the grade, the higher the contribution points."
"If you want to make money fast, you can go hunt zombies for crystal cores. One core is enough to buy a satellite phone."
"And contribution points can be used in all safety zones across the country. If you go back to your hometown safety zone later, you can use them there too."
"Hunt zombies?" Zhao Huanrui thought back to his close encounters with zombies and immediately felt reluctant. He and the student union president had nearly been torn apart by zombies. Now that they were in a safety zone, he had no intention of going out to fight them again.
"General, I have a question," Meng Jiangtian asked after a moment of contemplation.
"Go ahead," Liu Shenghui replied, noticing that Cui Xisheng’s hand was getting in the way. His jealousy toward Meng Jiangtian flared up again, but he held it in and answered kindly.
Meng Jiangtian, unaware of Liu Shenghui’s emotions, asked what was on his mind: "I heard that you have helicopters here that can take us to other safety zones."
"We used to be a military zone. Not only do we have helicopters, but even bombers are well-stocked with ammunition. However, if you want to use a helicopter, you’ll need to pay with contribution points."
"How much do I need to go to the Su Province safety zone?"
"An ability user would need five million contribution points," Liu Shenghui replied with a sky-high figure.
Mr. Bai raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at Liu Shenghui. The first ability user who left only needed 100,000 contribution points, and even though prices had increased, it had only gone up to 500,000. Now it had skyrocketed by ten times.
"How about ordinary people?" Meng Jiangtian asked, not yet understanding how contribution points were calculated.
"Ordinary people would need 500,000 each, but if an ability user is accompanying an ordinary person, the price for both of them would still be 500,000 each," Liu Shenghui said, glancing at Cui Xisheng with a smile.
Mr. Bai's brows shot up again. So, the price for ordinary people had skyrocketed by fifty times. Noticing that Liu Shenghui was eyeing Cui Xisheng, Mr. Bai’s heart skipped a beat. He now understood the reason why Liu Shenghui was treating Meng Jiangtian with such hostility.
But he too had his eyes on the little white rabbit. If Liu Shenghui wanted to take him, that would be a problem.
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AAISBMEBF Chapter 78: Testing Abilities
Three people, one and a half million. Meng Jiangtian furrowed his brows. This number felt astronomical.
If they were to kill zombies to collect crystal cores, it would require one thousand five hundred cores.
Killing one thousand five hundred zombies wouldn’t be hard for Meng Jiangtian, given his strength.
However, zombies, like humans, awakened with powers very rarely possess crystal cores. To gather one thousand five hundred cores, he would need to kill at least ten thousand zombies.
Moreover, if Meng Jiangtian had one thousand five hundred crystal cores and consumed them all, he would become invincible. There would be no need to take a helicopter back home—he could just fly back himself.
“Don’t be intimidated by the one and a half million number. If you work hard at completing tasks, you’ll be able to earn it sooner than you think.
Right now, there’s a shortage of earth, wood, and water ability users in the safe zone. The food produced is insufficient, and as more survivors are rescued, the shortage of food grows.
There are many supermarkets outside that haven’t been fully searched yet. If you find food, the contribution value won’t be low.
I checked the records, and it seems like you brought back quite a bit of food. Was it all you who retrieved it?” Liu Shenghui asked Meng Jiangtian.
“Yes,” Meng Jiangtian nodded.
“Though most of it was distributed to the survivors, every time survivors are rescued, we’ll provide them with a free meal. Since they ate your food, this can be considered as you providing free meals to the safe zone.
The contribution value will be credited to you. Zhou Yao, please calculate the contribution value based on the records and transfer it to Meng Jiangtian’s contribution card.”
“Understood.”
Mr. Bai secretly observed Liu Shenghui's expression. He had written down that Meng Jiangtian deliberately withheld food, letting the survivors starve, a wicked deed. Liu Shenghui had likely seen that, but hadn’t spoken up. Mr. Bai couldn’t help but feel disappointed. If these two could clash, he might benefit from the situation.
“I checked, and the food you distributed should give you around five hundred contribution points. Let’s go. I’ll take you to get your ID cards and give you a tour of the safe zone.”
Liu Shenghui stood up, but before he could take a few steps, the satellite phone rang.
Liu Shenghui stepped aside to answer it, speaking for a while before hanging up and saying to the group, “I have something urgent to attend to. Bai Zhenxiong, please take them around and show them the safe zone.”
“Alright.”
Bai Zhenxiong led the group downstairs. Upon arriving on the first floor, he said to the group, “I’ll take you to test your ability levels and then get your ID cards.
The ID card serves as both an identification and a bank card. You must keep it safe, and if lost, report it immediately. If the password is leaked and someone uses your contribution points, we will help catch the thief. If we can’t catch them, please understand.
This is, after all, the post-apocalyptic world. We can't handle cybercrimes like before.”
Bai Zhenxiong led them into a room on the first floor. Inside, there were a few machines with unusual designs, resembling large thermometers.
A thick mercury tube ran to the ceiling, with numbers marked on the side, from 1 to 10. At the bottom of the tube was a large red rubber ball.
“This is the device for testing abilities. All you need to do is attack the red rubber ball at the bottom with all your strength. The mercury inside the tube will rise, and that’s how we determine your ability level. Who wants to try first?”
Bai Zhenxiong explained while looking at Meng Jiangtian. He was eager to know Meng Jiangtian’s level.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Meng Jiangtian.
Meng Jiangtian walked up to the device. As the buzzing sound started, the staff member activated it. The once dim red rubber ball began to glow and fill up.
“Just aim and attack it. Don’t hit anything else. If you break it, you’ll have to pay,” the staff member said, stepping aside.
Meng Jiangtian formed a wind sphere in his palm. He hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should use all his strength. Standing out too much could attract attention.
He glanced at Cui Xisheng, whose big eyes were staring expectantly at him.
This little wild cat was really captivating. His rival seemed to have many competitors. Perhaps it would be a good chance to show his power and intimidate his rivals.
Meng Jiangtian hesitated for a moment, then focused and released all his power into the wind sphere, launching it at the red rubber ball.
There was a loud bang as the ball was hit, and the rubber exploded. The mercury inside the tube surged upward quickly, eventually stopping at 3.8.
Bai Zhenxiong widened his eyes, swallowing hard.
Even Liu Shenghui’s level was only 3.2. He was the highest-level person in the entire safe zone, which was why he had emerged as the new leader among the old leaders.
In the post-apocalyptic world, power was paramount. If Meng Jiangtian had any ambitions and challenged Liu Shenghui, it was hard to say who would win. The leadership of the safe zone could easily change hands.
Zhao Huanrui and the student council president didn’t have much concept of ability levels, nor were they as shocked as Bai Zhenxiong.
After knowing Meng Jiangtian’s level, the student council president was eager to try. He wanted to see how he compared to Meng Jiangtian.
The staff replaced the rubber ball, which turned out to be disposable.
They pressed the switch, and the ball filled up again. The student council president launched a water attack on the ball. The ball cracked but didn’t explode like Meng Jiangtian’s.
The mercury rose quickly, stopping at 1.8.
He immediately felt discouraged, seeing that he was two points lower than Meng Jiangtian.
Meng Jiangtian glanced at him indifferently. The attack wasn’t strong, but it was highly insulting.
The student council president’s face turned crimson with embarrassment.
“Almost level two. Not bad. Most ability users who come to the safe zone are barely level one or less,” Bai Zhenxiong said with a smile, trying to ease the atmosphere.
Seeing that the two weren’t smiling, Bai Zhenxiong awkwardly changed the subject and turned to Zhao Huanrui, “Why don’t you give it a try? I’m curious about your level.”
Zhao Huanrui eagerly stepped forward, using all his energy to strike the ball. There was a dull thud, and the ball wobbled a few times before returning to its original state.
The mercury swayed around the 1 mark for a moment before dropping to 0.9.
The atmosphere became truly awkward. Bai Zhenxiong’s smile froze, and he couldn’t manage even a forced laugh.
Three ability users, all in the same place for seven days, yet only one had reached a decent level. The others were far behind.
“Ahem... Well, let’s go get your ID cards,” Bai Zhenxiong coughed awkwardly, leading everyone out of the testing room.
Zhao Huanrui walked last, feeling downcast.
With Bai Zhenxiong’s help, the group quickly skipped the line, and their ID cards were issued without delay.
The three ability users received silver cards, while Cui Xisheng and Liu Anna received green ones.
Bai Zhenxiong glanced at Meng Jiangtian as he fiddled with his ID card and said, “The food you distributed has earned you five hundred contribution points, which are now on this card.
With this card, you can go to the stores outside to buy things. There’s also a mission hall where you can take tasks if you want to earn more money. There’s a trade window where you can sell crystal cores and food.
It’s almost mealtime. You haven’t eaten, have you? Let me take you to the restaurant. The food there is grown by ability users.”
Bai Zhenxiong then suddenly turned to Zhao Huanrui, who looked disheartened, and asked, “You’re an earth ability user, right? The farm is in urgent need of earth, wood, and water ability users.
If you don’t want to go outside, you can try working at the farm. They’ll definitely welcome you. The pay is decent too.”
“Really? How much is the pay?” Zhao Huanrui’s spirits lifted instantly.
He didn’t want to face zombies outside. He didn’t need to be rich, just enough to survive on his own. He didn’t want to rely on anyone else anymore. Being around these monsters was too discouraging.
“Depending on your level, the minimum is thirty thousand contribution points per month. It’s not much, but it’s enough if you’re careful with your spending.
Also, the food at the farm is free, since you grow it yourself. Food is precious right now, and a decent meal would cost at least thirty to fifty thousand contribution points.
Plus, working there helps you level up your abilities. You can train and eat fresh food. We abilities users who can’t farm envy those who work at the farm.”
Bai Zhenxiong spoke earnestly. He truly envied those who worked at the farm. It was easy work, no danger, and fresh food every day.
Unfortunately, as a metal ability user, his power would just produce heavy metal crops.
“Where’s the farm? I want to go try it now.” Zhao Huanrui, excited, didn’t even want to wait for the meal.
“Hold on, let’s eat first, then I’ll send you to the farm. If you don’t go, the farm will come to find you once they know an earth ability user is here.”
“No, I want to go now. Please send me now!” Zhao Huanrui insisted, his urgency clear.
“Alright then.” Bai Zhenxiong sighed and called for someone to send Zhao Huanrui off.
Zhao Huanrui got into the car, and Bai Zhenxiong turned to the student council president and said, “You’re a water ability user. Do you want to work at the farm too? They’d be thrilled with someone of your level.”
In the car, Zhao Huanrui’s smile faded instantly.
“No, I don’t want to work on a farm,” the student council president firmly rejected.
He had bigger ambitions. How could he possibly work on a farm?
In the car, Zhao Huanrui sighed in relief.
The student council president saw Zhao Huanrui's small gesture, sneering internally. He would eventually get back at him for his betrayal, but he wouldn’t waste too much time on him.
“Mr. Bai, I’d like to ask you about someone,” the student council president said after Zhao Huanrui left, not wanting to remain alone with Meng Jiangtian’s gaze.
“Who?”
“Li Yanguang. He’s my older brother. He used to be in the military.”
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AAISBMEBF Chapter 79: News
“Li Yanguang is your brother? Of course I know him. He’s a second-tier water ability user, though I can’t remember exactly how high his level is, but it should be just slightly higher than yours.
He should be out there searching for survivors now, though I don’t know if he’s come back yet.”
“I want to wait for my brother. Mr. Bai, could you take me to him?”
“Let’s eat first before you go. Your brother might not even be here right now.”
“I’m not hungry, I’ll go wait for him.” The student council president glanced at Meng Jiangtian, looking uncomfortable.
Bai Zhenxiong couldn’t argue with the student council president and had someone send him off.
Only Cui Xisheng, Meng Jiangtian, and Liu Anna remained.
With Cui Xisheng around, Bai Zhenxiong stayed friendly. “Don’t leave just yet, I rarely get to host guests. Let’s hurry up, or you might run off too.”
With those two gone, the meal would save a lot of money, something Bai Zhenxiong was more than happy about.
The restaurant wasn’t far, and it didn’t take long for them to reach it.
It was lunchtime, but the restaurant was surprisingly empty, with only a few tables occupied.
However, the people sitting there were all ability users, and their ability levels were not low. Meng Jiangtian could clearly feel the fluctuation of their powers.
They found an empty table, and Meng Jiangtian sat beside Cui Xisheng. Liu Anna insisted on sitting next to Meng Jiangtian, and Bai Zhenxiong naturally sat next to Cui Xisheng.
Sitting so close to the little white rabbit, Bai Zhenxiong’s heartbeat sped up. He placed the only menu on the table in front of Cui Xisheng and smiled, saying, “You can order whatever you like.”
Meng Jiangtian shot him a sideways glance and pulled Cui Xisheng’s chair closer, making sure Cui Xisheng was right next to him.
Bai Zhenxiong smiled, watching Meng Jiangtian’s childish behavior. He knew that rushing things wouldn’t work. He couldn’t defeat Meng Jiangtian now, but to get to the little white rabbit, he had to take his time.
The menu was overly fancy, with glossy pictures of dishes that looked very appetizing. However, they were just simple home-style dishes like stir-fried cabbage and stewed potatoes with beans, with very little meat or eggs.
On an A4-sized menu, there were only two dishes listed, but the prices were shockingly high.
A dish of sweet and sour cabbage cost over a thousand contribution points, while the potatoes with beans cost more than three thousand. For four people, a meal would easily cost tens of thousands of contribution points to satisfy their hunger.
“Right now, we only have vegetables. The chicken and duck eggs are being incubated, but it will take months before the chicks and ducklings are ready to grow and lay eggs or provide meat.
As for pork and beef, we still can’t eat it. We’re not sure if there’s any zombie virus hidden in the meat of those animals. We need to wait for testing, and only after a trial run with no problems will it be safe to eat.” Bai Zhenxiong explained while looking at the menu.
While they were choosing their dishes, a commotion occurred at the door. Looking up, they saw Liu Shenghui and Zhou Yao surrounded by people.
As the manager of the safety zone, Liu Shenghui was always surrounded by people wherever he went. After chatting with everyone, they headed straight to Meng Jiangtian’s table.
“General.” Bai Zhenxiong reluctantly moved away from his spot next to Cui Xisheng.
Liu Shenghui sat down without hesitation, briefly glancing at Cui Xisheng, who was still as cute as ever.
Unfortunately, he had just received a response from the Northeast Safety Zone, but there was no information about Cui Xisheng’s parents.
“The Northeast Safety Zone just replied,” Liu Shenghui said, looking at Meng Jiangtian.
“How did they respond?” Cui Xisheng asked, tense and hopeful. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to Liu Shenghui but was immediately pulled back by Meng Jiangtian.
“There’s no news about your parents in the safety zone yet.”
Seeing the light in Cui Xisheng’s eyes dim instantly, Liu Shenghui quickly tried to comfort him, “Not having their names on the list doesn’t mean something happened to them. They’re probably hiding somewhere, just like you, waiting for rescue.
As long as they’re still alive, the safety zone’s rescue teams won’t stop searching. They will be rescued sooner or later.”
“Hmm.” Cui Xisheng responded flatly, not comforted by Liu Shenghui’s words.
“It’s okay, once I’ve saved up enough money, we’ll go to the Northeast to find your parents,” Meng Jiangtian tried to comfort him as well, but Cui Xisheng only gave him a white-eyed look.
“Your parents’ names are on the survivor list, along with your brother.” Liu Shenghui showed the satellite phone screen to both Meng Jiangtian and Liu Anna.
“That’s my dad and mom, and this is my brother! They’re alive!” Liu Anna excitedly pointed at the screen, where her family appeared.
Liu Anna continued scrolling, and soon, the photos of Meng Jiangtian’s parents appeared on the screen.
“Brother Jiangtian, it’s Uncle and Aunt!” Liu Anna smiled at Meng Jiangtian.
Meng Jiangtian finally stopped frowning and smiled as well.
“Your brother is Liu Anjian, right?” Liu Shenghui asked, showing another picture to Liu Anna.
“Yes.” Liu Anna nodded, looking nervously at Liu Shenghui.
“Your brother is a second-tier wood ability user. He’s heard about you being here and wants us to send you over. He’s already paid for the helicopter, and if you want to go, I can arrange it anytime.”
Liu Shenghui showed Liu Anna the ability user registration form for Liu Anjian.
Seeing the 2.1 level, Liu Anna was overjoyed.
She had always wanted someone strong to rely on in this apocalypse. Before the apocalypse, her family hadn’t shown any signs of unusual activity, so she had no choice but to rely on Meng Jiangtian.
But now, her brother had become an ability user. Having a connection with him was far more reliable than relying on Meng Jiangtian.
However, her brother’s ability level was a bit low. If Meng Jiangtian and her brother teamed up as her protectors, her life in the apocalypse would be much easier.
The biggest obstacle now was Cui Xisheng. If her brother could somehow deal with him...
The more Liu Anna thought about it, the more excited she became, and she looked at Cui Xisheng with increasingly sinister eyes.
“Liu Anna,” Meng Jiangtian called out coldly. He had seen the killing intent in Liu Anna’s eyes.
Now that she had a new backup, she had become bolder. If anyone dared to harm his precious, even if they had grown up together, he wouldn’t show mercy.
Liu Anna shuddered when she heard Meng Jiangtian’s sharp tone. Realizing her dangerous thoughts, she quickly came back to her senses.
Her brother’s ability was nearly two levels lower than Meng Jiangtian’s, and he might not even win in a fight. This needed to be planned carefully.
“I want to go find my brother.” Since her brother had already paid for the helicopter, it would be better to find him and discuss things.
There had to be a way to make Cui Xisheng disappear quietly without implicating herself.
“Alright, Zhou Hui, arrange for the helicopter to take this student to Su Province tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Can’t it be done today?” Liu Anna asked anxiously. She couldn’t wait to see her brother.
“It’s too late today. Our helicopter can’t stop in other places, it has to return the same day.
It takes over six hours to fly from here to Su Province. If we leave now, it will be dark after six hours.
Nighttime lights attract zombies, so we can only send you tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, I’ve already informed your brother about your situation. You can relax and wait until tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Liu Anna sighed in disappointment and sat back down.
Liu Shenghui didn’t care about Liu Anna’s disappointment. He turned to Meng Jiangtian and said, “I just got your ability test results. I didn’t expect your level to be 3.8.
I’ve looked through many records of ability users from both domestic and foreign safety zones, and except for those who haven’t registered, you should be the highest-level ability user in the world right now.”
Liu Shenghui watched Meng Jiangtian’s reaction closely. The title of the world’s top ability user would make even the most laid-back person feel a bit uneasy.
When he saw the report that Meng Jiangtian’s level was 3.8, Liu Shenghui was truly shocked.
There were few people with higher levels than his own, and it made Liu Shenghui feel a bit apprehensive. He was eager to test Meng Jiangtian’s attitude.
If Meng Jiangtian was not too ambitious, Liu Shenghui wouldn’t mind offering him a position as a high-ranking leader.
But if Meng Jiangtian had bigger aspirations, he would have to deal with him quickly.
“Maybe some unregistered ability users are stronger than me,” Meng Jiangtian responded coldly, tightening his arm around Cui Xisheng.
Liu Shenghui didn’t see anything unusual from Meng Jiangtian’s face, his eyes flickering as he smiled and continued, “Maybe. But you are definitely the number one ability user right now.
With your level, it should be easy for you to earn enough contribution points to take a helicopter home.
With someone of your level as a manager, our safety zone would absolutely be the safest.”
“General, you flatter me. I’m not fit to be a manager. I just want to return to my family’s safety zone,” Meng Jiangtian finally looked directly at Liu Shenghui, feeling that the man had gone a bit overboard.
“If you want to go back, you’ll have to work hard to earn some money,” Liu Shenghui said with a smile, no longer probing further.
Liu Shenghui remained friendly, helping them order a table full of dishes, and he paid for the meal.
Though it was all vegetarian, the seasoning was rich, and it tasted much better than what Meng Jiangtian had cooked on the rooftop.
Liu Anna hadn’t had hot meals for seven days, so she ate quickly. Though she tried to control herself, she was eating at double the speed of the others.
Cui Xisheng, still worried about his family, poked at a lonely piece of leek, not in the mood to eat.
“Why aren’t you eating? Not to your taste?” Liu Shenghui noticed immediately.
“No,” Cui Xisheng shook his head.
Meng Jiangtian understood Cui Xisheng and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about your parents. Once we save up enough money, we’ll go to the Northeast to find them.”
“Really?” Cui Xisheng asked, his spirits lifting a bit.
“Of course. Eat well, don’t starve yourself. You’ll need your strength when we go look for your parents.” Meng Jiangtian picked up some vegetables and placed them in Cui Xisheng’s bowl.
Cui Xisheng took a deep breath, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
Meng Jiangtian was right. If they were going to find his parents, they would need energy. Plus, he had to eat for his own sake too.
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AAISBMEBF Chapter 80: Strange Abilities
After lunch, everyone ate quietly with their own thoughts. The restaurant waived the bill for the three of them—who would dare to actually charge Liu Shenghui in the safe zone?
However, Liu Shenghui insisted on paying. He gave a long-winded, formal explanation, essentially stating that as a manager, he would never abuse his power.
While saying this, he kept glancing at Cui Xisheng's expression, but unfortunately, Cui Xisheng was focused on his family and didn't show the admiration that Liu Shenghui had expected.
In the end, the restaurant owner couldn't argue with Liu Shenghui and accepted the money.
Liu Shenghui then took the three of them back to the Ability User Service Hall.
Since Meng Jiangtian was an ability user, the safe zone had assigned him a two-bedroom apartment. It wasn't free, though—it would cost a thousand contribution points per month.
This month was free, but starting next month, the rent would be two thousand contribution points, to be paid in one lump sum.
Meng Jiangtian and Cui Xisheng originally planned to each take a room, but Liu Anna insisted on sharing a room with Meng Jiangtian.
Happy with the arrangement, Meng Jiangtian moved into a room with Cui Xisheng, leaving Liu Anna regretting her decision and unknowingly bringing the two closer together.
Though the apartment wasn’t large, it was well-decorated with complete furniture and appliances, so they could move in right away.
Cui Xisheng chose the spacious and bright master bedroom. Ignoring Liu Anna's eager gaze, he took off his shoes and lay on the soft bed.
The large double bed was far more comfortable than a narrow gym mat, and Cui Xisheng lay there for a while, showing off to Liu Anna. Soon, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell asleep.
Meng Jiangtian pulled Liu Anna into the second bedroom. Though it was smaller, the lighting was still good.
Liu Anna, who hadn't had a good bath in a while, took a seductive hot shower.
When she came out, wrapped in a towel, she was preparing to seduce Meng Jiangtian, but when she entered the living room, it was completely empty. Meng Jiangtian was nowhere to be seen.
She stood by the door of Cui Xisheng’s room for a while, listening for any sounds, but the room was quiet, and she couldn’t tell if Meng Jiangtian was inside.
She turned the doorknob, but the door didn’t open. After standing there with a dark face for a moment, Liu Anna reluctantly returned to her own room to change clothes.
Cui Xisheng was fast asleep, and it would take him some time to wake up. Meng Jiangtian was worried that Liu Anna might try to do something to Cui Xisheng, so while Liu Anna was in the shower, he entered the room, locked the door, and left a note for Cui Xisheng to be careful and not to open the door easily. He then flew out through the window.
The safe zone was still unfamiliar, so Meng Jiangtian wanted to get to know the area better. He figured that if something unexpected happened, he wouldn’t panic when it was time to escape.
He found a secluded spot and flew high into the air to look down over the entire safe zone. It was a large area, but to accommodate more people, the buildings were a bit too dense. From above, the streets were completely obscured by the buildings.
Meng Jiangtian tried to memorize the layout of the safe zone, trying his best to keep the map in his mind.
To the south of the safe zone, a lush green farm caught his attention.
What surprised him was that the farm wasn't inside the safe zone but outside the high wall, surrounded only by wire mesh.
Zombies weren't interested in crops and wouldn't damage the farm. There weren’t that many zombies outside the safe zone, so the farm was relatively safe, and it didn't take up residential space. However, it would be dangerous to go outside to harvest the crops.
Flying over the farm, Meng Jiangtian saw a drone flying ahead of him.
With a wave of his hand, the space around Meng Jiangtian folded, hiding his presence.
The drone flew a few laps around the farm to confirm it was safe before a group of ability users dared to leave the safe zone. Three large trucks sped toward the farm.
Once the trucks entered the farm, a group of people disembarked—some ability users and some ordinary people. The ordinary workers went to harvest the ripe crops, while the ability users worked in teams of three to stimulate crops that hadn’t matured yet.
The Earth, Wood, and Water abilities were used in tandem: the Water user watered the crops, the Wood user provided energy, and the Earth user quickly integrated the Water and Wood abilities into the soil to nourish the vegetables.
Meng Jiangtian carefully observed how the three ability users coordinated. He had already devoured the Water and Wood abilities and only needed the Earth ability. Once he obtained it, he would be able to grow his own crops.
As he watched the crops grow rapidly, Meng Jiangtian decided he would need to find a time to eat a few Earth ability crystal cores.
In the apocalypse, everything else was trivial—eating enough food was the real priority.
Once the crops were harvested, the Earth ability user began plowing the soil again, planting new vegetables.
One of the trucks was filled with seeds, and while the workers were busy with the soil, Meng Jiangtian quietly went over to the truck and took a handful of every kind of seed. He couldn’t tell exactly what each type was, but he took a little bit of everything. He would figure it out later when they started to grow.
After watching for a while and finding nothing else particularly interesting, Meng Jiangtian left the farm.
Back in the safe zone, Meng Jiangtian decided to explore the area more thoroughly by walking through the streets himself.
The streets were crowded with people, and shops lined both sides, but Meng Jiangtian noticed that not many people were actually buying things.
After all, it had only been eight days since the apocalypse began, and no one had enough contribution points to shop.
Most of the people on the streets were ordinary folks looking for work. Without the threat of zombies, people still needed to eat.
Along the way, Meng Jiangtian also saw many ordinary people coming from the rooftops. When they saw him, they quickly veered away as if he were a plague.
The safe zone provided these people with three days’ worth of food, which would be recorded on their identity cards. They would have to repay it later, with interest if they were late.
The safe zone would also assign them work, but if they didn’t want to accept the assigned work, they could find their own jobs. However, they only had three days to find something; after that, if they ran out of food, they would have to rely on themselves.
The streets were arranged according to the layout of the world before the apocalypse, and there was nothing particularly new or exciting.
That afternoon, Meng Jiangtian wandered through the streets and alleys, familiarizing himself with every road.
He didn’t try to hide his movements, and for the entire afternoon, he was exposed to the street’s surveillance cameras.
In an office, Liu Shenghui watched Meng Jiangtian strolling around the streets on the monitors.
"General, he's walked down three streets already. What is he up to?" Liu Shenghui asked, looking tired after watching for so long.
"He's familiarizing himself with the area. This kid is quite cautious. Keep an eye on him and don’t let him see anything he shouldn’t," Liu Shenghui replied, glancing at the monitor before returning to his paperwork.
"Understood."
Meng Jiangtian spent the whole afternoon walking around, while Liu Shenghui and Zhou Yao watched him on the screen.
Whenever he went into more secluded areas, Zhou Yao and Liu Shenghui would focus intently on the monitor until Meng Jiangtian moved on.
In the evening, after walking enough, Meng Jiangtian headed back.
"General, he's heading back now," Zhou Yao said, feeling a sense of relief.
Watching the screen all day had been tiring.
Liu Shenghui put down the documents in his hands and glanced at the monitor. Meng Jiangtian had finally returned near the house assigned to him.
Watching as Meng Jiangtian lingered around the area near his home, Liu Shenghui gently stretched his waist and said to Zhou Yao, "Just keep an eye on him until he gets back. We can take a break now."
Zhou Yao nodded eagerly, his eyes fixed on the screen, hoping that Meng Jiangtian would return home soon.
As he kept his gaze on the screen, Zhou Yao saw Meng Jiangtian turn a corner, but when he switched to the camera for the next street, he was shocked to find that Meng Jiangtian didn’t appear.
Zhou Yao suddenly froze, looking back at the monitor of the corner where Meng Jiangtian had disappeared, but still, there was no sign of him.
"General, Meng Jiangtian is gone," Zhou Yao said in a panic, looking toward Liu Shenghui.
Liu Shenghui quickly rushed to the monitor. After scanning the many small grids on the screen, he couldn’t see Meng Jiangtian. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately instructed Zhou Yao, "Send people to find him. Inform the laboratory to close all exits. No one is allowed in or out for now."
"Understood." Zhou Yao hurriedly ran out.
Meanwhile, around two street corners, Meng Jiangtian stood still, his expression serious. In front of him was complete darkness, a darkness so thick that he couldn’t see his own hand.
He had been casually walking when, upon turning a corner, the bright street ahead suddenly went pitch black. He wasn’t sure where he had stepped, and all surrounding sounds and sights vanished.
At the same time, Meng Jiangtian felt a strange ability energy. Although he couldn’t see anything, he could sense the position of the ability.
In the darkness, Meng Jiangtian closed his eyes and focused on sensing the energy. It was clear and precise, and his head turned toward its source.
"Sure enough, it's a level 3.8 ability user. No need for sight to find me," a seductive female voice came from the direction of the ability in the darkness.
"Are you looking for me?" Meng Jiangtian asked calmly.
The other person didn’t immediately attack, meaning they weren’t planning on fighting. It seemed they had something to discuss with him.
"Yes, I have something to discuss. But this isn’t the right place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else. There are cameras all over this street, and my ability can conceal us. Just follow my lead."
"You don’t say anything, and you expect me to just follow you?" Meng Jiangtian responded skeptically.
"Don't you care about Cui Xisheng's health issues?"
Meng Jiangtian suddenly opened his eyes wide in the darkness, still unable to see anything clearly, but he narrowed his eyes and looked toward the source of the ability. He coldly sneered, "What could be wrong with his body?"
"Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. It’s something that will make you ecstatic. But if you let him continue as he is, you will lose him for sure. You probably won’t believe me now that I’m telling you this, so let’s not talk about it tonight."
"You can try sending some of your ability into Cui Xisheng’s abdomen when you get back. It will benefit him, and you’ll find that he’ll love you even more. If you want to know more about his problem, come back to this corner tomorrow. I’ll be free and can wait here for you all day."
With that, the blackness in front of Meng Jiangtian suddenly dissipated, and he was back on the busy street, his face serious.
They had barely been here for half a day, and it seemed like someone already knew all their secrets. Moreover, those people seemed to know them better than they knew themselves.
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🌸🌸🌸
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