Three days have passed.
A fire broke out in an open space at the base and sSorrowful cries surrounded the burning wooden bed.
The body of the superhuman, discovered during the zombie snake invasion, was placed on a wooden bed by relatives and friends, surrounded by firewood and dry grass, which burned to ashes. Until the fire went out, all that remained on the ground were ashes and an esper’s crystal core that couldn’t be burned.
Si Huaixi stared at the crystal core with a dark look in his eyes, his heavy expression sending chills down one’s spine.
Seeing this, the base leader Cao Leipeng’s eyes flashed with a complicated look. He patted Si Huaixi on the shoulder and sighed, “It’s all in the past. The tragedy of that time will not happen again.”
Si Huaixi’s expression froze slightly, the rising smoke obscuring the turbulent emotions hidden in his eyes, and he responded with a soft “Mm”. Cao Leipeng sighed heavily in his heart. He knew that Si Huaixi hadn’t listened at all, otherwise he wouldn’t have come to watch the funeral of this superhuman who had nothing to do with him.
It’s no wonder he’s so resentful; who would have thought that the one who betrayed them was the very companion they should have trusted most?
A flash of indignation and resentment crossed Cao Leipeng’s eyes, and his upright, square face revealed a gloomy and unhappy expression.
It’s simply because those people are so hateful!
His thoughts drifted back to two years ago.
(Flashback)
Cao Leipeng was the third-in-command at the Lucheng base at the time. The old leader was a veteran level 8 superpowered expert who had awakened his superpowers since the outbreak of the zombie virus and had a wealth of combat experience. Although Cao Leipeng was also level 8 and seemed to be not much different from the old leader, he knew that he could not beat the old leader.
Si Huaixi was only 19 years old at the time. Although Cao Leipeng knew that this young man was very talented, had killed a lot of zombies, and was a mental power user worth cultivating, he was still a young man with little experience and his strength should not be very high.
Later, Cao Leipeng felt ashamed and embarrassed when he recalled telling Si Huaixi that he would take care of him.
But who could have known that this young man had been hiding his strength two years ago? At that time, Si Huaixi’s strength was more than enough to defeat him. Even the old leader who betrayed his comrades was ultimately defeated by this young man.
Two years ago, there was a period of time when some people with superpowers would disappear without explanation at the Lucheng base. However, the Lucheng base under the old leader’s control had never managed the base’s population, and no one knew exactly how many superhumans had gone missing.
The people at the base were just whispering and discussing among themselves, unable to explain why. Some speculated that the missing superhumans had disappeared for various reasons, such as fighting, leaving the base, or being killed by zombies.
Cao Leipeng, who was then the third-in-command at the Lucheng base, was shocked by what he found out. The base only had two or three hundred superhumans, and nearly thirty of them had already gone missing. He knew things were going badly and immediately told old leader the seriousness of the problem. The old leader had said he would send someone to investigate, but unexpectedly, nothing came of it…
Si Huaixi’s expression was more grim and fierce than ever before, he personally escorted the old leader’s only son, whose face was covered in blood, and brought with him two corpses of superhumans whose heads had been opened and whose crystal cores were gone. The old leader’s only son had his limbs broken, his red eyes bulging with anger, and he cursed, saying that it was no big deal to die a few low-level ability users, and begged the old leader to save him in front of everyone.
The old leader’s face darkened with horror upon seeing his only son’s miserable state. Cao Leipeng was puzzled at the time, wondering why the old leader’s only son would kill those fellow superhumans. Until Si Huaixi revealed an extremely cruel truth.
For the crystal core in the brain of his superhuman companion.
Just like zombies with superpowers that are born from a horde of zombies, a crystal core will condense in their skulls. Similarly, human superpowered individuals will also have a crystal core condensing in their skulls.
The ruthless old leader’s only son dared not venture into the wilderness to face the dangerous zombies, but instead attacked his unsuspecting superhuman companions, all in order to obtain the crystal cores from their skulls and sell them to exchange for crystal cores suitable for his own absorption and cultivation.
These words immediately sent chills down Cao Leipeng’s spine. He never imagined that such a dark and inhumane scene could be witnessed in the base.
There are already eighty times more zombies than humans, and the proportion of the few remaining humans who can awaken superpowers is extremely low. Killing fellow superpowered humans would undoubtedly push the fate of humanity as a whole to an even more extreme and desperate state!
Why…why would they do this?!
What Cao Leipeng never expected was that the old leader would actually try to kill Si Huaixi in a fit of rage in order to save his only son. The old leader arrogantly shouted that the rare spiritual energy crystal core in Si Huaixi’s head was the most expensive, and someone had already set a high price on the black market, even offering an eighth-order crystal core as payment.
Eighth-tier zombies can command massive hordes of zombies. Obtaining an eighth-tier crystal core is almost impossible for a single eighth-tier ability user to fight alone. Therefore, more ability users are needed to exhaust the zombie hordes and guard against surprise attacks from eighth-tier zombies. Basically, such operations to attack high-tier zombies require the mobilization and coordination of the entire base.
Even so, there is still a possibility of failure. Otherwise, Zhou Fei would not have been afraid and fled after a siege of a high-level zombie in other bases, and would have come to Lucheng base instead.
The old leader thought that as long as he killed Si Huaixi, he could get an eighth-order crystal core, and then he would have a chance to break through to the ninth order, which had been stagnant for so long! The old leader, in order to deal with a young superhuman, shamelessly ordered his subordinates to gang up on him.
Cao Leipeng couldn’t stand by and watch these wicked people, so he decided to help Si Huaixi.
Unexpectedly, Si Huaixi didn’t need his help at all. He killed the old leader, the old leader’s only son, and his subordinates all by himself. Enraged, Si Huaixi smashed their brains and the crystal cores inside their skulls to pieces.
He thought things would come to an end after the old leader and others died. But out of a sudden a mysterious person with unbelievably strong abilities appeared, whose terrifying strength was even more frightening than the scene of a level 9 ability user that Cao Leipeng had once had the privilege of witnessing in battle.
The vast expanse of yellow sand swept across the entire base, condensing into massive boulders comparable to a giant mountain. If it were to collapse, it could destroy a quarter of the base’s area. Yet, this powerful and mysterious man ultimately died at the hands of Si Huaixi.
Cao Leipeng vaguely sensed that the mysterious person’s strength far exceeded that of a level 9 ability user, and he had a slight guess in his heart that the mysterious person was a level 10 ability user. Even Cao Leipeng, who was very knowledgeable, couldn’t be sure. If the mysterious person was a level 10 ability user, wouldn’t that mean that 19-year-old Si Huaixi was also a level 10 ability user? No one would believe it if it were said out loud.
This is not simply a matter of good talent; it is something that would be impossible according to common sense. Even Cao Leipeng himself is considered to have good talent, but it took him almost thirty years to become an 8th-level ability user. To advance to the next level would require a lot of time and crystal cores, and if this process takes seven or eight years, it would be considered lucky.
Si Huaixi was only became adult two years ago. Even if he awakened his superpowers and started cultivating right after birth, he is still far inferior to the superpowered predecessors who started cultivating from the very beginning of the apocalypse. Even now, there are no more than 100 level 10 ability users in the whole world, and no more than 5 level 11 ability users.
It seems impossible no matter how you look at it, yet even Cao Leipeng is unsure…
(Back to reality.)
Cao Leipeng saw that the ashes and unburnt crystal cores of the person who had unexpectedly lost their superpowers were also placed in a jar by their relatives, and held in the arms of a beautiful woman with a black mole on the corner of her mouth, presumably intending to bury them somewhere.
The news of the old leader’s death was so sudden that some of the original ability users in the base did not believe that the old leader would die so easily. They thought that he and Si Huaixi had used despicable means to kill the old leader in order to get the position of leader of the Lucheng base. At first, they were very afraid of and disobeyed them. As for their explanation that the old leader had made a serious mistake, it was maliciously distorted into a smear against the old leader.
Cao Leipeng was truly at a loss for words at the time, but no matter what, the old leader’s killing of the superhuman to obtain the crystal core could not be exposed to the world, for fear that some superhuman with ill intentions might imitate him and do such things.
The base doesn’t even need to be attacked by zombies; the sheer fear and distrust of those around it by the superhumans inside is enough to destroy it.
As the Luzhou base truly developed, Cao Leipeng believed that the dark incident of murdering his fellow superhumans from two years prior would never happen again.
Cao Leipeng sighed softly and said, “It’s all in the past. The Lucheng base will become even better.”
Si Huaixi’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, the lit cigarette brushing against his cold eyes, and he said in a deep voice, “Hmm.”
Cao Leipeng’s visit was not just for these matters. His stern face could not hide his joy, and he said with a hint of excitement, “Not long ago, the superhuman in the transport team accidentally exchanged supplies for an eighth-order lightning-type crystal core. After absorbing it a few days ago, I have a vague feeling that I am about to break through to the eighth order. I would like to ask Si Huaixi to help me look after the base for a while.”
Si Huaixi’s cold expression softened slightly, and he smiled faintly as he said, “Alright, I’ll just have my sister-in-law cook a nice meal for me then.”
Cao Leipeng laughed heartily, “No problem, she can cook a few more meals without any problem. Your sister-in-law was so happy to see you come for dinner last time. Remembering that you even brought sweet and sour fish with you last time, and seeing that you like it, she’s been making that dish every day for almost a week, just looking forward to your visit…”
Si Huaixi pursed his lips, thinking of Pei Zhaozhou who was still immersed in his research in the laboratory. A hint of worry and concern flashed in her eyes as he asked Cao Leipeng, “Could you ask my sister-in-law to giv me some food today?”
Cao Leipeng replied without hesitation, “No problem, take as much as you want. But you took some last time, and I thought you were keeping it for yourself. I recently heard that it was for someone else, and that person even moved into your house. It’s all over the base…”
Cao Leipeng coughed twice, and, unusually curious, asked, “Was this for him?”
Si Huaixi frowned slightly, feeling that there were so many people curious about this matter lately, and even more idle people were loitering in front of his house. Si Huaixi pursed his lips and said without hiding anything, “Yes, Pei Zhaozhou is staying at my house. If I have to go out of the base someday, I’ll trouble Chief Cao to take care of him for me.”
Cao Leipeng’s eyes widened slightly. He felt that the words of social etiquette he had just heard were not the kind of words that Commander Si, who was usually aloof and independent, would say. And he was asking him for a favor because of someone named Pei Zhaozhou? Hearing that even Si Huaixi needed his help, Cao Leipeng felt inexplicably excited and enthusiastic. After a moment of surprise, he quickly said, “No problem! Leave it to me!”
Cao Leipeng then asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be staying home lately?”
Si Huaixi lowered his voice and said, “I may go to the capital base in a while, and I hope you can keep it a secret for me.”
Cao Leipeng was quite surprised. The capital base was more than 2,000 kilometers away, and there would be countless zombies along the way. There was no need to travel so far to exchange for supplies. Did Si Huaixi have some compelling reason to go there…?
Thinking this through, Cao Leipeng suddenly realized something, and a look of shock appeared deep in his pupils. However, he dared not ask Si Huaixi, for fear of revealing even the slightest bit of information that would be noticed by others.
After the funeral Si Huaixi said goodbye to Cao Leipeng, then turned and left for the research institute where Pei Zhaozhou was located, a hint of helplessness still lingering in his heart. If he doesn’t go back, Pei Zhaozhou will probably stop eating and sleeping on time again. But he uses experiments as an excuse, and Si Huaixi has been helpless against Pei Zhaozhou these past few days.
Since the ‘new type of generator’ is just starting out, according to Pei Zhaozhou’s precise words, he is not building a basic generator, but a new type of high-tech energy power machine called an ‘energy tower’.
If this ‘energy tower’ machine can be successfully used in the Lucheng base, it can greatly transform the development of the Lucheng base, liberate most of the cheap labor force, and even use the special properties of the energy tower to create new types of powerful weapons and robots, replacing the relatively small number of ordinary people and superhumans in the base to participate in dangerous work involving the wilderness.
Pei Zhaozhou was immersed in the laboratory, focusing on his research. He stayed up almost all night for the past three days to build the ‘energy tower’. Originally, Pei Zhaozhou wanted to work without sleep, but Si Huaixi forced him to go home to rest.
As for the family rule that we have to be home before 7 p.m….
Whenever Si Huaixi wanted Pei Zhaozhou to go back and rest, Pei Zhaozhou would immediately say that the experiment was only halfway done and if he suddenly left, all his previous efforts might be wasted. With no other option, Si Huaixi had to stay up all night with Pei Zhaozhou, in ensure Pei Zhaozhou could sleep peacefully, Si Huaixi even took him home and then went back to the lab alone to look at the ‘energy-stabilizing solvent,’ an important substance for making the energy tower that Pei Zhaozhou had mentioned.
The ‘energy-stabilizing solvent’ is like the liquid in a battery that holds electrical charge. But the energy that Pei Zhaozhou created can hold is not just electrical charge. It can be converted into various forms of energy, and the energy units it stores are even more terrifying. Due to the rudimentary environment and equipment on the first day of the experiment, there was no vacuum experimental workbench. The energy-stabilizing solution that could contain energy was always contaminated by some unknown microorganisms. Even if Pei Zhaozhou touched the solution bottle, it was very likely that the energy-stabilizing solution that had taken several hours to make would be contaminated and ruined because he was not wearing qualified sterile gloves.
Pei Zhaozhou spent countless nights conducting experiments but still failed to produce a single bottle of successful ‘energy-stabilized solvent,’ his amber-gold eyes reddening with anxiety. Si Huaixi had some expectations for the ‘energy tower’ Pei Zhaozhou mentioned, but he didn’t have high hopes. He just gave it to Pei Zhaozhou because he wanted a laboratory. You could see that Pei Zhaozhou went to great lengths to make a new machine to replace the old one for him, and he didn’t even leave until late at night.
Si Huaixi felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him and his eyes filled with heartache and pity. After learning the reason for Pei Zhaozhou’s failed experiment, Si Huaixi personally built a sterile experimental table.
As for how it was built?
Si Huaixi’s mental power control could theoretically reach an extremely precise level, but in reality, Si Huaixi had never tried to achieve that level of precision, and he didn’t need to reach that level in actual combat. That night, Si Huaixi used his mental power to cleanse Pei Zhaozhou of bacteria, microorganisms, viruses, and tiny dust particles.
Pei Zhaozhou was able to create the sterile workbench he used to cultivate the ‘energy-stable solvent’, and subsequent experiments were successful. When Si Huaixi finally came to his senses, his azure eyes became dry and swollen, and the nerves in his eyes, which had been strained from overexertion, felt a constant twitching pain. The screen was filled with floating bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms.
Until the third day.
Pei Zhaozhou’s experiment is progressing smoothly. The ‘energy-stable solvent’ will not easily deteriorate after it is successfully made, so there is no need for Si Huaixi to continue using his mental power to maintain the sterile operating table.
Si Huaixi then came out to get some fresh air, to relax his brain which was tired from using too much mental energy, and to take care of some business.
Not long after leaving home, Si Huaixi was already thinking about Pei Zhaozhou, who was still in the laboratory, and decided to go back. Back in the lab, the professors told Si Huaixi that Pei Zhaozhou had already gone out to find something.
Helpless, Si Huaixi had no choice but to stay alone in the laboratory, looking at the huge glass container filled with a fluorescent green solution, which was the result of Pei Zhaozhou’s hard work over the past few days.
His azure eyes held a hint of loss and melancholy. She rested her beautifully shaped chin on her hand, sitting quietly in the laboratory, helping Pei Zhaozhou look after this ‘energy tower’, enduring a long and tedious wait.
—Where did the Cat go?
Little did they know that Pei Zhaozhou was talking to a girl who wasn’t particularly pretty but had delicate features.
In a grove of trees within the Lucheng base Pei Zhaozhou is searching for more suitable plants to compensate for the limitations in producing the ‘energy-stabilizing solution’. Plants, animals, and the human body are all natural containers for energy storage. The most primitive ‘energy stabilizing solution’ was synthesized by extracting juice from plants. Therefore, Pei Zhaozhou plans to find suitable plant extracts to add to the laboratory’s energy tower to make the solution’s composition more stable.
The Silver Arc has analytical capabilities. Pei Zhaozhou kept searching for suitable plants in the forest, but all of the dozen or so plants he found were rejected by the Silver Arc. As Pei Zhaozhou pondered whether to risk venturing into the wilderness outside the base to find more suitable plant materials, the AI Silver Arc suddenly issued a notification.
Intelligent Brain Silver Arc: [Master! I’ve discovered a suitable plant to serve as an ‘energy stabilizing solution’!]
Pei Zhaozhou asked immediately with delight, “Where?”
Silver Arc: [Master, it’s in the hands of that woman ahead!]
Pei Zhaozhou looked in the direction indicated by the Silver Arc.
They discovered a female ability user with a wood element, who used her power to continuously catalyze the growth of a seed until it took root, sprouted, matured, and sprouted green leaves. The female wood-type ability user grabbed the head of a green leaf and pulled out a large white radish. The bright green leaves and the plump white radish look much bigger than ordinary white radishes, making them look very appetizing.
Pei Zhaozhou walked over and struck up a conversation: “Hello, may I ask if you can sell me your white radishes, lady with superpowers? I can pay you a reasonable fee.”
The female wood-type ability user wasn’t very tall, but she had a fairly pretty face. When Pei Zhaozhou asked her a friendly question, she revealed a very wary and even slightly panicked look in her eyes.
“What did you say?! I’m not a superhuman! I won’t sell you this radish!”
The female superhuman’s eyes showed vigilance, and she reprimanded Pei Zhaozhou in an uneasy and impatient tone.
“Are you blind?! Get away from me right now! These radishes were already planted in the ground, I didn’t plant them…”
Pei Zhaozhou felt very puzzled and strange. Why would this female ability user with wood-type abilities deny that she grew the radish? Before Pei Zhaozhou could figure it out, the female superhuman hurriedly left, looking terrified that Pei Zhaozhou would chase after her.
Pei Zhaozhou frowned in even greater confusion.
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