As soon as his words fell, everyone in the living room was so shocked that they couldn’t say a word.
After the apocalypse, people had only heard of the five elemental abilities—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—or spatial abilities.
No one had ever heard of a control-type ability.
What exactly was a control-type ability?
No one knew.
Everyone looked confused, yet no one dared to ask.
After all, in their hearts, the fact that Xie Peijin was willing to reveal his ability at all already felt like an undeserved favor.
“What is a control-type ability? How is it different from the psychic zombie we encountered today? Uncle, can you control zombies too?”
Of course, Lin Ran was not among the people who didn’t dare speak.
She had naturally seen Zhou Wangye’s warning look.
But she was far too curious about what this so-called control-type ability actually was.
In the original novel, there were only a few brief descriptions of Xie Peijin.
It only said that he was ruthless, calculating, cruel, uninterested in women, and his sexual orientation was a mystery.
But those descriptions were too vague.
There were no bloody past events to prove them, nor any specific examples that could truly make people tremble in fear.
No matter how many times Lin Ran thought about it, she couldn’t form a clear image in her mind of someone terrifying enough to inspire fear from the depths of the soul.
On top of that, she was absolutely a face-con.
Xie Peijin’s face and figure seemed as if every part had grown exactly according to her tastes.
So she simply couldn’t feel afraid of him.
Moreover, the novel had never mentioned what ability he possessed.
That made her even more curious.
She even felt Zhou Wangye was making a big deal out of nothing.
After all, Xie Peijin was an elder.
Even if he was cold and ruthless toward outsiders, he wouldn’t turn hostile just because a younger family member asked a few questions.
She had already called him uncle, hadn’t she?
What was wrong with asking a question?
She didn’t believe there existed an elder who would be so impatient with a junior’s question that they would kill them.
She cherished her life very much—she wasn’t looking for death.
But this time, even Xie Jilan’s expression changed slightly.
She sat up and looked at Xie Peijin.
“A Jin, Ranran is still young and speaks without thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”
Xie Peijin’s expression didn’t change.
“Sister, what are you afraid of? I don’t eat people.”
Xie Jilan smiled awkwardly.
“It’s not that you eat people. Ranran just tends to be a little noisy.”
She then gave her younger son a meaningful look:
Take your Sister Ran away quickly.
Zhou Yi’an immediately understood the signal. He grabbed Lin Ran’s hand and started pulling her upstairs.
“Ran-jie, you were almost asleep just now. I’ll go upstairs with you—hurry and get some rest.”
Even if Lin Ran was slow to notice things, she finally sensed that something was wrong.
The people on this sofa were all blood relatives, yet the atmosphere earlier had made the back of her neck feel cold.
She could ignore Zhou Wangye’s warning—after all, that man had always been unpredictable, and she was already used to it.
But Aunt Lan was different.
The panic in Aunt Lan’s eyes was almost tangible.
It was as if she feared that if Lin Ran said even one more word, Xie Peijin would snap her neck on the spot.
She could ignore the male lead’s words.
But Aunt Lan would never harm her.
Realizing that made Lin Ran’s heart tighten.
She stopped resisting and let Zhou Yi’an pull her up from the sofa.
Following his force, she stood up and even forced out a well-behaved smile, bowing slightly toward the man on the sofa.
“Uncle, I’ll go upstairs to rest first. Good night.”
Xie Peijin didn’t respond.
He merely lifted his eyes and glanced at her faintly.
His gaze was deep, unreadable, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Zhou Yi’an practically dragged her toward the staircase, his steps hurried and chaotic.
The palm holding her hand was covered in cold sweat.
It was as if the person behind them wasn’t his uncle—
but some ferocious beast that devoured people alive, where taking one step too slowly meant certain death.
Lin Ran stumbled as she was pulled along and couldn’t help glancing back at the corner of the stairs.
That single glance made her heart sink.
In the living room, even the usually calm Zhou Wangye and the gentle Aunt Lan had both let out sighs of relief at the same time.
Their expressions looked like people who had narrowly survived a disaster.
Something wasn’t right.
This was far too strange.
That cautious, walking-on-thin-ice atmosphere wasn’t how family members interacted.
It felt more like they were…
dealing with someone who held absolute power over life and death, someone who could destroy them with the slightest displeasure.
But wasn’t Old Master Xie the one in charge of the Xie family?
The moment they entered the room, Lin Ran immediately shook off Zhou Yi’an’s hand.
She turned and blocked him by the door, lowering her voice.
“Zhou Yi’an, tell me honestly—what exactly is going on with Uncle? Why are all of you so afraid of him?”
Xie Peijin’s overly handsome yet cold face flashed through her mind.
The doubt in her heart deepened.
What they felt wasn’t merely respect for a relative—
it was fear carved into their bones.
Zhou Yi’an had expected this question and answered calmly.
“What else could it be? His strength is just too powerful. We’re afraid of provoking him, that’s all. There’s no hidden story.”
Lin Ran cut him off.
“You think I’m an idiot?”
If things were really that simple, they would never have reacted the way they did earlier.
Zhou Yi’an’s prepared excuse was interrupted.
He hadn’t expected his Sister Ran to suddenly start using her brain—she wasn’t as easy to fool as before.
But his mother had specifically instructed him not to tell Lin Ran the truth.
It wasn’t because they considered her an outsider.
The problem was that Lin Ran had a long history of causing trouble.
If she learned the truth and accidentally offended their uncle, no one would be able to save her.
That man showed absolutely no mercy.
Zhou Yi’an could only continue trying to placate her.
“I really don’t know either. Think about it—I haven’t seen Uncle for many years. The last time I saw him I was still in kindergarten. What could I possibly understand? I just saw everyone else being afraid of him, so I got scared too.”
Lin Ran looked at him suspiciously.
Zhou Yi’an didn’t seem to have any reason to lie to her.
Xie Peijin had been sent into the military by Old Master Xie as soon as he became an adult.
Since then, he had never returned home.
At twenty-seven he retired from the army, left the military, and was immediately sent abroad—without even stepping into the Xie family mansion.
Counting it carefully, Zhou Yi’an hadn’t seen him for twelve years.
Just like the original Lin Ran, how could he possibly know any inside details?
Thinking this through, Lin Ran decided not to continue asking.
After all, Aunt Lan was still there protecting her.
She refused to believe that as long as she behaved and didn’t cause trouble, Xie Peijin would kill the child of the person who once saved his sister’s life.
The only regret was that she still hadn’t figured out Xie Peijin’s ability.
Control-type ability…
What exactly did it do?
Control people?
Control zombies?
Control ability users?
Or control certain elements?
What should I do… I really want to copy it.
Just hearing the name made it sound extremely powerful.
And since she already knew Xie Peijin would become one of the great leaders of the base, copying his ability would be like obtaining a lucky charm that guaranteed survival in the apocalypse.
What a pity… what a pity.
Seeing the eager look on her face, Zhou Yi’an quickly warned,
“Ran-jie, Uncle is not like my brother. My brother only threatens to throw you into a pile of zombies. Uncle could actually do it. So you absolutely must not provoke him.”
Lin Ran nodded.
“I know.”
She had finally transmigrated into the body of a wealthy young lady.
She hadn’t even enjoyed the luxurious life long enough yet—why would she go looking for death?
She already planned to stay far away from the male lead.
Not to mention the male lead’s uncle, who was just as famous—if not even more ruthless and brutal.
But Zhou Yi’an still wasn’t reassured.
“You promise!”
Lin Ran rolled her eyes and used her usual method.
“Do you also think I’m stupid like everyone else does?”