Jiang Chuan burst into laughter upon hearing this, clutching his stomach as it began to ache.
“Hahaha, who said Sister Xun was an ordinary person? Have you never considered that she might possess abilities?! You’re killing me!”
Su Jin continued to watch Jiang Chuan and Zhaoxun vigilantly. Jiang Chuan finally managed to stifle his laughter.
“Deputy Captain Su, Sister Xun possesses abilities. I can guarantee she is not a mutant; you can stop surrounding us.”
Su Jin frowned. “She has abilities? None of us detected them.”
Jiang Chuan snorted. “That’s obviously because Sister Xun is more powerful than any of you, so you couldn’t tell.”
Su Jin didn’t move. “Then tell me, what ability does Miss Chu have?”
Jiang Chuan was stumped for a moment. He turned to Zhaoxun and asked, “Sister Xun, what is your ability? If I’m not mistaken, it should be control, right?”
In truth, over the many days they had spent together, he had only seen her make a move once, so he wasn’t entirely sure.
Wang Peng couldn’t help but sneer. “You don’t know anything, yet you’re so certain she’s an ability user? Have you been deceived by her pretty face? It’s been you protecting her this whole journey; no wonder she’s been able to stay so clean in the apocalypse. So you’re just a well-behaved ‘lickspittle’ she’s keeping. Jiang Chuan, you’re so easy to fool; no wonder you don’t measure up to your brother.”
Jiang Chuan’s face turned cold, and he raised his hand to unleash a golden blade. Wang Peng, not expecting him to strike suddenly, scrambled to dodge it. Jiang Chuan’s level was higher than his.
“Deputy Captain Su, Jiang Chuan is attacking me!”
Jiang Chuan said coldly: “You’re asking for a beating!”
Su Jin frowned and stepped in to block the attack. “Jiang Chuan, don’t think about harming my team members in front of me.”
Jiang Chuan snorted coldly. “He was the one who was disrespectful first. Deputy Captain Su, is this how you discipline your subordinates?”
Su Jin’s gaze shifted toward Wang Peng. Feeling the unspoken pressure, Wang Peng immediately lowered his head. “Deputy Captain Su, I know I was wrong.”
Jiang Chuan felt a bit indignant. She seems a bit stronger than me.
“Ah!”
Wang Peng suddenly let out a cry of pain and spat out a mouthful of blood. Su Jin looked over, her pupils constricting. She saw Wang Peng uncontrollably lifting his hands to slap himself in the face, each blow heavier than the last.
Wang Peng screamed in terror: “Who? Who is it! I can’t control myself!”
Su Jin’s gaze swept across the scene and immediately landed on Zhaoxun, who hadn’t moved. Could it be her? Is it really as Jiang Chuan said—that Miss Chu has awakened a control ability?
Zhaoxun glanced at Wang Peng with a calm expression. “Apologize.”
Wang Peng didn’t react; his reflex to his foul mouth caused him to snap back: “You want an apology? Do you even deserve it!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Zhaoxun arched an eyebrow. “Apologize.”
Wang Peng realized now that it was Chu Zhaoxun controlling him! He looked up in shock, but before he could speak, he felt that sense of manipulation again. He had no doubt that if he didn’t apologize, his head would explode like a flower on the ground in the next second.
Panic at being manipulated spread through his heart. Reading the room, Wang Peng spoke without hesitation: “I’m sorry!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Chu. I’m sorry, Jiang Chuan. I shouldn’t have said that just now. It’s all my fault!”
It was just a few words of apology. Wang Peng was best at being pragmatic and avoiding losses. Zhaoxun watched him indifferently and raised her finger slightly. Wang Peng hit his head against the ground “thud, thud, thud,” three times.
His face turned ashen. Damn it, this feeling of being completely unable to control myself is just too fucked up! But facing Zhaoxun, whose abilities were both bizarre and powerful, he dared not show any resistance. He comforted himself inwardly: Isn’t it just bowing your head a few times? Compared to staying alive, what does this count for? This is the apocalypse!
Zhaoxun withdrew her gaze when he stopped talking. Su Jin and the others watched the scene in shock. She really does have abilities, and they are so formidable! Su Jin wasn’t confident she could defeat her. But immediately after, she felt a sense of joy. If Miss Chu returned to the base, she would surely become a great powerhouse. This way, their base’s strength would increase, and the safety of everyone in the base would have another layer of guarantee.
Thinking of this, Su Jin’s tone improved significantly. “Miss Chu, it was a misunderstanding just now. May I ask, is your ability truly control?”
Zhaoxun did not deny it. Control? Her soul was extremely powerful; if she wanted to, she could control everyone present—not just their actions, but their very thoughts.
Su Jin took this as an admission. As for Miss Chu not wanting to talk to her, that was entirely understandable. Strong people always had their own quirks.
Zhaoxun: “Regardless, you can rest assured that I am not a mutant.”
Su Jin believed her now. Mutants were bloodthirsty and difficult to control; any move they made would be for the sake of killing and bloodshed. But Miss Chu had only given Wang Peng a small punishment and hadn’t killed him.
Zhaoxun’s gaze swept over Chen Yi, whose expression of shock had yet to fade. No, this is that vase, Chu Zhaoxun? How did she become so powerful? Summoning her courage, her attitude became much more respectful.
“Miss Chu, what were you doing to Captain Lou just now?”
Zhaoxun: “You don’t need to worry that I will harm Lou Lihan. I am saving him.”
The red bead she had placed in Lou Lihan’s mouth was known as a Soul Pearl, one of the treasures of the Lian Sect. A Soul Pearl could gather lingering souls and repair or nourish them. She had already seen that although Lou Lihan was dead, he had good luck; his soul hadn’t completely dissipated, and he could still be saved.
Jiang Chuan spoke quickly: “That’s right. Sister Xun doesn’t want the Captain to die more than anyone else. She cares about him more than all of you; she is the person who wants him to live most of all.”
Su Jin and the others, hearing this, remembered every instance of her pestering Lou Lihan in the past and fell silent for a time. Miss Chu’s heart toward the Captain was indeed very sincere.
Zhaoxun glared at Jiang Chuan. What does he know? If it weren’t for the original owner’s wish, I wouldn’t care who Lou Lihan is. Resurrecting a dead person required too much time, effort, and precious heavenly materials; it was a hassle.
Lou Lihan’s soul, floating in the air, watched Chu Zhaoxun with shock and heartache. “Xiaoxun, I know you can’t accept that I’ve passed away, but I really am dead. Don’t waste your resources; keep them for yourself.” He was happy, though—Xiaoxun had abilities. She now had the capital to survive in the apocalypse on her own. Lou Lihan did not notice that his soul was gradually becoming solid.
Su Jin couldn’t contain her shock and asked: “Miss Chu, what was that bead you used just now? Can it really save Captain Lou and resurrect him?”
Zhaoxun nodded. “Of course.”
As she spoke, her fingers moved over Lou Lihan’s body, using spiritual energy to repair his wounds. Aside from the fatal wound on his chest, all other injuries healed completely.