He had witnessed Xia Qing’s combat skills and every single one of her decisive actions earlier.
When she encountered a mutant, she was completely calm and attacked without hesitation.
In contrast, Xia Ran had been indecisive. In a situation like this, hesitating for even a single second was a blatant disrespect to one’s own life.
Of course, Jin Chao actually possessed an energy core of his own. However, since it didn’t match his attribute, he hadn’t absorbed it, choosing to keep it instead.
Xia Ran also felt that his younger sister was different now; she seemed far colder and more ruthless.
Her attacks were incredibly decisive, entirely unlike an eighteen-year-old girl.
Only after confirming the mutants were dealt with did Lin Yao step out of the car. There, she saw Xia Qing gripping a dagger, her hand coated in blood and grime.
This is impossible…
In their previous life, Xia Qing had been rescued by Jin Chao at this exact moment.
Because Xia Qing had been the spatial ability user and Jin Chao needed a spatial storage user at the time, he had agreed to let Xia Qing bring Lin Yao along.
Why was everything completely different in this life?
Amidst the thick stench of blood in the air, Lin Yao’s and Xia Qing’s eyes met.
Xia Qing’s gaze was icy cold, radiating a composure that far exceeded her age.
That kind of gaze did not belong to the Xia Qing of this time period. Yet, even during the final days of her past life, Xia Qing had merely been emaciated; her eyes hadn’t been this chilling, but rather dead and hollow.
The moment their eyes locked, Lin Yao frowned, her heart weighed down by deep anxieties.
If Xia Qing really was reborn too, does she know that I was the one who shot her in the back right before she died?
If she knew, there was no way Lin Yao would still be alive right now.
Therefore, Xia Qing didn’t know.
It had to be said that Lin Yao possessed some degree of cunning; otherwise, she could never have survived until the very end of her past life relying purely on a low-level charm ability.
Unfortunately, in the very end, the mutant outbreak completely overwhelmed everything, the bases across the blue planet collapsed, and humanity was reduced entirely to mutant food…
Lin Yao resolved that even if it killed her, she had to pretend she was not the reborn Lin Yao. Perhaps then, she would still have a chance.
The spatial ability was hers now, and absolutely no one could snatch it away.
The strong stench of blood still lingered inside their car, and the front windshield was entirely shattered. However, since it was their only mode of transportation, they had to make do and keep driving.
This sudden mutant ambush had claimed many lives, the vast majority being soldiers.
As a result, the number of military personnel left to protect the civilians dwindled significantly.
Although Xia Qing hailed from the wasteland world—where people only ever looked out for themselves—things seemed somewhat different here.
Regrettably, those decent people had perished prematurely under the mutant threat.
The kindhearted never survived until the end.
The bodies of those slaughtered by mutants were buried on the spot; they weren’t left exposed in the wilderness…
“Mommy, that big brother saved me earlier.”
“Yes. They are truly great.”
Despite the pervasive terror, there were still people who steadfastly fulfilled their duties.
But how long would those sacrifices be remembered? The dead were already gone…
Someone might ask: Is it worth it?
Risking your own life to save others?
There was no answer…
Xia Qing only wanted to live her own life well and grow stronger, because in the future, when mutants entirely overran this world, everyone was destined to die.
They would all be reduced to mutant food.
Being a lone wolf certainly resolved a lot of trouble in the early stages, but what about later on?
This wasn’t an internal problem humanity could solve on its own.
This was a war of extinction between species.
Xia Ran: “Qingqing, you’ve changed.”
Xia Qing knew that her earlier performance against the mutants had been a bit too conspicuous. After all, at this stage, everyone was still utterly paralyzed by fear.
Let alone ordinary civilians, even many soldiers and police officers were encountering these monsters for the very first time.
Xia Qing replied, “It’s time to change. We have to adapt to the new rules, Brother.”
Xia Ran: “…”
Xia Ran’s eyes gradually brightened. Mutant attacks were only going to become more frequent from now on; he needed to boost his own strength as well.
Closing his eyes, Xia Ran focused on sensing the energy core within his body.
Finally, he successfully awakened his ability. It was ice-type…
However, the ability was currently incredibly weak; he could only condense ice cubes the size of his fingertips.
Upon seeing this, Xia Qing offered some consolation: “When it gets hot, we can eat the ice cubes.”
Xia Ran felt a fresh wave of defeat wash over him.
The initial innate talent post-awakening was crucial. Managing to awaken an ice-type ability was actually quite good; a blue attribute had the potential to awaken water, ice, mist, or other related elements…
Up ahead, due to the mutant attacks, the main convoy was forced to split up and take different routes.
The vast majority of the survivors began to scatter.
After driving for four or five hours, they stumbled upon a gas station.
Xia Ran: “Let’s rest at this gas station for a bit.”
Su Bai: “Alright.”
The woman’s name was Wu Fang. With her husband freshly dead and her child severely traumatized, she had finally quieted down completely.
Since it was a gas station, the inside had likely been scavenged countless times already.
Xia Qing went inside and managed to find a cooking pot, along with some leftover lighters that no one had bothered to take.
With the packets of instant noodles she brought, they could finally have a hot meal.
Su Bai enthusiastically came over to assist Xia Qing, giving her the perfect excuse to wander around…
Having just awakened his ability, Xia Ran was currently busy practicing how to use it.
Because they were newly awakened, every ability user had to rely entirely on their own trial and error to figure things out.
Meanwhile, Xia Qing found a quiet spot and secretly absorbed the pink energy core.
The upper limit of her internal energy reserves increased, but a single core wasn’t enough to push her to the next level.
If only I could fully control a mutant…
Xia Qing knew she couldn’t afford to be impatient; one couldn’t get fat off a single bite.
Squeak, squeak…
A tiny mouse darted out from the tall grass.
Xia Qing’s eyes lit up, and she decided to try using charm on the mouse…
She reasoned that if her charm ability worked on both mutants and men, perhaps it could work on animals as well.
Damn…
It failed.
This one was definitely a female mouse.
Squeak, squeak…
Right behind it, another little mouse scurried out…
Xia Qing tested it again.
Her pupils flashed with brilliant purple light, and the eyes of the mouse opposite her instantly turned purple as well.
Surprisingly, the imprint succeeded on the very first try.
Most likely, this was because the little mouse’s willpower was exceedingly low.
Its intelligence was negligible.
Therefore, Xia Qing secured a successful imprint on the first attempt, whereas imprinting Su Bai had required three consecutive applications.
The exact requirements depended entirely on the specific target.
If she encountered someone with immense willpower in the future, it might require even more applications.
Xia Qing now had a rough understanding of the mechanics.
“Come here.”
The little mouse’s pupils gleamed with purple light—the undeniable trace of her imprint.
Squeaking softly, the little mouse scurried over and climbed straight into the palm of her hand.
If anyone else saw this, they would probably be disgusted to death by the rat.
Not bad; it was a huge success.
“From now on, you follow me.”
Although a little mouse lacked combat prowess, mice possessed phenomenal reproductive capabilities, sharp senses, and highly acute smell and hearing. They could sense environmental changes through their whiskers, and though their vision was poor, they were highly sensitive to moving objects and shifting light.
Furthermore, they boasted excellent jumping abilities and were proficient at climbing, leaping, and swimming. They could even squeeze through gaps significantly smaller than their own bodies.
They were incredibly adaptable to diverse environments, highly resistant to disease, possessed a certain degree of learning and memory retention, and demonstrated a strong instinct for avoiding danger.
In the wasteland world, Xia Qing had specialized in researching mutated beasts.
She would see if she could find an appropriate mutant energy core later to modify this mouse into a mutant rat.
Just as she tucked the mouse into her pocket, Su Bai eagerly called her over to eat.
From a distance, Lin Yao witnessed this exact scene.
It looks like the person Xia Qing charmed is Su Bai.