“No.”
Ye Xihe shook her head.
“All of your abilities improve through practice and real combat. Mine is the same. If I stop using it because I’m afraid of wasting energy, then my healing ability will never improve.”
Then she smiled.
“So I still need to heal all of you whenever I can.”
“When I’ve recovered, I’ll heal Brother Xu Wen’s leg too.”
Xu Wen’s eyes were instantly filled with tears.
“Once you’ve fully recovered, try seeing whether you can purify the gray fog,” Ye Huizhou said quietly, keeping his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.
“The gray fog?”
“Yes.” Ye Huizhou draped a coat over his sister’s shoulders and whispered near her ear, “Within a three-meter radius centered on you, the gray fog almost completely disappears.”
It was difficult to notice changes in the density of the fog when standing inside it, but from a distance the difference was obvious. Whenever Ye Xihe activated her ability, the visibility around her was completely different from the surrounding area.
Could it be that her power had grown stronger again?
“Okay.” Ye Xihe nodded obediently.
“Wait until you’ve completely recovered. For now, just rest properly.” Ye Huizhou handed her another roasted drumstick. “You need to eat more.”
Ye Xihe shook her head, and Ye Huizhou spent several more minutes coaxing her.
Watching him patiently persuade Ye Xihe to eat, Su Nian couldn’t help revealing a trace of envy in her eyes.
She lowered her head somewhat dejectedly and pretended to poke at the branches in the campfire.
Suddenly, Ye Xihe plopped down beside her.
“Sister Su Nian!”
She broke her drumstick in half and handed part of it over.
“Let’s eat together!”
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s my drumstick!” Xu Wen shouted as he rushed over and pretended he was about to snatch it back.
Ye Xihe immediately took a huge bite.
Su Nian’s gloomy mood vanished as she laughed and took an equally large bite herself.
“Y… you two!!!”
Xu Wen raised an elegant finger and pointed at them dramatically.
The camp instantly descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Ye Huizhou and Gu Zhuoye were talking nearby.
“We only traveled along the edge of Qingmang Mountain and already encountered such absurd Mutated Plants. Deeper in the mountains, there will definitely be even stronger ones.”
With both hands in his pockets, Gu Zhuoye leaned against a tree and looked toward the depths of the mountain range. Through the fog, enormous shadows could vaguely be seen.
“We need to get out as soon as possible.” Ye Huizhou held a cigarette between his fingers, its ember glowing faintly through the mist.
This was the first cigarette he had smoked since the Apocalypse began.
He had quit because Ye Xihe didn’t like him smoking.
“Xihe’s power may be more than just healing and virus purification.”
“Maybe she can purify the gray fog too.”
If it were only healing, perhaps the impact wouldn’t be too great.
But if purification was added to the equation…
The ability to purify the gray fog could determine the survival of the entire human race.
“It’s impossible to keep her abilities hidden forever,” Gu Zhuoye said as he looked directly into Ye Huizhou’s eyes. “Sooner or later we’ll encounter high-level ability users.”
“Then we’ll insist that she only has a healing ability.”
Ye Huizhou remembered the last time he had seen Xihe in his previous life.
Her body had been covered with tubes. She had become little more than skin and bones while machines continuously drained away her power and life.
The last words she left behind were:
Big Brother, it hurts.
Ye Huizhou crushed the cigarette beneath his foot, his expression icy.
What did other people’s lives have to do with him?
As long as his sister lived, that was enough.
Life only lasted a few decades. He would protect her forever, just as he had during the past ten-plus years.
Seeing the look on Ye Huizhou’s face, Gu Zhuoye fell silent.
His goals were not the same as Ye Huizhou’s…
Narrowing his eyes, Ye Huizhou fixed Gu Zhuoye with a sharp gaze.
“I won’t allow anyone to hurt my sister.”
Gu Zhuoye’s jaw tightened.
“I won’t hurt her.”
“Big Brother?”
Feeling much better, Ye Xihe trotted over and hugged Ye Huizhou’s arm.
“What are you two talking about?”
When she smelled the smoke on him, she wrinkled her nose and smacked his arm.
“I told you not to smoke!”
Then she froze. How did she know the original Ye Xihe hadn’t allowed Ye Huizhou to smoke?
“Just one cigarette. I won’t smoke anymore.” Ye Huizhou’s expression instantly softened. Patting her hand, he said, “We were discussing how many days it’ll take to get out of here.”
Watching his expression, Gu Zhuoye felt somewhat speechless.
“It took us five or six days just to get halfway through. It’ll probably take another five or six days to get out, right?”
“Mm. Xihe is very smart,” Ye Huizhou praised.
Ye Xihe blinked.
“Big Brother! I’m not five years old!”
“How much have you recovered?” Ye Huizhou ruffled her hair.
Ye Xihe leaned backward in protest.
“Pretty much. I should be fully recovered by tomorrow morning!”
…
Early the next morning, Ye Xihe healed Xu Wen and Su Nian’s injuries.
Then the group set out once again.
After so many days of traveling and fighting, everyone was exhausted. Still, knowing they had already crossed more than half of Qingmang Mountain gave them renewed motivation.
As a result, they maintained a brisk pace and covered most of the remaining distance within two days.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any new mutated creatures along the way.
They also discovered several fruit trees loaded with ripe fruit and filled their bags with supplies.
It had been nearly half a month since the Apocalypse began.
Who knew what the outside world looked like now?
“You know,” Xu Wen rambled, “what if we get out there and discover we’ve already become the world’s strongest experts? Do you think I’ll be able to adapt to a life of being adored by millions?”
“Heh.” Su Nian responded flatly, “Did a mutated creature elbow your brain?”
“No, seriously. I can feel myself getting stronger every day. I’m overflowing with power. The next mutated creature I meet is going to kneel down and call me Grandpa after I elbow it!”
“ROAR!”
A deafening roar echoed from the distance, shaking leaves from the trees as startled birds and insects fled in all directions.
“…”
Su Nian’s expression remained completely blank.
“If nothing unexpected has happened, your grandson has arrived.”
Xu Wen stared in shock.
“Judging by the sound, it’s some kind of large animal.”
There was only one path forward.
Turning back was impossible.
And moving ahead meant they would inevitably encounter the mutated beast.
The group immediately began preparing for battle.
Su Nian suggested scouting ahead, but the idea was rejected.
The tremendous roar alone indicated a massive creature. Combined with the thick gray fog and countless unknown dangers throughout the mountain, sending one person alone was far too risky.
Suddenly, Ye Xihe thought of something.
“We could build a trap and lure it over.”
“That could work,” Gu Zhuoye agreed. “It’ll improve our odds.”
Together, they dug a pit three meters deep and two meters wide.
At the bottom, Xu Wen used his ability to create half-meter-long metal spikes.
They surrounded the pit with dry, highly flammable branches and covered the top with leaves for camouflage.
After finishing, the group crouched together on a nearby tree and exchanged looks.
“How are we supposed to lure it over?”
Su Nian started, “Maybe I could…”
“No.”
Ye Xihe immediately interrupted.
After thinking for a moment, her eyes suddenly lit up as she turned toward Xu Wen.
Ye Huizhou and Gu Zhuoye both looked at her simultaneously.
Xu Wen: ?
Ye Xihe grinned mischievously.
“Brother Xu Wen, can your ability create a gong?”
Xu Wen: ?