After getting the Storage Watch, Jiang Jianxin slipped it onto her wrist and then drove to the nearest supermarket.
Lin Xin’an, sitting in the passenger seat, watched the rain streak down the window and remarked wistfully,
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a catastrophic contamination event on this scale.”
The drumming of the rain drowned out his words, turning them into one long sigh.
Jiang Jianxin, however, keenly caught his underlying meaning.
She flipped on the wipers to clear the glass, hoping to stop Lin Xin’an from wallowing in melancholy, and asked quizzically,
“Does that mean a massive contamination has happened before?”
Lin Xin’an watched the newly cleared window and hummed a low “Mm.” The car was moving fast, and the scenery outside was a blur.
“That was over ten years ago.
It’s a taboo subject now.”
“Oh.”
Hearing it was taboo, Jiang Jianxin tactfully changed the subject.
“The closest one is the Emma International Supermarket.
It has four whole floors.
We should be able to scavenge a ton of stuff.”
Lin Xin’an’s expression brightened into a smile, and he replied in a lighter tone,
“Not bad.
Where do you plan to go after we’ve gathered supplies?”
Jiang Jianxin mused,
“A Survivor Base, probably.
Have you seen?
A faction called the War Alliance just posted an announcement on the Peace Forum.
They’ve established over a dozen Survivor Bases across the country and are actively recruiting new superpower users.”
She gestured at her phone.
Even though she was driving, she had the screen set to stay on, propped up beside her with the Peace Forum page open.
She would never have dared to do this before the apocalypse, for fear of a car crash.
But now, in the aftermath, there were hardly any other vehicles on the road.
Hearing this, Lin Xin’an took out his phone and scrolled through the forum.
Sure enough, he saw a brand-new announcement that had been posted ten minutes ago.
The War Alliance’s profile picture was a giant holding a hammer, and their announcement had the thick, stuffy feel of official jargon.
[To all survivors: The “Disaster Rain” contamination source will spread across the entire world within three days.
When that happens, the apocalypse will begin in earnest, and more mutated contamination zones threatening human survival will appear.
To adapt to the needs of this new era and ensure the safety of the people, the War Alliance has established over a dozen large-scale bases across the country to shelter survivors.
[Map] [Location]
The War Alliance was founded by the Son of Thunder in the year 2000 of the New Era.
Our Alliance is home to a large number of outstanding War Camp Talent Users, as well as a select few elites from the Chaos and Bright Camps.
Our faction operates on the principle of fairness and justice, yet our law of survival is the law of the jungle.
Through tireless effort, we have advanced triumphantly to become one of the top powers in the Superpower World.
The atmosphere within the Alliance is lively and friendly…
…
We welcome all survivors to join us!
In these chaotic times, great powers are rising.
The War Alliance!
Your best choice!]
Lin Xin’an, with nothing better to do in the passenger seat, read the War Alliance’s entire, long-winded announcement.
He offered a sharp critique:
“Classic War Camp.”
Jiang Jianxin picked up the thread.
“And what ‘classic’ flavor is that?”
“It starts out all business-like, brags about itself in the middle, and ends with a hot-blooded, emotional appeal to get you all fired up.”
Jiang Jianxin asked curiously,
“Don’t the factions from other camps write their announcements like that?”
Lin Xin’an scrolled through the forum again and pulled up the Madhouse’s announcement for her to see.
“Of course not.
Only the War factions write novels.
The Chaotic Force are a bunch of brooding introverts; they never post announcements.
The Bright Power’s announcements are never more than three sentences long, but they lace them with some kind of mental contamination that makes you unable to resist going.”
Jiang Jianxin: “…”
Hearing about mental contamination, she didn’t dare look at the Madhouse announcement Lin Xin’an had found.
She sighed.
“You’ve got to hand it to the Bright Power, they’re the really crafty ones.”
Lin Xin’an rubbed his nose, choosing to ignore Jiang Jianxin’s sarcastic jab, and continued his assessment of the War Alliance.
“It’s a pretty good faction.
Every faction has its own recruiting preferences, and this one really likes War Camp Ability Users like you.”
Jiang Jianxin nodded.
In truth, she had no idea if she was actually part of the War Camp, but since Lin Xin’an seemed to take it as a given, she just started thinking of herself as one.
“Weren’t you trying to recruit me for the Madhouse?
Why don’t you mind if I join the War Alliance?”
Jiang Jianxin asked.
“The War Alliance is fine.
The main thing is that you can’t get snatched up by the TV Station.
Otherwise, we’d be in a lot of trouble.”
Lin Xin’an said nonchalantly.
‘Those were Your Majesty’s exact words,’ he thought, ‘though that wasn’t the reason for his sudden change of plans.’
Jiang Jianxin didn’t say anything, focusing on her driving.
Feeling bored, Lin Xin’an launched into another long explanation about the War Alliance and the Survivor Bases.
After listening for a while, Jiang Jianxin suddenly said,
“It’s a bit early to be talking about all that.
Actually, I think…”
With a single drift, she brought the car to a perfect stop right in front of the Emma International Supermarket.
Through the rain-covered car window and the supermarket’s glass doors, they could see the inside was packed with people.
Most were sitting, but some patrolled back and forth, carrying weapons.
Their shadows, stretched long and thin by the supermarket’s bright lights, looked somewhat sinister—like a scene from a hostage situation at the hands of some terrorist group.
“This supply run might get a little complicated.”
Jiang Jianxin didn’t rush to get out, her expression turning grim as she spoke from inside the car.
Looking at the scene inside the supermarket, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The rain was still pouring down.
Lin Xin’an glanced outside as well.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal.
The main thing is, you’ve already parked.
We can’t exactly back out now.”
The parking lot of the Emma International Supermarket was filled with cars parked haphazardly, and she had stopped right near the front.
A car this big, arriving with such a showy drift—the people inside the supermarket had probably spotted them long ago.
As if on cue, just as Lin Xin’an finished speaking, several men carrying guns appeared at the supermarket’s glass entrance.
They raised their guns, aiming them from behind the doors and staring intently at Jiang Jianxin’s car.
Jiang Jianxin frowned.
“Doesn’t the Da Rong Republic ban guns?
Where did they get those?”
Lin Xin’an answered after a single glance.
“Probably looted from a police station armory.
With the apocalypse here, the armories are unguarded.
It’s a piece of cake for a superpower user to break through the security and grab some guns.”
He suddenly sucked in a breath and turned to Jiang Jianxin.
“Say… you can block bullets, right?”
Jiang Jianxin furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then pulled out her Tang Guang Sword and shook a Peppa Pig-themed diary out of her Sword Intent Space to re-read it.
“I think so, but I forgot how.”
The Sword Master’s Diary was a thick volume, mostly filled with sword techniques and records of daily life.
One entry had mentioned a Defense Technique, but only in passing.
—Because the Sword Master in her prime had no use for shields.
Any enemy, no matter how strong, could be slain with a single slash.
Practicing a Defense Technique was a waste of time compared to practicing one’s drawing speed.
But this now-older Sword Master not only had a bad memory, her draw was also much slower.
Jiang Jianxin figured she wasn’t faster than a bullet, so it would be better to brush up on the Defense Technique.
While Jiang Jianxin was busy reading the diary, Lin Xin’an began his own combat preparations.
He took a pocket watch from his pocket and started fiddling with it, producing a series of soft clicks.
Jiang Jianxin found the entry from her past about the Defense Technique, skipped directly to the incantation and read it through, then glanced over at Lin Xin’an.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Xin’an shook the pocket watch and pursed his lips.
“My weapon.”
“I suspect you can only protect yourself, so I have to show off some of my real skills, too.”
Jiang Jianxin rubbed her chin and gave him a gratified thumbs-up.
‘As expected of someone with a Mind Reading Technique.
So sharp,’ she thought.
Her Defense Technique was a Protective Air Shield; it could only protect herself.