8 – First Encounter
After leaving the Yu residence, Ye Jin received a call from Manager Wang.
“Miss Ye, the house and commercial properties you wanted to sell have all been sold. The payment has been transferred to your bank account. Additionally, the villa on Linxi Road you requested has been purchased for you. I’ve placed the property deed directly inside the villa and sent the door code to your phone via text.”
“Good. I won’t be using this number anymore, so don’t contact me again.”
Fewer people knowing meant fewer risks. After saying this, she hung up.
Indeed, having money made things easier. Ye Jin had been too impatient to wait, instructing the agent to sell the properties at a 30% discount. In just half a month, everything had been handled quickly.
Linxi Road was a newly developed villa area located outside the city proper, about a thirty-minute drive from the provincial capital’s downtown. Being far from the urban center, it served as a leisure and vacation spot for many wealthy individuals.
The area was sparsely populated. After the apocalypse broke out, due to its favorable geographical location, it became the first stronghold established in S Province, eventually developing into the formidable Southern Base.
With the money received and the property secured, Ye Jin immediately contacted workers and headed to Linxi Road the next day.
She intended to use this villa as her first shelter after the apocalypse erupted. It would be relatively safe in the early stages, and when the Base was eventually established, her purchased villa would be located in the prime core area.
Currently, this area was distant from the city center with few residents, so construction work wouldn’t attract too much attention.
Ye Jin communicated with the renovation company to add a two-meter-high wall around the entire property, covered with electric wiring, and installed a sturdy solid iron gate.
Surveillance cameras were placed at every corner of the villa walls to ensure complete coverage of the exterior.
Knowing the world would descend into chaos after the apocalypse with water and power cuts, Ye Jin also had six solar panels installed on the villa’s roof.
She paid extra to have the workers stay on-site and work overtime to complete the project quickly. By the time these arrangements were communicated, it was already dark again—time was truly insufficient.
…
On the only road leading away from the villa, a vehicle suddenly surged forward and collided with hers. Ye Jin reacted swiftly, turning the steering wheel sharply, but still couldn’t avoid the impact.
Her car was pushed back two meters, the airbags deploying instantly. Though she wasn’t injured, the entire front of the car was dented, and the windows were cracked.
Getting out, Ye Jin saw that the other vehicle remained completely undamaged. While she couldn’t identify the brand, its rugged appearance indicated it was a modified military vehicle!
She stepped forward and knocked on the door, intending to negotiate, when it suddenly swung open.
A pair of powerful hands pulled her inside, yanking her into the passenger seat. Before she could react, the vehicle sped forward.
“Seatbelt on!” a deep voice commanded.
Glancing sideways, Ye Jin’s eyes flickered.
He truly had striking features.
The man’s face had sharp, defined angles—proudly arched eyebrows, a tall nose bridge, and a handsome profile with perfect contours. He appeared unapproachable, yet his slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes added an air of noble elegance to his entire countenance.
Though his appearance was exceptional, the cold, fierce aura surrounding him put Ye Jin on guard.
“Beep! Beep!”
Flashing lights appeared. Through the rearview mirror, Ye Jin saw three black cars in close pursuit.
She muttered under her breath, “Hah, what kind of major enemy did you make?” The pursuers moved with trained precision—clearly not ordinary people.The man spoke: “The situation was urgent earlier. Once we reach a safe place, I’ll let you out immediately.”
His voice was hoarse and cold.
He hadn’t expected someone to suddenly rush out halfway. He definitely couldn’t leave her behind – those people would likely kill her to silence witnesses. Since he was the one who led them here, she was suffering collateral damage because of him.
The car drove to a desolate area, and the pursuing vehicles quickly caught up. Black cars flanked them from both sides, trying to force them to stop.
Suddenly, the man slammed the accelerator, opened the car door, and pulled Ye Jin as he jumped: “Close your eyes.”
He was abandoning the vehicle outright.
Ye Jin was held as they rolled several times before the man stopped. Though he carried a clean, crisp scent, she hated physical contact with strangers and immediately tried to push him away.
Suddenly, an earthen spike shot through the air directly toward them. Ye Jin’s pupils dilated – earth element ability?
What was going on? How were Ability Users already appearing everywhere when the apocalypse hadn’t even begun?
Her eyes were covered by a large hand: “Don’t look! Wait here!”
After speaking, the man took off his jacket and covered Ye Jin’s head.
The fighting scene was too bizarre – such classified matters naturally couldn’t be seen by ordinary people.
But Ye Jin wasn’t ordinary. She immediately activated her Mental Power and saw over ten people ahead, including two Ability Users – one with earth element ability and another with Wood ability!
What shocked her most was that the man could actually use Space Blades!
Space Blades could only be used when space superpower reached second level. In the early stages, space ability only provided storage space that expanded with level upgrades. Only after reaching second level could one use Space Blades. The apocalypse hadn’t even arrived yet – no Zombies, no Nucleus Crystals – how had he leveled up?
Moreover, his Space Blades didn’t look like they belonged to someone who had just leveled up. Just who was he?
Ye Jin grew highly vigilant. With her current first-level strength, she was completely outmatched against him.
She tightly gripped the gun she retrieved from her Dimension. If he tried to kill her after dealing with the others, she would shoot first while he was unprepared.
The two Ability Users weren’t particularly powerful – just beginners who were quickly dealt with. The other ordinary people with guns couldn’t harm him at all. This man not only had formidable abilities but also exceptional combat skills, clearly someone who had survived countless battles.
Soon, several more cars arrived from behind. It seemed they wouldn’t give up until he was eliminated. Continuing the fight would create too much commotion – there were still several households in the vicinity.
Fighting while retreating, the man directly pulled the woman lying on the ground with his jacket over her head and jumped into the nearby river.
Again? Jumping again! Couldn’t he give some warning?
How unlucky. Fortunately, she knew how to swim.
When she emerged from the water, there was no trace of that bastard man to be seen. Her car was totaled – she better not run into him again!
…
Gu Jingzheng stopped worrying about the woman after seeing she could swim. As long as she didn’t die, it was fine. After shaking off the pursuers, he went directly to the safe house.
“Have you found them yet?”
“Not yet. They’re too cunning, constantly changing locations.”
Cheng Hao looked at Gu Jingzheng, who was soaked from head to toe: “Captain, why are you in such a sorry state? Are you injured?”
“No! They can’t handle me for now, but…” Thinking of the woman earlier, Gu Jingzheng’s expression shifted: “I’ve discovered that Ability Users have already appeared among ordinary people!”
“What?!” Cheng Hao’s voice rose sharply.Even Li Mo, who had been tinkering with computer data nearby, stopped and asked, “Captain, are you sure?”
During the fight earlier, he had clearly sensed someone’s Mental Power spying on them. Aside from their opponents, the only other person present at the time was that woman.
“It’s hard to say for now. Perhaps someone has awakened their Special Ability early, just like us.”
Gu Jingzheng said gravely, “No matter what, we need to speed up our mission!”
They had to quickly find Professor Li to understand the current situation.
“Understood!”
…
It was so late now, and the car was totaled. There was no way she could make it back. Ye Jin had no choice but to spend the night in her Dimension.
The next day, on her way back, she first headed straight to a car dealership. The man’s car from yesterday looked extremely sturdy—it would be the perfect companion for surviving the apocalypse! After all, following the acid rain in the post-apocalyptic world, Zombies would level up and could shatter ordinary car windows with a single swipe.
At the dealership, she spent a fortune purchasing three military-style jeeps, two Land Rovers, and one Mercedes-Benz G-Class. She had all the tires replaced with the most durable top-grade ones and all the windows switched to Bulletproof glass.
She also had her eye on a few RVs, but unfortunately, her budget didn’t allow it for now. However, once the apocalypse arrived, those vehicles would be ownerless, and she could secretly collect them then.
When she returned to the hotel, she saw Yu Zichen waiting for her. It looked like he hadn’t slept all night.
Ye Jin felt guilty. Her phone had fallen into the water yesterday, so she hadn’t been able to contact him.
“Sis, where were you yesterday? I couldn’t reach you on your phone.” Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ye Jin return.
“Sorry, Xiao Chen. There was an accident yesterday, and my phone fell into the water. I’m going to be very busy from now on—there’s just too much to prepare. How about I ask Aunt Chen to come keep you company?”
Yu Zichen frowned and asked, “Didn’t you say the fewer people who know, the better?”
“It’s fine for now. We won’t say anything yet. We’ll be with Yi Yi Jie later, so let’s bring Aunt Chen over first.”
Zhang Yiyi had grown up in an ordinary family. Her father passed away early, and her mother worked as a housekeeper to afford her tuition. Through hard work, she managed to test into S University.
In her previous life, from the outbreak of the apocalypse until her death, Ye Jin had never been able to help Zhang Yiyi find Aunt Chen—it remained her biggest regret.
She took out a spare phone and contacted Zhang Yiyi, explaining only that Xiao Chen needed someone to look after him and requesting Aunt Chen’s help. Zhang Yiyi agreed immediately.
Now that Xiao Chen had someone to care for him and Aunt Chen had been brought over, all that was left was to fetch Zhang Yiyi ahead of time.
During this period, aside from meal times and occasional trips out to gather supplies, Ye Jin stayed in her Dimension practicing knife techniques, hand-to-hand combat, and her Thunder ability. Once her Thunder ability reached level one, it became difficult to advance further without a Nucleus Crystal.
Special Abilities could be depleted, but excellent combat skills were even more crucial in moments of crisis.