After the apocalypse arrived, plants and animals all mutated, and even the land itself lost its vitality. Vegetables simply couldn’t grow in the soil of this new world.
The apocalypse couldn’t be dealt with by ordinary rules anymore.
Seeing that everything was more or less packed up, Jian An said, “That’s enough. Let’s go.” There were still plenty of supplies left to gather.
The group continued on their way.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liao Liao narrowed his eyes. “Boss, there’s a gas station up ahead.” They definitely needed to refuel.
Jian An glanced toward it. “Then we’ll stop there first.” No one knew what kind of monsters might be lurking inside.
Gas stations were usually the first choice for survivors wandering outside in the apocalypse. First, they often had a small convenience store, which could provide a decent amount of supplies. Second, they had fuel, which could be traded with passing ability users.
But not every gas station operated honestly. Some would take both your supplies and your life. Others had no fuel at all but pretended they did to lure people in.
Thinking about how chaotic gas stations could be, Jian An quietly tightened his grip on Wen Qi’s hand.
He didn’t want her to use the Ruyi Treasure to store things anymore. It was too eye-catching and could attract unwanted attention from higher authorities, putting his precious girl in danger. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t let her use it again.
No matter what kind of place this gas station turned out to be, Jian An wouldn’t allow Wen Qi to get hurt.
“Xiangxiang.”
“Xiangxiang.”
Jian An snapped out of his thoughts.
“Hey, what is it, my dear? Sorry, I zoned out just now.”
The girl’s face was pale and delicate, her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright with a hint of surprise as she looked at him.
Xiangxiang spaces out too?
Is that like your soul leaving your body? So impressive…
She patted his shoulder. “No matter how hard you train, you still need to rest.”
What do humans call that again?
Oh right—balancing work and rest!
That’s it! The little rabbit lifted her chin proudly.
Human knowledge wasn’t that hard after all.
Jian An: “?”
He knew her thoughts tended to jump around, but even so, this was quite the leap. Still, it didn’t stop him from nodding.
“You’re right, my dear.” He agreed with everything Wen Qi said.
Her eyes curved into crescents, her happiness completely unhidden. When she was happy, she showed it openly, even her tone turning soft and lilting. “Of course~”
Everything this great rabbit demon says is correct!
“Ahem.” Liao Liao, sitting in front, finally couldn’t hold it in. “We’re almost at the gas station.”
Jian An turned serious again. “Remember, you’re not allowed to use your space ability.”
The girl shot him a sideways glance. What kind of statement was that?
Would the great Rabbit Queen ever fail to keep her word?
Jian An felt a bit guilty under her gaze. It wasn’t that he doubted her—it was just that her thoughts were too unpredictable.
“Okay?”
“Okay!” So her benefactor dared to underestimate her? She’d have to prove herself.
Still a little annoyed, the girl turned her head and looked curiously out the window.
Since arriving in this world, she had been busy searching for Xiangxiang and hadn’t really taken the time to observe her surroundings.
Humans here were amazing—cars that moved faster than horse carriages had already shocked this newly arrived little rabbit. And now, the mirage-like cityscape outside—though some parts were already dilapidated, most buildings were still intact. This area wasn’t the main disaster zone, so the structures were relatively well preserved.
What are these… and those… and all of those?
The rabbit demon knew she didn’t quite fit into this world. At the very least, being a demon was something she had to hide—what if there were demon hunters here too?
As for everything else…
Wen Qi fell into deep thought.
I’ll just have to rely on my brilliant little rabbit brain to figure it all out!
Demon Rule No. 4:
Acting natural is the best disguise!
For example, right now, the Rabbit Queen had no idea why they had to go to a gas station—but she wouldn’t ask. She simply perked up her ears and listened quietly.
A rugged off-road vehicle pulled up in front of the gas station.
“Another one’s here.”
“Finally, some people.”
“How much are we going to squeeze out of them this time?”
“The store’s supplies are running low, and there are so many of us…” said a bespectacled man, peeking out from behind a curtain as he calculated.
“Do they even have that many supplies?” A bald man beside him lit a cigarette. It was just one vehicle—they didn’t look particularly well-stocked.
“Whether they do or not, we’ll start with a high price. If they don’t have it, we can always say they do. Wouldn’t that mean we profit either way?” The man with glasses narrowed his eyes cunningly. It wasn’t easy to get a sheep to wander in—they had to shear it clean before letting it go.
“True. Without fuel, how far can they go anyway?”
The bald man shot a look at a woman nearby, who nodded in understanding.
She stepped outside.
In a corner, a pale, thin boy hugged his knees, his gaze dark and cold as he stared ahead.
“Xiao Hei.”
Hearing the call, the boy lifted his head.
He knew—it was his turn again.
“Be obedient. The boss will give your mother extra food tonight,” someone said, as usual.
The boy nodded faintly, stood up silently, and followed the woman.
His ability was invisibility. He could make himself invisible for five minutes. If he applied it to someone else, the effect was weaker—two and a half minutes was his limit.
The boy’s mother was at the very bottom of the group. Without any abilities, she could only do the most exhausting, menial labor.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the boy had awakened an ability. As long as he helped them with their dirty work, he and his mother would receive a bit more food.
It wasn’t that he had never thought about escaping with his mother. Without them, this group wasn’t anything special.
But his mother refused to leave. In this apocalyptic world, having something to eat was already a blessing. As long as they weren’t starving, what did it matter who they worked for? Even if her work was the hardest and most degrading.
Every time he tried to bring it up, his mother would gently stroke his head.
“The world is already in chaos. Let’s just stay here and live quietly, alright?”
She was afraid. At least here, there were ability users providing some protection. If it were just the two of them, they might not even make it a few steps before being devoured by zombies.
She didn’t know what her son did for them.
But he knew.
And every time, he never ate the extra food himself—he gave it all to her.
The woman’s ability was spatial storage. Combined with Xiao Hei’s invisibility, they could silently siphon gasoline from the newcomers’ vehicle in a short amount of time.
By then, even if those people wanted to leave, they’d have no fuel left. They’d be forced to hand over supplies in exchange for gas.
Countless people had already fallen into their trap. Not once had they failed.
The bald man stood at the door. “Let’s go. Time to see if this sheep is worth shearing.”
The man with glasses stepped forward as well, putting on a friendly smile as he opened the door.
The woman looked at the boy. Without a word, he cast his ability on her.
“Three minutes.” That was his limit.
Her figure gradually faded until she completely disappeared.
The bald man felt a light touch brush against his hand at his side.
He gave a slight nod.
“Alright, everyone—time to welcome our guests.”
Xiao Hei crouched silently in the corner by the door.
The man with glasses shot him a warning look.
“Put on a good show.”
The people inside stiffened, then quickly fell back into silence.