The mutated tiger lunged at Wen Lan once again.
She yanked a thick down comforter off a nearby shelf, sending countless white feathers swirling through the air.
The blizzard of fluff obscured the mutated tiger’s vision.
Relying entirely on her perception ability, Wen Lan easily avoided the beast’s attack.
At the same time, she locked onto the black energy crystal glowing brightly inside the creature’s chest.
What an incredibly dazzling energy crystal…
At close range, the mutated beast’s rotten stench mixed with a bloody wind that assaulted her senses.
Its massive forelimbs slashed through the air, leaving deep claw marks in the wall.
Wen Lan had already dodged out of the way.
The mutated tiger could accurately track humans by scent.
Fortunately, her perception ability granted her astonishing reflexes.
In the next instant, Wen Lan exploded into action.
Gripping the military dagger with both hands, she drove the entire blade deep into the gap beneath the tiger’s jaw where it met the neck.
Gurgle…
She didn’t even feel like she’d used much force.
Yet the mutated tiger’s head slid cleanly off.
Green blood sprayed all over Wen Lan.
The severed head rolled across the floor.
Without hesitation, she stabbed into the corpse and retrieved the energy crystal.
The black crystal was actually as large as an egg.
Splashes of the beast’s blood landed on the Fo—Ti.
Gurgle…
Suddenly, an unusually long vine burst out from the Fo—Ti, reaching toward the mutated beast’s blood.
But it fell just short.
Wen Lan stared in shock.
What was happening to the Fo—Ti?
She crouched down.
Now within reach, another vine extended from the Fo—Ti and pierced directly into one of the beast’s blood vessels.
The vine behaved like a straw, greedily drawing in the mutated beast’s blood.
Once it had drunk its fill, it quietly withdrew the vine.
Only a tiny white flower remained exposed.
Through her perception ability, Wen Lan clearly sensed the Fo—Ti’s changes.
She could actually feel its emotions.
It felt…
Satisfied.
What’s going on?
Even stranger, she could sense traces of her own aura within the Fo—Ti’s veins.
A moment later, realization dawned on her.
That drop of blood…
Her blood had fallen onto the Fo—Ti.
After absorbing it, the plant had undergone a transformation.
It was incredible.
Wen Lan buried the mutated beast’s black energy crystal inside the Fo—Ti’s flowerpot.
Suddenly, she turned around.
“Captain… Su?”
As soon as someone entered the fifty—meter range of her perception, she sensed their presence.
It was Su Han.
For the briefest instant, she thought she had seen concern flash through his eyes.
But now, his expression had already returned to its usual calm.
It turned out that after Zhang Meng had used her ability and run back into the supermarket, she had reported encountering a terrifying mutated beast outside.
Su Han had kept his psychic ability active the entire time.
The moment he sensed the beast, he jumped straight down from the supermarket’s second floor and rushed over.
“You saw everything just now?”
“I did.”
When Su Han arrived, he had witnessed Wen Lan holding the military dagger as she cleanly severed the mutated beast’s enormous head.
“…”
“You’re stronger than I expected.”
“I suppose.”
Wen Lan honestly didn’t think she was particularly powerful.
Su Han’s gaze shifted to the flowerpot hanging from her chest.
The Fo—Ti inside was now blooming with a tiny white flower.
There wasn’t the slightest sign of it being withered anymore.
A few minutes later, Wen Che hurried over as well.
When he saw the dead mutated beast, he immediately patted Su Han on the shoulder.
“Thanks, brother!”
He naturally assumed Su Han had killed it.
Wen Lan secretly blinked at Su Han.
While Wen Che wasn’t looking, she raised a finger to her lips in a silent gesture for him to keep quiet.
Su Han didn’t say a word.
Sometimes, siblings cared too much about each other.
That made certain truths difficult to say aloud.
There were still plenty of goods left on the shop’s shelves.
I really want to take all of it…
“Since you’re alright, I’ll go help clear out the remaining zombies.”
With that, Su Han turned and left.
The moment she sensed that Su Han’s psychic presence was no longer lingering around her, Wen Lan hurriedly stored everything in the shop into her spatial storage.
Soon afterward, she swept through several nearby storefronts, collecting a huge amount of supplies.
This trip had definitely been worthwhile.
Meanwhile, everyone else was still inside the supermarket, stuffing bags full of supplies.
By the time Wen Lan returned, she sensed that whatever was floating in the air had grown even denser.
Is another mysterious fog about to descend?
Yet no one else seemed to have any reaction after breathing it in.
Back inside the supermarket…
Zhou Wen immediately noticed the Fo—Ti.
His eyes widened.
“It… it bloomed?”
“Miss Wen, did your plant evolve?”
he asked in disbelief.
She had only gone outside for a short while.
Yet the withered mutated Fo—Ti had suddenly produced a flower.
“Yes.”
Looking at the healthy Fo—Ti, Zhou Wen couldn’t help glancing at the plant he had painstakingly cultivated.
For a moment, he wished Wen Lan would raise it for him instead.
He stared enviously at the Fo—Ti in her hands.
Nearby, Zhang Meng also noticed the flowerpot hanging from Wen Lan.
A mutated plant?
No wonder she always carries it around.
Does it have some special ability?
Her curiosity toward the Fo—Ti grew stronger.
Splash…
Rain finally began pouring outside.
The group decided to rest inside the supermarket until it stopped.
Wen Lan also removed the flowerpot and placed it beside her.
She could clearly sense that the Fo—Ti’s blood vitality had become much stronger.
Meanwhile, the twins inside her womb continued absorbing that vitality before feeding a portion of it back into her body.
She was becoming stronger.
Before the apocalypse, Wen Lan had suffered from anemia.
She became short of breath after walking only a short distance.
She also had low blood sugar.
If she climbed a mountain without eating first, she would almost certainly faint.
Now…
She finally understood what it meant to have abundant vitality.
She had also discovered something today.
The Fo—Ti didn’t merely absorb black energy crystals.
It could also feed on the blood of mutated beasts to strengthen itself.
Since Fo—Ti was traditionally associated with replenishing blood and vitality, perhaps it made sense that it craved blood.
Even she hadn’t expected to decapitate the mutated tiger with a single strike.
After all, she’d never exercised before.
Most of her days had been spent reading nursery rhymes.
Vroom…
The roar of engines sounded from outside.
Another scavenging team had arrived.
“Damn it, this rain is pouring!”
That voice—
Wen Lan recognized it instantly.
So did Wen Che.
It was Zhou Feng.
The color drained from Wen Lan’s face.
Zhou Feng and his companions were soaked from head to toe as they hurried inside.
The two groups came face to face.
“Wen Lan!”
Zhou Feng spotted her immediately.
There was no helping it.
Wen Lan stood out far too much.
Her jet—black hair flowed like a waterfall.
Her lips were red, her teeth white.
Aside from the dried blood staining her clothes, she hardly looked like someone struggling to survive the apocalypse.
“Brother Feng…”
Wang Fang became visibly nervous when she saw Wen Lan and immediately wrapped herself around Zhou Feng’s arm.
Looking at Wang Fang, Zhou Feng noticed how malnutrition during the apocalypse had left her hair dry, brittle, and beginning to fall out.
Among the people behind him, however, one young woman looked genuinely delighted.
“Lan!”
“Xia Mo?”
Wen Lan stared in surprise.
The two of them had always been close friends.
“Brother Che!”
“Xia Mo… your face…”
Wen Lan noticed the reddish scar on Xia Mo’s cheek.
It was obvious she hadn’t been living well.
The atmosphere instantly became chaotic.
“Wen Lan! You’re actually alive! That’s wonderful!”
“Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
“I regretted everything after you left that day!”
As he spoke, Zhou Feng stepped toward her.
“Get lost!”
Wen Che roared.
His face was livid.
The score from that day had never been settled.
And now this man actually dared show his face again?
“Wen Che actually cursed.”
“He really is furious.”
“Everyone knows he’s obsessed with protecting his sister.”
“Anyone can be provoked—but never Wen Che’s sister.”
Zhang Ye commented while watching the scene.
Suddenly, he felt a chill.
Looking up, he discovered Su Han’s expression was even colder.
Especially those eyes.
Sharp.
Icy.
For some reason, Su Han seemed even angrier than Wen Che.
He looked at Zhou Feng as though he were already a dead man.
Before Zhou Feng could say another word, Wen Che charged him.
The two immediately started fighting.
Although Zhou Feng was an evolved human with greater physical strength—
Wen Che had been a special police officer.
Years of professional combat training were something Zhou Feng couldn’t compare with.
Within moments, Zhou Feng’s face was bruised and swollen.
He couldn’t even land a single hit on Wen Che.
“What the hell are you all standing around for?”
“Get in there!”
Zhou Feng shouted angrily.
Su Han, Zhang Ye, Zhou Wen, and Ji Feng all joined the fight.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
The opposing team only had six or seven people.
They were no match at all.
Unlike Su Han’s official Special Squad, they were merely awakened ability users with no formal combat training.
“Brother Feng, let’s go!”
“We can’t beat them!”
As Zhou Feng retreated, Wen Che’s voice rang out behind him.
“Zhou Feng, if you ever appear in front of my sister again…”
“I’ll beat you every single time I see you.”
His tone was cold enough to freeze the air.
As Zhou Feng fled through the doorway, he slipped and crashed face—first onto the ground.
One of his front teeth snapped off.
Just moments earlier, he had felt an overwhelming chill—
An unmistakable killing intent.
Turning back, he met a pair of icy eyes.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
His temples throbbed painfully.
Meanwhile, Xia Mo didn’t leave with them.
Rain continued pouring outside.
She and Wen Lan stood off to one side, talking quietly.
“Zhou Feng told me he knew you.”
“That’s why I went with him.”
“I never imagined he was lying.”
He had told Xia Mo that Wen Lan was his girlfriend.
Xia Mo had awakened a Light—type ability that allowed her to create spheres of light.
Suddenly, Wen Lan remembered something.
“Mo… do you remember that night when I got drunk and called you?”
“I remember.”
“Have you found that man?”
Wen Lan slowly shook her head.
“No.”
The two were still chatting when a sharp crash suddenly rang out.
Wen Lan’s flowerpot had fallen over.
Everyone had been organizing the supplies.
Wen Lan had just found a drinking cup and was preparing to transplant the Fo—Ti into it.