Yes.
Wen Lan was reading.
And not just any book—Quantum Mechanics.
The more she read, the happier the babies became.
The happier they were, the more energy they fed back into her.
After absorbing the energy pearls through the spatial dimension, the babies had not only expanded her storage space but also strengthened her perception.
She had even discovered that reading Quantum Mechanics produced a much stronger flow of returned energy.
Wang Hui watched Wen Lan reading and couldn’t bear to look.
She knew that openly criticizing Wen Che’s precious little sister would only create more conflict.
The mission was urgent, and she didn’t want to cause trouble for the captain.
So she vented to Ji Feng instead.
“Everyone else is training and getting stronger.”
“And she’s… reading a book? Out loud?”
“At this rate, she’s going to drag us all down sooner or later.”
The other two men also didn’t understand what Wen Lan was doing, but unlike Wang Hui, they kept their opinions to themselves.
Wen Lan couldn’t have cared less.
She simply continued reading quietly.
Feeling her body grow stronger with every passing moment, she became even more enthusiastic.
The only downside was that reading aloud for so long was starting to make her throat sore.
Next time they searched for supplies, she’d have to look for an electronic audiobook player.
Suddenly, Su Han opened his eyes.
“Zhang Ye. Ji Feng.”
The two men immediately stood up, weapons in hand, and headed outside.
Wen Che instinctively stepped in front of Wen Lan.
Rumble…
Wang Hui and Song Wen also picked up their weapons and went on alert.
Sure enough, the sound of approaching vehicles echoed outside.
Not long afterward, Zhang Ye returned first.
“It’s a group of survivors. They came from Lu City. Their vehicle ran out of fuel, so they stopped here to refuel.”
“I see.”
Using his psychic ability, Su Han quietly scanned the newcomers.
He assessed each person’s awakened abilities by sensing the strength of their energy fields.
The stronger the person, the stronger the psychic field they emitted.
His gaze drifted toward Wen Lan.
No one knew what he was thinking.
At such close range, Wen Lan clearly sensed Su Han examining her.
What’s with him?
Why does he keep checking me?
Her perception had already expanded to a fifteen—meter radius.
Ever since it improved, she frequently sensed Su Han’s attention while they stayed in the same building.
Sometimes it was his gaze.
Other times it was his psychic scan.
The strange part was that every time she looked up…
Su Han appeared to be sitting there with his eyes closed, meditating.
She wanted to catch him staring and meet his eyes directly.
But she never succeeded.
Unlike Wang Hui.
Whenever Wang Hui looked at her, she did so openly.
Three parts contempt.
Seven parts annoyance.
But Su Han…
He always gave Wen Lan the odd impression that he was secretly watching her.
Her perception told her he wasn’t hostile.
Even so, his behavior left her completely at a loss.
All she could do was remain vigilant.
“Excuse me… do you have any food?”
“We’re willing to trade whatever supplies we have.”
The convenience store inside the gas station had long since been emptied.
There had never been much food there to begin with.
The woman’s lips were cracked, and her complexion was pale and sallow.
She looked like someone who hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days.
If they couldn’t find food soon…
They would probably starve.
“We don’t have much food ourselves.”
“We still have to eat.”
Wang Hui rejected her immediately.
The mission came first.
They needed to reach Jiangyang as quickly as possible.
Searching for food along the way would only waste valuable time.
After all…
Tens of thousands of people in the safe zone were waiting for that agricultural equipment.
Su Han silently agreed.
The woman frowned.
She didn’t mind going hungry herself.
But she still had a child.
Her fists clenched tightly as her face grew even paler.
At that moment…
Pride meant nothing.
With a thud, she dropped to her knees.
“My daughter is only five years old.”
“Please… just give us a little.”
“We adults won’t eat. Just let the child have something.”
“I beg you…”
The entire team fell silent.
Even Wen Che.
Because they had seen scenes like this far too many times already.
But there was nothing they could do.
Their mission had to come first.
Then a clear, gentle voice broke the silence.
“Do you have any books?”
The woman’s eyes lit up with hope.
“Yes!”
“My daughter has a storybook she absolutely loves.”
“She insisted on bringing it with her, even after the apocalypse.”
“I’ll trade you this loaf of bread for it.”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise, filling with tears.
“Thank you.”
She hurried back to the car.
A child’s crying could be heard outside.
Moments later, she rushed back as quickly as possible, afraid Wen Lan might change her mind.
It was a hardcover children’s storybook.
“It’s a limited—edition collection.”
“It wasn’t cheap.”
The woman hurriedly emphasized its value.
Wen Lan nodded and exchanged a loaf of bread for the book.
The bread was one she’d found while opening delivery packages earlier that day.
Watching from the side, Wen Che sighed inwardly.
Surviving the apocalypse was difficult.
His sister was simply too kind.
He had to protect her no matter what.
Wen Lan looked down at the storybook with satisfaction.
It seemed like a good find.
Wang Hui’s face darkened when she saw Wen Lan trade food for a children’s book.
By now, she’d cursed Wen Lan hundreds of times in her head.
Seriously…
Was she some kind of saint?
If Wen Lan weren’t Wen Che’s sister, Wang Hui would have driven her away long ago.
They had actually brought along a hopeless do—gooder.
She couldn’t wait to finish this mission, dump Wen Lan at the safe zone, and never see her again.
Through her enhanced perception, Wen Lan sensed the strange emotions surrounding her.
Most of them were dissatisfaction.
Except for her brother.
And…
One other person?
Curious, she looked up.
This time, her eyes met Su Han’s directly.
The instant their gazes collided, Su Han’s entire body seemed to freeze.
His Adam’s apple bobbed awkwardly twice.
Without another word, he abruptly stood up and walked outside.
Just as she thought.
He really had been secretly looking at her.
And this time…
She had caught him red—handed.
What exactly was Su Han trying to do?
Had he discovered her spatial ability?
It seemed she’d have to be even more careful.
For now, she had no intention of revealing her space.
A trump card was only valuable if it stayed hidden.
Wen Che knew about his sister’s spatial storage.
But with food becoming increasingly scarce, he planned to find an opportunity to talk to her.
At first, he had assumed she traded the bread simply to help the woman.
Instead…
His sister actually wanted the book.
And now she was genuinely reading it.
“Lan, since when did you start liking books so much?”
Wen Lan blinked.
She couldn’t exactly tell her brother she was giving prenatal education to the babies, could she?
“Just… passing the time.”
“Besides, I’ve already stocked plenty of food inside my little space.”
Although Wen Che remained slightly suspicious, he simply concluded that his sister was too soft—hearted.
“Lan.”
“This is the apocalypse now.”
“People’s hearts can change.”
“It’s better not to get too involved with strangers.”
Wen Lan nodded.
She only hoped the storybook would benefit the babies.
Otherwise…
She would have endured everyone’s disapproval for nothing.
Even her brother had started becoming suspicious.
She began reading aloud from the limited—edition storybook.
Sure enough…
It worked.
The babies fed even more energy back into her.
She felt so refreshed that she was certain she could stay awake the entire night without feeling tired.
Outside…
The woman who had just been begging moments earlier returned to her vehicle carrying the loaf of bread.
In reality…
There was still some food left in their trunk.
But after seeing how well—supplied Wen Lan’s group appeared to be, they had decided to play the sympathy card in hopes of scamming more food.
“That girl was really stupid.”
“She actually traded bread for a storybook.”
The woman laughed.
The pitiful expression she’d worn moments ago had vanished completely.
Lately, it had become much harder to trick people into giving away food.
If this trick stopped working…
Her daughter would have to be the one acting next.
“Mom…”
“I liked my storybook…”
The little girl pouted sadly.
“What good is a book?”
“Can it fill your stomach?”
“If you’re hungry, will reading make you full?”
“The fact that it could be traded for a loaf of bread was already a great deal.”
Just then, Su Han stepped outside and overheard everything.
His expression turned cold.
His eyes darkened.
Clunk… clunk… clunk…
“What was that sound?”
“Why did the tires suddenly come off?”
The driver hurried out of the vehicle.
To his horror, all four wheels had somehow detached from the car.
Yet the surroundings were completely empty.
There wasn’t another person in sight.
“Our car’s been on the road for a long time.”
“We’ve had no way to maintain it.”
“The tires probably just deteriorated.”
The woman guessed.
“Now all the tires are ruined.”
“We’re not going anywhere.”
“Then… should I take our daughter back and ask that girl again?”
“She traded bread for a book.”
“Maybe she’ll even let us ride with them.”
“They’ve got two large vehicles parked outside.”
“There should be plenty of room for the three of us.”
“Go give it a try.”
Soon afterward, the woman returned to the gas station with the little girl.
“Our tires all somehow fell off.”
“Could you help us repair them?”
“Or… do you happen to have any spare tires?”
Wang Hui let out a cold snort and ignored them.
They were becoming more and more shameless.
“Big Sister…”
“Could you please help us?”
The little girl looked toward Wen Lan.
Out of everyone present, Wen Lan seemed the softest and easiest to persuade.
“Do you have any more storybooks?”
“No…”
“Then I can’t help you.”
Wen Lan’s expression remained calm.
The woman hadn’t expected Wen Lan to refuse.
Neither had Wang Hui.
So…
Wen Lan had really wanted the book?
But…
What possible use could a book have?