The Apocalypse. ability. Mutated Flora and Fauna.
These words were enough to trigger a flood of tropes from countless online novels.
A young man, a long-time reader of the genre, pondered for a moment before letting out a wry smile.
“The standard apocalyptic novel starter pack,” he muttered.
Others who enjoyed such stories in their spare time chimed in, “You’re not wrong.”
“Heaven’s fair, I guess,” another added. “The mutated animals got a buff, so they gave humans a ‘ability’ to keep up.”
“…”
Yan Fengji listened in silence as the excited chatter buzzed around him.
On the fifth day of the apocalypse, the “Ability Awakening” had occurred. Nearly a hundred people in the canteen now possessed some unique ability.
Even the canteen lady, nearly fifty years old, stared at her palm like a wide-eyed child. She turned her hand over and over, bewildered as to where the small flame was emerging from.
Fang Yangyang couldn’t relate. She was completely lost, not knowing how to fit in with the rest of them.
Dou Qing crafted ice spheres for her, piling them up in his arms. Only when he was too exhausted to continue did he look up, a gentle smile on his face.
He found Fang Yangyang staring down slowly, her silence tinged with an unspoken disappointment.
“Yangyang?”
He panicked for a moment, fearing she was upset.
She looked at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her arm pressed against his, her skin cool and smooth as jade. “I don’t have one.”
Her voice was a mere whisper, meant only for him.
Dou Qing froze for a moment, then clarity dawned on him. He glanced calmly around them, his expression unreadable, as he squeezed her cold hand tightly in his.
“I understand.”
Just those three words.
She stared at him in confusion, unable to grasp the subtle, strange emotion they carried.
Soon, Fang Yangyang would understand why.
***
“We aren’t forcing anyone to report the ‘ability’ they possess,” Yan Fengji said, addressing the hundred or so people gathered in the canteen. He stood in the center of the crowd, his gaze clear and his tone earnest.
“However, in our situation, it’s crucial that we know what abilities everyone has.”
“My own power is plant-related,” he said, gesturing with his hand.
A hint of helplessness touched his handsome, impassive face, as if he found his own ability somewhat absurd.
“Based on my observations over the last few days, there are no plants inside the cafeteria.”
He was right. If there were any plants here, the onset of the apocalypse would have seen them mutate, strangling and tangling around the interior. It would have ended up like the Chunya Dormitory, where vines choked the windows and doors shut.
The canteen staff member recalled why the Jiangpu Canteen lacked the potted plants found in other school dining halls.
“Someone had sent in a complaint about allergies to flowers and plants,” she explained. “The administration department removed all the greenery from the cafeteria.”
Xichi University was known for its responsiveness to student needs. As long as a request was reasonable, the administration rarely refused.
At the time, removing the plants had seemed like a minor detail. Now, however, it had provided a truly safe haven for everyone seeking refuge within the cafeteria.
With no plants around, Yan Fengji had nothing to draw power from. Yet, the moment he raised his hand, a vibrant green shoot with leaves sprouted from his palm. It looked like something straight out of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Others with similar abilities raised their hands in imitation, but none could match the length or thickness of the vine in Yan Fengji’s grasp.
Fang Yangyang watched, her chin resting in her hand. She knew that the male lead and the second and third leads of the original apocalyptic novel were the ones who would master their ability the fastest and become the strongest humans in the world.
In the future, their ability would place them among the global elite of survivors.
Beside Fang Yangyang, Dou Qing had already crafted a collection of “ice balls,” a clear testament to his natural superiority.
Her mind raced as she listened to Yan Fengji calmly explain his goal: “We need to register everyone’s ability manifestation. Given our current situation, it’s reasonable to assume that any human who survived until today would have awakened their own unique ability upon waking.”
The genetic fission and subsequent ability awakening were Heaven’s way of balancing the scales between humans and Mutated Flora and Fauna.
Yan Fengji paused. “Understanding our comrades’ ability will help us coordinate and support one another when we eventually leave the cafeteria.”
“Do we have to leave?” a girl asked, her voice trembling as she shifted uneasily.
“Yes. Food supplies are finite,” Meng Zizhao said, lounging in a nearby chair. He idly shook the kitchen inventory list. “We can’t stay here forever, can we?”
Anxiety and tension rippled through the crowd at his words.
Yan Fengji expanded on Meng Zizhao’s point. “Taking our group of seventy-nine as a sample, everyone here has awakened a ability. This suggests a ninety percent probability that all other human survivors outside have done the same.”
The group murmured in agreement, their heads nodding as they conferred in hushed tones.
Yan Fengji came from a prominent family with deep ties to the Party, a fact well-known to many. Yet, he had never flaunted his background at school, nor had he considered following in his father’s footsteps.
Instead, he had chosen medicine, determined to carve his own path in the healing arts. His gaze swept across his companions, his steady presence instilling a profound sense of reassurance.
“Once we establish contact with the outside world,” he announced, “we will inevitably have to leave campus.”
“Whether we break through the siege or hold our ground, I believe everyone knows what choice they would make.”
Everyone had family, and everyone longed to be with them in this time of endless displacement.
The cafeteria auntie spoke up first. “Yes, I need to go home and find my girl.”
Her eyes grew red as she spoke. “I don’t even know if my little one is all right…”
A girl beside her gently touched the woman’s hand, whispering words of comfort through her own tears.
“In the era of big data,” Dou Qing suddenly interjected, his fingers entwined with Fang Yangyang’s in a clear display of their intimacy, “the government will definitely register our personal information once we’re reconnected and settled.”
His point was clear: if they didn’t register now, they would have to do it later.
The group was young, most in their early twenties. Their unwavering trust in the state and government buoyed their spirits, and the conversation turned hopeful.
“Yes, I’m sure the government will rescue us soon.”
“You’ve seen The Wandering Earth, right? I don’t know about other countries, but ours will never abandon its people.”
“Please, let the army and police save us…”
Wen Qing spoke up, her voice gentle as she adjusted her glasses with scholarly precision.
“Without equipment or a laboratory, we can’t measure how these ability are affecting our bodies. So, if we’re going to register our abilities, it’s simple: just describe what you can do.”
“It’s not mandatory,” she added. “It’s just to ensure we can work together safely and understand each other’s limits.”
Outside the glass walls, the crimson eyes of mutated animals glared at the humans inside the canteen.
A few people shivered. Others nodded in grim agreement. Some even took the opportunity to test their new powers.
Due to varying physical conditions, some quickly exhausted themselves, unable to summon their abilities again.
Yan Fengji took charge of the registration. He listened as the people in line described the manifestations of the ability they had awakened that morning.
“It’s like… I can feel electricity in my fingertips,” one man explained.
He glanced at the speaker. The young man scratched his cheek awkwardly. “The weather’s still pretty hot, so this definitely isn’t static electricity.”
“I didn’t dare take my phone, worried I’d fry the motherboard,” he added, his expression sour. “And I don’t dare touch anyone else. What if I shock them?”
The registration of ability manifestation was proving to be immensely useful.
The group of over seventy people had already forged bonds of mutual aid over the past few days. For those with abilities like the “water element,” the impact on others was minimal. But for someone with the “lightning” ability, the risk of harming others was high.
After finishing his registration, the young man stepped out of line. As he left, he called back loudly to those waiting, “Everyone, be careful not to touch me! I’m electric, and it won’t be funny if you get zapped.”
The line of dozens had stretched out, their information—major, name, and grade—now supplemented with a column for their ability manifestation.
Dou Qing and Fang Yangyang were the last two in line.
Yan Fengji listened as Dou Qing calmly described his ability. “It’s related to ice.”
Unlike the others, who had desperately tried to demonstrate their powers before Yan Fengji, Dou Qing made no such effort. After speaking, he simply fell silent and stepped aside to make room for Fang Yangyang.
Before stepping aside, Dou Qing gently squeezed Fang Yangyang’s hand, as if to soothe her and give her courage.
Yan Fengji didn’t miss the gesture. A shadow crossed his face, his expression darkening for a moment before he spoke, his voice betraying nothing. “Fang Yangyang, what about you?”
The girl’s fingers rested on the edge of the table. Her nails were smooth and rounded, her knuckles a delicate pinkish-white, like a porcelain doll in a display case.
“I don’t have one…”
Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with an anxiety she might not have even noticed herself. Yan Fengji froze, his voice dropping instinctively. “What?”
Dou Qing lowered his gaze. He knew that Fang Yangyang’s lack of a ability couldn’t be hidden from Yan Fengji.
But at this moment, not drawing attention to her was exactly why he had deliberately kept her at the back of the line.
“I said, I don’t have one.”
“She doesn’t have one,” Dou Qing said. There was no one around them, and their voices were so low that no outsiders could hear.
His tone was elegant yet strangely calm and cold. “Just write it down.”
He met Yan Fengji’s gaze, and in that instant, they both understood the unspoken implication.
Quickly, Yan Fengji took the pen and hastily wrote on the paper.
Fang Yangyang—German—Sophomore—
….
Ability: Ice.
Fang Yangyang stared at the last word he wrote, her eyes widening. Yan Fengji met her gaze with a calm nod, a rare smile touching his lips.
“Did you see my ability earlier?”
He set down the pen, having finished registering everyone, and opened his palm.
“I… I did.”
Fang Yangyang’s gaze was still fixed on the paper. Dou Qing took her free hand, and suddenly, she felt a chill in her palm.
It felt like a small ice sphere had been placed there.
He let go, and she instinctively closed her fingers around the ice.
A few people glanced over, seeing Fang Yangyang—a beautiful, pale young woman—clumsily cupping the small ice sphere. Those with sharper eyes noticed the paper, where her ability manifestation was listed as “Ice.”
“So she has the same ability as Dou Qing. What a coincidence.”
“Yeah, aren’t they dating?”
The chatter about Fang Yangyang’s ability lasted only a few minutes before everyone returned to their own affairs. After all, they had only just discovered their own abilities and had no time to worry about anyone else, unless someone’s power was truly extraordinary.
Yan Fengji remained completely composed. From the palm of his hand, a small, delicate green sprout emerged, far more elegant and charming than the horrifying, hair-raising mutated plants outside.
The tiny sprout swayed its stem, gently wrapping its tip around Fang Yangyang’s finger as she rested her hand on the table.
His voice was low and refined. The small sprout circled her finger once, then tickled her palm. The movement was so swift that Dou Qing couldn’t even react in time to stop it.
Yan Fengji quickly withdrew his hand and packed away the pen and paper. When he met Dou Qing’s furious gaze, he simply raised an eyebrow in calm defiance.
Fang Yangyang’s face flushed red as she rubbed her palm vigorously against the hem of her clothes. Wrinkling her nose, she murmured softly, “It tickles.”
Dou Qing stared at her innocent, pretty face, remaining silent for a long moment. He then reached out and took the hand that Yan Fengji had “defiled.” “Do you want to wash your hands?”
“…” Fang Yangyang looked at her palm and mumbled, “Never mind. It’s not actually dirty.”
She gave him a sweet, guileless smile, her expression both obedient and endearing. “So, does this mean I’m officially registered now?”
“Yes.”
“Then I—”
She hesitated, her expression turning troubled as she tried to figure out how to explain that Yan Fengji had helped her register with false information.
“We’re a couple, so we’re already a team. Whatever is mine is yours,” Dou Qing said with a smile.
Though his ability was Ice, his expression was incredibly warm. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently stroked the fingertips Yan Fengji’s “sprout” had touched. “Don’t worry.”
She smiled back, her eyes shining. “Okay.”