Mu Yining had never imagined that the person she spent all that effort searching for was actually on the first floor.
When the two of them were surrounded by zombies earlier, backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat, their only option was to fight back. Lacking even the time to run back to the exit, they could only try to break through toward the front doors on the first floor. Unexpectedly, a horde of zombies blocked the entrance as well. In that moment of desperation, Chu Yu, sharp-eyed as always, spotted an underground storage room.
With Chu Yu’s body so weak, Chu Yan had no choice but to settle him inside the underground room and drag heavy display shelves across the entrance area. Once zombies were blocked by obstacles, they wouldn’t pursue relentlessly.
He then lured the zombies around the supermarket single-handedly, waiting for an opportune moment to dash out through the main doors. However, one person’s strength was ultimately too meager, and he eventually couldn’t hold out any longer.
Looking at the underground storage room tucked away in a corner of the first floor, Mu Yining really couldn’t fathom the layout of this supermarket.
Chu Yan opened the small hatch and jumped down without hesitation. Mu Yining, who had opened her mouth to warn him, ended up saying nothing. What if Chu Yu hadn’t made it through?
“Boss! Boss, wake up! What happened to you, Boss?”
Hearing his shouts, Mu Yining went down to take a look. The storage room wasn’t particularly large, storing only liquor and beverages. In the open space in the middle lay a tall, broad-shouldered man, entirely unresponsive.
Looking at Chu Yu’s sharply chiseled face, memories of the past flooded back into her mind.
At this moment, neither of them bore the weathered exhaustion from five years of surviving the apocalypse. Mu Yining had grown even more stunning, while the Chu Yu before her lacked the sharp, lethal edge he would acquire later. She wondered how he would fare in this lifetime. As long as he possessed the capability and the intellect, he certainly wouldn’t do poorly.
In front of Chu Yan, Mu Yining reached out her hand to check Chu Yu’s breath. His breathing was steady, but he was running a fever—the temperature was terrifyingly high. After a thorough examination, she found no wounds anywhere on his body, and the realization dawned on her.
“He’s just awakening an ability. Give him plenty of water to drink, and he’ll be fine.” Her own body had never felt any discomfort, perhaps a benefit brought by her spatial dimension, yet Chu Yu had awakened his ability remarkably early. She recalled that in her past life, Chu Yu possessed the Lightning Ability. Reaching out, she fed him a small fruit before standing up to look at Chu Yan.
“Thank you so much. But… what is an ability? May I ask for your surname, miss? I will surely repay your kindness in the future.”
“Mm. As for abilities, I can’t explain it clearly myself. Just feel for the fluctuation of energy within your body and try to guide it. You should give it a try too.” Mu Yining harbored no aversion toward them. As long as they needed help, she was willing to assist, though she wouldn’t reveal too much.
It was Chu Yan’s first time hearing about such a thing. Unsure of how to react, he simply sat on the ground in a daze, processing Mu Yining’s words. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t witnessed the scene of Mu Yining slaughtering zombies earlier; he had just been so worried about his captain upon waking up that he briefly forgot. Recalling it now, the sight had been spectacular. Red flames had spread in an instant, seeming almost sentient as they burned only the zombies while leaving everything else completely untouched. Stunned beyond words, he turned his gaze back to Mu Yining. She was sitting quietly to the side with her eyes closed in rest, her sword resting horizontally in front of her. For a moment, he lost himself in thought.
“If you want to protect your captain, do as I said.” Her cold, distant voice snapped Chu Yan back to reality. He was usually a rigorous man; his subordinates all admired him and feared him deeply, and his commanding aura was second to none. Yet at this moment, he felt like a complete fool, nodding his head numbly.
He was a well-trained man after all, and in less than fifteen minutes, Chu Yan let out a strange cry of surprise.
“What is this? How am I spitting fire?”
“An ability—Fire System. Congratulations.” Mu Yining gave him only a polite smile before closing her eyes once more. Listening to the curious and overjoyed voices beside her ear, she curled her lip in disdain.