Two girls walked forward and stopped beside their vehicle.
“Wow, you can actually use fire? That’s amazing! Thank you so much! We didn’t bring anything with us, but don’t worry—I’ll definitely remember your great kindness before I forget it!”
Shi Ran immediately started flattering them, showing exaggerated surprise at the ability users. Acting like this made her seem like a normal person, offering a perfunctory thank-you.
“You don’t need to. You can thank me right now.”
Zhou Nuocheng’s tone was indifferent, as if the person who had just said she was frightened silly wasn’t him at all.
Ye Shuyao quickly pulled Shi Ran closer. “Then we’ll thank you again. We’ll be leaving now.”
“Hmph.” Gu Ming gave a soft laugh and glanced up at the bright, beautiful girl in front of him.
Xu Zimo hurriedly said, “Uh—ladies, our captain just has a few questions. No other meaning.”
Ye Shuyao felt a brief moment of embarrassment. Were they being mocked?
“You’re from Yuning City, right? In a situation like today, did anything like this happen inside the city?” Zhou Nuocheng asked. Beside him, Gu Ming looked at the two girls.
Shi Ran’s mind spun quickly. As expected of the male lead—cautious like in the novel. What he asked on the surface was never what he truly wanted to know.
He probably wanted to know whether there were any abnormalities at the Kangquan Research Institute in the city.
If she hadn’t met the main group, Shi Ran might not even have remembered that their initial mission location was in Y Province—and that she had somehow run into them so coincidentally.
After all, most of the novel’s storyline unfolded only after meeting the female lead.
Shi Ran smiled sweetly like a naive girl. “Nope. Those animals probably just went crazy, right? The animals in the city are all domesticated—they wouldn’t act like that.”
She looked innocent and clueless, as if she had no idea that the danger of the world was quietly approaching.
Zhou Nuocheng hadn’t seen her fight earlier. Seeing her smile so innocently, her dimples showing, she looked even more obedient—but…
“You’re pretending to be innocent at such a young age. Doesn’t your face hurt?”
He had seen too many pretenders and could immediately tell this girl was acting. Just not very well.
Shi Ran’s smile froze. “Believe it or not. There really wasn’t anything in the city. If I’m lying, I’ll willingly give you this George Patton.”
She walked to the side of the vehicle.
The tall chassis, bulletproof glass, and its multi-colored black body—it looked like a beast built for wilderness survival.
Shi Ran felt so jealous she could almost cry tears from the corners of her mouth.
Then she glanced at her own shabby car, its body dented, paint peeling off the front—it looked utterly pathetic.
A small voice in her head: “You call that a broken car?”
“Boss, let’s go. It’ll be dark soon.” Tang Yao spoke up, nodding honestly at the two girls.
Zhou Nuocheng also noticed their car and judged it unreliable. Nighttime wouldn’t be safe either. Since they had provided useful information, he decided—rarely—to act like a decent person.
“You’re heading back to Yuning City? We can give you a ride. No need to pay—consider it a short-lived luxury experience.”
What kind of way was that to talk?
The novel never said the male lead was such a flashy, sarcastic guy.
But Shi Ran didn’t dare agree. They had just met, and she already felt like she’d been gifted a disaster package. She was afraid the protagonist aura would melt her alive.
She leaned casually against the black car, clearly exhausted from her first real fight, facing Zhou Nuocheng.
“Handsome guy, you seem very capable. You probably have your own things to do. We’re just ordinary people, so we won’t trouble you.”
Zhou Nuocheng raised an eyebrow, surprised at being rejected. But he didn’t care—it was just a brief encounter with strangers.
Shi Ran stood up, preparing to leave with Ye Shuyao.
Her hand had not yet left the car when something strange surged through her body. Her palm suddenly stuck firmly to the vehicle, unable to move.
With a “whoosh,” the car disappeared completely.
Shi Ran lost her support and fell backward.
Just before her butt hit the ground, she instinctively grabbed onto a pant leg in front of her, slowing the fall. She landed—not too painfully.
Everyone was stunned.
Even Zhou Nuocheng didn’t react in time. He instinctively reached out to help her, but she was faster—she grabbed his pants.
And then, without hesitation, her hands moved toward his waistband.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly, his pants might have been pulled down.
Zhou Nuocheng felt completely drained. His ears turned red from panic.
Shi Ran, meanwhile, was utterly dumbfounded on the ground. She could sense the car had been stored in her space—but this was her first time seeing it happen.
How was she supposed to take it out again?
She had stolen someone’s car and almost stripped someone in public. Oh God—what kind of apocalypse-opening disaster was this? Why did she awaken her ability at this exact moment?
She had just turned into the most embarrassing person in existence.
Zhou Nuocheng recovered first. Looking down at Shi Ran, he slowly crouched.
His voice was low, almost gritted through his teeth.
“Are you looking for a crack in the ground to hide in? This… ‘ordinary human’ lady?”
Shi Ran forced a laugh. “Haha… wow, look at this grass. It really looks like grass…”
Ye Shuyao quickly helped her up.
Zhou Nuocheng stood, exchanging a glance with Gu Ming. Both nodded in silent understanding.
Ye Shuyao leaned close and whispered, “Ran Ran… did you put it away? Do you really have spatial ability? Then we should hurry back—we still have a lot to buy.”
She had already believed the apocalypse was real after earlier events.
Shi Ran coughed awkwardly. “Uh… I think I can try to take it out.”
She focused her energy into her palm and sensed inside.
She saw it—an orderly, box-shaped space, about 100 square meters, five meters high. And inside, her car sat quietly.
She tried again.
Nothing.
To be honest, she didn’t even know where to “push” the power. And with everyone watching, she was nervous.
It felt like being surrounded and cheered on while trying to use the bathroom.
“Haha… the road here is uneven, it might burst your tires if I take it out. You guys should take our car instead—I’ll take you back to Yuning City.”
She looped her arm through Ye Shuyao’s and walked toward her shabby car.
While walking, she thought: in theory, ability users should use their powers in similar ways. Since she couldn’t figure it out, she could just ask Zhou Nuocheng later.
Thinking this, she quietly glanced back—waiting to see when he would follow so she could ask him.