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墨書 Inktalez
Early the next morning, as the sun began to rise, a cargo-laden off-road pickup truck and a small RV drove out of the villa area.
In the underground garage of the Yang Family, there were dozens of various vehicles, many of which had been impulsively purchased by the previous owner after seeing recommendations from influencers online. After driving them for a few days, they were left to gather dust in the garage. Little did they know that these vehicles would come in handy during the apocalypse. For instance, the RV was bought after watching a social media influencer travel around the world, but it had only been used for a couple of outings before being abandoned.
Chang Qing wanted to drive several vehicles, but considering that more cars would mean more fuel consumption, he decided that he and Li Jun would take the pickup truck to lead the way while Yang Father and Yang Mother followed in the RV. He wasn't too worried about safety; in the early stages, zombies moved slowly and lacked intelligence, making them no match for humans in one-on-one encounters.
As they hit the road, he finally felt more at ease. After all, Yang Father and Yang Mother had perished in Nancheng, and leaving Nancheng felt like escaping from a death trap.
For several consecutive days, they traveled over sixty kilometers each day. Unfortunately, zombies occasionally blocked their path, requiring them to get out and clear the way, which hindered their speed. They moved slowly, stopping to scavenge for supplies in towns along the way and seeking out secluded shelters to rest at night. A week passed relatively smoothly.
Meanwhile, Nancheng University was far from peaceful. The apocalypse had been ongoing for over ten days now, and the shops within the school had been completely cleaned out; even expired bread was hard to come by.
As a result, students had to band together in small teams to search for food at off-campus stores. The farther they ventured, the greater the risks became; many students lost their lives to zombies during these food hunts.
Xu Caiwei and Li Yingsha were also struggling. After five or six days of eating only dry rations and snacks, both of them had developed painful sores on their mouths.
"Why don't we join a team to look for food?" Zheng Yingsha said as she swallowed a piece of beef jerky with lukewarm water. "I can't eat this dry food anymore."
Xu Caiwei nodded in agreement. After consuming those rations for the past few days, it felt like her stomach was on fire; she believed she could finish even the cheapest instant noodles in one go if she had them now.
"However, food is really hard to find outside..." They had seen many people leave through the window over these past few days, but none returned with significant finds.
"Maybe Yang Changqing was right to leave early," Xu Caiwei frowned as she looked at her roommate changing her shoes.
Mentioning Yang Changqing only made Zheng Yingsha angrier. If he hadn't left early, they wouldn't have to go searching for food now; they wouldn't have to gnaw on dry rations every day.
"I think that Yang Changqing was just pretending to be nice to you!" Zheng Yingsha stepped forward and poked Xu Caiwei on the forehead. "Just up and left without a word, now we don't even know if he's coming back. What a selfish jerk!" At that moment, Zheng Yingsha completely forgot about their earlier decision to stay behind and wait for rescue.
"See? People are just so strange," Chang Qing said while enjoying a self-heating hot pot, having just heard the system label him as a selfish jerk.
Being kind to others often leads to no gratitude or appreciation; instead, it becomes taken for granted. Once you stop helping, you are met with blame and insults. The saying "a grain of kindness repaid with a bushel of resentment" rings true!
Chang Qing didn't care how Xu Caiwei and the others found food because he felt a special power generating within him. Yes, he had awakened his Ability ahead of time. It was still Wood Ability, but this energy felt distinctly different from the Wood Spirit Root in the Cultivation World. This made him eager to explore it further.
In fact, he wasn't the first to experience this. A few days ago, the Official had made an announcement over the radio. At that time, they hadn't defined this situation as an Ability; they merely stated that some survivors would exhibit special mutations granting them unique abilities, which would help humanity combat Zombies, encouraging the public to remain hopeful.
At that moment, few believed it. After all, the term "mutation" didn't sound positive, and these mindless Zombies were born from humans who had mutated, leading everyone to instinctively think that mutation was a bad thing.
Now, seeing Chang Qing bury a few cabbage seeds in the soil, a vibrant green light emanated from his hands as the seeds sprouted rapidly like something out of a documentary. In no time at all, a full cabbage had grown. Everyone couldn't help but stare in amazement.
"This... this means we're going to get rich," Yang Father said, trembling as he stroked the memory of cabbages that used to cost two dollars in supermarkets before the apocalypse. Vegetables were in short supply during these times; with this ability, starting a vegetable supply company would surely be profitable.
"Brother Qing, you're amazing!" Li Jun exclaimed enviously. "Teach me how to awaken my Ability!"
Yang Mother brought over a box of milk from the car. "How does it feel using this special power? Drink some milk to replenish your strength."
"Yes, yes!" Yang Father chimed in. "Are you feeling hungry? Should we cook some instant noodles?"
"I feel perfectly normal," Chang Qing replied as he stood up. "But I don't quite understand how this ability manifested; it seems to have appeared suddenly within me."
"I estimate that many people will experience similar mutations soon. Keep an eye on your own changes; I expect the Official will release more detailed announcements in a few days." Chang Qing took a sip of milk and stretched his body.
He wasn't worried that the survivors would mutate into Zombies. In the storyline, survivors could only turn into Zombies if they were bitten or scratched by one, so the mutations among the current survivors were mostly positive. Although some Abilities might seem less useful, overall, the physical fitness and senses of the mutated individuals were stronger than those of ordinary people.
A couple of days later, as Li Jun also felt a new energy within his body, the Official broadcast provided further explanations regarding the mutations among survivors.
This time, the Official referred to these mutated individuals collectively as Ability Users and categorized Abilities into three types: Enhancement Abilities, which mainly included enhancements to senses, speed, and strength; Elemental Abilities, which encompassed metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, ice, and more; and Trait Abilities, which included Spatial Ability and X-ray Vision Ability.
Regarding the origins of these Abilities, the Official summarized them into two categories: one was naturally occurring; the other was undergoing mutation after being bitten by a Zombie. However, the Official stated that whether from natural occurrence or mutation, both were rare events and advised the public not to intentionally get bitten by Zombies to gain an Ability.
At the same time, the Official also indicated that preliminary research found that using Abilities consumed a lot of energy, which could potentially affect lifespan. This announcement was indeed packed with valuable information.
"So... I awakened a Fire Ability?" Li Jun looked at the flickering flame dancing at his fingertips in disbelief.
Yang Father and Yang Mother had initially envied the two young people for gaining their Abilities, but upon hearing that using an Ability might shorten their lifespan, a wave of concern washed over them.
"Xiao Jun, quickly put out that fire; it could affect your lifespan," Yang Mother urged as she saw Li Jun playing with the flame in his hand. "Chang Qing, you should also be careful; don’t use this ability unless absolutely necessary." She turned to remind her own son.
"The Official only said it might be a possibility; there's no need to be so anxious," Chang Qing replied as he picked a ripe tomato from the plant he had nurtured. "I’ll make tomato soup for dinner."
As for whether using an Ability would affect lifespan, Chang Qing wasn’t too concerned. While using an Ability did consume a significant amount of energy, upgrading an Ability would also strengthen the body. This balance between loss and gain seemed to even out. Moreover, in this chaotic world where Zombies were evolving, it was challenging to face Advanced Zombies without using an Ability.
Sure enough, two days later, the Official reported on an incident involving an Advanced Zombie. The Advanced Zombie moved faster and could even run; its strength was greater than that of Ordinary Zombies. The Official anticipated that over time, Zombies might further mutate and evolve. Upon hearing this news, everyone wore expressions of worry.
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