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墨書 Inktalez
The village chief's house was nothing short of a mansion, a two-story Western-style building surrounded by a garden stretching several hundred meters. As soon as one stepped through the front door, a few plum blossoms stood proudly, their buds having bloomed early, seemingly ready to challenge the harsh winter of this post-apocalyptic world.
The winding path required one to circle around the courtyard, but the journey was well worth it. Perhaps other explorers would dismiss the scenery upon arrival, leaving it untouched. Even inside the mansion, wooden furniture remained in place, though all the metal items had vanished.
Li Ning welcomed Zheng Yifan into the living room, which spanned nearly two hundred square meters. In the center stood a massive glass coffee table, and somehow, Li Ning had procured an exquisite tea set. A beautiful young woman was inside brewing Kung Fu tea.
The aroma of tea filled the air just as Zheng Yifan settled down. With the main door closed, warmth enveloped the room; the entire house was equipped with a centralized heating system.
The village even had facilities and factories supplying heating to its residents. They had found plenty of coal in the basement.
Before winter arrived, no one paid attention to such scraps; it was only when the cold set in that they realized the value of these items.
Unfortunately, it was too late for them to transport large quantities back.
Naturally, these resources gradually faded from memory. After all, if Han Sui City Gathering Place wanted to utilize them, there were many ways to do so. They were indeed lacking in energy sources.
In the warm room, sipping on Kung Fu tea served by a lovely Tea Master, Zheng Yifan took a light sip.
The tea was high-quality Wuyi Rock Tea that Zheng Yifan had purchased at a premium in the real world, saved for his own enjoyment. After all, one must enhance their quality of life while alive. However, he had forgotten about it after drinking some at Hope Mall.
To his surprise, Li Ning remembered this tea and had prepared all the necessary utensils. He even found a Tea Master.
Zheng Yifan felt somewhat ashamed of his own tea-making skills compared to hers; his attempts were clumsy at best. No matter how good the tea leaves were, he brewed them in a way that reminded one of an old farmer drinking from an enamel cup under an old tree at the village entrance.
In contrast, now the tea's fragrance lingered delicately in the air, refreshing and uplifting. The subtle aroma of tea combined with the scent of the beautiful Tea Master made it even more intoxicating.
For Zheng Yifan, this was his first experience enjoying such tea; he felt as if dozens of mice were scurrying around in his heart.
Wu Yingzhou emerged from another room and was far more discerning than Zheng Yifan. After greeting him and receiving an invitation, he slowly savored a cup of tea and remarked lightly, "The tea is passable at best; it's several levels below what I had during the Post-Apocalypse. But coming here now, it's quite a nice treat."
Zheng Yifan couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the scene unfold. In the real world, he was just a poor Chad who had never tasted anything so expensive; a single sip could cost thousands. It would surely be the end of him.
"Just make do with that for now. I'll get you something better shortly," Zheng Yifan said, nodding toward the Tea Master beside him and complimenting her with a simple "good."
Li Ning, standing nearby, immediately took note of this and nodded at the beautiful Tea Master, signaling her to come over.
She couldn't help but sigh at her own good fortune. Receiving praise from Zheng Yifan meant she could potentially serve him long-term, perhaps even become one of his favored girls.
If Zheng Yifan truly took her into his household, she would have to navigate her actions carefully, as that would elevate her status significantly.
Unfortunately, Zheng Yifan remained oblivious to Li Ning's ulterior motives as he settled into the main seat on the sofa, waiting for the others to arrive.
Everyone present was one of Zheng Yifan's trusted confidants.
Li Ning, Wu Yingzhou, and Tian Ye were naturally included in this circle.
Cui Long, who had accompanied him, was also assigned under Li Ning's command as an official guard, although he had yet to activate his superpower. Of course, Sun Hai and his son Sun Yang were exceptions; they had been recruited by Li Ning as guards due to their extraordinary awakened superpower.
Their powers were indeed remarkable.
Both possessed the ability to manipulate fire. Individually, they were just ordinary Nature System Superpowered Individuals. However, when combined, their powers could amplify each other, doubling their strength.
This meant that every aspect of their abilities—temperature, quantity, burn duration, and even damage intensity—would be enhanced.
The concept of damage intensity arose when both used their powers simultaneously; it could significantly deepen the inflicted harm.
For instance, if a burn at zero degrees only affected the skin initially, combining their powers would increase the depth of that injury after the temperature intensified.
This created a scenario where 1+1 equaled more than two—a force that would be invaluable in combat.
Of course, they were also targeted by Li Ning. After gaining their Superpower, before they had a chance to agree or disagree, Cui Long was the first to pull them into a corner for a deep conversation.
Then, both father and son agreed to Li Ning's terms.
"Anyone who can sit here is definitely someone worth trusting. I won't say much more; you all know the situation at Han Sui City Gathering Place," Zheng Yifan said as he looked at everyone.
Seeing everyone nod, he continued, "We must join this battle no matter what. Not for any other reason, but simply to hope that fewer people die and to eliminate those scoundrels from the Ice King Mercenary Corps."
Zheng Yifan went on, "I know your Superpowers haven't evolved yet. Among all of us in Hope Mall, I believe Li Ning is the strongest Superpowered Individual, and he is just on the verge of touching the Second Tier."
Li Ning immediately nodded. "Yes, ever since I received the weapon bestowed by the leader, I've felt the power of Duality Superpower flowing within me and have been working towards this direction. I believe that given some time, I will surely become a Second-Stage Esper."
"Good job! Since you've already touched the edge, your future potential shouldn't be overdrawn," Zheng Yifan said casually as he placed a backpack on his lap and took out a vial of Second-Stage Evolution Essence. This essence was extracted using the Time-Space Barrier and was more stable than ordinary fruit essences. It was also less likely to overdraw one's potential.
"This is for you. It can help you break through to the Second Tier. However, if you want to break through to the Third Stage, unless you get lucky and find a Third Stage Evolution Essence Fruit, you'll have to rely on yourself. The difficulty will be greater than not using it at all. Are you sure you want to take it?" Zheng Yifan asked.
Li Ning almost without hesitation took it and drank it down. "What’s there to hesitate about? Of course, I want to enjoy the power first. Since there are no serious side effects, I might as well take advantage of it now. Moreover, the battle with Han Sui City Gathering Place is about to begin."
He could sense Zheng Yifan's ambition. The nearly three hundred thousand survivors still alive at Han Sui City Gathering Place were a tremendous wealth that made Zheng Yifan envious. Unfortunately, there were too many people to absorb all at once.
However, if they could occupy Han Sui City Gathering Place in one go and then slowly absorb and digest them over time, there would still be opportunities.
Because of this, Li Ning drank down the Second-Stage Evolution Essence without hesitation.
Soon, Li Ning's face flushed red before returning to normal; however, his body underwent some subtle changes. A sense of enlightenment allowed him to instantly understand how to utilize Duality at the Second Tier.
"If only I could have drunk this bottle earlier; I wouldn't have been so dejected back then. At the Second Tier, Superpower clearly allows one to understand how to use their strength. The First Level was merely passive utilization; now it can be actively utilized. As for potential overdrawing—Leader, ordinary Second-Stage Evolution Essence fruits might still have some possibility. But your refined Essence makes it nearly impossible to increase the difficulty of future breakthroughs," Li Ning instinctively picked up a teacup and set it in mid-air above the table before releasing it.
Unexpectedly, something astonishing happened—the cup seemed to be lifted by some unseen force and remained suspended in mid-air. Then they heard a "crack~ crack!" sound as the cup turned into powder while still maintaining its shape.
However, everyone present was a Superpowered Individual; they couldn't escape noticing the change in the cup.
“Superpower Application” is quite good. With further adaptation, combat power should significantly increase,” Zheng Yifan nodded. He had already noticed Li Ning's proficiency with “Superpower Application,” and how the “Superpower” had become even stronger. Originally, “Duality” could only use “Rejection” and “Attract” separately. But now, it could actually be used simultaneously, creating a chemical effect whose specifics no one knew; they could only discover it during real combat.
If others were willing, they could also use it. However, each would cost 100,000 Military Merit, which could be borrowed and repaid later through achievements.
Zheng Yifan placed a row of Second-Stage Evolution Essence on the table, five bottles in total that made everyone drool. Wu Yingzhou, the oldest and most experienced among them, wasted no time and immediately gulped one down. Tian Ye followed suit without hesitation.
Sun Yang and Sun Hai pondered for a moment, with Sun Hai advising his son to drink together. The two of them complemented each other; their Superpowers needed to evolve in tandem to achieve that powerful strength.
The only one left was Cui Long, who looked at Zheng Yifan with a pained expression, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
“I know you’ve been doing well these days. The development of Hope Mall surely has your contributions. Each brother here will receive a bottle of A-Level Essence as a reward, and I’ll give you a bottle of S-Class to taste what it’s like,” Zheng Yifan casually pulled out two trays of A-Level Essence and then handed a golden bottle of S-Class Essence to Cui Long.
Cui Long's tears flowed instantly from excitement; he was overwhelmed. He knew all his Military Merit had been spent on Sun Yang, leaving him unqualified to use A-Level Essence, let alone S-Class. Yet now, the leader was rewarding him with the precious S-Class Essence.
In that moment, he felt as if Zheng Yifan was a god descending to earth.
“Kid, stop sulking. In two days we will counterattack Han Sui City Gathering Place. I hope you all adapt to your Superpowers by then. Also, inform others that everyone can sign up for battle; those who achieve merit will be generously rewarded and granted membership in Hope Gathering Place in advance.”
“From now on, Hope Gathering Place will officially appear before everyone and blind them with its brilliance!”
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