PSW - Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Zhao Haiyue had actually been secretly practicing that song for a very, very long time.
The supplements Yun Lingjian made were truly awful, and it was a struggle to suppress the urge to gag in front of her.
Zhao Haiyue wasn't particularly fond of scallion pancakes, either; it was just that among all of Yun Lingjian's cooking, they were the most delicious. And Yun Lingjian didn't particularly enjoy making them; it was simply the only dish she could prepare without messing it up.
A mutual, unspoken crush had finally received its perfect response.
Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan went to visit Xu Lanjun together. Zheng Yi brought a basket of fruit and added two cans of beef hot pot, which surprised Grandma Xu. At first, she refused to accept them no matter what, only relenting when Zheng Yi insisted.
"It's not easy for you to earn contribution points. Why buy all this? I have a proper job now, you know." Xu Lanjun quite enjoyed spending her time at the school with the children. Perhaps tempered by the apocalypse, all the kids at the school were exceptionally well-behaved and studied diligently, with almost no rebellious streaks to speak of.
Since there were only so many children in the entire shelter, Xu Lanjun's workload was relatively light. Earning a steady stream of contribution points every day, she had managed to save up quite a bit.
"It's a small token of our appreciation. It's different."
"You really are acting like you're about to become a saint," Xu Lanjun sighed, recalling the first time she met Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan, when Zheng Yi had proudly declared her intention to become a Saint.
Frankly, she wasn't particularly close to these two young women. She had just pointed them in the right direction and gone on one mission with them. The fact that they still remembered her was something Xu Lanjun found quite unexpected.
Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan didn't stay long. After a few simple pleasantries, they took their leave. Afterward, Zheng Yi bought some more fruit and went to visit Zhu Lanyuan and Lian Langxi.
Although it was a "visit," it was more like a "warning." As soon as they saw Zheng Yi, they would be reminded of the zombie horde incident, and then of Zheng Yi's terrifying power. The matter that needed to be kept secret would remain buried in their hearts forever, never to be revealed by anyone.
However, Zhu Lanyuan was different from Lian Langxi. Zhu Lanyuan held a sense of reverence for Zheng Yi. She would never forget the long river of blood she saw coming down the stairs that night, nor the "karmic retribution" she witnessed on the sports field the next day.
She had faith in Zheng Yi.
"Would you like to see… the people you rescued before?" Zheng Yi's arrival didn't bring Zhu Lanyuan much fear; she was more surprised and flustered. But after accepting their gifts, Zhu Lanyuan calmed down. She looked at Zheng Yi and, after some hesitation, couldn't help but ask.
Those women?
"They… they are trying very hard to live, to survive. A few of the sisters have already awakened abilities and become ability users," Zhu Lanyuan explained earnestly. The women who had walked out of that building together had formed a tight bond. They lived together, encouraging one another. They had gone from everyone living in tents to the point where, after some awakened abilities, they worked hard to earn contribution points, pool their money to rent a room, and live together inside.
Although the ordinary people among them weren't registered as squad members and didn't go on field missions, their bond was even closer than that of a typical squad.
"Every Monday, they express their gratitude to you, their gratitude to… the Saint."
The shadow and trauma Yang Zhengming had inflicted upon them were indelible. At the same time, Zheng Yi's appearance, the "Saint's" salvation and slaughter, would also be etched in their minds. After all this time, Zheng Yi still received their devout Saint Points every month. It was only because they didn't connect the person Zheng Yi with the "Saint" in their minds that the value she received was reduced. If Zheng Yi were to appear before them and formally preach, she would likely gain another batch of high-quality, devout followers.
"They should be grateful to themselves," Zheng Yi said with a slight smile and a shrug. "I didn't do much, just cleaned up some apocalyptic trash."
Not everyone had the courage to strive to live on after enduring all that. Moreover, when they first entered the shelter, there had been a lot of gossip. Even ability users like Zhu Lanyuan and her team were whispered about behind their backs; one could only imagine the situation for those ordinary women. But even so, they had persevered…
That was their strength.
"You saved them," Zhu Lanyuan said. "You… or rather, the Saint, became their spiritual pillar. They work so hard to live in the hope that they can meet you and repay you one day."
"You don't need to use honorifics with me." Zheng Yi's smile grew even gentler and kinder. She looked at Zhu Lanyuan, her eyes filled with a hint of mercy, clear and profound, and said softly, "The fact that they remember me and… pray every week is repayment enough."
Zhu Lanyuan's expression grew more emotional. Although she still remembered Zheng Yi's ease amidst the zombie horde and understood her almost transcendent power, such an attitude, even if it was just a pretense, moved her deeply. Still, she truly hoped Zheng Yi would go and see those women.
"Their devout faith has helped me a great deal." Zheng Yi lowered her gaze slightly, appearing even more gentle. At that moment, she exuded a sense of universal compassion. Yu Yinan stared at her, momentarily thinking she could see a holy light radiating from Zheng Yi's body. "In a few days, you can take us to visit them. There's no need to reveal my identity. Just say we're your friends and invite them to have New Year's Eve dinner with us."
After saying this, as if afraid of pressuring Zhu Lanyuan, Zheng Yi added in a soft voice, "I'll provide all the food and ingredients."
Zhu Lanyuan froze for a moment. Just as she was about to decline, she heard Zheng Yi continue, "Once the New Year is over, Yu Yinan and I will be leaving the shelter."
"Leaving? Are you… are you going to travel to other cities?" Zhu Lanyuan quickly adapted, as this wasn't the first time they had left the shelter. With Zheng Yi's strength, she could do whatever she wanted in this apocalypse; even traveling the world was feasible. "But… the extreme cold period is almost here." The temperature had already started to drop recently. After the New Year, it would likely fall to single digits. From there, it would only be a matter of two or three days before it dropped below freezing.
"Jiejie is a fire ability user, you know~" Zheng Yi smiled. "The extreme cold period poses no threat to us." And she was a water ability user, so high temperatures didn't pose much of a threat to her either.
"You could call it traveling, but I'm actually looking for something related to the apocalypse." Zheng Yi's smile faded, her expression turning slightly more serious. She looked at Zhu Lanyuan, her clear black eyes meeting hers, like a lofty god scrutinizing a believer, as she softly explained the matter of the meteor fragments.
Zhu Lanyuan understood quickly. She pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "After the New Year, the shelter will continue to expand outward, establishing multiple lines of defense to encompass all of Pujie. At that time, more field missions will be posted to explore surrounding cities and search for supplies in farther places. If I get any news about the meteor fragments, I will find a way to inform you."
Zheng Yi smiled. She raised her hand slightly, gesturing for Zhu Lanyuan to extend hers. "Good girl. I will be watching over you."
Hearing such a form of address, Zhu Lanyuan felt a sense of unease. On one hand, she felt Zheng Yi was just a young girl, yet on the other, she was awed by her power and current presence. After all, Zheng Yi was displaying so much "divinity" at that moment. Those black eyes were like an abyss; meeting their gaze created the illusion that one's very soul was about to be devoured. It should have been an incredibly strange feeling, yet Zhu Lanyuan found herself somewhat captivated, her mind involuntarily bewitched.
The moment Zheng Yi raised her hand, she even felt the urge to prostrate herself.
Zhu Lanyuan quickly and obediently extended her hand. In the next instant, a divine golden light truly emanated from Zheng Yi's body, instantly shrouding her face in a blur, making it difficult to see her true features. Her outstretched hand was turned over, and Zheng Yi's fingertip lightly tapped the back of it. Golden lines intertwined on her skin, stroke by stroke, forming a special pattern.
"You have three opportunities to communicate with me."
"Unaffected by time or space. With but a single thought, I can hear your plea."
"!!!" Zhu Lanyuan was completely stunned. She looked at the back of her hand in disbelief, then glanced back and forth between Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan. Yu Yinan showed no surprise at all; she was clearly in on it! But- but! Before… she had thought that no matter how powerful Zheng Yi was, she was just an exceptionally powerful ability user. She could see Zheng Yi as the pinnacle of humanity, the strongest of ability users, the number one person in the apocalypse, but she had never imagined that Zheng Yi could pull off something like this.
How was this possible? Saint, wasn't Saint just a codename? A codename, a conviction, a belief, an ideal… whatever it was, she could understand it. But was it now possible for a human to become a "god" in the apocalypse?
No, no… calm down. She couldn't be rude in front of her benefactor. Zhu Lanyuan closed her eyes. Humans could call beings whose power exceeded their imagination "gods." Just as they called phenomena that were difficult to explain and broke the limits of imagination "miracles." No matter what kind of existence Zheng Yi was, it didn't change her essence. She was just Zheng Yi. The Saint, her savior, the young woman standing before her.
"I will use them with care," she said solemnly, pursing her lips. "I will do my best to find information on the meteor fragments. As soon as I discover anything, I will absolutely contact you… you, at the first opportunity."
"Before you leave the shelter, would it be convenient to tell me which direction you're heading? That way, I can avoid searching in the same area as you… you."
"Southeast," Zheng Yi said with a smile. "Relax~ It's fine if you don't find any news. This isn't something that's easy to find. If you do discover one, don't approach it rashly. The meteor fragments might carry the special elements that caused the apocalypse, and their effects on the human body are unknown."
"I'll be careful."
"Mm~ Then we won't disturb you any longer. See you in a few days~" Zheng Yi smiled, taking out a pen and paper to write down her and Yu Yinan's room number, and handed it to Zhu Lanyuan. "You can come find us directly then."
"Okay. I will arrange a time for the New Year's Eve dinner with them… and set up the venue," Zhu Lanyuan said seriously as she took the note. She couldn't help but glance at Yu Yinan, then at the smiling Zheng Yi. When the two stood up, she quickly rose as well and saw them to the door.
Completely inscrutable.
But then again, as the top powerhouse of the apocalypse, how could she be so easily seen through? Zhu Lanyuan felt no desire to investigate further. She knew full well that at certain times, excessive curiosity and a desire to probe would only bring harm to oneself.
She sat dazedly in her room for a while, digesting the visit from Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan. Only then did she pull herself together, get up, and go out to find her teammates.
New Year's Eve dinner… Although Zheng Yi said she would provide everything, how could Zhu Lanyuan possibly prepare nothing, do nothing, and just show up with everyone and an open mouth, waiting to be fed by Zheng Yi? Most of those women were ordinary people with few contribution points, so she certainly couldn't let them worry about it. That being the case, she would definitely have to spend a large portion of her contribution points to purchase ingredients. As for her teammates… bringing them along for a New Year's Eve dinner and having them do some manual labor shouldn't be a problem, right?
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