PSW - Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Everything went very smoothly, even better than Ling Xunyun had imagined.
During this time, because Zheng Yi had provided the meteor powder, the Director of the Dawn Research Institute and a group of researchers worked day and night. They eagerly conducted two rounds of experiments with the awakening agent. By the time Ling Xunyun felt it was right for Zheng Yi to perform her water dragon display, they had even successfully developed the newest, most stable awakening agent. They could even roll out the agent, allowing people to exchange contribution points for it, while also mentioning Zheng Yi's contribution, giving everyone in Changping a deeper understanding of her.
This would clearly help Zheng Yi gain the public's recognition and reverence.
On this day, the Changping base leaders announced via broadcast that at two in the afternoon, they would hold a large assembly in the base's central plaza. All residents of Changping could attend. At this assembly, the two base leaders would address some of the rumors that had been circulating within the Changping base in recent days.
"Recently, many rumors have spread within our Changping base. Some ability users have even argued over them, leading to minor conflicts. All of you are a part of Changping, a vital force for humanity in resisting the apocalypse... After careful consideration, we have decided to formally clarify those rumors here."
"The water dragon phenomenon on the roof of the residential building that day was caused by a distinguished guest from Humanity's Light Shelter in Pujie. She possesses a powerful ability, which she used to create that phenomenon and help us in Changping store water to better withstand the coming heatwave disaster. She wished to remain low-key, but unfortunately, many people saw it, which led to unnecessary rumors and even caused disputes among some of our compatriots in the base. This is a situation that neither she nor we wished to see. So today, we will introduce this powerful ability user to all of you!"
"The guardian deity from Pujie's Humanity's Light, the most powerful ability user, the pinnacle of human strength—the 'Saint,' Zheng Yi!"
In a flash, scorching flames erupted with a bang, forming the four dazzling characters for "'Saint' Zheng Yi" and displaying them near the two base leaders.
...But who was Zheng Yi? Would this ability user appear?
A considerable stir went through the crowd below. They looked left and right, searching around, seemingly wanting to see what Zheng Yi looked like. Some ability users, however, wore dismissive expressions, thinking the base leadership was exaggerating. The pinnacle of human strength? Who decided that? Just hearing such titles was cringeworthy.
Just as their minds were wandering and filled with speculation, an indescribable, ineffable feeling suddenly appeared out of thin air. It felt as if it pierced their very souls, making them instinctively tremble and submit. It made them shudder from the depths of their being, unable to muster the slightest resistance. This silent pressure crushed down in an instant, mercilessly enveloping everyone present. Their hearts seemed to stop for a moment, their minds went blank and felt swollen, and they could instinctively feel the slow flow of blood in their own veins. This bizarre sensation lasted for less than a second.
The next instant, everyone felt the relief of a drowning person finally breaking the surface, gasping for air after being suffocated for a long time. The noisy scene fell silent in that moment. All they could hear was the rapid beating of their own hearts, their own deep gasps for breath, and the reactions of others, as if their hearing had become a thousand times more acute...
"Whoosh!"
Dense water vapor filled every corner of the Changping plaza. The eyes of those still under the influence of the pressure were vacant, their faces wearing identical expressions of shock and stupor. More importantly, they discovered with alarm that the two base leaders at the center were also frozen in the same shock.
Streams of water gathered, converging frantically. In just an instant, they intertwined, as if pulled upward by an invisible force. Under the clear sky that reflected the azure heavens, they abruptly began to spin and rise, coalescing into a larger, more unpredictable, and frenzied existence... a waterspout, on flat ground.
It had nothing to do with the weather, nothing to do with any hidden changes underground. On this calm afternoon, under a clear sky and on level ground, a frenzied mist of water vapor spread, and a waterspout formed from thin air in just a few seconds. It appeared dangerous and uncontrollable but was actually stable as it materialized in the center of the plaza. People reacted, instinctively backing away and avoiding it. Some ability users with self-defense skills even reflexively put up defenses and resisted, afraid of being sucked up and torn to shreds by the waterspout.
Just as the scene was about to descend into chaos and people were on the verge of being overwhelmed by fear, a high-pitched dragon's roar seemed to come from the heavens. At the height where the waterspout met the sky, above the pale, hazy clouds, a water dragon—crystal clear and refracting various colors in the sunlight—suddenly appeared and dove down. Its entire body was composed of flowing water, or rather, it was flowing water itself. Yet its transparent draconic eyes were so majestic. Whether it was its whiskers, its scales, the natural rise and fall of its massive body, or the faint draconic aura it exuded, everything made people feel that this was a true dragon of water!
Everyone stood frozen on the spot, their hearts pounding. They forgot to breathe, dared not breathe.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the towering waterspout and the water dragon that was about to dive down and devour everything vanished without a trace in an instant. Only a woman with black hair and black eyes landed gracefully. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips, but her black eyes were bottomless pits, making it impossible and intimidating to try and discern her true emotions. She gave an elegant bow, as if she had just completed a simple performance.
At this moment, most people still hadn't recovered from the shock. They dazedly sensed the moist air, and while dazed, they instinctively dared not meet this person's gaze, dared not look directly into her eyes. After a long while, they heard a rapid drumming sound, only to realize after a moment that it was their own frantic heartbeats.
"She is a traveler of the apocalypse. Since the end of the world began, she has journeyed through many cities, helped countless compatriots, and cleansed innumerable sins of the apocalypse. She has come to our Changping today to help our base develop better. With her help, we will also carry out various collaborations with Humanity's Light Shelter in the future. Even before today, we have already reaped the rewards: the awakening agent that turns ordinary people into ability users has achieved unprecedented success! The success rate of the agent has been raised to 55%, and even in case of failure, the chance of zombification has been reduced to 30%. And the one who provided us with the materials was none other than the 'Saint,' Zheng Yi!"
"Let us remember the contributions of this powerful ability user and thank her for the help she has given to the Changping base.
"The darkness will eventually pass, and the dawn will always come!"
After the stunning performance, Ling Xunyun was the first to react. Seeing that Lou Chen hadn't yet, she discreetly nudged him. Lou Chen's face flushed red, but it wasn't from embarrassment; it was more like excitement. Veins bulged on his neck as he, filled with extreme excitement, loudly announced the information they had planned beforehand. His emotions were fully stirred up, and he passionately added his own embellishments. At the end, he even shouted an unplanned exclamation, almost like an oath.
The dawn will always come.
The "Saint," Zheng Yi.
This title and name were almost instinctively branded directly into the hearts of everyone present. Trembling, terror, awe, fear, yearning, admiration, worship, recognition, hope... A complex mix of emotions, seared with the image of the waterspout rising from the ground, the massive water dragon descending from the sky, and those black eyes they dared not look into, left them unable to recover for a long time.
"Everyone, please form an orderly line to receive a bowl of hot soup containing the Saint's blessing, as well as this journal chronicling their journey since the apocalypse began." Another high-ranking base official channeled their ability, imbuing their voice with a mental influence to stabilize and soothe the crowd's emotions while guiding them on what to do next.
It was only then that they suddenly realized that the woman known as the Saint, Zheng Yi, had quietly departed at some point, along with the two base leaders.
Was this all a dream? It must be, right? It was truly, truly too unrealistic, too illusory... They thought to themselves, processing their various emotions as they formed an orderly line.
The white, hot soup looked like milk but gave off an alluring meaty aroma that tantalized their taste buds. As the ladle stirred the large pot, they could clearly see various spices, pork bones, beef bones, and some shredded meat. They instinctively began to salivate. After receiving the hot soup, they hastily blew on it before eagerly pouring it down their throats. While the heat made them grimace, they also felt a distinct warm current flow from their stomachs into their limbs, soothing their internal organs. Their accumulated fatigue was washed away, their tense nerves relaxed, and every inch of their bodies seemed to have received the Saint's blessing.
And at that moment, when the journals chronicling the Saint's journey were placed in their hands, they eagerly began to read through them, yet their movements were extremely careful and meticulous, as if afraid of causing any damage.
"Everything went smoothly." Yu Yinan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling genuinely happy and proud for Zheng Yi. The light in her eyes was exceptionally bright. "I hope the stories I wrote won't disappoint them."
It was filled with the sincere emotions of a devout believer, filled with a fervent heart for her lover.
Zheng Yi held her hand and said softly, "You wrote it very well."
Ling Xunyun and Lou Chen had only just calmed down from their inexplicable excitement. Ling Xunyun's gaze lingered for a moment on their clasped hands before she quickly looked away. After composing herself, she said, "I... we didn't expect you to be this powerful." It wasn't just the creation of a lifelike water dragon; the massive waterspout that seemed to connect to the sky had completely shattered their perception of the upper limits of a water-type ability user.
The might of that moment was comparable to a natural disaster. Ling Xunyun couldn't even be sure whether Zheng Yi's waterspout was more destructive or if the tornadoes she had seen ravaging other cities were more terrifying.
"Well, now you can imagine it," Zheng Yi said nonchalantly, a smile already on her lips. When Ling Xunyun and the others didn't know how to respond, Zheng Yi's expression quickly became much more animated. She chuckled. "Does a me like this give you a greater sense of security?"
"...I suppose so." Besides a sense of security, the feeling of danger, of something uncontrollable and irresistible, had also grown. Ling Xunyun took a deep breath. She clearly felt it wouldn't be right to say this to Zheng Yi, but it was also a normal reaction.
When faced with a being far more powerful than they could imagine, such feelings were perfectly normal.
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