Chapter 111 Xiao Meng, you wouldn't have fallen for him...

A girl with short hair and bangs sitting not far from Shan Ran chimed in: "Boss Zhan, don't worry, even if the tires break, I still have plenty in my storage space."

Zhan Wenyuan turned around, put her hands on her hips, and scolded her sternly: "Xiaodie, this idea is very unacceptable now, you must correct it! Even if we have stored a lot of things, we don't know what will happen in the future, we must take precautions, save where we can, and never replace things until the last minute, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Xiao Die stood up abruptly, making an awkward salute. "I will obey Boss Zhan's orders!"

"You..." Zhan Wenyuan pretended to pinch Xiaodie's waist.

Xiaodie begged for mercy repeatedly, and the two started playfully fighting.

Shan Ran felt somewhat dazed; everything before her eyes seemed unreal.

The fear and unease I felt when facing the apocalypse happened only a little over half a month ago, but it felt like a very long time ago.

Perhaps because it was so tough, time seemed to pass very slowly.

Fortunately, everyone is now able to face it calmly and even find joy in hardship, preventing life from becoming completely bleak.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Everyone, hurry up and pack up, let's go down and see what's going on."

A boy sitting a few rows ahead stood up.

He wasn't tall, and before the apocalypse he weighed nearly 300 pounds, sickly obese. After this period of training, not only did his metal-based superpowers improve significantly, but he also lost a lot of weight.

But the base number is too large, so he is still a little chubby.

His surname is Tao, and everyone usually calls him Little Fatty Tao.

The car was reserved for Xiaodie, who had stored her supernatural abilities, and Lao Dong, the driver, who had no supernatural abilities. Since neither of them had much combat ability, one of the supernatural beings stayed behind to protect them, and everyone else got off the car.

Shanran followed her down, holding a fire axe in her hand, cautiously surveying her surroundings.

It is dusk now, the orange-red setting sun is slowly sinking, dividing the horizon into clear light above and shadow below.

In the evening light, you can see a whole row of road spikes stretching across the road ahead, completely covering it from left to right, leaving no way for any passing vehicle to avoid them.

It's clearly man-made.

This is a village path with houses very close together on both sides. There is a wall along the road, and after entering through the gate is a courtyard, and further in is the main house.

There were no lights inside, and the whole village exuded an air of decay and ruin. The setting sun, like bloodstains, spilled onto the road and spread into the houses, as if entering an unseen but dangerous maw.

Shan Ran had a vague sense of unease.

However, the roads here are too narrow, making it difficult for buses to turn around. The nearest road is also a long way away, which wastes a lot of time.

So they divided into groups: some stood guard on the roadside, while others cleared away the road nails.

Shan Ran stood on the outer perimeter, holding an axe, staring intently at the wall in front of him.

The wall is not high, and you can see the roofs of the houses inside the yard. There are a few holes in the wall, and it looks very new, probably because the damage happened recently.

Shan Ran squinted, and then, in the increasingly dim light, peered through the hole to discern the structure of the courtyard.

This is a very ordinary rural house. The gate of the courtyard faces the main house, and the door of the house is tightly closed.

Suddenly, an eye appeared at the hole, staring intently at Shan Ran.

The pupils of these eyes were dark and deep, which startled Shan Ran when they first appeared. But what was even more frightening was that the black area of ​​the pupils was significantly larger than that of ordinary people, making them look extremely eerie.

Being stared at by such eyes felt like being caught in the hunting range of some terrifying beast.

"Be careful..." Shan Ran was about to warn her companions, but before she could finish speaking, several "whoosh" sounds suddenly came from the air.

Before she could even see what it was, her body instinctively collapsed to the ground.

Some people heard Shan Ran's warning and reacted in time. The senses of those with superpowers were enhanced, and several of them also noticed the abnormality.

However, some people still didn't react in time. By the time Shan Ran looked over, a sharp arrow had already pierced through the person's throat.

That was their teacher who had stumbled and struggled alongside them all the way. He had awakened a plant-based superpower, which wasn't very aggressive, and he usually helped a lot as a support.

Only this one teacher was left to go back with them.

The teacher lay on the ground, his mouth opening with difficulty, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Shanran could only guess what he was saying from his lip movements.

"Survive..."

Before there was time to grieve, another wave of arrows came, this time even more intense than before.

The road was too narrow, with no shelter and walls on both sides, trapping everyone like turtles in a jar.

Shan Ran was close to the bus, so she rolled directly under the vehicle, skimming the ground.

The people in the car also noticed something was wrong. Xiaodie took out several Simmons mattresses from her spatial storage, and Lingling, a power-type ability user next to her, threw the mattresses forward, causing them to hit the crowd.

They quickly lifted the mattress and held it in front of them, temporarily halting the arrow's attack.

At the same time, several exclamations came from inside the walls on both sides.

"Ouch! What bit me?"

"Snake! There's a snake!"

"Oh my god, something is stinging me! It hurts!"

After a moment of chaos in the courtyard, shouts of killing erupted.

The gate burst open from the inside with a loud bang, and a group of people carrying weapons rushed towards Shan Ran and the others, shouting.

The venom of the black snake Gano paralyzes the nerves and is not directly fatal.

However, the jellyfish that Zhan Wenyuan was stung by are highly venomous, and being stung by one will quickly lead to death.

The poisoning of their companions ignited the ferocity of these men, who lunged forward with ferocious expressions, eager to slaughter the passing flock of easy prey.

Shan Ran hid under the car. When she saw someone passing by, she swung her axe and swung it fiercely forward.

A howl rang out, and three people immediately fell to the ground in front of the car. Shan Ran had just swung his sword with great force, and they had been running very fast. One of their lower legs was seriously injured, and they were unable to stand up at all.

"You son of a bitch! I'll chop you up!"

"Quick, someone come here! There's a woman here! Grab her!"

Only then did the group notice that there was a person lying under the car.

The shouts attracted several people. After crouching down to see where Shanran was, they half-crawled in, trying to grab her ankles.

Shan Ran kicked and shoved, but managed not to be caught, and even kicked up dust and sand, covering the group in dust.

She wasn't feeling well either; her eyes were uncomfortable, and she couldn't stop coughing.

However, at this moment, the enemy outnumbered us, and in the chaos, as long as she made a move, she would definitely be able to hurt someone.

However, if the other party attacks when they cannot see clearly, they may injure their own people.

As Shan Ran was swinging his axe, he suddenly felt it stop, as if it had struck something hard and gotten stuck in a gap, and he couldn't pull it out for a moment.

Only then did she belatedly realize that what had just splattered on her face was warm blood.

She slashed a person's carotid artery.

The man let out a scream and then quickly fell silent.

The large amount of blood caused the group to completely lose their minds. They no longer cared about capturing her alive and instead brandished knives, axes, and clubs at her, intending to take her life immediately.

Unable to pull out his axe in time, Shan Ran could only quickly withdraw his hand, grab a handful of sand, and throw it at the face of the person to the side.

The people on this side slowed their movements, but the weapons held by the people on the other side were already close at hand.

"Senior!"

She vaguely heard Gano calling her name outside.

There were too many people over there, and he couldn't get away to come over right away.

Shan Ran gritted her teeth, preparing to charge towards the people whose eyes were covered in sand, determined to drag a few people down with her even if it meant getting stabbed. Even if they died, she figured they could all die together!

Just as she lunged forward, a sudden gust of wind came, and several people in front of her fell to the ground for some unknown reason, clutching their heads and howling in pain.

Just as Shanran was at a loss, someone outside called out, "Xiao Meng, you're so fast! We're here!"

Fighting and screams came from behind.

Shan Ran looked back and saw that the people who had just been preparing to kill her on the other side had all been dragged out and were quickly killed by various supernatural abilities and weapons.

Shan Ran finally had time to rub her eyes. There was too much dust in the air, making it hard to see clearly, but the feeling of surviving a disaster was wonderful, and her heart was still pounding wildly.

My eyes felt like they were covered by a thin mist, making it hard to see clearly and causing me great discomfort.

"Hey, stop rubbing, it's filthy."

A man's voice came from behind. Shan Ran turned around and saw a blue-haired man squatting outside, tilting his head to look at her.

Her eyes were red and sore from rubbing, and Shan Ran couldn't help but blink frantically. She heard the man outside chuckle softly, and then a stream of water washed over her face and eyes.

It is a water-based superpower, the same as Long Zheming's, but with more water and greater power.

The man had a strong grasp of the water system and quickly cleaned Shan Ran's face and eyes.

"Can you see it now? Stop rubbing it, come out."

He offered his hand, gesturing for Shanran to rest her hand on it.

Looking at it, Shan Ran saw that the hand had distinct knuckles, as if it had never experienced the apocalypse; it was fair and clean.

There are a few shallow, inconspicuous scars on it, and thin calluses on the fingers and the area between the thumb and forefinger.

Water-type ability users have skin that is much better than that of ordinary people; Long Zheming's skin is very good.

But she still can't compare to the man she's with now.

Shan Ran placed her hand on it. In comparison, her hand was very rough, yellow, and cracked, as if she hadn't washed it properly in a long time, and there was dirt under her fingernails.

After getting on board, they brought a handful of black mud with them.

After Shan Ran emerged from the man's grip, she noticed him frown.

She didn't care at all. Others who could stay clean were impressive, and the fact that she managed to stay alive without losing any limbs was also her skill.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You're a good person!" she said sincerely, clapping her hands to brush off some dust, then turned and ran towards her classmates and teachers.

Meng Xin watched the girl's retreating figure, chuckled softly, said nothing, and silently used her water-based supernatural abilities to clean her hands that had just gotten dirty.

Fortunately, he awakened a water-based superpower in the apocalypse; otherwise, given his obsessive-compulsive disorder, he would have suffered terribly every day.

"Are you alright?" Shan Ran rushed to her companions' side to check on their condition.

The group had been on guard ever since they got off the bus, but they still lost a teacher and several others were injured.

Xiao Bei, the healer in the team, first healed herself, and then came over to treat her injured companions.

He is one of only two dual-elemental ability users in the team. His other ability is petrification. He has been using his ability repeatedly and is now almost out of energy.

Seeing that Xiao Bei was not in good condition, the group quickly told him to rest and not to rush to treat his injuries.

The man who saved Shan Ran walked over and turned to look at the group of people with him. "Liu Liu, go and treat them."

He was blocked by the car and Zhan Wenyuan didn't see him. Coupled with her wariness of strangers, even though they had just helped her, she couldn't completely trust this group of people.

and.....

Zhan Wenyuan glanced at the hammer in the man's hand, which was still stained with blood and hair with bits of flesh stuck to it after hitting his head.

It looks a bit creepy.

The main problem is that it doesn't match the man's fair and handsome appearance; the contrast is too great. It's like the kind of doctor in horror movies you used to watch, who has a gentle smile on the surface but is actually holding a scalpel in his hand behind his back, ready to plunge it into the throat at any moment.

"Thank you for your help. You've already gone to a lot of trouble. We can handle the rest ourselves."

Seeing that the other party was on guard, Meng Xin shrugged indifferently and turned to walk away.

The people who attacked them were the remaining villagers of this village, most of whom were contaminated from consuming too many crystal cores.

Before being completely polluted, humans can still maintain their rationality, but their emotions will unconsciously amplify.

Anger, bloodlust, greed, malice...

In particular, negative emotions can gradually control people, causing them to become increasingly monstrous in their behavior and actions.

Only then did Shan Ran and the others realize that the monster's body contained a crystal core, which could help enhance their superpowers after being consumed.

The forum receives so much information every day that they log in very little each time, thus missing out on a lot of important news and even being unaware of information related to crystal cores.

Some members of the group were injured and were not in good condition. It was getting dark and not suitable to continue traveling, so the group found an empty house nearby and decided to make do with it for a while.

The team that rescued them didn't continue their journey; instead, they rested next door.

There's no difference in room allocation anymore; it's safest to have everyone squeeze into one room.

Gano sat down next to Shanran and examined her hands by the faint moonlight streaming through the window.

"Senior, are you alright? Are you in pain?"

She swung the hammer too hard, and Shanran's hand split open. She had been fighting under the car, her hands and knees bleeding from scraping against the ground, along with some unavoidable knife wounds.

In addition to these new wounds, there were also many old wounds that had just healed, piled up together, making them look quite gruesome.

She had a knife scar on her forehead and a cut on her chin.

Shan Ran didn't care. In this world, appearance doesn't matter at all; just being alive is enough.

She was an ordinary person, not as physically strong as those with superpowers, but she kept gritting her teeth and persevering, striving to improve and never letting the team down.

Shan Ran looked at her hand, moved it around a bit, and smiled: "It's nothing serious, the bleeding has stopped. I'll have Xiao Bei treat it in a bit, and it will heal quickly."

Xiao Bei's ability bar recovers very slowly. It's a pity there are no monsters nearby, otherwise killing a few monsters and taking their crystal cores would help recover his ability bar.

While waiting for Xiao Bei to recover, Zhan Wenyuan and Shan Ran went to deliver some food to the team living next door.

Although I was a little afraid of them, they had saved my life, so I definitely had to formally thank them.

I knocked on the door, and the soothing Liu Liu opened it.

He looked young, didn't talk much, and was rather shy. Zhan Wenyuan thought he didn't look as intimidating as the tall, blue-haired man from before.

Zhan Wenyuan was about to leave after putting down her things, but Liu Liu still welcomed them inside.

All four members of the team were included.

This team is small, but all of them are superhumans, and their superhuman abilities are quite high.

"Huh? Why are the student team members here?" someone sitting next to Meng Xinye teased.

Liu Liu: "The team leader came over to bring us some food to thank us for our help."

Meng Xin also looked over.

Zhan Wenyuan was a little flustered. As the team leader, she was still wary of these people, but they had indeed helped her just now. She was conflicted and didn't know how to start the conversation.

Previously, they were ordinary students in the ivory tower, oblivious to the world outside. But after the world changed drastically, they fought against monsters and villains on their escape route. They also encountered terrifying guys who seemed kind on the surface but were actually ruthless. Bearing the life and death of the entire team, Zhan Wenyuan dared not be careless now.

Seeing Zhan Wenyuan's embarrassment, Meng Xin nodded, her face expressionless, and said in a clear, cool voice, "We accept the gift. Please leave now, no need to see us out."

His personality and his superpowers are very similar. On the surface, he seems as gentle and harmless as a stream, but in reality, he harbors whirlpools and his depths are unfathomable.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him a few more times, and then prepared to leave.

Shanran also thanked them and looked into the man's eyes.

The man's face already showed the characteristics of a water-based superpower user: blue hair and azure eyes, like a crystal-clear sea of ​​glass under the sunlight.

But when those blue eyes stared at her, there was a strange hint of inquiry in them.

Shan Ran smiled and bowed to express her gratitude.

They hadn't taken two steps after turning around when they heard a sound from behind.

"Wait a moment."

Zhan Wenyuan's body trembled, and the hairs on her body stood on end; she almost assumed a fighting stance.

She was starting to regret it, because Long Zheming's powers had been severely depleted, and the others were also seriously injured, so Shan Ran was going to accompany her instead.

If a real fight breaks out, without her water-based abilities, her jellyfish won't survive long in the air!

Shan Ran took her hand and gave her a reassuring look.

Then Shan Ran turned to look at Meng Xinye, still smiling, but the smile seemed a little forced.

Is there anything else?

Meng Xin also rested her chin on her hand and pointed at Liu Liu next to her with her chin, "You still have injuries, let him heal you before you go back."

Zhan Wenyuan was taken aback for a moment, then, adhering to the principle of not accepting favors without merit, she waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, how could I trouble you again and again? It's too much of a burden."

Meng Xin raised an eyebrow, said nothing, stared intently at Shan Ran, and suddenly laughed.

This smile sent chills down Zhan Wenyuan's spine even further.

Seeing that she was about to explode, the man sitting next to Meng Xinye chuckled.

He clutched his stomach, looking like he was laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

When he finally finished laughing, he patted Meng Xinye on the shoulder and said, "Hey Meng, stop scaring them."

Then he turned to look at the two trembling people over there.

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Meng is just like that, he doesn't mean any harm, he just likes to tease people sometimes. You don't need to be afraid of us either, we're going to District 3 to find my cousin, he's joined a small base there."

I was Xiao Meng's senior in elementary school. We met after the apocalypse. He didn't have any plans, so I just asked him to come along.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Shunzi. I'm a free-storage ability user. Here, have two loaves of bread, as a return gift."

She tossed two vacuum-packed bread rolls over, which Zhan Wenyuan caught.

Hearing his clear explanation and explicit disclosure of his special abilities, Zhan Wenyuan's wariness lessened considerably.

While Shunzi was speaking, Meng Xinye's gaze remained fixed on Shanran.

Shan Ran noticed it too, looked back, and felt a little strange, so she could only respond with an awkward but polite smile.

Then, Liu Liu had the two of them sit on a long bench and began to treat their wounds one by one.

Liu Liu's ability level is higher than Xiao Bei's, so her healing speed is much faster.

When it was over, both of them felt refreshed.

He not only treated the wounds from the recent fight, but also helped clear away some lingering diarrhea that hadn't fully healed.

Zhan Wenyuan's face showed a joyful expression, and she was finally able to put her mind at ease.

I've never seen anyone completely heal someone before making a move; isn't that just redundant?

She smiled a little embarrassedly: "I can't help it, I've seen all sorts of awful people lately, it's a bit unbelievable to suddenly meet such kind people like you. I'm sorry. I really, really don't know what to do with your help. Well then, I'll go get some more things."

As she spoke, she turned around and pulled Shanran outside.

Shunzi laughed heartily from behind and teased, "What if you still don't believe us and run away with a pretty girl and never come back?"

"Pretty young lady?" Meng Xin glanced at him and repeated the title.

"Yeah, don't let her greasy hair, rough, sallow skin, and disfigured face fool you. She's actually got a great foundation; with proper care, she could grow into a stunning beauty. And did you notice her eyes? Stubborn, resilient—she's quite an interesting girl. It's a shame she doesn't have any special abilities. Tsk tsk, if no one protects her, who knows how far she'll go in this world. You know how many people these days are more savage than wild beasts..."

"No, why are you looking at me like that? What did I say?"

Noticing that Meng Xinye's expression was a little off, Shunzi asked in surprise, "Xiao Meng, you haven't fallen for a girl, have you? Hey, that's really strange. I've never seen you get close to any girls since elementary school. I used to think..."

Meng Xin also glanced over coldly, and Shunzi quickly stopped talking.

"Wait a minute, this is the first time we've met, why are you already interested? This isn't like you, are you possessed?"

As he was saying this, he reached out to check Meng Xinye's forehead temperature, but was slapped away by the other party.

While they were joking around, Zhan Wenyuan came over again with Shan Ran, bringing some more supplies.

Before they left, Shunzi called them back.