"What? Impossible?!" Fang Yong pointed at the empty space in front of him in disbelief, "But... there's nothing here?!"
Lin Bing snorted coldly and turned over the iron plate. On the rusty plate were several large characters: [Zishui City Power Station].
Everyone was silent.
"But...how could this happen?" Fang Yong shook his head. "How could a power station just disappear?!"
"It's getting late," Song Shuye looked up at the sky worriedly, "We must find a place to stay as soon as possible."
It was almost dusk, and shadows spread from the horizon like a tide, gradually moving towards the crowd. In the pitch-black darkness, something seemed to be stirring, and from time to time there were a few rough roars. Several people moved closer to the jeep at the same time, like a flock of sheep being cornered by wolves.
Fang Yong whispered, "What should we do now? It's really getting dark."
Song Shuye's brows knitted together like a small mountain as he confirmed with Lin Bing once again, "Is the power station really here?"
"I can't be mistaken," Lin Bing said confidently. "There's only one power station in Zishui City, and it's right behind the residential complex."
And they couldn't explain why there was such a sudden large piece of flat land here.
Fang Yong looked at the desolate empty space and murmured, "If I had known earlier, I would have stayed in the residential area..."
?When the others heard this, they remained silent, and a heavy and depressing atmosphere filled the air.
Seeing that something was wrong, Song Shuye was about to speak to ease the atmosphere when he heard Eve suddenly say, "But...something's wrong."
"how?"
"Look here," Eve took two steps forward and suddenly squatted down, "the spaces here are relative."
She picked up a branch and drew a long vertical line with the place where her foot was standing as the dot.
Everyone was stunned, unable to understand her words. Fang Yong tentatively asked, "...What do you mean?"
Eve grabbed two handfuls of dirt from the left and right sides of the line and spread them out on her hands: "Here."
Everyone came over, and two piles of soil were piled in Eve's palms. It couldn't be said that they were exactly the same, but they were completely consistent.
Everyone: “…”
But...isn't the soil originally the same?
Eve seemed to anticipate the doubts in everyone's minds, smiled slightly, and dug the soil in her left hand.
"Ah," Shoufeng exclaimed softly, pointing at Eve's palm, "Ladybug."
——A seven-spotted ladybug, no bigger than a little fingernail, stumbled out from the reddish-brown soil. There were seven black spots neatly arranged on its back, three on the left and four on the right.
Lin Bing asked impatiently, "What on earth are you keeping in suspense?"
"Don't be impatient," Eve said softly, "Next is the right side."
She used her thumb to poke the pile of soil in her right hand, and a strange thing happened - a ladybug emerged from the pile of soil again.
"Two?" Fang Yong couldn't help but sigh, "What a coincidence!"
"...No, this isn't a coincidence!" Song Shuye realized the problem and his voice suddenly tightened. "Look at the spots on this bug!"
Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and discovered that the black spots on the back of the second ladybug were also distributed on both sides, but there were four on the left and three on the right - exactly the opposite position of the first ladybug.
"Not only that," Eve casually tossed the two seven-spotted ladybugs to Fang Yong and continued, "both piles of soil also contained a small piece of glass fragment, a small stone, and a small leaf."
She smiled slightly: "I don't need to say anything more, right?"
"You mean..." Song Shuye said slowly, "the scenery on these two sides corresponds to each other... they are mirror images?!"
"Yes," Eve nodded, tapping her toes on the line she'd drawn. "With this line as the center, the scenery on both sides is a copy-paste of each other. One explanation for this phenomenon," she paused, "is the barrier."
Everyone subconsciously repeated: "Boundary?"
"There are many kinds of barriers." Eve squatted down again, sprinkled the soil in her hand on the ground, picked up a branch and painted. Soon, a complex circular composition appeared on the ground, with many complex characters that no one could understand, like some ancient and mysterious pattern.
Eve threw the branch away and pointed at the barrier. "This barrier is supported by a magic circle. Although it's difficult to activate, once it's formed, it will become the most solid and unbreakable defense."
Fang Yong: "Then could it be..."
Eve stomped the magic circle to pieces and said lightly, "But what we're facing now is not of that type."
Everyone: "..."exm? ?
Eve seemed to find the crowd's speechless expressions amusing, her lips curling into a smile before she continued, "In a sense, a barrier is simply a separation of space from the existing one. The barrier artist must fill the vacant space with new space, and the simplest way to do that is to copy space."
Song Shuye gradually understood what was going on. "So, someone with supernatural powers hid the power station with a barrier, then used the surrounding environment to create a mirror image of it, covering it on top of the original power station?"
Eve clapped her hands twice: "Smart."
"Why do you do this?" Fang Yong wondered.
Lin Bing rolled her eyes at him and said, "Of course I protect myself."
In the apocalypse, the threat doesn't just come from zombies. Sometimes humans - their hungry, crazy, and desperate compatriots - pose a greater danger.
He then turned to Eve, his arms folded across his chest. "Even if we now understand the barrier is responsible for the power station's disappearance, what good is that? Will that psychic let us in?"
They have been wandering here for so long. If the psychic who created the barrier had been a little more alert, he/she would have noticed them - no, he/she might have discovered them long ago and was just hiding in the barrier, waiting for them to give up.
Eve's eyebrows raised into a questioning arc.
"Why is it useless?" She tilted her head and said, "Want to get in? It's actually very simple."
Song Shuye was surprised and said, "Do you have a solution?!"
"howl--!"
Before Eve could say anything, the third-level zombie who had been guarding beside her suddenly let out a rough roar, which seemed to be a warning.
At the same time, a dull sound suddenly came from the trash can on the left side of the crowd. Everyone vaguely saw a black shadow falling from the trash can, and then quickly turned over. A red light flashed in the darkness - it was a zombie.
Lin Bing's expression darkened: "They are gathering here."
Gradually, red dots began to gather around them. From a distance, they looked like ghost lights floating in a cemetery, flashing deadly lights.
Eve's second-level and third-level zombies began to move around them, roaring manically. Wherever they passed, some red dots retreated, but more of them gathered together like bees. In the end, they almost formed a burning field of fire.
Fang Yong's voice was trembling: "Eve... Eve... If you have any ideas, try them now!"
Eve: "Okay."
She took two steps forward, seemingly unconcerned about the red light so close to her. She stepped on the red line, her hands on her hips, and then, she sank her Qi into her Dantian.
"We've discovered your barrier," she shouted, as if speaking to an invisible person in the air. "Let us in, or I'll destroy it—you don't want to be eaten by zombies, do you?"
After shouting, he turned around and made an "OK" gesture to everyone: "Okay."
Everyone: stunned.jpg.
?Just...this?
That’s it???
"You...!" Lin Bing almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "Are you kidding me?!"
Eve:Cat is innocent.jpg.
"This? Is? Your good idea?!" Lin Bing said angrily, "Do you think we are all idiots..."
When he got excited, he subconsciously took a step forward. Just as he was about to step forward, a figure like a black shield stood in front of Eve. Qi lowered his head, and his winter-night eyes were filled with threats.
Lin Bing: “…”
"Lao Lin, calm down," Song Shuye held him back, "There's no point in arguing now."
Besides... Song Shuye glanced at Eve and sighed. She was only seventeen or eighteen years old and had little experience in the world. She might really think that this superficial threat would work.
But such methods have long been unacceptable in the adult world...
"Don't touch my barrier!"
In the darkness, a strange child's voice suddenly appeared.
Then, it was as if someone had cut a hole in the air - a short figure slowly emerged from the chaotic night, first the head, then the neck, body, limbs... After she stepped out of the gap with difficulty, a little girl about seven or eight years old stood in front of everyone, her small face full of vigilance.
All her attention was focused on Eve, who was in the lead, and she said in a firm voice, "I'll let you in, but don't destroy my barrier!"
——The girl was like a little hedgehog. Her whole body was shaking, but she was desperately raising her spikes to try to scare everyone away.
Everyone: Holy shit.
...it really came out? ?
Facing their surprised looks, Eve smiled, hooked a strand of hair with her fingers, and wrapped it around in circles.
"Why are you all standing there?" A soft voice flowed into the night like a serenade. "We've been invited, why aren't you going in?"
***
Seeing that no one moved, the little girl spoke again, "Are you guys coming in or not?"
As she said this, she held one end of the gap with one hand and cautiously hid half of her body in the void, as if as long as the zombies or the crowd made any suspicious movements, she would quickly close her shell like a clam.
Everyone came to their senses and hurriedly entered the gap. Eve walked at the end and collected the nuclear crystals of the second-level zombies and the third-level zombies.
When she stepped into the gap, the zombies hidden in the darkness also moved. They rushed towards the crack impatiently, their greedy teeth making clicking sounds, and the dense heads almost formed a gray ocean. But before the nearest wave touched Eve, the gap suddenly closed.
The figures of the group disappeared in the open space, as if they had never been there.
The space in the gap is amazing.
When Eve first stepped into the space, everything around her was hazy, and her vision was filled with large patches of fog, flowing around her body like milk.
But as she took two steps forward, the fog slowly dissipated from her side, and the chaotic and soft ground under her feet began to become solid. When Eve's eyes fully adjusted to the light, a lime-colored power station came into view.
Her team members were nearby, looking at the huge barrel-shaped building in front of them with amazement.
"...Is this the barrier?" Fang Yong couldn't help but ask.
A fog enveloped the entire power station, its outlines were covered by thick white, and its shadows were dim in everyone's sight. The most amazing thing was that the group of zombies were clearly just a few steps away, but they were like wild beasts that had lost their target, pacing back and forth in front of everyone in a daze, but no trace of them could be found.
The little girl stood at the entrance of the power station, staring at them coldly.
"It's all because of you," she said, not hiding her hostility at all. "My mother can't get in."
Everyone: “?”
Song Shuye asked, "You and your mother live here?"
But think about it, she is just a little girl. No matter how powerful her superpowers are, it is extremely difficult for her to survive alone in a zombie city.
The little girl opened her mouth, but seemed to think of something and quickly swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. She turned her eyes to Eve and said, "How did you discover my barrier?"
The little girl's face was filled with resentment. She didn't understand why Eve could easily break through her barrier - her mother had clearly said that her ability was the strongest, that even adults on horseback couldn't match it.
Eve shrugged: "It's just a barrier, I've seen a lot of them." After all, barrier masters are always a standard profession in the bounty team chasing her.
Upon hearing this, Fang Yong gently nudged her elbow and asked in a low voice, "Can you really break her barrier?"
Eve:smile.jpg.
When the little girl turned around, she lowered her voice and said briskly, "Of course not."
Fang Yong: “???”
"I just tricked her," Eve said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "After all, children are usually easier to fool."
"You are such a..." Fang Yong was speechless. He shook his head halfway when he thought of something else. "That's not right. How did you know it was a little girl who cast the barrier?"
"I saw her footprints in the open space," Eve said, nodding at the little girl. "There's only one, and it's not symmetrical."
Fang Yong was puzzled. What could this prove?
Eve sighed and explained in detail, "Two possibilities: If she simply walked through the open space, the footprints should be continuous. If the footprints were left before she copied them, they should be a symmetrical pair."
But now Eve saw only one footprint.
This is the only explanation? There is only one person who entered the barrier - the owner of the footprints, so the footprints disappeared midway.
"Combined with the size of the footprints and the force applied," Eve said slowly, "it's easy to determine the age and gender of the psychic."
Fang Yong murmured, "Eve... Actually, your last name is Holmes, right?"
"?" Eve looked at him strangely, "Who is that?" What a strange surname.
Fang Yong: "Wait?? You don't know Sherlock Holmes...?!"
"Okay," Song Shuye interrupted the two of them, "Go in first, don't stand outside like an idiot."
The little girl had already left everyone and entered the power station alone. Several people hurried to follow her. Song Shuye walked quickly to the little girl's side and said kindly, "Little girl, where is your mother?"
The little girl glanced at him. Although she was small, her eyes were quite imposing. She just stared at him but didn't say anything.
Lin Bing was unhappy: "What do you mean?"
"Why should I tell you?" she said harshly. "Mom said not to talk to strangers."
She was just like a hedgehog, with all her thorns standing up without any concealment, and her eyes were full of anger.
Everyone became more and more confused.
They didn't do anything, so why was the child so hostile to them?
But everyone needed to know about the power station, and the quickest way was to ask the little girl or her mother. Song Shuye could only patiently persuade her, "We have no ill intentions. Can we meet your mother?"
The girl snorted coldly, pushed him away, turned around and ran away.
Song Shuye: "Wait!"
He hurriedly tried to chase after him, but someone was faster than him.
"Seven, catch her," Eve said.
Almost at the moment she finished speaking, two shadow tails rose from Qi's shadow and quickly chased after the little girl's back.
The latter hurriedly stretched out his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air. For a moment, the white mist that everyone saw appeared around the little girl again, but it was only for a moment - the shadow tail rushed in like two black arrows, cutting through the barrier, and the white mist immediately turned into wisps of thin smoke and disappeared on the spot.
“…Let me go!!”
The little girl was tied tightly into a small dumpling by Qi's shadow tail and dragged in front of everyone.
Eve squatted down in front of her, poked the little girl's face, which was red with anger, and said with a smile, "Now I give you two choices."
"Answer our questions and I'll give you a nuclear crystal, or..." She calmly dodged a headbutt from the girl and said slowly, "Go hungry for a meal, and then answer our questions."
Yan Xiaoyan looked at the little girl and asked, "Which one do you choose?"
"Eve?" Song Shuye asked in surprise, "Isn't this necessary?" She is just a child.
Eve exclaimed, "Ah," and nodded seriously, "Yeah, maybe skipping one meal is too much. How about extending it to a whole day?"
Song Shuye: "..." He...that's not what he meant.
Fang Yong was speechless and said, "Miss, we are in a civilized society now. How can you bear to use corporal punishment on such a young child?"
Eve blinked.
"Is that so?" She seemed a little surprised. "In our place, only breaking a hand or more can be considered corporal punishment."
Everyone: “……?!”
Where did Eve live before? Was she on the same Earth as them?!
Eve seemed to see what everyone was thinking, and her smile faded slightly.
"You think she's just a child," she said calmly, "but I don't think so."
Although the girl is young, she is already able to release a barrier covering the entire power station. Judging from her actions just now, she seems to be very adept at using her supernatural powers.
To be fair, if she hadn't taken the initiative, if the girl had gotten the chance to escape, Eve wouldn't have been completely sure she could catch her again.
"Don't try to judge people by superficial appearances," she said, her voice cold. "That's just arrogance."
Arrogance is often one of the reasons for human failure.
Several people looked at each other, looking a little embarrassed. Song Shuye took two steps forward: "Sorry, I'm just too used to it..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw Eve's expression darken. She suddenly leaned forward, bent her knees, and pressed hard against the little girl.
The little girl was pinned under her and screamed in panic: "What are you doing?!"
"It seems you want to choose the second option," Eve said softly, "but let me advise you first, it's best not to try to be clever, otherwise you will be the only one who suffers."
The little girl raised her head and glared at something burning with anger.
Eve pursed her lips and smiled. She slowly lowered her head, and her thick red hair slid down her snow-white cheeks, like water plants floating on the bottom of the lake, entwining the little girl's limbs, making it impossible to escape.
Eve held her hand and exerted a little force, forcing the little girl to loosen her fist, and a few wisps of white mist floated out.
"Next time you do something tricky," Eve said softly, "Seven won't show mercy."
Qi cooperated by raising his shadow tail, aiming the sharp spikes at the little girl's face.
The little girl's chest rose and fell. She seemed to finally understand that Eve wasn't just threatening her. She lowered her head fearfully: "...Okay."
Eve asked, "So you agree to our deal?"
The little girl bit her lip and nodded reluctantly.
"Good girl," Eve said in the next second. A bright smile spread across her face, and she patted her face. "This is for you."
A sparkling ruby slipped from her fingertips and fell into the little girl's hand. She was stunned for a second: "Nuclear crystal?"
"It's a Level 2 zombie," Eve said, as if it were just a stone you'd find on the side of the road. "Take it and upgrade your abilities."
She asked Qi to let go of the little girl. The latter held the nuclear crystal and looked at Eve with half belief and half doubt: "...Thank you."
Perhaps the little girl herself didn't realize that her hostility towards everyone had subsided a little.
Eve's mouth curled into a satisfied arc and she squatted down in front of her.
"Now answer your sister's question."
***
Ten minutes later, in the staff lounge of the power station.
Everyone was squeezed onto a small sofa bed. Opposite them sat a little girl, her face alert as she curled up into a small ball on the chair.
"So..." Song Shuye said slowly, "You lasted two weeks alone at the power station?"
Huasha - The little girl nodded first, then quickly raised her chin: "But my mother will be back soon."
Everyone looked at each other, but no one said anything.
According to Huasha, because her mother was the gatekeeper of the power station, when the zombie tide broke out in Zishui City, the two of them immediately hid in the basement of the power station and luckily avoided the crazy zombies.
Lin Bing asked, "Are you the only survivors?"
Huasha nodded first, then shook her head.
"There were originally some of Mom's colleagues there," she said, "but one of them was bitten by a zombie, and he kept it a secret from everyone, and then..."
She hugged her arms convulsively and couldn't continue.
Everyone fell silent.
When the first zombie appears in the crowd, the virus will spread rapidly to the entire population like a swarm of locusts.
——It goes without saying that they should all have turned into zombies.
Huasha squeezed her eyes hard, even though the action made her eyes red like a rabbit's. "After they turned into zombies, they started biting people everywhere in the power station. My barrier can cut off the smell, so my mother and I have been hiding in the barrier."
She sighed, seeming to be both relieved and afraid: "They couldn't find us, so they left."
Huasha's mother was afraid that more zombies would accidentally enter the power station. After confirming that there were no zombies in the entire power station, she simply asked Huasha to hide the entire power station with a barrier.
"That's not right," Lin Bing frowned. "Since the power station is safe enough, why did your mother go out?"
About ten days ago, Huasha's mother left the power station.
"We don't have enough food for two people," Huasha's eyes lit up when she mentioned her mother, but then quickly darkened again. She whispered, "Mom said she was going out to find food."
But this time, he never came back.
Fang Yong couldn't help but ask: "Have you ever thought that maybe your mother has already..."
"She didn't!" Before he could finish, Huasha suddenly jumped up and said angrily, "Mom will definitely come back - she promised me!"
Fang Yong wanted to say something else, but Song Shuye patted him lightly and shook his head: "Forget it."
Song Shuye looked at Huasha: "What are you going to do next?"
"Of course I'll keep waiting for Mom!"
Everyone exchanged glances.
Regardless of whether Huasha's mother can come back, this is the most appropriate method at the moment.
They also have to look for Baishuichuan. Even though Huasha's ability is very strong, it is still extremely troublesome to carry a seven or eight-year-old child running among a pile of zombies. Besides, it seems that he is not willing to leave.
If Huasha continued to stay in the power station, without the threat of zombies, and the food left after her mother left would probably be enough for her to survive for a few more days - this would actually be the best option for her.
"I understand," Song Shuye nodded. "Don't worry, we'll leave tomorrow morning and won't cause you any trouble."
Huasha muttered something that sounded like "I've already caused trouble."
It was already late at this time. After everyone understood the situation, they asked Huasha where they could rest.
Huasha: "The main factory building is to the west of the power station. It's full of machines and boilers, so people can't live there. My mom and I usually stay in the dormitory building to the east. There are still a lot of rooms there, so you can use them as you please."
She was about to leave when she finished speaking, but then she remembered something and turned halfway: "But you absolutely cannot go up to the third floor!"
Fang Yong asked curiously, "Why?"
"Mom said no," Huasha said with a stern face, "Anyway, you can't go to the third floor."
Everyone blinked, somewhat confused.
"I know," Lin Bing said impatiently. He was exhausted after a long day of running around. He had no mood to argue with Hua Sha. He just wanted to lie on the bed. "Let's just stay on the first floor."
Huasha didn't seem to trust everyone, and her defensive eyes kept wandering around them until they walked towards the dormitory building. She suddenly changed direction and chased after them.
Eve deliberately said, "Weren't you going somewhere else just now?"
"I changed my mind. Let's go back to the dormitory now," Huasha said loudly. "Mom said we have to go to bed after nine o'clock!"
Everyone felt complicated when they heard this.
——No matter how powerful his superpowers are, Huasha is still a child. Even if he finds an excuse, he will subconsciously bring his mother along.
"Take a rest, take a rest," Fang Yong tried to smooth things over. "We can talk about it tomorrow if there's anything."
Everyone decided to separate the dormitories for boys and girls, but to avoid emergencies, they chose two adjacent rooms.
Eve raised her hand: "Can Qi share a dorm with me?"
Song Shuye was stunned: "Why?"
Eve: "I can't sleep without him."
Everyone: “???”
But Eve looked calm, and Song Shuye just thought it was just a couple's pampering. Besides, it was a little worrying for the two girls to be alone in a room. He looked at Shoufeng and said, "Are you okay with this?"
Shoufeng glanced at Qi, who was standing beside Eve like a shadow, and nodded silently.
"Let's go," Fang Yong said, his eyelids almost glued together due to sleepiness. "See you tomorrow morning!"
The three men walked along the corridor towards the dormitory. They lived in 203, and Eve and the other two lived in 204. The three of them went in one after another and found that the room was a dormitory for two people. There were two iron beds standing opposite each other, and there were few other furniture.
Eve looked around the room and casually sat on the inner bed: "I'll sleep here."
Shoufeng stood still and looked at Qi silently.
Eve answered for him: "Don't worry about him, you can sleep in the other bed."
Shoufeng did not refuse and walked silently towards her bed. Eve followed her, staring at the girl's thin back with interest.
Aren't sixteen and seventeen-year-olds supposed to be lively and active? But Shoufeng was almost the opposite of children her age—she was quiet and taciturn, like a clam wrapped in a hard shell.
But at the same time, she is one of the most reliable people in the team. Perhaps because she understands that her special abilities are not strong, Shoufeng is more cautious in her actions than Song Shuye and Lin Bing. Song Shuye has been in danger several times, but she has never failed.
Eve held a small piece of nuclear crystal between her fingers, stroking it thoughtfully, and suddenly said, "Shou Feng."
Shoufeng: “?”
As she turned around, a red parabola passed by her eyes. She subconsciously stretched out her hand, and a cold touch came along her skin. She opened her palm, and a sparkling nuclear crystal lay in her hand.
"Do you like it?" Eve asked. "This is for you."
Upon hearing this, Shoufeng looked up in surprise. Although this nuclear crystal was not large in size, its quality was extremely good, almost as good as the nuclear crystal of a third-level zombie.
Eve...? Just give it to her so easily?
She didn't understand what Eve meant and hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the nuclear crystal: "...Thank you."
Eve looked at her calm face and blinked in disappointment. Why was there still no reaction?
Forget it, she was too lazy to care about her. She kicked off her boots, turned over in bed, and lazily kicked Qi's arm with her foot: "Go close the door."
I don’t know who was the last one to come in, the door was still open.
Qi obediently walked towards the door, but just as his pale fingers pressed on the door handle, he suddenly stopped. His eyes, as cold as cedar trees, raised and slowly moved towards the ceiling.
Eve: "Seven?"
Qi rarely paid any attention to her, but instead made an incredible move.
——He raised his chin and took a deep breath, as if trying to identify the smell in the air.
Eve's eyes flashed. She sat up from the bed, picked up her boots from the ground, and asked slowly, "What's wrong?"
Shoufeng asked softly: "Did he smell anything..."
Eve made a warning gesture and whispered, "Silence."
Shoufeng quickly shut her mouth, and she stood up and slowly retreated to the corner. The tense muscles in her shoulders made her look like a nervous little wolf.
Eve walked quietly and silently to Qi's side and gently pressed his arm: "Is there something on it?"
“Bang!”
Just as she finished speaking, a dull knock suddenly sounded from above her head.
All three of them were stunned.
Eve raised her head, her emerald eyes looking calmly at the ceiling.
That's on the third floor.
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