Chapter 11
The dead silence in the garage was broken by Zhao Jun's heavy, strangled breathing. He collapsed on his cot, his face pale and his eyes unfocused. All his calculations, his concealment, his confidence, had been shattered by the ghostly snatch of his gun and the terror of being completely seen through. He looked at Chen Mengzhou no longer as a powerful comrade or an adversary to be wary of, but as an incomprehensible, unconquerable monster.
Chen Mengzhou ignored his near-collapse. She closed her eyes and concentrated, channeling the newly absorbed chaotic energy from the turbulent space-time currents within her body. Though violent, this energy was of extremely high purity, and was now being greedily assimilated and absorbed by her spatial ability.
She could clearly feel her spatial perception nearly doubled, becoming more refined. The sluggishness and apparent exhaustion she'd previously felt had lessened considerably, as if her meridians had been widened and strengthened. More importantly, she had developed a vague, almost instinctive understanding of "time-space turbulence." While she was still far from mastering it, it was no longer a completely unknown terror.
[Spatial ability strength increased to Lv. 2, spatial perception range expanded, energy utilization efficiency increased by 15%. Temporal ability (predictive branch) accuracy slightly increased. Analysis of the "Spacetime Turbulence" structure (primary level) completed, basic resistance gained (weak).] The system's notification tone was cold and precise.
My abilities have been upgraded. I've also gained a slight resistance to space-time turbulence. This is undoubtedly a huge gain.
But Chen Mengzhou didn't relax. Improving strength was certainly important, but in the apocalypse, information was sometimes more valuable than force. She needed to verify, to match the fragments of her future dreams, the system's prompts, with the harsh reality.
She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the knife placed on the toolbox, then swept over the two daggers thrown by Zhao Jun on the ground - an ordinary folding knife and a poisoned dagger with a strange blue blade.
Finally, her gaze returned to Zhao Jun, whose face looked as pale as death.
"Zhao Jun." She spoke in a steady voice, with no emotion in her voice, but it made the latter tremble violently and almost jump up from the bed.
"Miss Shen...Ms. Shen..." His voice was dry and trembling. He subconsciously put his legs together and sat up straight, like a prisoner awaiting trial.
"Tell me everything you know about the monsters out there, and...this crystal." Chen Mengzhou pulled out the energy crystal he had obtained from the bone spider, which shone with a faint blue light, from his pocket and toyed with it between his fingers. "Don't leave anything out, and don't try to test my patience with lies. You should know the consequences."
She didn't point the gun at him, didn't even look at him, but that knowing pressure was more intimidating than any weapon.
Zhao Jun's Adam's apple rolled violently, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He knew this was his last bit of value. If he continued to lie or conceal anything, this woman would definitely get rid of him without hesitation.
"I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you everything!" He almost rushed to answer, speaking at a rapid pace. "Those monsters... we call them 'Erosion Corpses'. They're corpses mutated by something unknown. They're strong, insensitive to pain, and their weakest point is probably their heads. But some can mutate, like the bone-spur monster we just encountered. We call them 'Bone Spiders'. They're faster and can attack from a distance, making them even more dangerous..."
He took a breath and continued, "As for that crystal... we call it the 'Erosion Core'. It seems that it only has a chance of appearing in the bodies of mutated Erosion Skeletons. What exactly it is used for... we're still figuring it out, but it seems... holding it will make your strength recover a little faster? It's not quite obvious... Also, places with Erosion Cores seem to be more likely to attract other powerful Erosion Skeletons... So many people don't dare to keep them for long. They either throw them away or..."
His eyes flickered, and he secretly glanced at Chen Mengzhou's expression before whispering, "...or find a way to sell it to the people at the 'Gathering House' in exchange for some food or medicine."
"Jisuo?" Chen Mengzhou caught this new word.
"Well... it's in the abandoned logistics center to the west. A group of people occupied it and set up a small exchange point, calling themselves 'Ji Suo'. They seem to know the use of pitting cores and have been collecting them, but the price is very low, and that place... is a mixed bag, it's very chaotic." Zhao Jun explained, his tone full of fear for that place.
The information was essentially correct. The erosion core was equivalent to a crystallization of energy, capable of absorption and strengthening. It was also the prototype, or primitive form, of future "contribution points." The existence of the "gathering place" indicated that the embryonic form of human society was reconsolidating in the most brutal way possible.
Chen Mengzhou weighed the Blue Corrosion Core in his hand and suddenly asked, "That 'defective item' you got earlier, was it also exchanged from the Jisuo?"
Zhao Jun's whole body stiffened, his face turned pale as paper, and his pupils dilated with extreme fear.
She even knows this?! She really knows everything!
"Yes... yes..." His teeth chattered, and he could barely utter a complete sentence. "I used... used two erosion cores, plus... plus a bunch of supplies, to finally... finally get one... They said it was a good thing that could strengthen the body... but the effect was very poor... and afterwards, my whole body ached for several days..."
As expected. The Institute wasn't just collecting erosion cores; it was also attempting to manufacture or resell so-called "enhancement potions," albeit inferior products with minimal or even harmful effects. There was probably a lot of water behind this.
Chen Mengzhou stopped asking questions and put the Eclipse Core away. She had already received enough information.
She walked to the toolbox, picked up the pistol, checked it, and then, to Zhao Jun's surprise, threw the gun back to him.
Zhao Jun hurriedly caught the gun and looked at her in shock, completely not understanding what this meant.
"Keep it for self-defense." Chen Mengzhou said calmly, "Your life is still useful to me now. You are familiar with the terrain, know the gathering place, and have some hidden abilities. You can be considered a good guide and...source of information."
Her words were blunt and cruel, telling him clearly that his value lay in being exploited, not collaborating.
"But remember," she glanced at the two daggers on the ground, "this is the last time. If I catch you hiding something next time, or if you have other intentions, you will bear the consequences."
Zhao Jun gripped the pistol, feeling the cold metal unable to dispel the chill in his heart. He fully understood his situation—a useful tool whose life and death were completely controlled by others.
"I dare not... I will never dare to do it again..." He lowered his head, his voice hoarse. All his luck and calculations were completely crushed, leaving only fear and a trace of humble relief.
Chen Mengzhou stopped looking at him and walked back to the corner to sit down. She needed to rest, to fully recover her mental strength, and also to… try to enter that "future dream" again.
Having already gathered a considerable amount of information about the present, she needed to see if this had altered the future in subtle ways. In her future dreams, would that "gathering place" develop into a place of order, or would it be lost in the turbulence of time and space?
She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep. The upgraded powers within her body seemed to make the process easier.
In the dim garage, there were only two people left, one sitting and one lying.
Zhao Jun tightly gripped the pistol, but he did not feel safe at all. From time to time, he glanced at the figure who was resting with his eyes closed in fear, as if a thorn in his back was on his side.
And Chen Mengzhou's consciousness had once again sunk into the bizarre fragments of the future...
What will she see this time?
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