Zhang Yun walked out of the apartment building alone, and was about to teleport back to the air-raid shelter when he suddenly stopped.
"come out."
A few seconds later, a figure completely wrapped in a cloak appeared in the corridor.
His appearance immediately filled the air with a burning smell.
Zhang Yun forcibly suppressed the urge to use his mind to explore the true face hidden under the cloak.
"Qi Heng?"
The figure paused, and after a moment, nodded.
He moved closer, bent down and placed a cloth bundle on the ground. In front of Zhang Yun, he untied the bundle with his gloved hands.
Inside the bundle was a small pile of zombie crystal cores.
"?"
Zhang Yun looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Qi Heng reached up and touched his chest, pulled out a photograph, and placed it on top of it.
The photo shows three people: a middle-aged woman sitting in a chair, with a man and a woman standing on either side of her. The man on the left is older, but his face has been cut out in the photo, and there are burn marks around it. The girl on the right looks about fifteen or sixteen years old, and is very young and pretty.
Zhang Yun had seen Qi Heng's mother and sister at the air-raid shelter base and immediately recognized the two women in the photo.
He said knowingly, "You're giving me this so you want me to take care of your mother and sister?"
Qi Heng nodded.
Zhang Yun chuckled, "Aren't you afraid I'll kidnap them and use them to threaten you?"
Qi Heng shook his head and wrote three words on the ground: "You won't."
Zhang Yun felt bewildered by the trust placed in him by a complete stranger, and he also had a question in his mind.
"Were you originally mute, or is your throat injured and unable to speak? Since you are of sound mind, why don't you go back to your family and take care of them yourself?"
This time, Qi Heng hesitated for a long time before taking action.
He slowly took off the hood from his head.
Upon seeing that horrifying, flesh-red face, burned and resembling a freshly peeled skin, even Zhang Yunhan, with her well-mannered demeanor, jumped up in fright, exclaiming, "Holy crap!"
He was even more terrifying than what Zhang Yun had sensed with his mind last night!
Qi Heng quickly pulled up his hood, hiding his face again.
Seeing that he still wanted to write on the ground, Zhang Yun simply took out a charged cell phone from his spatial storage and tossed it to him, saying, "Typing will be faster."
Qi Heng took the phone, took off his gloves, randomly opened a text editing interface, and typed on it with his thin, blood-red fingers, which looked like those of a dried mummy.
"I wasn't mute before. After I awakened my superpower, I became like this, unable to speak or see anything." Qi Heng handed the edited text to Zhang Yun.
"So how did you find your way here?"
Qi Heng typed: "I can't see, but I can 'perceive' everything within fifty meters around me."
"You are a mental power evolver!" Zhang Yun suddenly realized.
Seeing that Qi Heng did not react and seemed not to understand what he was saying, Zhang Yun patiently explained to him what evolved beings and superhumans were, as well as their classification by level.
"...So you don't need to worry about feeling inferior. You are a dual-ability user of evolution and awakening, the hope for humanity to resist zombies. You are not a monster, and you don't need to hide in a corner and be afraid to see people."
This time, Qi Heng remained silent for a long time before picking up his phone, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Really?"
“Of course it’s true!” Zhang Yun nodded.
"Thank you, but I still don't want them to know I've become like this," Qi Heng typed.
Zhang Yun nodded understandingly. "So what are your plans next? Would you like to join my base? I can give you a new identity."
Qi Heng was moved.
Unless he always wears a cloak and mask, he will be regarded as a more terrifying being than a zombie wherever he goes.
Only Zhang Yun, who knew his true appearance, was able to treat him like a normal person.
Moreover, after he escaped last night, he secretly went back to the base.
He didn't show himself to anyone, but hid in a dark corner, using his senses to quietly search for his mother and sister. Unexpectedly, he discovered that everyone was discussing the two new leaders of the base, Zhang Yun and Yang Shize.
He "saw" his mother and sister being settled as well as other women, and he also "saw" the corpses of those beasts and scum in the base.
When his worst fears came true, Qi Heng suddenly lost his sense of purpose and fell into confusion.
He didn't know what to do next.
"Your freedom won't be restricted. If you're willing to join, you'll receive the treatment you deserve. And if you have other ideas and want to leave the base later, you can leave directly," Zhang Yun added.
Qi Heng shook his head and typed on his phone.
"Help me choose a new name, Chief."
This really put Zhang Yun in a difficult position, as he has always been terrible at naming things.
Remembering Yang Shize's later awakening of powerful lightning-based abilities, earning him the title of "Thunder God," Zhang Yun tentatively asked, "How about you call yourself the Fire God?"
"..."
Qi Heng typed on his phone: "I am not worthy of this title."
"Whether someone is worthy or not depends on the individual. Besides, who says only the powerful are worthy of being called gods? There are some people who, though only mortals, can stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods."
Zhang Yun started persuading him to accept the name because he really didn't know what name to choose.
"Moreover, even if you are not now, you can take this as a direction to strive for. I think you have the potential, and one day you will become a true Vulcan!"
Qi Heng looked at him, deeply shocked.
Since becoming like this, his mentality has changed drastically. He is filled with inferiority and self-loathing. The only reason he is still alive is because he cares about his family.
After learning that his mother and sister were alright, he even considered ending his own life.
He couldn't bear the sight of his mother and sister being terrified when they saw his true appearance.
But this person told him that he had the potential to become a god and that he could make becoming a god his goal.
"In addition, once your mental strength is cultivated to an advanced level, you can communicate with others telepathically. Although you cannot speak, if you work hard to cultivate and improve your mental strength, you will still have the opportunity to communicate directly with others."
"The arrival of the apocalyptic crisis will also stimulate the rapid development of people's technology, with weapons and medicine making the fastest progress. Perhaps your appearance will also have a chance to be restored?"
Zhang Yun's every word was like opening windows in the tightly closed black room of Qi Heng's heart, letting in sunlight without reservation, leaving no blind spots.
Yes! How could he not have thought of that?
The thought that he even wanted to end his own life made Qi Heng suddenly realize how incredibly stupid he had been!
Qi Heng's heart pounded. He looked at the handsome man in front of him and, for some reason, recalled the scene he had just witnessed with his senses.
If Qi Heng were still a normal person, his face would definitely be red right now.
Zhang Yun had no idea that Yang Shize had spied on him while he and Yang Shize were doing their business; otherwise, his expression would not have been so calm and composed.
"Want to go back together?"
Qi Heng nodded, glanced at the phone, and reluctantly handed it back to him.
Zhang Yun smiled and pushed it back, saying, "It's yours."
After saying that, he took a charger from his storage space and gave it to him.
"There's electricity at the Yunze base too, you can use it all the time."
Qi Heng took the charger and carefully placed it close to his body, along with his phone, as if it were a precious treasure.
"This is for you too." Zhang Yun took out a combat suit from his spatial storage.
This is a protective combat suit made by Yunze Base itself. It is also the first combat suit at the beginning of the apocalypse. The combat suit can cover the whole body in close contact and has a combat helmet that does not affect vision.
The first-generation combat suits required putting them on, taking them off, and washing them.
By the late post-apocalyptic period, people had developed a seventeenth-generation combat suit that could be controlled by thought, covering the entire body. When they didn't want to wear it anymore, they could simply think of it and the suit would shrink back into a small accessory. It also had an automatic cleaning function, making it very convenient.
Qi Heng fell in love with the combat uniform at first sight. He typed "thank you" on his phone, took the uniform from him, and ran to the next room to change.
Wearing his combat uniform and cloak, he looked just like the evolved warriors at the Yunze base.
The only difference is that when they're not fighting, nobody likes to wear helmets.
Wearing his combat uniform, Qi Heng seemed much more confident, his back ramrod straight.
Back at the base with him, Zhang Yun introduced Qi Heng to Qin Dong and Ruan Yuling: "This is Vulcan, from our Yunze base. He is also an evolved dual-ability user and will assist us in our evacuation."
Upon hearing that another dual-ability user had arrived, everyone's gaze instantly changed, and they looked at Qi Heng with awe and respect, while at the same time having even greater confidence in the Yunze Base.
Anyone who comes here can be a dual-ability user; just how deep is the foundation of Yunze Base!
Qi Heng had never been treated like this before. When everyone looked at him, the feelings of inferiority and guilt returned, but Zhang Yun's words to him quickly came to mind—
Although you are not a god now, you can strive in that direction, and one day you will become a true god of fire.
His resolve was rekindled, and Qi Heng secretly vowed in his heart: That day will come.
Of course, the above describes his mental process.
In Qin Dong and the others' eyes, this was the kind of taciturn, aloof big shot who rarely paid attention to them.
Zhang Yun took out paper and pen and drew a map of the nearby underground water channels on the paper.
Qin Dong and the others were stunned when they saw the map.
The underground water channels here connect various parts of Mingzhu City, and the routes are intricate and complex. Even the old people who frequently go out from the base dare not say they know them by heart, yet Zhang Yun was able to draw a complete map of the entire route!
Only Qi Heng, who also possessed the ability to perceive, knew how Zhang Yun had done it. He also deduced that Zhang Yun's range of perception must far exceed his own.
“There are too many zombies in the Pearl City area. The safest evacuation route is underground. My plan is for everyone to go underground first and then come up to the surface here.”
Zhang Yun drew a circle around a sewer entrance on the east side of Jingu District.
Ruan Yuling said, "Nantang Street is a newly designated development zone by the government, which was planned to be developed into a commercial street. However, due to funding issues, construction has not started for two years and there are hardly any people here. This place is spacious and suitable for parking."
“That’s right. The Yunze base will send buses and trucks over in advance to wait here. We need to arrange for everyone to evacuate from the sewers in batches. I need you to confirm the number of people to be evacuated in each batch, the evacuation time, and the response plan for any emergencies.”
“Here,” Ruan Yuling pointed to a section of sewer on the map, “this section of sewer is the narrowest in Jingu District and the only way to Nantang Street. It is only three meters wide, and we can only arrange two teams to move at the same time. Moreover, there is the issue of personnel composition. Women, children, the elderly, and the wounded walk much slower than men. Moving at the same time will slow down the evacuation speed, lengthen the movement, and make it difficult to defend.”
"Let the elderly, the wounded and children evacuate first. Each person should be paired with an adult to help them get on the road. It doesn't matter if they are slow, but the group must not be disordered."
"Women evacuated in the first batch, while men stayed behind last."
Everyone agreed on this order.
Zhang Yun said, "I'll lead the way. Qin Dong will lead his men to defend the left side of the formation. Ruan Yuling, you'll lead your men to cover the rear."
“Yes!” Ruan Yuling and Qin Dong replied.
"Vulcan, seal off all sewer entrances along the evacuation route, except for the exit at Nantang Street."
Qi Heng nodded and turned to leave.
"If nothing unexpected happens, we should receive news from Yunze Base within three days at most."
The next step involves details such as how to evacuate in several batches, how to coordinate personnel, specify the time, and communicate with the public to ensure cooperation.
Three days later, Zhang Yun sensed Yang Shize's bracelet approaching and immediately teleported over to meet him.
"How are you...?"
Yang Shize hugged him tightly, kissing him so passionately that it was almost impossible to breathe.
It took them quite a while to separate. Zhang Yun, already used to her lover's sudden advances, caught her breath and continued, "...How are things going on your end?"
"Don't worry, I've arranged everything," Yang Shize said.
"Then I'll go and inform everyone to take action. You take some people to clear out the zombies at the exit of Nantang Street."
Yang Shize said, "When I came here, I had already sent Li Lin'an and the others to clean it up."
"Li Lin'an is here too? What about the personnel left behind at the Yunze base..."
"He Yang stayed at the base; he's already at level four."
Yang Shize understood his worries and smiled as he put his arm around his waist: "Don't worry, I won't risk our home."
"Mm." Zhang Yun nodded, slapping away his hand that was starting to slide down his waist: "Let's go back."
Yang Shize: qAq!
He took Yang Shize back to the air-raid shelter and instructed Ruan Yuling and the others to proceed according to plan.
After a few days of silence, the air-raid shelter became busy. The first group of people were ready. Qin Dong led his team ahead and set up a row at the edge of the underground passage. The people who were to be relocated would walk through the passage formed between them and the right wall.
Because Yang Shize refused to go back, Zhang Yun asked him and Qi Heng to clear the way ahead, while he and Ruan Yuling were responsible for bringing up the rear.
The first group of people to leave numbered one thousand. Half of them were sick people in urgent need of medical treatment, including the elderly and children. The other half were young adults, each of whom was accompanied by someone who needed care.
This process will take a long time. Sewers are not suitable for large groups of people to walk through, and half of them are elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. The slow pace is incredibly frustrating.
With over a thousand people moving around, the commotion was considerable. Even though they tried to keep their voices down, the zombies, with their keen hearing, noticed the commotion underground.
Zhang Yun had stopped using his mental perception because a large number of zombies on the street above were gathering as they moved. The sheer number of tens of thousands of zombies moving together was overwhelming; anyone who wasn't deaf could hear the rumbling footsteps above.
Panic began to spread among the crowd.
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