Tao Rui quickly took off his raincoat and hugged the two elderly people tightly.
"Grandpa and grandma, I'm back. I was so worried something might happen to you. From now on, I will always be by your side and protect you."
"Xiao Rui, Xiao Rui..." Xie Qiulan touched Tao Rui's face while crying, then looked at Tao Yuanfeng, who hugged Tao Rui tightly. "It's really Xiao Rui. Thank God, I finally got what I've been waiting for. I wouldn't regret it even if I died right now."
Tao Rui patted her back and said with a smile: "Grandma, what are you talking about? I'm here, how could anything happen to you? From now on, our family will be safe and sound."
Xie Qiulan nodded continuously, crying with joy, choking with sobs and unable to speak. She could only hold Tao Rui and truly feel that her grandson had returned and was still alive and well, not eaten by those monsters.
Tao Yuanfeng always believed in shedding blood rather than tears, but at this moment, he was so moved that he shed two lines of tears. He patted Tao Rui's shoulder and said, "Good! Good boy! Good boy!"
Tao Rui waited until they calmed down before helping them sit on the sofa and introducing them to each other.
"Grandpa and grandma, this is my girlfriend, Ji Yingying, whom you have seen on TV."
Ji Yingying called out sweetly, "Grandpa and Grandma."
"Oh, it's Yingying. Okay, come over and sit down. You must be tired from the journey. It's so far. I heard the highway is congested." Xie Qiulan pulled Ji Yingying to sit next to her. She liked her more and more and a smile appeared on her face.
Ji Yingying was a little embarrassed. "Actually, I'm not tired. It's Brother Rui who's doing the work. That's why he's working hard."
Tao Rui greeted Xia Lin and her son and said, "Grandpa and grandma, these are my friends, Xia Lin and her son Zhou Yangyang. They are both very good people."
Xia Lin greeted them a little stiffly, "Grandpa Tao, Grandma Tao, sorry to bother you." Ji Yingying and the Tao family were considered a family, and now only they and their mother were outsiders, and they had never contributed anything, so they couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Zhou Yangyang didn't have as many thoughts as her. He looked at the adults and asked in a troubled voice, "Uncle, they are your grandparents. What should I call them?"
Tao Rui was stunned. He had never thought of this before. But Xia Lin was quick to react and said, "Just call them great-grandfather and great-grandmother."
"Oh. Great-grandfather, great-grandmother!" The clear homophonic sound immediately made Tao Yuanfeng and Xie Qiulan feel cute. They immediately smiled and pulled Zhou Yangyang over to take a closer look.
"This child is so sensible and polite. Charlene taught him well."
"It's good that the young man is not afraid of strangers."
While they were talking, Tao Rui had already taken out several mobile phones, turned on the flashlights and placed them around, lighting up the living room.
Xie Qiulan saw this and quickly stood up to stop him: "No, no, if someone sees us, they'll cause trouble."
"It's okay." Tao Rui waved his hand, and a pile of blackout curtains suddenly appeared on the ground. He had taken down the curtains in the villa.
"Just block the light. This is my ability, the ability of space." Tao Rui went to the kitchen and got a few more bowls, then took out the hot porridge from the space. "Grandpa and grandma, you must be hungry, right? Have some millet porridge first. It's good for digestion and nourishes the stomach."
Tao Yuanfeng and Xie Qiulan's eyes widened as they looked at these things that appeared out of thin air. They excitedly pulled Tao Rui to their side and asked, "Is it the same as those people with special abilities? So, Xiao Rui, have you become more powerful now?"
Ji Yingying said with a smile as she served them porridge, "Brother Rui is amazing. He killed all the zombies along the way. His space is also very large. Grandpa and grandma, you guys eat, I will tell you about it."
The two elders were curious about how their grandson came back, and if Ji Yingying was willing to tell them, that would be great. While they were talking, Tao Rui quickly hung up the blackout curtains.
He realized from the two elders' nervousness that they had not been safe these days and must have encountered something. When he opened the door just now, there was a pile of furniture at the door, and it was obvious that they were afraid of someone breaking in.
He must practice as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too troublesome if he encounters bad people.
So he didn't talk to the two elders after dinner. The two elders were afraid that he was too tired after a day's journey, so they urged him to go to bed. Tao Rui took the opportunity to let everyone rest.
Although the journey seemed smooth, a full day in the car, with occasional walking, was still quite tiring. Before long, several people fell asleep. Tao Rui quietly stood up and sat on the floor to practice, seizing every moment to improve his strength.
When he practiced, he used crystal cores to set up a spirit gathering array around him to absorb more spiritual energy.
The reason why the psychics here can enhance their abilities by absorbing crystal core energy is because the crystal cores contain spiritual energy. Just like the spiritual stones in the cultivation world, some high-quality jade also contains spiritual energy, but it's just unknown to everyone. Once he has gathered the mission targets, he can find jade with spiritual energy to help everyone cultivate.
Both crystal cores and jade are graded. The more powerful the zombie, the stronger the spiritual power of its crystal core. Similarly, the more precious the jade, the stronger its spiritual power.
Tao Rui is still in the entry-level stage now, and absorbing ordinary crystal cores is enough.
With the help of the spirit gathering array that night, Tao Rui's practice was very effective, but practice is not something that can be done overnight. Early the next morning, Tao Rui started exercising in the living room to enhance his physical fitness.
After getting up, several people came to see him. Tao Yuanfeng put his hands behind his back and said, "How many push-ups have you done? In the past, asking you to exercise was like asking your life to die. You didn't want to move at all."
Tao Rui stood up and said with a smile: "I did fifty, but I can't do too much, so I'll do it step by step."
He wiped his sweat with a towel, stood in front of them and said, "Isn't this a different world? The stronger the physical strength, the better. Not only do I need to exercise, you all should too. I've written a fitness plan for you, and you should follow it every day from now on."
After Tao Rui finished speaking, he raised his hand and there were a few more pieces of paper in his hand. They were what he had just written in the morning and he distributed them to a few people.
Ji Yingying's training is similar to Xia Lin's, which is some muscle-building training, with more exercises on the limbs. Only when the arms are strong can one kill zombies, and only when the legs are strong can one run fast.
Children cannot just do some physical exercises, such as skipping rope, running, sit-ups, etc.
The two elders have the lowest level of fitness. They are both in their seventies and currently mainly do stretching and Tai Chi to relax their muscles.
He hasn't found a good opportunity for them to practice together, so training is the most important thing for the time being.
While they were looking at their exercise schedule, he set out a breakfast table with hand-pulled pancakes, steamed buns, porridge, one meat dish, and one vegetable dish. He wanted them to eat their fill and leave.
Although the two elders had heard Ji Yingying talk about the magic of space, they were still amazed when they saw him "produce" so many hot foods with ease.
After tasting the dish, Xie Qiulan couldn't help but ask, "Did you really make this? You've never learned to cook before."
Tao Rui shrugged. "When you work hard in a big city, you gradually learn everything. I used to watch my grandma cook, and then I learned from watching videos online."
Xia Lin said ashamedly, "Dr. Tao is so talented. Maybe he's just smart and learns things quickly. I've been cooking for ten years, but I can't compare to Dr. Tao."
Xie Qiulan looked at Tao Rui lovingly and said, "I've been cooking all my life, but I can't compare to Xiao Rui. Xiao Rui was smart even when he was in school."
Several people sat around the dining table, eating hot meals while talking and laughing. It was a rare warm moment in the end times.
But warm moments are always short-lived. Just as they finished eating, there was a knock on the door.
"Open the door, you old fool! I saw you go to someone else's house to get cookies. Hand them over, or don't blame me for being rude!"
Xie Qiulan immediately grabbed Tao Yuanfeng's sleeve. Tao Yuanfeng frowned and explained in a low voice, "The house in Room 604 was overrun by zombies. Yesterday, I wandered to the other side of the corridor, so I went to their house to look for food. There wasn't much, just a few packets of biscuits and a small bag of noodles. But when I came back, a kid from the eighth floor came downstairs and saw me. If the zombies hadn't been there, he would have come to ask for it yesterday."
Tao Rui stood up with a crowbar in his hand.
Seeing this, Xie Qiulan said nervously, "Xiao Rui, that guy is tall and strong, you can't beat him, don't open the door. There are still zombies outside, he won't dare to stay for long, and will leave soon."
Tao Rui held her hand and comforted her, "Grandma, it's okay. I'm very good at fighting now, and he can't hurt me. We'll be leaving soon, and if he attracts a lot of zombies, it will be a big problem for us. Go pack your things and take out everything you want to take. I'll put it in the space."
He winked at Ji Yingying, wanting her to pull the two elders into the bedroom, but the two elders refused to go in no matter what. Instead, one of them stood on both sides of the door with a kitchen knife, apparently to protect Tao Rui.
No matter how Tao Rui said he had become stronger, in their impression he was still that grandson who was only good at studying but had no physical strength.
Seeing this, Tao Rui quickly opened the door, pressed the crowbar across the man's neck and pushed him against the opposite wall!
Tao Yuanfeng and Xie Qiulan were startled and hurried out to look around. They were relieved to see that the man had no help and held the kitchen knife vigilantly.
Tao Rui had already seen from the map that there was only one person outside. He pressed the man's neck and punched him in the stomach. He asked coldly, "Who are you calling an old immortal? I won't give you anything. How can you be so rude?"
The man suffocated, grabbed the crowbar with both hands and struggled hard, his face flushed, "Let me go..."
Tao Rui let go of him and took a step back, swung the crowbar and hit him on the shoulder, then swung it again and hit him directly on the hand, then took out a fruit knife and put it against the artery in his neck.
"I'm asking you, how do you want to be rude?"
Tao Rui's movements were so fast that the man was held to the knife before he could react. He said in a cold sweat, "You, you are Tao Rui? It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I just wanted to ask for a bite to eat. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Tao Rui didn't want to get entangled with him. Seeing that he was scared, he threw him to the ground and said coldly: "Get out! If I see you again, it won't be so easy."
"Yes, yes, I won't dare to do that anymore."
The man crawled up the stairs, and the two elders were still a little slow to react. Tao Rui pulled them into the house, and they looked at Tao Rui with surprise.
Tao Rui was just thinking about whether to explain something when Xie Qiulan hugged him and choked up, saying, "My child, you've suffered a lot out there. How much suffering did you have to endure to become like this?"
Ji Yingying nodded and said, "We encountered bad guys before. If it weren't for Brother Rui's alertness, we might have lost our lives."
The two elders felt even more distressed after hearing this, and pulled Tao Rui aside to talk about his concern. In the end, it was only when Tao Rui asked to leave that they calmed down and quickly packed up their things.
Tao Rui also had a mission target named Fan Qi, a gold-type superpower whose abilities advanced rapidly. In the original script, the group from the small supermarket rushed to the safe base and encountered Fan Qi within a few days of their journey.
Before the end of the world, Fan Qi was the president of an entertainment company, and the boss of Ji Yingying and Liang Yurou.
Seeing that the president's supernatural powers were so strong, Liang Yurou naturally wanted to hook up with him. She even felt that she had spiritual springs and space, and was a perfect match for Fan Qi.
Fan Qi, having seen so many celebrity-crammed women, hated women like her and wouldn't even look at him. Liang Yurou, driven by love and hatred, was determined to destroy him if she couldn't have him, forcing the original owner to find a solution. In the end, the original owner sowed discord among several psychics and ultimately killed Fan Qi.
In order to find the two elders, Tao Rui deviated from his original route, so now he has to cleverly return to that route and meet Fan Qi.
Otherwise, if Fan Qi was still harmed by Liang Yurou, he would be in trouble.
Besides, the community has no water or electricity, and there are other hungry people eyeing us. It’s not comfortable to live here, so the sooner you leave, the better.
Tao Yuanfeng and Xie Qiulan had never thought about moving out, so they had no idea where to start packing their things. They were also a little hesitant, so they discussed things quietly in the room.
Tao Rui went over and knocked on the door: "Grandpa and grandma, are you okay? Actually, you can take everything with you. There's still a lot of empty space in the space. You can just throw away anything you don't want later. You just need to pick out the things you're used to."
Xie Qiulan opened the door, looked at him hesitantly, touched his face and said, "Xiao Rui, your grandfather and I have discussed it, and we will not go with you. You can take Yingying and Xia Lin to the base."
Ji Yingying was startled and hurried over to say, "Grandma, why are you doing this? Don't worry, we will protect you."
Xie Qiulan smiled bitterly and said, "We just don't want your protection. Look, we're both seventy years old and don't have many years left to live. Why should we burden you any further?"
She looked at Tao Rui again, "Xiao Rui, we are satisfied to see you again. Knowing that you are fine and still so powerful even with the space, we are relieved. You can go with peace of mind, and don't worry about us."
Of course, elderly people who love their children would think so. As for seventy-year-old people, they always feel that they are a burden.
Tao Rui didn't try to reason with them and just said, "If you guys don't leave, I won't leave either. I'll stay here with you."
Tao Yuanfeng frowned, "Stop messing around!"
Tao Rui leaned against the door and spread his hands. "We live because we have hope. If we abandon our loved ones to live on our own, what's the point of living? Anyway, you don't need to say anything. I'll be wherever you are. If you don't come with me, then I'll stay."
"You, you kid, Yingying, go and persuade him. You are still young, you should go to the safe base. We two old people have lived enough in this life, why are we still running around? We might be eaten by zombies again, it's better to stay here." Xie Qiulan was a little anxious and pulled Ji Yingying to Tao Rui's side.
Ji Yingying glanced at Tao Rui's expression, held Xie Qiulan's hand and said, "Brother Rui is right. Grandma, if you don't leave, then I will stay with Brother Rui. Let's all stay here."
Zhou Yangyang raised her hand and shouted, "I want to stay too, I want to stay too. I want to follow Uncle Tao. Uncle Tao hasn't trained me yet."
The two elders exchanged a glance, unable to outmaneuver Tao Rui, so Tao Yuanfeng said, "Alright, let's go together. But, Xiao Rui, remember, no matter what, you can't get hurt trying to save us. Otherwise, it would be worse than letting us die. Do you agree?"
"No problem." Tao Rui agreed without any pressure. If he couldn't protect them, then there was no point in his life.
It was easy after they reached a consensus. The two elders picked out some daily items and packed a suitcase. Tao Rui quickly put the rest of the items and the cabinets into the space. They took away all the items they could, leaving only some useless furniture and withered potted plants.
Tao Rui then had them all don raincoats, fully armored. The raincoats he'd picked up at the supermarket were just thick plastic and not very sturdy. He lamented, "It's a shame I didn't see those extra thick black ones; those are safer. Our weapons aren't very good either. We'll have to find something like a long, thin knife to kill zombies."
Xie Qiulan said, "I know where I can buy raincoats. It's just two blocks away, but I don't know if there are many zombies over there."
Tao Yuanfeng thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "I have an old friend who likes to collect knives. How about... going to him and buying a few? I don't know if he's willing to sell them. Even if he isn't, I can ask him where to buy those knives. I've seen them before. There are scimitars, long knives, and those wider ones. I don't even know what they're called..."
Tao Rui calculated the time and decided to go take a look. Weapons were paramount. He could currently kill zombies with a crowbar, mainly thanks to its rebound function. But none of them were very strong. Using ordinary repair tools would require multiple hits to kill a zombie, which was too dangerous. A kitchen knife or dagger was even more dangerous. A long knife would be best.
After they left the house, the two elders took a last look at the house where they had lived for more than 20 years and locked the door.
Tao Rui walked in front, Xia Lin and Ji Yingying each supported an elderly person, fearing that they would accidentally fall, and Zhou Yangyang walked in the middle of them.
This time, the two elders saw how quickly and efficiently Tao Rui killed the zombies, and their anxiety subsided a lot. When Tao Rui "conjured" an off-road vehicle out of thin air, they felt even more confident. Seeing their grandson have such skills, they felt safe.
Many people in the community saw them, and some opened windows and started shouting.
Tao Rui ignored such people. He drove his car, knocked over a few zombies and left quickly.
Regardless of who they are, if they have the energy to shout, they might as well find a way to escape or collect supplies. If they don't dare, they should beg for help with an attitude of begging. Shouting is fine for them upstairs, but Tao Rui and the others are downstairs. If the zombies come, they will go to them first. Isn't this harming them?
Tao Rui told everyone these words while driving. Tao Yuanfeng, sitting in the passenger seat, said, "You don't have to explain this. We're having trouble protecting ourselves, so how can we possibly save others?"
Tao Rui shook his head. "Even if you can protect yourself, I won't save you like this. I'm telling you this so you can adapt as quickly as possible. It's the end of the world, and being soft-hearted is like gambling. None of us can afford to gamble. I hope we can reach the base safely. And I hope you can all think it through and not feel uncomfortable because you can't understand it."
Honestly, even if we rescue people who are afraid to leave their homes, it's useless because we can't support them forever. I heard there will be a search and rescue team, so if they want to wait, they can wait for the search and rescue team."
Xie Qiulan squeezed in with Ji Yingying and the others in the back seat, patting Ji Yingying and Xia Lin's hands. "Xiao Rui is right. I've seen everything at my age. I can figure this out. Don't get stuck on this. It's more important to find a way to survive. There are still many things we will encounter on the road. The most terrifying thing in troubled times is not monsters, but the human heart."
Ji Yingying and Xia Lin both nodded. In fact, they all agreed with Tao Rui's point of view because they almost lost their lives.
It's not just fate. Facing a powerful psychic, it's not certain what these two beautiful women will face. Besides, they are not strong enough and have no energy to think about anything else. The most important thing is to take care of themselves first.
Tao Rui felt a little relieved when everyone in the car agreed. He followed Xie Qiulan's directions and found a shop. On the commercial street, there were an estimated 40 to 50 zombies on the street. There were five or six hanging around in front of that shop alone. They all looked over at the sound of the car's engine.
Tao Rui found an empty space to park the car. "Yingying, go for a walk and come back to pick me up."
"Okay!" Ji Yingying cooperated with him tacitly. She got out of the car, got into the driver's seat and drove out.
The two elders were startled. They leaned over the window to look back and said anxiously, "Can Xiao Rui go alone? There are so many zombies."
"Don't worry, Brother Rui runs fast. As long as we come back safely to pick him up, it's fine." Ji Yingying was also scared. She was scared every time Tao Rui ran out like this, but she could only drive carefully now.
Upon hearing this, Tao Yuanfeng immediately showed her the way. "The path ahead turns right, and you'll be back there in no time. It's faster than turning around."
There is a row of railings in the middle of the road, and you have to drive to the intersection to turn around, but the small road is equivalent to circling the building, so it is very close and there are not many zombies on the road.
Ji Yingying immediately turned and drove according to Tao Yuanfeng's instructions.
Tao Rui entered the store and saw that the clerk had turned into a zombie and was trapped behind the cash register and couldn't get out. There were also two zombies in the store.
He ignored them and waved away all the raincoats, rain boots, umbrellas and several rolls of tarpaulin in the store. The store was small and there was nothing else in it. Seeing that the car had not arrived yet, he glanced left and right and saw a jewelry store. He immediately rushed in and swept away all the jade inside.
After collecting the jade, the car arrived. Tao Rui jumped in and Tao Yuanfeng showed him the way to his friend who collected knives.
Xie Qiulan asked in confusion, "Xiao Rui, how did you get out of that jewelry store? Did you get the raincoat?"
"I got it." Tao Rui took out a raincoat and showed it to them. "It's this kind. Thick, covers from head to toe, and doesn't break easily."
After saying this, he took out a handful of jade jewelry and said, "I found that good jade has energy fluctuations, which are better than crystal cores. I'll try it out. If it really works, my supernatural powers will be enhanced."
Zhou Yangyang asked in surprise, "Uncle, how is it after you upgraded your powers? Did the space become bigger?"
Tao Rui laughed, "I don't know yet. I'll find out after I upgrade."
He picked up the jade necklace in his hand and suddenly thought that although it would take time for them to practice, he could carve a defensive array on the necklace for them to wear.
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