Chapter 33 Riot

Xia Yi was somewhat worried as he approached Shenchi's room. The door opened, and a chill rushed out. Shenchi emerged from the bathroom, seemingly enveloped in cold air.

Xia Yi exclaimed, "Ah," and instinctively glanced at the bathroom, noticing thick ice covering its walls!

Xia Yi was stunned and turned to look at Shenchi, his eyes full of questions.

Shenchi frowned. He had fallen asleep while taking a bath and woke up to this. Moreover, he didn't know how to make the released ice disappear quickly.

Xia Yi slowly widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Shenchi, did you awaken your ability?"

"Yes." Shenchi pressed his thumb against his slightly aching temples, a physiological reaction to overusing his ability. He asked, "Why wouldn't the medical team leader let you go when I called for you earlier?"

Xia Yi's expression became complicated. "It seems he discovered that I can tell who is infected with the C1S9 flu virus."

This time it was Shenchi's turn to be surprised. He knew Xia Yi would evolve to have a clairvoyant ability after the apocalypse and that he was skilled in researching crystal cores. However, he hadn't expected Xia Yi could also identify whether humans were infected with the virus.

With this ability alone, Xia Yi would be highly sought after in various bases during the apocalypse. Yet, there were no rumors about him during that time, indicating he was well-protected.

Shenchi asked, "When did you realize this?"

Xia Yi replied, "While rescuing survivors, I accidentally saw a strange glow on one survivor's body, most prominent around their shoulders. I realized something was wrong and used my ability on a zombie. It turned out the glow matched the zombies'. Several other ability users also had glows, but they were different."

Shenchi asked, "How were they different?"

Xia Yi explained, "The colors differed. I confirmed this through several ability users I encountered. The zombies' color is hard to describe but looks uncomfortable; I temporarily named it 'zombie gray.' Zombie gray only occupies the main parts of the zombies and flows unidirectionally and slowly. Ability users' glows, however, are vibrant, like blood circulating throughout their bodies, forming a cycle."

"Of course, the 'cyclic' nature needs further verification."

"If zombies have zombie gray, what about ability users?" Shenchi narrowed his eyes slightly. "What color do I have?"

"The colors vary among ability users. So far, I've encountered few types, so I can't draw conclusions. For example, mine is blue-green, and the sniper Chen Ying's is also blue-green. Mr. Cao's is red, and the metal ability user's is gold. As for you..." Xia Yi looked at Shenchi, his eyes gradually losing focus, and a beautiful blue-green light began to gather between his brows.

Shenchi didn't see this; he just stared into Xia Yi's eyes, watching his expression fade and become vacant. He even felt a gentle pull.

Realizing something was amiss, Shenchi stopped staring and began to speculate about Xia Yi's ability.

After a moment, Xia Yi's pupils trembled and returned to normal. He smiled, "Sky blue, yours is sky blue, a very light shade, cool yet calming, like an endless sky or vast universe... a very soothing color."

Shenchi pondered for a moment and said, "Don't let anyone else know about this. Otherwise, you'll be in danger."

Xia Yi fell silent, knowing that revealing this would give him the power to determine life and death, putting himself in grave danger.

Shenchi took out a Level 2 crystal core from his backpack and gave it to Xia Yi.

Xia Yi was taken aback and waved his hand, saying it wasn't necessary. He knew this was a valuable item coveted by many, and he felt guilty accepting it. Besides, he already had some.

Shenchi looked at the blue crystal core in Xia Yi's hand and asked, "Did you kill it?"

Xia Yi awkwardly explained, "No, it was Li Ziwén, the camouflage-clad special forces soldier we rescued. His cousin was a patient of mine last year, undergoing surgery for 'compound pregnancy with ectopic rupture.' He was also severely injured internally and gave me this as thanks."

He tried to refuse, but the soldier had slipped it into his pocket.

"If someone gives it to you, it's yours." Shenchi didn't take back the crystal core and closed the door.

That evening, the mayor's secretary personally came to Huayuan New Mansion to invite Cao Kun to dine at 'Golden Splendor,' but Cao Kun declined, citing fatigue.

In the following days, people kept knocking on the door—those seeking allegiance, favors, information, or trading supplies. There was even a young girl who knocked on the wrong door, mistaking it for another.

Initially, Cao Kun thought it was his own door being knocked on, but upon opening it, he saw the girl clinging to the person who had opened the opposite door, her legs wrapped around their waist.

Xia Yi, feeling lucky, was startled and didn't know where to put his hands. Cao Kun leaned against the door, laughing uncontrollably.

Xia Yi tried to explain that she had the wrong person but had to pinch her pressure point and run away.

Half an hour later, the door rang again, this time at Cao Kun's place. Cao Kun immediately created a two-meter-high wall of fire at the door. The half-wet man outside, wearing a loose white shirt and whimpering, was startled and ran off.

Subsequent visitors hesitated and eventually left dejectedly.

The next morning, as soon as the door opened, Xia Yi kept glancing at Cao Kun. They had heard every sound from the night before, especially the soft male voice, which gave Xia Yi goosebumps despite being a zero.

Shenchi didn't feel much about it, having seen all sorts of transactions during the apocalypse. He was merely curious about who had visited the night before.

On the day the country announced the establishment of the guild, it explicitly forbade military and guild members from forming cliques. As a fire ability user, Cao Kun was a top priority for surveillance. Why were so many people suddenly showing up?

The three first went to the neighborhood quarantine station for a check-up before heading to the West Gate together. Due to traffic restrictions, they arrived almost simultaneously.

The Northern survivors were ultimately settled at the Seventeenth Middle School near the West Gate, equipped with dormitories, cafeterias, water purifiers, and other facilities, making it an ideal temporary shelter.

Upon arrival, a large truck was distributing food and supplies, with dozens of soldiers maintaining order.

Yesterday, they had been too busy to notice, but now they saw that most survivors were thin and gaunt, their expressions tense or weary.

Cao Kun scanned the crowd several times before realizing: they were on guard.

This was unusual. Normally, people would crowd around to get food quickly, and maintaining order would be challenging.

Yet, most people kept at least an arm's length from each other. Those standing close were clearly family or close friends, or part of a group.

The atmosphere was tense, bordering on paranoid.

Initially, Cao Kun thought they were looking around out of fear of zombies or armed soldiers, but his intuition told him otherwise.

Survivors began to lose their patience and started rummaging through the carriages, with more and more people crowding over.

"What are you doing?! Step back! Step back! I'll shoot if you don't retreat!!"

Xia Yi, who had secretly activated his ability to observe, was startled by this shout. At the same time, the alarm specifically set for a zombie attack echoed throughout Jiu Zhou City.

Everyone froze for a moment, followed by gunfire and terrified screams piercing his eardrums!

"Calm down! All civilians head to the air raid shelters! The Self-defense Corps, except Teams A and B, are responsible for guiding the crowd... What are you doing?! Stop grabbing! This is only a Level 3 alert!!"

The soldiers' shouts and warning shots were useless. The troops trying to maintain order still attempted to use gentle methods to stop their ridiculous actions. However, the panic of being devoured by zombies had already enveloped them, and their rationality was instantly consumed. Some people in the crowd even pulled out blades, and a nauseating metallic smell of blood filled the air.

"They're going to abandon us! Grab everything now!!!"

Someone shouted these words.

Xia Yi stared dumbfounded at the chaos that erupted on the school square. Even though those zombies were still far away, there was already a scene of self-mutilation here.

Xia Yi looked at the trampled food and lives, and among the attacked soldiers were some who had participated in rescuing these survivors yesterday. He even heard a kind-looking woman repeatedly thanking the soldier he had just knocked to the ground.

Xia Yi trembled, "Have they gone mad?"

"Look over there—" the person standing next to Xia Yi suddenly pointed at a survivor biting a soldier, cursing: "Isn't that just like a zombie? These people are completely insane!"

Hearing this, Xia Yi's heart raced, and he quickly closed his eyes. The heavy curtain before him gradually opened.

When he opened his eyes again, a streak of light flashed past. The chaotic crowd instantly transformed into countless human skeletons, while the survivor described as a zombie emitted a prominent 'zombie ash.'

Xia Yi exclaimed, "That's a zombie!"

As soon as Xia Yi's exclamation died down, a fireball struck, burning the zombie devouring the soldier to death within moments.

This commotion startled the deranged survivors. When they realized one of them had turned into a zombie, an even greater panic engulfed them. Everyone rushed to the trucks with the things they had grabbed, determined not to look back.

"These are the people you risked your lives to save," Shenchi asked the person behind him, "Do you think it was worth it?"

Chen Jinglin, with a stern face, slowly raised his right hand, "You go with Mengmeng to fend off the infected outside the iron fence. Leave this place to us. Go now!"

With that, Chen Jinglin's hand came down hard, and he darted inside.

"Get in the car quickly!"

A car approached them, and Zhang Meng pushed open both doors, half of his body hanging out, grabbing Xia Yi by the collar and pulling him into the car. A blinding light flashed, and Shenchi instinctively raised his hand to shield himself, missing the best opportunity to jump into the car.

At the moment the hand chop came down, dozens of soldiers in camouflage uniforms suddenly appeared from various corners of the buildings. They swiftly put on gas masks and threw several items into the chaotic crowd.

With a few disjointed bangs, white mist rose, and the soldiers dashed in. Inside, screams and the sounds of bodies falling echoed.

Shenchi felt a sudden, unbearable burning pain on his exposed skin. In less than a second, his nose and throat also stung.

For a moment, Shenchi thought he was still lying on the operating table in the lab, forever wearing that clean hospital gown, staring at the bright lights and the blurred figure of the doctor, with the faint sound of a baby's weak cries lingering in his ears.

"Child..."

Shenchi painfully crouched down, the scar on his stomach throbbing once again...

Author's Note:

Please add my new novel "Hey, Your Tail Is Showing" to your collection~

* Rivals become caretakers, identity exposure story

* Boss, Xi Lou is here to challenge you again!

Pre-release novel "8 PM Love Theater [Infinite Flow]"

* Fearful closeted bottom vs resentful ghost husband top

* Enter various love scripts to fall in love, sweet romance!

Completed novel "Fishing Guide Today Was Also Spiritually Attentive"

* Post-apocalyptic, assimilation, heat, inner world

* Fishing guide beauty bottom vs mouthy but loyal sentinel top

Completed novel "Little Crybaby Stuck With His Rival"

* Teasing school grass top who ends up teasing back x milk-flavored crybaby young master bottom

* Sweet campus romance, five-star sweetness