What was happening?
This feeling was so familiar… Could it be the awakening of a dual ability?
Qi Yue quickly woke the others, and everyone crowded around.
Cao Xiner was the first to speak, blurting out, “Don’t tell me he’s been bitten by a zombie? His reaction looks exactly like those people who got bitten!”
Panic rippled through the group.
The family of four upstairs joined in the alarm and even suggested isolating Tang Ke, locking him up alone. The rest fell silent.
“Everyone, calm down. He might just be sick. Let me check to see if there are any wounds on him.” Liao Feifan tried to soothe the group and gestured for them to wait in the living room.
After a thorough check, he came out and said, “No wounds. It shouldn’t be a zombie bite.”
Cao Xiner snapped back, “But what if it is? No way, that’s too dangerous! We should lock him up!”
“Could it be something like epilepsy?” Du Mengyao asked softly.
“How do we know you’re not hiding it on purpose? You were all together, maybe you all got bitten and are just lying about it! I don’t agree! What if he turns and bites us all?” cried the daughter from the upstairs family, her emotions running wild.
“Even if he’s just sick, what can we do? There’s no medicine, no doctors,” Cao Xiner’s voice rose sharply, cutting through the air. “The city’s crawling with zombies, are we supposed to risk all our lives just for him?”
That struck a nerve. No one was obligated to take care of him. When disaster struck, everyone’s first instinct was self-preservation. The others said nothing, but their silence was an agreement.
Qi Yue stood aside, watching coldly without a word.
Dawn slowly broke, but the zombies outside hadn’t dispersed. Sensing the living people inside, the smell of blood and flesh only agitated them more, they growled lowly, and even more seemed to be gathering.
Pulling aside the curtain, one could see the zombies pounding on the car blocking the door. The earth wall made by the earth-ability user had already collapsed under the assault, and the car itself had been dented and deformed. So many zombies hammering at once, it was only a matter of time before the barricade gave way. The sight alone was enough to chill the blood. This house was no longer safe.
Even Liao Feifan couldn’t decide what to do. His girlfriend, Cao Xiner, kept urging him to abandon Tang Ke and lead the others out as soon as possible.
He knew she was right, it was the most practical choice.
It was already noon. More than five hours had passed, and Tang Ke was still unconscious. If he had really been bitten, he would have turned long ago. So it must be illness. But without medical care, there was nothing they could do anyway.
He had promised in front of everyone to protect them all, to never abandon anyone. Now, that vow sat bitterly on his tongue.
Outside, the situation worsened by the minute. Everyone knew the sooner they left, the greater their chance of surviving.
Qi Yue finally spoke up. “How about this, you all go ahead. I’ll stay and take care of him.”
It was a gamble. If Tang Ke really awakened dual abilities, he would surely remember this favor and wouldn’t treat Qi Yue badly in the future.
Dual-ability users were nothing like single-ability ones.
When the second ability awakened, it immediately advanced to Level 1, and every subsequent level-up doubled the growth of power: speed, strength, agility, spiritual power, perception, all far surpassing those with only one ability.
Even if Tang Ke didn’t awaken dual powers, Qi Yue already had an escape plan. Staying with this group didn’t feel safe anyway; he didn’t trust them. Better to part ways early.
At Qi Yue’s words, the tense mood lifted immediately, it was as if a great burden had been removed.
Liao Feifan looked around, then sighed. “I checked earlier. There’s a fire escape ladder along the side wall on the second floor, we can climb down that way.”
He glanced at Qi Yue. “Once we’re out, we don’t know the area well. Without a vehicle, we won’t get far. Why don’t you come with us?”
“He has cars. Two of them. I saw them, I know where they’re parked,” said the son from the fourth floor, pointing at Qi Yue.
“I’ve lived here for decades,” added his father, Old Zhou. “I know the roads well. I can drive and know the way to S Province.” He was clearly afraid the others might back out.
Under all their expectant stares, Qi Yue couldn’t find an excuse to refuse. Their looks made it seem like staying behind was a crime against humanity.
He gave a small, exasperated smile. Since he had already agreed to stay, the cars didn’t matter anymore. He could always find another, after all, thirty-eight lifetimes of rebirth hadn’t been for nothing.
There were cars everywhere outside; stealing one was child’s play. Lockpicking was second nature, good practice, even. As for the roads, he could walk them blindfolded after so many lives.
The only loss was the supplies in the vehicles but that was fine. Living was what mattered most. Supplies only made people greedy.
He still had his own small kitchen, stocked with cooked food. His stomach growled just thinking about it.
He fished out her car keys and tossed them to Liao Feifan.
“I’m staying.”
At that, Sun Ling who had been silent all along spoke up, his face unusually serious. “I’ll stay too, to help take care of Tang Ke. Qi Yue doesn’t have any powers, if the two of us stay together, we can watch each other’s backs.” His tone left no room for argument.
Seeing his resolve, Liao Feifan could only nod regretfully. Sun Ling was an ability user and one of their strongest fighters against zombies, but he couldn’t force him to go.
He turned to the others. “Pack your things. We’re leaving now.”
Then he gave a bright, confident smile. “I can’t make promises but I’ll do everything I can, even if it costs me my life!”
Qi Yue watched coldly as they left through the door, lugging several large bags of supplies. Almost all the food was gone, leaving only scraps behind.
“Good luck,” he said flatly.
The house fell silent again. Tang Ke still lay unconscious in his room. In the living room, only two people remained.
Sun Ling lay on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting. Qi Yue stood by the window, watching the departing group reach the ground. They were carrying heavy packs, those with abilities used them to fend off zombies, while the rest swung makeshift weapons.
After clearing a few stragglers, they ran toward the parking lot. Soon, Qi Yue saw his two cars drive off in the distance, heading east. They grew smaller and smaller, until they disappeared entirely down the road.
That night, the two of them ate a little, took turns watching over Tang Ke, and rested in shifts to preserve their strength. Only with energy could they have hope.
At midnight, under the pale moonlight, Qi Yue stared blankly at Tang Ke. He hadn’t told Sun Ling about his suspicion that Tang Ke might be awakening dual abilities.
If he did, how could he explain how he knew? He couldn’t. And besides, it was still just a guess.
They would find out soon enough.
Ability awakenings happened within twenty-four hours of falling unconscious. The time was almost up.
Would it happen?
He could hardly wait.
——
Tang Ke’s eyelashes trembled.
Qi Yue blinked, thinking he was seeing things. But no, he moved again. His fingers twitched twice.
His heart leapt in excitement.
A dual-ability powerhouse! This time, he might really survive longer.
Tang Ke opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Qi Yue’s flushed face, smiling so brightly that his eyes curved into crescents.
His voice came out high and sharp with excitement. “What ability did you awaken?”
Tang Ke propped himself against the wall, still pale, and nodded slightly. “Plant ability,” he said.
Then he raised his hand toward the cactus on the windowsill.
With a flick of his wrist, the cactus’s spines shot out like bullets, embedding themselves deep into the concrete wall with a sharp thunk.
Incredible.
Qi Yue’s eyes lit up. This wasn’t just wood ability, wood was only one branch of plant-type powers, limited to manipulating trees.
But plant-type… That was much stronger, much broader.
Anywhere there were plants, there, his power would reign.
