Chapter 11 – Rainy Night in Hua City (3)

◎Something in Common◎

In the wind and rain-covered playground, about a hundred people were seated or standing, all looking over: “Brother Jiang and the others have returned!”

After the door completely vanished, Song Ke noticed there was a boy standing beside her. His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were very bright. He had a deep blue sports headband wrapped around his head, and his hands had just retracted from the wall.

Song Ke stared at him for a couple more seconds.

Jiang Rui noticed her gaze and leaned closer to her, explaining near her ear, “He’s called Liu Zixuan. His ability is ‘door-opening.’ He can open a door on any flat surface, for twenty seconds. We use this method to enter and exit the safe zone.”

Song Ke wasn’t used to people being so close to her, so she made a ‘hmm’ of acknowledgment and took two steps away.

Opening a door out of thin air using an ability? No wonder this place could establish a safe zone. The entire wind and rain-covered playground was sealed on all four sides. The intelligent-controlled gates to the east and west were tightly shut, and there were many heavy objects piled behind them. It was like a stronghold to defend against zombie attacks. Along with Liu Zixuan’s ability, they had control over the initiative of entering and exiting, which helped avoid direct conflict with the zombies as much as possible.

A group of thirteen people walked towards the center of the wind and rain-covered playground, where a young man was waiting for them.

“Teacher Xu, we’re back!” The members of the squad saw him and immediately surrounded him.

“We hit the jackpot this time! We found steak! Lamb leg! We can finally have meat!”

“Teacher Xu, there are more and more zombies outside. When will the Alliance’s rescue team come?”

Upon hearing this last sentence, the high spirits of the crowd gradually dampened. Every day spent here added an extra layer of danger. The reason why they hadn’t lost hope was simply due to their faith, believing that the Alliance wouldn’t easily abandon Hua City.

Xu Liren was a teacher at Hua City No.1 Middle School, thirty years old this year, of average height. He wore rimless glasses and had a gentle and refined demeanor. At this moment, he was tilting his head slightly, patiently listening to a group of students chatter away.

After they had finished speaking, Jiang Rui quietly briefed him on the events of the day and gestured with his hand towards Song Ke, who stood behind.

She became the center of attention, initially unnoticed by those who remained in the wind and rain-covered playground. However, with Jiang Rui’s gesture, several inquisitive gazes immediately fell upon her.

After listening to Jiang Rui’s account, Xu Liren kindly beckoned her over, “Song Ke, come here.”

The squad members parted like the Red Sea, instinctively making way to the sides. Song Ke, who lagged a step behind, was exposed. She took two steps forward, remaining silent.

Xu Liren had been her homeroom teacher and was aware of her stuttering issue. He didn’t mind her reticence and simply gazed at her through his glasses, as if contemplating something.

“Teacher Xu, Song Ke saved me today!” Tian Yi eagerly wanted Song Ke to stay and spoke up for her.

“Yeah, yeah! When we encountered the zombies, she knocked down several of them. She’s really impressive,” Kongzi Qi chimed in as well.

The other members of the team, though they didn’t say anything aloud, had eager expressions in their eyes. Song Ke’s powerful skills had left a profound impression on them. With someone capable of fighting like this joining them, everyone’s sense of safety improved significantly.

“Professor Xu, let Song Ke stay,” Jiang Rui proposed voluntarily.

“Let’s not rush things, everyone,” Xu Liren said with a comforting smile, looking at Song Ke with care. “According to what Jiang Rui said, you got separated from the retreating group, right? Hua City is quite dangerous now. I try my best to ensure the safety of every student. If you’re willing, would you consider staying here temporarily?”

Xu Liren spoke eloquently, like a gentle breeze, and those eyes behind his glasses seemed to hold an irresistible persuasive power when meeting someone’s gaze. It was hard to summon the courage to resist him. Song Ke instinctively looked away and was about to agree—

“No, I disagree!” a delicate and pretty girl walked down from the stands. When Cao Yiyi tried to grab her sleeve, she shrugged her off. “Professor Xu, this place is already dangerous. Why are we letting in unknown people? What if she seeks revenge on us or causes trouble intentionally?”

Seeing her, Jiang Rui frowned and patiently explained, “Zhou Anqi, Song Ke isn’t an unknown person. She’s also your classmate.”

“A classmate? Did she ever treat us as classmates? Don’t forget why she dropped out in the first place!”

“That’s enough!” Jiang Rui interrupted her coldly.

Zhou Anqi was scolded loudly by him. At first, she was stunned, but then it seemed like she’d been slapped by a burning palm. Her father was on the school board at Hua City No.1 Middle School. She was used to being a proud little princess and had never faced such a loss of face, especially from Jiang Rui. She was embarrassed and angry, on the verge of losing her temper.

Xu Liren sent the others to handle supplies, then turned to Zhou Anqi. He calmly said her name, “Zhou Anqi.”

Zhou Anqi angrily lifted her gaze, suddenly meeting his calm eyes. She shivered, and her imposing demeanor vanished instantly. The foul language on her lips was forgotten.

Xu Liren spoke slowly, as if trying to convince her, “At this time, all of us should unite and put aside personal conflicts. Think about it, Song Ke’s addition is beneficial for us. Doesn’t what I said make sense?”

Zhou Anqi found herself nodding along, not sure how she had agreed.

Xu Liren smiled contentedly, then looked at Song Ke. “You’ve had a long day. Go rest. Those several rows over there are your former classmates from Class Three. You can join them.”

Song Ke stared at Zhou Anqi, feeling a bit puzzled. How had Zhou Anqi, after three years of not seeing her, suddenly changed her attitude? Just a moment ago, she was furious, wanting to bite her, and now she was obedient?

Interrupted by Xu Liren, Song Ke followed the direction of the stands and saw her “old classmates,” who appeared both alarmed and embarrassed, none of them daring to meet her gaze.

“No need,” Song Ke thought coldly, finding an empty corner to lean against the wall and rest.

On the western side of the stands, someone curiously approached the group from Class Three, asking for gossip.

“Who’s that? So arrogant. Is she Brother Jiang’s new partner?”

“You’re such an idiot,” the person speaking trembled all over. “Don’t provoke her. She’s a disaster… that scar on Brother Jiang’s head was caused by her!”

*

When Cao Yiyi came to find Zhou Anqi after collecting supplies, she saw her sitting by the stands with vacant eyes. Cao Yiyi adjusted her facial expression, putting on a concerned look, and whispered to her, “Anqi, are you still angry about Song Ke?”

Zhou Anqi was confused for a moment before slowly regaining her composure. “Who? Oh, her. Such bad luck. Professor Xu agreed to let her stay. How did you guys run into this harbinger of doom?”

Cao Yiyi sat down beside her. “Actually, it’s not a big deal that we bumped into her. Jiang Rui insisted on bringing her back. He even took special care of her on the way. We’re all looking for supplies everywhere, and she just needs to watch.”

Zhou Anqi’s anger flared up again upon hearing this. She stood up, ready to confront Jiang Rui, but Cao Yiyi grabbed her arm. “Anqi, don’t be impulsive. If you go to talk to Jiang Rui now, he’ll only dislike you more. Jiang Rui is an ability user now. You can’t provoke him like before…”

Zhou Anqi pouted. “I just can’t understand how she has the nerve to make Jiang Rui bring her back.”

“Because she can fight, but Anqi, things are different now. Even though she can fight, she’s not an ability user. Some situations are beyond even the capabilities of ability users. Without Jiang Rui protecting her, who knows what might happen…” Cao Yiyi trailed off.

“What might happen? Hey, can’t you just say everything at once? Geez,” Zhou Anqi stared at her.

Cao Yiyi choked a bit, inwardly cursing at how dense she was. She had dropped such obvious hints, and yet Zhou Anqi still didn’t get it.

She smiled gently. “Anqi, do you know that Zhang Qi likes you?”

*

Leaning against the wall, Song Ke let her supernatural power circulate slowly within her body, trying to control every subtle change. Her outward projection of mental energy detected a mass of energy approaching. Opening her eyes, she saw Tian Yi placing a bag of meat floss bun in front of her.

After being caught in the act, the chubby boy scratched the back of his head and shyly smiled at her. “Thank you for saving me today.”

Song Ke retracted her mental power and responded succinctly, “No need.”

“It’s necessary. Thanks to you today, I was so scared back then…” Tian Yi waved his hands repeatedly, carefully observing her expression. Actually, he was a little wary of Song Ke at first, but after experiencing her lifesaving help, he felt a bit closer to her.

Somehow, Song Ke’s cold and aloof demeanor seemed to trigger his desire to talk. Tian Yi simply sat down on the ground and started chatting nonstop, “Oh, you don’t know, I used to be so afraid of disaster movies. Those moments when the zombies come rushing out…”

Chattering away to himself, he reminded Song Ke of Aming for a moment, so she didn’t interrupt him immediately.

But he just kept on going, and Song Ke finally reached her limit. “Hey, you, shut… shut up.”

Tian Yi stopped talking as if a parrot had its throat squeezed, looking pitiful.

Song Ke sighed inwardly. “If you really, really want to talk. Just tell me about, about the situation here.”

“Sure,” Tian Yi became excited again. “I entered the safe zone on the first day. What do you want to know?”

“Ability users.”

“We currently have three ability users. Brother Jiang, you already know about him. He’s a fire-type ability user, able to control flames like whips. He’s adept at dealing with zombie groups. So, I declare, Brother Jiang is the strongest fighter here!”

Song Ke raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Then there’s Liu Zixuan. His power is the ability to open doors. He opened the door for us when we first came in. However, he needs a 12-hour interval between each door opening. Initially, he even passed out after using it, so we usually only go out once every other day.”

Thinking of how she had depleted her psychic power the first time, Song Ke couldn’t help but think: Liu Zixuan’s power might be unique, but its actual consumption is quite high. No wonder he can only use it twice a day.

“There’s also Zhang Qi,” Tian Yi pointed in another direction to a burly boy who was helping a female classmate lay out some exercise mats. His bulging biceps resembled small hills. “His power seems to be super strength? Zhang Qi used to practice throwing iron discs. Now he can lift the whole platform with one hand! Look over there.”

At the west side of the smart-controlled gate, the entire platform had been uprooted and piled behind the gate. It probably weighed a few hundred kilograms. When Song Ke first noticed it, she found it odd, but now she realized it was done by an ability user.

“However, luckily, you ran into Brother Jiang today,” Tian Yi muttered to himself.

“How, how so?”

“You don’t know, Brother Jiang is not only strong with his power but also righteous in his conduct. He always takes responsibility when leading us out. That’s why everyone’s willing to follow him. But Zhang Qi, on the other hand, used to have a bad reputation. He’s impulsive and easily angered. The last time he led a team out, some people didn’t come back…”

Song Ke looked at Zhang Qi. After helping with the mats, he moved over to the stands and chatted with a few guys, causing them to burst into hearty laughter. Not far away, Zhou Anqi gave him a disdainful look, then Cao Yiyi approached, and the two started talking.

She shifted her gaze back and continued asking Tian Yi, “What about Professor Xu? It seems like you all, all listen to him.”

“Yeah, when the zombies first appeared, we were all terrified. Fortunately, Professor Xu was there. He organized our retreat and came up with the idea of the safe zone. We take turns going out to find supplies, and Professor Xu allocates personnel.”

“What about… do you know how the powers awaken?”

“I don’t know. The Alliance hasn’t released an official explanation. It’s all just hearsay, true and false mixed together. If it wasn’t for people like Brother Jiang who are genuine ability users, I probably wouldn’t believe it either.

“But I’ve noticed they share something in common!”

Suddenly lowering his voice, Tian Yi leaned in and confidentially revealed, “I’m not sure about other ability users, but the night they awakened their powers, they all had a fever. Zhang Qi was the first to wake up, around 11 p.m. Then Liu Zixuan, around 3 a.m., and Brother Jiang was the latest, waking up almost noon the next day.”