Chapter 186.2 – We Are V587 (1)

◎ Mother is still Mother ◎

A year ago, Xiao Bao dug up a blob of pink “seafood” on the beach, excited to bring it home for a meal. Unexpectedly, the meat started moving on its own and even bit him!

Unable to eat for the time being, they had to keep it in a water tank. Day by day, the piece of meat grew larger, gradually taking on a vague humanoid shape. Then one day, the seafood started speaking!

“Uh… it hurts…”

When the painful groans began, Xiao Bao had caught a mutated squirrel and was considering where to start eating. However, he was startled, and the squirrel scurried away.

“Ah ah ah ah!!” Xiao Bao angrily stomped his feet.

“Ah—!!” The seafood joined in the roar.

“Ah? Ah ah!” Aunt Qing protected Xiao Bao, vigilantly watching the convulsing seafood.

“It hurts… so much!!”

Thud! Thud! The seafood began desperately slamming into the tank. Aunt Qing grabbed Xiao Bao and ran, slamming the door shut, not coming out for a whole week.

The tank was smashed, and the seafood, exposed to the scorching sun, was barely alive, wriggling to the door and fiercely pounding on it: Thud! Thud!

“Ah ah… ah ah… ah ah ah? (What are you?)”

Aunt Qing’s vocal cords had long been ruined, only producing incomprehensible low growls.

But the seafood seemed to understand and weakly said, “Song Ke… I… am… Song… Ke.”

After hearing this, Aunt Qing fell silent.

In the end, Aunt Qing dragged the piece of meat into the house and kept the seafood that called itself “Song Ke.” Time flew by, and Xiao Bao couldn’t remember things, gradually forgetting about the existence of the seafood. However, his instinct to bite remained, and he always wanted to take a bite out of the humanoid creature in the house.

The only successful time was when Song Ke mistakenly reshaped the left hand with only two fingers and offered it to him to eat.

After Song Ke mentioned leaving, Aunt Qing nodded and murmured a few grumbles from her throat: “Ah ah ah ah.”

After spending a long time together, she could understand Aunt Qing’s meaning: I know, it’s just a matter of time.

Song Ke’s face was blurry under the hood. “You said, I have saved you before?”

“Ah ah,” Aunt Qing recounted the experience at Fools Wharf when the apocalypse had just erupted. When she was still human, her character was selfish and harsh. After becoming a Fallen, everything became chaotic, and her mindset became much more open, becoming indifferent to everything.

Song Ke stared at her left arm absentmindedly. In just a short while, the wound bitten by Xiao Bao had already healed.

“But I don’t remember much.”

Her brain was like a rusty machine, losing a lot of information due to the reboot, and even emotions became slow.

Song Ke only remembered being trapped in a laboratory from the moment she became conscious. Everywhere was a vast expanse of snowy white and crimson lights. The endless torment and the excruciating pain from 1314 experiments occupied her mind.

Later, Grandpa took her and escaped. After that, her memories became intermittent and blurry.

What had happened over these years? Why did she die?

Occasionally, familiar faces flashed in her memory. When she tried to grasp them, they slipped away. The process of rebuilding her body was exceptionally long, and Song Ke had fallen into nightmares countless times, seeing a pair of familiar peach blossom eyes staring at her. Sometimes they were charming, sometimes filled with sorrow, and the teardrop-shaped mole at the corner of the eye seemed like scalding droplets falling into her heart.

But she didn’t remember any of it.

But there was a voice in her heart, insisting that she must find him.

Song Ke stood up and said, “I’ll leave today.”

Aunt Qing said, “Ah! (Take care)”

Song Ke remarked, “Xiao Bao always bites people, not cute at all.”

Aunt Qing exclaimed, “Ah! Ah! (Get out of here!)” with a fierce expression.

Expressionless, Song Ke asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

After hesitating for a moment, Aunt Qing shook her head and said, “Ah…ah… (no, the outside world cannot tolerate us)”

Song Ke nodded, “I understand.”

Before leaving, Song Ke went back home. Passing by the half-slope, she surprisingly found Aming’s tombstone still there. Song Ke glanced at it without any ripples in her heart, then turned into the dilapidated house, where the wind seeped through from all sides. Driven by instinct, she went to a certain wall, initially thinking of punching it, but after a moment of consideration, she switched to using a knife.

In the depths of the wall, there was a sealed box.

Opening it, Song Ke found neatly arranged blocks of rhenium.

The corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted slightly, but soon drooped down again.

Why did she come looking for this? Song Ke’s eyes looked bewildered, as if… there was someone who liked it very much, always pestering her for it.

Can’t remember.

External traffic in District F177 had long been cut off. In the past year, not to mention outsiders, not even mutated mosquitoes from other areas could fly in.

To leave, she would have to make some effort.

Song Ke embraced the box, walking towards the beach in the night.

Her pupils contracted rapidly, and the number on the back of her neck flashed by. The DNA sequence was once again rewritten. A dragon-like tail emerged, and golden scales appeared on both sides of her cheeks, extending from her collarbone to her waist.

The past Fire Seed project saved a large number of experimental logs, among which was an inconspicuous one:

Experiment Subject Number: LAK0017

Biological Prototype: Humanoid Embryo

Experiment Record: … August 10, New Calendar Year 34, 222nd successful gene fusion, replicating the ‘Hornless Dragon’ gene.

Objective Status: Alive

With a powerful plunge, Song Ke dived into the sea, disappearing in the undulating waves.

*

Ten days later.

District D118, Zhilian.

The dilapidated highway intersection was the only remaining safe passage out of the city. At this moment, roadblocks and spikes surrounded the service station, with several off-road pickups parked horizontally in the middle of the road. Five bare-chested men sat on the car roofs, playing cards.

“Three of spades.”

“King!”

“Are you crazy? I play three, and you play the king? Do you even know how to play?”

“I’m sorry, boss!”

Amidst the arrogant curses, a group of refugees, dirty and disheveled, approached the intersection, stopped by the roadblocks.

“Where are you going?” the bald man playing cards asked with a sideways glance.

” District C75, Hongchang Shelter.”

Hongchang was the most famous shelter nearby, with many people with awakened abilities, good security, and a rebuilt city area known as the “Little Bagua.”

“Toll, three level-2 crystals each.”

The bespectacled and cultured man pleaded in a low voice, “Can we negotiate? We’ll pay two each.”

The bald man grinned, “I haven’t finished yet—three each.”

The men were furious, and one of them said, “You’re pushing it too far.”

“Husband, don’t!” his wife quickly held him back. “He’s a high-level awakener…”

The wife, a low-level E-level empath, felt the oppressive awakened energy from the opposite side and shivered.

This group of people was notorious in Zhilian. Their team was called “Collecting Toll,” consisting of four C-levels and one B-level awakener. They usually didn’t take on missions but made a living by forcefully collecting tolls and selling crystals. Unfortunately, they occupied the road leading from Zhilian to Hongchang.

After the end of the world, order collapsed. They relied on their fists to speak. With no powerful awakeners in District D118 to restrain them, the refugees had no choice but to endure.

“Why don’t you just rob us directly?” a young and spirited student complained.

The bald man laughed, “You’re right. So, am I not robbing right now?”

He swung his right hand, and the student was blasted away by an invisible force, spitting out blood.

“Ahh—!” The frightened refugees scattered.

The bald man and his followers stood up, ready to resort to violence and robbery.

“Stop!”

At a critical moment, a scorching whip swung through the air with a snap, separating the five awakeners and the panicked crowd.

Sharp-eyed refugees excitedly shouted, “I know him! It’s Jiang Rui from the Hongchang Shelter!”

Everyone looked up to see the young man leading the way, with a commanding presence and followed by a dozen ordinary people holding weapons.

Jiang Rui first helped up the injured student and whispered, “Hongchang has healing awakeners. Can you hold on? I’ll take you to her.”

The student nodded in pain.

Jiang Rui looked coldly at the bald man, “Illegally collecting tolls violates the ‘Post-Apocalyptic Survival Rules.’ Remove the roadblocks and let them pass.”

The bald man sneered, “Kid, who do you think you are?”

The two groups instantly clashed, and the refugees avoided the scene. Jiang Rui’s fire-based abilities were highly offensive, but facing four opponents was challenging, and his movements gradually slowed.

“Step aside, please.”

When the situation reached a stalemate, a slightly hoarse voice spoke up.

Wearing a hood tightly wrapped around, Song Ke walked from behind, traversing the battlefield as if no one was around. The whispers around faded, and the warring sides stopped as Song Ke was intercepted in front of the roadblock.

“Hey, tolls, three level-2 crystals each,” the bald man shouted at her while still fighting.

“None,” Song Ke checked her pockets, completely clean except for the box in her arms.

“If you don’t pay, you can’t pass. Stay aside,” the oppressive air smacked toward her, but Song Ke casually dodged it, revealing a cluster of pure white bangs as her hood moved slightly.

The onlookers were momentarily stunned. This person seemed not to be messed with.

“Boss, look at what she’s holding!”

“Low-temperature freezer, definitely something good,” the bald man’s eyes gleamed. “Damn, this is a jackpot.”

Song Ke ignored them, or rather, didn’t care at all. She lifted her foot gently, and with a bang, the roadblock shattered. Spikes flew in all directions, puncturing the tires of the pickup trucks, clearing a passable path.

“You damn woman, are you going to ruin the place?!” The bald man couldn’t contain his anger, and a burly awakener rushed towards her, unleashing various attacks.

“Watch out!” Jiang Rui suddenly spoke, his voice tense.

A gentle breeze passed by, lifting the snow-white strands of hair beneath the hood.

The bald man saw a pair of pale pink pupils, devoid of any emotion, like staring at a dead person.

A chill suddenly pierced through his heart, and a bone-chilling shiver emanated from his core. Under the terrifying pressure, his B-level awakened energy was crushed to pieces.

Song Ke looked at him expressionlessly, and as the bald man resisted on the ground, he pleaded, “P-please don’t kill me!”

A super S-level awakener dealing with a B-level was like squashing an ant.

A golden light pierced through their mouths, and the five who had just been arrogant instantly fell dead to the ground. It took a few seconds before the crimson blood began to flow.

The entire service station fell into silence.

Song Ke stepped around the bloodstains beneath her feet, wordlessly continuing forward. The people from Hongchang were too frightened to speak and automatically cleared a path for her.

“Thank you,” a round-faced chubby guy at the end of the group whispered.

“Hey, why are you talking to her? It’s creepy,” his companion jumped in fright.

Song Ke glanced at the chubby guy, paused on his face for a second, and then casually looked away.

“Um, wait a moment. It’s not wise to flaunt your wealth. Holding that box like that is very dangerous,” the chubby guy kindly reminded.

“It doesn’t matter,” Song Ke replied nonchalantly. Anyone daring to rob her would face the consequences.

The chubby guy looked back at Jiang Rui, who confirmed the urgent mission was completed, nodded at him, and then took out a silver ring from his pocket. “You helped us out. Take this. It’s a spatial item, but it’s small, only two square meters.”

“Tian Yi, can you stop being overly kind?”

Tian Yi staggered as he was pulled, and a blue light flashed around his waist. He said in a somewhat aggrieved tone: “But she helped us complete the mission, and besides… this ring is mine. I can give it to whoever I want.”

Song Ke’s fingertip moved slightly, and the throwing knife at Tian Yi’s waist fell into her palm. A clear memory surged into her brain.

Tian Yi stammered, “You can’t. This is my best friend’s legacy; I can’t give it to you.”

These spiritual tools were mass-produced, used for two years, and their energy consumption was more than half. Song Ke reinforced it, and the indigo blade was now covered in a faint golden light. It could now last for a hundred years, making it a perfect heirloom.

“Consider it an exchange.” Song Ke took the ring, tried it on each finger, and found that it fit perfectly on the ring finger of her left hand.

Tian Yi stared at her dumbfounded, “Y-y-you…!”

Jiang Rui walked briskly over, and if you listened closely, you could hear a slight tremor in his voice, “Have we… met somewhere before?”

“No, we haven’t.” Song Ke lowered her head to fiddle with the ring. In just a couple of moves, she mastered how to use it and smoothly stored away the box.

“Then, may I ask if you know someone named Song Ke?” Jiang Rui glanced at her face and felt his own question was foolish.

“I don’t know.” Song Ke answered without a change in her expression.

Jiang Rui looked disappointed, sighed silently. He was too impulsive; perhaps it was just a similarity in awakened ability. It had been almost two years since they parted ways in Hua City, and he wondered how Song Ke was doing now.

“Can I ask, what is your name?” Jiang Rui paused in his actions, looking up at her with a blank expression.

For a moment, Song Ke’s movements halted, and she looked up with a blank expression.

Just a moment ago, a strange slogan flashed through her mind: “Who’s the coolest among V587? Silent but cool, I’m called Su Cha, remember that.”

This slogan was ear-piercing, unforgettable once it appeared.

After a second of contemplation, Song Ke blurted out, “Uh… Su Cha. My name is Su Cha.”