The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

An Esper's physique is truly remarkable. The extensive burns and cuts from before were already scarring over in just a few days. Lou Ling sighed in relief. Finally, she wouldn't be confined to the house like a prisoner by Lou Dian, all in the name of recuperation. While she knew his concern stemmed from care, such restrictive confinement was still difficult to bear.

Since her injuries had healed, Lou Dian proposed they leave.

The morning of their departure, Anqiya, along with the Bach siblings, came to see them off. Anqiya personally led the way. As they passed through the woods, Anqiya explained without reservation, "The formations in this forest were set up by a grandmaster from the Mystic Arts world. Back then, I thought it was overkill, but now it seems he was right." After saying this, she sighed, as if recalling something.

"Mystic Arts?" Lou Ling's eyes widened. She had thought those so-called Mystic Arts were just tricks.

Anqiya's amber eyes gazed into the distance. She smiled faintly and said, "Don't underestimate them. They are truly capable individuals. If it weren't for the past friendships between our parents, that grandmaster wouldn't have come to the desert to set up these formations. It's a pity their painstaking efforts were ruined by my poor judgment of character."

No one responded. Qin You's betrayal was a deeply painful event for Anqiya. Although she had accepted it and even personally killed her former friend, the heartache remained.

After leaving the woods, they finally saw the expanse of desert tamarisk.

Although Qin You was dead, there were other Wood Espers in the oasis. With some effort, they could still control these desert tamarisks, making them one of the outer protectors of the oasis. Anqiya hadn't considered destroying these mutated desert tamarisks. If she could cultivate one Qin You, she could cultivate another.

As they approached, the psychic force of the desert tamarisks surged again, attempting to suppress them. Lou Dian remained unaffected and glanced at Anqiya. Anqiya smiled slightly, her own Esper ability surging toward the desert tamarisks, purifying their violent psychic force.

Lou Ling felt no suppression from the desert tamarisks and was a little surprised. Seeing Anqiya standing at the entrance of the tamarisk forest, hands tucked into her wide sleeves, smiling as she saw them off, Lou Ling couldn't help but return a friendly smile.

"Sister Ling, goodbye~~" Funa called out.

"Goodbye!" Bach said coolly, his eyes also showing reluctance – reluctance to part with Lou Ling's candies.

Lou Ling turned and waved to them, a bright and cheerful smile on her face, as if telling them that this parting was not forever, and they would meet again if fate allowed.

After safely passing through the desert tamarisk forest, they saw the vehicle parked beside it, covered in a layer of sand. After the two cleaned the car, Lou Dian checked it over, filled it with fuel, and they set off.

"Where are we going?" Lou Ling asked, looking at the rising sun over the desert.

"We'll look for mutated plants first, then head east," Lou Dian replied, his voice gentle and warm, his mood excellent.

Although parting was sad, seeing the man beside her made her feel that as long as he was with her, she could live like this forever.

They spent the entire scorching summer roaming the desert, finding many mutated plants unique to the desert, including the mountain-like giant mutated cactus clusters Lou Dian had mentioned. The magnificent sight left them marveling at the creative power of nature.

Lou Ling was thrilled by these cactus clusters, but unfortunately, she didn't know what to do with them. In the end, she could only admire them from a purely aesthetic perspective, living in the area where the cacti grew for half a month, gazing at them daily to satisfy her fascination.

The mutated cacti were even more adapted to the desert environment. Their skin was tough, their yellow spines thick and sharp, the tips gleaming coldly, capable of piercing human flesh directly. Even mutated beasts couldn't get close to them. Moreover, if their skin was cut, a cool, fragrant sap could be smelled, a sap favored by the mutated beasts of the desert.

Lou Ling had drunk it once. The taste had a subtle sweetness that was almost imperceptible. After drinking it, she felt invigorated, and it even seemed to replenish her Esper ability, though the effect was minimal and negligible. This made Lou Ling realize that not all mutated plants were poisonous. The growth of some mutated plants could even be beneficial to human Espers.

Unfortunately, Lou Dian's Esper level was too high, and the cactus sap had no effect on him. However, after learning that Lou Ling liked the cactus sap, the man ruthlessly cut open the entire cactus cluster, collecting several large buckets of sap, making the cacti look as if they were crying.

Lou Ling inevitably used her ability to communicate with them, then provided them with some of her energy daily as compensation. The mutated cacti were apparently still mild-tempered and quickly communicated with the Esper, accepting Lou Ling's energy compensation. They didn't seem to resist Lou Dian's ruthless extraction of their fluids.

As summer drew to a close, they finally set off eastward, leaving the desert behind.

After leaving the desert and approaching civilized cities, the number of zombies increased significantly. It was nearing the end of the third year of the apocalypse, about to enter the fourth. The zombies' levels had also increased. Lou Ling's ability was still lingering at the peak of the second level, and she struggled somewhat against the fourth and fifth-level zombies.

Not only did she find it challenging, but it was also a sign of despair for humanity. The strongest known Esper was a fourth-level Esper publicly announced by the Capital Base. Among human Espers, there were currently only fourth-level ones, but fifth-level zombies had already appeared. This was absolute suppression in terms of strength, and for ordinary people, the human world was filled with despair.

Amidst this despair, news of a successful breakthrough in zombie virus research emerged from both the Capital Base and the Northwest Base. Scientists had developed an antidote to the zombie virus. If humans were scratched by zombies, as long as the injuries weren't fatal, the antidote could be used, eliminating the fear of turning into a zombie.

When the news spread through radio broadcasts to survivor bases across the Huaxia region, people wept with joy, and even Espers were moved. Although Espers weren't afraid of the zombie virus, if they were severely injured by zombies, they would still mutate. Now, with the antidote, as long as they weren't on the brink of death, they no longer had to worry about becoming those hideous creatures.

This news was like a beacon in the darkness, a lifeline in the desperate apocalypse, finally convincing those who had long lost hope that humanity could overcome the apocalypse and even reclaim their homeland.

Amidst this encouraging news, in October, winter arrived on schedule.

A military jeep sped along a bumpy road, quickly passing through the outer ring of a city. The vehicle ignored the oncoming zombies, crashing through them and speeding past.

The jeep stopped at a villa in the city's outer suburbs. By then, only three or four speed-type zombies were still persistently chasing. When the car stopped, the zombies' pale, terrifying faces appeared at the window, their black claws scratching the glass.

The car door suddenly opened, pushing out the zombie standing in front of it. As it lunged again, the person inside the car kicked it away with a long leg, quickly jumping out. With a black pistol in hand, bang bang bang, bullets pierced the zombie's eyes, hitting its head directly. Brain matter splattered, and the zombie finally fell.

The other car door opened simultaneously, and another person also swatted away the zombie scratching at the window with the opening door. Holding a mutated vine, they flung it at the approaching zombie. The vine, as if alive, wrapped around the zombie's neck, dragging it forward. A short Tang knife pierced the zombie's eyes, viciously penetrating its head.

The three or four zombies were quickly dealt with. The man in black holstered his pistol and then glanced up at the second-floor window of the villa.

The people hiding in the villa couldn't help but shrink back. They felt as if that gaze was tangible, even penetrating their minds, a discomfort similar to being pierced by the psychic force of a Psychic Esper.

"That man in black is so powerful!" a voice exclaimed in awe.

"I don't think a pistol could penetrate a fourth-level zombie's head. That man must be a Metal Esper, able to control bullets."

"And that car, look, not a scratch on it. It must have been reinforced by a Metal Esper."

"It's great to have a Metal Esper in the team. The safety factor is much higher."

"Exactly…"

The group whispered about the newly arrived vehicle until the two people inside entered the villa and closed the door. Only then did they reluctantly fall silent and leave the window.

Only one person remained at the window, watching the two disappear into the villa, their eyes flickering.

"Zhi Ling, what are you looking at?" a man asked, walking up to the woman at the window.

Huang Zhiling glanced at him coldly, then looked back at the villa outside, ignoring the male Esper's attempt to strike up a conversation, and walked away.

Seeing her leave, the others winked at the male Esper who had been rebuffed, teasing, "Captain, aren't you going to chase after her?"

Another person chuckled, "The captain has been rejected several times. I'm afraid he'll be kicked out if he goes after her again."

"Sigh, why are women so fierce? Is there any place left for us men?"

"If women weren't strong, could they survive in this world?" a female Esper said unhappily. "Should we rely on you smelly men for protection? Please, then you'd just mock us women for being weak and not deserving of sympathy."

"Mao Mao, why are you so aggressive? We didn't mean any harm. If you were gentler, maybe you'd be married by now!"

"You want to die?!"

The group of about a dozen people, mostly young, quickly went off-topic.

The north wind howled in winter, masking the sounds carried on the wind.

After entering the villa, Lou Ling couldn't help but jump around to warm up until Lou Dian plugged in and turned on the electric heater. She then moved closer, trying to warm herself.

Lou Dian's Esper level was high, and he wasn't as sensitive to the cold as she was. After settling her in, he took out an alcohol stove and started cooking noodles. The broth was a simmered mutton soup to warm the body. The noodles were hand-pulled and very springy, accompanied by fresh meat and eggs.

Soon, the steaming hot noodles were ready. The pot contained noodles, meat, eggs, and vegetables, a veritable hodgepodge. But the aroma wafting over finally broke her restraint. She pulled the electric heater closer, snuggling up to him and asking for food.

Lou Dian glanced at her with a smile, his eyes mischievous. Lou Ling shivered at his roguish look and couldn't help but move a few centimeters away. Ultimately, her foodie nature prevailed. She grabbed the large bowl of noodles he offered and happily began to eat.

Author's Notes:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Eat well and stay warm in the apocalypse!

Lou Dian's goal: Make sure my sister eats well and stays warm!

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