The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

Capital Base, West District Research Institute.

A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed through the quiet corridor, accompanied by the anxious chatter of people.

“Quickly, inform the Doctor. Young Master Feng is unwell again.”

“Young Master Feng’s symptoms are more severe this time. He keeps complaining of a headache. What should we do?”

“Haven't you given him the sedative?”

“We have, but it’s no use! Young Master Feng still says he has a headache!”

During this brief exchange, several researchers in white coats had already arrived at the special ward. The ability user guarding the door checked their identification cards before stepping aside to let them swipe their cards and enter.

Upon entering, they saw three ability users inside, restraining a man lying on the bed to prevent him from self-harming. The man on the bed, with a handsome face, had veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot, and his pupils dilated. His hands were firmly held down to prevent him from hurting himself in his extreme pain.

The researchers quickly examined him and took out a syringe. While others held the man down, they injected a newly developed sedative, formulated specifically for ability users' physiques, into his body.

Two minutes after the injection, the man on the bed finally calmed down, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, especially the three ability users who were looking after him. They all felt that this job was not easy. Firstly, Feng Shaohuang's ability level was higher than theirs. Secondly, there was Feng Shaohuang's status. Although Dr. Feng had been entangled in trouble recently due to the human experimentation incident, thanks to someone's strong support, he only lost some influence and was otherwise unharmed. Dr. Feng had invested heavily in his only son and wouldn't tolerate any delays. If anything happened to Feng Shaohuang, they wouldn't be able to live either.

Two months ago, Feng Shaohuang was found unconscious in an alley. Initially, it was thought that he had suffered some kind of trauma and would recover after a few days of rest. Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn. Feng Shaohuang fell into a coma, remaining unconscious for a whole month before waking up. However, after he woke up, he was delirious, seemingly in great pain, and had to be confined to the special ward of the research institute, where the researchers studied his condition.

Seeing Feng Shaohuang fall asleep, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that he had been injected with a sedative containing a large amount of sleeping agents and wouldn't wake up for six hours, they all left.

However, an hour later, the person who should have been asleep suddenly opened his eyes.

By the time the research institute received the news, Feng Shaohuang, who had been under close watch, had already left the institute.

Upon hearing this news, Dr. Feng, thinking that something had happened to his only son, flew into a rage and hurriedly ordered the institute's ability users to search for him. Fortunately, Feng Shaohuang did not conceal his whereabouts. Soon, someone discovered that after leaving the research institute, he had gone to the building of the ability user team he had formed.

Upon hearing of Feng Shaohuang's return, Liu Ji was both surprised and delighted. He rushed directly to Feng Shaohuang's room and, without thinking, barged in. Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept over him, sending him flying.

With a bang, Liu Ji crashed into the wall. Qin Wei and the others who followed behind were startled and rushed to help him up.

Liu Ji's face was contorted in pain, and a trace of blood hung at the corner of his mouth, showing that the blow had injured him quite severely. However, this scene also filled the ability users with both shock and joy. Shock, because Feng Shaohuang had attacked his teammate without mercy; joy, because Feng Shaohuang's ability level seemed to have increased again. The gust of wind just now made them feel the immense power of his ability.

They crowded at the door but didn't dare to barge in again. Although Feng Shaohuang had always been incredibly proud, he had always gotten along well with his teammates and was a very approachable captain. However, what had just happened to Liu Ji made them no longer dare to act so casually and disrespectfully like before..

A moment later, Feng Shaohuang appeared at the door, fastening the belt around his waist. His every move was elegant and unhurried, giving off a casual air. He was wearing a pair of military-green cargo pants and short boots, revealing his long legs. A tight-fitting T-shirt under an autumn jacket completed his clean and neat, outdoor-ready look, as if he was about to go out.

“Young Master Feng!” Qin Wei called out.

Feng Shaohuang looked at them expressionlessly, then a slightly dazed expression appeared on his face. “So it’s Qin Wei… and Liu Ji, Li Chuan, Chen Hao…”

The people at the door stared at him blankly. He had called out all their names, leaving them speechless for a moment.

However, Feng Shaohuang's daze lasted only a moment. He fastened his belt and said impassively, “Move aside.”

“Young Master Feng, where are you going?” After recovering, Liu Ji ran after him, unconcerned about his injuries.

Feng Shaohuang strode forward. Nearing the base gate, he surveyed his surroundings and frowned slightly. He said to those following him, “I’ll be out for a few days. You don’t need to follow me.”

“But Young Master Feng…”

Feng Shaohuang raised a hand to stop them and glanced over. That glance made everyone's scalp tingle, especially Qin Wei, who felt a chill run down his spine. A bad premonition filled his heart, lingering even after Feng Shaohuang's figure disappeared through the base gate. The chilling sense of unease wouldn't dissipate.

Feng Shaohuang seemed to have changed!

Abandoned Factory, Outskirts of Capital Base.

Qin Ling fell to the ground, looking incredulously at Feng Shaohuang standing before her, her eyes filled with grief and indignation. Blood flowed from her temple to her newly transplanted eye, stinging her cornea.

“Feng Shaohuang, are you crazy…”

Feng Shaohuang looked down at her face. A faint scar marred her beautiful features, slightly diminishing her beauty. Post-apocalyptic cosmetic surgery, even the best, couldn't compare to the expertise of the pre-apocalypse era. Especially now, with all technological research focused on the zombie virus and human survival, who would still focus on cosmetic enhancements? Qin Ling was able to have another eye only because the research institute, considering the Qin family's influence, performed the transplant. Though the scar on her face had been minimized, a trace still remained.

Feng Shaohuang was silent for a moment, then finally showed his first smile in days—a cruel, dark smile. He said, “I’m not crazy. I’m perfectly clear-headed. That’s why I need you to disappear, so you won't turn around and go after her again!” Seeing Qin Ling staring at him resentfully, her eyes filled with the despair of being betrayed by a comrade and friend, Feng Shaohuang, his heart not entirely hardened, felt a pang of sorrow.

“Why? Aren’t you my brother? We grew up together…” Qin Ling cried, the despair of being betrayed by her closest friend almost breaking her. If it were an enemy who wanted to kill her, she could still face it rationally, but why Feng Shaohuang? They had grown up together, as close as siblings.

“Precisely because I am your brother, you could use me without hesitation… Knowing that I loved her, you ignored my feelings, used my name to kill her, and made Lou Dian completely misunderstand… Qin Ling, you were the one who squandered my feelings for you, trampled on them, and even drove me to despair… Qin Ling, in your next life, don’t do such foolish things again. Live a good life.”

Her heart shredded by the wind blade that pierced her body, Qin Ling closed her eyes unwillingly, her body falling limply to the ground. Her hand, however, remained clenched against the ground, revealing her unwillingness to die.

Feng Shaohuang watched for a while, then turned and left the abandoned factory.

Shortly after he left, zombies, attracted by the scent of blood, swarmed over and quickly devoured the corpse on the ground.

Lou Ling slashed at an attacking mutated vine with her sword, stepped on another vine, and leaped high, using its force to land on another open space.

The moment she landed, an arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her into the air and carrying her to another clearing.

Lou Ling looked closely and found a scorched mark where she had just been standing. While she was still surprised, a leopard leaped out from the dense bushes nearby. The leopard was twice the size of an ordinary leopard but looked more agile, its body sleek and powerful, clearly more dangerous than a regular leopard. It must have been a mutated animal transformed after the apocalypse.

As the leopard leaped out, it breathed fire. The ability users who were clearing the mutated plants were caught off guard. Fortunately, they were all ability users and had seen a lot, so they didn't panic and began to deal with the mutated leopard.

“This kind of leopard is a loner. There shouldn’t be any companions nearby. Let’s take it down together!” An ability user shouted, cheering everyone on and boosting their morale.

However, just as he finished speaking, two more leopards rushed out from the bushes, leaving everyone stunned.

“Captain Chen, didn’t you say it was a loner?” someone whispered in dismay, their palms sweating.

Captain Chen, who had spoken earlier, also looked aggrieved and depressed. These leopards were indeed loners, except during mating season, they were always solitary.

There were dozens of ability users present, along with thirty soldiers, nearly a hundred people in total. Dealing with three leopards wasn't impossible. However, some ability users didn't follow commands and ran around randomly, getting burned by the leopard's fire.

Seeing the situation was not good, Lin Baobao had already run to Lou Ling and the others. She also dragged Tan Mo over, but judging by the eager look on his face, it was clear he wanted to fight the leopards.

Lou Dian glanced over and said, “Let him go.”

Although Lin Baobao was worried, thinking about Tan Mo's enthusiasm during their recent missions, she let go of his hand, allowing him to deal with a mutated leopard that was pouncing towards them.

Tan Mo's jumping ability was excellent. He leaped directly onto a tree and then pounced down. He raised his hand, which held thin blades. With a flash of light, a bloody gash appeared on the leopard's back, and blood immediately spurted out.

The mutated leopard roared angrily and lunged at Tan Mo furiously. Tan Mo crouched down, looking like a humanoid feline, and fought with the leopard. Because they were so close, the leopard's fire was rarely effective.

Tan Mo dealt with the leopard alone, while the others dealt with the other two mutated leopards. Although the mutated leopards could breathe fire, they were no match for the sheer number of people. Working together, they managed to eliminate all three leopards with minimal casualties.

As dusk approached, a second lieutenant, the leader of the group, called everyone to assemble and return to their camp in the mountains to rest. The three leopards became the ability users' dinner.

According to scientists' experiments, the meat of mutated beasts was edible, but only by ability users. Ordinary, unmodified human bodies couldn't withstand the power contained within the mutated beast meat. However, this was enough, so mutated beasts became the main source of meat after the apocalypse. But mutated beasts were not easy to deal with, and ability users rarely got to eat mutated beast meat every day. Moreover, the more powerful the mutated beast, the more delicious its meat after careful preparation, but also the more difficult it was to hunt.

Of course, scientists were also studying mutated beasts, hoping to develop and promote mutated beast farming to solve the problem of food shortages for humanity.

Tonight, the three leopards were cooked by three chefs who were professional cooks before the apocalypse and were also ability users. Although their ability levels were low, bringing them on missions could satisfy everyone's appetite. The three mutated beasts, after being expertly prepared by them, emitted a mouthwatering aroma, leaving everyone licking their lips.

Tan Mo held his bowl and ate the meat in large bites, his eating manner quite ferocious. After finishing, he ran over for another serving. Seeing this, the others didn't say anything. Those who had witnessed Tan Mo dealing with the leopard earlier wouldn't be so tactless as to comment at this time.

In contrast to Tan Mo, Lin Baobao, Lou Ling, and Lou Dian sat on the side, eating slowly and gracefully. Lin Baobao and Tan Mo had also joined this mission. The four of them were among the strongest fighters in the group, so everyone couldn't help but show them more respect.

After dinner, darkness fell, and the camp was lit by firelight. The temperature dropped even further.

They had been in the mountains for several days, clearing mutated plants and migrating mutated beasts every day. If they killed any mutated beasts, apart from keeping some for their own food, the rest were collected by space ability users and transported back to the base to be sold.

The ability users had no objections to this. It was fine to sell what they couldn't eat to the base, and they could earn some extra income.

They didn't have to keep watch tonight. Lin Baobao condensed a bucket of water, put it in a metal bucket, and took it to a fire ability user to heat it up. She then carried it back to their tent, poured it into a basin, added some cold water to adjust the temperature, and used it to wash up.

The weather was too cold. Although they had tents and sleeping bags, it was still not warm enough outdoors. Soaking their feet in hot water before going to bed was extremely comfortable.

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Eliminate mutated beasts!

Lou Dian's goal: Be with my sister!

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