Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Perhaps the room was too small for him to use his powers freely, or maybe the young zombie deemed them too dirty for even a drum washing machine to clean. Thus, he didn’t use the water tornado, instead instantly activating his ability to fill the entire room with water.

In an instant, everyone was submerged by the water that surged out of nowhere.

The room's windows were closed, channeling the frenzied rush of water in a single direction.

Zhao Tian and his cronies, gathered at the doorway, were caught off-guard by the blown-off door which served as a makeshift outlet, bewildered as the torrent swept them from the corridor to the bottom of the stairs.

A tumultuous stream burst forth from the apartment's entrance, coursing over the expansive ground for dozens of meters before halting, bringing with it many people, who, in various states of sprawl, were yet to grasp what had happened.

What in the world happened?

What occurred?

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, anticipating such an event, clung to a nearby doorframe and pillar to avoid being swept away by the flood.

Once the deluge subsided, they stood drenched, exchanging glances in the now disheveled and empty room.

"Where did Lin An go?"

"And the dog?"

"Damn, don’t tell me they got washed away too!"

They hurried downstairs.

Traces of water were everywhere, and the stairwell was flooded. Descending into the watery corridor, they found a pile of people on the ground.

Lin An sat on the floor in a daze, still clutching the feather duster, soaked to the bone, and seemingly uncomprehending of the recent events, his hair still dripping water, revealing his ruby-like eyes and pale grey skin in the sunlight.

Taking advantage of the others still sprawled on the ground, unable to look around, Ouyang Dong quickly ran over to shield Lin An with his ample frame.

Xu Fang also tactfully drew the attention of those people away.

"See that? This is what happens when you mess with us!"

Grinding his teeth, Zhao Tian struggled to rise from the floor, not only choking on the sudden water but also hitting his head and back against the wall as he was washed downstairs.

His gaze shifted from the smug Xu Fang to Ouyang Dong: "You must be the water psychic."

Since Lin An was too silent and compliantly held hostage while activating his ability, and he himself was swept away by the water, Zhao Tian mistook Ouyang Dong as the one with the water ability, reasoning that only a true expert could maintain such a physique in these apocalyptic times.

Ouyang Dong snorted coldly, offering no response.

Interpreting the silence as acquiescence, Zhao Tian was seething with anger. His power was fire-based, which water naturally countered. Moreover, the scope and speed of the power activation indicated that this rotund individual was not to be underestimated, likely even stronger than him.

He hesitated for a moment, but realizing that missing this chance would only make Shen Xiuzhe more cautious and harder to catch later, he steeled himself.

With this thought, Zhao Tian searched for the hostage, but Ouyang Dong had shielded them well, blocking every view from his angle.

"Zhao Bro."

A cohort not far from Zhao Tian suddenly spoke up: "I just caught their dog."

Holding Little Fu in his hands, the wet dog didn't seem to have lost much weight, indicating its plumpness was genuine, with no meal gone to waste.

Little Fu, now a drenched hostage, looked pitifully helpless.

After being submerged, Little Fu had desperately paddled in a doggy-paddle effort to save its owner, only to end up captured itself.

"What's the use of catching a dog?" Would Shen Xiuzhe even care about a dog?

They were supposed to capture a human hostage, Shen Xiuzhe's lover. What good was catching a dog?

The other party, taken aback by Zhao Tian's stance, faltered, "But didn't you say earlier to capture the dog as well?"

Zhao Tian: "...He caught the dog thinking of eating it, but now that the most important hostage is missing, does he really think capturing a dog will make Shen Xiuzhe surrender?"

Xu Fang's heart tightened when he realized Little Fu was captured, but seeing Zhao Tian's dismissive attitude, he quickly retorted, "Wow, how ambitious of you, threatening my boss with a dog. Why don’t you try catching a cockroach next time? Oh, did the water wash away your brains?"

Ouyang Dong carefully shielded Lin An. Although Zhao Tian and his lackeys couldn't see the zombie on this side, the crowd drawn by the noise nearby might spot them soon.

Anxiously, his eyes darted back and forth, then he saw the young zombie regaining composure, slowly standing up with a feather duster in hand, his hair and clothes instantly drying off, looking neat again.

Ouyang Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin An stood cautiously behind the plump Ouyang Dong, peering out curiously, but quickly ducked back when Zhao Tian's gaze shifted their way.

Trouble now, thought Zhao Tian, his eyes clouding over. The lover was hiding behind the fat man, and a direct confrontation might not end well for him.

Zhao Tian's eyes roved, searching for the teleporting ability user. That power wasn’t actually teleportation, but a speedster who had honed short-distance bursts to the extreme, giving the illusion of instant movement.

He could try to seize him again. The bald man and the stout one weren’t quick to react, so success seemed likely.

But that person had vanished, swept away to who knows where.

Lin An once again stealthily peeked out.

The captured dog, upon spotting its owner, immediately started howling loudly.

Help me~~~

Lin An, sensitive to the gaze upon him, quickly withdrew his head, with Ouyang Dong's broad figure providing the perfect cover.

Little Bless, in its frantic effort to be saved: …

Zhao Tian was already irritable. The thought of opposing Shen Xiuze intimidated him, but he had been informed that Shen had a fiercely protective lover. Missing this opportunity could mean never having another.

Just as they had been told, Shen Xiuze was indeed absent, but they hadn’t expected to encounter a powerful water psychic whose strength was overwhelming. The strongest water psychic at the base could only summon a trickle of water, hardly different from a faucet, so where did this formidable one come from?

His thoughts still not clear, the continuous barking only escalated his irritation: “Kill the dog. Its incessant yapping is maddening. We’ll have dog meat tonight.”

Lin An stealthily poked his head out again, and Little Bless, thinking its owner still aimed to rescue it, let out an extraordinarily loud wail.

As if it believed it would be stewed the next second.

Even the man holding the dog couldn’t help but look down at it several times, its cries were so pitiful. One might think he was mistreating the animal.

Lin An's glances were not just for the forlorn dog, but also for the ground.

The ground was littered with people washed out, various household items, vases, and clusters of meaty red substances.

These substances were too scattered and small. Although everyone saw a few, no one paid them much mind, accustomed as they were to the base’s filth. Some of Zhao Tian’s men even stepped on the red masses repeatedly without a second thought.

But Lin An was particularly attuned to this, his gaze fixated on the minute red objects that continued to wriggle on the ground.

Xu Fang continued to talk tough, infuriating Zhao Tian to the point of nearly smoking with rage.

Finally, two small wriggling red objects touched and merged together.

Then came a second pair, and a third…

The scattered mush of flesh gradually grew larger and began to look familiar.

Lin An finally recognized what it was, and abruptly lifted his head to look at Xiao Fu.

Xiao Fu, who was being held by its front paws in a posture of surrender, noticed its owner staring intently and immediately began wagging its tail subconsciously, howling loudly to show its pitiful state.

It was a tragic sight, one that would sadden the listener and move the observer to tears—someone save the dog, quick!

The little zombie frowned at the sight of the dog and recoiled in distaste.

Why is it that everything has become such a mess?

Xiao Fu: ?

As the group was verbally sparring, the calm surroundings suddenly erupted with dozens of small waterspouts, sweeping up the unguarded Xu Fang and Zhao Tian among others into the sky.

Apart from Ou Yangdong, who was spared by virtue of being too close to Lin An, and Xiao Fu, who got gently washed and dried by the water, the others were subjected to a vicious cleansing.

The waterspouts of the little zombie, though delayed, had arrived.