Chapter 24 Shit Luck

Chapter 24 Shit Luck

Xia Yi looked up at Shenchi and unexpectedly caught him smiling gently.

He used his fingertips to touch the small belly in a way Xia Yi had never seen before, with such care that it reminded him of new parents or elderly grandparents who couldn't bear to let go of their descendants.

"You must love this child very much," Xia Yi said, suddenly understanding for whom Shenchi was doing all of this, so he spoke with certainty.

Shenchi glanced at him, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes, but before Xia Yi could grasp it, Shenchi lowered his head and continued drawing circles on the belly.

"Where is he?" Shenchi asked.

"Here," Xia Yi showed him, and Shenchi's fingers followed along as Xia Yi pointed out where the head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hands were.

"When the time comes, the fetus will start sucking, swallowing, and kicking. Given your special condition, you need to rest more and ensure proper nutrition. Avoid worrying too much and don't overexert yourself. If there are any issues, let me know immediately... like today..." Xia Yi hesitated, almost saying outright that Shenchi needed to be well-fed and happy.

"I'll take note," Shenchi said. "Please make a list of the necessary medications and medical equipment for childbirth soon."

Xia Yi was taken aback but then understood that Shenchi didn't want to go to the hospital. He thought about it and decided not to mention the high risks of miscarriage and childbirth.

He said, "I need to check some references to adjust the specifics. I'll look for mild medications to balance the effects and ideally conduct hormone and chromosome tests, plus everything needed for a cesarean section... It will be quite a lot, but I'll make a list for you."

"Alright," Shenchi responded softly, then got up and stepped on something hard. He moved his foot and saw a transparent Level 1 crystal core beneath it. He picked it up and handed it back to Xia Yi, "Take good care of it. You can study it when you have time."

Only then did Xia Yi realize the bead had fallen. Remembering its origin, he felt a hint of excitement, knowing the impact the appearance of psychics and high-level zombies would have on society. He nodded seriously, "Yes."

Without further ado, Shenchi drank the warm water, then went to the kitchen to take out the pig's trotters from the refrigerator, cut them into pieces, washed them, sliced ginger, and cleaned the soaked soybeans. He placed the washed pig's trotters and ginger slices into the electronic soup pot, skimmed off the foam once it boiled, added cooking wine and soybeans, pressed the 'Soup' button, set the timer, and let it simmer slowly.

Shenchi entered the room, locked the door, took a shower, and then entered the space.

Unlike last time, when it was empty, this time one corner was filled with various items, which looked impressive in number but only occupied less than one-tenth of the space.

Shenchi sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling the strange texture of the soil. It was soft yet had no stickiness, and wouldn't cling to clothing. The sensation was cool, but there was no sense of warmth or cold in the space.

Taking out the Level 2 crystal core, the water-blue color was beautiful, and turning it slightly revealed a hazy halo with colorful hues. However, Shenchi had no interest in admiring it; this beautiful stone had consumed hundreds of lives.

In the space, there was no wind unless some force opposed it, causing the wind to flow.

Now, the wind in the space was slowly swirling around Shenchi but could not penetrate the invisible barrier.

Inside the barrier, white mist slowly emerged from Shenchi's body, and the crystal core rose and spun, enveloped by the mist, which gradually thickened.

Shenchi tilted his chin, and the white mist hovering over the crystal core seemed to be drawn towards him, continuously attaching to his body and seeping through his pores—

—suddenly, the wind in the space intensified, causing various packaging bags to rustle, but Shenchi remained unaffected.

After an unknown amount of time, the white mist dissipated, and Shenchi opened his eyes. The floating crystal core had vanished.

Shenchi exhaled, and the restless wind in the space instantly calmed, returning to its usual tranquil state.

Shenchi could feel that his level was still at the early stage of Level 4, and the Level 2 crystal core was just a drop in the bucket.

For zombies and psychics, every three levels marked a significant milestone, bringing qualitative changes in their abilities, and the same applied to crystal cores.

Based on the energy values:

- A Level 1 crystal core has an energy value of 1000.

- A Level 2 crystal core has an energy value of 10000.

- A Level 3 crystal core has an energy value of 100000.

- A Level 4 crystal core has an energy value of 10000000.

- A Level 5 crystal core has an energy value of 100000000.

Experts estimated that a Level 6 crystal core would have ten times the energy value of a Level 5, and a Level 7 crystal core would have a hundred times the energy value of a Level 6, with each subsequent level increasing by tenfold.

This explained why higher-level psychics advanced more slowly.

Additionally, lower-level psychics had insufficient meridians, and attempting to absorb higher-level crystal cores would lead to fatal consequences.

To advance to Level 5, Shenchi would need ten thousand Level 2 crystal cores, which was clearly impractical.

So, he either had to wait for Level 5 zombies to appear or find Level 4 zombies after six months and kill ten of them!

Given his strength, killing Level 2 zombies was manageable, but Level 3 zombies were already a challenge, and Level 4 zombies were far beyond his reach. How could he kill them?

The time Shenchi could spend in the space was limited. When he came out, it was already eight o'clock in the evening, and Xia Yi had cleaned the house. Shenchi picked two green onions from the balcony and went to the kitchen to chop them. Just as he was about to cook rice, a loud "Bang!" came from outside.

Peering through the peephole, Shenchi saw the opposite door open abruptly, and a choking cloud of smoke rushed out. A man, wearing only a towel around his waist, ran out, bent over and coughing.

"What happened?" Xia Yi, covered in bubbles, poked his head out to ask.

Shenchi: "Nothing."

"Oh," Xia Yi withdrew and continued bathing.

Shenchi opened the door and saw Cao Kun, whose eyes were red from the smoke, and asked, "What happened?"

"Cough, cough... I'm not sure, but something strange is happening. I feel full of energy," Cao Kun said, bouncing on the spot to show how energetic he was, completely unlike his previous lethargy.

Shenchi didn't move, just looked at him.

Cao Kun, seeing Shenchi blocking the door, pointed inside, "It's a long story. Mind if I sit down at your place for a bit?"

Cao Kun pushed his way into Shenchi's room, his clothes completely burned off. Fearing a gas explosion, he quickly opened the windows, only managing to grab a towel to cover his essentials.

Besides, he could already smell the aroma of the pig's trotters.

Shenchi glanced at the opposite room, seeing that most of the smoke had dissipated. He then closed the door and headed to the kitchen to continue making dinner.

Shenchi's kitchen faced the living room. Cao Kun slipped on the slippers by the door and followed the scent, trailing behind Shenchi into the kitchen.

Shenchi was tying an apron at the sink, washing rice for dinner. The apron strings cinched around his waist, accentuating a sensuous curve. His lowered gaze concealed the coldness in his eyes, lending him a touch of gentleness in that moment.

Cao Kun took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance that filled the air. It was even better than nicotine. "It smells amazing! Such great cooking skills; I wonder who will be lucky enough to enjoy them."

Shenchi gave him a cold glance.

Cao Kun grinned. "Wrong choice of words. I should say whoever marries you is truly fortunate! I didn't do well in school and dropped out of high school. Don't mind me."

Cao Kun stood at 185 centimeters tall, with solid eight-pack abs. Leaning against the wall, the towel loosely draped around his waist revealed enticing lines on either side. He wore his shoes, occasionally touching the ground with his heels.

Smiling cheekily.

Shenchi turned around. "What did you mean by your body being full of energy?"

"Ah, this..." Cao Kun's gaze roamed over Shenchi, from his rounded buttocks to his slim waist, finally settling on his slender fingers. "Didn't we encounter those flying high-level zombies at the West Gate today? I found a bead inside their heads."

"Oh?"

"Surprising, right? I was too, so I brought the bead back." Cao Kun clenched his fist. Initially, he couldn't sleep due to the pain, but when he took out the bead, he pondered what it could be. Recalling his fire ability, he tried to conjure a flame, and the bead rushed towards him like a magnet.

It felt like insects gnawing at his bones.

Instinctively, he resisted, and there was a loud explosion.

Surprisingly, he wasn't harmed as expected. Instead, he felt energized, as if his entire body had been cleansed, ready to unleash another burst of flames!

As Cao Kun spoke, he noticed Shenchi's fingertips curl slightly, almost forming a fist, but he restrained himself and relaxed.

Why?

Was it shock?

Tension?

Or... jealousy?

"What happened to the bead?" Xia Yi, who had just finished showering and heard part of the story, asked in surprise. "Did you notice any changes in your body?"

Shenchi was equally puzzled. Typically, newly awakened ability users have unstable and uncontrollable energy. Beginners often misdirect their powers or struggle to release them at all.

But Cao Kun managed to hit his target accurately on his first try and could use his ability again within the same day. Even more astonishingly, he successfully absorbed the crystal core on his first attempt.

Cao Kun shrugged. "I don't know. When I opened my eyes, it was gone."

Xia Yi's eyes sparkled as he circled around Cao Kun. He had wondered if the bead was one of the main reasons why the patient in C1S9 continued to receive energy after death, with its energy source being human consumption. This explained why zombies instinctively hunted humans.

But why could Cao Kun absorb it?

Or rather, why could evolved ability users absorb it?

What common trait did they share that others lacked?