Chapter 35: A Night of Falling Stars

Chapter 35: A Night of Falling Stars

Though they had planned out how to cook the sea clam meat, by the time they finished unloading the goods that evening, it was already dark. They still needed to water the vegetables, feed the livestock, and exercise, so they settled for a quick dinner of pressure-cooked chicken soup, using it to cook some noodles with a few vegetables and meatballs. They made do with the simple meal and called it a night.

The next morning, they started working on the sea clam. Zhou Yun was eager to dissect it, but the shell was tightly closed with no gap at all.

In the end, it was Guan Yuanfeng who pried open the huge sea clam.

Inside the snow-white, tender flesh of the clam, apart from finding a duck-egg-sized high-quality water core, they also unearthed a pearl the size of a pigeon's egg.

The large, silver-white mutated pearl was crystal-clear and exquisite, its surface glowing with a lustrous sheen. Zhou Yun examined it repeatedly in his hands, sensing the abundant water-based energy within.

The effective medicinal components in the stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of mutated plants are significantly enhanced, and the blood, flesh, skin, horns, teeth, feathers, etc., of mutated animals also undergo significant mutations, becoming superior. So, what function would this mutated pearl, nurtured within a mutated clam shell, possess?

Ordinary pearls have some medicinal and cosmetic value, offering benefits such as calming nerves, improving vision, removing cloudiness from the eyes, whitening the skin, detoxification, and healing wounds. However, they are mostly sold as jewelry.

Seeing Zhou Yun deep in thought with the mutated pearl in his hand, the pearl’s soft glow bathed his face in a silvery light, making the room feel warmer and brighter. Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat amazed. "Does it have any special functions?"

Zhou Yun said, "I can sense the abundant water-based energy within. I have a hypothesis that needs testing."

Zhou Yun went up to the rooftop and cast a volley of group ice arrows, a skill that he could only release after reaching the fourth tier in his past life. It required a large amount of psychic energy and precise control. With his current third-tier psychic core, he shouldn’t have been able to cast it.

Since awakening his psychic abilities, he had focused on enhancing his wood-based skills. With his water-based abilities, he could only use basic offensive and defensive skills like ice walls and ice arrows.

But now, with the mutated pearl in his hand, he felt a massive surge of water-based energy, instantly releasing several crystalline ice blades that shot up into the sky.

Standing nearby, Guan Yuanfeng felt a sudden chill; the ice arrows were fast and numerous, shooting out rapidly.

It actually worked. Zhou Yun looked down at the pearl in disbelief. How had he not discovered such a wonderful thing in his past life? If water-based abilities could be enhanced, what about other elements? Wood... what would wood-based abilities do? And other psychic elements like lightning, wind... if there were items that could amplify psychic abilities, what would they be?

Gems? Fruits? Bones... teeth... or even... calculus?

Guan Yuanfeng asked, "Does it boost your psychic core? Is the effect permanent?"

Zhou Yun replied, "No, holding it can temporarily increase the power of the psychic abilities you release, allowing you to use skills beyond your current tier."

Zhou Yun pondered, "It seems it can’t be used continuously, but the energy within is still there. It probably needs time to recharge. I’ll observe it further."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded, "It’s truly magical. As you said, anything can mutate in this apocalyptic world, anything is possible."

Zhou Yun spun the pearl between his fingers, "The world is vast—full of wonders."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "I’ll get a string to wear around your neck. I’ll modify one of the pieces of jewelry we brought back yesterday to embed the pearl into it."

Zhou Yun, not taking it too seriously, handed it over, "Alright, thank you, Brother Guan."

After storing the water core, Guan Yuanfeng asked him, "Aren’t you going to absorb it now?"

Zhou Yun replied, "The quality is too good. It would be a waste to use it now. I’ll wait until my psychic abilities are stronger."

Seeing Zhou Yun begin to prepare the clam meat, it was clear he was going to follow through with the plan of cooking the clam in three different ways, as discussed the previous night. Guan Yuanfeng thought for a moment and said, "After we finish eating, I want to teach you how to use a gun."

Zhou Yun glanced up. "Sounds good." In his past life, he had already learned how to use one. As a core researcher, he had been provided with a protective gun and guards in the lab.

Guan Yuanfeng was satisfied. He had been worried Zhou Yun wouldn’t want to learn, but upon reflection, Zhou Yun was someone with broad interests and exceptional learning abilities. From all the people he had met, Zhou Yun was undoubtedly the smartest.

The steamed garlic clam meat and stir-fried clam with chives were prepared, along with radish steamed cakes and pork stewed with cabbage. They hadn’t had such a hearty breakfast in a long time, and even Comet dug in with enthusiasm.

The mutated sea clam meat was indeed energy-rich. After eating just a little, they felt energized, ready to run a lap and stretch their limbs.

After breakfast, Guan Yuanfeng returned to his room to fetch his gun and then headed to the rooftop for a live demonstration. Before starting, he handed a pendant to Zhou Yun: "See if it fits."

Zhou Yun hadn’t expected Guan Yuanfeng to act so quickly. He picked it up and saw that the pearl had been embedded in a cubic platinum setting, with a black leather cord running through it. The pearl rotated inside the platinum setting, creating a mesmerizing interplay of round and square, with silver and white light dancing together in a minimalist yet elegant design.

Zhou Yun was slightly surprised. "Thank you."

He fumbled with the clasp of the leather cord awkwardly. Guan Yuanfeng said, "Let me help you wear it." He took the leather cord and stood behind Zhou Yun to fasten it. Once it was secured, he stepped back to admire it. Zhou Yun was wearing a simple black short-sleeve cotton shirt, which made the pendant appear especially bright. Guan Yuanfeng smiled. "Nice."

Zhou Yun said, "Good taste."

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "It was made from the jewelry I brought back yesterday. The platinum setting originally held a cat’s eye jade ball."

Zhou Yun nodded and watched as Guan Yuanfeng took out a handgun, explaining its structure and functions meticulously.

Zhou Yun was drawn to the sight of Guan Yuanfeng’s powerful arm and large hands, yet his fingers were surprisingly agile as he disassembled and reassembled the gun.

Guan Yuanfeng was pleased that Zhou Yun was paying close attention. Standing behind him, he guided Zhou Yun on how to hold and shoot the gun. After a few minutes of instruction, he adjusted Zhou Yun’s stance and stepped back to observe him take a shot.

After watching for a moment, he asked curiously, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling hot?"

Zhou Yun turned to look at him and lightly coughed. "Well… yes, a bit hot. I’m worried about the bees in the villa downstairs and want to check on them. We also need to plant those flowering seedlings we brought back yesterday."

Guan Yuanfeng understood that Zhou Yun wasn’t very interested in guns, but he had been learning quickly, and his movements were quite standard. Given the lack of a proper shooting range, the limited supply of bullets, and the absence of practice rounds, Guan Yuanfeng had an idea. "Alright, go ahead and take care of those seedlings you brought back yesterday."

Zhou Yun nodded, but Guan Yuanfeng added, "I’m going out for a bit."

Zhou Yun was surprised, and Guan Yuanfeng explained, "Don’t worry about me. I’m heading into the city to collect some bullets and weapons from nearby outposts and former police stations. I’ve been there before, so I’m familiar with the terrain and where the armory is. I should be back soon."

Zhou Yun understood but still said, "Take Comet with you."

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "He’s happier staying with you. Don’t worry, I have a machine gun. It’ll be fine."

Zhou Yun insisted, "Take him. There are many zombies in the city, and it’s safer to have a dog with you. Bring back more crystals."

Although Zhou Yun knew that Guan Yuanfeng’s lightning abilities were powerful and that the yet-to-evolve zombies were no match for him—cutting through them like butter—both wind and lightning abilities required extensive use and practice to level up. Unlike himself, Guan Yuanfeng needed to face zombies in battle more often.

Besides, Guan Yuanfeng, who had previously been disabled, was not the type to stay indoors. He had likely been eager to take action for a long time.

Still, there were some concerns. Bringing flame-spraying Comet along would make everything foolproof.

He glanced at Comet, who seemed to understand their conversation. The dog was sitting upright, wagging its tail furiously, looking at its master with eager eyes, clearly wanting to go out.

Guan Yuanfeng’s claim that Comet preferred to be with him was clearly just an excuse to leave the dog to protect Zhou Yun, but Zhou Yun knew he was safe within the compound.

He added, "The compound gate is locked, and the zombies inside have already been cleared. I can handle any stray zombies myself. You saw me use the mass ice arrows earlier; I’m not exactly helpless."

"Maybe I should go too."

This statement immediately convinced Guan Yuanfeng. "No need. You stay here, I’ll take Comet." It was clear that Zhou Yun wasn’t fond of combat.

Zhou Yun then set some rules. "Be back before six in the evening. Wear your protective gear and helmet, and Comet needs his protective suit too."

Guan Yuanfeng knew that without a phone, it would indeed be worrying if he didn’t return on time, so he nodded. "Don’t worry."

Zhou Yun disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a backpack. "Inside are emergency medical supplies, zombie repelling agent, and zombie lure agent. Also, I’ve packed a stun baton, some compressed biscuits, energy bars, fruits, and water."

He explained the usage of the growth spells to Guan Yuanfeng again before heading down to the villa to tidy up the saplings he had brought back from the forest farm nursery.

Naturally, the two mutated saplings were too precious to leave downstairs, so he had already placed them in the domed restaurant, specifically in two deep and large pots, waiting until next spring when the snow melts to transplant them.

The rest of the flowering trees and fruit trees were planted in the backyard of Yuexi Number 3 and by the lake, for the convenience of the mutated bees to collect nectar.

By the river, he also set up a large greenhouse where he planted the herbal saplings he had brought back from the forest farm. These were not extremely precious but were still good varieties. Now it was just a matter of whether they could survive this winter.

After finishing his work downstairs, he returned upstairs, slaughtered a free-range chicken, and stewed the remaining shellfish meat. He also took out a leg of lamb to thaw in water before heading to the rooftop herb garden.

He fiddled with the pearl, realizing it still wasn’t usable. It seemed to have a long recharge time, much like in-game items.

Too bad... If only there were an artifact that could amplify wood-based spells, he thought regretfully, as he gazed at the precious medicinal herbs in the greenhouse. With such an amplifying artifact, casting a growth spell once a day would yield an abundance of precious medicinal herbs.

He sighed, thinking somewhat wistfully that, in gaming terms, this would be called breaking game balance. Rebirth was already a powerful advantage; he shouldn’t be too greedy.

He carefully cast growth spells on each herb, giving a bit of extra psychic energy to his new favorites, the yew and the dalbergia odorifera. As expected, these two absorbed the psychic energy with minimal reaction, clearly advanced mutated plants.

This made Zhou Yun highly anticipate their growth.

After a busy day, as the sun began to set, he returned to the 30th floor to prepare dinner. Right at six o'clock, Guan Yuanfeng returned.

The dinner was sumptuous: stewed free-range chicken with shellfish soup, a pot of braised lamb, stir-fried duck with young ginger, and slices of lemon added for a golden touch.

Guan Yuanfeng came up with a heavy leather suitcase, and Zhou Yun could tell at a glance that he had made a good haul. "How was it?"

Guan Yuanfeng opened the suitcase. "Not bad. They evacuated in a hurry. Many weapons and ammunition were left behind. I put one box in the car for emergencies, one box in the villa's basement, and this box here on the top floor. There were also some daily necessities, medicines, and tools. I saw that we didn’t lack anything upstairs, so I put them all in the basement storage of the villa. You can go check if there's anything you need."

Hearing Guan Yuanfeng use "we," Zhou Yun felt a warmth spread through him. He walked over and saw several boxes of bullets and well-packaged guns. Guan Yuanfeng also took out a heavy bag of crystals. "Today’s spoils."

He led Comet to the bathroom. "Let's take a shower first. What did you cook? It smells so good."

Comet, though dirty and slightly matted, was in high spirits, proudly wagging his tail and puffing out his chest like a hero receiving a medal.

Zhou Yun smiled. "Braised lamb, and stewed free-range chicken with shellfish soup. Hurry up and shower."

He served all the food, and both Guan Yuanfeng and Comet came over. As they ate, Guan Yuanfeng recounted the day's events:

"The zombies outside are indeed fiercer than those in the neighborhood. I guess there's food out there."

"Some run very fast, while others are incredibly strong."

"However, the crystals out there are much larger than those in the neighborhood, and most of them have attributes."

"Your two potions were effective. The zombie-repelling one lasts about fifteen minutes, but once the scent fades, the zombies can't resist the urge to charge at fresh meat."

"The zombie-luring potion worked too. After spraying it, zombies swarmed over. Comet could burn several to death with one spray. Comet seems to be advancing too."

Zhou Yun nodded. After winter, when spring arrives, the zombie waves will grow larger and more frequent. Among them, there will also be zombies with psychic abilities. Meanwhile, after the long harsh winter, the reawakened plants will include a large number of mutated plants that have evolved skills to hunt animals and humans.

As the saying goes, when the divine being advances a foot, the demonic being advances ten. He had never relaxed his efforts to advance, and Guan Yuanfeng equally needed to quickly upgrade his wind and lightning abilities.

For the next several days, Guan Yuanfeng went out early every morning with Comet and returned home on time in the evening, bringing back various supplies, gasoline, diesel, coal, and some plants and animals that seemed distinctly different from usual.

Soon, Guan Yuanfeng advanced to the third tier, catching up with Zhou Yun. Although he didn’t know, Zhou Yun saw him successfully use a variety of combined mass-killing lightning spells, chain cyclones, wind walls, and even intuitively learn to use wind skills to increase his movement speed.

Zhou Yun sighed inwardly. Indeed, the king of abilities praised by various bases in the previous life, with the highest combat value, not to mention dual wind and lightning abilities. If there were an experience bar, Guan Yuanfeng would gain levels by taking out four or five zombies with a single lightning strike.

As for him, cultivating a plant was just +1 experience point.

He stretched out his hand and touched the eggplant on the rooftop. In late autumn, the eggplant, having endured frost, remained a vibrant purple and impressively large under his daily care.

This eggplant clears stomach heat and contains solanine, which can inhibit tumors in the digestive system and is good for the stomach, though it's evident that Guan Yuanfeng doesn't particularly like it... although he still eats it.

Recently, there's been a bountiful harvest of eggplants, and being too lazy to dry them, he made several eggplant dishes.

When stir-fried with green peppers and tomatoes, or deep-fried, Guan Yuanfeng would enjoy it more. However, cold dishes weren't so popular; yesterday, when he steamed eggplant with chrysanthemum flowers, Guan Yuanfeng's expression was indescribable.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh. Vegetables like radishes, cabbages, mustard greens, cabbages, and spinach become sweeter and softer after a frost, but the texture of eggplants indeed deteriorates. He thought perhaps he should just harvest all the eggplants and plant something else instead.

Then there was his mutated giant pumpkin, which he wanted to harvest but also felt reluctant to—perhaps it could grow even larger. Maybe he should transplant it to the greenhouse area behind the villa; maybe it would grow even bigger once it's connected to the actual ground.

Lost in thought, Zhou Yun was suddenly jolted back to reality by a streak of orange-yellow light cutting across the dark sky, like a match drawing a fiery trace on the sky.

He stood dazed for a moment, then quickly ran to the stairwell and shouted down, "Guan Yuanfeng! Guan Yuanfeng!"

His call was so urgent that Guan Yuanfeng rushed out with Comet, looking serious and even holding a gun. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Yun beckoned him, "Come upstairs."

Guan Yuanfeng thought it might be some mutated bird again and quickly climbed the stairs. When he arrived and saw the quiet rooftop, with crickets chirping among the vegetables, he looked puzzled. "What is it?"

Zhou Yun gestured, "Look at the sky, pay attention." He pointed towards the deep night sky in the direction of the sea.

Guan Yuanfeng focused on the sky, seeing only the velvet-like autumn night, quiet and mysterious.

Though he didn't understand, he saw Zhou Yun holding his breath, concentrating intently on the horizon, so he didn't ask further.

After a while, a bright orange-red meteor streaked across the sky, breaking the silence with a long silver-white tail, as if plunging into the distant sea.

It was the first time Guan Yuanfeng had seen such a bright and clear meteor. Surprised, he said, "A meteor?"

Zhou Yun shook his head. "It's a meteor shower."

Suddenly, the previously silent night sky began to light up. Meteors began streaking across the sky, some silver, some blue-green, some golden-yellow, splashing across the air in a dazzling display of light, each meteor streaking across the sky in a burst of color, only to vanish just as quickly.

The sky was filled with noise, magnificent and strange, intoxicating and chaotic, making one feel as if in a dream.

Guan Yuanfeng was finally astonished by this dizzyingly beautiful celestial display. "Is this... a sign of some impending disaster?"

Zhou Yun, staring at the fleeting brilliance before him, a smile on his face, said, "No... it's just beautiful." I wanted you to see this—don't miss it.

In his previous life, when he saw this meteor shower, he was already at the base located at the intersection of three provinces and had long since parted ways with Guan Yuanfeng.

That was probably a weary night in the apocalypse, with the vast universe and long timeline making humans feel insignificant in the vastness of the universe. He could no longer remember how he felt that night seeing the meteor shower, as every night was one of loneliness.

But in this life, having someone to watch this starry sky with made the scenery seem a bit more meaningful.

He murmured, "Tomorrow, let's go fishing at the reservoir." They had planned to go, but it was postponed because Guan Yuanfeng had recently been keen on going to the city to hunt monsters and level up, bringing back plenty of crystals and supplies.

Guan Yuanfeng didn't expect that while watching the meteor shower, Zhou Yun would jump to such a strange topic.

He had long noticed that Zhou Yun's thoughts were very lively; often, he would be talking about one thing, and the next moment, he'd already moved to another topic.

At first, he found it strange, but later realized that Zhou Yun's thoughts were just highly associative. His mind would leap from one idea to another, connecting thoughts in ways that others might not immediately see.

He didn't know how Zhou Yun was with other people, but people might find his thoughts as wild and disconnected.

But Guan Yuanfeng knew that the meteor shower and going fishing at the reservoir were probably connected. Zhou Yun spent a lot of time in deep thought, and when he was focused on his thoughts, it was hard to interrupt him.

So he casually asked, "Why did you suddenly think of going to the reservoir to fish?"

Zhou Yun said, "I think the weather might get cold soon. We should go to the reservoir to catch some mutated fish, gather a batch of water cores, and also bring back some large fish to freeze for winter food reserves."

Given that this winter would be particularly long, he remembered from his previous life that not long after the meteor shower, heavy snow began to fall. An unprecedented snowstorm paralyzed all transportation. With no prey in the wild, zombies began to form massive hordes, attacking human bases.

Many bases, with insufficient food reserves and inadequate defenses, were constantly surrounded and assaulted by zombies. They had to keep retreating and evacuating, and the extremely cold weather further tested people who lacked winter clothing, food, and heating methods in the apocalypse. Those who wandered outside froze to death and reanimated as zombies, causing the zombie hordes to grow larger and begin evolving.

Before winter arrived, it was essential to stockpile as much food and supplies as possible. This urge to stockpile was deeply ingrained in his memory.

Fortunately, Guan Yuanfeng had been able to bring back one or two barrels of fuel every day recently, so their heating supplies should be sufficient. But as psychics, they still needed more food security.

Guan Yuanfeng had no objections. "Alright."

The boat and fishing equipment had already been prepared. Though he didn’t understand why Zhou Yun, who had just been admiring the sky’s beauty, suddenly became concerned about winter food reserves as if entering a melancholic train of thought.

But he had long noticed that when Zhou Yun said "maybe," it usually meant "definitely."

He couldn’t comprehend how Zhou Yun made certain judgments and inferences, but the other man seemed to have astonishing intuition and higher research skills than most. It was best to trust him without overanalyzing.