Chapter 5 Ji An’s Secret

**Chapter 5: Ji An’s Secret**

When Chen Chen failed to persuade Ji An, he turned to Tang Tang instead.

Tang Tang was at home with her elder female cousin, and the two were eating when Chen Chen arrived.

Her lunch included chicken, duck, fish, and vegetables, with rice mixed with black rice as the main dish. Even before the apocalypse, such a meal would’ve been lavish for one person.

Across from her, Tang Ning was eating moldy bread, her eyes fixed on Tang Tang’s rich spread while secretly gulping down saliva.

“Chen,” Tang Tang exclaimed in delight, immediately pushing aside her luxurious dinner.

Chen Chen gave Tang Ning a meaningful glance. “Tang, I need to talk to you alone.”

Tang Tang always maintained an image of innocent gentleness in public, speaking softly and kindly to everyone.

But now, alone with Chen Chen, she dropped the act. Tilting her chin up, she gestured toward the remains of her meal in a condescending tone, like a master addressing a servant: “You can have this. Take it outside and eat far enough not to hear us.”

“Yes,” Tang Ning replied meekly, her eyes locked onto the cold scraps as she all but pounced on them.

Clutching the leftovers, Tang Ning hurried out of the house and began devouring them like a starved animal—like someone who hadn’t eaten in centuries.

Strangely, even though it wasn’t raining, drops landed in the bowl. Tang Ning wiped her face—it was already streaked with tears.

Watching through the window, Tang Tang’s eyes gleamed triumphantly.

This cousin of hers had once been so untouchable. Before the apocalypse, her family had money, her parents had steady jobs—unlike Tang Tang’s own poor background. That cousin had never missed a chance to rub her privilege in Tang Tang’s face, always trying to dominate her.

And now? Brought to her knees, forced to grovel just to get scraps from Tang Tang’s table.

It just goes to show—until your final breath, no one knows how things will turn out. No one should look down on anyone!

“Tang,” Chen Chen said, his voice deadly serious as he pulled her back to attention. “Tell me the truth—what’s really going on with that necklace?”

“Wh-what are you talking about? I just got attached to it after wearing it so long—I didn’t want to give it back,” Tang Tang stammered, her eyes darting nervously.

“Tang Tang!” Chen Chen snapped. “At a time like this, you still won’t tell me the truth?”

Tang Tang’s eyes instantly reddened. “Chen, this is the first time you’ve called me by my full name—all because of *him*?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she broke into pitiful sobs.

Chen Chen’s heart softened instantly. Rubbing his temples in exasperation, he sighed. “Tang, you *have* to tell me the truth now. Otherwise, I won’t know how to protect you.”

“Don’t think just because A An usually acts indifferent, like nothing matters, that he’s easygoing. In reality, he’s the most stubborn person I know.”

“Once he makes up his mind, even I can’t change it.”

“If he wants that necklace back and you refuse, he has countless ways to take it.”

“You’ve teamed up with him for years—you know how terrifying his strength is. He seems almost inhuman. Even if I fought him myself, I wouldn’t bet on winning.”

Chen Chen stared at Tang Tang, his dark eyes intense and focused. When he looked at someone like that, there was always something deep behind his gaze—something affectionate. It made Tang Tang’s heart pound like a rabbit in her chest, her face burning red.

“Only if you tell me the truth can I protect you properly!”

“I... I *am* being honest,” Tang Tang murmured, dropping her gaze to avoid his piercing stare.

"Forget it." Chen Chen sighed deeply. "Let's call it a day for now. Tang Tang, I'll give you three days to think it over. After three days, give me your answer, or I'm washing my hands of you. You know how A An is—he’ll definitely find another chance to take back the necklace. I’ll hold him off for these three days."

Tang Tang dragged her toes across the floor, staring at her shoes in silence.

"I’m leaving." Chen Chen had no choice but to walk away.

Tang Tang watched his retreating figure with a complicated expression. A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes before being replaced by resolve.

Just then, Tang Ning entered the house. Tang Tang’s pent-up frustration finally found an outlet, and she lashed out at her sister: "All you ever do is stuff your face! Are you a pig? Even pigs are worth more than you! A single pig can fetch ten first-grade cores now. And you? A worthless nobody who can’t even awaken a superpower—not even worth a single core! You’re nothing but a disgusting parasite!"

Tang Ning said nothing. Her clothes were filthy from days—maybe weeks—without washing, her hair greasy enough to fry an egg. She kept her head down, long strands obscuring her face, reeking of the despair common among ordinary people in the base.

"You make me sick just standing there! Get your ass in there and wash those dishes! And take my clothes from today—wash those too!" After blowing off steam, Tang Tang felt a little better and turned to go back to her room.

Tang Ning picked up the clothes Tang Tang had just changed out of and went to wash them. Staring at the clear water in the bucket, she scooped it up and chugged it down like her life depended on it before her lungs finally stopped burning with thirst.

For ordinary people like her, getting water was next to impossible. Even superpowered individuals had to trade with water users to get it.

But Tang Tang? She had water to spare.

Even in this post-apocalyptic world where only water provided by water users was safe to drink, she not only drank as much as she wanted, she even wasted it washing clothes she’d barely worn.

Tang Ning quietly filled a bottle with clean water and hid it before mechanically starting to wash the rest.

Nights in the apocalypse were pitch-black. Without light sources, it was nearly impossible to see anything in the dark.

A shadowy figure darted through the night, stopping in front of a small two-bedroom house. With practiced ease, the figure jimmied the window open with a wire and slipped inside.

This figure was none other than Ji An, and he had just broken into Tang Tang’s bedroom.

Once inside, Ji An glanced back at the glass pane, thinking how spoiled Tang Tang was by Chen Chen.

In this ruined world, factories had long shut down. Items like glass, neither edible nor essential, had stopped being produced. Finding a proper piece for a window was nearly impossible—yet Tang Tang still had one.

And he knew better than to believe she had earned it herself. He knew exactly how capable she was. If her superpower was fake, what else wasn’t a lie?

She was a leech, clinging to others to survive.

Ji An crept silently to Tang Tang’s bedside, finding her breathing steadily, deep in sleep.

How had someone this careless survived so many missions without protection? She should’ve been dead ten times by now. The most useless member of the team was clearly Tang Tang, yet everyone thought it was him—and she even got a larger share of mission rewards.

Ji An reached out, his hands closing around Tang Tang’s neck. The sleeping woman remained oblivious, though her face twisted in pain as his grip tightened. Yet even then, she didn’t wake.

Suddenly, Ji An released her, a cruel grin twisting his lips.

He had changed his mind. He wouldn’t kill her. Dying would’ve been a mercy. He wanted to see—without her fake power, could Tang Tang still win Chen Chen’s heart as she had in his ghostly visions? Could they really get their fairy-tale ending again?

Sometimes, death wasn’t the real torment—living was far more painful.

And what could be sweeter than watching ex-lovers tear each other apart?

Ji An roughly yanked the necklace from Tang Tang’s neck, finally yanking her out of sleep.

Blind in the dark, she could barely make out a shadowy figure standing by her bed.

"Ah—" Her scream died in her throat as Ji An smothered it.

He dragged her violently from the bed and pulled her toward the window. In the dim moonlight, Tang Tang finally placed those familiar eyes.

It's Ji An!

Tang Tang's eyes widened, and she suddenly began struggling violently, uttering muffled whimpers.

"Silence!" Ji An snapped, his cold gaze fixed on Tang Tang as threads of his psychic energy wormed into her mind, seizing control.

Tang Tang’s face went blank as she gradually stopped resisting.

She was far easier to control than Chen Chen.

The sliver of psychic energy he’d regained after resting in the afternoon was enough. Tang Tang was just a mundane after all—had it been even a Level 1 superpowered, Ji An’s barely recovered strength wouldn’t have stood a chance.

"You answer whatever I ask. Understood?" Ji An ordered.

"Understood," Tang Tang replied dully, her gaze vacant, puppet-like.

"First question—does Chen Chen know the secret of the necklace?"

"He must," she answered slowly, her voice sluggish. "He came today asking if the necklace had any abnormalities and promised to protect it from being stolen. But I didn't tell him its secret."

Hearing this, Ji An couldn't fathom Chen Chen’s reasoning. They were lovers—shouldn't they be closer than an outsider like Tang Tang? Why give such a treasure away instead of keeping it for himself?

What was different about their relationship compared to his with Chen Chen?

"Second question—did you know about Ji An’s abnormality?" This was something Ji An had wanted to ask even when he was a ghost. Had they discovered his power long ago? If she hadn’t known, mistaking him for a mundane, and killed him out of ignorance, that would’ve been one thing—but why had they immediately dug out the crystal core from his brain?

"Yes," Tang Tang nodded obediently, answering every question. "How could we miss it when that bastard Ji An made it so obvious? No mundane could solo a Level 3 Zombie."

"What do you think he was hiding?" Ji An pressed.

"He was a monster." Under mental control, Tang Tang spoke without restraint, voicing her truest thoughts. "A terrifying one. His awakened ability was psychic—mind control. He could dominate others, make them obey him, turn them into puppets! No human should wield that kind of power. He must have been a hellspawn sent to enslave the world."

Ji An suspected Tang Tang knew something, but never imagined she knew this much—more than he himself had understood back then.

"Third question—did Chen Chen know?"

"Chen Chen knew. He was scared too, but he couldn’t do it. Even knowing Ji An was a monster, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him.

They’d been classmates since high school, lovers in college, and held out through seven years of hell together. Chen Chen was in too deep—he just couldn’t pull the trigger.

He even said he didn’t know whether his love for Ji An was real or if it had been manipulated by Ji An's control."

At this point, Tang Tang’s emotions flared, almost shaking off Ji An’s grip. He had to tighten his hold to subdue her again.

"Chen Chen must’ve been controlled by that freak! Otherwise, how could he ever love that thing?

No—Chen Chen truly loves *me*. I’m the one meant for him! I have both space and healing powers—I’m top-tier here!"