Chapter 69: The Space Necklace Reacts Again

Chapter 69 The Space Necklace Reacts Again

Ji An and Gu Jinsheng quietly followed the zombie patrol squad, observing as they eventually entered the darkest corner room.

The once somewhat alert zombies instantly lost their vigor upon returning, reverting to their sluggish state. They shuffled toward the darkest corners, collapsing in disarray across the floor.

The room already held over a dozen zombies, all lying motionless. Even when stepped on by returning companions, they didn't twitch—as if dead.

This matched Ji An's understanding of zombies: without intelligence, feeling no pain, averse to sunlight, and perpetually hungry.

Their earlier behavior—overcoming sunlight aversion, acting with discipline, and patrolling cautiously—had been abnormal.

Gu Jinsheng and Ji An locked eyes but refrained from attacking, worried any noise might alert the Psychic Zombie King.

They retreated quietly. At a safe distance, Ji An whispered, "That zombie squad didn't seem autonomous. More like Mind Control."

Ji An tapped his chin. "Though I've lost my powers and am ordinary now, I still see psychic threads. But my sensitivity might have dulled. Did you notice anything unusual, like energy fluctuations?"

At the mention of Ji An's lost power, a flash of heartache crossed Gu Jinsheng's eyes. He'd never regretted losing his Wind ability as much as grieving Ji An's Psychic power loss.

Though Ji An had made peace with it, Gu Jinsheng still carried the weight. Yet he kept his sorrow hidden—he wouldn't reopen this irreversible loss.

"I sensed no energy fluctuations," Gu Jinsheng replied.

"Then the Psychic Zombie King must be planting mental commands," Ji An concluded. "There are only two control methods:

"One is direct Mind Control, like puppeteering.

"The other implants mental commands—embedding tasks that activate when triggered."

"Since we saw no control threads, it must be mental commands," Ji An said. "That's scarier. This Zombie King hasn't just gained intelligence—it's learning to think strategically."

"We must eliminate it today, or it'll become a major threat," Gu Jinsheng said grimly.

The two pressed deeper into the nest. Encountering another patrol, Gu Jinsheng acted first, flinging a superpower-infused blade.

It scythed through the squad, decapitating zombies instantly. Seven or eight heads rolled.

They quickly extracted the Zombie Cores. These were higher-level than before—better quality though still impure.

"Late-stage Tier 2 and early-stage Tier 3 Cores?" Ji An mused while examining them. "This intelligent zombie organizes forces well—weaker outside, stronger within, graded defenses."

"Take them." Though Gu Jinsheng killed them, he gave all cores to Ji An.

Ji An grinned. "You're sure?"

Gu Jinsheng gave him a look. "When have I withheld anything from you?"

"Oh? When we first met, you took all my hunted Cores. So domineering." Ji An pouted exaggeratedly, looking adorable.

"I cut you some slack. You got West District," Gu Jinsheng said flatly.

While Capital City Base accepted ordinary people and superpowered individuals with no criminal records from other bases, most were assigned to East District—the slums.

Location determined everything.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The few Zombie Cores Ji An and Tang Ning had could at most get them a mid-level district in the East City. As for those experimental equipment, they were only enough to exchange for a laboratory protected by the command center.

That's why Gu Jinsheng said he'd cut them some slack. At the time, Ji An was only a Level 3 novice superpower wielder, and his Psychic Superpower was seen as non-combat-oriented by most. On top of that, he had dead weight to drag around—how could Gu Jinsheng bear to throw him into the East City, that snake pit?

Otherwise, how could Tang Ning, an ordinary person, have lived in the West City's studio dorm? That was equivalent to living inside Beijing's Fourth Ring before the apocalypse.

Ji An snorted. "I know."

He was deliberately teasing Gu Jinsheng.

Gu Jinsheng said, "From now on, all the cores will be yours."

The two continued forward and, after walking for about five or six minutes, encountered a third zombie patrol squad.

This time, it was obvious that this group was higher level, likely composed of Level 3 elite and Level 4 zombies.

The two exchanged a glance and charged forward in perfect sync.

The zombies didn't even have time to make a sound before Gu Jinsheng and Ji An wiped them out.

Gu Jinsheng killed five, Ji An killed two, but Gu Jinsheng gave all the Zombie Cores to Ji An.

Ji An took them without ceremony.

This time, they didn't need to walk any further. Ji An sensed that the house the zombies were patrolling around had to be the spot.

This house was special—different from the others.

The windows on the walls had been meticulously mortared shut, tightly sealed without a single gap, letting in no light. The door's window was boarded up with planks, equally lightproof.

To humans, such a place would be an unlivable crypt—but for zombies, this was their five-star undead resort.

Zombies had no intelligence; even if they liked such an environment, they couldn't create it themselves. But clearly, the bricks on these windows were newly laid—man-made, or rather, *zombie*-made.

No question, this was the work of the Psychic Zombie King controlling its minions.

This must be the nest of that Zombie King.

Ji An carefully moved aside a loose brick and scoped out the interior. Pitch black—nothing visible.

Ji An and Gu Jinsheng didn't kick down the door. If this wasn't the Zombie King's nest but a trap house, and they went in guns blazing, fighting the horde inside and alerting the King to escape, all their efforts would be wasted.

Ji An pointed to the roof. The two climbed up, removed some tiles, and this time could barely make out the situation inside.

The interior was indeed dark and damp. Ji An could feel the grave-chill dampness seeping through the gap, brushing his face.

No wonder he'd seen nothing earlier—the zombies had hung curtains over the interior windows.

God knows where they'd found them. The colors and styles varied, but all shared one feature: impossible thickness.

Those heavy drapes ensured not even midday sun could penetrate.

Inside stood a raised dirt platform, completely shrouded by those same thick curtains.

Ji An moved aside as Gu Jinsheng stepped forward. Flicking a spark with his superpower, he let the flame kiss the fabric just enough to burn a peephole before stopping.

Darkness beyond—nothing visible. Ji An and Gu Jinsheng carved out an opening in the roof tiles. Gu Jinsheng dropped in first, followed by Ji An.

Gu Jinsheng cautiously used his Superpower to stay alert while yanking open the curtain.

Behind the curtain, there was nothing—completely empty.

The Mind-Control Zombie King wasn’t here at all!

"Did we fall for a trap?" Ji An asked, though deep down, he still felt this was the Zombie King’s lair.

"Search the place," Gu Jinsheng said, scanning the room thoroughly.

Ji An also inspected the area, growing more convinced this was indeed the Zombie King’s domain. Everywhere bore traces of zombie activity, yet everything was orderly and singular, clearly indicating only one zombie had lived here.

For zombies, this was prime real estate—how could no others covet it, leaving it to just one? Unless that zombie was the Zombie King.

Since the Zombie King had developed intelligence, it meant it had become cunning, likely leaving contingencies. It couldn’t be analyzed like ordinary zombies.

Thinking this, Ji An searched even more meticulously, treating it like an equal adversary. Finally, he noticed something off near the wall’s corner.

"Jinsheng, this part’s hollow," Ji An said, stomping twice on the floor tile, producing a dull thud.

"Let me." Gu Jinsheng used his Superpower to pry open the tile, revealing a dark hole beneath.

The hole was just large enough for a person to crawl through, with fresh dirt around the edges—clearly, something, and not just one, had recently gone in.

Gu Jinsheng aimed a bolt of electro-fire into the hole, the flames lashing inward like a striking viper.

"Follow its trail," Gu Jinsheng said. He and Ji An exited through the door, tracking the path from above.

The electro-fire was Gu Jinsheng’s Superpower, so he could sense its movement.

At first, all was quiet—only the fire serpent silently slithering through the underground tunnel. But after about a minute, muffled shrieks and growls of zombies reached their ears.

Gu Jinsheng’s electro-fire was deadly to zombies; even a touch would reduce them to ashes.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ji An trembled as zombies erupted from the soil. Ji An immediately spotted the Mind-Control Zombie King, flanked by a wall of undead.

Several zombies shot from the earth, unleashing Superpower attacks at Ji An and Gu Jinsheng before even landing.

Gu Jinsheng was ready. He pulled Ji An into his arms, rolling away from an incoming strike, then retaliated with a barrage of lightning orbs that shattered the zombies’ assaults.

As soon as they stood, three Level-3 and -4 zombies closed in, surrounding them. Meanwhile, the Zombie King was carried off by a speed-enhanced zombie.

"All units, Zombie King spotted in Zone 6, fleeing toward Zone 7. Prepare for full encirclement," Gu Jinsheng commanded through the team radio. Before the operation, command had mapped the territory and assigned zone numbers for coordination.

Before Gu Jinsheng finished speaking, the zombies lunged. Ji An drew a long blade from his dimensional storage, hacking off the claws of a zombie reaching for Gu Jinsheng. He then pivoted behind another, dodging its attack, and swung his blade horizontally, cleaving through its knees. The zombie collapsed to half its height, now level with Ji An’s waist.

From this angle, Ji An drove his blade into the zombie’s skull, prying loose its Zombie Core with a sharp twist. He caught it mid-air—the core was decent, roughly low-tier Level 4.

Meanwhile, Gu Jinsheng acted. He called forth his Thunder Dragon, which coiled around the zombies, belching flames and crackling orbs.

Zombies, usually sluggish, fought with startling speed. One hydrokinetic zombie encased itself in water and tried to land on the Thunder Dragon’s head, making the beast roar in fury. The dragon snapped its jaws, swallowing the zombie whole.

The dragon’s crimson eyes burned triumphantly as it soared toward Ji An. Though a manifestation of Gu Jinsheng’s Superpower, Ji An instinctively extended his palm. The dragon spat out a Zombie Core—the only remnant of its prey.

Gu Jinsheng, meanwhile, wielded a blazing lance formed from his Superpower, impaling a zombie’s skull. "Here!" he barked.

Ji An raised his hand, a Zombie Core resting steadily in his palm.

Ji An smiled. Thunder Dragon and Gu Jinsheng exchanged glances. Though they were, in a sense, the same person, at this moment, the man and the dragon were staring at each other with the intensity of rivals, as if vying for attention—you gave out a Zombie Core, so I can’t fall behind.

"Come back," Gu Jinsheng said to Thunder Dragon.

Thunder Dragon ignored him, coiling and weaving around Ji An.

With its big, crimson eyes fixed on Ji An, Thunder Dragon looked oddly endearing, occasionally nudging its head forward as if begging Ji An for pets.

Ji An hesitated. "I can’t touch you—you’ll burn me."

But Thunder Dragon refused to give up, still pressing its crackling head toward Ji An. Gu Jinsheng clenched his jaw, unsure whether he was angry that Thunder Dragon disobeyed him or upset about something else.

After several failed attempts to win Ji An’s affection, Thunder Dragon brushed right up against him. Ji An flinched back but was too slow—Thunder Dragon made contact squarely.

Ji An expected to be set ablaze immediately and was about to fetch Magic Spring water from his space to douse the flames. But to his surprise, despite Thunder Dragon’s lightning and fiery tendrils pressing against him, not a single thread of his clothes was singed.

"Ah, why? Why didn’t it burn me?" Ji An blurted out.

Gu Jinsheng remained expressionless. "Thunder Dragon is a manifestation of my superpower. If I don’t will it, it won’t harm anyone. Just like a water superpowered’s ability—it can be consumed as water or turned into a weapon."

Ultimately, Thunder Dragon was merely a manifestation of superpower, albeit one crackling with flames and lightning, looking downright intimidating. Whether it harmed anyone depended entirely on Gu Jinsheng’s intent.

Ji An said, "Its appearance is too intimidating. I often forget it’s also superpower-made. The terrifying sparks and lightning around it don’t necessarily have to hurt anyone."

"Back to your place!" Gu Jinsheng commanded Thunder Dragon again.

Thunder Dragon swished its tail defiantly, refusing to obey. It even rubbed its horns against Ji An’s palm.

Miffed that Ji An kept refusing, Thunder Dragon gave him a light zap—just enough to tingle without harming him.

Tickled by the sensation, Ji An finally reached out and gently scratched Thunder Dragon’s horns. The dragon narrowed its eyes in pleasure, purring like an overgrown kitten.

Gu Jinsheng’s lips pressed even tighter. When Ji An turned and caught a rare glimpse of his stormy expression, he suddenly realized something was off.

Facing Thunder Dragon’s unusual behavior head-on, Ji An understood more clearly what Gu Jinsheng had meant when he said Thunder Dragon was becoming somewhat uncontrollable and even developing its own will.

As a superpower manifestation of Gu Jinsheng, Thunder Dragon was now defying his will, doing whatever it pleased.

Ji An couldn’t help but worry. "Jinsheng, is your control over Thunder Dragon weakening?"

"No," Gu Jinsheng snapped. "Don’t worry about my superpower. Thunder Dragon just wants to protect you."

Ji An said, "Well, now that we’ve found the Zombie King, there’s no need to stay quiet anymore. Let Thunder Dragon stay out here—it can protect me."

Thunder Dragon seemed to understand Ji An’s words, prancing around him eagerly before flopping onto its back like an overeager puppy, inviting him to pet its belly.

The majestic Thunder Dragon looked ridiculously cute in this pose. Unable to resist, Ji An gave its belly a rub.

Gu Jinsheng’s scowl deepened. "Let’s go."

"Oh, okay."

Gu Jinsheng and Ji An, with Thunder Dragon in tow, pressed forward. Before long, they heard the sounds of battle.

It turned out Wan Xueying and her team had caught up to them. Seeing Gu Jinsheng had summoned Thunder Dragon to protect Ji An, Wan Xueying was speechless.

A superpowered’s abilities weren’t infinite. Merely manifesting a superpower, even without combat, consumed energy. And given how vividly Gu Jinsheng had conjured Thunder Dragon, the drain was even heavier.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Therefore, many superpowered opt to fight using their superpower prototypes to conserve energy, avoiding flashy techniques.

Their leader used to be quite pragmatic as well—initially summoning Thunder Dragon was purely to train his control over his superpower.

But ever since meeting Ji An, he seems increasingly fond of these flashy, impractical techniques just to show off.

Wan Xueying really wanted to ask Gu Jinsheng if his head didn’t hurt anymore—having just lost one superpower ability, shouldn’t he focus on recuperating instead of indulging in these superficial theatrics?

But she didn’t dare.

"Boss, the Zombie King fled toward Zone 4. You two chase that way—we’ll handle these zombies."

"Roger."

Gu Jinsheng and Ji An continued their pursuit, but after a while with no sign of the Zombie King, they gradually slowed to a stop.

"The zombie footprints suddenly disappear here. I suspect the Zombie King might be hiding nearby—let’s search." Given the Zombie King’s newly awakened intelligence, it probably couldn’t devise anything too complex—at most, it had the cognitive level of a toddler. When hiding, it might only remember to erase a few footprints near its hiding spot.

"Mm, let’s split up. Thunder Dragon will stay with you," Gu Jinsheng said.

"Alright." With Gu Jinsheng’s strength, even while Thunder Dragon was protecting Ji An, it wouldn’t hinder his ability to fight using his superpower.

Ji An followed his intuition and searched in one direction, though he didn’t stray too far from Gu Jinsheng. Without his superpower now, he feared he wouldn’t be able to resist the Zombie King’s Mind Control or the implantation of a mental seed. If that happened, Gu Jinsheng—who was completely unguarded against him—would be in danger.

Ji An scanned house after house, but after searching four or five, he found nothing—just some low-level mutated beasts, not even a single small zombie.

He paused, stopping his blind search, and began scanning the houses ahead.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. There was a house tucked in a corner, untouched by sunlight whether at dawn or dusk—completely shrouded in darkness. Beside it stood an old locust tree, its dense foliage casting the entire small house in shadow.

The Zombie King had only recently awakened intelligence and the ability to think. It probably hadn’t yet learned to overcome its inherent instincts—even when hiding, it would subconsciously seek out an environment it preferred.

"Jinsheng," Ji An whispered, gesturing toward the eerie little house. Gu Jinsheng nodded, and the two quietly crept closer.

A faint breeze stirred, rustling the weeds with a barely audible sound—so soft it was nearly drowned out by the wind.

But both Gu Jinsheng and Ji An noticed. Gu Jinsheng motioned Ji An behind him while Thunder Dragon wrapped around Ji An like a living shield.

Ji An didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

Gu Jinsheng cautiously advanced about ten steps before suddenly releasing a burst of superpower energy toward the weeds.

*Meow!* A tiny kitten tumbled out of the grass, disheveled and weak, its eyes newly opened, barely able to see the world, and its limbs so feeble it could hardly crawl. Several wounds marred its body, likely from nearby branches and sharp rocks.

"An unmutated kitten?" Ji An was instantly captivated.

Seven years post-Collapse, nearly all animals and plants had mutated—especially animals. Without mutation, they couldn’t survive. Without superpowers, they were destined as prey, hunted down. Only the enhanced survived in this world of survival of the fittest.

Thus, unmutated flora and fauna were now as rare as pre-Collapse pandas.

For some reason, this unmutated kitten exerted an inexplicable attraction over Ji An. Without thinking, he stepped forward, reaching out to touch it. Just then, his Space Necklace seared again—now even more fiercely than when he had contacted the Superpowered Crystal Core.