Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"This... is a thunder-fire dual mutation..."

It wasn’t just Huang Qian who was shocked. Even Jiang Nian was startled when he saw flames and electricity appear at the same time. He quickly waved at the steaming figure before him:

"Brother Jing, hurry to the bathroom! Your powers won’t hurt you, but they could harm people or damage things around you. Since there’s fire involved, you can’t go back to your room—get in the bathroom now!"

Cheng Jing was already dizzy from the heat. As soon as Jiang Nian finished speaking, he rushed toward the bathroom. Jiang Nian followed, turned on the shower, and then stepped out, closing the door behind him. Standing outside, he called through the door:

"Stay calm. Water can put out fire and conduct electricity, so your mutation won’t react badly to it. Brother Jing, keep your head clear and stay rational. If your powers go out of control, the whole house—or even this building—could be destroyed."

Offensive abilities were terrifyingly destructive, especially rare dual mutations like this one. Although Jiang Nian hadn’t seen many in his previous life, he’d heard plenty of stories.

People with strong offensive powers were in high demand everywhere—even official organizations sometimes relied on them.

"Don’t worry, I can control it. But you and Huang Qian should move away from the door. If things get bad, just go downstairs first..."

Cheng Jing leaned under the showerhead and sat down, most of his body surrounded by lightning and flames. Even with the water pouring over him, he was still burning. He thought his hair would burn away, but weirdly enough, it didn’t. His mind was clear, and he felt confident about maintaining control—but he was still afraid of what might happen if he lost it.

"No, I’m staying right here," Jiang Nian said firmly.

He grabbed a chair and stood guard outside the door. He believed in Cheng Jing.

Huang Qian, having calmed down, also pulled up a chair and sat beside him.

"We’re both right here," she said. "If you feel like you're losing control, just remember—your partner and your right-hand man are waiting outside."

Jiang Nian blushed slightly at her directness but didn’t say anything. Instead, he took the opportunity to talk to her about superpower awakenings, showing her some strange news clippings he had collected. He also mentioned his recent apocalyptic nightmares.

He kept it brief, only touching on the surface before concluding:

"They say there are always warnings before a great disaster. I believe this is one of them..."

With a superpower awakening happening right before her eyes, Huang Qian couldn’t help but believe it.

Putting that together with Cheng Jing’s tolerance for Jiang Nian’s stockpiling habits, she immediately caught on and nodded.

"I get it now."

She then called into the bathroom:

"Big bro, the training mission and the supply stockpiling—it was all because of this, wasn’t it?"

Cheng Jing didn’t deny it.

"Some things don’t need to be said out loud. Huang Qian, I hope tonight’s events—including Jiang Nian’s dreams and everything we’ve done—stay just between us three for now."

Huang Qian waved it off.

"I know. Whether the apocalypse comes or not, spreading this kind of thing would bring nothing but trouble. Take care of yourself first, respect others’ fates, and only help others if you can."

The fact that these two had included her in their plans already meant a lot.

"Exactly. It’s good that Sister Qian understands."

Smart people were easy to deal with. Jiang Nian let out a relieved sigh—he had been worried, after all. Women were often too soft-hearted, and in chaotic times, mercy could get you killed.

Huang Qian seemed to guess what he was thinking. She gave him a bright smile and waved her hand.

"Don't worry, sis isn't some bleeding-heart. Whether in chaotic times or not, anyone who puts misplaced kindness above priorities is just asking for trouble."

"Yeah."

Jiang Nian chuckled along. He didn't oppose compassion, but he couldn't stand those who guilt-trip others into sharing risks for their own reckless actions. Bottom line: they could screw themselves over all they want—just don't drag others into it, and there'd be no issues.

Next, Jiang Nian fielded Huang Qian's other questions while waiting for Cheng Jing to finish merging with his Superpower.

The bathroom echoed with the sound of running water and crackling electricity, flickers of firelight barely visible.

But since Cheng Jing remained lucid, Jiang Nian and Huang Qian didn't worry too much. After eating something, they resumed organizing supplies.

As they worked, Huang Qian said they'd need to hit the stores again tomorrow and urged others to scramble to stock up too.

Two more hours passed, pushing midnight. Cheng Jing had stabilized and sent Huang Qian home, telling her to return tomorrow after gathering enough supplies—and then stay indoors.

"Got it. Hit me up if anything goes down, Jiang Nian."

With the situation under control, Huang Qian knew staying wouldn't help. After telling Jiang Nian to be careful, she left.

The apartment fell quiet. Crackling with flames and electricity, Cheng Jing turned to Jiang Nian:

"NianNian, go sleep next door. No need to wait for me."

"No, I'm not tired."

Jiang Nian dug in his heels. His boyfriend was a precog Superpowered—he was too excited to sleep.

"Fine."

Cheng Jing relented:

"Rest if you're tired. Otherwise, walk me through the rest of those dreams..."

"Alright. After the zombies came, disasters followed—first extreme cold..."

Jiang Nian scrounged up some snacks and dished everything he'd seen, heard, and experienced in his past life, sharing all he could.

Since the prophetic dream premise was already set and Cheng Jing believed him, there was nothing to lose by spelling it all out.

Cheng Jing listened until he started nodding off, then told the person outside he'd nap and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

Despite the sparks and lightning coursing over him, the initial discomfort had faded. Instead, he felt an odd, full-body ease—almost like the body tempering in cultivation novels.

Jiang Nian hauled an armchair over and crashed in it.

He woke groggily past 5 a.m., dawn already breaking outside.

Glancing at the bathroom, he found it silent—water off, no flames or electricity. Sleepiness vanished as he bolted upright:

"Brother Jing, how are you?"

After a pause, Cheng Jing's voice replied:

"All good. Grab me some clothes from the room."

"Okay, okay—hold on!"

Jiang Nian quickly fetched clothes from next door—a suit and shirt. Work kept his wardrobe fairly monotonous.

Just as Cheng Jing was getting dressed, Huang Qian burst in energetically with breakfast in hand:

"Damn, I was so worried last night I barely got a wink of sleep. Big bro, come show yourself."

Cheng Jing stepped out of the bathroom, looking no different except sharper and more energetic, his gaze intense.

Huang Qian tsk'd after giving him a once-over:

"I thought you'd gone bald."

Jiang Nian couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image of Cheng Jing bald:

"Even bald, Brother Jing would still be a looker."

Huang Qian rolled her eyes:

"Jesus, is there anything you won't praise?"

She thought only Cheng Jing was head over heels, but turns out they were two peas in a pod—truly a perfect match.

Under their astonished gazes, Cheng Jing flipped his right palm, summoning a flicker of flame. With a thought, visible lightning crackled over his entire hand before merging with the fire.

"Holy shit, bro, that's next level!"

Huang Qian's eyes sparkled. If Jiang Nian weren’t around, she’d have dropped all pretense of ladylike restraint and blurted something like "Dude, you're straight-up OP!"

Jiang Nian was thrilled too. He never expected Cheng Jing to be among those who awakened superpowers first—and a rare dual-element variant at that. No wonder he'd thrived in their past life!

He was overjoyed to the point of tears. With a boyfriend this strong, no one could bully him anymore! And they wouldn’t have to worry about protecting their supplies either!

Retraining his powers, Cheng Jing shared his post-awakening sensations: heightened senses, immunity to heat, and a body brimming with strength.

"Big bro, when you start ruling the streets, take me with you!"

Huang Qian was practically drooling with envy. Witnessing a miracle firsthand meant she’d have a golden ticket when the apocalypse hit.

Cheng Jing nodded:

"Alright, but focus on stocking up on supplies before dark. Tell the others to hurry too, and grab extra cold-weather gear. Once the rain starts, no one goes out unless I say so. You know what to say. Jiang Nian and I have other things to handle—we’ll touch base later."

"No sweat, bro, I'm on it!"

Huang Qian was already dialing the others. As a competent assistant, this was a piece of cake.