Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Huang Qian!"

"Sister Qian..."

The sudden incident startled both Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian. They hurried over, wanting to help her up.

Huang Qian glared at Cheng Jing angrily:

"Cheng Jing, are you insane? You zapped me with something!"

"Huh? I... I didn't!"

Cheng Jing looked stunned. They were just messing around as friends—this wasn’t the first time they’d roughhoused like this. He wasn’t one to go overboard. No matter how tough she acted, she was still a girl.

"..."

Huang Qian clambered up awkwardly, brushing herself off while muttering in annoyance:

"It was like you hit me with a Taser..."

She glanced at his hand—nothing there. But...

"No way... Brother Jing’s got nothing in his hand..."

Jiang Nian instinctively reached for Cheng Jing’s hand to check, but the moment he touched it, a strong electric current shot from Cheng Jing’s fingertips, making him yank his hand back like Huang Qian:

"Ahh!"

He stumbled back two steps, nearly falling. He grabbed his wrist, his face twisting briefly as his ears rang for a second.

"Jiang Nian..."

Still stunned, Cheng Jing automatically reached out to grab him, but Huang Qian pulled Jiang Nian clear first:

"Cheng Jing, don’t move! Something’s off with you... You’re like a live wire!"

As she spoke, she checked his feet and surroundings, but saw nothing unusual beneath him.

"..."

Drenched in sweat, Cheng Jing stared seriously at his hand:

"I swear there's electricity running through me..."

Then he turned to the two people he'd shocked:

"You two alright?"

"I’m fine."

Huang Qian shook her head. She’d jerked back fast enough and only felt a little tingly now.

"I’m okay too..."

Jiang Nian shook off the shock, then his face lit up with realization. Ignoring Huang Qian’s presence, he gulped nervously and stepped forward:

"Brother Jing, listen... Dude, you might be waking up a superpower."

The circumstances and reactions of each person's power awakening are never exactly the same, though a random high fever is the most common symptom.

"What... what power awakening?"

Huang Qian looked utterly confused. She could hear every word clearly, but when put together, the sentence made no sense to her.

Jiang Nian shook his head, signaling he'd explain later.

"Power awakening..."

Cheng Jing recalled the bizarre news reports he'd seen before, along with Jiang Nian's nightmares about the apocalypse and humans experiencing power awakenings. He was starting to connect the dots and asked,

"So what should I do now?"

Sweat poured off him; he felt like he was cooking from the inside.

"First, don't panic. Try to calm your emotions..."

Jiang Nian thought back to his own experience of power awakening in his past life, as well as what he'd heard from others, and synthesized the advice:

"Go with the energy coursing through you. Don't fight it or hold back—let the power surge merge with you. This might take hours—maybe days. We can't get close to you right now, so you'll have to stay in a room by yourself."

"But I feel so hot, like my body's about to catch fire..."

As Cheng Jing spoke, his skin began turning red. The electricity he'd only felt before now crackled visibly across his fingertips and skin.

"Lightning..."

Just as Jiang Nian thought he was awakening a lightning-based power, flames suddenly ignited from Cheng Jing's fingers, white-hot electricity snaking through the flames in a hypnotic but deadly spectacle.

"This... is a dual-attribute mutation—lightning and fire..."

Even Jiang Nian was startled by the simultaneous appearance of flames and electricity, let alone Huang Qian. He urgently waved at the man wreathed in steam:

"Brother Jing, get to the bathroom! Your powers can't hurt you, but they could fry people and wreck everything around you. Since there's fire, you can't stay in the room—go to the bathroom, quick!"

Already dizzy from the heat, Cheng Jing immediately sprinted to the bathroom. Jiang Nian followed, turning on the shower before stepping out and closing the door. Standing outside, he called out:

"Don't panic. Water can extinguish fire and conduct electricity, so your mutated attributes won't be affected by it. Brother Jing, you need to stay calm and in control—otherwise, if your power goes wild, you could take out this whole apartment—hell, maybe the whole building."

Attack-type abilities were deadly as hell, especially rare dual-attribute mutations like this. Though Jiang Nian hadn't witnessed many in his past life, he'd heard plenty of stories.

Powered individuals with strong offensive abilities were in hot demand everywhere—even the authorities sometimes relied on them.

"Don't worry, I can control it. But you and Huang Qian should stay away from the door. If it gets bad, just head downstairs first..."

Cheng Jing sat beneath the showerhead, half his body wreathed in crackling lightning and fire. Even under the water, he was burning—yet, surprisingly, his hair wasn't burning off. His mind was clear, and he was confident in his control, though he was braced for the worst.

"No, I'll wait right here by the door."

Jiang Nian pulled up a chair and planted himself outside, trusting Cheng Jing completely.

Huang Qian, having regained her composure, also brought a chair and sat down:

"We'll both keep watch. If you feel like you're losing control, just remember—your wife and your right-hand woman are right outside."

Jiang Nian's ears turned red at her blunt words but didn't comment. Seizing the chance, he explained power awakenings to her, pulling up those weird news stories he'd collected and mentioning his recent apocalyptic nightmares.

He gave her the cliff notes version, only skimming the surface before wrapping up:

"It's said that there will always be signs before a great disaster comes, and I believe this is it..."

Putting aside other things, with their powers awakening right before her eyes, Huang Qian couldn't help but believe it.

Recalling how Cheng Jing had indulged Jiang Nian's stockpiling behavior, she quickly put two and two together and nodded:

"I see."

Then she called out to Cheng Jing in the bathroom:

"Big Bro, was the supply stockpiling training for this reason?"

Cheng Jing didn't deny it:

"Some things don't need to be said out loud, Huang Qian. I hope tonight's events remain known only to the three of us for now—including Jiang Nian's dreams and everything we've done."

Huang Qian waved her hand:

"I know. Whether the apocalypse comes or not, spreading such things would bring endless trouble. Look out for number one first, respect others' fates, and only consider helping others when we have extra to spare."

That these two were looking out for them at such a time was more than enough.

"Exactly, Sister Qian understands perfectly."

It's easy to get along with smart people. Jiang Nian sighed in relief. Actually, he had been quite worried, as girls tend to be soft-hearted, and in chaotic times, the do-gooders die first isn't just an empty saying.

Huang Qian seemed to see through his thoughts and gave him a knowing smile while waving her hand:

"Don't worry, sister isn't a do-gooder. Not just in chaotic times—those who can't distinguish priorities at any time should die."

"Mhm."

Jiang Nian smiled too. He wasn't opposed to do-gooders; he just couldn't stand those who guilt-trip others into sharing risks for their own reckless moves. In short, screw yourself over all you want—just don't rope others in, then no harm done.