Chapter 61 Eleven

Chapter 61: Day Eleven

◎ Owning the Scene ◎

"Was this you?"

Several soldiers looked at the men twitching on the ground, then exchanged glances, clearly finding it hard to believe that a girl who looked so slight could have beaten several burly men into such a state.

In response, they immediately pulled out a display screen and checked the real-time surveillance footage. Upon seeing Su Mi use her Lightning ability in the video, they finally understood, though their hearts were filled with even greater shock. After all, she was the first lightning-type ability user in the base.

"They were wrong to cut in line, but refrain from fighting in the future. There are explicit rules against it in the base," the soldiers sternly emphasized.

Su Mi frowned. "Would I have hit them if they hadn't cut in line? If everyone cut in line, how chaotic would this place get? I was upholding the base's order. Moreover, you guys showed up too late. You weren't here when you were needed, only after everything went down. If that's the case, I might as well start cutting in line too. Whoever has the hardest fists gets to call the shots."

The onlookers looked on in astonishment, surprised that she dared to talk back to the base soldiers. Wasn't she afraid of facing payback later?

"Don't be impulsive. We'll dock their points as a warning," the soldiers seemed unable to argue with her and could only turn to continue their patrol elsewhere.

Su Mi rolled her eyes, then went to the window to continue her inquiry. Shen Xue had already narrowed it down to two apartments; they just needed to go see them in person.

People are bullies; they pick on the weak and fear the strong. Those scumbags dared to cut in line precisely because they saw she was a girl. If it had been someone with a fierce appearance, they wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant.

And those soldiers, they only backed down because she had powers. If it were an ordinary person fighting, they'd probably dock points and impose penalties without hesitation.

In the apocalypse, women's status has been driven into the ground. But she wanted everyone to know that trash belongs in the trash can. If the base won't manage it, then she'll do it herself!

The staffer led them to an apartment building in Area A. She viewed the first unit. The floor was just too high; if something happened, escaping would be tough.

The second unit's lighting wasn't great. Even in the apocalypse, if you can help it, one should still try to choose a comfortable dwelling.

After asking a few more questions, the staff finally took them to see a small villa. It had an outer garden, excellent lighting inside, and many rooms, enough to accommodate other team members in the future.

It was just a bit expensive—1,500 points per month, something ordinary people definitely couldn't afford.

But points can be earned; suffering is not an option. Even in the apocalypse, one shouldn't make do with less, especially when it's not like she couldn't afford it.

So she sold ten cartons of cigarettes and two cases of liquor, exchanging them for 2,000 points. In the apocalypse, cigarettes and alcohol are also consumables. For those who don't lack food, booze and smokes have become the real luxury items.

However, the most valuable items are still medicines. An ordinary box of anti-inflammatory drugs can sell for 200 points. Although she had collected some medicine, space was tight. She had to make choices, which was quite regrettable.

After settling on the small villa, they went to the labor market and paid three aunties a case of instant noodles to clean.

It's still early in the apocalypse; supplies aren't extremely scarce yet. Half a year from now, even five packs of instant noodles will have people fighting over them. After all, ordinary people don't dare to go out and kill zombies to collect supplies, so they can only find odd jobs in the base to scrape by.

Although the base distributes a bowl of porridge to ordinary people every day, no matter how strictly it's managed, the weak still get pushed around. So not everyone gets to drink that bowl of porridge.

She felt it was because the base hadn't cracked down hard enough. So what if it's the apocalypse? So what if there's a lot of trash? If she were in charge, she'd take out one of those scumbags who preys on others for every one she sees. Under such heavy pressure, she didn't believe anyone would dare to make trouble.

This wasn't impossible. Once her strength was sufficient, she could negotiate with the base, even form an ability users' guild. For now, leveling up and hoarding supplies came first.

First, they went to the cafeteria and spent 40 points on a solid meal of three dishes and soup. After eating their fill, they went to the trading market to buy some essentials. They couldn't eat at the cafeteria every day in the future; that would be too extravagant. It was a better deal to buy groceries and cook themselves.

After buying some things, they went to the mission hall to find suitable tasks. After looking around, she went ahead and accepted the S-rank mission worth 20,000 points.

It was a mission to go downtown and haul back medical equipment. But that area had too high a population density; it was crawling with zombies, no doubt about it. Getting the medical equipment out of the hospital would require wings.

Thus, no one took the mission despite the high reward. But the hospital surely had a lot of medicine, which was what Su Mi valued. Stockpiling medicine at this time gave a better bang for your buck than stockpiling food.

"She's got a death wish! She actually took that S-rank mission!"

People in line behind them whispered among themselves. News traveled fast in the base, and everyone immediately recalled the recent rumor: there was a lightning-type ability user in the base, a pretty young girl. Could it be this girl?

After accepting the mission, Su Mi turned around and saw several people standing stiffly behind her, looking like they wanted to speak up but were holding back.

"Hello, we're from Team 66. Could we join you on this mission? If we succeed, we only need 3,000 points!" the tall boy leading them said shyly.

Su Mi sized them up. They were probably all ability users; otherwise, ordinary people would never dare to go. These people were surely also eyeing the hospital supplies, hence wanting to team up with her.

"Alright. But I can't guarantee your safety, and during this operation, you must fully follow my command," she said after a pause.

With more people to move the medical equipment, she wouldn't have to waste her space storing those things. Besides, these people had guts; they showed promise.

"No problem! Should we discuss the route now?" The boy's eyes immediately lit up.

Su Mi shook her head instead. "I need to rest now. We'll set the time later. If you need anything, come find me at Building 16, Area A."

Hearing this, the group didn't object, just nodded seriously, then each introduced themselves.

This team of ability users had only four members, all students from a nearby university. All four had abilities, which was why they dared to take on this mission together, also planning to collect some supplies along the way.

After exchanging addresses, Su Mi returned to the villa. It was already 10 PM. The female lead was probably about to enter the base. Since she liked queuing so much, she should let her queue to her heart's content.

The aunties had left the villa spotless. Su Mi also arranged with them to come clean every half month. After all, such a large house needed regular cleaning.

Hearing they would get 50 points per cleaning session, the aunties agreed without a second thought. Among all the jobs they'd done, only Su Mi was this generous. Other cheapskates only paid three packs of instant noodles for a cleaning.

After eating, Su Mi chose a room on the second floor. The base supplied water and electricity, but points were needed to exchange for them. Still, these were necessary expenses.

After taking a shower, she changed clothes and lay on the bed to absorb crystal cores. For the past two days, she could only absorb cores intermittently. Now, she finally didn't have to worry about sudden zombie attacks.

Having a talent value of 100 was truly different. In the original story, most people only reached the second rank half a year into the apocalypse. But after absorbing ten crystal cores, she advanced from the second rank to the third, and her space expanded several times over.

Not being able to collect supplies she saw was her biggest regret. Now, she finally didn't have to regret anymore.

It was 3 PM the next afternoon when she went downstairs to eat. Shen Xue was still practicing the combat techniques she taught her. Probably because her focus was solely on zombies at this point, she practiced with remarkable ease.

Actually, having an ability wasn't the most important thing; character was. No matter how high one's ability, if their character was weak, what use was it? They would still be bullied. Only with a strong heart could one survive in this apocalypse.

After calling over the Team 66 members, they began planning the mission route. However, halfway through, the doorbell rang.

It turned out to be soldiers from the base, informing every ability user to attend a meeting at Building No. 2 that evening. The authorities had finally decided to take action, planning to gather some ability users to clear the zombies in the city center together and retrieve important medical equipment from several hospitals.

This didn't sound like a simple task, which was why the base needed the ability users' participation.

Su Mi found it utterly ridiculous. She had just accepted the mission, and now the base was trying to take over her job. Not only would she lose the 20,000 points, but her spatial ability might also be exposed.

Nevertheless, she went to attend the official meeting promptly at 8 PM. Regardless, she definitely needed to collect medicine. So what if people saw? Only those who couldn't protect their supplies feared exposing their spatial ability. For her, exposure wasn't that crucial anymore.

There were at least four to five hundred ability users in the base. But when she arrived, the meeting room only had about twenty to thirty people. Probably only the leaders of some ability user teams were called; individual ability users were relatively few.

As expected, she saw the female lead and the second male lead again, as well as the aloof male lead sitting there with his eyes closed, feigning sleep. Clearly, the male and female leads had still met. Why could she tell he was the male lead at a glance? Mainly because the pretentious aura these male leads exuded was something ordinary people couldn't imitate.

The male lead in this story was no ordinary person. He was supposedly the young master of some ancient martial arts family, a triple-ability user, and the strongest in the apocalypse. Anyone who saw him had to give way. No wonder he could act so pretentious.

"Mimi, you're here too! That's great!"

Seeing a familiar face, Bai Man happily approached, seemingly having completely forgotten what happened before.

Su Mi frowned. "Get lost."

Seeing her act so cocky, everyone around side-eyed her. Among fellow ability users, who acts this full of themselves?

Gao Hao immediately pulled Bai Man back. He'd pleaded and reasoned with her to stay away from Su Mi, but Manman was too kind-hearted, always repaying hostility with kindness toward everyone.

At that moment, Han Ting, sitting across the room, suddenly lifted his gaze slightly, his dark eyes utterly calm as he looked at Su Mi.

She stared right back. "What are you looking at? If you have cataracts, go get your eyes checked at the infirmary!"

Look at him putting on a show. Did he really think he looked cool?

"This place isn't that big. What's wrong with looking at you? Getting a glance from us is an honor. Instead of going back to warm some man's bed, what are you doing here causing trouble?" a bald man bellowed.

As soon as his words fell, he was suddenly hoisted by a crackling net of electricity, suspended in mid-air, rolling his eyes, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing uncontrollably.

With a loud "thud" as his body hit the ground, Su Mi walked over step by step, raised her foot, and stomped on his face, grinding her heel into his features. "If you can't even control your eyeballs, I don't mind digging them out."

The previously noisy meeting room instantly fell silent. Everyone was stunned. Their abilities at most could produce a thumb-thick stream of water or a vine, but she could actually conjure a net of electricity. Clearly, her power far surpassed theirs.

But the apocalypse had just begun. How could she improve so quickly? Was she some kind of natural?

They had heard there was a lightning-type ability user in the base. No need to guess; it was probably her. No wonder she dared to be so arrogant.

Gao Hao's expression grew increasingly grim. It had only been a day, but Su Mi's ability seemed even stronger. He had been absorbing crystal cores too, and while he had improved, it was nowhere near as exaggerated as her progress.

The members of Team 66 looked at each other weirdly. Su Mi seemed excessively strong. Were they just being carried?

When the lieutenant general entered, he found the meeting room eerily quiet, but he didn't comment. He simply explained the mission details. Those willing to join could receive an additional 3,000 points. If the mission succeeded, they could earn an extra 1,000 points on top of that.

This was a serious lowball offer. Naturally, Su Mi wasn't satisfied, but she didn't speak up. Everything had its pros and cons. Having more people had its advantages—at least others could draw fire, allowing her to secretly collect supplies and giving her more time to act.

"Can we collect supplies on our own along the way?" the leader of another ability team asked loudly.

The lieutenant general nodded calmly. "That's up to you to handle, but the medical equipment must be handed over to the base."

Hearing this, the others had nothing more to say. What use did they have for medical equipment? They didn't have the conditions to use it anyway.

"Additionally, the base has discovered crystal cores inside zombies' heads, which ability users can absorb to enhance their powers. The base will soon announce cultivation methods and include crystal cores in the recycling program. One crystal core can be exchanged for 10 points. Specific details will be notified later."

As the lieutenant general dropped this bombshell, the entire meeting room erupted. Crystal cores in zombies' heads? And they could enhance abilities? Had they been wasting mountains of gold and silver all these days?

Instantly, everyone couldn't help but glance toward Su Mi. No wonder her abilities had improved so quickly—it must be related to the crystal cores.

"Are your eyeballs not working properly?" Su Mi narrowed her eyes.

In an instant, everyone quickly averted their gazes, sat ramrod straight, and didn't dare to look around anymore.

"Our team can handle the First Hospital in the city center alone."

Han Ting, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

The others all glanced at him. Although they couldn't figure out his background, seeing that his team consisted entirely of ability users made it clear they were no pushovers. For a single team to claim they could clear an entire hospital—that was some boast.

Su Mi couldn't help but roll her eyes. The male lead actually had closer ties to the North China Base. He was only staying at the Southeast Base to recruit a biologist. He had spatial abilities, of course he wanted to complete the mission alone and in secret, so he could stash all the important medical equipment in his space without anyone knowing.

"I heard Captain Han is related by uncle and nephew to the leader of the North China Base. If you go to the hospital alone to collect supplies, wouldn't that be shipping medical equipment to another base?" she said, her tone dripping with insinuation.

Hearing this, the lieutenant general immediately shot a sharp look at Han Ting. The others also had subtle changes in their expressions, clearly surprised by this revelation.

The apocalypse had just begun, yet the waters between bases were already this deep.

Han Ting frowned slightly, looking directly at the person across from him. "I wasn't aware I had such a relative. It seems Miss Su is better informed than I am."

Su Mi sneered. "If you don't want people to know, don't do it. If you have a clear conscience, swear in front of everyone: if you're related to the North China Base leader, may you choke on water, get hit by a car when you go out, and be impotent for life."

She planned to settle in the Southeast Base for the long haul. How could she let the male lead transport resources belonging to their base to another? Such sneaky, underhanded schemes were out of the question.

"This mission is collective. No one may act alone," the lieutenant general stated unequivocally.

Hearing this, Han Ting lowered his gaze slightly and said nothing more.

Very few people knew about his connection to the North China Base, but Su Mi was clearly not among them.

As the meeting ended, he suddenly approached Su Mi, a rare, friendly smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I believe there may be a misunderstanding between Miss Su and me. Actually, I greatly admire your abilities and hope you'll consider joining our team. No matter how strong an individual is, their power is ultimately limited. In these times, teamwork is essential."

Although his words were reasonable, that condescending tone of his genuinely displeased Su Mi. This was the common flaw of every male lead—no matter their personality, they always carried an air of thinking they were the best in the world. If you want to recruit someone, at least use a warmer, more sincere tone. Who are you putting on airs for?

"Sure. Actually, I've been thinking of forming my own team too," Su Mi smiled slightly. "In these times, strength comes first. So, there shouldn't be any problem with me being the captain, right? After all, letting a weakling lead the entire team would be irresponsible toward everyone."

The people around silently watched the drama unfold, seemingly curious to see how this clash of titans would end.

Han Ting smiled faintly. "A person's capabilities aren't just about their abilities; there are other aspects too. You could be the deputy captain. I believe we could cooperate very well in the future."

Listening to his insinuation, Su Mi just scoffed. "The weak only make excuses for themselves because they can never see their own weakness."