Earth-based Ability?

By ten at night, many of the Zombies had dispersed, and the streets had grown quiet.

They could leave now!

Shen Jin glanced at the still-unconscious Sun Can. It looked like he would have to work a little harder today.

"By the way, Shang Qian, didn't some employees used to ride folding electric bikes? Weren't they charging them on the third floor? Can we still find them?"

"Huh? There are two. I think I had someone block off the stairwell."

The two searched the stairwell and finally found two folding electric bikes beneath a pile of bedboards.

Non-folding ones would have worked too, but the folded ones were just the right size to fit into the inventory.

"Alright, you carry them."

Shen Jin turned and headed back to the room.

Shang Qian: ???

Fortunately, she remembered that she needed a favor from him. She could endure it.

With great effort, she dragged both folding electric bikes into the room. Shen Jin leaned out the window and looked at the Zombies below, which were no longer gathered together, as well as the—

Towering pillar. Dirt blocks.

"From now on, don't make a sound. Do whatever I tell you to do. Understand?"

Shang Qian hurriedly covered her mouth. "Mmm, mmm, mmm~"

"..."

"Stand on that dirt pillar outside."

As expected! He was going to use his Earth-based Ability! So exciting! Could she travel through the ground like Tu Xingsun from the myths?

Shang Qian eagerly anticipated the miracle and—

The incredible operation that was about to unfold!

While Shang Qian climbed onto the dirt pillar, Shen Jin took out his pickaxe and smashed the two folding electric bikes, using Blockify Ability!

They shrank into two thumb-sized models and were absorbed into the inventory.

Shen Jin scooped up Sun Can with his right hand and exerted strength through his waist.

Heh!

He could not lift him. Damn!

He switched to dragging Sun Can with both hands toward the window.

Hiss!

He was fucking heavy!

Shen Jin's face turned red from the strain. Only by working with Shang Qian did he manage to get Sun Can onto the dirt pillar.

The one-square-meter platform now held three people, making it a little cramped.

Especially Shang Qian, who clutched Shen Jin's pocket for dear life.

"Stand steady. Hold onto Sun Can."

Shen Jin flipped his shovel with his left hand, instantly knocking away a section of the dirt pillar.

One meter suspended in the air!

Smack!

The three of them fell onto the dirt block below and barely managed to steady themselves.

Shang Qian's face immediately went pale!

(゜ー゜)

Was it really this stiff and rigid?

"Shen Jin... I think you might need to... practice your Earth-based Ability properly."

Huh? Earth-based Ability?

Shen Jin was a little confused, but he immediately caught on. "Ah! I just awakened it."

"Hehe, I can tell. So you still need to use a medium to cast it, right?"

Shen Jin glanced at his big... shovel.

He nodded. That was not exactly wrong.

"This shovel of yours is like a wand from Harry Potter, right? It helps you communicate with the earth."

Shang Qian felt that her understanding of superpowers had deepened again. It was just that the shape of this "wand" was a little too down-to-earth, wasn't it?

But since it communicated with the earth, being down-to-earth was only natural, right?

Shen Jin felt that Shang Qian was quite good at filling in the blanks herself.

No wonder she had been desperate to die earlier. She must have imagined her miserable future.

Sure enough, bringing her along had been the right choice!

I really am such a wise guy!

"Biu~"

The three of them hung in midair, then dropped. Shang Qian clearly could not handle the rhythm. It was probably her first time experiencing this, so she was scared.

"Biu, biu~"

They repeatedly hung in the air, dropped, and regained their footing.

By the time they were close to the bottom, Shang Qian had become so frightened that she closed her eyes.

Looking at the final four-meter drop, Shen Jin raised his hand and scattered twelve dirt block models.

They formed a protruding, T-shaped patch of ground.

With their backs against the wall, they stood in the middle of the T-shaped dirt pillar. This would effectively prevent Zombies from surrounding them as they approached the ground.

"Hold on tight!"

Shen Jin held a shovel in each hand, aimed downward, and rapidly swung them.

"Chiu chiu chiu!"

Dirt blocks were continuously smashed by Blockify Ability, and a wave of weightlessness washed over them.

They descended far faster than before, and the dirt tightly enclosed them on all sides, greatly increasing their sense of security.

Very soon, the two of them arrived in the underground tunnel.

Once Shang Qian steadied herself, her cheeks were flushed red. The drop had felt like riding a drop tower, completely catching her off guard. She was still dizzy and disoriented.

Shen Jin smiled smugly at the sight.

Looking at his Qilin Arm, he was deeply satisfied.

For the sake of surviving better in the apocalypse, he had trained deliberately every day for the past three months.

This was the foundation of his survival!

"Perfect! Time to ride home—anime, movies, little niece, here I come! Woohoo~"

Standing behind Shang Qian, Shen Jin directly took out the two electric bikes.

One came out intact, while the other fell apart.

"Damn! This again."

"Huh? What again?"

Shang Qian supported herself against the wall with one hand, her steps unsteady. That "Earth-based Ability" had clearly been a little too much for her.

Shen Jin silently kicked the pile of scattered parts toward Shang Qian.

"You don't mean to tell me you can't even repair an electric bike, do you? Time to show your worth!"

Damn it! Every time he used the pickaxe on electrical appliances, something unexpected happened. Either they were smashed to pieces, or only the machine casing remained.

Whether he could successfully Blockify an electrical appliance with the pickaxe depended entirely on luck.

No, he had to make a wrench no matter what.

Shen Jin remembered that when he had played Minecraft before, there had been an Industrial Mod that could manufacture all kinds of high-tech electrical appliances and tools. Among them was a wrench designed specifically for dealing with electrical devices.

Completing the Newbie Quest was urgent! Maybe it would unlock the Industrial Mod.

Meanwhile, Shang Qian stared at the electric bike parts scattered across the ground, her mind nearly short-circuiting.

"Wait, when did you move these two electric bikes down here? And why is one completely intact while the other has an undamaged shell but all its internal parts have fallen out? Don't you think that's bizarre???"

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me whether you can fix it or not."

With an incredulous expression, Shang Qian pointed at her lovely face. "Do I look like someone who knows how to repair electric bikes?"

Shen Jin looked at her and nodded. "You really don't. Then I hope your stamina is at least a little better."

Finally, he was no longer making such weird demands. Shang Qian sighed in relief. "I go to the gym regularly, so my stamina is pretty decent. Eh? Eh? Eh!"

Shen Jin placed Sun Can on the back seat, mounted the intact electric bike, and rode away.

Leaving Shang Qian standing dumbfounded in the tunnel alone.

No way! He was just leaving like that?

What happened to Tu Xingsun? What happened to traveling underground? What happened to those incredible skills?

Sure enough, those two were true love.

Helpless, Shang Qian could only hurry after him, her two large hair clips swaying with every step.

Who knew Shen Jin would suddenly come back?

Shang Qian nearly burst into tears. The tunnel was so dark, and she was only a woman—of course she was scared!

"I knew it. You wouldn't just leave me behind."

Shen Jin looked utterly baffled and tossed several dirt blocks and stone blocks into the hole they had come down through, filling it in.

"Oh, I came back to patch up the entrance. Go straight ahead. The end of the tunnel leads to my home!"

"My..."

"Home..."

"..."

Shang Qian watched Shen Jin ride away on the electric bike with a "putt-putt-putt," his voice still echoing through the tunnel.

(°ー°〃)

Shang Qian trembled alone in the tunnel.

Tonight, winter in Q City felt especially cold.