Ice Ability User

Qi Xing didn't linger in the village for too long.

After collecting enough supplies, Qi Xing tossed Jiang Zhaosu's rations, the square-faced man, and his own cargo into the back seat of the van. Then, he and Jiang Zhaosu set off again.

His hurried pace made Jiang Zhaosu feel like something was chasing them from behind.

Upon learning that Jiang Zhaosu could draw, Qi Xing found her paper and pen, telling her to draw or write down any ideas she had.

Jiang Zhaosu then realized she could communicate with Qi Xing by writing.

However, she clutched the pen, staring at the blank paper, and hesitated for a long while before finally not writing anything.

If she had thought of this method from the start, Jiang Zhaosu might have told Qi Xing without hesitation that she was actually human.

But after experiencing everything that had happened these past two days, Jiang Zhaosu's worldview was rapidly collapsing and being reshaped.

She now felt that she could no longer be considered human.

She couldn't control her zombie craving for blood; she needed to feed on humans to survive.

Because of this, she had fundamentally betrayed humanity.

Secondly, Qi Xing wasn't a good person in the traditional sense.

He was swift and decisive when killing, never hesitating.

Leaving her alive was clearly not out of mercy, but because he found her interesting.

Qi Xing's attitude towards her was nothing like how he treated a companion of equal standing.

Qi Xing looked at her as if she were a pet; he'd indulge her and give her meat when he was in a good mood, but he could also kill her anytime if he was in a bad mood.

Based on her observations of Qi Xing these past two days, Jiang Zhaosu noticed that he didn't talk much in front of outsiders.

Qi Xing would chatter on in front of her, and Jiang Zhaosu suspected part of the reason was that as a zombie, she could only growl and couldn't spread anything he said.

While Qi Xing was driving, he talked a lot to her out of boredom. Jiang Zhaosu mostly ignored most of it, treating it as if the man was talking to himself.

What if he revealed some dark history? What if Qi Xing knew she could write and, fearing she'd leak his secrets, killed her?

The two of them, one human and one zombie, seemed close, but in reality, they were just using each other. At best, they were acquaintances who didn't need to interact much.

After considering everything, Jiang Zhaosu decided to play dumb. She scribbled a few random lines on the paper, then pretended to lose interest and tossed the pen and paper aside.

Qi Xing caught a glimpse of her actions and sighed helplessly, "Oh, my intellectually challenged Fugui, you've become so stupid after turning into a zombie. Were you illiterate before you died?"

"..."

Jiang Zhaosu, who had once been the top student in her entire school, suppressed the urge to bare her teeth at Qi Xing and angrily turned her head to look out the window at the scenery.

There wasn't much to see outside, actually.

The sky hadn't cleared up, with dark clouds pressing down. Mountains and farmland were being corroded by the intermittent acid rain, and most of the plants within were already dead.

At a glance, the gray sky merged with the yellowish-brown farmland. The once vibrant land was now just empty and desolate, making one feel oppressed and suffocated.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhaosu was a zombie, not a human.

So, this desolate scene didn't have much of a psychological impact on her.

But as Jiang Zhaosu looked, she realized the road they were traveling seemed a bit off.

Didn't Qi Xing say this morning that they were going to A District in the south?

But Jiang Zhaosu looked at the direction their vehicle was currently heading.

This was clearly not south!

Jiang Zhaosu turned her head to look at Qi Xing, who was driving.

Qi Xing held the steering wheel with one hand and a piece of paper with the other. The paper had a map drawn on it, which he had obtained from a survivor in the village earlier, showing the route to Xishui City's A District.

"Why is this map wrong? The map says we should turn right here, but there's no road now?"

Qi Xing stepped on the brakes, looked up at the large mountain blocking the road not far ahead, then looked down at the map in his hand, asking in confusion, "Haven't we reached it yet?"

Jiang Zhaosu leaned her head over to look at the map in Qi Xing's hand, then turned her head back and leaned out the car window to look behind them.

She vaguely remembered that she and Qi Xing had passed a fork in the road about twenty minutes ago, but Qi Xing had decisively chosen the left path, which was opposite to the map, and confidently said, "The map is drawn this way, it must be right!"

Jiang Zhaosu realized she might have finally found a weakness of Qi Xing's.

Qi Xing, could he be directionally challenged?

No wonder the man was so capable. He could survive on his own, yet he still joined an Ability User team despite the risk of betrayal.

Was it because without anyone else around, Qi Xing couldn't find his way to the Survivor Base?

Jiang Zhaosu fell silent, hesitating whether to tell Qi Xing that they seemed to be going the wrong way.

Before she could speak, Qi Xing, who had an excellent sense of direction, suddenly seemed to realize something. He casually tossed the map between them and said with sudden enlightenment, "I know, the small path on the left can lead up the mountain!"

With that, he stepped on the accelerator and resolutely drove towards a mountain path to the east.

Jiang Zhaosu: "..."

For Qi Xing to spot such a narrow and hidden mountain path, his eyesight must be incredible.

This guy wasn't just directionally challenged; he was also stubborn as a mule.

If Qi Xing kept driving like this, who knew when they'd reach A District.

However, whether he reached A District or not was of no consequence to Jiang Zhaosu.

Where there were more survivors, there were bound to be more Ability Users, which was actually a disadvantage for Jiang Zhaosu, a Zombie.

Who knew if an Ability User would suddenly pop out from somewhere and smash her to pieces with one slap.

It would be best if Qi Xing never reached it in his lifetime.

Just as this thought crossed Jiang Zhaosu's mind, her nose caught an unfamiliar scent.

It was the scent of a human.

The scent on Qi Xing and the smell of blood from the Square-Faced Man inside the van were too strong, causing Jiang Zhaosu to only notice this new scent when the person had already silently followed them.

Swish--

A three-meter-tall, elongated ice shard suddenly appeared in front of their lane. Qi Xing immediately slammed on the brakes.

Jiang Zhaosu, who was about to turn and warn Qi Xing, was thrown forward by the sudden stop, her head hitting the car window with a thud.

The fragile car window shattered on impact, and several pieces pierced into Jiang Zhaosu's skull. Fortunately, no nerves were damaged.

Jiang Zhaosu touched her head, finding her hand covered in thick, black blood.

Blood dripped slowly down her pale, cold skin. Jiang Zhaosu was furious... her hands trembled with anger.

Didn't they know that a Zombie's most important part was its head? What if she got injured there and died!

Who was it?!

Feeling protected by Qi Xing beside her, Jiang Zhaosu let out a roar and was about to rush out of the car to settle scores with this unknown Ability User.

She would tear this person to shreds and devour them to replenish her nutrients!

As Jiang Zhaosu opened the car door, she heard a clear and pleasant female voice exclaim in surprise, "A Zombie?"

The next second, several ice cones, all gleaming with a cold light, descended from the sky, aimed directly at Jiang Zhaosu's head.

This attack was far more powerful than the Fire Ability User they encountered that morning, who only knew how to throw small fireballs and ended up burning himself.

Oh my god!

Jiang Zhaosu was so terrified that she scrambled and crawled back into the car.

In the nick of time, several tender shoots broke through the ground, instantly growing into thick vines that firmly wrapped around their van, blocking the ice cones.

Seeing the familiar green through the car window, Jiang Zhaosu breathed a sigh of relief and patted her thin chest with her hand.

Thank goodness Qi Xing was here.

Even the Fire Ability User, Qi Xing's elemental opposite, was easily dealt with. This Ability User should be no problem either.

Jiang Zhaosu thought this, but when she turned her head, she saw Qi Xing, still in the driver's seat, staring ahead with a dark gaze, his expression more serious than ever.