The Mysterious Girl

The Mysterious Girl

After Xu Zhi said that, the two people in the distance seemed to agree and took the initiative to walk toward her.

Only when they came closer did Xu Zhi make out their appearances: a man in his thirties with a girl who looked fourteen or fifteen.

Judging from their clothing and their overall bearing, they had been living fairly well. At the very least, they lacked neither food nor water, and the man even had the leisure to groom his beard.

Their eyes were clear as well.

After entering the Spirit Vessel, Xu Zhi had never had the chance to look in a mirror and see whether her own eyes were normal. But judging by their reactions, there was probably nothing wrong with them.

Was it because the Spirit Vessel had no clearly defined attribute, meaning she did not count as a follower of the [Cup]?

Yet judging from this Spirit Vessel's traits, it was clearly absolutely inclined toward the [Cup].

Several thoughts flashed through Xu Zhi's mind. She guessed that perhaps she had not invested enough cores—there were not enough to awaken the Spirit Vessel's attribute, so she had not displayed any particularly obvious outward changes.

But if she invested more [Cup] Attribute Cores, Xu Zhi could not be sure whether she would still be able to suppress that inexplicable agitation in her heart as smoothly as she did now.

She could experiment when she had the chance. For now, the most important thing was the two people before her.

Xu Zhi set aside her thoughts and looked at them. "Who are you?"

"Oh, hello. My name is Yan Songlin, and this is my daughter, Yan Rui. We live nearby. What about you?"

Whether it was his tone, expression, or bearing, Yan Songlin gave off an air of refinement. Before the apocalypse, he had probably come from a fairly well-off family. His life after the apocalypse evidently had not been too difficult either, since it had not worn away that air about him.

"I came from somewhere else." Xu Zhi offered only that simple sentence.

The father and daughter were residents here. After the city had been sealed off for so long, they surely knew more or less who still remained nearby. There was no point in lying.

Seeing that Xu Zhi said only that much, Yan Songlin understood that she did not wish to reveal more. Naturally, he did not press her. None of that was important.

"Then do you have anywhere to go? Would you like to come with us?"

"Don't worry. We have a temporary settlement that was formed recently. There are nearly thirty people now, all residents from nearby. We send people out every day to search for survivors. The atmosphere in the settlement is pretty good, and there are Transcendents protecting it. It's much safer than being out here alone."

Those words... sounded familiar too.

Xu Zhi naturally could not truly join them. In another ten minutes, she would be gone!

Still, she could probe for information. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "I may not be safe outside, but how do I know I'll be safe if I go with you?"

That was a perfectly normal concern.

Yan Songlin seemed to have been asked this question many times. He smiled knowingly. "It's understandable to worry about that, but you can rest assured. Our settlement will not allow anyone who threatens the safety of the settlement's companions to appear there."

Yan Songlin spoke with absolute confidence, his tone so certain that Xu Zhi found it strange.

"How can you ensure that?" she asked.

Yan Songlin smiled. "I can't, but someone in the settlement can. She can determine whether everyone is safe. Danger will not come from the people beside us."

Though he did not say it outright, the implication was clear enough.

This was no longer a world of ordinary people. It was a world with supernatural abilities.

Someone in the settlement could determine whether the people around them were "safe."

Xu Zhi considered what kind of supernatural ability that might be. Was it a passive ability or an active one?

She still knew far too little about supernatural abilities and did not dare assert that none of the attributes she knew could produce something similar. If time had not been so limited, Xu Zhi would even have wanted to return with them and see that settlement for herself.

After some thought, she asked, "How long would it take to get back to the settlement from here?"

"About half an hour."

"What a pity." Xu Zhi sighed regretfully.

Yan Rui was somewhat puzzled. She had probably been well protected by her family before the apocalypse, and after it, she had not suffered too much hardship or experienced the treachery of human hearts. That was why she was so rash and innocent, staring straight at Xu Zhi and voicing whatever confused her. From that alone, it seemed that the settlement might truly be rather good.

At least, it was good to this father and daughter.

"What's wrong? Can't you come back with us?" The girl's innocent, youthful voice rang out. Xu Zhi thought for a moment. If possible, she did want to speak with the Transcendent in that settlement, so she might as well "tell the truth."

"Because this is only an avatar split off by my supernatural ability. It can only last for a little while, so I can't walk with you all the way back to the settlement."

Xu Zhi was so "frank" for two reasons. First, she needed to establish goodwill with this settlement. If she randomly ended up here again later, perhaps she could enter the settlement and speak with the Transcendent in charge. Second, she was not actually telling the truth. She was honest, but not completely honest.

It would be best if they misjudged her supernatural ability as merely creating avatars. That misunderstanding would not do Xu Zhi any harm. Guard against her avatars?

That would be pointless effort.

Moreover, by revealing this, she was also making it clear that she was a Transcendent. It would allow her to enter their sight more quickly, so that what she said would be taken more seriously the next time they met.

With that in mind, Xu Zhi directly asked, "What is this place called? What places are nearby?"

Yan Songlin froze for a moment. He hesitated for less than ten seconds before answering, "This is Nanshan Villa District. Nearby are Nanshan Subway Station, Chongming Primary School, and Ganming Golf Course."

Oh. Hearing that name, Xu Zhi understood. This was a "wealthy district."

Xu Zhi had asked about the nearby buildings so that if she happened to randomly appear nearby, she could quickly find this place.

Yan Songlin was somewhat confused. Would a Cloud City local not know about Nanshan Villa District?

This should have been the most famous place in Cloud City, famous enough that even some outsiders had heard of it. Yet the girl before him did not know it. Was she not a local?

After hesitating for a while, he still decided to tell her. First, Xu Zhi had not asked for the settlement's location. Nanshan Villa District was huge—enormous. Even under normal circumstances, it took a long time to drive around it, much less now. Finding a hidden settlement would not be easy. Second, he trusted his companions enough.

They had quite a few Transcendents. Even if the other party had ill intentions, Yan Songlin was confident he could handle it.

Besides, he believed in "that person." If something was wrong with Xu Zhi, she would definitely spot it immediately.

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Xu Zhi said proactively, "My surname is Xu. Next time we meet, you can take me to the settlement, and we can exchange information."

"I'm rather curious about that person you mentioned who can determine whether companions are safe."

After Xu Zhi said this with a smile, Yan Songlin appeared calm as he agreed. But inwardly, he was muttering to himself that this plain-looking girl, whose beautiful eyes stood out so sharply, was truly strange.

He could not make sense of her thoughts. She seemed highly vigilant, yet she had suddenly exposed herself as a Transcendent and revealed that her ability was creating avatars. Now she openly displayed curiosity toward a core figure in the settlement. Was she not afraid that such curiosity would provoke others' wariness?

She did not know this was Nanshan Villa District, which was enough to show that she definitely was not from here or nearby. Then how had she arrived here?

After all, anyone who remained outside before five o'clock would never appear again. Yet it was not even half past five now!

A mysterious girl who had suddenly emerged from the fog undoubtedly made Yan Songlin and Yan Rui wary, but curious as well.