The Truth

The two discussed many more details before finally agreeing that there was no doubt Xiao Ya and her mother were the killers.

They just didn't know which of the two was the troublesome dual-attribute ability user.

All they had to do next was enter apartment 1805 in building 13, where the two lived, and they would have their answer.

At dinnertime, Cheng Jing called his teammates over to eat and told them the truth he and Jiang Nian had deduced. They also discussed their deployment plan:

He, Jiang Nian, and Huang Qian would head to 1805 after seven, while the others would act according to the situation around building 13 and outside the basement.

After all, sending more people to confront Xiao Ya and her mother might not be a good thing. The other side's true ability attributes were unknown, and a larger group was more likely to get in the way. If a small group was strong enough, they wouldn't alert the pair if they turned out to be wrong.

Zhou Li had also assigned some people, though instead of making a show of it, they would provide support in secret. Their main purpose was to guard against the zombies in the darkness of the basement being provoked into a riot.

The teammates followed the arrangements. They weren't a random team; once the plan was explained, their tacit understanding of one another kicked in.

A little after seven that evening, the sky was completely dark.

Cheng Jing brought Jiang Nian and Huang Qian to the door of 1805. Sure enough, just as Huang Qian had said, the door was still locked from the outside even at this hour, as if the occupants hadn't returned.

The three exchanged glances. Cheng Jing raised a hand to the door and activated his ability, breaking the lock before quickly entering and closing the door behind them.

As soon as they entered, the stench unique to zombies hit their noses. Even through their protective masks, it made them nauseous.

At the same time, Jiang Nian warned them in a low voice:

"There are ability fluctuations from three people here."

That differed somewhat from their guess. It wasn't one person with dual attributes; all three members of the family had awakened abilities.

A headlamp on the coffee table in the living room was pointed at the ceiling, reflecting its light back down. It wasn't very bright, but most of the living room was visible.

Xiao Ya was wrapped in a blanket, her face buried against her knees and her ears covered. Huddled on a filthy fabric sofa, she trembled and cried softly.

From the direction of the master bedroom at the far end came a woman's choked, faltering pleas, along with the sound of someone else tearing at food and eating.

Cold air rushed in through the doorway. The crying little girl instinctively looked up, revealing a delicate, pale face covered in tearstains, though her eyes remained vacant and unfocused.

"..."

Xiao Ya froze for a moment when she saw Jiang Nian and the others come in:

"Big... big brother, why are you here...? You..."

The next second, her face suddenly changed with alarm. She leaped off the sofa and ran toward the bedroom:

"Mom, boo-hoo..."

But she had only run a few steps when Huang Qian, who had been prepared, swiftly sent out a vine to bind her and pull her back. Then, without a word, she raised her hand and knocked her out, the whole sequence smooth and seamless.

Once again, Jiang Nian marveled at Assistant Huang's competence in both office work and combat. Who wouldn't love a beautiful, cool older sister like her!

It all happened in a flash. The people in the bedroom hadn't noticed what was happening outside. Huang Qian then placed Xiao Ya on the sofa and covered her with the blanket.

The three walked toward the master bedroom together, Cheng Jing and Huang Qian in front and Jiang Nian behind them.

Faint light came through the door. Cheng Jing turned the handle and found that the door was locked from the inside.

A moment later, the woman's voice came through, tearful and somewhat weak:

"Xiao Ya... wait a little longer... everything will be fine once your dad has eaten his fill. Be good, go wait in the living room a little longer, and then I'll let you send him away... Mommy's begging you... this is the last time..."

"..."

Hearing that, the three exchanged glances and immediately understood that Xiao Ya was a teleportation ability user.

In that case, without Xiao Ya, there was no need to worry about them escaping. No wonder the little girl had rushed toward the bedroom just now.

"Ms. Lin, it's us. If you don't mind, we'll take Xiao Ya with us. She's very frightened and hasn't stopped crying..."

Jiang Nian spoke up. While he was talking, Cheng Jing had already used lightning to weave a protective net around them.

Huang Qian also controlled her vines, coiling them in front of the group, ready to attack at any moment.

"..."

After a long while, the woman's hoarse voice came from behind the door:

"So it's you. You came after all..."

Then came the sound of her restrained, anguished sobs:

"I didn't want this either... but I can't live without him... boo-hoo..."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"..."

"Come out first. Things have come to this, and even if it's only for Xiao Ya's sake, you should give us an explanation."

Cheng Jing's tone was hostile. He made a gesture, and the three of them took two steps back at the same time.

After a brief silence behind the door, the woman suddenly grew agitated:

"There's nothing to explain! My husband was scratched by a zombie when he went out looking for supplies... but as long as he eats meat and I use my ability, he can stay with us... He can stay quiet. He's different from the zombies outside..."

"..."

Huang Qian and Cheng Jing looked puzzled. Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then realized what she meant:

"You have a mental control ability. You used it to hypnotize him before he lost consciousness, so he can stay quiet... That's also how you killed people, killing one every day or two to feed him."

Of the family of three, the man's ability was metal manipulation, the woman's was mental control, and the daughter's was teleportation. He had to admit, they were strong.

But from the sound of eating coming from the room, the man had now completely turned into a zombie. It was surprising that the woman's ability still worked on him.

Could it be that because they were family, a zombie really could be raised and tamed into obedience?

Inside the room, the woman spoke again, softly coaxing her zombie husband to eat as she did:

"I did my best to keep him from going out and hurting people... He hasn't hurt anyone..."

"That's because you did what he wanted to do for him! You killed people to feed him!"

Cheng Jing coldly cut her off, controlling his lightning to melt the door lock.

"He asked me to end his life, but I couldn't bear to... So many people die every day in the apocalypse. What's wrong with me killing one every few days? If there hadn't been so few relief supplies, he wouldn't have needed to go out! He was infected by someone who'd turned into a zombie too!"

The woman's hysterical voice grew louder and louder, and the zombie, which had been relatively quiet, began to let out chilling roars as well.

"Bang-"

The door was ripped open, and Cheng Jing's and Huang Qian's abilities swept inside at the same time.

But a huge steel plate blocked them. It then split into several blades that hacked at them in a completely wild barrage.

After a series of piercing metallic clashes, Huang Qian grunted and withdrew her ability. A pile of vines cut into sections fell to the floor.

But at the same time, the blades were melted by Cheng Jing's lightning fire.

The metal ability was abruptly withdrawn, and the protective net Cheng Jing had woven also dissipated. The next second, however, they were confronted with the woman's wretched appearance, blood streaming from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

They froze for a moment, then heard the woman speak in a hoarse, hollow voice:

"Listen to me..."

A strange intonation entered their minds, accompanied by the energy fluctuations unique to an ability. Even though Cheng Jing and Huang Qian knew something was wrong, and deep down were aware that something was suppressing them, their minds began to grow hazy, and they could not resist.

It was like relaxing in bed just before falling into a deep sleep, yet also a little like sleep paralysis: they clearly felt awake, but couldn't wake up.