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墨書 Inktalez
Chang Qing and his companions were not short on Crystal Cores, so they decided to pay the fee and enter the city without further hesitation.
However, just as he turned around, a little girl tugged at his clothes.
"Hey, you little brat, why are you pulling on someone's clothes? If we don’t have any Crystal Cores, we won’t enter the city. We might as well die at the hands of a Zombie," a woman rushed over, her voice exaggerated.
As she approached, she didn’t pull the girl’s hand away; instead, she slapped the little girl on her backside. With a loud "wah," the girl immediately burst into tears.
"I want to go into the city! I want to go into the city! Brother, take me into the city!" She clung to Chang Qing's hem, shaking it incessantly.
People around began to look over.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! This handsome guy, my Tang Tang just really wants to get into the city..." The woman hurriedly apologized. Turning back to the little girl, she scolded, "Let go of his clothes! Don’t waste your brother’s time getting into the city."
Chang Qing was not truly a young man; he could see right through their act. However, he was somewhat surprised to notice that the little girl had a slight fluctuation in her Ability levels. It seemed she was an Ability user after all.
So he crouched down and gently patted the girl's head. "Little sister, entering the city isn't hard. But can you tell me what your Ability is?" His voice was soft, only audible to those nearby.
The girl's crying abruptly stopped as she looked at the woman beside her, unsure of how to respond.
The woman seemed taken aback as well; after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Sensing Ability."
Not much use! "Li Jun, give them 20 Crystal Cores; we’re ready to enter the city," he instructed Li Jun over his shoulder.
Mentioning Sensing Ability reminded Chang Qing of a character from the original storyline—Chen Jin's team had a Sensing Ability user who could detect Zombies and other Ability users' levels, helping them avoid many dangers. However, this Ability was of no use to him. Although he didn’t know his own Ability level, since absorbing Third-Level Crystal Cores brought him no benefits, he was at least a Level Three Ability user—perhaps even more. He believed there was nothing in this world that posed a danger he needed to avoid.
After paying 40 Crystal Cores, their group successfully entered the city. Behind them, Tang Yun and her daughter Tang Xiaotang also paid their Crystal Cores to enter.
She had no Ability herself, and her daughter wasn’t a combat-type Ability user either; collecting Crystal Cores was incredibly difficult for them. Fortunately, with Sensing Ability allowing them to detect Zombies and other Ability users over a wide area, they managed to reach this point safely.
At the entrance, Tang Xiaotang mentioned sensing a very powerful Ability user. She had hoped to latch onto someone strong for support but was instead seen through immediately and wasn’t invited to join their team. How frustrating!
Chang Qing was unaware of the woman's thoughts as they were currently registering at a hotel front desk.
Dongpu District was one of Ji City’s ten Safe Zones. It looked much like it did before the apocalypse—there were hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, parks, and even pedestrian streets lined with stalls. The only reminders of the apocalypse were the transactions using Crystal Cores and the occasional passing Ability user.
It was only two days' journey from Northern Base. However, like in games where approaching the final circle increases danger levels significantly, many people chose to rest here for several days to gather their spirits and supplies before continuing their journey.
Since it was a Safe Zone, everyone relaxed. After dinner, Chang Qing walked along the street with Yang Father and Yang Mother, their spirits lifted.
With a gentle breeze blowing and the lively sounds of the crowd around them, smiles appeared on the faces of the elderly couple.
"This feels like a normal life, without the constant fear," Yang Mother remarked.
"Exactly! Once we reach Northern Base, we need to buy a house close to the Administrative District for safety," Yang Father added.
"And it has to be in a good school district," Yang Mother quickly interjected, "so our future grandchild can go to a good school."
Chang Qing didn’t interrupt their visions for the future. Spotting some children selling flowers by the roadside, he picked two carnations and handed them to his parents. With a firm tone, he said, "Mom and Dad, there will be safety, there will be bread, there will be milk—everything will be alright."
Yang Mother cheerfully accepted the flowers but chided him lightly, "You’re wasting money, you silly boy."
"When you had your own home and business, you were always in trouble and never at ease. Now you’ve finally grown up," Yang Father patted his son’s back, filled with emotion.
"You were always busy before; how could you spend time with me like this?" Chang Qing responded with a smile. He spoke on behalf of the original owner of this body. The original owner had been an exceptionally bright child with excellent grades but later fell in with the wrong crowd, causing trouble as a way to attract his parents' attention. Unfortunately, once he strayed from the right path, it became difficult to return.
Chang Qing's words brought about a long silence. Unable to hold back her emotions, Yang Mother pressed her hand against her eyes and said, "Son, it’s our fault for neglecting you in the past. Please don’t blame us." Yang Father quickly took her hand to comfort her.
Chang Qing hadn’t expected that his simple statement would evoke such deep feelings from Yang Mother; he found himself at a loss for words.
"Human parents can sometimes be cautious around their adult children, fearing complaints about their past mistakes. This is normal," a voice from the system suddenly echoed in Chang Qing's mind.
Chang Qing thought: I find that hard to believe; after all, you're just an emotionless Tongzi.
Fortunately, this awkward moment was soon interrupted by a voice.
"Grandpa and Grandma, eat pancakes!" Chang Qing turned to see the little girl from earlier who had been acting at the entrance. She held two paper bags containing Stuffed Pancake in one hand and grabbed Yang Mother's hand with the other. "Mom says that if you eat well, you'll be happy."
Looking over to the side, Chang Qing spotted the little girl's mother next to an old pickup truck that was set up as a stall selling Stuffed Pancake.
Yang Father and Yang Mother hadn’t seen Tang Yun and her daughter before. Now seeing how cute and charming the little girl was calling them Grandpa and Grandma made them beam with joy.
"Oh dear! Little girl, why are you all alone by the roadside?" Yang Mother asked as she took the Stuffed Pancake from her hand and pulled out a Crystal Core from her pocket to give to her.
"My mom is over there," the little girl replied, tucking the Crystal Core into her pocket while pointing towards her mother.
"Nice to see you again, little one," Chang Qing said with a smile that was almost teasing.
Seeing his expression, Tang Xiaotang jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, quickly running over to her mother.
"Look at you, scaring the child," Yang Mother chided lightly.
"She's not just any child; she's an Ability User," Chang Qing explained with a grin. He didn't care about the Crystal Core; he would gladly trade ten of them just to break the awkward atmosphere.
"An Ability User?" Yang Father and Yang Mother were taken aback, but soon added, "Ability Users are still children and need to be cared for."
Chang Qing realized that Yang Father and Yang Mother genuinely liked children. They avoided adult Ability Users but showed no hesitation when it came to little ones, even if they were Ability Users.
He stepped forward and addressed Tang Yun. "If you plan to go to the Northern Base, you can join our team." He thought that even when they reached the Northern Base, their team might need to undertake missions against Zombies. While he was powerful, not everyone else was; having a perception-type Ability User in the group could help improve their survival rate.
Tang Yun naturally accepted his invitation and began packing up her stall. "We still don't have a place to stay..."
Since he had invited them to join his team, Chang Qing handed them a small bag of Crystal Cores and told them the name of a hotel where they could stay.
The little girl was sweet but somewhat intimidated by Chang Qing, so she turned to Yang Father and Yang Mother and waved. "Grandpa and Grandma, we're going to the hotel now. From now on, we'll be together." Her voice was soft and endearing, which only stirred more affection in Yang Father and Yang Mother. They decided not to continue shopping and followed Tang Yun and her daughter back to the hotel.
Chang Qing had no intention of stopping them; this was a Safe Zone, and there were patrolling guards ensuring safety along the way, so he wasn't worried about their security.
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