Chapter 109: Return Trip
Since he had planned to collect snow water anyway, Lu Weiyi directly used his mental powers to scoop up the snow from the road in front of the car into his storage space. He took out a cup, set it on the passenger seat, and placed a core inside it.
With his mental power scouting ahead, Lu Weiyi had an easier time navigating than the others. He also knew those two were only going to feel worse as time passed — which is why he was desperate to find them within three hours. Any longer, and they’d become a burden.
The loudspeaker kept shouting Lin Yimu’s name as Lu Weiyi slowed the car to the lowest speed. Even after driving two full roads, there was still no sign of the two. Checking the time, he saw there was still about an hour left, so he decided to try a slightly farther route and hope for the best.
Blizzard winds howled as the snow came down hard. Even with the speaker, Lu Weiyi wasn’t sure they could hear it. Just as he was hesitating whether to finish the street and return to base if he still found nothing—
A gunshot rang out from not far behind him.
The blizzard made it impossible to see clearly, but Lu Weiyi could tell the sound came from the road he had just passed, though he couldn’t determine the exact location.
He slammed on the brakes and made a sharp U-turn, driving back the way he came.
Less than 100 meters back, he saw two people bundled in blankets struggling against the wind and snow as they staggered toward the vehicle.
“Ah—Weiyi!” Ning Yuan opened the rear door and climbed in, shaking the snow off his blanket and setting it down at his feet. The hot air blasting from the vents made him shiver all over as he spoke through trembling lips, “It’s so damn cold…”
Lu Weiyi turned off the speaker and gave the two of them a once-over. Seeing no visible injuries, he stored the blanket under their feet into his space, then took out two sets of thick camouflage gear with boots for them to change into. Finally, he pulled out two steaming-hot containers of spicy and sour noodles he had packed from a street stall before the apocalypse.
Ning Yuan grabbed one, sipping the broth first. The hot, spicy liquid ran down his throat and warmed his whole body. Within minutes, both of them had eaten a full bowl. They began to sweat a little, and finally felt warmer.
“Want more?” Lu Weiyi asked, looking at them through the rearview mirror.
“Let’s eat later. With this damn weather, we’d better hurry back,” Ning Yuan said, then asked, “Where are Li Zhuang and Antonio? Why are you alone?”
“They searched a few nearby streets for you. We agreed on a rendezvous spot. Let’s head there now,” Lu Weiyi replied, then asked, “How did you end up here?”
This street clearly veered away from the one they left from yesterday. Lu Weiyi wouldn’t have come here unless he had time to spare.
“We were still chasing that bastard Li Ji.”
“Is he dead?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“…Probably not,” Lin Yimu said. “Visibility got too low, we lost sight of him and had to take a blind shot.”
“But I did hit him twice in the leg. At least one of them definitely went into his knee,” Ning Yuan said. He’d been hoping to personally cripple Li Ji, so at least this was halfway there.
“Then we’ll find another chance to finish him off,” Lu Weiyi said.
“Mm. Later, the snow got so bad we couldn’t see the road. We tried to head back to find you, but visibility was too low. We found a hotel nearby and stayed there for the night. Lucky there were enough blankets — otherwise, we’d probably have frozen to death before morning,” Ning Yuan said, then asked what had happened with Lu Weiyi and the others.
Lu Weiyi gave a brief explanation. When they arrived at the rendezvous spot, Antonio and Li Zhuang were already there. They boarded one of the vehicles parked inconspicuously in a corner. In the driver’s seat, Li Ji saw them approaching, pressed the horn lightly, but didn’t move.
Only after the three got out and approached the vehicle did they notice something was wrong.
Li Zhuang’s face was pale and drenched in cold sweat. He was slumped over the steering wheel. When the door opened, he only shifted his eyes slightly and made no other movement. In the passenger seat, Antonio’s tall figure was curled into a ball, one hand gripping the door handle so tightly the veins on the back of his hand bulged. His lips were bleeding from being bitten so hard, and he didn’t even react to the door opening.
“What happened to you two?” Lin Yimu asked. Li Zhuang opened his mouth, but couldn’t say a word.
“This snowstorm might be affecting ability-users,” Lu Weiyi said, turning to look at Ning Yuan. “You’re okay?”
“Wait… does it hurt inside your body a bit?” Ning Yuan asked. He’d just thought it was from overexertion earlier — didn’t expect this.
Lu Weiyi nodded. He had them move Li Zhuang into the backseat. Antonio couldn’t move well, so they left him in the front. Lu Weiyi got into the driver’s seat and told the three, “You better hold on. If you can’t, you might die. When it gets too bad, circulate your power through your body — it’ll help take some of the edge off. If you run out of energy, tell me.”
This method had only been discovered by scientists in Lu Weiyi’s previous life, and by then, it was too late to be of much use, so it was never made public. Lu Weiyi had only heard about it when Zhuang Mingxu mentioned it unintentionally. The blizzard had claimed the lives of many ability users, but those who survived all went on to become formidable figures later on.
Upon hearing his words, Li Zhuang and Antonio both activated their abilities, and their complexions visibly improved. Ning Yuan, seeing their condition, began to feel as if his own pain had intensified—though he wasn’t sure if it was just psychological.
Lu Weiyi then opened the cup with the snow nucleus and checked inside. The cup, once filled with snow, now only had a bit left, and it had turned to water. The originally white crystal nucleus had become completely clear and translucent, like a drop of water, without a trace of impurity. Just looking at it, one could hardly believe it had been extracted from a zombie’s brain.
Lu Weiyi pulled another cup’s worth of snow from his space and placed it on the dashboard. With one hand on the wheel, he held the now-transparent nucleus in his palm and began to slowly channel his ability into it.
He was attempting to use this single nucleus to push himself to the next level, so he absorbed its energy with full force. Silent energy surged into his body along with his ability, continuously assaulting the already-peak limits of his power. After more than ten minutes, the nucleus vanished from his palm. A silent “boom” seemed to erupt within his body, and Lu Weiyi felt his mental power, which he used to scan the road, instantly double in range.
He had leveled up.
In his past life, Lu Weiyi had awakened his power only after the blizzard and didn’t reach level B until more than a month later. Even then, it had taken countless crystal nuclei provided by Zhuang Mingxu to get there. But even at that level, his coverage range hadn’t been this large—this was equivalent to an early stage level A ability.
No wonder the ones who survived all became powerful figures. With starting power equivalent to others’ late-stage levels, how could they not?
Now that everyone had been found, they no longer needed to return to the base. The five of them headed straight toward the rest of their group stationed outside the base. The trip had taken a little over an hour on the way there. Since they weren’t starting from the base this time and had slightly more distance to cover—not to mention the worsening weather—it would probably take them at least three hours. By then, it would be around noon.
Lu Weiyi drove and continued collecting snow along the road. Wherever his vehicle passed, a layer of snow disappeared, revealing the road beneath. If it weren’t for the bad weather keeping people indoors, Lu Weiyi might have worried someone would notice.
Less than an hour into the drive, a weak voice came from the passenger seat: “Lu…”
With his spiritual power guiding the way, Lu Weiyi wasn’t worried about crashing. He turned to look and saw Antonio trying to speak, lips barely moving. Judging by the shape of his mouth, Lu Weiyi guessed he was saying Dean’s name. Antonio’s eyes were unfocused—it was clear his power had run out and the pain had returned.
Lu Weiyi hesitated, then took out two transparent nuclei from the cup and pressed one into Antonio’s hand. “Use your ability to envelop it—slowly, intermittently. Just this one.”
According to scientific theory from his past life, late-stage ability users had different energy compositions compared to early ones. Early users had gained their powers through direct mutation from zombie energy, while later users had powers that formed from a blend of zombie energy and the unique energy in the blizzard, creating something more compatible with human physiology.
That was why early users experienced intense discomfort during the blizzard—it was their bodies adapting and transforming to accommodate the new type of energy.
At this moment, their bodies were undergoing that transformation. A completely neutralized nucleus like the one Lu Weiyi gave them could replenish this evolved energy, but too much might disrupt the body’s natural adaptation process. The long-term consequences were unknown.
Lu Weiyi had only heard this theory from bored scientists in the later stages of his previous life—it was untested, and he couldn’t guarantee anything. They would have to proceed with caution.
He turned and handed the other nucleus to Li Zhuang in the back seat. “Same for you—use it bit by bit, don’t absorb it all at once.”
Li Zhuang blinked in acknowledgment.
Ning Yuan, feeling the same discomfort, looked at Lu Weiyi hopefully. But Lu Weiyi said, “Your ability level is too low. Using one might do more harm than good. If you really can’t take it, I’ll give you one later.”
Ning Yuan was disappointed but accepted the explanation. He regretted not training his abilities more diligently.
Antonio and Li Zhuang followed Lu Weiyi’s instructions precisely. Even by the time they arrived at the others’ residence, the nuclei in their palms were still the size of a mung bean. Though they looked rough, their eyes were clear—they hadn’t lost consciousness.
The yard looked undisturbed. Snow was piled high outside, with no trace of footprints. Lu Weiyi parked the car at the gate and pushed against the door—it was locked from the inside. He sighed in relief.
“I’ll go open the door,” said Lin Yimu, knowing Lu Weiyi wasn’t great at climbing walls. He got out and went in.
Lu Weiyi nodded and returned to the driver’s seat. Even in that brief moment, the cold wind felt like blades cutting across his face.
When Lin Yimu opened the door from inside, Lu Weiyi drove into the courtyard. Seeing the car he’d left behind still there, he felt reassured—they hadn’t left. But then…
Thank you for the chapter