Chapter 5: Awakening a Superpower
Wang Rui finished relieving himself, zipped up his pants, and stepped out of the bathroom, muttering angrily under his breath, “That little brat Chu Yang actually dared to talk back to me. Just wait until I get my hands on him!”
As soon as he looked up, he saw Chu Yang curled up in the corner, trembling like a leaf. The boy’s face was completely drained of color, his lips tinged with a faint blue, looking thoroughly miserable.
Wang Rui’s anger flared back up. Sneering, he raised his foot to kick him. “Weren’t you acting all tough a second ago? What, playing pathetic now?”
Just as his foot swung forward, a sudden, blinding pain struck his brain, as if something were about to tear his skull apart from the inside. Letting out a sharp howl of agony, he collapsed face-first onto the floor with a heavy thud, knocked out cold.
The commotion startled everyone in the apartment. Zhao Dayong, Li Wen, and Jiang Jue all rushed out of their rooms.
“What—what happened?” Li Wen looked at the unconscious Wang Rui on the floor, then at Chu Yang shivering in the corner, completely at a loss.
Zhao Dayong was bolder. He crouched down to check Wang Rui’s breathing first, then reached out to touch Chu Yang’s forehead. It was icy cold and covered in a clammy sweat. He frowned deeply. “Neither of them is responding, but they’re both breathing… Could they have caught some sudden illness? There are all kinds of strange diseases popping up in this apocalypse. Let’s just hope it’s not contagious!”
Jiang Jue didn’t say a word. He walked silently over to Chu Yang, dropped to one knee, and gently placed his slender fingers against the boy’s forehead.
The skin beneath his fingers was freezing and damp. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his dark eyes clouding over.
“Brother Jiang,” Zhao Dayong leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a whisper laden with worry and a hint of cold pragmatism. “This doesn’t look right. Both of them collapsing at the exact same time… What if this is the first stage of turning into zombies, or some kind of dangerous infection? Why don’t we… take this chance and…”
He trailed off, but the implication was crystal clear—in the apocalypse, any potential threat had to be dealt with before it could spread. Soft-heartedness got people killed.
Jiang Jue’s gaze rested on Chu Yang’s tightly knitted brow. The youth’s pale face and firmly pressed lips made him look remarkably fragile.
He remained quiet for a long moment. The room fell dead silent, save for the heavy breathing of the three men, the tension growing so thick it was hard to breathe.
Finally, parting his thin lips, Jiang Jue spoke three quiet words: “Wait a while.”
That wait stretched on for more than half an hour.
Zhao Dayong and Li Wen sat restlessly by the wall, anxiously glancing at the two figures on the floor every few seconds.
Just as everyone’s patience was wearing thin, Chu Yang’s eyelashes fluttered.
He opened his eyes in a daze. The moment he looked up, three pairs of eyes were staring down at him intently, giving him a sudden fright.
“What’s going on?” Chu Yang felt a chill run down his spine from the intense scrutiny. He reached up and touched his face self-consciously. “Did I grow mushrooms on my face? Or did I drool in my sleep and gross you guys out?”
Hearing him crack a joke, Li Wen visibly relaxed, letting out a breath. “You little punk, you’re finally awake! You suddenly passed out and were shivering like crazy. We honestly thought you weren’t going to make it and were going to drop dead right here!”
“I passed out?” Chu Yang blinked in confusion. As he moved to sit up, he suddenly felt an unfamiliar, warm sensation flowing through his bloodstream, spreading through every limb. The crushing exhaustion and weakness from earlier were almost entirely gone.
It was hard to put into words, but the power pulsing beneath his skin was undeniably real!
Instinctively, he raised a hand, willing that strange energy to gather in his palm.
The air above his skin began to distort slightly, an invisible wave of pressure rippling across his hand with a sharp, tingling sensation.
Taking a deep breath, he swung his palm violently toward the nearby wall—
Bang!
With a muffled thud, a crater more than ten centimeters wide and five or six centimeters deep appeared in the solid concrete!
A shower of crumbled stone and fine dust rained down, pattering against the floorboards.
“Holy crap!” Chu Yang startled himself. He stared at his hand in disbelief, while a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. His head spun; that single attack seemed to have drained nearly half of his stamina!
Had he… awakened a superpower?
According to what he remembered from the novel, this ability to blast a crater into a wall from a distance seemed to belong to the Spatial affinity!
Wild excitement surged through his chest. He recalled that in Apocalypse Overlord, Spatial abilities weren’t considered particularly flashy in the early stages, but once developed, they could form Void Blades and compress space itself, packing a lethal punch on par with Fire or Metal abilities!
More importantly, Spatial ability users were naturally gifted with their own storage dimensions!
At that thought, he held his breath and focused inward, drawing the energy toward his mind.
Sure enough! In the depths of his consciousness, he clearly “saw” an empty, misty gray space of roughly ten square meters, ready to store anything he wanted!
Awesome! Chu Yang cheered internally.
The novel had mentioned that when Spatial users first awakened, their storage capacity was only about one square meter and required painstaking cultivation to expand. His, however, started at a massive ten square meters—a starting point ten times larger than normal!
Could it be because he was a transmigrator who had lived two lives, giving him stronger mental power than average people?
When he snapped out of his reverie, he realized that even Jiang Jue, who usually wore an impassive face, was staring at him intently. Those deep, dark eyes flickered with a hint of genuine curiosity, no longer as coldly detached as before.
“Brother Jiang! Did you see that?!” Chu Yang was so excited he practically leaped up. “I awakened a superpower! What about you? What kind did you get? With your incredible skills, it has to be top-tier!”
“None,” Jiang Jue replied in a flat, even tone that gave nothing away.
“Wait… none?” The wide grin on Chu Yang’s face froze, leaving him completely stunned.
The magnificent male lead hadn’t awakened an ability?
This didn’t match the plot at all!
The novel had clearly stated that Jiang Jue was among the very first batch of survivors to awaken an elite ability!
Yet looking at Jiang Jue’s composed face, he didn’t seem to be lying. There wasn’t the slightest ripple of emotion on those sharp, handsome features.
Chu Yang quickly tucked away his surprise and offered a reassuring smile. “Hey, that’s totally fine! It just means your timing hasn’t arrived yet! You’ll definitely awaken one soon, and it’ll be way more powerful than mine! Someone who fights as well as you is bound to get something unbelievable!”
As he was speaking, Wang Rui let out a low groan and slowly came to.
The moment he opened his eyes, he was beaming with pride. Raising his hand, a small fireball the size of a ping-pong ball popped into existence above his palm with a soft hiss, its orange-red flame dancing and giving off a distinct warmth.
“Hahaha! I awakened a Fire ability!” Wang Rui looked around the room smugly, his chin tilted high in the air. “Did any of you awaken anything? Looks like you’re all still way behind me!”
Zhao Dayong and Li Wen quickly crowded around him, showering him with compliments: “Brother Rui, that’s incredible! The two of us haven’t felt a thing. Your power is amazing!”
Bathed in their flattery, Wang Rui grew even more arrogant. He suddenly remembered how Chu Yang had mocked him outside the bathroom earlier, and his temper flared right back up. The flame in his hand flared with a whoosh as he turned toward Chu Yang, clearly intending to teach him a lesson.
Zhao Dayong quickly grabbed his arm, pointing toward the damaged wall. “Brother Rui, hold on! Chu Yang awakened an ability too. That crater over there was made by his power. It’s really strong!”
Wang Rui froze. He looked at Chu Yang in disbelief, then turned his gaze to the deep crater in the wall, his eyes widening in shock.
Chu Yang flashed him a bright, cheerful grin, deliberately flexing his fingers.
Wang Rui looked down at the tiny flame in his palm, then back at the crushed concrete on the floor. He quickly weighed his options and realized his little fireball probably didn’t pack that kind of punch. Grudgingly extinguishing the flame, he forced an awkward chuckle. “Well, since we’re all on the same team, we should look out for each other from now on!”
Early the next morning, the group gathered to discuss heading out for supplies; they couldn’t just sit around and burn through their meager food rations.
When they split into two teams, Zhao Dayong, Li Wen, and Wang Rui formed one group, while Chu Yang got his wish and was paired with Jiang Jue. He was secretly thrilled—this was the perfect chance to build rapport with the male lead and secure his place beside the ultimate golden ticket!
Along the way, Chu Yang chatted non-stop like an open faucet: “Brother Jiang, what do you think our luck will be like today? How much food are we going to find? If we could stumble upon some self-heating hot pots, that would be amazing. I haven’t had one in ages and I’m practically drooling just thinking about it!”
“Brother Jiang, that blade on your back is ridiculously cool. It gleams so sharply you can tell right away it’s the real deal! Where did you get it? Are there any spares lying around? I really want one too!”
“Brother Jiang, slow down a bit, I can barely keep up! With those long legs of yours, one of your steps takes two of mine!”
Jiang Jue remained characteristically quiet, only offering an occasional low “Mm” in response, spending most of his energy scanning the desolate streets for danger.
The two made their way through the ruined city. Overturned cars lined the curbs, shattered glass littered the pavement, and the air was thick with the stench of decay and dried blood, enough to turn anyone’s stomach.
Every so often, a few stray zombies would wander past, letting out low, wet groans.
Inevitably, they crossed paths with a few isolated infected.
Chu Yang quickly discovered the limits of his new power—he could only unleash his Spatial Impact at full strength twice. His aim was only average, barely enough to eliminate a single zombie, after which a wave of dizziness would wash over him from mental exhaustion, forcing him to rely on his wooden bat for close combat.
However, awakening an ability seemed to have boosted his general physical conditioning as well.
He could clearly feel that his strength, speed, and reflexes were all noticeably sharper. Zombies that previously took three or four heavy swings to bring down could now be handled with a single, well-placed strike to the skull or neck.
Thwack!
Chu Yang brought his bat down hard against the back of a zombie’s head, dropping it instantly to the ground. Black blood splattered across the cuffs of his pants, but he hardly noticed. Panting slightly, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned around just in time to see Jiang Jue dispatch another approaching creature with a swift, effortless slash of his blade.
The steel sliced through the air with a soft whistling sound, the movement clean, precise, and lethal—far more efficient than Chu Yang’s clumsy superpower.
“Brother Jiang, that sword of yours is incredible!” Chu Yang said with open envy. “Are there any shops around here that sell stuff like that? I really need a proper weapon. This wooden bat is too awkward—swinging it a couple of times leaves my whole arm sore!”
Jiang Jue paused and glanced at him. Though he didn’t say anything, he seemed to understand. With a subtle nod, he turned down a narrow alley piled high with discarded debris.
There’s hope! Chu Yang’s eyes lit up. He immediately quieted down and followed close behind, thoroughly pleased with himself—it seemed the boss really did look out for his subordinates!
After navigating several turns and climbing over a pile of broken bricks and ruined furniture, they arrived in front of an unassuming storefront.
Chu Yang looked up and realized it was a specialty bladed-weapon shop. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by racks of sharpened blades, their edges gleaming with a cold, polished sheen.
“Holy cow! Look at all these!” Chu Yang was so excited he could barely contain himself, running his fingers along the displays. “Tang dao, katanas, tactical knives… Man, they’ve got the whole collection!”
He noticed the shattered glass on the central display case where a sword had clearly been taken, guessing that was where Jiang Jue had found his own weapon.
Carefully browsing through the shelves, Chu Yang eventually picked out a straight-bladed Tang dao that felt perfectly balanced in terms of length and weight.
The blade measured roughly eighty centimeters, its hilt tightly wrapped in black non-slip cord. It had a reassuring heft in his hand, giving him an immediate sense of confidence.
He gave it two practice swings. The blade hummed softly as it cut the air. The grip and balance were fantastic, leagues better than a clumsy wooden bat!
Looking at the five or six other high-quality blades remaining on the rack, Chu Yang had an idea. With a single thought, the weapons vanished from the shelves and appeared neatly arranged in a corner of his ten-square-meter storage space.
Standing nearby, Jiang Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the suddenly empty rack, clearly catching on that something unusual had happened.
“Brother Jiang,” Chu Yang didn’t try to hide it at all, instead offering a bright, proud smile. “Let me tell you a secret—my Spatial ability isn’t just for blasting things; it can store items too! Watch!”
With another thought, one of the katanas he had just stashed materialized in his hand. He held it out toward Jiang Jue before sending it back into the void with a flash. “Just like that! If you ever have heavy gear or supplies that are a pain to carry, just pass them to me! I swear on my honor that I won’t pocket a single thing, and you can take them back whenever you want. We’re a team, after all!”
Jiang Jue looked at him silently, his gaze lingering on the boy’s face for a couple of seconds as if assessing his sincerity.
His handsome features remained impassive, but Chu Yang could have sworn the cold edge in those dark eyes softened just a fraction.
A moment later, Jiang Jue gave a slight nod and spoke two quiet words: “Thank you.”
“Whoa! Brother Jiang, you actually said thank you!” Chu Yang grinned so broadly his eyes curved into crescents, waving his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me! We’re teammates now, it’s the least I can do. Besides, it’s an honor to be of service to Brother Jiang!”
As he admired his new sword, his stomach suddenly let out a loud, hollow growl. The sound echoed clearly in the quiet shop, thoroughly betraying his hunger.
“Speaking of which, Brother Jiang…” Chu Yang rubbed his flat stomach with a comical frown. “Do you know where we can find some real food around here? If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to pass out from starvation! All I’ve had since yesterday was half a bowl of watery noodle soup!”
Jiang Jue pointed toward the far end of the street, where the silhouette of a large commercial building stood in the distance, a faded “Supermarket” sign barely visible atop the roof. “There’s a supermarket over that way, about two kilometers out.”
“Awesome!” Chu Yang perked up immediately, his hunger temporarily pushed aside by pure excitement. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s move! My stomach is staging a full protest here. If we’re five minutes late, it’s going on strike!”
The two set off toward the supermarket. They hadn’t even taken a dozen steps before Chu Yang’s chatterbox opened right back up: “Brother Jiang, do you think there’ll still be instant noodles left in there? Honestly, I’m not picky—pickled cabbage or braised beef flavor, anything works as long as I can add hot water and eat it!”
“Finding canned food would be even better. Canned luncheon meat, canned fish—anything is fine, as long as it’s actual meat!”
“Oh, and drinks! It’d be absolute perfection if we found some soda or juice. Even plain bottled water is fine, my throat is parched!”
Jiang Jue silently lengthened his stride, clearly trying to put some distance between himself and the chatterbox behind him.
Seeing this, Chu Yang simply quickened his pace to keep up, rambling on without missing a beat: “Brother Jiang, why are you walking so fast? Are you starving too? Should we just jog? It’s only two kilometers anyway—if we run, we can eat that much sooner!”
Jiang Jue said nothing, but picked up his speed even further, his rigid back exuding a desperate yearning for a moment of peace and quiet.
Chu Yang remained completely oblivious, happily chatting away as he enthusiastically planned out their upcoming feast.
