Chapter 89: Level
Chu Yang felt incredibly smug inside, the corners of his mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.
See? How wise was I to cling to the biggest thigh around back then!
Now, he was Brother Jiang’s most trusted right-hand man, and even the squad’s “financial power” had been entrusted entirely to him!
He could practically picture his majestic status—under one person, above all others—and couldn’t help letting out a low, muffled chuckle.
“Third Brother, what are you giggling about like an idiot?” Lin Xiao asked, baffled by the sudden laughter as he waved a hand in front of Chu Yang’s face.
“Ah? Nothing! Nothing at all!” Chu Yang snapped back to reality, clearing his throat lightly to cover his lapse in composure before quickly returning his focus to the crystal cores on the table. “Alright, I’ve counted them up. Adding in our remaining reserves, we have about 220 Tier 1 crystal cores here, plus one Tier 2 Wood-element core.”
“Our squad’s official roster right now consists of me, Brother Jiang, Old Lin, Su Mubai, Qiang, Li Yu, and Little Yu. That makes seven of us in total.”
He paused, sweeping a serious gaze over everyone gathered around the table. “If we split the haul evenly, everyone gets roughly 30 Tier 1 cores.”
“That Tier 2 core is a Wood element, which Healing-types can absorb effectively as well, so I plan to give it to Su Mubai. Does anyone have any objections?”
Hearing this, Su Mubai considered the offer for a moment before speaking up first. “Third Brother, if we divide it like this, you and the Boss are taking a huge loss. Most of the kills out there were handled by the two of you. You took on all the risk—especially for that Tier 2 core—so you should keep it.”
Li Yu nodded quickly in agreement, looking slightly embarrassed. “That’s right, Brother Chu. All I do is provide drinking water; I can barely help when it comes to actually fighting the zombies. It’s perfectly fine if I take a smaller cut.”
“You can’t look at it like that,” Chu Yang replied, waving a hand dismissively, his tone turning dead serious. “Li Yu, your Water ability is our lifeline right now. In this blistering heat, do you think any of us could survive this comfortably without your water supply? Your contribution is massive.”
“As for me and Brother Jiang…” He picked up a milky-white Tier 1 core, twirling it between his fingertips. “We’ve both crossed into Tier 3. These Tier 1 stones barely have any effect on us anymore. Absorbing ten of these wouldn’t even match the energy of a single Tier 2 core of our own element.”
“Giving these to all of you to raise our overall combat strength is much better than letting them gather dust in our pockets.”
He pushed a small pile of cores directly in front of Li Yu. “Take them. You’ve earned every single one.”
“As for this Tier 2 core, Su Mubai is the only one with a compatible affinity, so it goes to him for now.” Chu Yang looked around the group, his tone carrying a hint of genuine concern. “By the way, where does everyone stand with their abilities right now? Has anyone else reached Tier 2 yet?”
Wang Qiang rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “I’m right at the peak of Tier 1. I feel like I’m knocking on the door of Tier 2. It’s all thanks to the cores you and the Boss shared with me earlier to build my foundation; otherwise, there’s no way I would’ve progressed this fast.”
Li Yu spoke up next: “I’m also in the late stages of Tier 1. When I first awakened, I could only condense about twenty pounds of clean water a day, but now I feel confident I can steadily provide over a hundred. It’s just that the heat is so intense, our daily consumption is burning through it quickly.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiao instantly puffed out his chest, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. “Heh, I actually broke through to Tier 2 yesterday! Check out my new trick!”
Raising his hand, he curled his fingers into a loose grip. With a mere thought, several long, razor-sharp steel spikes materialized out of thin air just above his palm. The metal gleamed with a cold, deadly luster, slowly rotating to display their daunting sharpness. “Well? Pretty sick, right? It’ll be ten times easier to skewer those freaks through the eye sockets now!”
Jiang Jue’s gaze swept lightly over the floating spikes, his thin lips parting slightly. “Your control has improved. Not bad.”
Although his tone was completely flat, those who knew him well understood that this was a rare, high compliment.
Lin Xiao’s grin grew even wider, looking immensely pleased with himself.
Su Mubai spoke up in a calm, even tone: “I just reached Tier 2 as well.”
“That’s awesome, Little Bai!” Lin Xiao cheered, slapping Su Mubai hard on the shoulder. “Your leveling speed is no joke—you’re practically catching up to me! Don’t worry, I’ll cover your back out there!”
Su Mubai rolled his eyes silently, swatting the heavy hand away.
Finally, Chu Yang looked toward Little Yu, who had been sitting quietly in the corner the whole time. “What about you, Little Yu? Where are you at?”
Little Yu looked up, speaking softly but clearly: “Brother Chu, I… I think I’ve reached Tier 2 as well. I can stay invisible for much longer now, and… it feels a lot easier to control.”
As soon as the words left the boy’s mouth, everyone—save for Jiang Jue, whose expression remained impassive—stared at him in surprise.
Chu Yang’s eyes lit up. “Not bad at all, Little Yu! Your talent is incredible!”
Su Mubai and Lin Xiao had spent a long time accumulating energy through constant combat, so their breakthroughs were expected. But young Little Yu hadn’t been with them for very long, yet he had managed to quietly cross the threshold of Tier 2. The boy’s innate aptitude for his stealth ability was genuinely outstanding.
“You’re amazing, Little Yu!” Li Yu praised with a warm smile.
Flustered by the sudden attention and praise, Little Yu offered a shy smile, ducking his head.
The atmosphere in the RV was lively, filled with relaxed chatter and laughter.
Chu Yang pushed the divided piles of crystal cores in front of each person. Li Yu, who had been quietly observing the mood, hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak up.
She glanced out the window at the blazing sun, then looked toward Jiang Jue, her tone cautious.
“Boss, Brother Chu… there’s something I’d like to bring up, though I don’t know if it’s my place to say.” She paused, organizing her thoughts before continuing. “This weather… it’s obviously getting hotter by the day, and I don’t think it’s going to cool down anytime soon.”
“Even though I’m a Water Ability user, my level is still low, and the water I produce each day is barely enough to cover everyone’s drinking and basic washing needs. If this heat wave continues, our water rationing is going to get extremely tight…”
She carefully watched Jiang Jue’s face, and seeing no immediate reaction, she pressed on. “What I mean is… since we agreed to invite Sister Li to join as our cook, then… could we consider letting Jiang Lin officially join the squad as well? She’s also a Water user, even if…”
Her voice trailed off, dying in her throat as Jiang Jue’s gaze slowly shifted toward her. His dark, fathomless eyes were completely calm, yet they exuded an inexplicable, crushing pressure that made it impossible for her to finish her sentence.
Li Yu wasn’t just bringing this up to fulfill her promise to Jiang Lin. She genuinely believed that adding another Water user to the team in this sweltering, drought-like environment was a massive advantage with far more pros than cons.
With a more abundant water supply, the entire squad would be much more comfortable.
Chu Yang keenly sensed the sudden drop in temperature radiating from Jiang Jue.
Reaching under the table, he calmly took hold of Jiang Jue’s sleeve, giving it a gentle tug while signaling with his eyes: Brother Jiang, don’t scare Li Yu. She’s just looking out for the team.
Turning to Li Yu, Chu Yang smoothly took over the conversation with an easy tone. “What Li Yu says makes a lot of sense.”
“In this hellish weather, our water consumption is a serious issue. The bottled water I have stored away is fine for emergencies, but it’s not a sustainable solution for the long haul.”
Lin Xiao chimed in from the side: “Yeah, Boss, I think Jiang Lin is alright. Her character seems decent enough, and she’s got a Water ability. An extra pair of hands means extra utility. Plus, since she used to know Third Brother back in—”
Before Lin Xiao could finish his sentence, Su Mubai delivered a swift, brutal kick to his shin under the table.
