The Max-Level Boss Just Wants to Be a Slacker [Apocalypse] – CH54

Chapter 54: Leveling Up

Hearing Mo Xiu’s question, Mo Qi instantly fell silent.

Although he had never explicitly said that his abilities were learned from reading that book, at the time, for convenience, he had indeed allowed Mo Xiu to misunderstand.

Only now did he suddenly feel like he had dug a huge pit for himself.

When he had first met Mo Xiu, he had only treated him as a long-term meal ticket. While he had appreciated the man’s kindness, he had still kept his guard up.

Because of that, many things had never been clearly explained. He hadn’t lied outright, but he had allowed Mo Xiu to misunderstand. Originally, he had just intended to muddle through and brush things off.

How could he have possibly imagined that later on, he would genuinely fall in love with Mo Xiu—so deeply that he would see him as the only Dao partner of his life?

It wasn’t that Mo Qi had never considered telling Mo Xiu his true identity.

But it always felt far too complicated.

After all, he wasn’t originally from this world.

A soul crossing over and taking over another body… it sounded somewhat frightening. Even if it wasn’t a true possession—since the previous owner’s remnant soul had already dissipated before he entered the body.

This body felt more like a shell that had long been prepared for him, quietly waiting for his arrival in this strange apocalypse.

If someone else had asked such a question, Mo Qi would certainly have chosen an answer that protected himself.

But facing Mo Xiu, he didn’t want to keep deceiving him.

After hesitating for a moment, Mo Qi said,

“Actually, that’s not it. I already had these abilities before. I just didn’t expect to see related books at Xie Wu’s place.

You misunderstood the situation back then, and I didn’t clarify it right away. That was indeed my fault.”

Mo Xiu had not expected such an answer. After pausing in surprise, he continued asking,

“You already had these abilities before? Then where did you learn them?”

That follow-up question was the real reason Mo Qi hesitated.

People in the world often believed that demonic cultivators were evil and that the demonic path was wicked.

If Mo Xiu learned that he was a demonic cultivator—or even a Demon Sovereign—would he view him the same way as everyone else?

Would there be a barrier between them?

“Can I not explain it right now?” Mo Qi asked quietly. “I still need some time. But I can promise you, Mo Xiu—my feelings for you have always been genuine. I have never once thought about harming you.”

Cultivation, demonic energy, ascension, falling from grace, crossing between worlds…

There were too many mysterious things.

Mo Qi had lived far too long in his previous life. Even if he wanted to explain, he didn’t even know where to begin.

After hearing his words, Mo Xiu slowly nodded.

Of course he believed that Mo Qi would never harm him.

He was simply curious about those abilities—and about the growing number of secrets that seemed to lie behind them.

Seeing the man rarely look so conflicted, Mo Xiu considerately reached out, patted his shoulder, and then gently pulled him into a hug.

“It’s alright. I’m not in a hurry. If there are things you don’t feel ready to talk about right now, then wait until the day you’ve figured them out and want to tell me.”

Hearing those gentle words, Mo Qi didn’t even know how to describe what he felt.

He only felt incredibly fortunate to have found such a considerate Dao partner.

“Alright then. Since you think teaching these abilities to Xie Wu won’t be a problem, I won’t oppose it. I trust you must have your reasons.”

After they finished discussing it, Mo Qi called Xie Wu over and showed him several talismans and formations he had drawn, leaving the young man utterly stunned.

“Brother Qi, this is amazing! So the book from before—and the stories passed down in my family—were actually real?”

Xie Wu found it hard to believe. The abilities were simply too fantastical.

Compared to the apocalypse itself, what Mo Qi demonstrated felt even more beyond his understanding.

But he also clearly understood what it would mean if he mastered these skills.

It meant that even without supernatural abilities, once he learned them, he could survive in the apocalypse with dignity—even without the protection of Mo Xiu’s team.

Thinking of this, Xie Wu looked deeply at Mo Qi, then bowed to him at a ninety-degree angle.

After straightening up, he said solemnly,

“Brother Qi, thank you for being willing to teach me. I’ll remember this kindness. Don’t worry—I will never betray you.”

Mo Qi nodded in satisfaction.

This was exactly the quality he admired most about Xie Wu—he knew how to read the situation, yet still had principles.

Deep down, the young man possessed a stubborn resilience.

Mo Qi had already seen it when Xie Wu refused Bian Tai at the beginning, choosing to stay here even if it meant doing the hardest, most exhausting work.

Later, when he was even willing to fight a losing battle, it confirmed Mo Qi’s judgment.

Mo Qi had always believed he had a good eye for people, and he thought highly of Xie Wu.

After that, the entire team became even more diligent.

Their cultivation speed advanced by leaps and bounds.

From time to time, Mo Qi also revealed small bits of information about himself to Mo Xiu, hoping to prepare him mentally.

At the same time, he began trying some cultivation methods used by cultivators to guide Mo Xiu.

Unexpectedly, Mo Xiu’s comprehension was also extremely high. After understanding the techniques, the speed at which his abilities improved became even faster.

Before long, Mo Xiu’s abilities advanced two more levels.

Now both his wind and lightning abilities had reached the peak of Level Six.

Even Cheng Cheng managed to obtain some strange seeds and developed new ways to use his plant-type abilities.

Meanwhile, Shanhe Base had been unusually stable recently.

Perhaps because Meng Zhen’s death had dealt a blow to Professor Frank. It was said that afterward, the professor spent most of his time buried in research inside the base’s laboratory and rarely appeared around the base.

Feng Wenkang—the man who had originally obtained the information about Professor Frank’s disappearance—had become much more active than before.

It was said he had received a promotion and had even established connections with the base’s research institute.

For some reason, the once unremarkable Feng Wenkang had suddenly awakened a healing-type ability not long ago.

Healing-type ability users weren’t unheard of in the apocalypse, but they were extremely rare.

Even in large bases, having one or two was already considered fortunate. Many small bases had none at all.

That made Feng Wenkang’s sudden healing ability exceptionally valuable, and his status naturally rose along with it.

After all, even in peaceful times—let alone now—who could guarantee they would never get injured or fall ill?

Outside the base, however, things were not as peaceful.

People returning from supply-gathering missions had brought back troubling news.

The zombies outside seemed to be evolving very quickly.

High-level zombies that were once rare were now appearing more frequently. Level-two and level-three zombies had become common.

There were even rumors that zombie levels were doubling in growth. If things continued like this, humanity might soon face an even greater crisis.

At the same time, Mo Xiu also noticed something.

Other ability users were improving much faster as well.

Although none matched his speed, it was still different from what he remembered from his previous life.

It was as if the entire world had been put on fast-forward.

An inexplicable sense of urgency filled Mo Xiu’s heart.

He suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen Xiong Gangyong for quite some time.

In the past, Xiong Gangyong had loved coming to find them—especially Mo Qi.

Although Xiong Gangyong’s brother was the base commander of Shanhe Base, he had very few friends.

After meeting their team, he had treated everyone like brothers, constantly dropping by to “bother” them whenever he had the chance.

After spending so much time together, they had all grown rather fond of the big, simple-minded man.

His long absence now felt strange to both Mo Xiu and Mo Qi.

The group happened to bring up the topic during dinner.

Lu Pingwan heard their conversation, took a bite of the vegetable dumpling Xie Wu had made, and said,

“I saw Dayong a couple days ago when I went out. I even asked him what was going on.

He said his brother sent him to the research institute to help Professor Frank. He’s busy every day doing all sorts of tasks.

He also said the professor is kind of strange—always making them work late at night.

Sometimes they’re not even allowed to leave the institute overnight, so they have to sleep there. Sounds pretty exhausting.”

“Helping at the research institute?” Mo Xiu frowned when he heard that.

Thinking of the deceased Meng Zhen, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his heart.

Just as he was thinking about it, someone knocked on the door outside.

When they opened it, it was a messenger sent by Xiong Mingyuan.

He said they were inviting Mo Xiu’s group over. Professor Frank apparently had an urgent matter and hoped to request their help.

Looking at the lunch on the table that was only half eaten, everyone instinctively sped up, finishing their meal before heading over together.

By the time they arrived, the room was already filled with people. Professor Frank was also present.

“What is it this time?” Mo Xiu asked the base commander when he saw the many ability users and team leaders gathered there.

Hearing his question, Xiong Mingyuan said with a serious expression,

“The reason I’ve gathered everyone here is because I want to ask you to go to a pharmaceutical factory in the suburbs of B City.

But this time, the main objective isn’t the medicine stored there.

Our base’s medicine reserves are still sufficient for now. What we need are the medical instruments.”

He continued,

“Professor Frank’s research has recently encountered a bottleneck. It’s not because of a lack of medicine, but because the laboratory doesn’t have enough equipment.

I’ve already sent people to search nearby areas, but they couldn’t find anything suitable.

At the moment, the pharmaceutical factory in B City’s suburbs is our most promising lead.

That factory also produces high-end medical equipment, so it’s very likely they have what we need.”

Everyone in the base knew that a highly capable professor had arrived and that the hope of developing a potion against the zombie virus rested on him.

However, after hearing Xiong Mingyuan’s explanation, someone still raised a question.

The captain of the X Ability Squad spoke up.

“The suburbs of B City? That’s quite far. But if the goal is just to retrieve medical equipment, why do you need so many of us? Base Commander Xiong, you might as well just say it directly.”

Hearing that, Xiong Mingyuan hesitated for a moment before finally admitting,

“In truth, this mission will be extremely dangerous.

We’ve received information that at the pharmaceutical factory in B City… there appears to be a Level Seven zombie.”

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