THIP Chapter 39

Lamenting her frustrating identity, Mu Liuyin reached out and touched Xie Yin’s forehead. The fever had started to go down, but since Xie Yin was in the middle of awakening her ability, it was impossible for the fever to fully subside during the process.

Thinking back to how terrible Xie Yin looked when she first entered the room, Mu Liuyin couldn’t help but wonder how she survived this entire week in the original plot.

She glanced at her watch—it was already past 7 PM. Tearing open a pack of bread, she ate while asking Xiao Jiu,
“Where are Zhuo Yan and the others now?”

“After the host drove away, they argued over whether to come back for you. In the end, they didn’t return and just kept moving forward,” Xiao Jiu replied.

Mu Liuyin responded with a blank, indifferent hum.

As expected, Zhuo Yan never truly liked the original host. She was simply jealous of Xie Yin, and the original host just so happened to be a powerful ability user who could protect her.

Otherwise, in the original storyline, Zhuo Yan wouldn’t have orchestrated the host’s death in a zombie horde, only to turn around and throw herself into the arms of the top-ranked ability user at the Central Base.

But to be fair, the original host had it coming.

Still, Mu Liuyin frowned slightly, knowing Xie Yin probably hated the original host by now. Lying down beside her, she was deep in thought about what to do when Xie Yin suddenly let out a low groan of pain. Her body started trembling faintly.

Mu Liuyin reached out, gently rubbing her back, softly comforting her.
“Don’t be afraid, this is just the process of awakening your power.”

In the storyline, it was mentioned that the stronger someone’s power was, the longer the awakening process took, and the more painful it would be. During the apocalypse, many people didn’t survive this stage.

Cold sweat rolled down Xie Yin’s pale cheeks. In her fevered coma, all she felt was freezing pain. Her teeth began chattering, and instinctively sensing a heat source nearby, she curled up into Mu Liuyin’s arms.

Mu Liuyin hesitated, then held her close. Even though Xie Yin still had a high fever, her body felt cold as ice, so cold it made Mu Liuyin shiver as well.

Unfortunately, her awakened ability wasn’t fire-based, so she couldn’t create heat. All she could do was use her own body warmth to keep the icy girl in her arms from freezing.

This state continued for nearly an hour. Once Xie Yin finally settled down, Mu Liuyin carefully laid her back onto her bedding and tucked her in. That’s when she noticed that Xie Yin was still clutching her wrist tightly.

When she gently pried her fingers away, Mu Liuyin saw deep red scratches on her wrist—marks left by Xie Yin during a moment of excruciating pain.

Mu Liuyin winced, lips twitching slightly from the sting. She looked at the unconscious, pale-faced girl beside her and sighed helplessly.

With Xiao Jiu keeping watch, and the knowledge that no one—zombie or human—had discovered Xie Yin during her week here in the plot, Mu Liuyin eventually fell asleep once things calmed down.

Three days passed like that. Xie Yin remained unconscious, but at least she hadn’t had another episode like the one on the first night.

After finishing a pack of compressed biscuits and giving Xie Yin a bit of water, Mu Liuyin looked at their dwindling supply of food and water. She debated whether it was time to venture out and find more.

Thanks to her past life in the interstellar world, where she had mastered a water-based ability related to ice, she had quickly gotten the hang of controlling her current powers over the past few days.

Besides, this was still the early stage of the apocalypse—most zombies were only at level one or two. Her current self was already a late-stage level two ability user, so there wasn’t too much danger in scavenging.

Still… just thinking about the appearance of those zombies made her feel a little nervous.

But she couldn’t just sit around and wait for their supplies to run out—especially since she needed to protect Xie Yin. So after giving herself a bit of a mental pep talk, she headed out.

The streets were eerily empty. No people. Barely any zombies. It was hard to tell how many had already scavenged this area. Mu Liuyin searched for a long while before finally finding a bit of food. Only after reaching another street did she manage to dig up a few bottles of mineral water.

She packed the food and water into her backpack and even grabbed some basic medicine from a nearby pharmacy before heading back.

Along the way, she checked a few more shops in case there was extra food or water. When she entered a small gift shop, something caught her eye—several half-face masks on display.

“Hmm?” she muttered in surprise.

She’d been worrying about how to stay by Xie Yin’s side and protect her once she woke up. But the sight of the masks sparked a new idea in her mind—one that took root almost instantly.

Mu Liuyin chose a sleek, elegant silver half-mask and put it on. It fit perfectly.

She already looked nothing like the original host. Now, with the top half of her face covered and her aura deliberately cloaked in mystery, it was almost impossible to associate her with the person from before.

Wearing the mask, she returned to the basement where they were staying. Xie Yin was still unconscious, quietly sleeping like she was just taking a nap.

Her pale complexion made her look fragile, sweet, and heartbreakingly delicate.

Mu Liuyin set down her backpack and gently touched Jie Yin’s forehead. It was still burning hot, but much better than before.

After spending the whole day out, she was feeling a bit tired. She melted some ice into water, gave herself a quick wipe-down, and crawled into bed.

Closing her eyes, she calculated the time. When she first arrived in this world and found Jie Yin, the girl had already been struggling alone for two days. Including today, Mu Liuyin had stayed by her side for four days, and the day after tomorrow, Jie Yin should awaken with her ability fully formed.

Good thing she found that mask today—otherwise, she’d still be worrying.

The next day, knowing it was the final stretch before Jie Yin’s full awakening, Mu Liuyin stayed close, afraid that she’d relapse into the painful state she’d been in before.

And just as expected, Jie Yin not only experienced it again, but it hit even harder this time.

Left with no choice, Mu Liuyin pulled the trembling, pain-ridden Jie Yin into her arms, whispering to soothe her.

Jie Yin felt like her body was about to be torn apart. Her mind blurred from the pain—she wished she could just pass out. But then, through the haze, she heard a voice. It was gentle, tinged with distress. It sounded familiar somehow, but in the middle of her suffering, she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it before.

Who knows how much time passed? But just before the pain faded and she slipped back into unconsciousness, that soft voice was still murmuring comfort to her.

Sensing the awakening energy flowing from Jie Yin, Mu Liuyin finally relaxed. She wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. Even though the original storyline had Jie Yin awaken successfully without help, seeing it happen in person was different. The danger just now had been real—she’d honestly feared Jie Yin wouldn’t survive it.

“You’re awake?”

The moment Jie Yin came to, a clear, cool voice rang in her ears.

She turned her head toward the sound. The speaker wore a black coat, pants, and shoes. Their face was half-covered by a sleek silver mask, only revealing a pair of dark, deep-set eyes and thin, tightly pressed lips. The overall impression was cold, distant, and unapproachable.

Jie Yin tried to recall—she distinctly remembered that this place had been empty when she arrived.

Feeling cautious, she asked with a puzzled look, “Who are you?”

In that same calm voice, Mu Liuyin replied, “Seven days ago, I returned and found you lying here, badly injured. Your ability should be fully awakened now.”

Seven days ago? An ability?

Latching onto the key points in the stranger’s words, Jie Yin was shocked to realize she’d been unconscious for that long.

She glanced at her healed injuries, and after a moment of silence, said, “Thank you for treating my wounds.”

“No need,” Mu Liuyin answered coolly. “They healed because you successfully awakened your ability.”

Jie Yin thanked her again.

Regardless of whether the stranger had healed her or not, the fact remained: if this person had abandoned or killed her while she was unconscious, she wouldn’t be standing here now with her ability awakened.

Mu Liuyin understood that, after all she’d been through, Jie Yin was bound to be guarded and slow to trust. So even though she wanted to stay by her side to protect her, she couldn’t afford to come off too eager.

Her tone was indifferent as she said, “If you want to thank me, then stay and be my teammate.”

“…What?” Jie Yin blinked in surprise.

“I have a unique ability. When I touch someone, I can sense what their ability is,” Mu Liuyin lied casually, then looked at Jie Yin intently. “Yours is powerful.”

Jie Yin was caught off guard. She hadn’t expected this stranger to reveal their ability so easily. “You… know what mine is?”

The young woman’s lips curved into a smirk—half amusement, half mockery. Her cold tone now held a trace of playfulness. “Of course I do. And your ability is very special. If I don’t tell you, who knows how long it would take for you to figure it out.”

She leaned in, her gaze sharp. “Little girl, if your ability wasn’t so promising, you think I’d bother inviting you to be my teammate?” She looked down at Jie Yin with a teasing glint in her eyes, her lips curled in a maddeningly smug way. “I’m Feng Yan. I don’t make losing deals.”

Jie Yin bit her lip, frustrated, and tried to activate her ability on her own. Predictably, nothing happened.

That damn smirk on the masked stranger’s face deepened.

Trying to stay composed, Jie Yin asked calmly, “Then what exactly is my ability?”

A flicker of amusement passed through Mu Liuyin’s dark eyes. She lifted her chin slightly and gave Jie Yin a look.

He’s so damn annoying, Jie Yin thought. She fought the urge to punch him and gritted her teeth. “Fine. I’ll be your teammate.”

Finally hearing Jie Yin say out loud that she was willing to stay by her side, Mu Liuyin smiled inwardly. She didn’t tease her further and instead motioned for her to follow.

They stepped outside. Mu Liuyin found a still-living tree by the roadside and told Jie Yin to try using her ability on it.

As Jie Yin activated her power, the once-thriving tree began to wither inch by inch, until it crumbled into ash and vanished into the wind, just like the zombies that had dissolved when she’d been cornered before.

Mu Liuyin’s voice was cool and low as she said, “Your ability is Deprivation. As your power grows, you’ll be able to strip away life force—or even other people’s abilities—at will. Whatever you desire, your will alone can take it.”