Lu Yunfei blinked, stunned by Chi Ying’s words. After a long pause, he confirmed she was indeed talking about those zombies.
Gu Chi narrowed his eyes.
Did I… save a lunatic?
[Congratulations, host. You’ve earned three Holy Mother points! Three hundred points have been credited.]
…Three points? That meant the three people present, besides Chi Ying, had all been emotionally moved by her Virgin Mary aura.
Chi Ying discreetly wiped the corners of her eyes.
It might’ve been a little over the top, but hey — the effect was impressive.
Lu Yunfei opened his mouth, about to speak, when his eyes caught a flicker of movement. He pointed sharply.
“Captain! One of them’s not dead!”
Gu Chi spotted it instantly. Without hesitation, he lifted his hand and sent an ice blade flying, cleanly finishing the job.
“Tie her up and take her with us. It’s not safe to stay here,” Gu Chi ordered.
Without delay, Lu Yunfei crouched down and tied Chi Ying’s hands behind her back before standing up again.
Standard protocol — infected people would attack with their nails and teeth during initial mutation stages. So as long as their hands were tied and their mouths were covered, the danger could be minimized.
At first, he thought about gagging her too, but after hesitating, decided against it. With their team’s strength, restraining a fragile girl wouldn’t be an issue.
Gu Chi asked, “Did you find any supplies?”
“Yeah,” the woman standing at the back answered. “The freezer’s down and the meat’s spoiled, but there’s still some rice, instant noodles, and other dry goods.”
Chi Ying glanced over.
It was a sharp-looking woman with medium-length hair tied neatly behind her head, her features striking and bold.
Sensing Chi Ying’s gaze, the woman snorted and deliberately turned away.
“Not bad.” Gu Chi nodded.
In times like this, finding an unlooted supermarket was sheer luck.
Lu Yunfei shot a glance at Chi Ying, his mind turning.
This girl’s luck was seriously off the charts.
If they brought her along, wouldn’t their hauls double in size?
Despite her earlier bizarre speech, that luck alone was more than enough to justify keeping her.
Meanwhile, Chi Ying, unaware she’d been unofficially promoted to team mascot, struggled to get to her feet without her hands.
“Let’s split up,” Gu Chi instructed. “Mu Yu, you keep searching the right shelves. Lu Yunfei, check the left for daily necessities.”
He turned to Chi Ying.
“I’ll finish clearing the remaining zombies, collect the crystal nuclei, and keep an eye on her.”
“Got it!”
“Understood.”
Once the others scattered, Chi Ying followed behind Gu Chi.
Every few steps, he would stop and hurl an ice blade, his aim so precise that he rarely missed. Some zombies weren’t even visible, yet he struck them down with eerie accuracy, guided by sound alone.
Chi Ying noticed something else too — his abilities seemed semi-depleted, probably from overuse.
No wonder his control was so sharp.
“Pfft.” She couldn’t help chuckling to herself.
It was rare to meet someone who was so strong and so stingy with their powers.
Gu Chi glanced back, his gaze cold. “Something funny?”
“…No.”
He sneered. “What happened to all that sympathy for the zombies? Not crying anymore?”
Chi Ying blinked, as if reminded, and within moments, tears pooled in her eyes again. She lowered her head and sniffled softly.
Gu Chi: “…”
He regretted speaking up.
[Holy Mother value increased by 1. You’ve gained 100 points.]
Gu Chi finished off the remaining zombies and began collecting the crystal nuclei — thumb-sized, crimson stones that condensed inside the brain. It was a gruesome process, splitting open skulls to retrieve them.
He hesitated slightly before cracking open the first head, remembering the delicate girl standing behind him.
But surprisingly, as he carved open one skull after another, Chi Ying followed him quietly, showing no sign of discomfort.
Even an average person would’ve turned pale, but this woman was silent.
Gu Chi was about to ask if she was all right when he caught himself, remembering how she’d burst into tears over his casual remark earlier.
He wisely shut his mouth.
Chi Ying trailed after him obediently, watching as he retrieved crystal nuclei, filling the leather pouch at his waist.
Before long, Gu Chi circled back to where Chi Ying had originally been cornered. Ten zombie corpses still lay there, their crystals untouched.
He paused in front of one corpse for a long time.
“…Hmm?”
Chi Ying poked her head out.
What was the hold-up?
Oh — it was the zombie she’d killed with a wind blade earlier.
“Someone else’s handiwork?” Gu Chi muttered, frowning.
The clean, precise cut on its neck was unlike the work of a blade or his own ice abilities. It looked like the aftermath of a wind-based strike — one that had used an excessive amount of energy.
Chi Ying, standing behind him, could sense his displeasure.
Did I do something wrong killing that zombie like that?
Gu Chi silently collected the rest of the crystal nuclei before leaning against a shelf, giving Chi Ying a long, unreadable look.
Gu Chi: “…”
Chi Ying: “…”
Finally, he asked, “I’ve killed so many zombies. You said they used to be human too — doesn’t it bother you?”
Chi Ying blinked.
“After the outbreak, you must’ve been through so much hardship. That’s why you’ve become so ruthless… but it’s okay. I’m sure it hurts you every time you have to kill them, just like it hurts me.”
She wore an expression of pure empathy, like she completely understood his pain.
Gu Chi: “…”
…Thank you. It didn’t.
[Holy Mother value increased by 1.]
Just then, Lu Yunfei and Mu Yu returned, saving Gu Chi from the awkward silence.
Chi Ying glanced at them, surprised to see empty hands.
[They must have spatial abilities,] the system explained.
Chi Ying asked mentally, Spatial abilities? Like storage space?
[Exactly.]
Huh. Neat.
[Although, spatial users are rare. In the original book, only Mu Yu had both spatial and fire abilities.]
Wait… original book? Is Gu Chi the male lead then? He seems strong enough.
[No — Gu Chi’s the final villain.]
Chi Ying: “Ah.”
The others glanced her way at her surprised noise but shrugged it off. Ever since meeting her, nothing she did seemed normal.
Chi Ying quietly asked the system, A villain? He seems… kind of decent though.
[Host, you haven’t spent enough time with humans. They’re complicated. Some hide the scariest sides of themselves.]
[For now, don’t reveal your abilities. If they find out what you can do, they’ll definitely exploit you.]
Chi Ying frowned, glancing at the group.
They didn’t seem like bad people to her…
Gu Chi snapped her out of her thoughts. “You. In front.”
After a beat, she realized he was talking to her and hurriedly stepped ahead.
A heavily modified off-road vehicle waited outside, resembling a small armored tank.
“Yunfei, you drive. I’ll clear the road. Mu Yu, sit in the back with her. Report anything strange.”
“Roger.”
Mu Yu stuffed Chi Ying into the car and silently took the seat beside her.
The entire ride, Mu Yu kept her back straight, her face stony, and didn’t say a word.
Chi Ying watched the scenery pass by and finally asked, “Where are we going?”
“…To meet up with the rest of the team.” Mu Yu clenched her fists, clearly annoyed.
Chi Ying’s earlier zombie-sympathy speech had rubbed her the wrong way. Risking their lives to kill monsters, only for a random stranger to pity them — it just peeved her.
But then she glanced at Chi Ying from the corner of her eye.
…She was stunning. Much prettier than Song Shi.
Obediate, delicate, and with eyes so clear they seemed otherworldly.
Mu Yu silently cursed herself and refocused on the road ahead.
Chi Ying turned, catching the conflicted look on Mu Yu’s face.
“Oh — thank you.”
Mu Yu: “…”
God, she’s so pretty.
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1