Ch 204: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

When the six captives questioned them, Shen Yunxuan and the others didn’t provide any explanations, simply telling them to behave and follow along. Once the three days were up, they would be sent back as promised.

Shen Yunxuan then distributed some crystal cores to her team. After eating and resting, they automatically lined up in formation, standing in a neat square before sitting cross-legged and holding their crystal cores to begin cultivation.

This sight left the six captives in awe once again. One of them murmured involuntarily, “This… this is definitely a military unit. Look at how organized they are!”

Shen Yunxuan didn’t join the training. Instead, she approached the six captives, handed them some food, and unlocked their handcuffs.

The six exchanged glances, hesitant to act recklessly. The long-haired man spoke up, “You’re… just letting us go?”

Shen Yunxuan chuckled. “Do you think you can defeat me?”

They couldn’t.

That was the honest truth. The six of them recalled how Shen Yunxuan had performed some strange gestures earlier, and suddenly, they had been unable to leave. Her abilities seemed incredibly mysterious—far beyond anything they could comprehend.

The long-haired man was the first to pick up some food. He turned to his companions and said, “Let’s eat first. No matter what happens, better to die with a full stomach.”

Shen Yunxuan remarked, “We have no intention of harming you. We just don’t want unnecessary complications, so we prefer that no information about us spreads elsewhere. As long as you don’t cause trouble, we’ll leave food for you before you go.”

Seeing that they had started eating, she continued, “I have a few questions. If your answers are useful to me, I’ll give you more food. The more helpful your information, the more food you’ll get.”

The long-haired man was visibly tempted. “How much food are we talking about?”

Shen Yunxuan glanced around the shop they were in—about 200 square meters. “Enough to fill this room.”

The six swallowed hard, their eyes practically glowing green with hunger. That much food? In a whole year, they wouldn’t be able to gather that much! They were just ordinary people, and all the easily accessible stores had already been looted by the base. The dangerous areas were off-limits to them. This time, they had only managed to scavenge a single bag of noodles.

If they could secure enough food to fill this entire room, no one in their group would starve!

In unison, they exclaimed, “Ask anything! We’ll tell you everything we know!”

Shen Yunxuan nodded and got straight to the point. “How many bases are in this area? What are their conditions?”

“There are two! One is the Blazing Flame Base, which we lived in for a long time. Most of the resources in this area have been taken by them. They operate on a survival-of-the-strongest mentality and look down on ordinary people. They used to enslave us, forcing us to do hard labor like farming and construction. But as the land’s yield declined and there was no more construction work, they kicked us out, saying they didn’t want to waste food on us.”

“Yeah, they even said that if they ever needed laborers again, they’d take us back—if we hadn’t starved to death outside.”

“They only kept the attractive ones behind, though. Basically, they’re just bandits. If an ability user got angry and killed a regular person, no one would care. Ability users eat well, but ordinary people barely get anything—we’re starving every day.”

“When they get drunk, they even drag people off to torture and kill them for fun. They’re worse than zombies! At first, we didn’t realize what kind of place it was. Once we were inside, we couldn’t escape. It was only when the food crisis hit that they finally kicked us out—probably because they weren’t desperate enough to start eating human flesh yet.”

Shen Yunxuan could see the deep hatred they had for Blazing Flame Base. Their skeletal appearance also confirmed that they hadn’t been exaggerating about the starvation.

From their descriptions, Shen Yunxuan formed a rough picture of Blazing Flame Base—essentially a bandit stronghold, ruled by a violent and selfish elite. Just as she had suspected, the base prioritized the development of ability users to strengthen its combat power while treating ordinary people as disposable.

The six captives didn’t know about the breeding grounds, but based on Blazing Flame Base’s ruthless methods, Shen Yunxuan was convinced they were responsible for creating them. It was a way to ensure their ability users had access to high-level crystal cores for faster power progression.

In theory, there was nothing inherently wrong with creating a breeding ground. If she needed more high-level crystal cores in the future, this method would be the most efficient. However, the way this base treated ordinary people and operated like a gang of thugs made it clear—they were nothing more than a criminal organization.

If she was going to negotiate with a base, it certainly wouldn’t be Blazing Flame Base. Strengthening them would only make them more of a menace, allowing them to oppress more innocent people. Even in the apocalypse, the world needed order. If humanity’s future was to be ruled by people like them, then all hope for a better tomorrow would be lost.

The long-haired man added, “Blazing Flame Base is completely inhumane. If you’re thinking about joining a base, stay far away from them. You should consider Thunder Base instead—it’s a bit farther away, but it’s much better.”

Shen Yunxuan asked, “How far is it? Did you not go there because of the distance?”

The six nodded. “At the speed you were driving earlier, it would take about three hours to get there. But we’re already exhausted just from scavenging for food. The journey is full of dangers. The sound of an engine would attract even more zombies, and we’d never make it.”

“Some people did try heading that way, but we don’t know if they made it to Thunder Base or died along the way.”

“The chances of death are over ninety percent.”

As they spoke, their expressions were bleak. It was the despair of having hope so close yet so unreachable—the hopelessness of being ordinary humans without abilities, unable to see a future for themselves. Their hearts felt dead inside.

Shen Yunxuan still didn’t know enough about this world and had no intention of staying to protect anyone, so she didn’t dwell on the topic. Instead, she continued asking, “Between Thunder Base and Blazing Flame Base, which is stronger in combat?”

“They should be about equal in strength, which is why they’ve maintained a fragile peace over the years. There have been occasional conflicts, but nothing major—each base has its own territory and doesn’t cross into the other’s. However, as far as I know, Blazing Flame Base often sneaks into Thunder Base’s territory to scavenge for resources. They’re just careful enough not to get caught.”

“Thunder Base’s management style is similar to yours. In the early years of the apocalypse, it was disorganized, with various small factions acting independently. But when abilities began to emerge, the strongest among them happened to be a former military officer. He took charge and led his subordinates in organizing Thunder Base.”

“Later on, they seemed to have recruited more people, selecting individuals skilled in governance, management, and research. Over time, the base became more structured. Blazing Flame Base mocks their way of doing things, saying that’s just the old world’s system and that it won’t work in the apocalypse—that they’ll collapse sooner or later.”

Shen Yunxuan noted their descriptions and considered Thunder Base a potential ally. However, whether or not to cooperate with them would depend on actual negotiations. She decided to visit Thunder Base on the final day.

Once the six had finished eating, Shen Yunxuan told them to rest while she began cultivating.

As the house fell into silence, the six captives suddenly realized something—every single person in Shen Yunxuan’s group was cultivating. Every single one of them.

The six instinctively held their breaths, so shocked they didn’t even know what to say. Fifty-one people, all cultivating? That meant every single one of them had an ability. But hadn’t they only just awakened their abilities after a fever? How had all of them managed to awaken abilities?

Their emotions were a complicated mix of fear and admiration for Shen Yunxuan’s group. This mysterious team made them feel small and cautious, and they dared not entertain any reckless thoughts.

At dawn, when the six saw the group excitedly discussing how to better use their abilities, they were completely numb with shock. Just what kind of organization was this? Where had they come from?

After breakfast, Shen Yunxuan had the six guide them on the fastest route to the train station. When they heard they were going to the train station, not only did their faces turn pale, but their legs went weak—they were so terrified that Gao Lang had to throw them onto the truck.

The journey to the train station went smoothly. To save time, Shen Yunxuan divided the team, having Gao Lang and the others deal with the lower-level zombies while she personally went after the level three and level four ones. The train station, once packed with people, was now teeming with zombies. Even as she fought, Shen Yunxuan didn’t forget to locate the map vendors, grabbing several maps and storing them away.

This time, the six ordinary captives remained outside the station, watching through the dusty windows. Though their view was somewhat obscured, they could still vaguely see what was happening inside.

And they were utterly stunned.

The way Shen Yunxuan’s team fought was unlike anything they had ever seen. In the bases, ability users typically fought solo. Even in groups, they would only work together when facing a particularly powerful zombie, overwhelming it with sheer numbers.

But Shen Yunxuan’s team worked in perfectly coordinated squads of four. They trusted each other completely, operated with discipline, and from an outsider’s perspective, they moved forward like a zombie-harvesting machine—a systematic, unstoppable force.

For the first time, the six realized that all their previous fears had been unnecessary. It wasn’t Shen Yunxuan’s team that should be worried about the zombies—it was the zombies that should be terrified of them.

They all breathed a sigh of relief, finally reassured that their lives weren’t in immediate danger. They even began to feel a bit happy. At this rate, in just over a day, they would receive more food than they could have ever dreamed of—enough to sustain them in their camp for a long time.

Meanwhile, Gao Lang and the others were becoming increasingly adept at their teamwork. By now, their four-person squads were so well-coordinated that they fought almost instinctively. Seeing that the lower-level zombies were no longer a real threat, Gao Lang and Dong Yue rushed over to join Shen Yunxuan in battling the high-level zombies. For them, fighting tougher enemies was the best way to hone their skills.

During the battle, Shen Yunxuan noticed several alarm clocks scattered on the ground. She quickly deduced that the zombies had originally been drawn to this place by the sound, then trapped inside the station, forced to fight and devour each other—creating a breeding ground for high-level zombies. Judging by the number of advanced zombies here, this Gu breeding ground had been cultivated for a long time. It had likely reached its mature stage.

Just as she came to this realization, a sudden sense of danger gripped her.

She instinctively dodged—and a split second later, steel bars shot out, piercing the spot where she had just been standing.

Had she been a moment slower, she would have been skewered like a pincushion. Such powerful metal abilities… this was a level five zombie.

This was her second encounter with a level five zombie, but unlike the psychic-type from before, this one had sheer destructive power. Shen Yunxuan immediately steeled herself for battle. She dashed forward and sealed herself and the level five zombie inside a barrier, preventing it from harming her teammates.

“Stay away from this area—clear out the other zombies,” she commanded.

Gao Lang and Dong Yue frowned in concern but knew they were no match for a level five zombie. Even fighting a level four was already too much for them. They had no choice but to obey, shifting their focus to clearing out the other zombies. Fortunately, zombies lacked intelligence—they didn’t understand teamwork or strategy. Gao Lang and the others could use tactics like feint attacks and misdirection, coupled with various weapons, to take them down.

Shen Yunxuan saw them grenade a level four zombie to pieces, which reassured her slightly. Confident that they could handle themselves, she turned her full attention to the level five enemy before her.

She swiftly threw a handful of Thunderburst Talismans. The level five zombie instinctively dodged, and in that split-second opening, she pulled out her sword and swung with all her strength, severing the zombie’s arm at the shoulder.

She quickly realized that even though the zombie had lost one of its arms, it only meant losing one weapon—it could still launch a barrage of metal projectiles at her. The zombie was controlling these weapons with energy and thought, even attempting to manipulate her sword. Sensing the danger, Shen Yunxuan swiftly stored the weapon away.

Her raincoat was pinned to the ground by sharp arrows. She slashed backward, cutting off the trapped portion and quickly leaping to the side, narrowly dodging several metal spikes.

Staying calm, she analyzed the situation. Her advantage was speed—she was much faster than the zombie. Its advantage was its ability to control an unlimited number of metal weapons. As long as she moved fast enough, it wouldn’t be able to lock onto her accurately.

Shen Yunxuan began shifting positions almost instantaneously, flickering from place to place. The level five zombie became enraged and unleashed a series of powerful attacks. She struggled to dodge, her movements increasingly desperate. But she noticed something—it needed a moment to pause after releasing a major attack, as if it had to gather energy. The moment she confirmed this, she seized the opportunity. As soon as it finished its latest attack, she pulled out a shotgun and aimed directly at its head.

With a thunderous blast, the bullet struck the zombie, but it dodged just enough for the shot to land on its shoulder instead.

The explosion from the shotgun shell was powerful, sending the zombie’s entire head flying off. Its face was completely obliterated, leaving only half a skull. However, Shen Yunxuan had been slightly delayed while aiming and couldn’t evade in time—her shoulder was pierced by a metal rod, and blood streamed down her arm.

She gritted her teeth, yanked out the steel rod, and threw it aside. She also quickly put away her shotgun—since both the gun and bullets were metal, if the level five zombie had anticipated her using a firearm, it could have intercepted or even redirected the attack.

Steel spikes, arrows, metal cages—countless metallic weapons rained down on her like an inescapable net. The level five zombie was in a berserk state, having exhausted itself but driven by a singular rage to kill her.

Her clothes were in tatters, her body covered in wounds, but the zombie now had a major disadvantage—it only had half a head left. It encased its remaining skull in a metal box, using it as a shield while maneuvering it to dodge her attacks.

She didn’t dare to use any more metal weapons. Enduring the pain in her arm, she charged forward and threw a net at the metal box, slamming it to the ground. Without hesitation, she tossed several Thunderburst Talismans on top.

A deafening explosion followed, and when the dust settled, all of the zombie’s metallic weapons had disappeared.

The level five zombie was finally dead.

Shen Yunxuan exhaled deeply, quickly retrieving the level five crystal core before retreating to a safer location. She found a water-ability user to help wash her wounds and applied medicine to stop the bleeding and ease the pain.

This was the first time she had sustained such severe injuries while traversing different worlds. Her face was pale, and she looked like she had suffered greatly—her blood loss alone was alarming. The sight of her in such a state sent a shockwave through her teammates, fueling their rage. They fought like madmen, cutting down zombies at an accelerated rate. In the heat of battle, some even broke through their limits, advancing their abilities to level two.

Shen Yunxuan took a deep breath. It had been dangerous, but this was the nature of battle. As long as the outcome was favorable, it was all worth it.

After a brief rest, she helped Gao Lang and Dong Yue take down two level four zombies. With only lower-level ones remaining, she left the rest to them and stepped aside to focus on healing herself.

It seemed that her battle with the level five zombie had been witnessed by the six captives outside. She noticed that she had gained six pure streams of faith energy. Without hesitation, she quickly converted this energy into cultivation.

This ability was undeniably her golden cheat—more effective than any traditional cultivation method she had encountered. Faith energy could be directly converted into power, accelerating her growth without the need for tedious spiritual energy accumulation.

For a brief moment, she even considered whether she should start a metaphysical live stream and enter the entertainment industry. But unfortunately, she had no time for that—there were too many tasks to handle, and exposing herself to the public could attract the attention of foreign forces and spies. Still, there had to be some way to utilize this ability. She would think about it later.

The conversion of the six people’s faith energy was rapid—it only took twenty minutes. Shen Yunxuan could already feel that her severe shoulder and arm injuries had turned into minor wounds. She could now move freely, and the lingering pain wouldn’t hinder her combat ability.

Just then, she sensed movement in the distance and immediately stood up. “Someone’s coming. Get to the trucks and head north!”

Everyone’s expressions became serious, and without hesitation, they followed orders, retreating while continuing to fight. Shen Yunxuan covered their withdrawal, but the approaching vehicles were moving at an alarming speed.

Just as a few of them managed to get onto the trucks, the enemy vehicles crashed onto the scene. Several ability users leaped out, launching a barrage of fireballs, arrows, and earth spikes.

Shen Yunxuan saw that they were level three and level four ability users. Her face darkened, and in an instant, she moved to the front and threw out several defensive artifacts, neutralizing their attacks.

Gao Lang shouted angrily, “Who the hell are you? Attacking us out of nowhere—are you crazy?”

The enemy leader, a level four lightning ability user, spoke in a cold voice. “Are you from Thunder Base? You dare to steal the high-level zombies we worked so hard to cultivate? You won’t be leaving here alive!”

The six captives inside the truck were pale with terror, but the long-haired man, realizing that Shen Yunxuan’s group seemed unaware of the situation, trembled as he shouted, “They… they’re from Blazing Flame Base!”

Hearing those words, several enemies turned to look. In that instant, Shen Yunxuan pulled out a rocket launcher and fired. The recoil tore open her already wounded shoulder.

At such a short range, the enemy metal ability user barely had time to react. He managed to deflect the rocket slightly, preventing a direct hit, but the explosion was still powerful enough to send over a dozen of them flying, their screams filling the air.

In a life-or-death situation like this, trained soldiers reacted instinctively. As soon as their enemies were thrown to the ground, Shen Yunxuan’s team opened fire without hesitation, relentlessly shooting while bombarding them with abilities.

Shen Yunxuan threw several Thunderburst Talismans, eliminating the metal ability user, then turned to face the level four lightning ability user head-on.

The lightning user looked at her in shock and rage. “You’re not injured?”

Shen Yunxuan immediately understood. These people had likely come today to harvest the high-level zombies in the train station. When they got close and heard explosions inside, they stopped to observe through binoculars. They had waited for her group to eliminate most of the zombies, exhaust their stamina, and suffer injuries before making their move, attacking with killing intent the moment they appeared.

That meant they had never planned to negotiate. They didn’t intend to let Shen Yunxuan’s group go. They wanted to wait until they were at their weakest, then kill them and take the high-level crystal cores.

This was a true life-or-death battle—there was nothing to discuss. Fortunately, Shen Yunxuan had healed herself using faith energy, so the lingering pain was no longer an issue. She had never fought a lightning ability user before, so she immediately used both defensive and offensive artifacts.

These people were strong, all level three and four ability users. Initially, Shen Yunxuan had planned to retreat, but after injuring them with the rocket launcher, she realized something important—ability users and zombie ability users were fundamentally different.

Zombie ability users felt no pain, no fear. They attacked endlessly, tireless, and unaffected by injuries. Humans, however, were different. When faced with excruciating pain, their performance suffered. Fear and selfishness further weakened their abilities. Against such opponents, her team had a real chance to win.

There were over a dozen enemies from Blazing Flame Base. Shen Yunxuan’s team once again split into four-person squads, each group surrounding and attacking one enemy. Even though they were outclassed in rank, their superior speed and agility allowed them to evade attacks. Meanwhile, their opponents, already wounded, had their combat power significantly reduced, evening the playing field.

The lightning user struggled against Shen Yunxuan. When he saw her summon another strange artifact, his eyes widened in shock. “You’re not from Thunder Base. Who the hell are you? Are you a spatial ability user? A dual-ability user? What exactly is your power?”

Shen Yunxuan cultivated using spiritual energy, which was invisible and intangible. The lightning user couldn’t even tell how he was being injured, and a deep sense of fear began creeping into his heart.

He had personally witnessed Shen Yunxuan kill a level five metal zombie. Even he wouldn’t dare to fight that zombie head-on. That was why, the moment he saw her wounded, he had rushed in with his team. Not only did he want that level five metal crystal core, but he also wanted whatever crystal core was inside her head.

But Shen Yunxuan’s combat power was far beyond his expectations. She had spatial abilities, mysterious techniques, and strange weapons. When she hurled Thunderburst Talismans at him, panic set in. “Talismans? What the hell are you? Who are you people?”

Shen Yunxuan seized his moment of fear, summoning a sharp sword and driving it straight through his heart. As he stared at her with wide eyes, she casually replied, “We are the Skywalkers.”

To bring justice and eliminate evildoers in the apocalypse—why wouldn’t they be considered Skywalkers?

She let his corpse fall to the ground and immediately turned to assist her team. Seeing their strongest fighter—the level four lightning user—dead, the remaining ability users from Blazing Flame Base lost all morale. Shen Yunxuan’s team seized the opportunity and launched a fierce assault, wiping them out within half an hour.

The long-haired man, still trembling, hesitantly reminded Shen Yunxuan that ability users also had crystal cores inside their skulls. Some of the previously missing kind-hearted ability users had likely been killed by people like these.

Shen Yunxuan didn’t even have to give the order—Gao Lang immediately led a group to extract the crystal cores.

The ambush had disrupted Shen Yunxuan’s plans. If these people didn’t return to their base, Blazing Flame Base would inevitably realize something had happened and send more fighters to investigate. They might even suspect Thunder Base was responsible, escalating the conflict.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Yunxuan turned to the long-haired man. “How many ability users does Blazing Flame Base have? How many high-level ones?”

The long-haired man gazed at her with pure reverence. “These fifteen or so fighters were considered the base’s elite strike force. They were the ones usually sent on the most important missions. The base leader and deputy leader are both level five ability users—one metal, one earth. There are probably two more at level four, six at level three, and the rest are level two or lower.”

His voice trembled as he hesitated before asking, “Are… are you planning to attack Blazing Flame Base?”

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆

Sandy: Next chapter is password locked. Please find pw at the bottom of TOC.