Ling Qianhe said he could soon witness his new abilities, and indeed it was very soon. Ten minutes later, Lin Muci watched him draw a military knife and charge into the horde of mutated beasts.
His combat skills were… exceptionally agile, breathtakingly beautiful.
He was like a drawn sword.
He would not turn back until stained with blood.
He sliced the mutated beasts into pieces, yet not a single drop of blood stained the hem of his clothes. Turning back to Lin Muci, he sheathed his blade, wiped his glasses, his expression calm and collected.
"Let's go."
Lin Muci simply felt that her husband was truly handsome.
"Blade Mastery?"
Ling Qianhe shook his head.
"It's not just simple blade mastery. My stamina and mental power have both been enhanced, and I've gained this."
He snapped his fingers, and a wind blade immediately floated above his fingertip. If one looked closely, they would see the space around the wind blade distorting.
Lin Muci was stunned into a daze.
"Is this… Ling Kuang's ability?"
"He could control the power of space and time… even contend with mechs with his flesh and blood. Have you also restored this ability?"
Ling Qianhe hummed in affirmation.
Such an astonishing ability, yet he furrowed his brow slightly, not overly concerned.
"However, this ability is naturally not as powerful as it was in the interstellar era; it's considerably weaker by comparison."
"But with this, at least our safety can be guaranteed on this journey."
"I'm not worried about these mutated beasts or mutated plants. My abilities can handle these mutated creatures with ease. I'm worried about the trouble that awaits us within the human safety zones."
He was worried about… humans?
Ling Qianhe turned to the girl beside him. In this world that was like a doomsday hell, the girl beside him, with such beauty, was already a target of envy. Yet, he wouldn't have her deliberately conceal herself. He simply lifted his chin slightly, then spoke at a leisurely pace.
"Let's go."
His strength meant he didn't need to hide her radiance to gain temporary safety.
...
According to Ling Qianhe's explanation to Lin Muci, most of the surviving humans were living within… corresponding safety zones.
Although the safety zones were called safety zones, they were not absolutely safe. They were also troubled by mutated plants and mutated animals, but they were at least slightly better than the wilderness.
Safety zones were generally established centered around major human cities—the plants there had been cleared, and the animals were relatively fewer. Even so, there were often stragglers who entered the safety zones through drainage pipes and other defensive weak points.
"So—what is this password book we need to get?"
"Why is it said that this password book can save Blue Star?"
Lin Muci looked at Ling Qianhe beside her. He raised his eyes and explained rationally.
"You should know that in the later stages of this world, humanity discovered a new energy source and managed to launch spacecraft, attempting to have you find hope for human survival and a new planet suitable for human life."
"The remaining humans were steadily pushed back in the increasingly complex mutated environment, with the vast majority retreating into deep underground research facilities."
"And when you were discovered by the Interstellar Federation and returned to Earth—you found that the number of surviving humans was pitifully small. Contrary to what humans had previously envisioned, facing the apocalypse, one faction of humanity chose a self-purification plan, deploying the most terrifying and highest-yield weapons in an attempt to cleanse the entire Blue Star."
"This plan—cannot be said to have failed, as it did indeed cause the deaths of a large number of mutated animals and mutated plants, but the price paid was also immeasurably tragic."
"Humanity suffered immense losses, with fewer than one in ten survivors. However, this sacrifice, in retrospect, was unnecessary."
Lin Muci's brow furrowed tightly.
A hint of mild bewilderment appeared on her delicate face.
"Why—unnecessary?"
She looked at Ling Qianhe, who said.
"Because you will invent a new serum that can purify the Earth without such a great cost."
"We need to find that password book and then change the launch password for that weapon. This way, we can save at least tens of millions of lives."
Lin Muci's brows furrowed and then smoothed. She pondered for a moment and said.
"There should still be plenty of time. After all—the decision to launch missiles to purify the Earth was made by the high-level human factions after I left Earth—conservatively estimated, there should still be a few years."
Ling Qianhe beside her nodded, his expression showing a hint of worry. After a moment, he said.
"But I'm worried there might be variables."
"Previously, you only needed to conduct experiments in the laboratory, oblivious to the outside world."
"But—I brought you out."
"I can't guarantee that this won't bring about any new changes…"
As soon as Ling Qianhe finished speaking, Lin Muci heard crying from afar.
"You can't take my things! This is for my grandpa… Grandpa is very sick, you can't take my things, you bastards…"
It was the voice of a very young girl, filled with obvious sobs. Lin Muci looked at the collapsing building in the distance, and her heart suddenly clenched. They hadn't reached the safety zone yet, so how could there be a little girl's voice?
She immediately looked at Ling Qianhe. Ling Qianhe made a reassuring gesture to her, then took her arm and they skirted around.
They saw a little girl, her face streaked with tears, kicked into a mud pit and unable to get up!
Seeing this scene, Lin Muci was instantly enraged!
Ling Qianhe, however, held her wrist, telling her to calm down.
"Let's watch first."
Opposite the little girl were four people, looking at her and grinning menacingly.
"Don't think you're great just because you're an ability user. At your age, you should be drinking milk in the safety zone—and you dare to come out and mess around in the wilderness?"
"Heh, the crystal you obtained is enough for our boss to break through to Gene Lock Level Two, let alone the serum you still have in your hands."
"Since you came out, don't expect to return to the safety zone!"
Ling Qianhe stared at the little girl, seemingly intrigued. He traced a few lines with his finger.
Lin Muci looked at Ling Qianhe, urgently wanting to speak, to ask him to save the little girl.
Ling Qianhe, however, pressed his fingers to Lin Muci's lips. The pupils in his extremely handsome eyes seemed to blaze like a roaring wind. He narrowed his eyes, watching the little girl retreat in fear, then heard her murmur.
"You're taking my things… you're bad people…"
"I'm going to kill all of you!"
The other party found her words laughable.
"Kill?"
"With you?"
"A baby still drinking milk…"
But this was the last sentence he spoke.
The little girl, her face full of tears, lifted her head and extended her tender finger, pointing at the other person—
And then the person suddenly collapsed.
Even at the moment of his death, he had no idea why he had died.
The glint of interest in Ling Qianhe's eyes intensified.
This little girl seemed to be an evolver of the dark death path…
Although she was very young, the energy fluctuations from her were by no means weak.
Had she truly encountered danger, or had she deliberately set a trap to lure someone in?
However—
Judging from the tone of the previous person, she seemed to have come from the safety zone.
Since she came from the safety zone, interacting with this little girl might provide an opportunity to pass through the safety zone effortlessly.