Seeing everyone looking at him, Su Ye spoke, "Just some small things I tinkered with. The materials required are too rare, so I don't have much stock. And they only target ordinary zombies; mutated zombies are unaffected."
Upon hearing this, An Ran and Yu Hao were slightly disappointed, as the mutations of zombies were becoming increasingly powerful. Most ordinary zombies could be dealt with or escaped from by ability users, as long as their numbers weren't overwhelming. However, mutated zombies were quite troublesome. Not to mention, the formula for this kind of medicinal powder was difficult to find, making it unrealistic to equip ordinary people. In summary, the powder was "chicken rib" - useful, but not essential.
An Ran found it strange that Qiao Ci remained expressionless throughout the conversation, not showing any signs of jealousy. Wouldn't any woman feel suspicious and uncomfortable hearing that her boyfriend might have had some past with another woman? Ever since he and Qiao Ci confirmed their relationship, Su Ye seemed to have unlocked a new level of awareness, his "bitch-detecting" skills instantly maxed out.
Noticing An Ran's peculiar gaze at Qiao Ci, Su Ye continued, "Moreover, please don't just speak halfway in the future. It wasn't us two together, but rather that you, along with Xu Wei and others, invited me to Lone Wolf Base to discuss development, and we traveled together. Pay attention to the precision of your words, otherwise, it might cause my girlfriend to misunderstand."
As he spoke, he took out a cup of freshly prepared juice from his spatial ability, inserted a straw, and handed it to Qiao Ci. His demeanor immediately shifted to one of gentleness and attentiveness, "Are you thirsty? Have some water to moisten your throat."
Qiao Ci calmly accepted it, as if she were already accustomed to it.
Yu Hao, who was driving, saw Su Ye's meticulous care for Qiao Ci from the rearview mirror, a stark contrast to his cold indifference towards the calculating woman. His expression flickered for a moment, and he finally understood where he had lost. He smiled with resignation, focusing on the road ahead, no longer paying attention to their conversation.
An Ran's eyes widened in surprise, "You have spatial ability? This orange juice smells very fresh. Could it be that your space also has a preservation function?"
"What, is there a problem?" Su Ye's expression changed instantly, looking at An Ran with slight impatience. He wondered why someone with such a quiet name could be so attention-seeking.
"No, it's just that having spatial ability is so great! This way, we won't have to transport supplies so laboriously." An Ran watched Qiao Ci enjoy the fresh juice, something only available before the apocalypse, and her mouth began to water involuntarily. She also longed to taste it, even if she couldn't discern any flavor. So, she smiled at Qiao Ci and said, "I'm so envious of you. You were very popular with boys in college, and now in the apocalypse, you have a gentle boyfriend who is so attentive to you."
Then she turned to Su Ye, "Do you have any extra juice? I'm also a bit thirsty." Fearing he might refuse her, she quickly added, "Water is fine too; I'm not picky."
Su Ye, hearing her try to sow discord by bringing up Qiao Ci's college days, felt there was no need to be polite to such a manipulative woman. He coldly refused, "We left in a hurry and didn't prepare extra juice or water. Please ask someone else."
"Okay, sure." Sensing that she wasn't well-received, An Ran focused her attention on giving directions after saying this, though her eyes would still dart to the back seat through the rearview mirror, her gaze deep.
Qiao Ci drank more than half of the juice and then didn't want anymore. Su Ye didn't find it unappealing; he took the cup and drank the remaining juice from where Qiao Ci had drunk. Facing Qiao Ci's surprise, he explained with a serious expression, "It's the apocalypse, and resources are scarce. We can't waste them."
Qiao Ci: "..."
Fine, with your serious expression and valid reason, everything you say is right.
Upon reaching their destination, An Ran was the first to get out of the car. A gust of wind blew, carrying a hint of coolness that made her involuntarily shiver. Just as Qiao Ci got out of the car and hadn't yet steadied herself, a shawl was draped over her, covering her from her shoulders to her hips. Everyone's eyes immediately shifted to her. However, the instigator felt no awkwardness, gently reminding her, "It's getting cold, stay warm."
The scene was one of palpable silence. Even Qiao Ci, who usually didn't care about others' gazes, felt a slight sense of social mortification.
"Ahem, why are you all standing around? Let's go in." Qiao Ci wrapped the shawl tighter with one hand and pulled the seemingly innocent and well-behaved Su Ye towards the hospital ahead with the other.
Xu Wei's gaze was playful. This pretty boy is quite interesting. No wonder Qiao Ci likes him; he's truly a sycophant! If it were him, he definitely wouldn't be able to reach this level. If he wanted his plan to succeed, he would have to eliminate this stumbling block first. When he heard An Ran mention that Su Ye had spatial ability, Xu Wei's killing intent intensified. He recalled their handshake confrontation and realized Su Ye might also possess a strength-based ability. The more outstanding he was, the greater the threat he posed; he had to be eliminated quickly.
City People's Hospital.
There were a large number of medical supplies inside. An Ran's mother used to work here, in charge of drug storage. An Ran often visited the hospital, so she knew the locations of the stored medications like the back of her hand. During the day, zombies disliked coming out into the sun, so there were only a few scattered zombies at the hospital entrance.
Xu Wei and the others cautiously entered the hospital, while Qiao Ci and Su Ye walked in boldly, as if they were there to register for an appointment, showing no signs of panic. Fortunately, the outpatient hall, aside from being messy, had no zombies. However, the group remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings, fearing a mutated zombie might leap out and pounce on them!
As An Ran was most familiar with the place, she began assigning tasks. Most of the medications were on the third basement level, and everyone was assigned to locations underground. Entering the underground stairwell, the lighting was dim. Yu Hao took out a flashlight and led the way to illuminate their path. The lower floors were eerily silent, imbued with a strange, deadly aura. Except for Qiao Ci and Su Ye, everyone else was on high alert, as a single mistake could cost them their lives.
An Ran accidentally stepped on a piece of broken glass, making a squeaking sound. The surroundings became agitated. Suddenly, over a dozen ordinary zombies rushed out from a nearby corner. Everyone immediately ran in the opposite direction. An Ran was running slower, so Xu Wei shielded her. Yu Hao and Wang Yang, who had run further away, rushed back to help.
Since they were indoors, using too many abilities might attract more zombies with the commotion. Everyone tried their best to use cold weapons to deal with these zombies. An Ran pretended to be afraid of zombies, hiding tightly behind Xu Wei, but her eyes darted around. She then noticed that the zombies bypassed Qiao Ci and Su Ye and lunged towards Xu Wei, Yu Hao, and Wang Yang, as if they hadn't seen the former two. She then remembered that Su Ye had the zombie-repelling powder; it was a life-saving item, after all. She could understand why he said he didn't have much of it and wouldn't take it out in the car. But why didn't the zombies bite Qiao Ci? Could it be that Qiao Ci had already used the powder before arriving? Heh, everyone was risking their lives for her...