Chapter Eighty-Four: The Water Element

Fang Xia had a vague impression of this person; she seemed to be the petite roommate he’d once asked to lead a team in searching for supply drops. This time, however, she wasn’t alone—thirty young women stepped forward together.

Four of them, gifted with the power of endurance, unleashed their abilities in full, positioning themselves as a shield before the fire-wielding woman. After a brief moment of panic, Li Qianwan quickly composed herself and kept spraying flames steadily ahead.

A sharp clash rang out. The four women on the front line silently bore the brunt of the first assault. With that defense, all thirty third-tier women found their footing and immediately chose the nearest third-tier zombies to engage.

Another wave of attack hit, but now the four defenders began to falter; one was even knocked back, sent flying. At once, the remaining four with endurance abilities rushed in to fill the gap.

At this moment, it was crucial to ensure the fire-wielder’s safety. If the horde broke through, combining their numbers with the higher-tier zombies, chaos would ensue and the defensive line could easily be lost.

While everyone was focused, an unremarkable second-tier zombie staggered forward. As it entered Li Qianwan’s flames, it nimbly twisted aside, redirecting itself toward another woman. Even a zombie could distinguish between the more dangerous flames.

A mere meter away—nothing to a fourth-tier zombie, capable of leaping that distance in a heartbeat—the two endurance women braced themselves, but the sudden lunge from the blaze startled them.

Razor-sharp claws nearly struck. Fourth-tier against third; even with endurance abilities, this blow would have broken their defense.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared in midair, as if something broke the surface of a placid lake. Bai Xing’s delicate face emerged, her dagger poised with precision and elegance.

Fang Xia returned to the living room on the second floor; he no longer needed to watch. Aside from this wave of fourth-tier zombies, nothing in tonight’s battle could stir him anymore.

“You three should level up too,” he said.

Glancing at the three people in the room—the twin sisters and Dr. Jiang—Fang Xia produced three thousand upgrade crystals from his storage.

The elder sister snatched hers up at once, handing a thousand to her twin. Jiang Wei hesitated but accepted in the end. Pride didn’t matter; survival did.

It was easy to sit comfortably on the second floor now, but if tomorrow they could no longer hide, they’d have to fight like everyone else.

Upgrading from second to third tier didn’t take long; the three sat in a row on the sofa and began.

Fang Xia sipped a bottle of nutrient drink, occasionally glancing out the window at the battle below.

The elder sister finished first—utterly unremarkable, as expected. Her twin followed soon after; as twins, it seemed, they were equally without special talent.

On the other hand, Jiang Wei was still not done, suggesting an ability was about to awaken. Fang Xia felt a flicker of anticipation. If it turned out to be endurance, it would be interesting indeed—a white-coated doctor holding the line against zombies?

After a dozen seconds, a flash of sapphire light glimmered above Jiang Wei’s head, then vanished.

For the twins, it was their first time witnessing the birth of an ability. Their eyes brimmed with curiosity—and a trace of disappointment, since it wasn’t their own.

When Jiang Wei opened her eyes, her cheeks flushed under their curious gazes.

“What’s there to be shy about? What kind of ability did you awaken? Is it powerful?” Jing Ru was anxious; she was waiting for a response, not a bashful expression.

“It seems to be a water-type ability. It doesn’t sound very useful.”

“I can use it three times a day, each time purifying and collecting five hundred kilograms of clean water.”

“Uh… So you’re basically a mobile water purifier?”

Smack! A sharp flick landed on Jing Ru’s head.

“Brother Fang, why did you hit me?” she protested, rubbing her forehead.

“Show some respect. She’s not a mobile water purifier; call her Sister Jiang.”

Fang Xia’s eyes shone as he looked at Jiang Wei. This was the ultimate skill in the apocalypse.

There might be plenty of water kettles now, but eventually they’d run out. Don’t be fooled by the current abundance of airdrops; once humanity’s level rose, a whole year or two might pass without a single one.

Boil water from the river? People had done so in his previous life—and become zombies, poisoned by the corpse toxins.

This was when a water-wielding fighter became indispensable.

Five hundred kilograms per use, three times a day—three thousand jin. The average person consumes about 1,500 to 2,000 milliliters daily, about three jin. That was enough for all one thousand members of his group to drink.

And that was just drinking water; daily needs required much more.

When the time came, a single water-ability user could barely support his entire group.

“Don’t waste your three daily uses. Use them all—store the water. You’re in charge of storage,” he added, addressing Jing Ru.

She couldn’t just eat and sleep all day; she needed to contribute.

...

That night, Fang Xia enjoyed a rare, restful sleep. Having not pushed himself the night before, he felt much more energetic.

Fifth tier—how to reach it quickly—was now his most pressing concern. The sense of unease that had nagged at him yesterday had faded, yet he doubted things would be so simple.

“Damn, could there really be a fifth-tier zombie?” He shook his head, refusing to scare himself.

He’d encountered a fifth-tier zombie once in his previous life. Of a team of thirty-two, only three survived—most likely because the zombie felt it had enough food.

Fifth-tier zombies looked almost human; even their signature claws had begun to revert to fingers, though they retained their toughness. Their intelligence had soared, matching that of a young child.

In every way but speech and a slight awkwardness in movement, a fifth-tier zombie could pass for a human.

Perhaps, in the end, the evolution of zombies was to become human?

Fang Xia stopped his thoughts—an idea too frightening to pursue.

Within the territory, many of the young women were already up. At the sight of Fang Xia, they greeted him warmly, and he responded in turn.

Just as he was about to leave, two women lurking in a corner caught his attention. One, he recognized, had been among the original thirty; she was now a small leader within the group.

Curiosity piqued, Fang Xia changed course and walked toward them.

“This is... her idea.”

“Sister Rui is so strong, she shouldn’t... and besides...”

Their voices were soft and fragmented; Fang Xia could only catch bits and pieces.

Before he could get closer, the two women noticed him.

“Good morning, Brother Fang—Captain.”

They both stiffened, hastily greeting him.

Fang Xia neither nodded nor spoke, but simply gazed at them, calm and unreadable.