Chapter 114 - Change
Edited by Ruru
Back when they left Dabie mountains and headed for Yuncheng secure base, Qi Jingchen didn’t bring along the lettuce.
At that time, he already knew that there was still another reborn person in hiding who was filled with hostility against them. That meant that they would very likely encounter danger outside…
Anything that had been raised for a long time would garner feelings. Qi Jingchen had grown attached to the lettuce and worried that bringing it along would make it wilt, so he simply left it behind and asked those who had knowledge of gardening to watch over it.
As a result, something happened to his lettuce?
“What in the world happened?” Qi Jingchen asked.
The leader among the Chenguang team members that were hiding around glanced at Qi Jingchen and faintly felt that Qi Jingchen was a little different. However, he couldn’t make anything out and just said, “Qi shao, it’s like this. It hasn’t been a few since you and Nie shao left when that lettuce’s colour began growing lighter. Later, it already became white, or perhaps gold. In any case, it’s quite good-looking, and it also seems able to glow.”
“Take me to see,” Qi Jingchen faintly guessed something and immediately spoke.
“Yes!” That person replied, then ordered an earth ability user subordinate to open a door made from earth beside them.
Nie Yi and Qi Jingchen were the first to walk down. Qi An asked Xiao Mao to put the helicopter into the s.p.a.ce, and hurriedly followed after them.
After a period of time, this place truly had changed a lot. Not only were the pa.s.sages no longer the mere cracks at the start, they now became extremely wide, and a few decorations were even placed at the sides.
“Nie shao, wasn’t it the new year? So we made it a little more festive here!” the person leading the way said.
Nie Yi nodded. He also liked this sort of decoration, feeling that it was especially lively.
Walking through the channel, they soon entered the belly of the mountain. This place only had some ordinary caves, but now were adjusted to become beautiful and fitting.
The person leading the way for Nie Yi and Qi Jingchen was very good with his words, and was also very excited upon seeing Nie Yi and the others return. At this time, he mentioned some interesting incidents. “Nie shao, you don’t know, but a few days ago, two people accidentally connected the two holes they were digging. Moreover, it wasn’t connected through the side, but below. Now, they have to be very careful when moving about in the hole, otherwise they might fall into the hole below.
“Nie shao, we planted a lot of vegetables and they all look quite good, especially lettuce, but there was actually someone who was being picky and refused to eat! Later, Jiang Sao roasted some barbecue, drizzled some sauce, and wrapped it in lettuce for him to try. After tasting it, he no longer hated lettuce!
“Nie shao, Mu Yi’s stomach is getting bigger and bigger. I’ve been thinking about how she’s soon going to give birth; who knows whether she’ll directly birth an ability user.”
Nie Yi and the rest had experienced a major battle rather recently. Although they had already recovered physically because of Qi Jingchen’s ability, the constant strain on their nerves was a little exhausting. Yet, listening to this person chatter about such trifles, they slowly relaxed.
Not long after they entered, several people came out to greet them, and Qi Yaoyao was at the forefront.
Qi Yaoyao had probably been doing something with wood as she was still holding a tool. She rushed to Qi Jingchen before abruptly stopping, then held the carpenter’s plane while saying, “Ge! You’re back! I made you a cabinet!”
They now did not lack food, but were severely in need of household goods, so many people began learning carpentry from someone who had just the slightest experience in carpentry. Qi Yaoyao was one of them.
Qi Yaoyao had no abilities and worked comparatively slower, but was still able to make an ugly -looking cabinet, which she then placed in Qi Jingchen’s cave.
“Thank you.” Qi Jingchen smiled at Qi Yaoyao. At this time, the Ping parents reached Ping Shengchao’s side.
Mother Ping was a doctor. After seeing her son, she subconsciously began inspecting Ping Shengchao’s body, then couldn’t help becoming rueful. “Sure enough, Nie shao is powerful. You followed Nie shao out, yet you didn’t even lose a single strand of hair.”
Ping Shengchao: “…” Mom, actually I nearly lost my life; it should be that Qi Jingchen is too powerful…
After Mother Ping checked over Ping Shengchao, she then went to look at Zhang Zihai before revealing an expression of being unable to bear looking straight at him. “Xiao Zhang, why do you like being bald so much? Let me tell you, anyone’s still more good-looking if you have more hair.”
Zhang Zihai previously had a patch of skin on his head sc.r.a.ped off and was left with a huge scar. Back then, Ping Shengchao a.s.sumed that that area definitely wouldn’t be able to grow hair back. But later, when Qi Jingchen awakened to his ability and Zhang Zihai was doused with light, that scar disappeared; it looked like his hair could still be grown.
Of course, also because of this, it was evident that Zhang Zihai himself had shaved his hair bald.
When Ping Shengchao thought of how Zhang Zihai had then been injured because he had pushed him away, his mood was a little complicated. He touched Zhang Zihai’s head and said with a smile, “Mom, I think being bald isn’t that bad either.”
Even her own son’s aesthetics were led astray… Mother Ping shot Zhang Zihai a look and sighed, deciding that in the future it was still better to discuss hairstyles with Mu Yi and Qi Yaoyao.
Recently, she invented a method to perm hair, which was to curl one’s hair with a wooden steak heated up by a fire ability user. Although this method was a little hair-damaging, it was still quite good-looking after perming large curls.
Now, they didn’t even know how much longer they could continue living. Thinking of ways to dress themselves up and find some pleasures would still make them happy for a while.
While reminiscing and walking ahead, it wasn’t long before Nie Yi and Qi Jingchen saw a vegetable field.
This vegetable field was all lettuce. The mounds of dark green were especially likeable, and in the center of these lettuces, one lettuce that was the same colour as his ability was especially conspicuous.
Qi Jingchen could sense that lettuce’s resonance with him from afar, and after walking closer, he verified the matter—that lettuce had become a mutated plant.
Mutated plants were rare, and the occasional few were basically just the four major types, water, fire, earth, and wind. Mutated plants of other types were mainly never seen, but now, this world had an extra mutated plant that was filled with light energy.
“If we brought along this guy, maybe I would’ve known earlier what my ability was.” Qi Jingchen sighed. Liu Sao had treated him quite well, and her death made him a little pained, since it originally could have been avoided.
“Even if we knew your ability is the light ability, I wouldn’t hand you over,” Nie Yi said.
Regardless of whether it was the dark ability or light ability, they were both too rare. If people of B City secure base were to know that Qi Jingchen possessed the light ability, who knew whether they would make Qi Jingchen cooperate in some research or something in the name of saving mankind?
Qi Jingchen paused, then laughed bitterly. Honestly, don’t even mention Nie Yi, even he himself would definitely be unwilling to be controlled by the secure base.
Everything he experienced in his last life had made him fearful.
But speaking of, he genuinely didn’t think his ability would unexpectedly be the light ability.
Picking up and holding that lettuce that was displayed along with the other lettuces but planted in a powdered milk can in his arms, Qi Jingchen suddenly felt some irony.
In his last life, those people from the secure bases shouted to beat and kill him, and some whole-heartedly felt that humanity went extinct because of him. But in reality? Actually, as long as he was protected well, he would have awakened to a light ability.
Light ability ah… Qi Jingchen couldn’t help thinking of what had happened when they stopped half-way for a break while on the way here.
At that time, Nie Yi found a clean place to rest, but there were still zombies that wandered over. That level two zombie hadn’t wandered anywhere near before stopping its footsteps, unwilling to continue forward. And after he tossed a light ball to that level two zombie’s head, the zombie actually fell right down. Not long after, it even turned into an ordinary rotten corpse, without any dark scent on it at all.
His ability was the bane of all zombies, and something zombies would hate.
That was why, before he awakened, low-level zombies would ignore him, high-levelled zombies would run away when seeing him, he would be fine even when hurt by zombies, that was why… People who ate his flesh would be fine even when hurt by zombies.
No wonder his wounds always healed especially quickly, and he was still able to survive even though his flesh was cut off every day.
Although some novels would nitpick about some flaws of light energy, they had to admit that this sort of energy was full of healing strength.
As for why he ended up awakening to a dark ability in his last life… At that time, he was once hurt by a zombie, and later his flesh was cut off who-knows-how-many-times. Would he still be able to awaken to a light ability? Him not dying was already a blessing from heaven.
Qi Jingchen’s feelings were extremely complicated, and Nie Yi was the same. But other than the complications, he also couldn’t help being happy.
Since Qi Jingchen had a light ability, then even if they reached the middle or late stage of the apocalypse, they could have a piece of paradise uncontaminated by the dark energy that belonged to them, and they could continue living on.
What he hoped for the most was Qi Jingchen to be able to survive, survive for a long, long time. And now, it seemed that this wasn’t unattainable. Perhaps they might be able to live as long as a hundred years!
Qi Jingchen and Nie Yi were sitting together quietly, and other people didn’t bother them either. In the end, they unexpectedly sat together for almost an hour.
It was only an hour later that Qi Jingchen stood up.
He had sat down for a very long time and had come around many things. For example, he didn’t need to continue trying to die, because this world was filled with hope; so much that the greatest hope among it was himself.
He could make the grey and ashy world that once made him despair no longer appear before him. Since it was like this, why should he continue giving up all hope?
With how blessed he lived in his last life, he could completely think of ways he could live happier in this life.
After figuring things out, the melancholic air that had been on Qi Jingchen disappeared without a trace, and it was as if he had begun glowing.
He turned his head and asked the person of the Chenguang Team, “Do you feel like this lettuce is familiar?”
If someone could produce a resonance with a mutated plant, they could awaken to an ability through eating that mutated plant.
Qi Jingchen liked the lettuce in his hands very much, but if it could be used to help someone awaken to a light ability, he would definitely use it.
However, everyone shook their head. They felt that this lettuce made them feel very comfortable, but they didn’t feel a connection with it. Conversely, when Nie Yi asked Xiao Mao to take out the earth and wind elemental plants, many people had a reaction towards them. Among them were Nie Yi’s past two bodyguards, Gan Jun and Zhou Xiaofeng.
At the beginning, Nie Yi once promised these two that he would find a way for them to awaken to an ability, and these two mutated plants were given to them.
These two had followed Nie Yi for the longest; although the other people felt envious, they also thought that it was what should be. Only Qi Yaoyao couldn’t help feeling a little despairing.
She had sensed all four of the mutated plants, water, fire, earth, and wind, but there wasn’t the slightest sensation at all… She couldn’t be destined to have no ability, right?
When thinking of this, her entire person became a little sulky.
“There are so many people without abilities, but don’t they live very well too?” Qi Jingchen noticed Qi Yaoyao’s state and comforted her.
Sure enough, Qi Yaoyao became excited upon hearing this. “Yes ah, you don’t have an ability either, big brother.”
“…” Qi Jingchen smiled and suddenly said, “I have an ability.”
Previously, Nie Yi and Qi Jingchen once specially discussed how to make the Chenguang Team accept Qi Jingchen’s dark ability, and even thought up an entire set of plans.
But now, all of those could no longer be used.
Wanting the Chenguang Team to accept Qi Jingchen’s ability could not be any easier. As long as Qi Jingchen used his light ability, perhaps no one wouldn’t accept him, unless they’ve gone mad!
“Ge, you have an ability?” Qi Yaoyao asked in astonishment.
Qi Yaoyao’s voice was very loud, and everyone looked over, curiously gazing at Qi Jingchen. They wanted to know what ability this person Nie Yi clasped in his hands awakened to.
But… since Nie Yi liked Qi Jingchen so much, even if Qi Jingchen awakened to an ability, he would probably be unwilling to make him go to battle, right?
“Ge, what ability did you awaken to?” Qi Yaoyao asked.
“It’s the light ability.” Qi Jingchen placed a hand on Qi Yaoyao’s head and poured some light energy into her, smiling as he said, “I’ll let you try.”
In his last life, he once placed his hand on someone who had lost motor function and poured his ability into their body, then watched as that person turned into a puddle of black water before him.
Now ne… After pouring his ability into Qi Yaoyao’s body, her face became filled with pleasure, appearing intoxicated.
The disparity truly was great… Qi Jingchen looked at Qi Yaoyao’s expression and suddenly thought of a fantasy novel he once read. The light G.o.d religion’s people should say something like ‘G.o.d will bless you’, ‘the Light G.o.d will protect you’ at this time.
Nie Yi saw Qi Yaoyao’s expression, but absolutely had no a.s.sociative connections Qi Jingchen had. Instead, his face darkened and had an urge to push Qi Yaoyao off and shove his head over for Qi Jingchen to touch.
Of course, he ended up restraining himself.
He calmly took away Qi Jingchen’s hand that was placed on Qi Yaoyao’s head and said, “This is too wasteful of your ability. You should use it for group attacks to slaughter all over.”
Group attacks? Slaughter all over? The surrounding survivors all felt that these statements weren’t quite right, then saw a thin layer of light extending out of Qi Jingchen’s body before sweeping across every single person present.
It was an extremely strange sensation. After the light screen swept over them, everyone felt their bodies relax and lighten; not only did their entire body become relaxed, even their emotions involuntarily became joyful.
Qi Jingchen’s ability was only at level three. Actually, he didn’t use much energy right now, but for these people who had never touched light energy and previously ate a number of foods that had some dark energy, the feeling was already extraordinarily good.
It was as if their bodies had been cleansed, and the way they viewed Qi Jingchen had also suddenly changed.
No wonder those people from the light G.o.d religion in the novels were so well-received and worshipped. Light truly was something that people liked and yearned for…
Qi Jingchen felt a little dazed. At this time, Nie Yi had already given him a fierce kiss before embracing him, rushing off to their cave.