"Before the climate changed, before the temperature was high enough to kill, I was just an average Joe with a normal family. I lived an ordinary life with my wife of almost six years and my three-years-old twin girls. We were happy. Even after the apocalypse, I still felt that I was extremely lucky. My wife and two daughters managed to develop the Heat Resistance Adaptation ability.
"I was the only one who gained an active skill. Even though it was nothing incredible, I tried my best to protect my family. I managed to get food, water, and a shelter. I always had a muscular build, so none of the duoluozhongs could get close enough to harm my precious daughters. But the gods suddenly withdrew their blessings one particular night.
"That day, we drove for a long time, so the engine overheated. We needed time for it to cool down and we were also running out of gas. I knew that there was a gas station just a couple of streets away, and there was even a small shop selling car accessories. Of course, I would never leave my wife and children in an unfamiliar place just like that. Before I parked the car at the gas station, I surveyed the place three times and checked very carefully. The place was safe, there were no duoluozhongs, there weren't even any other humans.
"I found a number of useful items we could use and even saw a few duck plushies at the entrance of the shop. I was happy and quickly picked out two clean plushies. My daughters used to insist on having their rubber ducks in the bathtub before they bathed. At the time, I thought it would be a great idea to give them these two duck plushies since they could no longer bathe in a bathtub.
"While I carried cans of coolant and gas, reflective sheets, and two large duck plushies, I had to crook my head to look at the road ahead. When I walked out of the gas station, I realized that there were two brown figures with carapace-like skin standing on both sides of my car. It took me at least a minute to recognize them for what they were. Perhaps, I had unintentionally made a sound, for the two figures straightened their backs and turned to look at me. I finally saw their human-like faces and their long mouthparts.
"My wife's blood was still dripping from the mouthpart of the duoluozhong nearer to me. I can still clearly remember the duoluozhong standing beside my wife's gray, lifeless face...
"'Hey, are you full? Let's go. That person looks pretty strong,' it said to the other duoluozhong.
"'But I haven't finished drinking the blood of this young one. It's so fresh...'
"My memory becomes a little hazy here. I vaguely remember throwing down everything in my hands. I flew over, determined to save my daughter who might still be alive...
"'Oh! I know! Let's do this...' the duoluozhong replied quickly and swiftly stuck its mouthpart through the car's window before pulling it out again.
"Two little corpses dangled from its long mouthpart, and they looked like my daughters. The duoluozhong had used its mouthpart to pierce through both their heads, just like a kebab, and pulled their bodies out of the car. While I let out a heartbroken howl, they stretched out their wings. This made me realize how they could suddenly appear...
"After that, I never saw another winged duoluozhong again. Who would've thought that they were just around us," Hai Tianqing concluded, his eyes plastered on the large number of duoluozhongs flying in the air and on the roofs of the buildings. He slowly stood up and said, "This is now my paradise. I will not leave unless I kill every one of them."
Lin Sanjiu stood in front of her truck, quietly listening to his story.
Professor Bai sighed softly. "It's all my fault. I led them here, so I inadvertently caused the death of your wife and children too."
"Mom!" Xu Xiaoyang pleaded urgently, but Professor Bai suddenly smiled.
"For the first time in my life, I realize how cowardly I am," Professor Bai said mildly. "If I were killed by them, at least I wouldn't need to face my guilt for the rest of my life. But the only thing I am worried about is you..."
The tip of Xu Xiaoyang's nose had turned red, and she pursed her lip, unable to say a word.
Hu Changzai glanced at them for a moment before he looked at Lin Sanjiu and asked, "How are things? Can you still see her?"
"I can still spot her from this distance," Lin Sanjiu replied as she tried to calm herself. "Once she started running in that direction, Marcie's body had already stabilized. At least she no longer looks blurry."
Hu Changzai heaved a sigh of relief. Now that Marcie was not in any danger of disappearing, they should leave, but...
"What should we do now?" Hu Changzai watched Lin Sanjiu as he waited for a reply. He continued, "Are we really just going to leave them here?"
There was only one minute and two seconds left till the cooldown period of her Pygmalion Choker.
Lin Sanjiu laughed icily as she looked up at the sky.
After she had slaughtered a large group of duoluozhongs, the duoluozhongs stopped chasing after them in one huge pack. Instead, most of them stayed on the roofs or hid themselves, as if waiting quietly for the right time to strike. The wingless duoluozhongs had already made their way to the basements and were now in the middle of their massacre.
Just when Lin Sanjiu was about to announce that they were leaving, a few winged duoluozhongs quickly flew in Marcie's direction. Lin Sanjiu's eyelid twitched as she quickly sent a segment of the net toward them. Those duoluozhongswere torn apart in seconds.
"Miss Lin, shouldn't you be thinking of escaping now?" a man's calm voice rang out from the speakers. "Unfortunately, after we came to this bloody place, we became duoluozhongs because we hadn't developed the heat resistance adaptation. But you shouldn't look down on us, since we were also once posthumans. I know that the more powerful an ability is, the greater the restrictions. With that ability, you're probably running out of time, aren't you?
"Isn't it better for you to think about how you should escape? Rather than think about others?" He laughed.
There were only 42 seconds left till the cooldown period of her Pygmalion Choker.
With an ice-cold expression, Lin Sanjiu turned to look at Hai Tianqing and Xu Xiaoyang. Then, she said, "If you really intend to stay behind, you have five seconds each to say what your abilities are."
They both exchanged a glance and came to a decision immediately.
"Griselda is my ability," Xu Xiaoyang explained first.
[War Doll]
Description: The user has the ability to summon a humanoid combat doll. The user decides Griselda's features, gender, build, etc. Griselda's combat strength is determined by how satisfied it is with its own appearance. Without knowing the doll's preference, the user only has one chance to change the doll's appearance at each stage. Even though otakus covet this ability, only normal people can gain this ability.
Current satisfaction level: 9%
'How unlucky,' Lin Sanjiu thought as she briefly looked at Griselda's wavy hair and her devilishly beautiful looks before looking at Hai Tianqing.
"Gyms can also create obstacles for one's enemy."
[The Glory Of A Personal Trainer]
Description: The effect of the ability lasts for three minutes. Hai Tianqing will become a superstar athlete with superior physique. The item that he chooses in his mind will possess the characteristics of a particular gym equipment. This can be used for obstructing the enemy and helping himself.
The current usable gym equipment: Dumbbells, treadmill, yoga mat.
34 seconds left till cooldown.
"Starting from now, both of you must listen to my instructions without questions. Understand?" Lin Sanjiu shouted again, "Hu Changzai, drive that bus out of here and keep Professor Bai and the rabbit hidden!"
Hu Changzai quickly left and went to start the engines.
"What are you planning?" Xu Xiaoyang asked her, a little puzzled.
30 seconds left till cooldown.
Lin Sanjiu did not answer her. The items in mid-air wobbled a little. As if they had all suddenly lost their life force, they fell to the ground one after another and reverted back to their normal state without that silver sheen.
When the silver net fell, the duoluozhongs began to stir. A few impatient ones started flying toward them as if to test the waters.
"Get Griselda to protect me!" Lin Sanjiu shouted as she set her eyes on the seventh floor of the Executives' Building, which was where the broadcasting room was located. "I'm going to disintegrate that! Get ready, Hai Tianqing!" Even though she was more powerful than Chen Jinfeng due to her Potential Growth Value, breaking down the entire floor of a building was still very taxing, even if she had already given up maintaining the protective silver net. She predicted that the duoluozhongs would take the opportunity and attack them like ravenous beasts once the process started... and she was right.
When the corner of the Executives' Building melted off like an ice-cream cake, the duoluozhongs who figured out her plan went ballistic. The duoluozhongs gathered in the sky, covering it entirely, looming over them like dark gray clouds. Lin Sanjiu did not even bat an eye as she stood atop her truck, focusing on the Executives' Building. Sweat began to appear on her forehead.
19 seconds until cooldown.
Even though Griselda was very unsatisfied with her own appearance, her attacks were still very potent. At that moment, her entire body swelled up with muscles and sinews. A blow from her arms could smash a duoluozhong to bits. However, since she could not fly, it was increasingly difficult for her to fight against the winged duoluozhongs, who dodged her attacks nimbly in mid-air.
Similarly, Hai Tianqing was doing his best to protect Lin Sanjiu. "90kg dumbbells!" he shouted as he kicked up a massive amount of sand. The flying duoluozhongs flapped their wings desperately as the 90kg grains of sand crushed them to the ground. With the two people protecting her, Lin Sanjiu was surrounded by lumps of splattered flesh like pot-stickers fillings.
15 seconds until cooldown.
Lin Sanjiu managed to disintegrate the seventh floor. All of the broken-down building materials and furniture floated upward and spun toward the center of the floor like a blender. However, they did not see a single drop of blood—there was no one on the seventh floor.
"Huh? Miss Lin, did I forget to inform you that I have a personal room? I was once a human too, so I value privacy a lot," they heard the same unruffled male voice coming from the speakers. "It's alright. Because once you reach the time limit of your ability, you will be able to meet me."
Nine seconds until cooldown.
"But if you still survive till then, why don't you search every building to look for me?"
"How much longer can you keep them back?" Lin Sanjiu asked loudly, ignoring the duoluozhong's taunt.
"As long as you need!" Hai Tianqing replied with a grin. He inhaled deeply as a duoluozhong pierced its mouthpart through his previous wound. After he said that, the weaponized fragments made from the entire seventh floor fell to the ground and reverted to their normal forms.
"I want to take a gamble. I need both of you to hang in there!" After she said that, Lin Sanjiu's body started to tremble slightly — this was the side-effect of her pushing herself to her limits. Sweat gushed from her pores, flowing past her eyebrows and down her nose. Her tank top gradually soaked with sweat.
Five seconds until cooldown.
The attacks from the duoluozhongs were getting more and more intense. Even with Hai Tianqing's sand dumbbells, Griselda's body was covered with multiple wounds. At that moment, multiple buildings in the Oasis seemed to have lost their roofs, like a clean shaven head. The broken weaponized fragments floated in the air, but the overall structure of the buildings remained stubbornly unchanged.
Four seconds until cooldown.
"Move, dammit!" Lin Sanjiu gritted her teeth; her head was hurting as if multiple steel needles had pierced through her brain.
Three seconds until cooldown.
"How much longer will it take? Griselda can't last much longer!" Xu Xiaoyang, who stood behind them, couldn't help shouting as she dodged the various duoluozhongs' attacks agilely.
The nearby buildings shook for a fraction of a second and broke down in succession. Three buildings dissolved around the same time. The sharp, weaponized building materials danced in mid-air, instantly killing off countless duoluozhongs. Unfortunately, they could still hear the loathsome laughter over the speaker, "Excellent effort!"
Two seconds until cooldown.
'I can't do this, I think I need to give up here...' This flashed through Lin Sanjiu's groggy mind. 'If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have acted so impulsively just because I was angry. I should have run away... Now I can't leave even if I wanted to, and I implicated the others too.'
"My student, Lin Sanjiu. Special Items are powered by your metabolic energy, but you've already used up all your energy." Amidst her dizziness, she vaguely heard Mrs. Manas's voice. "Do you want to use... your... cons—?
As Lin Sanjiu was on the verge of total exhaustion, she could not clearly hear what Mrs. Manas said. She only answered instinctively, "Yes..."
The five minutes were up, and Lin Sanjiu's Pygmalion Choker entered its cooldown state.
As if suddenly sensing it, the two people who were currently fighting paused for a moment and looked into the distance. Half of the buildings in the factory compound were still intact. They stood firmly under the night sky, with no indication that anything had affected them.
The speaker buzzed again, and the man's maniacal laughter filled the Oasis. "Hahaha! I think that's the end of your—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, there was a large boom! The buildings that appeared intact just moments ago dissolved into fine dust in an instant. Before the duoluozhong's expressions could even change, they were grounded into meat paste by the weaponized bits of dust. As if multiple TNT bombs had exploded in the large factory compound, the Oasis disintegrated into a large pile of fine dust, along with all the duoluozhongs.
The loudspeaker duoluozhong who had mocked them the entire time was now only a part of that pile.
As the others watched silently in utter disbelief, Lin Sanjiu lost consciousness and fell head first off the top of the truck. Hai Tianqing rushed over and caught her.
The Oasis had been completely destroyed in 30 seconds.