this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
Jiang Ci chuckled, feeling that the sensation of mastering such power was truly wonderful.
However, her supernatural ability was still somewhat unfamiliar, and the water ball soon dissipated.
Jiang Ci could sense that this was the ability of the blue orb. She hadn’t yet uncovered what the other two abilities were yet.
Her ability seemed like a water attribute ability, but there were a few discernible differences. Song Jinchuan felt like he had never seen such a water ability before. When Jiang Ci formed a ball of water and set it to him, he could actually hold it in his hand and play with it, as if the water was encased in a thin film.
Jiang Ci felt her control over the ability becoming more and more proficient. The water in her hands was like clay, able to transform into various shapes without dispersing.
She played more and more happily, even molding a little tortoise resembling Hui Hui out of water and placing it on its back. Hui Hui seemed quite pleased with it too.
Song Jinchuan watched with increasing amazement, as supernatural abilities were typically consumable, and using them would greatly deplete an ordinary person’s physical strength, causing the abilities to gradually weaken over time according to their stamina.
But Jiang Ci seemed to be becoming more and more energetic, as if she had an inexhaustible source of power within her.
Song Jinchuan stayed for a while before returning to his room, emphasising to Jiang Ci once again, “If anything happens, remember to call me. Please believe that until the end of my life, I will always continue to follow and remain loyal to you—I will never betray you.”
After saying this, Song Jinchuan left, leaving Jiang Ci standing there with her heart pounding. The Song Jinchuan who had just stood in front of her had bowed slightly, his voice low and gentle, like a priest offering his heart to a queen, or a knight who vowed to protect his princess unto death.
She didn’t know how to describe this feeling, but seeing such a proud and formidable person lower his head before her truly moved something within her.
Perhaps because she had slept for too long, Jiang Ci lay back in bed with no trace of drowsiness. The excruciating pain from last night now felt like an illusion.
Jiang Ci had never experienced such pain before. For a moment last night, she even thought she might die from it.
But fortunately, after enduring the hardship, she had gained three powers, so everything had been worth it in the end.
She tried to summon the other two energies within her. A white halo slowly lit up at her fingertips, illuminating the darkness. However, after waiting for a while, nothing seemed to happen, leaving Jiang Ci puzzled.
“System, what kind of energy is the white light?” Jiang Ci asked curiously.
[It’s the power of healing. Black represents devouring, and blue represents the vitality of life. Host, please use them wisely and with discretion,] the system replied. Originally, it had intended for Jiang Ci to choose just one of these powers, but unexpectedly, all three had chosen to merge with her.
Hearing these terms, Jiang Ci felt a wave of magical wonder wash over her, reminiscent of some of those magic movies she had watched.
However, the system explained that these energies were indeed brought from another magical world.
“Will I still have these powers when I return to my own world?” Jiang Ci inquired curiously.
[No, these energies disrupt the rules of that world. Once you return, they will also naturally be suppressed,] the system answered.
Jiang Ci nodded, not particularly disappointed since she had already expected this outcome.
That night, she stayed awake until late at night, still caught up in a state of excitement.
The next morning, Jiang Ci woke up on time, feeling refreshed and energetic, completely not reflecting the fact that she had been unconscious for a full day and night.
When she opened her bedroom door, she saw Song Jinchuan walking out of the kitchen carrying a plate.
The plate was placed on the stone table, and Jiang Ci saw that Song Jinchuan had prepared a vegetable and beef congee. Beside it were some side dishes that Jiang Ci had brought from home, prepared by her mother and stored in jars.
“You woke up so early?” Jiang Ci was surprised, especially since Song Jinchuan had clearly been exhausted from taking care of her yesterday, yet he had still gotten up early today.
“It’s fine, I’m used to it. I wake up at the same time every day,” Song Jinchuan said as he set out the empty bowls and chopsticks.
It had to be said, Song Jinchuan’s congee was delicious—soft, savory, and fragrant. Paired with the side dishes made by Jiang Ci’s mother, Jiang Ci ended up eating two large bowls before stopping.
After finishing the congee, her entire body felt warm.
When she went outside to open the store, the survivors were already lining up early. The line in front of the convenience store was the longest, with survivors carrying heavy, bulging backpacks, their eyes filled with anticipation as they gazed at the supplies inside.
“Boss Jiang is back!” The employees greeted Jiang Ci warmly as they saw her.
Seeing that everyone had started working in an orderly manner, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan went to the factory together. The three new types of instant meals she had designed were already in production, and the entire workshop was filled with the aroma of food.
Jiang Ci inspected the finished products. They looked like large boxes, containing both rice and vegetables, along with a self-heating device.
Currently, not all three types had been produced yet, so Jiang Ci’s task was still incomplete.
After leaving the factory, Jiang Ci visited two of her restaurants. As she passed by an employee, her steps suddenly halted.
“Wait, who are you?” Jiang Ci asked with a frown.
Standing before her was an unfamiliar face, and the person’s eyes seemed to dart here and there, trying to evade her gaze. “I—I’m here to cover for Zhou Qing for a few days. She… she’s not feeling well.”
“I remember making it very clear that if someone is unwell, they can take leave, but having someone substitute for you is strictly prohibited. You can leave. Tell Zhou Qing to come and explain herself once she’s better, or I’ll rehire for her position,” Jiang Ci said sternly.
After all, if everyone ignored the rules, her restaurants would descend into chaos.
The woman pursed her lips and suddenly stepped forward. “Boss, I can work. I don’t even need a salary, just some food.”
Seeing the urgency in the woman’s eyes, Jiang Ci sneered. “No need. I dare not use someone with such impure intentions like you.”
Seeing that Jiang Ci remained unmoved, the woman’s eyes flashed with anger, but she didn’t dare confront Jiang Ci directly. She could only turn away and leave in frustration.
Jiang Ci watched as the woman walked out of the crowd and met up with a man who had been lurking at the store entrance rather suspiciously. The two whispered to each other, glanced in Jiang Ci’s direction, and then slowly walked away.
Jiang Ci felt something was off, but before she could think any further, a survivor nearby mysteriously waved her over.
Jiang Ci approached, and the survivor lowered her voice. “I’m from the same base as them. Zhou Qing isn’t sick—she was beaten and locked up by them.”
“Locked up? Why?” Jiang Ci asked in surprise.
“They’re Zhou Qing’s older brother, Zhou Gang, and his wife, Chen Guilan. They’re completely ruthless. Zhou Qing has always been soft-hearted toward her brother because no matter how hard things got, he never abandoned her during the early days of the apocalypse. He searched for supplies and practically raised her in that environment. But ever since Chen Guilan married into the family, Zhou Gang suddenly changed. He started seeing Zhou Qing as a burden, openly and secretly belittling her. Even we outsiders couldn’t stand it,” the survivor sighed.
“Why? Isn’t she his own biological sister? Having family by your side is so rare these days.” Having seen so many people who would risk their lives for their siblings or parents, Jiang Ci found this situation hard to believe.
“It’s all because of pillow talk. Chen Guilan has a large family to support, and most of the crystal cores and supplies that her and Zhou Gang earn are taken back by her to subsidize her own family. She’s been scheming to drive Zhou Qing away for ages. But now that Zhou Qing finally landed this job, she was finally planning to pack up and move to the staff dormitories here, resolutely cutting ties with her brother. However, the very day she went back to get her things, she was suddenly detained. We all heard Zhou Qing banging on the door and screaming for help, but for some reason, the noise gradually died down until it was almost inaudible. I wanted to tell you about it yesterday, but you weren’t in the store,” the survivor added.
“We wanted to help, but Zhou Gang and Chen Guilan said Zhou Qing had a relapse of an old illness. They even opened the door to let us take a look, and sure enough, she was lying weakly on the sickbed. But after we left, the whole thing felt off the more we thought about it.”
The survivor seemed kind-hearted and disapproved of Zhou Gang and his wife’s actions, which is why they informed Jiang Ci about the matter.
After getting their address, Jiang Ci patted the survivor on the shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll send a plate of braised dishes to your table later.”
The survivor hadn’t expected anything in return, but upon hearing Jiang Ci’s words, they immediately beamed, though they still politely said, “Oh, that’s too kind. It was just a small favor.”
“It’s no trouble. You deserve it,” Jiang Ci replied before leaving the shop with Song Jinchuan.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Meanwhile, in a small, dark room, Zhou Qing lay weakly on the cold floor. She could feel her life gradually fading away.
Just then, the door opened, and Zhou Gang and Chen Guilan walked in.
As soon as she entered, Chen Guilan kicked Zhou Qing who was on the ground. “Useless thing. Now the boss won’t even let me help. What are we supposed to do? Are we really going to let her go back? But if we do, she definitely won’t ever come back.”
Zhou Gang’s expression was also grim. He crouched down beside Zhou Qing, whose face was barely visible as it was pressed against the floor, and spoke in a harsh tone, “Go talk to your boss and give this job to your sister-in-law.”
Zhou Qing wanted to sneer, but she couldn’t even muster the strength for that. All she could feel was the endless darkness and cold.
“Did you hear me? You need to understand our situation too. Your sister-in-law is pregnant. If we don’t earn more, what will the child eat in the future?”
Zhou Gang’s voice droned on in her ears, but Zhou Qing’s mind had already drifted back to the early days of the apocalypse.
Her parents had died in the disaster. She was only ten years old and nearly fell victim to some perverts in the neighborhood. But in the end, it was Zhou Gang who risked his life to protect her and took her away from the area.
Later, the two siblings found a small grocery store and managed to survive off of it for a long time. Looking back now, those days might have been the happiest time for Zhou Qing after the apocalypse.
Even when there was only one last sausage left, Zhou Gang would save it for her.
Back then, Zhou Gang was just a young man in his early twenties. He had been scared too, often holding Zhou Qing and whispering words of comfort to both her and himself, “It’s okay. Once we find a base, I’ll join the team and go out on missions to earn crystal cores. I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life. From now on, we’ll rely on each other for everything.”
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