Chapter Fifty-Three: Forced Seizure

Chapter Fifty-Three

The sound of explosions echoed continuously, never ceasing. The world outside the protective barrier was engulfed by thick pink smoke, rendering all other sights invisible.

“Girl, can you still hold on?” Ten minutes later, as the detonations persisted, Mo Chen couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

“I’m managing,” Mei replied, her face pale. She was expending enormous energy not only to prevent the unknown effects of the pink smoke from seeping in, but also to ward off the relentless blasts. The barrier consumed vast amounts of power. Worried there might not be enough air inside, she dared not shrink its scope, and after just over ten minutes, exhaustion was setting in.

Seeing her strained state, the others felt helpless. Their abilities had been nearly depleted in previous battles, and even at full strength, none could maintain such a large protective barrier.

All they could do now was to recover their abilities as quickly as possible and pray the bombardment outside would soon end. Mo Chen absorbed the recently acquired lightning crystals, Ye Jingxuan, Lin Shaojie, and An Ziyou each gripped crystals of their own elements, diligently drawing energy. Only Qu Wenjuan, who had just broken through a new level in the midst of terror, needed no recovery. She stayed by Mei’s side, anxiously wiping sweat from her brow and silently wishing for an end to their ordeal.

Mei sat cross-legged, struggling to sustain the barrier while absorbing stray energy from the air to replenish herself. Though the energy she gained was far less than what she spent, it allowed her to persevere a little longer.

Another fifteen minutes passed before the explosions outside finally began to subside. A surge of hope ran through everyone. Turning to Mei, they saw her face deathly pale, sweat pouring from her forehead, brows tightly knit, teeth clenched in determination.

“Mei’er, when the blasts stop, drop the barrier. Lin Shaojie and I will use our abilities to disperse the smoke. Do you understand?” Mo Chen forced himself to remain calm as he spoke to her.

Mei could no longer speak, only managing a faint nod to show she’d heard him.

Mo Chen handed several clean towels to Qu Wenjuan, instructing her to dampen them. Once the barrier was down, everyone would use them to cover their mouths and noses, avoiding inhalation of the mysterious smoke.

The explosions outside grew ever fewer, and Mei’s barrier flickered, threatening to collapse at any moment.

The remaining five gathered close to Mei, pressing wet towels to their faces. Ye Jingxuan supported Mei’s swaying body from behind, covering her mouth and nose with a damp towel. Mo Chen and Lin Shaojie stood ready, their abilities poised for action the instant the barrier vanished.

When the final blast faded, Mo Chen and Lin Shaojie silently counted seconds.

One, two, three, four, five...

The barrier abruptly dissolved. Instantly, their wind abilities surged forth.

Four whirlwinds swept from every direction, scattering most of the pink smoke in moments. Mo Chen and Lin Shaojie quickly conjured more gusts, dispersing the remainder.

The others stayed alert, ready to face any lurking danger.

Once the smoke cleared, the small factory reappeared before them. After a short wait, seeing no sign of the enemy, they were perplexed—what had bombarded them so fiercely?

“Are you alright?” With the immediate danger gone, Ye Jingxuan cradled Mei’s limp, weightless body and worriedly asked, seeing her eyes tightly shut.

“Tired,” Mei breathed, barely audible.

Her power drained, she longed for rest, but now was not the time. Forcing herself to focus, she said, “Be wary of the trees near the factory entrance. While they haven’t borne fruit again, search quickly!”

Her warning prompted the others to notice the six large trees flanking the factory’s entrance.

These had once been ordinary pomegranate trees, but in this apocalypse, they had mutated—their fruit now rivaled bombs in potency.

Seeing the trees beginning to blossom once more, the group wasted no time. Except for Ye Jingxuan, who stayed with Mei, the others rushed into the factory, collecting everything in sight into their spatial storage. Whether useful or not, they’d sort them later, once safe.

When they finished looting and emerged, the mutated pomegranate trees were already budding fruit again, turning red and ripening fast. Not daring to linger, the group swiftly retraced their steps.

Taking a detour from the farm’s northwest corner, they again encountered the three small teams who had followed them earlier. But along the way, Mei’s group had cleared all threats, leaving those teams safe but empty-handed.

Watching Ye Jingxuan and the others carry Mei as they retreated, the three teams blocked their path.

“Please wait a moment!” A man in his thirties stepped forward.

“What is it?” Ye Jingxuan’s voice was low, tinged with impatience.

“Ye, we wondered what you discovered up ahead. Could you share what you found?” the man asked cautiously, his gaze lingering on Mei in Ye Jingxuan’s arms.

“Do you take us for fools? If we tell you everything, who gets the mission?” Mo Chen sneered from the side.

“We haven’t accepted any mission, so you needn’t worry!” the team leaders hastily reassured him.

“In that case, telling you isn’t impossible. But we paid dearly for this information. You’re strangers; isn’t it a bit much to expect it for free?” Mo Chen crossed his arms, eyeing the group with disdain.

These people hadn’t come seeking information. They’d heard rumors that among the six was a spatial ability wielder, meaning any supplies obtained wouldn’t be carried openly.

Having found nothing themselves, they suspected the spatial wielder had taken everything. At the end of the path lay the farm’s food processing plant, likely a trove of provisions.

Seeing the six returning—hurried but not panicked—they concluded there was no great danger, and guessed the group had already secured the food, hence their attempt to probe Ye Jingxuan.

When their questions failed, the three teams’ expressions hardened, eyes flashing with menace as they drew their weapons. Though fear lingered, their greed overpowered it.

“Can’t hold back any longer?” Mo Chen laughed coldly, stepping forward, unafraid despite facing more than twenty opponents.

After absorbing the lightning crystals from the big fish, his powers were nearly restored. Though outnumbered, few opponents were ability users, and none matched his level—he felt no fear.

Ye Jingxuan transferred Mei to An Ziyou, then stepped forward, his gaze murderous, looking at the others as if they were already dead.

Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenjuan stayed back, flanking An Ziyou to protect the unconscious Mei.

Tension crackled—battle was imminent.

The three teams, twenty-five strong, believed they had the advantage, yet felt suppressed when facing Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan. Were these two bluffing, or did they truly disregard them?

Uncertainty flickered among the teams.

“What’s wrong? Waiting for us to make the first move? Then I won’t be polite!”

As Mo Chen finished speaking, he and Ye Jingxuan sprang into action.

In a flash, the two became blurs—one radiating bolts of purple lightning, the other enveloped in sharp metallic energy—plunging into the crowd. Screams erupted.

When the two returned to their original positions, not a single enemy remained standing.

Qu Wenjuan and Lin Shaojie had fought zombies before, but this was their first time witnessing murder. They both looked unsettled. Lin Shaojie managed to stand, pale and avoiding the corpses. Qu Wenjuan collapsed, covering her mouth, torn between nausea and terror, her eyes wide with fear.

In all her years, across two worlds, this was her first time witnessing the transformation from living people to a field of corpses in an instant.

Killing zombies could be rationalized—they were merely shambling meat. But seeing so much blood and faces twisted in agony up close, even knowing these people brought it upon themselves, she couldn’t quell her fear.

They were truly dead.

Not by her hand, but dead before her eyes.

So terrifying.

Truly terrifying.

Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan understood Qu Wenjuan’s distress. They knew it was her first time seeing living people die so close. In this world, morality and law had been trampled repeatedly; to survive, and to thrive, humanity no longer hesitated to stain itself with the blood of its own kind.

Living in this apocalypse, she would have to face this sooner or later.

Fearing that blood would attract further danger, the group did not linger. An Ziyou carried Mei at the front, Mo Chen and Lin Shaojie grabbed Qu Wenjuan on either side, helping her retreat. Ye Jingxuan brought up the rear.

Only after scaling the walls and leaving the farm did they finally relax.

Finding a flat, open area, Mo Chen took the truck from his spatial storage for rest.

An Ziyou gently settled Mei on the bed, covering her with a blanket. Turning, he saw Qu Wenjuan sitting listlessly on the edge, and gently urged her, “You should sleep a while. Once you wake up, it’ll be better.”

“Why aren’t you afraid? This isn’t a movie—people really died. Wasn’t this your first time, too? How can you act so indifferent?” Qu Wenjuan asked, though her eyes were unfocused, her tone lost.

“Does fear matter? If we faced equally strong opponents today, would you prefer to die afraid, or fight to survive?” An Ziyou replied, his voice detached.

When survival comes down to a single chance, is it your life or the enemy’s?

That question and the images of death replayed in Qu Wenjuan’s mind, until all that remained was the question.

Your life or theirs?

The answer was clear.