Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Song You’ai looked up and saw her daughter walk into the living room with a pensive expression.

”What’s wrong?” Song You’ai asked, following her daughter upstairs. ”Is something the matter?”

Xie Ning told her mother how Li Dawei and his sister had been staring at her, making it impossible for her to get any work done.

Song You’ai frowned. ”That is a problem.”

”Honey, your little Space... can it really fit the RV now?”

Xie Ning nodded.

”Oh, then I guess we can’t call it a ’little Space’ anymore,” Song You’ai said, rolling her eyes at her daughter. ”So what now? How about we sneak out tonight and wash the RV?”

Xie Ning shook her head. ”Li Xiang’s Visual Ability probably includes night vision. We won’t be able to wash the RV in the garage without her noticing.”

Washing the RV requires rinsing it with water, and the garage isn’t completely sealed. Water would definitely leak out, and the wet ground would surely arouse suspicion.

”Ugh, forget it. We won’t wash it,” Xie Ning said, waving her hand in frustration. ”We’ll deal with it later.”

Besides, the RV was always driving through this kind of environment, rolling through piles of zombies. Washing it would be a waste of time.

”Tsk,” Song You’ai clicked her tongue. ”But we can’t just let Li Xiang and the others keep watching us all the time.”

”I know.” Xie Ning was quite annoyed too, grumbling to herself, ’If only my Spiritual Ability were a bit stronger. Maybe then I could create a spiritual shield against her Visual Ability.’

Song You’ai grinned at her daughter. ”Honey, you’re already very strong.”

Xie Ning clenched her fist. ”Mom, how about you come with me to check out the docks at Ta Lake tomorrow?”

”Sure,” Song You’ai agreed. ”You’ve got another idea, haven’t you?”

”I was thinking, if we can find a few large shipping containers, we wouldn’t have to wash the RV every single time and waste water. After we use it, we can just put it straight into a container. It’d be convenient and wouldn’t take up any of my Space.”

The main reason was that her separate little Space still held a lot of food, and Xie Ning was worried the filthy RV would contaminate all the good stuff.

”Aren’t the docks at Ta Lake for cruise ships? They have shipping containers there?”

”They do. It’s a long way from the cruise ship docks. Just follow me.” Xie Ning winked at her mom. ”My school organized a trip there once. I should remember the way.”

”Okay.” Song You’ai nodded. ”We’ll go tomorrow after breakfast.”

Xie Ning agreed and headed upstairs.

As soon as the mother and daughter entered their suite, they saw Song Kexin walking out with a towel around her neck and an empty bucket in her hand, grinning broadly at them.

Xie Ning stared blankly at the little troublemaker.

”Sis, washing with this superpower water is really something else! I feel so refreshed now, and all my exhaustion is completely gone!”

Song You’ai silently glanced at her daughter.

’She figured her daughter had probably taken out the bucket to use for her own bath, but Xinxin, that big troublemaker, had beaten her to it.’

”I’ll go wash the bucket and practice my superpower by filling it up with more water,” Song You’ai said, snatching the bucket from Song Kexin’s hand and running to the suite’s bathroom.

’My daughter is such a fussy neat freak. This bucket needs to be washed inside and out several times!’

Song Kexin looked down at her empty hands, then turned to her sister. ”Sis, need a light?”

She held out a finger, and a flame shot out from the tip with a POOF.

Xie Ning had to restrain herself from slapping the little show-off.

”It’s boiling in here. Put it out, quick.”

”Oh.” Song Kexin pouted and extinguished the flame on her hand, then immediately became smug again. ”My dad keeps praising me. He says the cigarettes I light for him with my fire taste better.”

Speechless at the father-daughter duo, Xie Ning took out a small velvet pouch and beckoned to Song Kexin.

”You try this.” She poured three shimmering, sparkling Crystal Cores from the pouch.

”Try what?”

”See if you can absorb them.”

”Absorb?” Song Kexin blinked and picked up one of the Crystal Cores from the table.

She had just started to ask, ”How do I absorb this?” when the Crystal Core in her fingertips dissolved into a pinch of dust.

Song Kexin’s eyes lit up instantly. She quickly sat cross-legged on the plush rug and, looking quite the part, picked up the other two Crystal Cores.

Xie Ning watched her sit by the tea cabinet, cross-legged with her palms facing up like she was practicing Cultivation, and couldn’t help but facepalm.

’Is Song Kexin trying to be funny?’

’Doesn’t she look like she’s about to cultivate some evil art?’

”You actually...” Xie Ning wanted to say that she didn’t need to sit cross-legged like a cultivator to absorb them; she just needed to relax.

But Song Kexin’s eyes shot open, shining with delight as she cried out, ”Sis, I feel like I’m about to pop!”

”Pop what?” Song You’ai burst out of the bathroom, a horrified look on her face as she stared at her niece. ”You’re in labor??”

Xie Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Song Kexin burst out laughing. ”Auntie, I said I’m about to level up!”

”Oh.” After the false alarm, Song You’ai said irritably, ”Xinxin, you’re still young. You’re at an age where you should be studying, not messing around. I never approved of that boyfriend you had before. And your dad, saying things like, ’He’s a nice boy, very polite and sensible.’”

”Mom,” Xie Ning tugged on Song You’ai’s sleeve.

Song You’ai immediately realized her mistake and fell silent, looking a little embarrassed.

She suddenly remembered that the boy was dead. Seeing her niece’s crestfallen expression, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. ”Xinxin, dear, that’s not what I meant.”

Song Kexin shook her head. ”It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”

Xie Ning quickly changed the subject. ”Kexin, see if you can break through the barrier from Zero to First Rank now.”

She took another core from the velvet pouch. ”Try again?”

Song Kexin nodded, took the fourth Crystal Core, and continued to absorb it.

Xie Ning watched her. This time, she saw that Kexin’s absorption speed was slowing down, a clear sign she was reaching her saturation point.

”Will she... absorb too much?” Song You’ai asked worriedly.

Xie Ning shook her head. ”No, every Superpower User can sense when their energy reaches its limit. Besides, their body’s instincts won’t allow them to absorb too much. So there’s no need to worry about that.”

”Mom, you stay here and watch Xinxin. I’m going downstairs to find Uncle Tai Xian, Shijun, and the others.”

She wanted to see if everyone could absorb the Crystal Cores she had collected.

’If they can be absorbed by anyone, without distinction... then that means something is very wrong with my body.’

At three in the afternoon, the villa was filled with everyone’s joyful laughter.

”I ranked up! Ms. Ning, hahahaha!” Ji Taixian leaped up and down. ”My Space expanded! Haha, it’s a hundred square meters now! Isn’t that great? So great! From now on, I won’t have to shake and jump around to retrieve things unless I’m storing or taking out a large batch.”

Xie Ning glanced at his goofy face, which was twitching with excitement.

’Heh, fools really do have the best luck. Based on current Space capacity rankings, Ji Taixian’s Space is definitely top-tier.’

’He’s only First Rank, and his Space has already expanded to a hundred square meters. A truly gifted user.’

’And here I am, a Third Rank Space System user, and not even counting my portable villa, my little Space is only just over a hundred square meters.’