Cultivation Partner Reborn in the Apocalypse

At least, he had his space ability to help store the supplies they collected, which gave him a small sense of purpose within the team. Otherwise, he would have felt completely out of place among such powerful individuals.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why Xu Nuo chose him over anyone else, especially when the others in the team seemed far stronger in combat.

Though, despite his confusion, witnessing this made him even more determined. It sparked a desire to one day surpass them all and become even more powerful.

To his astonishment, Zhu Xiao realized that everyone in the team was fully committed to exhausting their abilities. What Lu Shang had said earlier was not just for his benefit, but applied to everyone.

Initially hesitant, Zhu Xiao soon let go of his reservations. After all, he had joined this team, and the only choice now was to trust them. He couldn't believe that everyone could be so foolish.

To his further surprise, as he was nearing exhaustion, Xu Nuo mysteriously returned just as inexplicably as he had left.

With ease, Xu Nuo wiped out all the zombies in front of him, wielding a peachwood sword and engaging in direct physical combat, without relying on any abilities.

The sheer destructive power was enough to drop his jaw. Thinking back, he realized that he had never truly "defeated" Xu Nuo. From the very beginning, Xu Nuo had likely been playing him, a classic case of "a tiger pretending to be a pig" to let him underestimate him.

Before he had time to contemplate further, Xu Nuo led him back to the group. On their way back, Xu Nuo handed each of them three second-tier zombie crystal cores, instructing them to absorb them and recover their abilities.

The requirement was that they absorb the energy while walking. If they hadn't absorbed all the cores by the time they reached their resting spot, Xu Nuo would take back the surplus. However, if they finished early, he would give them more cores to continue absorbing.

Zhu Xiao was stunned when he received the cores. With his current abilities, hunting second-tier zombies was already incredibly difficult. Yet Xu Nuo had casually handed him three cores, which left him shocked.

What shocked him even more was that, after Xu Nuo's request for them to absorb the cores while walking, not a single person in the team objected.

When Zhu Xiao turned to look around, he realized that everyone was indeed following Xu Nuo's instructions and absorbing the energy from the cores. This was almost surreal. After all, absorbing the energy from zombie cores required immense mental concentration, and they had to walk while doing it. How could they possibly stay alert to their surroundings? If zombies attacked at that moment, wouldn't it be like cutting tofu for the zombies?

But seeing the others so absorbed in their task, Zhu Xiao suddenly felt that if he didn't join in, he would be wasting Xu Nuo's generosity by not absorbing the cores.

After all, Xu Nuo had said that any leftover cores would be taken back, so if he could absorb even a little more, it would be an extra gain for him.

Thinking this, he also started absorbing the energy from his crystal cores while walking, only to find that the difficulty was much greater than he had imagined. By the time they reached their resting place, he had barely absorbed one core.

Curious about how the others were faring, Zhu Xiao noticed that he was indeed the slowest among them. Most had already absorbed two cores, while their deputy leader, Lu Shang, had finished three and was working on his fourth.

This left Zhu Xiao in awe. These people were truly out of the ordinary! They couldn't be judged by the usual standards for ability users.

No wonder, despite having similar levels of power, they had been able to deal with the second-tier ability users so swiftly when they were surrounded earlier.

What Zhu Xiao didn't know was that this was just the beginning of his journey to completely reevaluate everything. The time they spent resting was little more than a quick lunch break, and more surprises were in store for him.

As the main group advanced forward, they once again split off into a second small team to gather supplies. This time, the team was led by Park Su, and Zhu Xiao found himself once again assigned to their group.

Zhu Xiao thought they had brought him along to hunt zombies in order to improve his abilities, so he didn't voice any objections.

After all, he had already joined the team, and the only thing he could do now was trust them. They wouldn't risk killing him so soon, especially since he had received payment from them to stay. If they were to dispose of him now, it would be a waste of resources.

Furthermore, Park Su and Xu Nuo were certainly not the types to make a losing deal, so Zhu Xiao kept quiet and followed Park Su out.

As for his "devoted fan," seeing their leader not even resting for long before heading out again, they felt a sense of dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, their protests were as inconsequential as a fart in the eyes of Park Su's team, and they were completely ignored.

When Park Su took Zhu Xiao with him, he didn't push him to fight zombies desperately the way Xu Nuo had. Instead, he instructed Zhu Xiao to stay with the team and help collect supplies until they could carry no more, occasionally offering assistance, like using his space blade.

Though this wasn't particularly difficult, the added pressure of needing to quickly recover his abilities made things more challenging.

Park Su had made it clear to Zhu Xiao that after switching teams, today's hunt would be the last one, and it would be the most dangerous. They might not return until it was completely dark, and if Zhu Xiao's abilities weren't fully recovered, he might struggle to keep up with the team's high-intensity combat and could get injured.

Zhu Xiao had already seen that there were still quite a few second-tier zombies in the area. Although the likelihood of second-tier zombies infecting second-tier ability users was under 50%, it remained a dangerous prospect.

So, in order to avoid injuries, Zhu Xiao focused on recovering his abilities while also assisting the team. Yet, as he did so, he couldn't help but wonder if he had indeed boarded a pirate ship.

Despite his attempts to concentrate, he kept being astonished by Park Su's stunning combat prowess. For one, he finally saw the mutated plant that Park Su was controlling—it was clearly the same blue pothos that had once bound him.

But unlike before, now wherever the blue vine passed, zombie heads fell to the ground, each with a sizable hole where the zombie crystal cores were once housed.

At that moment, Zhu Xiao couldn't help but feel that Park Su had been quite gentle with him, and he silently thanked the heavens that they still saw some value in him. Otherwise, he imagined his own head would probably look just like those zombies'—severed and separated from his neck by now.

What shocked him even more was that, in the midst of precisely controlling this blue mutated plant, Park Su had also summoned another mutated plant.

This plant was one Zhu Xiao was very familiar with: the vine he had used repeatedly. However, it wasn't as thick or powerful as the ones from the lab, and its strength was far weaker than that of the blue vine.

Still, the damage it caused was not to be underestimated.

What was even more surprising was the speed of the vine's movements. If one didn't pay close attention, it would look like a long, spiked snake, slithering with incredible agility through the zombie horde.

Zhu Xiao, having developed his own forces through this very vine, knew it intimately. Even with a fleeting glance, he recognized it instantly—it was the same species as the vines from the lab.

The mutated vine, after wiping out all the zombies in its area, eventually withered into a simple, ordinary dry vine. Zhu Xiao was truly astonished by this transformation.

How had they managed to create such a vine again? The ones from the lab had already turned to ash, and how was Park Su able to control this mutated vine? Moreover, how was he controlling two mutated plants at the same time? Zhu Xiao couldn't help but feel more and more confused about these two. But it also made him realize that perhaps he really hadn't joined the wrong group, as their abilities were far beyond what he had imagined.

For Park Su, this was the first time he had tried to induce mutated plants in the apocalypse, and he had to control them without letting them produce seeds. Naturally, he was a bit worried. If it hadn't been for the assistance of the pothos nearby, helping him deal with the surrounding threats and allowing him to focus entirely on controlling the vine, he wouldn't have dared to try it. Fortunately, the results were quite satisfying.

Though the vine wasn't as strong as the one in the lab, and hadn't evolved intelligence, this actually made it easier for him to control. Despite the relief of success, there was still a lingering tension in his mind, but everything had gone smoothly, and this was his first time successfully controlling a mutated plant in his life.

He also vaguely felt that controlling mutated plants this time seemed much easier than in his previous life, and perhaps that had something to do with his dantian (the energy center in his body), which made the process smoother.

With Park Su handling the zombies, the task of collecting supplies naturally fell to the rest of the team. Since the team members didn't often get a chance to kill zombies, they had more time to gather supplies and throw them into Zhu Xiao's space. By the time they finished their task and returned, Zhu Xiao's space was nearly packed to capacity.

When the group reunited, Xu Nuo simply gave Zhu Xiao a glance and asked indifferently, "So, how's your ability recovery? We have one final supply run today. Do you want to come with us?"

Zhu Xiao's devoted fan, hearing that their leader would be dragged along for another mission without any rest, couldn't help but feel an urge to protest.

However, before they could make a move, Xu Nuo's overwhelming pressure was released, and they instantly froze, too scared to even glance in his direction.

Zhu Xiao, standing closest to Xu Nuo, wasn't the target of his pressure, but as a peak second-tier ability user, he still couldn't help but feel a deep, instinctual fear when Xu Nuo released his aura.

So, he obediently answered, "I've been helping them pack supplies, so my ability's only recovered about 50%. The vice-captain said the final mission tonight will be dangerous, and I'm worried that I might not be able to handle it. But... I'm still really curious about what you're planning for this final sweep."

Xu Nuo seemed slightly displeased at his response. "Next time, I hope you can recover more. My principle is not to bring dead weight along. I don't want you to become a liability for the team!"

He then glanced at the group before continuing, "Tonight, I'll try to take you with me. However, no matter how much of your ability you've recovered, you need to use every bit of it. If you understand, then go load all the supplies in your space onto the truck and get ready. We're heading out."

Zhu Xiao, now more certain that this final mission would be something intense, couldn't help but feel a mix of anxiety and excitement. The stakes were clearly higher than ever, and he was both eager and apprehensive to see just how dangerous this final supply run would be.