Chapter 61: Into a Post-Apocalyptic Superpower Novel, Day 13

Chapter 61: Day Thirteen in a Doomsday Superpower Novel

Through countless cycles of pushing himself to the limit, freezing, and storing, An Yi's control over his ability improved at an astonishing rate.

This kind of training under life-and-death pressure was far more effective than daily practice.

More than an hour passed slowly amidst the intense standoff.

Everyone's faces turned pale from the massive consumption of mental energy.

Just as An Yi felt he was about to reach his limit, the familiar roar of an engine came from the sky.

Several heavy off-road vehicles, clearly heavily modified and painted with the symbol of Liao Yuan Base, sped over.

The convoy executed a sharp drift and came to a stop. The lead car's door swung open, and a nimble, bold figure leaped out—it was Ji Qin!

She still had her same neat crew cut, dressed in a combat suit, her bright face showing weariness but no loss of sharpness.

Her eyes immediately locked onto the terrifying area struggling and writhing between ice and green, and her brows instantly furrowed.

"Is this it?" Her voice had a hint of hoarseness. "So disgusting."

Ji Zishi stepped forward and gave a concise report, "...Fire can kill it, but its regeneration rate is too fast. We need continuous flamethrowers. Low temperatures can temporarily slow its growth."

Ji Qin's gaze swept over the pale-faced crowd, her eyes solemn. "I understand. Good job."

She suddenly remembered Que Xiuqi's earlier research report, feeling that this thing's appearance was somehow connected.

It was an inexplicable intuition.

She quickly shook off the distracting thoughts. The most important thing now was to completely eliminate the threat before them.

As soon as she received the request for reinforcements, she gathered as many fire-type ability users nearby as possible and brought the maximum supply of flamethrowers.

Now, she waved her hand decisively, signaling the reinforcements she brought to immediately take over the exhausted Second Squad members and form a new encirclement.

Without a moment's hesitation, she strode forward.

Buzz—!

A wave of scorching heat instantly spread out from her, creating a stark contrast with the chill emanating from An Yi.

In her palm, white-gold flames leaped, wild and fierce, making everyone around shudder.

"Burn these damn things clean!" Ji Qin shouted, and the others joined in.

The white-gold flames roared out, precisely covering the writhing fungal mats.

Burned by the white-gold flames, the fungal mats were different from before—they seemed to have met their true nemesis. They twisted and contracted wildly but could not stop the flames' penetration.

Wherever the flames passed, the fungal mats melted and decomposed like snow under sunlight, rose as wisps of pale smoke that dissipated into the air, leaving no trace behind.

Although the corroded ground remained damaged, no new moss-like fungal mats sprouted.

An Yi leaned against the tire of a heavy off-road vehicle, a slight smile on his lips. So that's what made the female lead's flames different. He noticed that other fire ability users could also kill the fungal mats, but the effect was similar to his ice—needing constant output.

Only Ji Qin's flames turned the fungus to ash on contact, must be because of the purifying energy in her power.

Working together, the battle dragged on for two full hours.

When they chased it underground and the last patch of writhing dark green turned into curling smoke in Ji Qin's white-gold flames, the entire underground area and surrounding streets were a mess.

The ground was pitted and scarred with frozen and burned marks, but the suffocating dread and strange, sweet smell were finally gone.

Ji Qin slowly retracted her ability, beads of sweat forming on her forehead—clearly a significant drain, she was nearly spent.

And at that moment, the comment section that only An Yi could see went crazy:

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Husband!"

"Wife!"

"Badass!"

"Ji Qin, An Yi, Ji Zishi: Hey! Mutant fungal mat! What are you doing here? Idiot! This is my turf! (cringey dance)"

"You weren't invited here! (pointing forward with both hands, crouch then jump back)"

"Is this comment section bullying?!"

"Ji Qin: I'm not some delicate queen; I've got plenty of strength and ways."

"..."

After everyone finished cleaning up, they decided to rest there for two hours before heading back to base.

Ji Qin looked tired. She walked over to An Yi and casually sat down on the ground.

She ran a hand over her short crew cut, and despite the weariness on her face, she still flashed her trademark bold, carefree smile and playfully nudged An Yi with her shoulder. "Hey, didn't see that coming! You're pretty damn strong!"

An Yi was just opening his water bottle. Hearing this, he turned his head and replied with a tired but gentle smile. "Still way behind you."

Ji Qin shrugged. She didn't bring up that her ability had a purifying effect—that was a tacit secret between her and Que Xiuqi.

She just grinned. "Don't give me that crap! Strong's strong. We're both awesome; no need for modesty!"

An Yi laughed genuinely at her no-nonsense attitude and nodded. "You're right."

Ji Qin laughed heartily and gave An Yi a firm slap on the back, making him sway a little.

Ji Zishi, sitting on An Yi's other side, watched all this closely.

He saw how natural and easy they were with each other, saw the relaxed smile on An Yi's face, and his usual cheerful smile faded without him realizing it.

Something inexplicably lodged in his chest, heavy and bitter.

But he pushed the feeling down, wondering if he was just being too possessive of his friend.

Why should he be upset just because An Yi was hitting it off with someone else?

Besides, Ji Qin had a boyfriend—what's his problem?

Wait... no! What did Ji Qin having a boyfriend have to do with it?

Was he losing it?

Ji Zishi was getting annoyed by these random, senseless thoughts. He shook his head hard, trying to get rid of them.

But when he looked up and saw An Yi and Ji Qin chatting happily, he opened his mouth a few times to jump in but couldn't get a word in.

Ji Zishi: ...

He silently closed his mouth, a subtle feeling of being left out creeping in, making him unconsciously purse his lips.

He was feeling a bit down.