Chapter 20: A New Weapon

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Lin Qingqing found it somewhat amusing, but seeing that the young soldier bore no ill intent, she raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m 28 this year—you should call me sister.”

“Huh?”

Watching the young soldier dumbfounded, Lin Qingqing smiled and patted his shoulder. “Keep it up, little brother!”

With that, she waved her hand and turned to go elsewhere.

Left alone, the young soldier scratched his head. “Impossible. She looks barely in her early twenties. Could it be that all those with abilities look younger?”

The distraction caused him to forget the little thoughts he had before.

Ignoring the young soldier’s confusion, Lin Qingqing noted that the zombies on the third floor had mostly been dealt with by the team members. If she wanted to kill more zombies, she would have to head to the backyard.

The backyard of this farmhouse was much larger than the front yard, featuring a small vegetable garden where seasonal fresh vegetables were planted, along with two or three fruit trees whose varieties were indistinct at the moment.

In one corner of the backyard was a small pond, surrounded by many cages that likely housed chickens, ducks, and fish, though now they were all gone.

Additionally, the kitchen and communal restroom were located here.

Lin Qingqing charged forward, slashing down a zombie in an apron from the vegetable garden, her mind replaying what Xiao Pengfei had said earlier:

“Among abilities, apart from metal-based ones, other elemental powers aren’t well-suited to attaching to weapons—unless the weapon is forged specifically for the user with special metals. Otherwise, ordinary metals can’t endure the constant energy attachment.”

“My ice ability can’t bond with regular weapons, so does that mean I can only attack from a distance?”

Lin Qingqing frowned. Actually, there was another method: to directly condense her ice ability into a weapon, just like the trident from her dream.

“That young man’s sword earlier was quite nice.”

A spark of inspiration lit up in Lin Qingqing’s mind.

She lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment, then stretched out her hands, imagining the beautiful Tang-style sword she had just seen. A wave of icy chill surged forth, and after a moment, a blade over two feet long slowly materialized in her hands.

She grabbed the sword and swung it forcefully, then adjusted its length and weight until satisfied.

“Ice powers are wonderful—you can make any weapon or tool you want.” Lin Qingqing held the ice sword, reluctant to let go.

“Didn’t expect it to be so effective!”

As expected from a weapon forged by her own ability, this ice sword fit her perfectly, as if custom-made.

She felled a zombie with a slash and looked at the blade. Although it showed slight wear, it was nothing serious. With a shake of the blade, a breath of cold swept over it, restoring the edge to its original state.

“Killing zombies this way can greatly conserve my energy, and I don’t even have to worry about weapon wear. Very convenient.”

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With a more suitable ice sword in hand, the heavy cleaver seemed rather cumbersome.

As long as she had abilities, weapons were never lacking. Lin Qingqing decisively abandoned the heavy cleaver. Not having to carry a weapon constantly significantly lightened her burden.

She wandered through the backyard, testing her new weapon on zombies, all of which caught Zhou Mang’s attention and fueled his fury.

Destroying a beautiful and powerful woman excited him far more than merely killing an enemy. At this moment, even Zhou Mang himself couldn’t tell whether his feelings stemmed from hatred or a twisted desire.

Recalling Qian Mao’s earlier suggestion, Zhou Mang licked his lips with his blood-red tongue. “That kid Qian Mao isn’t a good person either. Though his strength isn’t much, he’s clever.”

Since the apocalypse, Zhou Mang had killed many. While others struggled to survive, he thrived. “What apocalypse? This should be paradise.”

Suddenly, Lin Qingqing sensed a sinister gaze upon her, like a parasite clinging relentlessly to her.

No one but Zhou Mang would look at her that way!

A chill ran through Lin Qingqing’s heart as she immediately sheathed her sword and returned to the group.

“Zhou Mang hasn’t found a chance to strike all this time; tonight he surely won’t let up!”

Though nervous, Lin Qingqing was not afraid. She had gained enough strength to confront Zhou Mang in battle, no longer the desperate fugitive she once was. One-on-one, she was unafraid. If he struck in numbers, Captain Xiao would surely intervene.

Calming her mind, Lin Qingqing went to discuss a plan with Xiao Pengfei and the others.

Compared to Zhou Mang, Xiao Pengfei would certainly stand by Lin Qingqing’s side. As a soldier, he despised those who abused their powers to wreak havoc.

Upon hearing that Zhou Mang might act tonight, Xiao Pengfei arranged for Lin Qingqing’s room to be the innermost one, with the four adjacent rooms occupied by their own team members.

Xiao Pengfei’s group numbered twelve, and with Lin Qingqing, they occupied five rooms. Others, understanding the situation, sought out companions to share rooms.

Thus, the three-story building with thirty-six suites housed over a hundred people tightly packed.

Originally, Shi Kai had hoped to leverage his relationship with Captain Xiao to arrange for his girlfriend and sister to stay in Lin Qingqing’s room, but both were firmly rejected.

It was a joke—tonight might see a fierce battle; there was no way to involve unrelated parties.

Though well-intentioned, Shi Kai could not understand. He looked at Lin Qingqing with disapproval. “Miss, these are extraordinary times. Rooms are scarce. Don’t you think it’s too much to monopolize one?”

“Do I? I don’t think so.” Lin Qingqing rolled her eyes inwardly. Their arrangement was purely to guard against Zhou Mang, but she couldn’t say that outright.

She only hoped the guy would be sensible and not cause trouble. It wouldn’t benefit either side.

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But Shi Kai clearly thought otherwise. He believed Lin Qingqing was playing favorites. They were both residents of Furong District, both had accompanied Captain Xiao to Rong City Base; they should receive equal treatment.

Moreover, he himself was an ability user. Was it just because she was a somewhat attractive woman?

Shi Kai was dissatisfied. He hadn’t joined Captain Xiao in clearing zombies earlier, arriving only after the area was secured with his family.

So he didn’t know that Lin Qingqing was also an ability user.

When his suggestion was so casually dismissed by Lin Qingqing, his disappointment felt as heavy as a mountain.

Even his gratitude and respect for Xiao Pengfei vanished without a trace because of this “preferential treatment.”

“Fine, fine. I, Shi Kai, finally understand today—there’s no justice in this world. I may be weaker now, but someday I will...”

“Time’s late. Get some rest. Tomorrow at first light, we move out!”

Before he could finish, Xiao Pengfei cut him off. How could they keep arguing and still get sleep? His team had worked hard all day and were exhausted, with no patience for such nonsense.

Shi Kai was instantly silenced, instinctively wanting to retort but dared not after seeing Xiao Pengfei’s dark expression.

Lin Qingqing had half expected a cutting remark like, “Fortunes change over time; don’t belittle the youth in their poverty.”

Unfortunately, this was not a drama, and not every young person had the chance or courage to utter such words.

Shi Kai, cowed by Xiao Pengfei’s gaze, was about to leave but still couldn’t resist a final jab at Lin Qingqing: “One must rely on oneself to go far. Clinging to men leads nowhere. Take care.”

Without looking back, he walked away.

Lin Qingqing: “...”

Was that an insult? Ha!

Lin Qingqing laughed in exasperation, while Xiao Pengfei’s already dark face turned even darker, as if it might drip ink.

Was this man out of his mind? Was he blind from the start to think this was a promising young man?