(Lirean Province- Capitol City)
(Eastern District- Xia's Gas Station)
Qin Lan crouched down behind a car as she slowly approached a female zombie that was feasting on a dead body.
The zombie could not have been older than twenty before it was transformed and now it was nothing but a mindless beast.
Disgusting chewing sounds filled the air as the monster tore into the flesh of the decomposing body and began to consume chunks of meat.
Qin Lan tightly gripped her knife and bent her knees in preparation.
In one smooth motion, she leapt up from behind the car and stabbed at the zombie's neck.
Her blade easily penetrated its flesh and the zombie's head was decapitated from its body. Qin Lan stepped on the still blinking head and crushed it using her right foot.
She let out a heavy sigh of relief before bending down to collect the purplish-black crystal that glowed eerily in the darkness.
"Eve did you kill the rest?" Qin Lan softly called out as she stared at the woman playing with her fingernails in the distance.
"Yeah… there are no more…" Eve replied absentmindedly.
The zombie empress shook her hand twice to get rid of the black blood that was sticking to her palm.
"Okay I'll get the boys first then the girls…. just keep an eye on things here and let me know if something goes wrong," Qin Lan spoke softly.
"Stay… safe, okay? Don't take any risks…"
Eve nodded in acknowledgement and began to scan the nearby surroundings for any potential threats.
This gas station was in the middle of a somewhat underpopulated area of the city so there weren't many zombies around.
The reason why they had stopped was quite simple, everyone needed a small break to go to the bathroom.
Yep, just because an apocalypse happened didn't mean that people were suddenly free of their bodily functions.
At least it was fortunate that they had found this abandoned gas station otherwise the only other alternative would be to go on the side of the road or break into someone's house.
Qin Lan walked over to the parked van and opened the door. She waved her hand and gestured for the boys to get out.
"Alright so just to repeat myself… Chen Xiao and Qin Wei… you are both going to the bathroom first and I will accompany you and stand guard outside," Qin Lan explained calmly.
"Take some water to wash your hands and use the toilet paper that Liu Yifei has in her storage space.'
"Don't worry… I will make sure that nothing happens but please be quick so that the girls can get their turn…"
"Got it," Chen Xiao replied seriously as his hands trembled slightly.
He was putting on a brave act but the thought of going outside did scare him a little bit.
"Sure," Qin Wei replied bluntly as he walked out of the van holding two bottles of water.
Qin Lan opened her mouth to remind him that one was probably enough but eventually changed her mind.
Maybe it was a number two situation…
She nodded at the girls and then closed the door once the boys had left the van.
She made sure that it was properly locked and then smiled at Gong Li who was still trying her best not to blush as she whispered something to Liu Yifei.
Clearly her brother had some competition!
"This way…" Qin Lan muttered quietly as she pointed at a certain direction and then walked forward.
Chen Xiao and Qin Wei followed closely behind as she headed towards the back of the gas station where there were several large porta- potties.
These were large blue containers with a small toilet inside, clearly the owner was a bit cheap or perhaps he died early but there was a very unpleasant scent lingering in the air.
Qin Lan hesitantly grabbed one of the handles and pulled slowly.
The door swung open to reveal and a bare bones toilet with a small sink in the corner of the container.
"Go ahead… I'll be standing outside," Qin Lan spoke gently as she moved away and tried her best not to gag.
The foul scent was even worse up close. There were really few things more disgusting in life than gas station bathrooms…
"Is this really the only option?" Qin Wei complained as he held his nose and backed away from the open porta-potty.
"I'm afraid so… but if you think you got it rough… us girls have it even worse…" Qin Lan replied grimly as her brows furrowed.
Chen Xiao stepped into the mobile toilet and closed the door behind him.
Qin Wei fiddled with something in his pocket before opening up another porta-potty and stepping inside.
Qin Lan moved a short distance away to give the boys some privacy and looked up at the night sky.
It was filled with thousands of beautiful stars blinking and winking in and out of existence.
This was her second world and even though she could not remember her first assignment…
Qin Lan wondered if she had spent any time in her last life appreciating just how lucky she was.
Even if she failed her mission and was sent back to the white void, just meeting Eve would be a blessing that made this experience worth it.
Once they got to safety…. Qin Lan planned to have a long chat with the beautiful girl and confess her true feelings.
Life was too short not to go for the wonderful opportunity that was there for the taking.
A small smile flashed across Qin Lan's lips as she stared off into the distance with a bright future on her mind.
.
.
.
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(Inside the Portal Toilet)
Qin Wei nervously unscrewed the cap off the bottle of water in his hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the purplish- black crystal.
The crystal shone with an almost hypnotic light and Qin Wei could not help but be attracted by how beautiful it was.
In the confined space all he could hear were the sounds of his heart beating steadily as nervous thoughts surfaced in his mind.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Qin Wei's fingers stroked the surface of the crystal which felt cold to touch.
His eyes were fixated on the crystal and his body shifted from side to side as he continued to hesitate.
Was this a mistake?
Qin Wei frowned slightly as he remembered his sister's words not to ingest the crystals unless he felt a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest.
No… she was definitely lying!
Qin Lan didn't want him to develop a supernatural ability and the reason was quite simple in Qin Wei's mind.
She was clearly afraid that he would obtain a more powerful gift than hers!
Who did she think she was? Why was she always so selfish?
Qin Wei's eyes narrowed as he felt rage bubbling up in his heart. He tilted the water bottle downwards and washed the crystal carefully.
He used the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the bits of pinkish flesh and dried blood covering the crystal's outer surface.
The handsome young teenager mustered up all the courage in his heart and quickly tossed the crystal in his mouth and swallowed before he could change his mind.
"Ahhhhh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Qin Wei shrieked in pain as he felt as though his body was being torn apart from the inside.
He crouched down on the floor and held his sides as the urge to vomit got stronger and stronger.
Qin Wei couldn't even scream anymore as only a dull moaning sound left his lips.
He trembled like a leaf and his body convulsed like he was going into shock.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Minutes or maybe even hours passed as Qin Wei tried his best not to pass out.
He could hear the sound of frantic knocking on the door and soon a familiar voice came from the outside.
"Are you okay? What was that noise?" Qin Lan asked with concern evident in her voice.
"I… I'm fine… just… have… a bit of… constipation…" Qin Wei managed to yell with great effort as he dug his fingernails into his palm to keep from screaming.
"Oh… I'm sorry bro…" Qin Lan apologised politely.
Qin Wei heard her footsteps moving away from the door and finally relaxed.
The pain had now turned into a dull ache, and it felt as though he had just been run over by a truck.
It hurt to move…
Qin Wei gradually got up from the ground once his body had partially recovered and stretched out his arms curiously.
He could not feel any warm or fuzzy feeling in chest nor any unpleasant side effects from ingesting the crystal.
Was it a failure?
Qin Wei slammed his fist against the side of the portable toilet in rage and was amazed to see that a layer of frost appeared where his hand had just punched.
"I… I have an ability… I HAVE AN ABILITY!" Qin Wei laughed madly as he focused his mind and the layer of ice got thicker.
He didn't notice at the time but the corner of one of his eyes was slowly turning black…