Tang Zheng slept straight through till the next day's noon. Upon waking up, instead of rushing out, he sat on the bed to feel his newly acquired ability. He now understood that the massive information that had surged into his mind the previous day was the legacy of the Golden Seed, recording everything about the seed.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Zheng allowed his mind to calm down. Following a moment of concentration and tranquility, the life energy inside his body began to surge like a tidal wave, covering his entire body in faint layers of gold as if draped in veils.
The ability was activated by the seed, while the launch and duration of the ability required a type of life energy known as Chi. Ordinary people also possess Chi, just too faint to be noticeable. The denser and stronger the Chi, the healthier and stronger the person.
Tang Zheng felt as if his body was like a lost traveler in the desert who had just drunk from the spring in the oasis, suddenly brimming with power. It seemed like every inch of his skin and muscle were singing in unison. He couldn't control himself anymore. He leaped off the bed, punching towards the wall.
After a loud boom, Tang Zheng shook his hand, which had scraped skin and was hissing in pain. However, he also laughed because of a spiderweb-like crack that had appeared on the previously smooth white wall - the result of his punch.
"My strength indeed has doubled," Tang Zheng was somewhat excited. This was precisely a physical enhancement. He tested his jumping ability, which had slightly improved. However, these weren't what mattered most. He silently murmured, 'Furious Queen', and released his ability.
A golden Venetian mask pinned with jewels and black swan feathers appeared out of thin air and then, a woman with golden brown wavy hair knelt on one knee in front of Tang Zheng as if swearing allegiance to him. Consequently, she stood up and put the mask on her fair face.
The spectacle of the ability's activation bewildered Tang Zheng, especially the fleeting glance in which he found out that the woman bore a striking resemblance to the French Rose Sophie Marceau, leaving him in a stupefied state.
"Do you have a name?" Tang Zheng felt silly asking this question.
The woman didn't respond. After putting on the mask, she stood still, revealing only a pair of clear, melancholic brown eyes. She was tall, her feet inside white knee-high boots trimmed with golden thread and silver lining. She wore tight riding breeches and a lapelled shirt covered by a leather jacket decorated with clover-leaf straps. The fullness of her chest allowed only the bottom two buttons to be fastened.
The Baroque attire was incredibly retro, making her seem as if she had walked out right from a medieval European painting. Nevertheless, what interested Tang Zheng more was her combat power.
Two cowhide belts wrapped around her waist in an X shape held a rapier, deer-skin ammunition box, a small firearm, and a dagger. A silver musket, inlaid and decorated, rested on her shoulder while her gloved right hand held it.
"Firearm? Seems like the bullet-loading process would be slow," Tang shrugged. Though the woman was utterly fascinating, even considering the European standard, she was an unmatched beauty. Nevertheless, her combat power seemed rather low.
Seemingly sensing Tang Zheng's disappointment, the female musketeer gave her right hand a flick, and the silver musket jumped into the air, followed by a dizzying series of gun-flourishing movements. The rhythmic sounds of her firing the gun were as melodious as one of Chopin's waltzes.
"Certainly flamboyant enough," Tang Zheng had just commented when the muzzle of the silver gun was pressed against his forehead, with him even being able to see the six rifling grooves inside the gun barrel.
"Just kidding," Tang Zheng knocked the gun barrel away with his hand and returned to the bed, examining the female musketeer from top to bottom.
'Furious Queen' has six abilities in total, any of which can be used randomly for a duration of five minutes every hour. After seeing this beautiful female musketeer, Tang Zheng began to look forward to the other five abilities. However, those abilities require the activation of more seeds, and this summoned musketeer ability can be upgraded. If he absorbs another golden seed of the same type, he can summon two musketeers at a time.
Sophie stood with her gun near the door, acting like a vigilant bodyguard. However, she was a bit too quiet, which was a waste of her charming lips.
"From now on, I'll call you Sophie Marceau. If you don't object, I'll take your silence as your agreement." Tang Zheng's mischievous side emerged. He fancied the idea of showing off this beautiful woman who strikingly resembled the French actress to his buddies who were always lurking around the library entrance, hoping to bump into pretty girls. But he quickly dismissed the thought, picked up his travel bag, and left the bedroom.
The suite had three bedrooms and a living room. Zhao Jingye, Kang Songde, Xu Lu and three flight attendants she was friendly with occupied one bedroom. The remaining six flight attendants shared the other room. Lin Weiguo, the bald man, the high school student, and the maintenance worker were left in the living room. As Tang Zheng stepped out of his room, he saw them lying on sofas, snoring loudly.
Hearing the faint noise, Lin Weiguo jolted up and looked around vigilantly. When he saw that it was Tang Zheng, he heaved a sigh of relief.
"You're already awake? Why don't you take a nap?" Lin Weiguo tossed him a bag of sausages.
The maintenance worker rubbed his eyes and sat up, greeting Tang Zheng. The high school student and the bald man turned over and continued sleeping. Qin Yan and Li Xinlan came out upon hearing Tang Zheng's voice, while the bedroom door to Zhao Jingye and the others remained closed.
Tang Zheng ignored them and moved towards a tea table where the food was set. He opened his travel bag and started stuffing sausages inside. This startled Li Xinlan. She hurriedly ran over to him and pretended to offer help, asking "What are you up to? We're safer when we stick together."
"Haha, you're so worried about him leaving, don't you worry. My chest is also very reliable, do you want to try it?" The bald man was teasing Li Xinlan. He found the young woman more appealing as he saw her skillful manners. It was a pity, however, that she only had eyes for Tang Zheng.
"Tang Zheng, tell us whatever you're planning. After all, we have been through hardships together." Qin Yan's eyebrows knitted, practically looking like a tight knot.
"I plan to check out the hotel's security room. It's a personal endeavor, so you guys don't need to risk coming with me." Tang Zheng glanced at the others, feeling a little disappointed. He didn't buy that no one else was awake in those bedrooms. Yet, no one devised to join the conversation, clearly not wanting to partake in his plans.
"You're just courting death. Or is it that you're a masochist who only enjoys fighting with zombies?" The bald man was full of complaints and mockery.
"He wants to use the surveillance to check the current situation of the Oasis Hotel occupied by zombies, right? Well, maybe he could also get some weapons, after all, Americans are allowed to buy guns privately." Qin Yan thought quickly and eased her worries when she realized that Tang Zheng was not planning to leave alone.
"I'm going." Li Xinlan immediately expressed her willingness and even picked up the blood-stained firefighter axe without any hesitation.
"Why, so you can be a burden?" The high school student was discontented with the flight attendants' attitude towards Tang Zheng. He muttered, "What's the big deal? Next time when we're in danger, I won't be helping them."
"Anyone else want to come?" Tang Zheng looked at the others, waiting for them to sign up. Apart from what Qin Yan suggested, he had other motives for this mission.