Small meteors turned into meteorites scatter into tiny pieces as they fall, becoming mere small black stones glowing faintly with cold light. But the larger meteorite, with its blazing tail flame, was so intense that even from a distance, one could feel the scorching heat.
As the meteorite was about to strike Han Li, the blazing tail flame quickly covered his entire body. Flames ignited all over him, and within moments, Han Li was engulfed in a fiery blaze, appearing from afar like a human fireball.
The heat was unbearable, and every part of his body felt as if it were being torn apart.
Han Li awoke from the pain, his eyes opening to reveal that he was in a sea of flames. Panic-stricken, he tried to stand and flee, only to find that his body was immobile. More terrifyingly, he realized that he wasn't lying in a sea of flames; instead, his own body was burning, with every inch of his skin, even his hair, covered in fire.
How could this be happening?
Was he going to die? He thought in bewilderment.
His fingers, marked with scratches from weeds, were glowing white, invisible to Han Li. At the moment the white light appeared, the yellow flames began to fade and shrink, but soon, the flames turned yellow-green, flaring up again and again, rising and falling several times, but never extinguishing.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, his body was turning blackened by the fire, but within a second, the blackened skin started to peel away, revealing new white flesh underneath, replacing the layer of dead blackened skin. This cycle continued, with the new skin burning for increasingly longer periods, turning to charcoal for longer, and the new flesh growing more slowly.
Internally, cells underwent rapid metabolism, and blood flowed at an extremely fast rate throughout every part of his body. Wherever the blood flowed, the burning internal cells were being renewed. Each time the blood passed through his right hand's fingers, a small burst of white or black light merged into the blood, slowly being absorbed.
This process continued, with the color of the flames constantly changing. Eventually, when the new flesh stopped burning, the flames turned white and gradually merged into Han Li's body.
As the flames died out, Han Li's body returned to its original state. He found that he could move again, but this did not bring him any joy. The strange fire had not burned him to death, which was surprising, but more pressing was that his clothes were completely burned away!
Not even his underwear remained; he was entirely naked, sitting in the wilderness. The ground beneath him, previously covered with weeds, had been burned clean, leaving the soil blackened.
Even his wristwatch was completely incinerated, not leaving a trace. This fire was indeed peculiar.
At that moment, a distant light appeared—flashlights, footsteps, and voices calling out. Han Li immediately recognized his senior's voice and his colleagues from the police force. Han Li glanced at himself and grew increasingly grim. Without hesitation, he walked over to the fugitive and stripped him of his clothes, leaving only a pair of oversized shorts.
After dressing in the stolen clothes, Han Li inspected his body closely. He found no injuries, not even scars from earlier scratches or from the weeds. His skin had not changed much in color but felt slightly harder.
For instance, when he stood barefoot on the grass and walked around, stepping on sharp stones did not leave any wounds on his feet, and he felt no pain.
The grass that had been in his pockets was burned away, so Han Li went to a nearby area and gathered a new batch of grass. This time, it was remarkably easy, and he stuffed the grass into his pockets.
The meteor shower continued in the sky.
Five minutes later, Han Li's senior and his team arrived at the scene. From afar, they saw Han Li standing straight in noticeably short clothes, barefoot, and looking up at the meteor shower with a scholarly air.
His senior walked over, patting Han Li's shoulder heavily and saying, "How come you didn't answer your phone? I called you a dozen times, all unable to connect. And why are you dressed like this, barefoot? Did you lose your shoes while chasing the fugitive?"
With a playful look, his senior continued, "You look ridiculous."
"Senior, look at this." Han Li ignored his senior's teasing and pulled out some grass from his pocket, selecting the sharpest piece and lightly scratching it across his senior's fingertip. Instantly, a drop of blood appeared. "This grass from around here doesn't seem ordinary. I think there's something strange about it."
His senior's expression grew serious as he examined the grass and instructed his subordinates, "You two, gather more samples and collect some from other nearby trees as well. We need to take it back to the bureau for analysis."
The others split into pairs, scattered to collect samples.
Soon, Han Li discovered something unusual about himself. In the darkness, he could clearly hear conversations from up to 100 meters away and see things clearly within 50 meters if he focused, unaffected by the darkness. Objects within 500 meters were faintly visible.
Ten minutes later, everyone returned with the fugitive and the collected samples, and they departed from the area.
"A Li, you're going back barefoot? This is the wilderness, and there are sharp stones and debris that could hurt your feet."
"The bureau brought a car, so it's just a short distance. It's fine."
"Your outfit looks awful. You'll have to walk home from the car. Aren't you worried about what people will think?" His senior kept teasing him along the way.
"..."
Han Li thought his senior was just making conversation, so he eventually ignored him. However, ever since being struck by the meteor, Han Li had maintained a stern expression and remained expressionless on the way home.
Of course, he borrowed a set of clothes from his senior upon returning to the bureau, but the personnel there couldn't help but smile at his 'appearance'. Had they not been so intimidated by Han Li's demeanor, they might have taken photos.
Han Li thought to himself: It's a good thing that today's embarrassment wasn't witnessed by his subordinates, or he would be a subject of ridicule for a lifetime.
The poor fugitive, upon waking and discovering himself stripped to only oversized shorts, was left in a state of utter despair. In the prison, he glared fiercely at his fellow inmates, wondering which of them had dared to take advantage of him! At least he had woken up in time!
Experience counts.
Today, Lin Bing thoroughly understood the meaning of this phrase. While consulting with her father, her grandfather merely listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a few seemingly casual remarks that hit the most critical points. Lin Bing nearly stumbled over her answers, realizing too late that she had been outwitted, as she spoke too freely in the presence of family and let her guard down.
After answering, Lin Bing regretted her loose lips.
Sure, here's the translated text:
"Grandpa, can we still have fun together?"
"..."
"Do you know how many major bases exist in the end times? What are their scales?" — This is Grandpa's question.
"... I think there are four well-known major bases, and some smaller ones. I don't remember the specifics." — Lin Bing.
"..."
"..."
"What are the main categories of abilities, and how are they used?"
"Natural abilities, control abilities, animal abilities, and plant abilities... I only saw these types. I don't know how to use them, but it seems that the higher the mental power, the stronger and more accurate the control over the abilities. — Lin Bing, sweating continuously."
"..."
"..."
"What are the characteristics of zombies? Did you get more detailed information in your dreams?"
"Zombies can upgrade. It seems that zombies have crystal cores in their brains, with level-one zombies having level-one crystal cores, level-two and level-three ones accordingly. Abilities users can use the crystal cores inside zombies to upgrade, but the crystal cores come in different types. Some can be used by humans, and some cannot. If an unusable core is used, the abilities user will turn into a zombie. Also, abilities users have energy cores in their brains, which display different colors based on the abilities. I saw in a dream that abilities users use energy cores to upgrade." — Lin Bing provided a very detailed answer on this point.
"..."
"..."
Time passed unknowingly as they chatted.
Finally, Lin Bing's eyelids drooped, and she yawned, saying to her father and grandfather, "Grandpa, Dad, I really don't remember all the details from the dream. Stop asking me, the more I think about it, the more confused I get." She even rubbed her face.
The sky outside was already pitch black, and the meteor shower had long ended.
Perhaps Grandpa and Dad also felt it was enough; they finally stopped asking Lin Bing questions.
The three of them left the gym together.
Lin Bing was on the third floor, while Grandpa and Dad were on the second. When Lin Bing arrived and was about to head to her room, she suddenly remembered something, ignoring her fatigue. She turned around and grabbed her grandfather's sleeve, saying, "Grandpa, you're the best. Help me find a mentor who can improve my physical abilities." She looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned in and whispered, "If the end times are real, I need to get my body in shape and learn some self-defense skills to be able to run."
Grandpa Lin, his beard bristling, pointed at Lin Bing's forehead and scolded her, "You little girl, are you worried that this old bone of mine can't protect you?!"
Lin Bing shrank back and muttered, "Of course I know I'm safe with the Lin family, but just in case!" She then looked at her grandfather with a hopeful expression.
"Alright, alright!" Grandpa Lin thought carefully about Lin Bing's words and agreed. When it comes to his own grandchildren, Grandpa Lin sometimes acted like a big kid.
Lin Bing, satisfied, went back to her room to sleep.
Rarely, she gave her grandfather and father goodnight kisses on the cheek.
"Second Son, you should go rest first. We'll talk about everything tomorrow." Grandpa Lin's gaze was sharp; he thought more and further, considering family matters, the younger generation's issues, and survival.
"Yes, Father." After talking with Lin Bing, Lin's father was deeply affected. Although her answers were simple, they contained a lot of useful information. In the end times, humanity's enemies include not only zombies but all creatures, and possibly even other humans.
In the gym.
In the darkness, a figure emerged, waiting until the lights on the third and second floors were turned off before daring to sneak out. He tiptoed down the stairs and returned to his room.