The scene was indeed quite bizarre, and Park Su really didn't want his car to be taken by others, especially since he had only rented this one car. What's more, they were currently at a small market. If he lost the car here, he would have to walk back, not to mention the dangers along the way, just thinking about the distance would take him until nightfall.
So, without a word, he took advantage of the zombies not noticing him yet and rushed towards the driver's seat, quickly taking out three of them. He then saw that the person in his car wasn't sitting in the driver's seat, which slightly reassured him that at least the person had no intention of stealing the car.
However, his actions thoroughly enraged the zombies that were originally surrounding the car. They immediately started to converge on Park Su. He had no intention of getting entangled with them, quickly dispatching the three closest zombies, and then moved towards his car door, only to be repelled by some force.
He couldn't help but frown, and then he realized that the zombies hadn't been able to touch his car either. He immediately thought that the person in the car must have tampered with it. If he couldn't get into the car while the zombies were gathering around him, it wouldn't be good news.
He furrowed his brows, wondering if the guy inside had awakened an air-type ability, creating a protective shield using air. If that was the case, he would have to break through forcefully. After all, in Park Su's view, when it came to abilities, probably not many could surpass him now; breaking this barrier shouldn't be too hard.
He quickly channeled his wood-type ability, covering his defensive knife with a faint green glow, and then struck the barrier. He expected it to break easily, but to his surprise, there was no sound of shattering; instead, his hand was numbed by the recoil of the barrier.
What was even more shocking was that his wood-type ability was directly reflected back, pushing both him and the nearby zombies back several steps. Park Su silently thanked his luck for being in constant readiness; otherwise, this shock might have injured him and sent him tumbling into the zombie horde. However, his actions also caused half of the zombies around the car to fall, allowing him to see clearly that the source of the barrier was a yellow talisman on his car. Although Park Su didn't understand talismans, something capable of blocking his second-tier ability and reflecting all that energy was clearly valuable. Since it was on his car, it naturally belonged to him. Taking advantage of the moment before the zombies recovered, he withdrew his attack and tried to peel off the talisman, which surprisingly came off easily. He quickly opened the car door, threw his luggage onto the back seat, dealt with a few more attacking zombies, got in the car, started the engine, and drove away, knocking over the surrounding zombies.
Halfway through, Park Su noticed more zombies on the road than before. Although his car was sturdy, he was reluctant to damage it further, knowing he would need it for future travels. Remembering the talisman he had tossed aside, he picked it up and reattached it to the car window, thinking to test if it still worked.
To his surprise, it was effective. Zombies were repelled about half a meter before they could even touch his car. Park Su's eyes lit up; this effect was quite good, and he immediately accelerated. When he reached a more secluded road with fewer zombies, he stopped the car.
He had no intention of bringing a stranger back to his home, knowing how treacherous people could be, especially in the apocalypse. Who knows if he'd be inviting a wolf into his house? Moreover, someone with such effective talismans likely wasn't just anyone; perhaps a disciple from an ancient sect or a Taoist school.
In his past life, he had heard of such people, whose abilities were profound and unfathomable. If they took an interest in his meager supplies, wouldn't a month's hard work be for nothing? Even worse, if he lost his life over it, how unfortunate would that be, given the rare second chance at life he had?
So, Park Su intended to have a good talk with this man who hadn't spoken since getting into the car, preferably to make him leave. But when he turned to look at the man dozing in the passenger seat, he was stunned. How could it be him?
It wasn't because Park Su had an exceptional memory for faces; it was because he had seen this person not long ago and was quite impressed by his appearance. Moreover, he had benefited significantly from this person before, making him somewhat unforgettable. Looking at the unconscious Xu Nuo, Park Su hesitated. If it were anyone else, he would have thrown them out of the car without hesitation, not being a saint; he remembered well the consequences of saving a woman earlier today. But this was Xu Nuo, to whom he owed a favor. Without him, Park Su wouldn't have gained the six square meter space for storage. Plus, he hadn't forgotten how respectfully the boss treated Xu Nuo, not to mention the talisman still on his car, which almost confirmed that Xu Nuo had some real skills, even if not legendary.
This made Park Su hesitate. Checking Xu Nuo, who seemed to have a fever, he was familiar with this condition, having seen it when he and Sun Muyang awakened their abilities. Simply put, Xu Nuo was likely about to awaken an ability.
If he survived, he'd become an ability user; if not, he'd turn into a zombie. Leaving him on the road now would give him an 80% chance of not making it.
Park Su thought that, as a second-tier ability user who owed him a big favor, if Xu Nuo awakened, he might join forces with him to go to the S base, significantly reducing the dangers. Moreover, he hadn't forgotten about the spatial ring on Xu Nuo's hand.
Park Su naturally wouldn't go and take his spatial ring, but if this person unfortunately turned into a zombie, he wouldn't mind claiming the ring for himself. After all, as an ability user without a space ability, having an extra spatial ring meant an additional chance at survival.
He figured that even if this person turned into a zombie, he should be able to handle it. So, it might be better to save him once and repay the favor he owed. Moreover, Park Su didn't think this person was bad; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to sit in the passenger seat instead of the driver's seat earlier. He clearly had the chance to take the car but didn't, suggesting he probably wasn't too malicious. Park Su kept finding reasons for himself, absolutely not admitting that he just thought this guy was too good-looking to die!
Since he decided to save him, he couldn't keep the car parked in this desolate place. He thought that since this guy had some skills and already had a spatial ring, he shouldn't be coveting their meager possessions. But then he remembered how a single talisman had kept him out of the car and even resisted his second-tier ability attack, and now he was about to awaken another ability, he was genuinely concerned whether he could handle it if this person had ulterior motives.
Just as he was hesitating, he heard the man cough, and he sighed. Alright, let's see this through to the end. He hoped this person wouldn't repay kindness with enmity and would agree to go to the S base with him out of gratitude for being saved.
He reached out to touch Xu Nuo's forehead, finding the temperature shockingly high. Looking at his flushed, handsome face, he sighed again, took out a bottle of mineral water from his ring, helped Xu Nuo drink a couple of sips, and then grabbed a blanket from the back seat to cover him. He murmured, "You can't die; it'd be better if you could become even stronger. Then my efforts to save you won't be in vain. Don't forget to repay me when the time comes."
After doing all this, Park Su started the car again, this time determined to drive back home since Xu Nuo's current condition would be better cared for there.
At the moment he started driving, the man who had been feverish and dazed suddenly opened his eyes, though not wide, he was indeed awake. In fact, Xu Nuo didn't want to take the car; it was just that his physical condition deteriorated too suddenly, and he was afraid of dying in a car accident rather than by zombies, which would be too unjust.
Moreover, he had seen Park Su get out of the car and fight the zombies, recognizing his strength from just a glimpse of his back. So, he chose the passenger seat to test if Park Su could take him along, and to show his value, he deliberately stuck that talisman on the car.