What intrigued Xu Nuo was that Park Su seemed quite familiar with this new energy. When Park Su had used this energy to attack his talisman earlier, Xu Nuo had sensed that Park Su's energy was much stronger than his own. He frowned; he hadn't forgotten that Park Su had mentioned his ability was wood-based, so what was the use of this new energy within him?
He stretched his stiff body from sleeping too long and got out of bed to begin researching his abilities. Meanwhile, Park Su sighed downstairs, wondering how he had unknowingly become someone's cook.
However, this person seemed to have high combat abilities, and since Park Su had initially wanted to team up with him, this situation was at least achieving that goal.
A week passed quickly. Xu Nuo's health had significantly improved since that day. Park Su continued to go out daily to hunt zombies, enhancing his physical abilities. From the fifth day onwards, some zombies had begun to develop crystal cores in their brains, though they were all white. In the early stages of the apocalypse, these cores were still very valuable, and Park Su collected them all, along with a good amount of supplies.
Although his lack of space ability limited what he could carry, perhaps because of his experiences of hunger in his past life, he couldn't help but want to collect more supplies whenever he saw them. Eventually, his house was filled with a pile of goods, making Park Su feel somewhat embarrassed.
As for Xu Nuo, aside from meal times, he had spent the week mostly secluded in his room, doing who-knows-what. Whenever Park Su inquired about his ability, Xu Nuo would simply say he was still researching it, which frustrated Park Su, but he didn't press the issue further.
Today, Park Su was eating at the same table as Xu Nuo. In an effort to make Xu Nuo tire of his cooking sooner, the meals were kept simple, just stir-fried vegetables with plain congee. In fact, Park Su still had some reservations about eating with Xu Nuo.
It wasn't because Xu Nuo ate a lot, but because the man was too silent. Park Su would try to make conversation, but Xu Nuo would only respond with a word or two. If Park Su ever annoyed him, Xu Nuo would give him a cold, sidelong glance with those elongated eyes, sending chills down Park Su's spine. However, Xu Nuo's handsome face could at least alleviate some of the frustration.
If Xu Nuo knew Park Su's thoughts, he would feel quite wronged. He actually enjoyed the atmosphere when Park Su talked during meals; it was something new and intriguing for him. His old master, aside from discussing Daoist techniques, rarely spoke about anything else and would be too busy drinking during meals to chat about trivial matters.
While Park Su was indeed a bit chatty, the ambiance of eating together was something Xu Nuo had come to like. As for the "cold stare" Park Su mentioned, it was because sometimes Park Su asked questions Xu Nuo wasn't sure how to answer, so he would look at him. The intention was to think about his response, but every time he did so, Park Su would shrink back and stop asking. Xu Nuo found this avoidance tactic quite useful, so he continued to use such a gaze. However, recently, Park Su had been speaking less during meals, which actually made Xu Nuo feel a bit down.
Today, however, their meal was far from peaceful because halfway through, they heard knocking at the door, mixed with a woman's cries.
Both Park Su and Xu Nuo frowned simultaneously, indicating that something might be afoot. In fact, since the previous day, the power had gone out, but they had the solar generator, so they could still use electricity. However, having the lights on in the middle of the night made them a conspicuous target, suggesting to others that there were valuable resources inside.
Park Su had long been prepared for people coming to rob him. If he didn't want trouble, he wouldn't go out, considering the reinforced doors he had installed at great cost. While getting over the wall wasn't too difficult, breaking through those two doors was another matter entirely.
Park Su was debating whether to finish his dinner before dealing with whoever was outside or to go check the situation first. However, Xu Nuo, sitting across from him, quickly finished his congee in two gulps, turned to Park Su, and said, "Keep eating. I'll go check."
Park Su hadn't expected Xu Nuo to take the initiative to deal with this. After all, Xu Nuo had become quite accustomed to being an idle person lately. Even when Park Su suggested they go out together to kill zombies, Xu Nuo had refused. If it weren't for Park Su confirming that Xu Nuo had indeed awakened an ability, he would have suspected that Xu Nuo had no powers and was too afraid to go outside.
However, Park Su was still uneasy about leaving Xu Nuo to handle this alone. Although he often felt outmatched by Xu Nuo in conversation and Xu Nuo had a stronger presence, who knew if Xu Nuo might get soft-hearted and inadvertently bring trouble back home? Therefore, he quickly finished his meal and followed Xu Nuo outside.
Upon reaching the door, he saw Xu Nuo surrounded by a group of people, his face dark with displeasure. Before Park Su could react, someone from the crowd noticed him. A burly man, with a sinister grin that practically screamed "I'm here to rob you," approached Park Su.
The man got straight to the point, "Brother, we're all struggling in this world. I've brought some people here looking for a place to rest. How about you do us a favor and open the door for us? If we're comfortable, I'm sure you can be too."
Park Su gave a cold laugh internally but put on an expression of difficulty, "I only have room for two in my house, and with six of you, there's just no space. There are plenty of houses in this village; why not find another one? My place isn't that big, and there are many houses larger than mine, and some are even empty. You should be able to rest there directly!"
The burly man, looking at Park Su's youthful face, didn't feel the same level of caution he did towards Xu Nuo, especially since Park Su seemed to be so naive as to say such a thing when their intentions were so obvious, which made him laugh.
At the same time, the burly man felt more confident about their chances. One weakling and one with a strong presence; they had six people on their side, and their leader had awakened an ability, which should be more than enough to handle the two of them.
Therefore, the burly man became even less polite, "Little brother, we just find this place comfortable and want to rest here. If you think there's not enough room, how about you two go find an empty house to move into?"
Upon hearing himself being called "little brother," Park Su's expression darkened. Little brother, your whole family are little brothers, I'm already well over twenty and a university graduate, okay?
However, his scowl, in the eyes of the burly man, seemed like a normal reaction of someone unwilling to give up their house. He even added, "I advise you to be sensible and move out. And while you're at it, persuade your buddy over there, don't make us force you out. Otherwise, you'll only end up worse off."
Park Su smiled, "But what can I do? I really don't want to let you guys stay in my house. And my big brother here has promised to protect me, I trust him." As he spoke, he deliberately cast a glance towards Xu Nuo. He would never admit that he was genuinely curious about Xu Nuo's ability and wanted to see his strength in action, so he was intentionally stirring the pot.
The burly men surrounding Xu Nuo had been paying attention to Park Su's side of the conversation. Now, hearing Park Su's words, they were even more convinced that the real threat was the young man they had surrounded.
Xu Nuo, seeing Park Su's twinkling eyes, could guess his thoughts. Besides, Park Su seemed to be quite the master of playing the fool. As for his ability, Xu Nuo didn't plan on using it, but that didn't mean he was powerless. In fact, from the moment he stepped outside and saw the group that had climbed over the wall, he had already prepared a stack of talismans from his ring.
The leading burly man looked at Xu Nuo coldly, "I'll give you two options now. Either you make your brother open the door for us, and we can let you stay until morning, or we'll take the supplies and you can come back to live here if you want. Or, we'll carry you out horizontally to feed the zombies, and I'll smash the door open myself. Choose one!"
Xu Nuo gave a cold laugh, "You're wrong. I have a third option."
The burly man asked instinctively, "What option?"
Xu Nuo slightly lifted his finger, with several talismans pinched between them, and said coldly, "Send you to feed the zombies!"