End of the World Cycle

In the third week of the cold wave, the temperature had dropped to minus 60 degrees Celsius. Being trapped on the first floor for a long time was like being put into a large box. Xie Qin didn't want to talk anymore. He was very depressed. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes every day was to read.

Apart from the necessary exercises, Xie Qin would sit on the carpet next to the fireplace wrapped in a blanket and read books. Occasionally, he would use a set of simple experimental tools he found and learn how to use them by watching videos. Although he had never practiced in actual combat, he had watched a lot and became a theoretical giant.

My younger brother and Liu Bo had endless homework to do every day because Zhou Lili had to do it. They did not fall behind in any subject and had a fulfilling life every day. My mother was already able to knit sweaters skillfully. It was said that no one would have two extra sweaters before the cold wave was over.

Zhou Lili followed some vegetable-growing videos and planted some vegetables that can grow without sunlight on the second floor. Planted in the toilet, two heating lamps can feed six boxes of vegetables.

Among them, garlic sprouts and hydroponic water spinach grew the best. Most of the lettuce leaves in a box survived. A box of chive leaves sprouted small shoots. Zhou Lili was very happy. That night, she stewed a big pot of mutton soup.

I pulled out a few of the longest garlic sprouts and sprinkled them in the soup. It was so delicious that even Xie Qin, who didn’t like eating much, ate until he was full.

"I tried it and found that garlic sprouts, water spinach, lettuce, and leeks can all survive. If there is enough electricity, I would like to plant more. This way, we can have fresh vegetables to eat almost every day."

"As long as the remaining solar panels are well maintained and usable, the electricity should be enough. Or turn off one-third of the heaters in the living room. The temperature should be able to be controlled at 15 to 18 degrees."

"Okay! I'm glad you agree. Then I'll try other plants next. I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of books. Onions, ginger, garlic, radishes and lettuce can all survive without sunlight."

"Do you need help?"

"Is that okay? I'm just afraid of delaying your reading. To be honest, there's a lot I still don't understand. I can't understand it even if I read it."

"No trouble. I just happened to be reading a book about plant research recently."

"Okay. With your help, the survival rate will definitely be higher."

Time passed day by day. It snowed every day. But after a month, the snow stopped. The snow piled up to about five meters high. The nearly three-story villa was almost completely buried in the snow.

Of the nearly 100 solar panels, only 17 were functioning normally after a month of cold snap. Xie Qin, fully armed, crawled out of the attic to repair the solar panels.

The reason was simple, it was frozen and couldn't be repaired. He looked up and could feel the sun's glare through the goggles, but there was no temperature at all. Less than ten minutes after coming out, even though he was moving all the time, he soon felt his hands and feet go numb. Xie Qin quickly went back through the attic window.

She closed the window and half sat on the rice bag beside the window. She looked out the window, closed her eyes and used her mental power to carefully sense the living people. Xie Qin was a little surprised. She thought that many people would freeze to death in such extreme weather. But in fact, most of these people were alive. Although she didn't know whether they were alive or not, they were alive. It seemed that she still underestimated the adaptability of human beings.

With the previous rainy and dry seasons, most people were well prepared. Every household had a lot of food in stock. She also heard that many people found the relief warehouse in the town. Although the rice in it was all unhusked rice and moldy corn, there was still a lot of it. It seemed that these people should have brought back all the government relief food they could find.

She could feel someone moving, slowly coming towards her. Xie Qin hid behind the window without making any noise.

The man gradually came over. He had two wooden boards on his feet, and he didn't sink into the snow at all. It was the fire-type mutant. Xie Qin remembered the two brothers in Longtai Town, one was fire-type and the other was wood-type. The fire-type one should be called Liu Zhengdong.

When Liu Zhengdong was almost there, he stopped and looked at the chimney that was still smoking. He seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he started to make snowballs on the spot.

Xie Ran had already sensed that there was an outsider. At this time, Zhou Lili and Liu Bo had already come up. They saw Xie Qin by the window. Xie Qin made a gesture to keep quiet.

Liu Zhengdong estimated that the snowball was about the right size and pushed it toward the chimney. He thought he was moving very quietly, but Xie Qin saw everything. When he got closer, Xie Qin realized that Liu Zhengdong was only wearing a thin down jacket, and his face was not covered, as if his body had a thin barrier to resist the cold.

Liu Zhengdong was going to block the chimney and kill them. He raised his hand and was about to put the snowball in. The moment he raised his hand, his mind went blank. Xie Qin strangled him mentally. Liu Zhengdong knelt on the ground in pain, and his hands formed fireballs in panic to attack everywhere. Xie Qin frowned and found that his second-level mental power could not kill this person at all. On the contrary, he became more and more out of control as time went on.

Liu Zhengdong's fire ability must have reached the second level. Because neither he nor his brother thought that anyone would go out in such low temperatures, except for occasionally feeling how many living people there were, they didn't pay any attention to these people with special abilities.

But how did he advance? Although constantly training oneself and using superpowers to fight can also improve superpowers, it is definitely not so fast. Unless... Unless he also ate corpse crystals. Xie Qin then noticed that Liu Zhengdong's exposed skin had gray spots. A bit like zombie spots. Xie Qin retracted his mental power, opened the window again and got out.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I just wanted to see you. Please...save...save...me." Liu Zhengdong spoke with difficulty, his mouth twitching as he spoke. There were some signs of corpse transformation. Before Xie Qin could ask, Liu Zhengdong lost consciousness and fell in the snow. A nearly third-level fire ability. To be honest, Xie Qin was a little tempted. However, fire was considered a rare ability. If he could really absorb it, it would be difficult to upgrade in the future.

When Liu Zhengdong woke up again, he was already in the house. In an empty study room on the second floor, Liu Zhengdong was tied up tightly and thrown to the ground. The time he could maintain consciousness was getting shorter and shorter. He had a large family. If he really died, his brother alone could not protect so many old, weak and disabled people in the family.

There was really no other way, so he took the risk to look for Xie Qin. Not long after he woke up, Xie Qin came up. He pushed open the door and Liu Zhengdong saw the girl.

The temperature on the second floor was not very high, about ten degrees below zero. The girl was wrapped in a thick black down jacket, and wore a hat and scarf that covered her entire face, leaving only a pair of bright eyes exposed.

"Tell me, how did you get infected with the zombie virus?"

"I ate the corpse crystal." Liu Zhengdong did not hide it.

"Corpse crystal, how can you eat corpse crystal?"

"You have been collecting corpse crystals in large quantities. Out of curiosity, I bribed Liu Chunhua. She saw Zhou Lili soaking in corpse crystals. It takes about two days and two nights to eat. So I ate some myself. The result is what you see."

Xie Qin squatted down and took a closer look at Liu Zhengdong's skin. It was indeed transformed. It was no secret that corpse crystals were soaked in water for purification, so Xie Qin did not ask Zhou Lili to avoid people later. But if he purified normally, he would definitely not be infected with the zombie virus. Unless, Liu Zhengdong's corpse crystal level is too high.

"What color is the corpse crystal you ate?"

"blue."

"Blue? Level 3 corpse crystal? How can you possibly defeat a level 3 zombie?"

"In the Women and Children's Hospital in the neighboring Yuechuan County, there is a pregnant zombie. She is very powerful, a second-level zombie. My brother and I took a lot of effort to kill her. When we took her corpse crystal and were about to leave, the baby in her belly came out. Fortunately, my brother reacted quickly and tied up the baby. After I cut her neck, I took it out of the baby's head. It's the third-level corpse crystal you mentioned."

Xie Qin understood instantly. She knew that this was a corpse and its chances of survival were slim. It needed a strong mother to constantly feed on its flesh and blood in order to nourish and grow.

But this kind of corpse fetus is the easiest to kill. It has no attack power, especially when it just leaves the mother's body, it is extremely weak. The heroine in the original book also found many hospitals to find corpse-transformed mothers after the natural disaster, and obtained many third-level and even fourth-level corpse crystals. However, in just one month, she went from a first-level healing ability user to a fourth-level one, and became the object that all major bases wanted to win over.

Ordinary people can basically reach the second level after training and spending more time. People with extraordinary talents can also reach the third level with some nutrient solution from the research institute and a large amount of corpse crystals. Generally, third-level psychics can basically walk sideways in major bases. Such people are scarce talents. As long as they are third-level psychics, they will receive the highest treatment no matter which base they go to.

Beautiful environment, safe and solid housing, fresh and delicious food, everything can be equipped with the best equipment in the base. As long as they submit to the base and obey the base's orders, the third-level supernatural person and his family can live a life of luxury.

But it is extremely troublesome to upgrade above the third level. In addition to having extraordinary talents, you also need opportunities, such as corpse crystals above the fifth level, inhumane superpowers, some mutant fruits obtained when plants mutate in the later stage, etc. All of these methods are difficult.

This is also the reason why after the end of the world, although humans have adapted to survive, there are still few people with superpowers above level four.

"A second-level corpse crystal needs to be soaked for three days and three nights, and a third-level corpse crystal needs four days and four nights. Although it can be softened in two days, the zombie virus inside is not eliminated at all."

“So… So that’s how it is…”

"Your ability doesn't frighten you by the cold?"

"I was afraid when I was at the first level, but after I ate the corpse crystal and reached the second level, I'm not afraid anymore."

Xie Qin smiled and nodded. If she could get out, it would mean that many things could be hers.

"I can't save you. But I can send your family to the rescue station in Furong City."

"May I?"

"Of course. But..."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want your life, is that okay?" Xie Qin asked in a very normal and polite manner, as if he was not talking about life and death.

Liu Zhengdong was silent for a moment. He looked at his skin which was as white as a dead person's. He felt that his consciousness was becoming unclear again and looked up at Xie Qin.

"I can trust you right?"

"certainly,"

"Let my family get to the shelter alive and safe, and I'll give you my life." Liu Zhengdong didn't know what Xie Qin was going to do to him, but he knew he was dying, and he looked at Xie Qin with great longing.

"Don't worry." Xie Qin said as she took off her gloves. Her hands were cold, but when she touched Liu Zhengdong's forehead, she felt warm.

The warm feeling poured into her body like a spring, it was so comfortable, the warm feeling almost floated up. Xie Qin had no worries at all, she greedily sucked it, and stopped only when she could no longer suck anything out of Liu Zhengdong's body. Xie Qin was very happy. Sure enough, every time she upgraded a level, she could absorb one more power. This made her determination to become stronger.

No matter how you compare, her own ability is the most special. Even if she is not close to the protagonist group, as long as she can find two healing ability users, she can upgrade herself and heal her brother's leg.

Xie Qin went downstairs and the whole family was waiting at the stairs.

"How is Liu Zhengdong?" Zhou Lili asked. In Zhou Lili's eyes, this is a good person. He is a good person just because he has the ability to take care of his family and not abandon anyone.

"He was infected with the zombie virus and died."

"Aren't people with special abilities immune to infection?"

"He ate the unpurified corpse crystal."

"Ah? No wonder, no wonder he asked me why I needed so many corpse crystals."

"Okay, it's okay. I'll take him out in a while. I'm going to be out for a while. Please help me prepare." Xie Qin said to her mother and Zhou Lili.

"Going out? It's so cold. You will freeze to death!" Zhou Lili said in surprise with her eyes wide open.

"It's okay, I'm measured."

"How long do you plan on being out?"

"About a month."

"It takes so long, and there are so many things to prepare. How can you take them all with you?"

"Keep it simple. Just bring some small dry food. Just the clothes you need to change into. Two suitcases and a backpack."

"Okay, we'll try to pack you as much as possible."

After saying this, Xie Qin dragged Liu Zhengdong's body out of the house. They were not heading to where Liu Zhengdong lived, but to the back mountain. The back mountain was completely white. At that time, all the trees on the mountain were cut down to store firewood. Now, no other colors could be seen.

Xie Qin dragged the corpse and stood at the highest point. He closed his eyes and searched carefully. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows and found it!

The three dogs that Liu Bo and I let go at that time were two German shepherds and a husky mixed in. These three dogs were bought by Liu Chuanyou to guard the house. He heard from others that they were big, so he kept them. They had been fed raw meat since they were young and had never been domesticated, so they were a bit fierce.

These three dogs hid from people and survived. I saw them from a distance not long ago. They didn't turn into zombies after eating the zombies' meat, but they seemed to have grown a little bigger.

Xie Qin took out a machete and chopped Liu Zhengdong's body into many small pieces. Even though it was frozen, the bloody smell quickly spread.

Liu Zhengdong had not completely transformed into a corpse, and he had just died, so he was considered fresh. The smell was very attractive to the dog, which was used to eating rotten meat. In addition, the dog had a keen nose, and soon, three dark figures ran up from the foot of the mountain.