Chapter Nineteen: The Dark Shadow

The morning mist had yet to dissipate, but the sun was already rising.

Pei Siying walked at the front, a heavy black bundle weighing down on her shoulder, containing compressed biscuits, medicine, and several bottles of mineral water.

Her silhouette remained upright and resolute, as if she had just crushed a mere ant instead of having taken a life moments ago.

“You looked pretty practiced stabbing just now,” Li Luyan said casually as she quickened her pace to walk beside her, her tone as indifferent as if they were discussing what to eat for the day, hardly reflecting that they had just witnessed a death.

And the killer was right next to her.

Pei Siying glanced sideways with a raised eyebrow, her eyes full of mockery. “What, scared you?”

“No… I’m just a bit curious how you can kill someone without even blinking.”

Pei Siying did not respond and clearly had no intention to answer Li Luyan’s question.

Seeing this, Li Luyan didn’t press further. She obviously knew why Pei Siying was so skilled — having lived through a previous life’s hardships, she had surely learned much. Li Luyan had asked deliberately to gauge her reaction.

But Pei Siying’s response was disappointingly dull, simply ignoring her.

Li Luyan wasn’t one for chatter either and quietly followed the group along the asphalt road, though the sun grew ever harsher.

Checking the sun’s position, she guessed it was not even ten o’clock yet — why was the sun so scorching?

She frowned slightly.

At the rear of the group, Yu Yue was pestering Lin Youwei incessantly. “Senior, why did you choose to study medicine?”

Lin Youwei gently tapped Yu Yue’s forehead. “Why do you study medicine?”

“Well, obviously to save lives and be a great hero for the people,” Yu Yue said, hands on hips, like a proud rooster ready to crow.

Lin Youwei lowered her gaze softly. “Being a doctor is a stable and respectable job…”

“That’s nice, but I don’t study as well as you do, senior,” Yu Yue said, swinging Lin Youwei’s arm gently.

Lin Youwei lightly tapped Yu Yue’s forehead again. “Focus on the journey, no messing around.”

“Okay…” Yu Yue obediently let go, then immediately began pestering Yu Niaoniao behind her.

“Niaoniao, why did you choose this major…”

“I don’t know how much longer we have to walk…”

“Ahhh, I’m so tired…”

“Niaoniao, can you use your power to give me some water…”

At the very back of the group, Zhang Min sipped from her bottle of water, her face pale as paper.

This morning, she had exerted a lot of her power to forcibly heal Yu Yue. Though not yet overdrawn, she was close to the limit.

Li Luyan noticed her fingertips trembling slightly and handed her a chocolate bar.

“Thanks for this morning… eat something, you need to feel better.” She had noticed Pei Siying mention her fondness for chocolate bars earlier.

Zhang Min took the chocolate but merely accepted it without eating, her sharp gaze scanning behind Li Luyan.

“You have spatial power? I thought the food was all on Pei Siying.”

“No.” Li Luyan answered crisply, “I just randomly poked into my bag before, now I took it out.”

Zhang Min studied her eyes and face carefully, unwilling to miss any detail. But she gave up—Li Luyan’s demeanor was too ordinary, no change in expression.

She let out a dry laugh. “Alright, I just thought you might have dual powers.”

“Though I also thought the chance was slim, how could it happen to you?”

Li Luyan smiled silently. Such an unlikely thing had indeed happened to her, but that trump card for survival was no secret she’d share.

Besides, Zhang Min and Pei Siying were no fools; the secret of rebirth was far bigger than hers.

At noon, the group passed a gas station.

The convenience store inside had been smashed open, with various items strewn about—cigarettes, lighters, even a few scattered packs of sanitary pads.

The only thing completely stripped clean was food — not a single bottle of water or pack of gum left.

Someone had clearly beaten them to it.

“Everyone, rest here for ten minutes,” Pei Siying said, then sat beside Zhang Min, handing her a compressed biscuit.

Zhang Min took it and ate slowly with water.

Li Luyan leaned against a gas pump, lazily surveying the surroundings.

There was not a single monster near the gas station. Normally, just leaving the school they would encounter one or two, but here, none at all.

Was there something powerful protecting this place? She narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a chill at the back of her neck.

Someone was watching her?

She spun around sharply.

Behind the broken window on the second floor of the convenience store, a shadow swiftly withdrew.

“There’s something on the second floor of the convenience store…” Li Luyan lowered her voice. Pei Siying immediately looked up toward the window.

Though her voice was low, those gathered nearby heard clearly.

Everyone tensed instantly, entering a state of alert.

“A survivor? Or…” Yu Niaoniao asked nervously.

Everyone understood well: mindless monsters would charge down and fight immediately, but one hiding in the shadows upstairs was either a higher-level monster or a person.

Now, they hoped it was a person.

“I’ll check it out.” Li Luyan took the fruit knife from Pei Siying’s hand — the blade bore dried blood from stabbing Guo Yi earlier, now a dull reddish-brown.

She strode toward the convenience store. The first floor showed little difference, everything visible at a glance.

She ascended the staircase, which was pitch black except for the light streaming up from below.

Just as she stepped onto the second floor’s wooden floor, it creaked sharply, as if nearly breaking.

Li Luyan’s mouth twitched slightly—how could such a convenience store not have been condemned before the apocalypse?

In the dim storage room, numerous boxes were strewn about, filled with mineral water, instant noodles, and biscuits. It seemed the first group to come here had not bothered to check thoroughly.

With a wave of her hand, Li Luyan gathered all the supplies, leaving only a few empty boxes pitifully scattered.

This place could no longer hide anyone. She was curious about where the shadow had gone; it surely hadn’t gone downstairs.

If it had, there would have been a fight, and Pei Siying and the others would have called for her.

Only one possibility remained—

She turned around—

At that moment, a figure lunged from the shadows, grabbing Li Luyan in an embrace.

Li Luyan reacted swiftly, stabbing the dagger into the shadow’s throat, but the figure gripped her hand tightly, trapping her in its hold.

She struggled twice but realized the figure’s strength was extraordinary—even someone used to farm work like Li Luyan couldn’t break free.