Chapter 12: A Great Harvest

“An esper?” Zhang Dahu exclaimed in surprise. “You mean you have superpowers?”

Ye Nan smiled. “That’s right.”

Zhang Dahu sighed. “How about sparing me? You can take all the food here.”

Ye Nan said coldly, “Turning you into a mindless ghost is already the greatest mercy I can show you. As for now, you might as well die.”

Ye Nan summoned the Thunder Sword and swung it down with fierce force.

Zhang Dahu, of course, didn’t intend to wait for death and quickly fled, but with his speed, there was no way he could outrun Ye Nan.

The Thunder Sword came down, and Zhang Dahu’s head flew off, blood gushing out wildly.

Yan Ruoliu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “That was a close call. This trip was worth it.”

She walked over, picked up the handgun from the ground, and toyed with it lovingly, clearly reluctant to put it down.

“Is it real?” Ye Nan asked. “Don’t tell me it’s a toy, or we’ve lost out big time.”

“Of course it’s real,” Yan Ruoliu replied. “If you ever dare bully me again, I’ll shoot two holes in you with this gun.”

Ye Nan teased, “Alright, then shoot and kill me. But would you really have the heart to?”

“Hmph!” Yan Ruoliu snorted and handed the gun to Ye Nan.

Playing with the handgun, Ye Nan said, “Let’s go inside and look around. There’s definitely more than one gun here.”

Soon, the two found a large box under the bed. Ye Nan opened it and was stunned.

Inside were eight guns and a pile of bullets, along with several special alloy knives—good stuff, enough for ordinary people to survive better in the apocalypse.

Ye Nan grinned happily, exclaiming how much they had gained.

Next, Ye Nan searched the rest of the villa but found no other weapons. However, they did discover a considerable amount of food, enough to feed four or five people for about a week.

This trip was definitely not in vain.

Suddenly, Yan Ruoliu said, “I noticed this villa has a basement. Shall we check it out?”

“Of course,” Ye Nan said, tossing the guns and alloy long knives to Yan Ruoliu. “Take care of yourself. You know how to use a gun, right?”

“Not really,” Yan Ruoliu admitted.

“No worries, I’ll teach you. It’s simple,” Ye Nan said. He had some military knowledge and was quite familiar with ordinary pistols. Handing her the gun step by step, Yan Ruoliu quickly learned. Together, they headed to the basement.

At the basement door, Ye Nan kicked it open and cautiously entered with the gun and Thunder Sword, Yan Ruoliu following behind.

The basement was small, containing a prison cage with a woman inside.

Her hair was disheveled, her clothes tattered, and her body bruised. Just by looking at her, Ye Nan knew she had long suffered abuse and assault at Zhang Dahu’s hands, likely imprisoned since before the apocalypse broke out.

That vile man truly deserved death!

“Don’t, don’t come closer,” the woman resisted weakly upon seeing them.

Ye Nan spoke gently, “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you. That despicable Zhang Dahu is dead.”

“What? That beast is dead?!” Upon hearing this, the woman immediately became agitated.

“Yes, he deserved it. I only regret not tormenting him more before he died,” Ye Nan said, opening the cage and freeing her.

Being a woman herself, Yan Ruoliu felt deeper sympathy. She comforted the woman and explained that the apocalypse had come and zombies were everywhere outside.

The woman waved her hand dismissively; as long as Zhang Dahu was dead, she didn’t care if the sky fell.

Ye Nan left her some food and a long knife for protection.

He had done all he could, showing utmost kindness.

The woman thanked Ye Nan three times in a row, promising to help whenever needed without hesitation.

Ye Nan merely smiled, took the box, and left with Yan Ruoliu.

Outside, looking at the zombies not far away, Yan Ruoliu was filled with emotion. Luckily, she had met Ye Nan; otherwise, her days would likely have ended like that woman’s—becoming a plaything to some man or men.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

On the way, they encountered a level-1 zombie. Ye Nan casually summoned a bolt of lightning, killing it instantly, then took its crystal core.

Back at the villa, Gong Wanru and Li Siqi were anxiously waiting. Seeing Ye Nan and Yan Ruoliu safe, the two women finally relaxed.

Ye Nan placed the box in front of them, smiling softly. “Here, take a look at some good stuff.”

He opened the box.

Their eyes immediately lit up, followed by a surprised exclamation. This was a tremendous haul.

“Great stuff! Now even if you go out, we can protect ourselves,” Gong Wanru said, casually picking up a gun and fondling it with delight.

Li Siqi picked up a special alloy knife, astonished. “This material is rare, impossible to buy on the market. Perfect for cutting zombies. Zhang Dahu really was a villain, secretly hoarding such things. He probably even had blood on his hands—he deserved to die.”

Yan Ruoliu said, “Now that Zhang Dahu is dead, I feel relieved. Otherwise, if such a villain had guns and awakened powers, we’d be in serious danger.”

Gong Wanru sighed. “Yes, Ruoliu, you worked hard. You’ve done so much. Tonight, I’ll cook a feast for you.”

Yan Ruoliu’s gaze darkened as she teased, “You worked harder last night, keeping Siqi and me awake the entire night. We woke up groggy this morning.”

Gong Wanru blushed slightly and retorted, “You were even worse before we left.”

Now Yan Ruoliu blushed, recalling how Ye Nan’s electric tendrils had entwined her in the room—a truly embarrassing memory.

The two women exchanged glances, then both looked at Ye Nan with mock reproach—blaming him entirely. What a scoundrel!

Ye Nan smiled sheepishly and quickly changed the subject. “Come on, Sister Gong, Siqi, I’ll teach you how to use these guns.”

He started instructing them.

Once they had learned, Ye Nan cracked open the courtyard gate slightly, letting zombies in for live practice.

Gong Wanru fired the first shot—bang! The bullet hit a zombie’s neck.

She had aimed for the head, but the recoil caused a slight miss.

Seeing the zombie lunge, she calmly fired a second shot, this time hitting the head squarely. The zombie toppled over instantly.

“Good job,” Ye Nan said. “Sister Yan, Siqi, try now.”

He continued letting zombies in. Yan Ruoliu and Li Siqi took turns shooting, quickly laying down several zombie corpses.

After enough practice, Ye Nan told them to put away the guns to conserve limited ammunition.

The gunfire attracted more zombies, who roamed outside the villa, growling hoarsely.

This was a perfect chance to practice cutting zombies, so they didn’t miss it.

Ye Nan had them switch to long knives and kept letting zombies in, guiding them to kill together.

Since multiple zombies came at once, the three women were initially flustered, but as they chopped and hacked, they grew more skilled.

Now they could kill a zombie with a single blow.

Of course, these were only ordinary zombies. Against level-1 zombies, the three combined still couldn’t guarantee success.

After over an hour of training, the three women were exhausted and stopped.

Ye Nan took out the crystal cores collected earlier and began absorbing them.

When all the cores were absorbed, Ye Nan felt a significant power boost. Handling several level-1 zombies at once was now no problem.

His improvement wasn’t only in power use but also bodily strength, speed, and reflexes, far surpassing normal humans.

He even had the illusion that even if Zhang Dahu fired at him with a gun, the chance of being hit was slim.

Zombie crystal cores were truly a treasure.

Ye Nan estimated he was close to breaking through to level 2.

He told the three women, “Stay safely inside the villa. I’ll go out and hunt more level-1 zombies to gather cores. Maybe I can reach level 2. Then I won’t fear guns anymore.”

The three had already heard about the crystal cores from Ye Nan and didn’t object.

Gong Wanru said, “Alright, go ahead, but be careful.”

Li Siqi said, “If you’re not afraid of guns, our small team’s strength will improve tremendously.”

Yan Ruoliu smiled and whispered, “I’m curious—if you reach level 2, will you unlock new skills?”

Li Siqi glanced at Yan Ruoliu, her look meaningful. “Sister Yan, I think you’re quite fond of the electric tendrils. Want more?”

Yan Ruoliu retorted, “Get lost. Just wait—you’ll be the one crying someday.”

Ye Nan listened with a blank expression. What nonsense was this?

Yet somehow, it was strangely exhilarating.

He grabbed two guns and some magazines, climbed over the villa wall, and began searching for level-1 zombies outside.

He ignored ordinary zombies—no point killing them; better to avoid.

Soon, Ye Nan spotted a level-1 zombie. Holding the Thunder Sword, he charged and sliced it down with a “shhh,” the zombie collapsing instantly. He took its crystal core.

He avoided using guns to not attract more zombies and to save ammunition.

After half an hour, Ye Nan had found only five level-1 zombies. He had no choice but to expand his search beyond the residential area.

When he had first awakened powers, Ye Nan would never have dared venture outside the community—that would be courting death.

But now, close to level 2, his power reserves had increased greatly, enabling extended use of abilities without worry.

Outside the community, zombies were plentiful, meaning more level-1 zombies as well.

Soon, Ye Nan spotted two wandering level-1 zombies by the roadside.

Sensing human scent, they went berserk and lunged to bite.

This time, Ye Nan didn’t use the Thunder Sword but instead unleashed two bolts of lightning, crackling as they pierced through the zombies’ heads.

He then took their cores.

His control over lightning powers was clearly improving.

Nearby, Ye Nan found another level-1 zombie prowling inside a sanitary pad specialty shop.

Without hesitation, he killed it.

Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck him. He recalled gathering many supplies at the convenience store but never saw any bathrooms there. They must have sold out before the apocalypse.

These were essential for women. There were three women in the villa.

Ye Nan searched the shop and found several bundles of sanitary pads.

He tied dozens together with rope and slung them over his back.

From a distance, Ye Nan looked like he was carrying a small mountain—no wonder, the pads were bulky.

Individually light, but collectively cumbersome for an ordinary person. Thankfully, Ye Nan’s powers made it effortless.

Counting the crystal cores collected, Ye Nan had enough to break through to level 2, so he headed home instead of hunting more zombies.

Meanwhile, Li Siqi sat nervously in the living room, unable to sit or stand comfortably.

She had just left bloodstains on the sofa, realizing her period had started, but there were no sanitary pads in the villa.

She asked Gong Wanru and Yan Ruoliu, but neither had any either.

Just as she fretted, Ye Nan returned.

Li Siqi hurried over, embarrassed. “Ye Nan, can you help me? My period started, and there are no sanitary pads in the villa.”

“No problem, come with me,” Ye Nan smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the yard.

Seeing the mountain of sanitary pads stacked there, Li Siqi’s eyes widened. “Oh my—so many! How did you carry all these back?”

Ye Nan replied, “I carried them.”

Li Siqi gazed him up and down, murmuring, “Your physique is really impressive.”

She finally understood why Gong Wanru and Yan Ruoliu always showed a mix of admiration and exasperation when talking about him. This guy was truly formidable.

Ye Nan asked, “Is this enough?”

Warmth filled Li Siqi’s heart. She looked at him sincerely. “Yes, yes, thank you so much.”

After spending two days with Ye Nan, Li Siqi realized she genuinely liked him.

Thinking back to when Ye Nan saved her at the convenience store and asked her to be his woman, she had been sulking as if deeply wronged.

Now she found it laughable. In the apocalypse, finding a man who treated her well was a tremendous blessing. How could she ask for more?

Ye Nan teased, “No need for more thanks. How about something practical—a kiss?”

Li Siqi’s face flushed crimson, but she didn’t refuse. She softly responded and lifted her head to plant a kiss on Ye Nan’s cheek.

Unexpectedly, Ye Nan pulled her waist and kissed her deeply on her sensual red lips.

“Mm!”

Li Siqi’s eyes went wide in surprise; she hadn’t expected Ye Nan to take it further.

Yet the feeling was so wonderful that she stopped resisting and allowed him to kiss her.

Just then, Gong Wanru and Yan Ruoliu came out.

Seeing the scene, they both gasped.

“Oh my god, you two...”