Chapter 37: Awakening Crystal Core

Ye Nan hadn't paid much attention to it before, but upon closer inspection of this Level 2 crystal core, he realized it was vastly different from others. It was covered in strange patterns and radiated a powerful surge of supernatural energy.

Ye Nan had already absorbed many zombie crystal cores, but this was his first time seeing one so peculiar. Confused, he placed his hand on the core, intending to absorb it. Strangely, after trying for a while, there was no effect. No energy flowed from the core into his palm, which was completely different from his past experiences. The only reaction was that whenever his palm neared the core, the lightning ability within him would stir, much like it did when he first awakened his powers.

After thinking it over carefully, Ye Nan murmured to himself, "Could this be an Awakening Crystal?"

If it truly was an Awakening Crystal, its value would be immense. Imagine: an ordinary person who absorbs this core could instantly awaken their own supernatural ability, embarking on the path of the powerful. It was no exaggeration to say such a crystal was priceless. Especially in this apocalypse, possessing supernatural abilities meant one could walk through the world unhindered. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became, otherwise, there was no reason why he couldn't absorb it. The only explanation was that, as an existing esper, he could not absorb another.

Ye Nan called the four women over. They were busy cooking and seemed somewhat reluctant.

"My dish is almost ready. What is it?" Gong Wanru asked with surprise.

Li Siqi complained grumpily, "I was just getting into the rhythm of cooking, and you call me over? Speak up—if it's not something important, see how I deal with you."

Watching Li Siqi's feigned anger, Ye Nan found it amusing. He held up the crystal core for them to see and said, "I found a strange crystal. I tried to absorb it just now, but I couldn't."

Gong Wanru examined the crystal in his hand and said in surprise, "It's different from the ones we've obtained before; it's slightly larger. Why can't you absorb it? How strange."

Ye Nan said seriously, "I suspect this is an Awakening Crystal."

"An Awakening Crystal?" The four women were stunned.

"Exactly," Ye Nan explained. "It means after an ordinary person absorbs it, they can directly awaken their own powers and become an esper like me."

"My god!" Li Siqi exclaimed.

Immediately, the breathing of the four women grew rapid. In the apocalypse, having seen the darkest sides of humanity, who didn't want to possess great strength? Now that such an opportunity was laid out before them, who would be willing to give it up?

"Is this true?" Su Tao asked in astonishment. "After absorbing it, can we really have powers like you?"

Ye Nan replied, "That's the theory."

Yan Ruoliu asked weakly, "You only have one?"

"Yes, there are no others," Ye Nan said.

Yan Ruoliu sighed, "But there are four of us. It’s not enough to go around."

Ye Nan said, "I'm only speculating that it's an Awakening Crystal; it's not confirmed yet. Who among you wants to try?"

All four women were eager; no one wanted to miss a chance to grow stronger.

Ye Nan suddenly added, "Don't get too excited yet. Everything I said is just a guess. What if it isn't an Awakening Crystal? What if, upon absorbing it, one becomes disfigured, turns into a monster, or grows three legs and four arms? Such things are possible. You should think carefully before trying."

Hearing this, the four women immediately backed off. While there was a chance to awaken powers, the risk of turning into a monster was absolutely unacceptable to them. The gamble was too high.

Ye Nan placed the crystal on the table and said, "Think it over. Make your decision when you're ready. There are great risks alongside the gain of power. I'll say this in advance: if someone turns into a monster, I won't be able to let them stay in the safe house; it would be too unsettling."

In truth, Ye Nan was quite confident—at least eighty percent sure—that it was an Awakening Crystal. But he had four women. Regardless of who he gave it to, the other three wouldn't be happy. As the saying goes, "Worry not about scarcity, but about inequality." If he showed too much favoritism, even if they said nothing, a thorn would inevitably be planted in their hearts. Sometimes, a tiny thorn could lead to grave consequences. If any of them were to betray him later, he wouldn't even have time to cry.

By comparison, it was better to lay out the stakes and let them decide for themselves. Whoever made the decision first would get the only crystal, and no one would have any cause for complaint. Ye Nan felt quite troubled. Back in the peaceful era, he was just a nobody who had never even had a girlfriend. But now, surrounded by beauties, he found that while there was joy, there were also many headaches.

After a moment of silence, Gong Wanru spoke first: "Let me try."

"Are you sure?" Ye Nan looked intently at Gong Wanru. This strong-willed woman always seemed so resolute.

"I'm sure," Gong Wanru said without hesitation.

Ye Nan said, "Alright then, take the crystal. Hold it in your hand and try to absorb it."

Gong Wanru took a deep breath, reached out, picked up the crystal, held it tightly, and attempted to absorb it.

Li Siqi said, "Sister Gong, I wish you success. If you become an esper, our team's strength will reach a whole new level."

Su Tao clenched her little fists, excited: "Go for it, Sister Gong! I really hope you can awaken your powers."

Yan Ruoliu added, "Don't have too many distracting thoughts. Believe in yourself; you can do it."

Ye Nan and the three women fell silent, staring intently at Gong Wanru, waiting for her to finish absorbing the crystal.

After Gong Wanru gripped the core, a strange power surged toward her. Then, a earth-shattering transformation occurred within her body as strands of supernatural energy slowly gathered. As time passed, this energy grew stronger, eventually exploding within her.

Long after, Gong Wanru opened her eyes.

Ye Nan asked anxiously, "How is it? How do you feel?"

Gong Wanru's eyes were filled with excitement. "I've awakened an ability."

Li Siqi asked, "What kind of ability? Can you shoot electricity like Ye Nan?"

Gong Wanru didn't speak; she simply opened her palm, and a flame manifested, burning steadily and emitting a scorching heat.

"It's a fire-attribute ability. Not bad at all," Ye Nan said with a smile.

Gong Wanru said, "It's not purely a fire-attribute ability. Look."

With a thought, the flame transformed into a meter-long blade of fire, looking quite imposing. Li Siqi was curious and wanted to touch it, but before her hand could reach the flame blade, she was intimidated by the intense heat and quickly pulled back.

Gong Wanru explained, "My ability seems to be a combination of fire and a combat style. I can clearly feel that my physical fitness has increased significantly, and the more I fight, the stronger the ability becomes."

Ye Nan nodded. "I see. That's a very good ability, likely no worse than my lightning."

Gong Wanru said softly, "It's nowhere near yours. Your Lightning Tower has storage capabilities; that alone outclasses every other ability. I can't compare to you."

"That's true. In the apocalypse, having a supernatural space to store supplies is more useful than any combat ability," Ye Nan felt fortunate. His lightning ability was not only for hoarding supplies, but its combat effectiveness was also formidable. Furthermore, the lightning tentacles were incredibly useful—especially when being intimate with women; they were simply fantastic.

Ye Nan comforted her: "Don't dwell on it so much. Awakening any ability is a good thing. Compared to turning into a monster, this result is worth celebrating."

Li Siqi said happily, "That's right! Let's celebrate tonight. Congratulations, Sister Gong, on becoming an esper. Now, even if Ye Nan isn't home, our safety is better guaranteed."

"Absolutely," Yan Ruoliu said. "Let's celebrate properly. Come on, let's go cook."

Ye Nan said, "Yes, let's celebrate tonight, and tomorrow we'll study your ability. I'll take you out to hunt zombies, get more cores, and help you reach Level 2 as soon as possible."

"Good, it's a deal," Gong Wanru said.

The four women laughed and headed to the kitchen. An hour later, the table was filled with all sorts of delicacies—meat, vegetables, pizza, burgers, egg tarts, and more. If other survivors saw this, they would likely be driven mad with envy. While so many were still starving, Ye Nan and his group lived in a safe house, enjoying food as if the apocalypse didn't exist.

"Let's eat." Ye Nan was happy. With another esper in the team, the pressure on him was much lighter. The five of them enjoyed the meal immensely. Since the outbreak, aside from the time Ye Nan reached Level 2 and obtained the storage-capable Lightning Tower, this was their happiest moment.

After dinner, the five went to the movie room. There wasn't much entertainment in the apocalypse, and watching movies was one of the best ways to pass the time. The film they chose was a romance with some steamy scenes. The leads were constantly flirting, hugging, and kissing, which stirred the desires of the five.

"You guys watch; I'm going to the room with Sister Gong to discuss her ability," Ye Nan suddenly stood up.

Gong Wanru hadn't expected this and said, "We could discuss it tomorrow. Let's finish the movie; there's plenty of time."

Li Siqi said from the side, "Sister Gong, is he trying to watch a movie? He clearly wants to play the leading roles with you."

Gong Wanru looked at the kissing couple on the screen and realized, her face turning slightly red. "Thinking about that all day long... how annoying."

"There are even more annoying things," Ye Nan said, ignoring the others' gazes as he picked up Gong Wanru and walked toward the bedroom. Gong Wanru struggled slightly, but since she couldn't break free, she let him be. She was happy today, and after watching the scenes in the movie, she was already in the mood to "discuss life's ideals" with Ye Nan. His actions were exactly what she wanted.

As soon as they entered the room, Ye Nan couldn't wait, and they began the main event. Meanwhile, the other three women finished the movie and headed to their rooms, but the sounds from next door kept them tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Just as they were feeling frustrated, they saw lightning tentacles creeping in from under their doors. Whether it was Yan Ruoliu, Li Siqi, or Su Tao, they all blushed, cursing Ye Nan a thousand times in their hearts—the wretched guy.

In the morning, while eating breakfast, Ye Nan noticed the four women looked tired. "What's wrong? You all look so listless."

Gong Wanru said bitterly, "You have the nerve to ask? I told you to be gentle, but you acted like you'd never seen a woman before. My throat is almost hoarse."

Li Siqi added, "Sister Gong, I couldn't sleep all night because of you."

Even with her thick skin, Gong Wanru blushed. "Siqi, even if you didn't sleep well, you shouldn't be in this bad of a state."

"Heh," Li Siqi glared at Ye Nan. "Blame that on someone."

Ye Nan feigned ignorance and smiled, "Why blame me? I was in Sister Gong's room all night."

Yan Ruoliu snorted, feeling indignant. *You weren't there, but your lightning tentacles were! It's infuriating!*

The meal passed amid the murmurs of the four women. Ye Nan couldn't help but sigh—teasing them was quite interesting sometimes. He suddenly recalled what Su Tao had said yesterday and asked, "Wang Nu is definitely coming to the complex at noon, right?"

Su Tao replied, "Yes. That beast wants to possess me. What's worse, my ex-boyfriend actually wants to hand me over to him. There's no justice in this world."

"With me here, don't worry. I won't let you come to any harm," Ye Nan said. "When it's close to noon, we'll go to the trading clearing in the complex and wait. I want to see what Wang Nu can do to us."

Ye Nan was brimming with confidence. He was a Level 2 esper, while Wang Nu was likely only Level 1. Hammering Wang Nu would be a simple matter.

Gong Wanru's eyes lit up. "Let me take him on. You can watch from the side, and if I really can't beat him, you can step in."

"No problem," Ye Nan agreed.

"What is Wang Nu's strength like?" Gong Wanru asked.

Ye Nan said, "I don't know, but he probably hasn't awakened his ability for long. Plus, he has an ice-attribute ability, and you have fire. You have a natural advantage."

"Good," Gong Wanru said. "After breakfast, I'll go kill some zombies outside and try to get more Level 1 cores to absorb. That way, I'll be even more confident when facing Wang Nu."

"Fine, I'll go with you," Ye Nan proposed.

"Alright," Gong Wanru agreed.

After breakfast, they headed out. The zombies in the residential complex had already been cleared by Ye Nan, so they had to go further afield. They didn't take a car; once outside, they started their hunt. Gong Wanru summoned her flame blade, and with every swing, a zombie fell to the ground. Ever since they got the alloy long-sword from Zhang Dahu, Gong Wanru had been practicing her sword skills relentlessly. Now, with the flame blade, it was even more effective.

The road was littered with zombie corpses. Most were killed by Gong Wanru. Ye Nan sighed—this woman was as formidable as ever. Strong in business, strong at killing zombies; she was truly a powerful woman.