Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

"Only Third Rank, Third Rank," Song You’ai said with a humble smile, but the excitement in her eyes was impossible to hide.

What could possibly be more delightful than advancing to the Third Rank with her superpower overnight?

To be honest, Song You’ai still didn’t understand what had happened or how she had jumped straight to the Third Rank. Her superpower had taken a great leap forward.

Song You’ai was secretly reveling in her joy. She didn’t ask Xie Ning, so Xie Ning didn’t bother explaining about the Water Energy Ball.

Also feeling incredibly smug was young Song Kexin. She had thought that by reaching the Second Order with her superpower, she would definitely be the star of the team.

But then she turned around and discovered that her dad, her aunt, and her younger brother had all advanced too!

Especially her dad, who smugly showed off his "talent" in front of everyone by effortlessly lifting the minibus. She figured she wouldn’t be able to forget the shocked expressions on her grandparents’ faces for days...

’Is even superpower advancement this competitive now?’

Song Kexin boarded the bus with an empty washbasin and retreated to a corner, thoroughly depressed.

Taking advantage of the pre-dawn gloom before the sun got too intense, Zhu Yong got the bus on the road and headed straight for the Jinhu Highway.

Xie Ning pulled the map Xiao Gu had given her from her bag and opened it. Every so often, she could feel her mother’s gleeful emotions.

"Mom, how much water can you produce at once now?" Xie Ning decided to put the map down, looking at her mother with a grin.

"I haven’t calculated it precisely." Song You’ai paused for a moment, then gave a confident smile. "But I estimate three to five hundred liters should be no problem, right?"

"Mom, how about you make me a 300-liter ball of water right now."

Of course, Song You’ai would grant any request from her daughter.

Everyone else on the bus hurriedly stood up, their eyes wide as they watched her "talent show"...

Song You’ai’s control over water had now reached a state of mastery.

She compressed and condensed three hundred liters of water into a solid Water Ball, about the size of her two palms, that seemed to be brimming with pure Water Element energy.

"Amazing!" The onlookers in the peanut gallery all praised her, their eyes wide in admiration.

Xie Ning also nodded in praise. "Very impressive!"

"Kexin, you need to practice your Fireballs more. See? Make them more solid, like your aunt’s. If you do, they’ll be incredibly powerful when you throw them."

"That’s right, Kexin. You need to take everything your big sister teaches you to heart. At a critical moment, it could save your life and the lives of others," Song Youzhi added, nodding repeatedly.

Poor little Song Kexin just mumbled, "Oh." Her aunt’s latest talent demonstration had completely crushed the last of her smugness...

Xie Ning grinned as she stored the 300-liter ball of superpower water on her terrace, planning to process it all into Energy Water when she had free time.

Li Dawei and his group followed behind the minibus, the hot wind blasting their faces. Every one of them felt like they were roasting.

Fortunately, they had previously traded for 60 liters of water from Aunt Song, so for now, the team wasn’t short on water.

With a bottle of water in hand to quench their thirst, life seemed a little better than before.

Say what you will, even though Aunt Song had become a beast—as fierce as her daughter—she was still pretty straightforward in her dealings.

This superpower water had a faint sweetness and was great for restoring stamina and spirits. Everyone felt it tasted even better than the mineral water from before the apocalypse.

Xu Bailiang smiled at Li Dawei. "Captain, we should try to stay on good terms with Aunt Song and her group from now on. Actually, Aunt Song and Miss Xie Ning are both pretty nice."

Li Dawei snorted, but then nodded. "You’re right, pretty boy. Ah, forget it. I won’t hold past grievances against those women. From now on, we’ll just try to get along."

Although Zhong Shichong said nothing, he inwardly heaved a huge sigh of relief.

’That idiot Li Dawei’s brain is finally starting to work.’

In truth, as old neighbors from the Song Family Pavilion, they were in the best position to mend their relationship with Xie Ning’s family.

After about half an hour of driving, the bus stopped in front of the highway entrance.

Song Shijun and Song Youzhi went ahead to move the blocking cars.

Ahead, numerous cars were crashed together haphazardly, some even piled on top of each other like a human pyramid.

But for Superpower Users, this was nothing.

Zhu Yong parked the minibus and shut off the engine. He got out and walked a circle around it, inspecting the condition of the tires.

Song You’ai sprinkled some water on the bus’s body.

Ji Taixian and Wang Zongxuan took Xiao Huang Mao to start searching the cars on the roadside.

Li Dawei also brought his people over to check the vehicles for any remaining supplies.

Xie Ning just glanced at them once and paid them no mind.

The two teams kept to themselves, with one group taking the left and the other the right. What they managed to find would be all up to luck.

"There are definitely supplies in this car! Where’s the sledgehammer? Zha Peng, Zha Peng, come over and smash it open!" a woman suddenly shouted, running over and pointing at a car next to Li Dawei.

"Who the hell are you?" Li Xiang glared, stepping in front of the car like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Our team is searching these cars. Get lost."

"Zhao Yanran, are you trying to cause trouble again?" Zheng Feina said in a harsh tone. "Get back here."

"You guys keep searching." Li Dawei gave his sister a meaningful look, then turned and trotted over to Song You’ai’s side with a fawning smile. "Aunt Song, I’ll go help Uncle Song and the others move the cars."

But Zhao Yanran stood stubbornly by the car, refusing to move. "These vehicles don’t belong to you. They’re all unclaimed. How did they suddenly become yours?"

"First come, first served. Get it? Don’t make me get rough! Scram." Li Xiang ordered one of her guys to pry open the trunk, and cried out in delight when she found it half-full of crackers and bread.

Unfortunately, the weather was too hot, and the bread, having baked in the sun for so many days, was bloated in its packaging and inedible.

The soda crackers, however, were perfectly fine. Li Xiang tore open a small packet, ate a couple, and handed the rest to her subordinate, who was staring at them eagerly.

"Ge Yan." Although Li Xiang was very wary of Ge Yan, while they were on the road, she had no choice but to rely on this Space Ability User to collect supplies.

Meanwhile, Ji Taixian, Wang Zongxuan, and Xiao Huang Mao were collecting things with the thoroughness of a passing typhoon, even using a hose to siphon gasoline.

After they cleared a path, Cres suddenly frowned. "There’s a small zombie horde approaching. Should we find some cover and hide?"

"How many?"

"Around... a few hundred."

Xie Ning took the Heavenly Blade from her back, swinging it lightly in her hand. "A few hundred? We can take them."

"There’s a zombie horde coming! If you’re scared, go find a place to hide," Xie Ning shouted over her shoulder to Li Dawei’s and Zheng Heng’s group. "Just don’t get in the way of our fight."

"What a joke! You think we’d be scared?" Li Dawei hoisted a car to the side of the road, stacking it on top of the pile.

"They’ll be here within three minutes."

Li Dawei shot the little blond boy a suspicious look. "And who’s this? You think you’re some kind of prophet? You say three minutes, and they’ll just show up in three minutes? What’s a foreigner like you bullshitting about?"

Three minutes later, Li Xiang felt second-hand embarrassment for her brother.

Zhong Shichong smashed a lunging zombie with his hammer, then turned to exchange a look with Xu Bailiang. "Xie Ning’s team has a Spiritual Ability User."

’No wonder they’re so confident!’

Li Dawei swung a zombie by the limbs and flung it away. "Sis, what do you say we join Xie Ning’s team?"

Li Xiang gave her brother a speechless look. "Stop daydreaming! Kill!"