The sky had turned overcast at some point. Those clouds should have been layered, but with the entire city burning, looking up, the whole sky was distorted and warped.
The clouds were tinged with purple.
But no one noticed.
The first time, no one knew what was coming next, no one paid attention.
The second time, after hearing Jiang Cheng’s later explanation, everyone tried to recall—but many still only remembered that it seemed to have been overcast. Because it’s hard to recall something you never noticed in the first place.
This was the third time. The sky showed purple, and still no one noticed.
Because explosions and fire were everywhere.
Ten minutes after the gate station exploded, the upstream main pipeline chain-exploded.
Thirty minutes later, it entered the city’s medium-pressure network. When someone at a gas terminal was using fire at that moment, it detonated.
—
Tech District, Youth Apartments.
Ever since the water pipe burst and no one knew where the main valve was, Song Jingshuo had urged Manager Wang to bring out the community’s blueprints and had several people with civil engineering knowledge study them, figuring out the key valves for all the systems.
When the explosion hit the community, Song Jingshuo realized it was a gas pipeline incident and immediately shouted: “Close the valves! Close the valves—!”
Someone sprinted off!
The clubhouse cafeteria exploded. The uncle who made delicious stir-fries died on the spot. An auntie who’d come from the high-tech middle school also died on the spot.
Fortunately, among all the superpower users, fire-types were the most numerous.
The fire-types rushed in to put out the flames. Zhang Lesi braved the lingering smoke and went in, rescuing the remaining injured aunties.
When the aunties opened their eyes, they were dazed—their minds rattled by the explosion.
They couldn’t even speak, only gasp for air.
The youth apartments’ unique characteristic showed itself once again—everyone ate in the cafeteria, no one cooked at home.
The residential buildings were therefore safe.
When Song Jingshuo realized this, he immediately directed: “Go next door—go help next door!”
Next door, Jixiang Jiayuan and Yujing Xiangyuan were now filled with refugees.
Many people cooked. It wasn’t dinner time yet, but the cafeteria had started cooking early because of the volume of food to prepare.
But there was no guarantee some people next door hadn’t started cooking early.
Now that outings were rare, people only went out occasionally when specific supplies were needed.
Everyone mostly stayed in the community.
A large number of fire-type superpower users ran toward the neighboring communities.
On Jixiang West Street, several manhole covers had blown open, flames shooting up from underground.
People with civil engineering backgrounds shouted: “Earth-types! Metal-types! Cut off the underground pipelines! Cut them off—!!!”
Without blueprints, there was no way to know where the medium-pressure pipeline valves on the street were. The best method was to use superpowers to sever them!
Song Jingshuo heard it and immediately called each district leader one by one. As soon as they connected, he was concise: “Earth-types and metal-types—sever the underground gas pipelines!”
The whole city was exploding.
A sea of fire engulfed the city.
At this moment, someone suddenly reminded you what to do.
The people answering the phones didn’t even have time to check who was calling—they were already shouting: “Sever the underground pipelines! Earth-types! Metal-types! Sever the underground pipelines—”
Sure enough, several floors of Jixiang Jiayuan exploded—some people had indeed cooked early.
Especially after outings became rare, many people’s schedules had gotten disrupted—sleeping in until late.
Their cooking times were disrupted too. It was already afternoon—they might have been making a late lunch.
They guessed right.
President Xu’s group was one of those whose schedules were disrupted and who were making a late lunch.
The kitchen in the apartment where they were cooking exploded.
A person on fire burst out from inside, screaming horribly.
Everyone worked together to put out the flames before they realized—it was Tao Xiaoxiao.
Someone shouted: “Sister Wu is still inside! Old Zhao, Old Qin!”
They had a lot of people, occupying several apartments on the same floor.
Sister Wu and Tao Xiaoxiao had just gotten up to leave after chatting with them in another apartment. Sister Wu said she was going to check on the kitchen, and Tao Xiaoxiao, being a foodie, went along.
Just a moment later, the explosion happened!
Everyone frantically soaked blankets in water. Several people wrapped themselves in wet blankets and charged in.
After a while, they collectively carried someone out—Sister Wu, still smoking from burns.
“Old Zhao and Old Qin are gone!”
President Xu didn’t have time for sentiment. He roared: “Go! Find Zhang Lesi!”
President Xu carried one on his back, Director Yu carried another—together they charged downstairs.
President Xu was a muscular man to begin with. Director Yu had been climbing stairs with the combat teams every day—not only had he successfully lost weight, but his leg strength was built up too.
Together they carried their two injured female colleagues downstairs.
Clearly the youth apartments were one step ahead again—the moment they got out of the building, they saw many familiar faces charging over from the youth apartments.
President Xu roared: “Where’s Zhang Lesi?”
A fire-type superpower user charging forward shouted back “Behind us!” before continuing forward, rushing upstairs to put out fires first!
Zhang Lesi was running behind them.
President Xu charged toward her, Zhang Lesi charged toward President Xu, shouting as she ran: “Put them on the ground—!”
Everyone quickly laid the injured on the ground.
Wu Yan and Tao Xiaoxiao were burned beyond recognition—barely breathing.
It didn’t matter—as long as there was a breath left, Zhang Lesi could pull them back from the brink!
Zhang Lesi dropped to her knees between the two, pressing one hand on each.
The charred skin visibly began to repair and regenerate—like a miracle.
Why did such miracles exist in this world?
No one could figure it out—they just felt it was a miracle.
Wu Yan had just twitched her eyelids when Zhou Wang roared from over there: “Zhang Lesi—!”
Zhang Lesi looked up. Zhou Wang and Brother Dong had already blurred over, dropping two people still steaming and smelling of roasted meat in front of her.
The two immediately dashed off like the wind—every second counted for saving lives!
Zhang Lesi’s superpower was diagnosis + external injury treatment.
She most often used the diagnostic ability, seeing patients every day like going to work.
External injury treatment could only be used on living organisms injured while alive. She’d tried it on frozen pork from the cafeteria—it didn’t work. It had to be alive.
Diagnosis was an almost passive ability. Using it consumed very little. After using it on one person, a sip of water and a breather was enough to recover.
Zhang Lesi had never used her healing superpower at such high intensity before.
People kept placing more injured around her, while others pulled away those who’d been saved but were still dazed, dragging them off.
After saving one, Zhang Lesi would crawl on her knees to the next.
She didn’t look at faces or people—she relied only on the sensation from her palms: about to die—won’t die—almost there—healed—next!
Zhang Lesi’s nose started bleeding. Her eardrums ached like needles stabbing them. Her eyeballs felt like they were about to explode.
And in her brain—the source of her superpower—it was churning, boiling!
I can still save people!
I can save more people!
I—
I can—!
Amid the cries of those around her, two sprays of blood mist shot out—Zhang Lesi’s eyeballs had burst!
People didn’t know—Zhang Lesi’s superpower source in her brain had violently contracted to its extreme, then rapidly expanded!
Only Su Yu had experienced something similar.
But Zhang Lesi’s situation was far more dangerous than Su Yu’s.
She was much luckier than the metal-type superpower user who’d died in the military camp during the second zombie outbreak.
Because it had been a month since she’d gained her superpower—frequent use had allowed her body to fully integrate with it. When her usage broke through the safety threshold, her physical foundation caught the superpower source’s explosion.
“Connect them! Connect them—!”
There were many sounds by her ears—explosions, screams, wailing, footsteps.
Zhang Lesi’s face was covered in blood. She couldn’t see anything. But when both her hands pressed on two injured people, she sensed the presence of three—one injured person’s body was touching the injured person next to them waiting for treatment!
Zhang Lesi screamed hoarsely: “Put them together—make their bodies touch—”
Many people were still frozen in shock from Zhang Lesi’s eyeballs bursting.
President Xu and Director Yu were the first to understand!
They lunged forward, pushing and dragging the injured all over the ground together: “Connect their bodies! She wants to heal them all at once!”
The employees sprang into action!
Many hands made light work.
In Zhang Lesi’s perception, many living beings appeared.
Her newly advanced, explosively empowered superpower poured out like a tidal wave, transmitting through touching bodies, through contact skin, to every person, every cell!
New injured kept joining. People would also swap out those beside her hands.
In the end, Zhang Lesi knew nothing.
Before losing consciousness, she only remembered repairing the last damaged cell.
She’d said she could do it!
—
In the city, fires burned everywhere.
Manhole covers littered the ground, flames shooting from the open holes.
They set parked cars on fire, and the cars exploded in turn.
Some cars had alarms—struck by falling manhole covers, they blared piercing alarms.
Attracted by the noise, zombies in the urban districts lunged toward the sounds, only to be consumed by the flames—which cleared the streets.
—
On the road.
Jiang Cheng bent over, hands on her knees, gasping.
She turned her head and saw Zhao Yi lying on the ground, staring at her, dazed.
He’d seen her lose control of her emotions just now.
She’d been laughed into a fury—quite literally.
Jiang Cheng walked over and extended her hand to Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi pulled himself up using her hand—and he saw the sky.
“Jiang Cheng… is that the purple you mentioned?” he asked.
Jiang Cheng said: “It should be.”
Because even Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure what this heavenly sign meant this time.
Could it be that one of them was going to turn into a zombie again?
She didn’t think so.
Playing the same trick twice wasn’t interesting.
If that were the case, “God” would be underestimating her too much.
“Is everyone okay? Is everyone accounted for?” Jiang Cheng looked at the group.
Li Jiangbing was also sitting on the ground catching his breath. He said: “All here, all accounted for.”
But Jiang Cheng scanned the group and suddenly asked: “Where’s Moli?”
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