There were quite a few people chasing after Qin Ke, enough to make his situation dire. However, who could have expected that a sudden emergence of a group of burly men from the underbrush would catch them by surprise?
Qin Ke felt like he had been given a second chance at life. Despite being injured and on the brink of collapse, he refused to let Kui Qingqing push him away and pleaded, "I'll be fine! Hurry up! Hurry up!"
Ever since having that good time with Tao Ran, Kui Qingqing felt that something was missing when she saw Qin Ke again. She couldn't tolerate his reckless actions as easily as before. She didn't hold back and slapped Qin Ke on the back, causing him to stumble, "Stop talking nonsense, I am the boss now."
Well, she is the boss now...
The sudden appearance of Lao Zhang and his gang caught the pursuers off guard. However, due to their fierce resistance, only one severely wounded man remained. Everyone gathered around, and Kui Qingqing said, "With injuries like these, he will die before he can get back to Qian Lingling for treatment, right?"
Qin Ke clenched his fists, knelt down, and grabbed the man's collar. "Where's Zhen Ling? Where have you taken her?"
The man slowly regained consciousness, his eyes filled with confusion. Qin Ke demanded, "What did you do to Zhen Ling?"
The man blinked, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Give up, you'll never find her."
Qin Ke: "You..."
Qin Ke wanted to say more, perhaps threats or offers, but the man was already dead. Kui Qingqing crouched beside Qin Ke and asked, "What happened to Zhen Ling?"
"They took her." Qin Ke had always believed that Zhen Ling had been abducted by these people. At this time he was in a mess. Kui Qingqing suggested, "We've found a new place, safer than the previous small town. Come back with us."
Qin Ke glanced at his loyal brothers and then looked into the distance. Then he said, "Do me a favor."
Kui Qingqing furrowed her brow as she watched him, then pulled her hand away from his grasp. "You want us to help rescue Zhen Ling?"
"Yes," Qin Ke replied. "I can't do it alone. Please, help me."
It wasn't that Kui Qingqing didn't want to help him, but she couldn't risk putting other brothers in danger for one person. She asked, "Do you know where Zhen Ling is?" "She's..." Qin Ke didn't have a clue. He had searched far and wide, but there was no trace of Zhen Ling. He even had moments when he thought she might be dead, but he convinced himself that Zhen Ling's captors had other plans, keeping him persisting until now.
Qin Ke thought for a moment and said, "I don't know exactly, but he must have been captured by those people."
Kui Qingqing glanced at Lao Zhang and the others, then back at Qin Ke. She suggested, "How about this, let's not startle the snake just yet. Let's all look around and gather information discreetly. After confirming the location of Zhen Ling, we will discuss the rescue plan."
This seemed like the best course of action for now. Qin Ke ate some dry food that Kui Qingqing had brought. She briefed him on the situation in the village, and Qin Ke nodded in approval. "You've done well. Remember when you didn't want to take charge? Now, you're a reliable leader."
"Actually, Chaoge helped me a lot." Kui Qingqing's eyes lit up as she spoke. She continued, "He found the village, cleared the surrounding dangers, and even took charge of our food. When I first met him, I thought he was just a spoiled kid who only knew to throw tantrums. But, he's turned out to be quite dependable."
Qin Ke watched Kui Qingqing's expression and remarked, "It seems like you really like him."
Kui Qingqing blushed while recalling the events of that night. "Well... when things settle down in the village, you must come to have my wedding wine."
"Huh?" Qin Ke was genuinely surprised. "With whom?"
Kui Qingqing's face darkened. "Chao Ge."
"But isn't he your cousin?" Qin Ke blurted out.
"It's not by blood!" Kui Qingqing said, her tone defensive.
Qin Ke: "But you are older than him."
Kui Qingqing's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot in an instant, "Huh? So what?"
"Uh… it's nothing." Qin Ke coughed, then said, "A wife three years older than the husband ensures a richer life. It's amazing." [T/N: 女大三抱金砖: nǚ dà sān bào jīnzhuān - (a proverb) literal meaning is woman older [by] three [years] carries gold bricks ]
"Hmph!" Kui Qingqing turned away with a displeased expression. "It's four years older!"
"..."
Tao Ran, who had been quite angry at first, had grown worried when Kui Qingqing hadn't returned for several days. On this day, he leaned on Fluffy on a mountaintop, picking wild berries to eat. Fluffy suddenly turned its head and grinned. Tao Ran looked over and saw Qian Lingling climbing up with the help of a tree.
Tao Ran walked over and pulled her up. She was panting and said, "I've always thought my ability was quite useful, but whenever there's a need for physical strength, I envy you guys."
Tao Ran smiled and said, "That's because you don't exercise. It has nothing to do with your ability."
Qian Lingling couldn't help but laugh. People exercise to stay healthy. Her healing power can cure any disease. It's difficult to be unhealthy, so naturally she won't spend so much time exercising. Qian Lingling sat down beside Tao Ran, leaning against Fluffy as well.
Before them lay a village bathed in the warm embrace of the setting sun. The trees had already withered turning a golden hue, painting the village in shades of autumn yellow scenery. Paired with the crimson sunset, it was a sight of breathtaking beauty, akin to a masterpiece painting. Qian Lingling whispered, "How beautiful."
Tao Ran turned to her and asked, "What's beautiful?"
"I mean, these days are beautiful," Qian Lingling replied. "Although we're not as respected as the superhumans twenty years ago, we're still fortunate to lead such peaceful and leisurely lives, aren't we?"
Tao Ran remembered the plot. Zhen Ling would soon develop a vaccine to prevent the emergence of new superhumans, and humanity would no longer be at risk of extinction. Superhumans and ordinary humans would coexist peacefully. He said, "What if one day superhumans and regular folks reconcile, and we return to the cities? What will you do?"
Qian Lingling froze and looked at Tao Ran as she asked, "Is that even possible?"
"Why isn't it possible?"
"But I don't have any family left," Qian Lingling explained. "Everyone I know is only here in the village."
"The people in the village are your family." Tao Ran smiled, "No matter what the situation is you won't be alone." Not to mention anything else, because of her supernatural ability Qian Lingling would definitely be snatched up by people like crazy.
As if determined, Qian Lingling asked, "What about you? What's your answer to the question you dodged last time?"
Tao Ran looked into Qian Lingling's eyes and replied, "I'm sorry."
"...Why?" Qian Lingling's eyes moistened, "What's wrong with me?"
"It's not that there's anything wrong with you, it's just that I already have someone I like."
"Who is it?"
"It's Kui Qingqing."
Kui Qingqing sneezed again, and Old Zhang said, "I'm sure that guy is thinking about you. When can we finally go back?"
Kui Qingqing frowned and said, "Qin Ke won't leave if he can't find Zhen Ling. What can I do?"
At this time, Qin Ke came over and said, "Being passive like this won't work, we have to think of something."
"Have you come up with a plan?" asked Kui Qingqing.
"Find someone to distract away some of the superpowers here, and when their defenses are loosened, we'll sneak in quietly."
That did sound like a plan, but Kui Qingqing raised a concern, "But who will be the one to distract them? What if that person gets caught?"
Lao Zhang had been eager to leave for a while now, and he suggested, "Let Xiao Liu do it. He's a speed user, and when it comes to escaping, he's top-notch."
Xiao Liu agreed to the plan, and Kui Qingqing emphasized, "This is our last attempt, whether we succeed or not everyone has to go back, we can't stay out here any longer."
Qin Ke clenched his fist and nodded, "Okay."
The leader of the heavily guarded Twin Star Force was a pair of twin brothers, and their powers happened to be of one ice and one fire. Their powers had grown stronger as their faction expanded.
Kui Qingqing led her team to create a big commotion in the Twin Star Force. Then Xiao Liu managed to lure out several superhumans. Taking advantage of the decrease in the number of superpowers, the group slipped inside. Lao Zhang surveyed the streets and commented, "Most of them are power-type superhumans. They won't notice us."
Among Kui Qingqing's team was a superhuman with mental abilities, capable of emitting disruptive brainwaves. As they walked through the crowd of superhumans, it was as if the others couldn't see them and they simply walked away.
The team eventually reached the place where the Twin Star leaders lived. The superhuman's face was now pale with exhaustion, he spoke in a strained voice, "I can only hold on until now."
"It's okay." Kui Qingqing patted his shoulder, "You've done a great job."
Everyone entered this very large villa. A young man with earth-based powers at the rear spoke up, "I can't penetrate beyond a meter underground. It seems there might be a basement below."
Kui Qingqing said, "Could Zhen Ling be there?"
They treaded cautiously, spending half a day inside the villa without locating the entrance to the basement. Kui Qingqing began to feel anxious, "If this were in the past, I would have set a fire, burning the basement down in no time."
The group felt beads of sweat forming as they couldn't find a way in. Then, Lao Zhang happened to find a door on the right side. He reached out to pull it while asking, "What is this door here for?"
As soon as he pulled it open, a cloud of smoke filled the room. A man wearing nothing stood out of the water and shouted, "Who are you?!"
Everyone: "..."
Without a second thought, the man swiftly waved his hand, instantly freezing everyone in their tracks. Then, he bellowed, "Sound the alarm! We're under attack!"
A few seconds later, everyone broke free from the ice, and Kui Qingqing sent a blast of fire inside, "That's what you get for fu*king freezing me!"
Everyone shivered in unison, seeing more and more people gathering here, Kui Qingqing declared, "Let's retreat!"
Qin Ke objected, "We can't retreat. No matter what, we need to find the basement first!" But Lao Zhang yelled, "Retreat! Or we'll all die!"
Without hesitation, they began to break out, and Kui Qingqing instructed, "Split up. Head left to gather at the abandoned canning factory!"
Meanwhile, Tao Ran finally couldn't wait any longer in the village. He made arrangements and went to find Kui Qingqing's group. Flying to the small town not far from their place, he saw a group of superhumans engaged in a battle and recognized some familiar faces. Tao Ran intervened, sending those pursuing Qin Ke's group above the clouds, and into freefall.
Tao Ran jumped down and asked, "What are you doing here? Where's Kui Qingqing?"