The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 67
“Ji Man.”
Suddenly, a calm male voice called out Ji Man’s name from the crowd.
Ji Man straightened up involuntarily, his muscles slightly tensing.
After reacting, he tried to appear more relaxed and looked in the direction of the voice.
“Yo,” he put on a carefree smile, “It’s Second Uncle.”
The group of people had walked over, and upon seeing Ji Man, their expressions varied.
The man he called Second Uncle was the leader of the Ji family within the Survivor Base.
When Ji Man was a child, he was brought to the Ji family by this man.
The people surrounding Ji Second Uncle were all familiar faces.
“You have quite the nerve,” Ji Second Uncle said, “Daring to run away secretly.”
His voice was flat, yet it inexplicably conveyed a strong sense of oppression.
Ji Man smiled indifferently, “So I’m back, aren’t I?”
Ji Second Uncle stared at him intently and asked in a deep voice, “Since you already ran away, why did you come back?”
Ji Man didn’t answer but asked in return, “Does Second Uncle want to hear the truth or a lie?”
“What’s the difference?” Ji Second Uncle asked.
“The lie would be… it was too dangerous outside,” Ji Man smiled slightly, “And the truth—”
He looked at the Ji family members who had arrived, extended a finger, and made a measuring gesture, “I guess I was just a little worried about you guys.”
He wasn’t sure what his existence meant to the Ji family.
But deep down, Ji Man did regard these people as his family.
Without his blood, those old men must have been quite troubled during this time.
Unexpectedly hearing such an answer from Ji Man, the Ji family members present were all taken aback.
Ji Second Uncle gave him a complex look, then turned his gaze to the silent Ji Zhou and You Ting behind him.
“Who are those people?”
Ji Man answered as if it were obvious, “My friends.”
“You should know the rules of the Survivor Base,” Ji Second Uncle said, “Ordinary people without supernatural abilities can only stay in the common area.”
Ji Man knew about the so-called common area.
It was cramped and narrow, like tiny boxes; for him, living there was unimaginable.
Of course, he wouldn’t let Ji Zhou suffer that hardship.
“Can’t I have special privileges?” Ji Man said in disbelief, “It’s me, your dear little Ji Ba, can’t I even bring friends to stay in a good place?”
Ji Second Uncle: “…”
Ji Man moved slightly to the side, revealing Ji Zhou.
He shouted at Ji Second Uncle, “Look, Bean Sprout is so thin, so small, so pitiful, can’t you guys be a little merciful?”
Ji Zhou blinked innocently and blankly.
Ji Second Uncle: “…”
The person behind him whispered something, likely about the increasing number of onlookers gathering to watch the spectacle.
Ji Second Uncle sighed with a headache, “Fine.”
He gave a look to the guards, “Let them all in.”
“That’s more like it!” Ji Man happily raised his chin at Ji Zhou, “See, little Bean Sprout, I told you I could protect you.”
Ji Zhou cooperatively gave a small clap, a faint smile blooming on his lips, “Brother Ji Man is so amazing.”
Ji Man’s chin tilted even higher.
He glanced at the still-unconscious You Ting, “It’s a pity that Sister didn’t get to see such a charming display from a young master like me.”
The guards initially wanted to help the two of them support You Ting, but Ji Man refused.
To be honest, compared to the people at the Survivor Base, he probably trusted the two girls beside him more.
He continued carrying You Ting on his back, led Ji Zhou, and swaggered toward his familiar living quarters.
Ji Man knew the fate awaiting him at the end of this road.
But he was not afraid.
Perhaps it was because he was already accustomed to it, or perhaps because this time he was no longer alone but had two companions.
Even if… You Ting ultimately couldn’t solve his predicament, being able to exchange his freedom for the safety and security of the two girls in the Survivor Base would still be a good outcome.
Ji Man hummed a tune off-key, and a sense of unwarranted tragedy could be discerned in his receding figure.
The crowd slowly dispersed. Shen Jiaxing stood in the corner, a look of slight surprise on his face.
He hadn’t expected to see Ji Man.
Even more unexpectedly, You Ting and Ji Zhou were both alive.
Looking at Ji Man’s arrogant attitude just now, as well as the respectful manner of the guards, Shen Jiaxing concluded that Ji Man’s status in the Survivor Base must be very high.
It was probably related to the group of people in black robes.
He regretted it secretly; had he known this, he should have followed Ji Man to find You Ting and Ji Zhou back then.
They were alive, and he had fallen out with Ji Man over this matter; it was truly a loss.
Shen Jiaxing walked up to the guards to get chummy.
He was a high-level awakened person, had a handsome appearance, and spoke in a gentle voice, easily winning people’s favor.
The guards also had some impression of him and offered a polite smile, “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Shen Jiaxing replied, “Nothing, I just heard the commotion and came over to see.”
“Oh,” the guard said, “That commotion just now was minor; that little ancestor of the Ji family doesn’t appear often, but every time he does, he causes a ruckus.”
Shen Jiaxing raised an eyebrow and asked, “The Ji family?”
The guard’s floodgates of conversation opened, and he rattled on about many things.
Roughly, it was the history of the Survivor Base.
The base was originally founded by several prominent wealthy families, among which the Ji family was the most powerful.
This was because after the apocalypse, the Ji family produced the greatest number of Awakened individuals, and their levels were generally high.
In this world, money was useless; everything depended on who had the biggest fist.
Clearly, the Ji family had secured an extremely stable position through this.
“As for that little ancestor just now,” the guard said with exasperation, “He’s the youngest young master of the Ji family. The Ji family usually treasures him immensely and doesn’t allow him to leave easily.”
“We don’t know how that little ancestor managed it a few days ago, but he actually snuck out of the base. Fortunately, he returned safe and sound. Otherwise, the base would have had a huge commotion to deal with.”
The guard continued to ramble about other things, but Shen Jiaxing wasn’t paying much attention.
His brows subtly furrowed.
Things were truly troublesome; Ji Man’s background seemed even more substantial than he had imagined.
If he wanted to become a prominent figure in the base, he would at least have to reconcile with Ji Man.
Otherwise, if Ji Man showed disdain for him, there would naturally be people eager to curry favor with Ji Man who would target him.
Shen Jiaxing looked in the direction Ji Man had disappeared, deep in thought.
But how could he find an opportunity to see Ji Man again?
The guard suddenly said, “Don’t look anymore. That place is not somewhere we can enter.”
Shen Jiaxing said “Oh?” with interest, “Then who can go in?”
The guard said, “For example, someone who was born well, like that little ancestor of the Ji family.”
“Or,” he glanced around, pointing in one direction, “like those people.”
They were several Awakened individuals with supernatural abilities walking together.
Others nearby consciously kept their distance, forming a small vacuum zone around them.
And on the clothes of that group, the information displayed on their smart chips prominently read:
“S-Class.”
Relying on their smart chips, those Awakened individuals walked into the special passage amidst the hidden envy of those around them.
The guard then looked at Shen Jiaxing and sighed with regret, “You’re just a little bit short, otherwise you could enjoy that kind of treatment too.”
“However, ability levels can be upgraded. If you work hard for a few more years, you’ll definitely reach S-Class.”
Shen Jiaxing smiled, “Thank you.”
After leaving the ground floor, the smile slowly faded from his face.
A few years?
He didn’t have that much patience to wait.
A figure suddenly appeared in his mind.
Shen Jiaxing paused his steps, his eyes gleaming with contemplation.
If… Ji Zhou were still here, that would be great.
He returned to his room, and soon after, Anu also followed, looking distraught.
Anu knocked on Shen Jiaxing’s door.
He opened the door, saw Anu’s face, and was startled, “What happened to you?”
Anu said with a trembling voice, “Brother Jiaxing, I went and asked… my grandmother… there were no signs of survivors from my home area, and my grandmother is not at the Survivor Base…”
He spoke incoherently, his words jumbled.
Shen Jiaxing struggled a bit to understand what Anu meant.
His grandmother was not at the base, and when the zombie tide broke out, people had been sent to search for traces of survivors.
However, no signs of living people were found in the small village where Anu’s grandmother lived.
Most likely, Anu’s grandmother had unfortunately perished.
Shen Jiaxing patted Anu’s shoulder and comforted him, “This is an accident, no one wanted it to happen. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
Anu held his head, silent.
Without any news of his grandmother, the flame of belief that had burned in his heart seemed to instantly extinguish.
All his spirit and vitality were drained, leaving only a walking shell of a person.
Anu was pale and kept mumbling “Grandma” under his breath.
Shen Jiaxing was about to say a few more words of comfort, but his gaze suddenly fell on the smart chip on Anu’s chest.
His eyes flickered.
He possessed a Mental ability. In addition to absorbing source stones from zombies to raise his ability’s energy level, there was another method.
That was to absorb the abilities of other Awakened individuals.
“Anu,” Shen Jiaxing suddenly called out.
Anu looked up blankly.
“Your grandmother is dead,” the young man said with a seemingly pitiful expression, yet his words were chillingly cold, “You need to face reality.”
Anu’s eyes widened abruptly.
He clenched his hands tightly, tears rolling down his face in large drops.
“No, that can’t be… Brother Jiaxing…”
The young man looked at the man in front of him, his eyes seeming to hold a trace of hope.
This was the person he trusted most in the apocalypse. Trapped in despair, he longed for the person in front of him to lead him out of the pain.
But the man just smiled slightly.
“I know that everything you did was always to find your grandmother.”
Shen Jiaxing looked at Anu and said softly, “But Anu, just because Grandma is gone, does that mean you have no motivation to live anymore?”
The gentle voice seemed to carry a special rhythm.
Anu’s gaze gradually scattered.
Grandma is dead… Then why should he continue living?
He fought so hard to escape the zombies, wasn’t it just to see his grandmother one last time?
But with Grandma gone, what was the meaning of his life…
Anu felt as though he had sunk into an abyss thousands of feet deep. He subconsciously tried to reach out and grab something, but he couldn’t grasp anything.
Shen Jiaxing sighed softly, a subtle, successful smile gradually appearing under his gentle gaze.
“Knock, knock.” Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
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