Chapter 33: Dry Pot Fish Roe and Fish Maw

The night they drove away the zombie horde was chaotic beyond measure. Su Su only remembered that Little Black had slaughtered hundreds of zombies, piling them thick and dense outside the back door; had no one beaten them to it, those corpses would likely still be there.

"The zombie horde surrounded the gymnasium for a day and a night; no one in the vicinity would have dared to come near."

The three of them reached the back door and looked out—as expected, the corpses remained piled exactly where they had fallen. Little Black’s blue flames were far too overbearing; some low-level zombies had been enveloped by the fire and reduced to ash on the spot, their crystals scattered haphazardly. Others, either further away or possessing greater strength, had at least left behind charred, intact remains.

"Le Rui, you gather the crystals scattered on the ground. Can Can and I will extract the ones from the zombies' heads."

"Got it!"

With that, Su Su and Pang Can Can stepped out beyond the back door.

"Sister Su Su, you start from the left, and I’ll take the right."

"Mhm."

The two divided the labor clearly, walking into the pile of corpses from opposite sides. Some zombies were charred so thoroughly that when Su Su gave them a light kick, their heads shattered into pieces like charcoal in a furnace. She effortlessly picked up the crystals that had fallen among the "black cinders."

"Hiss!"

The head of the black snake resting on her back nudged forward restlessly, its smooth skull-top rubbing against Su Su's neck in a pestering manner.

Su Su fed it one casually. "What’s the rush? You killed them all; eat as much as you want."

The black snake swallowed it in one gulp.

Eating as they went, it consumed dozens of crystals of varying levels in the blink of an eye. Occasionally, when they encountered a more intact charred corpse, the black snake would voluntarily exhale blue flames to char it further. This way, Su Su didn't have to chop off heads or reach inside to dig for crystals; she only needed to give them a light tap with her foot. As the soot and ash rose, the crystals would roll automatically to her feet.

*Thump.*

Another second-level crystal was swallowed by the black snake.

Su Su patted its belly with concern. "Are you still not full?"

It wasn't that she was stingy with the crystals, but... the number of crystals a normal human could consume was limited. For example, a first-level ability user could consume an unlimited number of first-level crystals, which helped improve their strength and gave them an advantage against opponents of the same level. However, no matter how many crystals of the same level one consumed, it was impossible to break through to the next level; one required higher-level crystals for that. Furthermore, the more crystals one consumed, the more impurities accumulated. Many ability users who consumed crystals blindly would suddenly explode and die at a certain stage.

In her past life, Su Su hadn't understood this, and neither had many others. It wasn't until later that everyone figured out a pattern: slow down the pace of consumption to give the body enough time to digest and absorb; consume fewer crystals of one's own level, as the best way to improve strength was to only consume higher-level ones. This was a rule summarized by ability users, though no one understood the specific underlying principles.

Reborn and possessing such a special ability, Su Su finally understood—those ability users who consumed too many crystals likely died because they accumulated too many impurities, exceeding the limited threshold of the human body. If humans couldn't withstand it, it was even harder for an animal's physiological structure.

Little Black had consumed so many in a row... Before Su Su could think further, her chin was nudged twice by the snake's head.

"Hiss..."

It opened its mouth hideously, looking miserable, clearly uncomfortable from the massive influx of energy and the uncleared impurities.

"That's what you get for eating so much!"

Despite her words, Su Su felt a pang of pity and channeled her ability, sending a stream of rich, white light into the snake's body. The tiny, star-like impurities were quickly expelled. Little Black felt noticeably more comfortable, and its hissing lost that weak, lethargic tone.

"Hiss!"

It crawled out of the backpack and climbed onto its master's shoulder, showing off. Caught off guard, Su Su staggered under its weight, nearly toppling onto the zombies.

"Little Black!!!"

Angry, she scooped the black snake off her shoulder into her arms. "Do you have any idea how heavy you are? If this keeps up, I’m going to end up hunchbacked!"

Besides, she didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt like it was getting heavier and heavier. It hadn't even eaten that much, had it?

Su Su looked at the Little Black in her arms inch by inch and suddenly realized something was wrong. In the past, when she held it to her chest and used her other hand to support its lower body, its tail tip would hang in mid-air, several dozen centimeters off the ground. But now, though her holding posture remained the same, the tip of its thin tail was nearly brushing the ground.

"!!!"

Su Su blinked. "Little Black."

"Hiss?" The black snake flicked its tail innocently.

"Have you grown longer?" Its body seemed to have thickened as well.

Su Su stared at it in disbelief. "Could it be that eating these crystals makes you grow?"

"Hiss~" The black snake flicked its tail proudly.

To think she had only just noticed! Once it swallowed more of these little stones and grew bigger and bigger, it would be able to coil around her completely.

"..."

Su Su finally understood why Little Black loved low-level crystals; the energy contained within them allowed its body to continue growing. Although the change wasn't as dramatic as when it consumed third-level crystals, it was clearly a form of slow but steady evolution.

But if it grew any larger... she wouldn't be able to carry it at all.

The scene suddenly reminded her of raising a child—always clinging to their mother to be held, until they reached a point where they had to walk on their own. Su Su chuckled and gave the "fatty" in her arms a gentle shake. "Fine, eat as much as you want. When I can't carry you anymore, you'll have to walk yourself."

The black snake’s body went rigid instantly, its show-off attitude wilting.

For the subsequent crystals, it swallowed them, but with its mind clearly elsewhere. Its vertical pupils would occasionally glance at the human’s beautiful profile. When she bent over to pick up crystals while holding it, her soft, slightly pouted lips would purse with effort, her entire body tensed.

"Hiss~"

The black snake suddenly slid back into the backpack, and the weight in her arms decreased significantly. Carrying it on her back was easier than holding it, and Su Su breathed a sigh of relief. She kicked her right foot out, shattering a charred head, and an orange crystal rolled to her feet.

It was a third-level!

Su Su quickly picked it up, and when the black snake poked its head out again, she refused it.

"This one is for Can Can. You can't have this one."

Can Can, it was always Can Can! The black snake turned its head abruptly, glaring with a grudge at the annoying human who was happily picking up crystals not far away.

When the chance came...

Before it could dwell on it, several second-level crystals were fed to its mouth.

"Be good, eat these first."

The black snake swallowed the crystals, squinting its eyes to enjoy the replenishment of energy and the cleansing of the white light, forgetting what it had been thinking about just a moment ago. A smile flickered in Su Su’s eyes.

The human and the snake quickly swept the zombie pile on the left. Looking back, they saw that Pang Can Can still had more than half left. It was time-consuming, but she could easily finish it on her own. Su Su didn't go to help, instead turning her steps toward the corridor.

"Can Can, Le Rui, I’m going to check the front door."

"Mhm!"

The front door was where Lin Weiran and Si Zhe had been stationed; there were surely many zombie remains left there as well. Su Su walked the whole way and indeed saw many piles of zombie remains, but... the second-level and higher crystals had all been dug out, leaving behind countless first-level ones. It seemed Lin Weiran and Si Zhe hadn't missed out on these spoils before they left.

Su Su didn't mind; she essentially cleared them all out. A rough count revealed over a hundred first-level crystals. Although they were useless to the group at this stage, and Little Black wouldn't even look at them, they could be used as currency for trade once they reached the Southern Base.

After finishing at the front door, Pang Can Can had also finished clearing out all the zombies. The group gathered together, and they had hundreds of crystals in their possession. Pang Can Can had mostly second-level crystals, while Le Rui held a large pile of first-level ones, with only a few second-level ones, among which a single orange third-level crystal stood out.

Once the count was done, four hands reached out simultaneously, tacitly handing the spoils to Su Su.

Faced with their gazes, Su Su shook her head. "Keep them yourselves; you don't need to give them to me."

"How could we!"

Despite saying that, the corners of Pang Can Can's mouth couldn't help but curl up. Goodness, when she was with those bastards like Lin Wenzong, they would hide the moment they saw a second-level zombie. She hadn't even seen what a second-level crystal looked like in over half a month! Now, following a new benefactor, look at this—second-level crystals were being weighed by the pound!

After a polite gesture, Pang Can Can happily tucked all the crystals away.

Le Rui, however, hesitantly pulled out that third-level crystal. "Sister Su Su, you take this one."

"You keep it."

Le Rui wouldn't take it back. Staring at the stubborn little boy, Su Su had to be more explicit. "Le Rui, I promised you that I would keep you alive."

"But how you live more comfortably and with more dignity depends on yourself. Only by increasing your own strength can you achieve all of that."

"This third-level crystal can at least guarantee you reach the third level, giving you absolute combat power in this apocalypse, so you can obtain whatever you want on your own."

Relying on kindness to scrape by would eventually see that kindness dissipate. Moreover, in the apocalypse, kindness was the least valuable thing. Su Su pushed Le Rui’s hands back gently but firmly. "Take it. Before you reach the third level, don't reveal these crystals to anyone."

The little boy's thin eyelids turned red and moist. He nodded heavily. "I understand."

Only then did Su Su breathe a sigh of relief, then handed the collected third-level crystal to Pang Can Can.

"We’ll be back on the road soon, so hurry up and improve your strength. Just one thing: don't consume too many crystals at once." She emphasized this again.

Pang Can Can grinned so wide her teeth showed. "Got it! Sister Su Su, from now on I’m your dog, woof woof woof!"

Su Su: "..."

The black snake bared its teeth viciously. Pang Can Can quickly stopped smiling and popped the third-level crystal into her mouth. Seeing this, Le Rui followed suit and swallowed a first-level crystal.

Su Su stood guard silently, quietly activating her ability. The white light, invisible to others, instantly enveloped her two teammates, providing a layer of protection for their advancement.

...

The off-road vehicle was back on the road. By now, everyone inside had undergone a great transformation.