Chapter 52#

The Worldly-Innocent Heavenly Master of the Apocalypse#

Pan Rongxi’s powers had been improving very quickly. The hard part of a healing-type ability was only the beginning. Once awakened, you could just level up by feeding it crystal cores. After all, it wasn’t a combat-type ability, so there was no need for battle instincts or anything of the sort. And crystal cores were the one thing a healing-type esper would never run short of. After all, what was a high-grade crystal core compared to one’s own life?

Upon learning of this situation, Qin Yi merely had Yu Shan sent to Pan Rongxi’s side — nominally to protect him, but in reality to keep watch. After all, Pan Rongxi was not a man of upright character, and Qin Yi could not afford to let his guard down.

What he hadn’t expected was how swiftly the accident would come.

That day, Lu Heng was practicing swordplay in the courtyard while Qin Yi trained his spiritual sense nearby.

Lao Qian pushed through the gate and came in: “Boss, the Song family wants to see you. They say it’s urgent.”

Qin Yi opened his eyes: “Let them in.”

Lu Heng sheathed his sword and sat down beside Qin Yi.

The one who arrived was none other than Song Youren, head of the Song family. He had completely lost his usual composed and enigmatic demeanor. The moment he entered the small courtyard, he rushed straight toward Qin Yi, his steps frantic: “Captain Qin, please save my son’s life! The Song family will agree to any terms!”

It turned out that Song Kunyu, believing his ability level had risen high enough, had taken an esper squad from his subordinates out to hunt zombies. But in his arrogance, he had picked a fight with a ninth-grade zombie, and the zombie had bitten off his left hand. He was only saved thanks to his men fighting to the death to pull him out.

What was more fortunate was that there had been an ice-type esper among the squad, who immediately froze the wound on the spot, preventing further infection. That was how Song Kunyu survived long enough to make it back to the base — but without a high-level healing-type esper, zombification was the only path that awaited him.

Among the several high-level healing-type espers of Base W, the only one currently on-site was Pan Rongxi, under Qin Yi’s command.

Qin Yi said nothing, merely curling his fingers and tapping the surface of the stone table.

Song Youren understood at a glance — this Boss Qin wouldn’t lift a finger without seeing the spoils first. But his only son’s life hung in the balance, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and bite into the pain. He pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket: “This is the list of supplies we offer in exchange.”

Qin Yi took the list, gave it a cursory glance, and then said to Lao Qian: “Have Pan Rongxi come here.”

Qin Yi and his group followed Song Youren to the Song family’s territory. After all, the Sharp Blade Squad and the Song family were only outwardly cordial — beneath the surface, undercurrents surged fiercely. Sending his men into enemy headquarters still required the absolute deterrence of Qin Yi’s strength.

Song Kunyu was half-reclined on the sofa in the ground-floor hall, his face ashen. His left hand was missing, exposing a mangled, incomplete wound, and the entire arm was covered in frost, the skin already frozen to a bruised purple. Espers’ physiques far surpassed ordinary people’s, and even at this point, Song Kunyu had not passed out — he could only grit his teeth and endure the inhuman torment.

Seeing Song Youren leading Qin Yi’s group through the door, his eyes lit up abruptly: “Dad, did the esper come? Hurry, bring him over!”

Song Youren turned to Qin Yi and said: “I apologize for my son’s rudeness.”

“Go ahead.” Qin Yi wasted no more words and nodded to Pan Rongxi.

Pan Rongxi was a man who understood the times. Though he was now a healing-type esper that everyone fawned over, without the Sharp Blade Squad’s protection, he would be nothing more than a fat piece of meat that everyone wanted a bite of. Therefore, he never dared to question any of Qin Yi’s orders. Moreover, upon completing this job, he would receive quite a few contribution points.

The moment Pan Rongxi sat down, Song Kunyu seized him as though grabbing at a lifeline: “Cure me, and I’ll give you anything you want!”

Pan Rongxi gave him a reassuring smile: “Young Master Song jests. I merely came along on a job with Captain Qin’s team. The team will naturally reward me once the mission is complete.”

Then Pan Rongxi turned to the ice-type esper beside him: “Please remove the frost from his arm.”

The moment the frost covering the arm was cleared away, the black mist swirling around the wound began to slowly spread upward.

Song Kunyu panicked at the sight: “Quickly! Quickly! What are you standing there for!”

Pan Rongxi didn’t lose his temper. He placed his hand over the wound, and a beam of white light blazed to life. Under its effect, the black mist’s advance was immediately halted. However, the power of a ninth-grade zombie was far greater than that of an ordinary one. For a time, the white light could not overcome the black mist.

Beads of sweat formed on Pan Rongxi’s forehead. He felt his strength faltering. But this was the young master of the Song family — this treatment absolutely could not go wrong. He gritted his teeth and desperately squeezed out every last drop of his ability.

Pan Rongxi’s efforts were not in vain. The white light in his hand grew increasingly brilliant, and the black mist, unable to withstand it any longer, slowly retreated toward the wound. Just as the black mist was about to be expelled from Song Kunyu’s body, an abrupt mutation struck.

Pan Rongxi suddenly let out a pained groan. Song Youren, sitting worriedly in a chair to the side, assumed he had overexerted himself and thought nothing of it.

But a moment later, Pan Rongxi plunged his hand straight through Song Kunyu’s chest, pulled out the still-beating heart, and began to devour it ravenously. Looking at Pan Rongxi now, his hands had grown sharp claws, yellow saliva dripped from his mouth — he had become a mutated zombie!

Song Youren was so stunned he toppled backward, falling to the floor. Pan Rongxi — no, that was already a zombie. Attracted by the sound, the zombie turned, saw Song Youren on the ground, and lunged to bite him. Fortunately, Qin Yi and Lu Heng reacted with extraordinary speed: one blocked the clawing attack aimed at Song Youren with a horizontal sword strike, and the other flipped his hand and sent a fireball hurtling over.

After a burst of chaos, the zombie that Pan Rongxi had become was finally cut down by Lu Heng’s blade.

Meanwhile, Qin Yi was negotiating with Song Youren, who was consumed by fury and grief at the loss of his only son. Lu Heng had no mind to concern himself with that. He was examining the monster’s corpse on the ground. The mutation had come too fast — this was not normal.

However, the body on the floor had, until not long ago, still been someone Lu Heng knew. Cutting open its skull to examine it was something he still had a psychological barrier against. After some deliberation, Lu Heng chose to use his spiritual sense to inspect it instead. Although he was not particularly skilled at it, a rough look at what was going on inside was still within his ability.

What he saw shocked Lu Heng deeply. The creature that Pan Rongxi had mutated into had a brain that was completely empty — and instead, there was a foreign object in the dantian within its abdomen. It seemed he had no choice but to act. He observed the movements of those around him; seeing that everyone’s attention was on Song Youren and Qin Yi, and no one was watching this side, Lu Heng drew his dagger, steeled himself, and swiftly extracted the foreign object from the mutated Pan Rongxi’s dantian.

Sure enough — it was a crystal core, though its appearance differed from the ones extracted from zombie brains.