The first step to becoming stronger is to enhance her plant-type and mental-type abilities as much as possible, which means she needs more high-level zombie crystal cores.

At the same time, she needs a powerful helper, and Jiawu is the first candidate.

Unfortunately, Jiawu’s ability awakening failed, so she’ll have to try other methods.

It seems that starting tomorrow, she will not only need to go out hunting to collect enough crystal cores but also quickly head into the mountains to find more mutated plants.

“Ranran, Ranran, are you up yet?” Bai Mei’s voice was urgently calling from downstairs.

Still groggy in bed, Nan Muran was momentarily confused hearing the familiar voice.

Since she lived alone on the second floor of the villa and had a rather casual lifestyle, she often stayed up late and slept in. As a result, Jiawu and Bai Mei, who lived on the first floor, never called her.

Hearing Bai Mei’s anxious voice suddenly, Nan Muran woke up in a panic, thinking something bad had happened. She didn’t even have time to put on slippers and rushed downstairs.

When she reached the stairway and saw Jiawu standing in the middle of the living room looking completely confused, Nan Muran couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Jiawu had grown about three centimeters of hair on top of his head, sticking straight up, making him look like he had been shocked by electricity.

The funniest part was that there was inexplicable white smoke coming from the top of his head, as if it had been singed.

“Ranran, stop laughing. What happened here?” Bai Mei was torn between finding it funny and feeling worried about her husband’s situation.

Nan Muran, still laughing as she sat on the stairs, said, “It looks like he awakened an ability. And it’s a very powerful lightning-type ability.”

When Jiawu heard Nan Muran’s words, his eyes immediately lit up, and he didn’t care about his ridiculous appearance anymore. “Really?”

“Concentrate and try focusing on one spot,” Nan Muran said, equally happy for him but even more excited for herself.

If Jiawu successfully awakened his ability, it meant her plan was viable. Having figured out a way to help others awaken their abilities, she was one step closer to dominating in this apocalyptic world.

Jiawu concentrated, as she instructed, and focused on the tissue box on the coffee table. Suddenly, the top tissue stood upright for a brief moment before it fell back down.

Nan Muran’s eyes brightened. “Brother Wu, try again.”

Jiawu focused again, releasing his ability. Just as he did, Da Fu, the cat, wandered into his line of sight and, under the influence of the ability, immediately puffed up in shock.

The adorable little white-grey cat was frozen in place, thinking, “What just happened? I spent half the day grooming my fur!”

The three of them burst into laughter at the sight of the cat’s reaction, which made Da Fu growl and hiss in irritation until they stopped.

“That’s really lightning-type ability.”

“Mutated abilities are incredibly powerful in the later stages. The attack power is also enough,” Nan Muran said to Jiawu.

Upon hearing this, Jia Wu eagerly responded, “Let’s pack up, eat, and go hunting right after.”

“Okay.”

Thinking about the mutated Little White, who was now level three, Nan Muran suddenly realized that, perhaps without her noticing, many powerful beings had already emerged in the apocalypse.

What’s more concerning was Dr. Jin’s underground laboratory—how had they discovered mutated plants so early through the mutated fruits?

Her enemies were strong, and she still had a lot of work to do.

The mutated fruit, that’s right. Xiaobai had given her some fruits yesterday, but she hadn’t had the chance to eat them yet.

Nan Muran quickly took three fruits from her storage space, washed them in the kitchen, and handed one each to Jiawu and Bai Mei. She also ate one herself for breakfast. Though she wasn’t sure what effect they would have, the mutated fruits were undoubtedly good things.

Otherwise, Xiaobai wouldn’t have insisted they try them, especially after Jiawu’s failed awakening the day before.

But after they ate the fruits, their plans to go hunting were quickly dashed.

First, Nan Muran felt unbearable stomach pain, followed by Jiawu, and soon Bai Mei also began to feel unwell.

The three of them began to feel a sharp, stinging pain all over their bodies, followed by an extreme contrast of hot and cold sensations, until they all fainted from exhaustion.

Xiao Liu: Xiaobai, are your fruits spoiled?

Xiaobai: My fruits are good fruits, especially good for humans. They’re even better than the big vine’s fruits.

Xiao Liu: Then what’s wrong with them?

Xiaobai: I don’t know. Maybe it’ll pass soon.

Xiao Liu: …You really are an idiot.

Xiaobai: I’m wronged, but I can’t explain.

Seeing the three of them’s condition, Tank began to feel uneasy, and even the usually calm Da Fu started rubbing against Nan Muran’s face and body, clearly nervous.

Because of the pain, Nan Muran once again fell into a nightmare.

“Ranran, hide your abilities well. Don’t let anyone find out,” the moment Nan Muran awakened her mental-type abilities, Si Ye immediately pressed her down.

“Why? Where did all the people who awakened their abilities go?”

“Everyone who awakened before has been sent to the end of the laboratory. Not a single one came out alive.”

Then, she was once again immersed in a sea of fire, with everything around her becoming blurry.

“Ranran, run, don’t look back,” Si Ye looked at her, his face covered in blood.

…

At that moment, outside the villa, a six-person mercenary team appeared, led by a tall woman with a ponytail.

The six men wore full individual combat gear, advancing along the tracks left by a vehicle.

The woman wore a leather jacket and jeans, accentuating her curvaceous figure. Walking behind them, her beautiful face showed dissatisfaction. “Are you sure the car went all the way here?”

“Definitely. Look at the tire tracks over there,” the leader of the Venomous Snake Squad said, pointing at the scattered tracks not far away, his tone firm.

The woman, still dissatisfied, complained, “I don’t understand why the professor insisted on sending us on this trip.

It’s been so short since the apocalypse started. Besides the Black Lock and the professor, who could have noticed the mutated plants?”

“Those four soldiers noticed the mutated plants too, didn’t they?” The Venomous Snake Squad leader was annoyed by the woman’s arrogance. Ever since the Scorpion and that Dr. Qi had disappeared without a trace, he had felt a sense of danger creeping closer.

Even that madman Dr. Jin thought something was wrong, but this self-righteous Miss Ouyang didn’t seem to care.

“Fine, then where do you think we should go now?” The woman looked around, seeing only mountains and cliffs.

The squad leader surveyed the area, eventually setting his sights on a cliff about a hundred meters high.

The six of them began searching every inch of the cliff, but found nothing.

Back inside the villa, Xiao Liu, watching the approaching group near the villa, was unsure whether to strike first.

Xiaobai, however, became agitated. “It’s them who took the big vine. That woman has something strange on her—something red and very powerful. The big vine can’t attack her.”

Xiao Liu: “Is she very powerful?”

Xiaobai: “It’s not her, it’s the strange thing in her hand. It’s red, very powerful.”

Tank and Da Fu, hearing the movement outside, moved closer to the villa’s front door, ready to strike at any moment.

Xiao Liu began to release her power to the seven willows around the villa, just in case.

The six-person squad, having searched the cliff, returned to their original spot. “Nothing unusual.”

But the beautiful woman pointed directly at the villa ahead. “Don’t you think this place is strange?”