Chapter Twenty-Six: Settling Accounts

Seeing the wound left by Xiao Gang’s ice spike on his own body, Shen Lie gained a new understanding of the power wielded by Awakened. The injury on his abdomen was perfectly round, unnaturally smooth, and not a single drop of blood seeped from it. Around the edges, a thin layer of white frost had formed, as though this part of his flesh had just been taken out of a freezer.

What made Shen Lie’s heart sink even more was that the frost around the wound did not fade with time; instead, it grew more pronounced. In the short span from killing Xiao Gang to returning here, the frost had already spread four or five centimeters out from the wound. At this rate, his internal organs would be frozen solid before dawn.

Zhang Jing’s expression grew increasingly panicked. She was just an ordinary person—though she’d endured some hardships since the onset of the apocalypse, she had never witnessed such a bizarre wound. Overwhelmed, she began to cry.

Shen Lie gathered his own energy and focused it on the injury. He noticed that the spread of frost immediately slowed. The more power he channeled into the wound, the better the situation became, until, incredibly, the frost began to recede.

Zhang Jing let out a startled cry, but this time it was from relief. Shen Lie was everything to her now; there was no one in the world she feared losing more.

Unfortunately, Shen Lie’s reserve of energy was limited. He could only keep the wound under control for now; eradicating the frost entirely was beyond his strength. The brightness that had just returned to Zhang Jing’s eyes faded once more.

A knock sounded at the door. Shen Lie covered the wound with his shirt and responded coolly, “Come in.”

Li Cheng entered at his call. Seeing Shen Lie and Zhang Jing’s current state, he stopped in his tracks, a flicker of complex emotion passing through his eyes. The scene before him was simply too ambiguous—Shen Lie’s clothes were disheveled, and Zhang Jing was half-sitting in his lap. No one would think their relationship was anything but intimate.

“Brother Shen, the food is ready.”

Li Cheng quietly set down the tray he carried and, head lowered, prepared to leave. But as he reached the door, something seemed to occur to him. He turned, took a delicate gift box from his pocket, and brought it respectfully to the bedside. “This morning I heard that Team Five, not far from here, had managed to get their hands on two Phantom Mushrooms. I rushed over and traded for them, but we had to spend most of our supplies to get them.”

Li Cheng’s words cheered Shen Lie immensely. What he needed most now was a way to restore his energy; these two Phantom Mushrooms were truly a timely gift. As for supplies, he wasn’t worried—what they’d brought back this time was enough to last a while.

Zhang Jing also knew how vital the mushrooms were to Shen Lie right now. Without being told, she picked up the box and opened it. Inside were two mushrooms, one large and one small, each pulsing with a strange, shifting light.

“You’ve done well. I’ll make sure we get more supplies, so just keep bringing me these whenever you can. As for the supplies in the truck, distribute them as you see fit. I’ll leave that responsibility to you.”

Shen Lie’s words finally drew a genuine smile from Li Cheng. In this town, resources were now scarcer than ever. Whoever controlled the supplies controlled everything. A few kilos of rice could make the once-proud beauties grovel at your feet; two buckets of instant noodles would buy a person’s loyalty. With Shen Lie’s trust, Li Cheng’s life was about to change.

“Thank you, Brother Shen. I’ll take my leave now.” Li Cheng glanced at Zhang Jing once more before turning to go.

“What happens if an ordinary person eats this?” Shen Lie asked casually, thinking that since ordinary people could obtain Phantom Mushrooms, they probably weren’t that rare.

“No, ordinary people can’t eat them,” Zhang Jing replied, her voice tinged with fear. “If they do, their blood vessels swell all over their bodies. Eat too much, and they’ll explode.”

“Oh? Has anyone actually tried it?” Shen Lie hadn’t expected Zhang Jing to know so much.

“Yes. When these mushrooms were first discovered, many people were so hungry they’d lost their minds and started eating them raw. The results… well, suffice it to say, ordinary people can’t handle them. It’s not just these mushrooms either—almost all wild plants have mutated to some degree. Very few are edible. Around a thousand people died from eating the wrong thing before everyone learned their lesson. Now, in the past couple of weeks, even starving, no one dares touch the plants outside.”

“I see. All right, go check on Tao Tao for me.” Shen Lie waved Zhang Jing away. She knew he wanted to use the Phantom Mushrooms and, though curious about what would happen when an Awakened consumed them, she understood she wasn’t close enough to Shen Lie to stay. She obediently got up and left the room.

Having used one before, Shen Lie didn’t hesitate after Zhang Jing left; he picked up the smaller mushroom and swallowed it whole.

An hour later, Shen Lie emerged from the room. Zhang Jing, who had been waiting outside, was startled and rushed over. “Brother Shen, why are you up already?”

There were still quite a few people in the courtyard, so she kept her words vague, concerned that he might strain his wound.

“It’s fine, I’ve almost fully recovered. Where’s Li Cheng? Have him bring two men—we have things to do.”

Shen Lie hadn’t expected the mushrooms to be so effective. His wound had healed more than halfway in such a short time; the cold had completely dissipated, and his energy reserves had increased significantly. With his recovery ahead of schedule, he would have to revise his plans.

The lack of cell phones was a nuisance. Li Cheng was not in the compound—he seemed to have gone to the neighboring yard to find more Phantom Mushrooms. It took several people searching for some time to bring him back.

“Brother Shen, what are your orders?” Li Cheng returned with several sturdy young men, all of whom were among the first to join Shen Lie. Yet, even these men seemed to have a natural fear of the Awakened. They stood quietly to the side, none daring to greet him.

Shen Lie found this both amusing and puzzling. He had never acted harshly, not even raised his voice, yet everyone seemed to treat him like a mouse before a cat. Only little Tao Tao was truly friendly with him; even Zhang Jing was respectful to the point of nervousness.

“Take a few men and come with me.” Shen Lie composed himself, glanced at Li Cheng, and climbed into the passenger seat of a battered truck—the only working vehicle they had, undignified as it was. Zhang Jing took the driver’s seat without a word. Li Cheng could only sigh and signal for his men to climb into the back.

“You know where Xiao Gang’s headquarters is, right?” Shen Lie asked, meeting Zhang Jing’s gaze and speaking calmly.

Zhang Jing’s face changed instantly, understanding at once what he intended. She said nothing, just started the truck and drove left down the street, turning several corners before stopping in front of a supermarket.

“Qi Family Supermarket.”

Shen Lie looked at the sign, then at the guards patrolling in front of the doors. “This is the place?”

“Yes, Brother Shen. It’s the second largest supermarket in the north of town, after Yin Hao Supermarket. Xiao Gang took it over. The original owner was a survivor, but after arguing with Xiao Gang over ownership, he was cut to pieces with a knife.”

“Heh, not a very clever man,” Shen Lie said with a mocking smile, opening the door and stepping out.

“Brother Shen, this is King Xiao’s territory—what are we doing here?” Li Cheng and his men hurried after him, faces pale. Li Cheng grabbed Shen Lie’s arm, desperate to stop him.

“King Xiao’s turf? That’s perfect. As of today, this place belongs to me.” Shen Lie shot Li Cheng a look, drew the black spear from his waist, and strode toward the supermarket doors, murder in his eyes.

“Zhang Jing, what is Brother Shen doing? Why don’t you stop him?” Li Cheng, unable to dissuade Shen Lie, turned to Zhang Jing in hope she might intervene. After all, King Xiao was a veteran Awakened, second only to King Du and stronger than Ma Zhanlin. If you wanted to challenge an Awakened, why not start with someone weaker, like the timid Wang Qingshan?

But Zhang Jing’s expression was calm, even slightly joyful, as if she welcomed the prospect. Li Cheng wondered if both she and Shen Lie had lost their minds.

“King Xiao? He’s already history.” Zhang Jing took two steps, then, out of old loyalty, spoke in a low voice.

“What? What did you say?” Li Cheng was stunned, but Zhang Jing said nothing more. She watched Shen Lie approach the supermarket doors, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed, his men trailing behind.