Chapter Forty-One: Wang Qingshan and His Daughter

Although Ma Zhanlin and Wang Qingshan did not know what a “put-back” was, those around them did. After a brief explanation, a strong desire for the vial of potion in Professor Liu’s hand welled up among them as well.

“Professor, with all due respect, there were no Awakened around you when you developed this potion. None of us have participated in your experiments either. So how can you be certain of its efficacy?”

Ma Zhanlin’s question pulled Shen Lie and the others out of their excitement, hitting at the heart of the matter. No matter how promising something is, if it has never been tested, who could dare use it? Who knows what intolerable side effects there might be?

“Exactly, Professor, we don’t really know your professional credentials, and this is all just your word alone. Our top priority should still be to leave this cursed forest as quickly as possible. King Du, I don’t think we should waste any more time here. If more mutant monsters show up, we might not have time to escape!”

This time, it was Wang Qingshan who spoke. Shen Lie sensed a powerful urge in Wang Qingshan to leave as soon as possible and couldn’t help but glance at him in surprise. This man was truly more timid than most. The crows were troublesome, yes, but in their current numbers, they weren’t enough to pose an insurmountable threat to the Awakened among them.

“Heh, Wang Qingshan, if you’re that scared, you can just leave on your own. No one’s stopping you!” Ma Zhanlin cast Wang Qingshan a contemptuous look, his words dripping with sarcasm. It was clear that his attitude had shifted after seeing the evolution potion in Professor Liu’s hand.

But who could blame him? Among the Awakened in the town, he was the weakest. His ability was fire, which was aggressive in nature, but he could only hurl small fireballs, neither powerful nor fast. He couldn’t compare to Du Lili, and Wang Qingshan’s speed ability was much more useful—at least it could save his life in an emergency.

So Ma Zhanlin was the most eager for his ability to evolve, and he had already consumed enough phantom mushrooms to render them nearly useless. Now, learning that the liquid in the bottle was an evolution potion, how could his heart not pound with longing? His attention had completely shifted to the potion, and he was no longer in a hurry to leave.

Wang Qingshan flushed at Ma Zhanlin’s retort, but quickly sneered, “Hmph, who knows if this stuff is even useful? And even if it is, how much stronger could a few vials make us? Don’t say I didn’t warn you—there’s more in this forest than just those crows. Something far more dangerous is closing in!”

“What, have you awakened a precognition ability now, King Wang? You sound so certain.” Ma Zhanlin’s tone turned cold. He’d long been a tyrant in this town, even before the end times, and he had a natural disdain for people from the sticks like Wang Qingshan.

Just then, Shen Lie noticed Wang Qingshan’s daughter giving him a sharp tug from behind. Wang Qingshan’s expression changed instantly. No longer caring to bicker with Ma Zhanlin, he turned to glance at his daughter, who nodded urgently, fear clearly written on her face. Wang Qingshan’s entire body shook. No longer worried about appearances, he grabbed his wife and daughter and fled at a run, heading back the way they had come!

“King Wang, are you out of your mind? That way is crawling with mutant crows!” Yang Weiguo was stunned by Wang Qingshan’s actions and immediately called out to stop him.

Ma Zhanlin hadn’t expected Wang Qingshan to react this way either. Exchanging a glance with Du Lili, then glancing at Shen Lie, he watched suspiciously as Wang Qingshan’s figure faded into the mist.

“Damn, has the old man gone mad?” Ma Zhanlin cursed angrily, but his gaze quickly returned to the glass vial in Professor Liu’s hand, awaiting an explanation.

“So, there are other hidden Awakened in this town?” Professor Liu’s expression was filled with doubt. He frowned and murmured quietly.

“What did you say, Professor?” Ma Zhanlin had been focusing on Professor Liu’s explanation about the evolution potion’s experiments, and was caught off guard by his offhand remark.

“I said, King Wang’s daughter is also an Awakened. If my guess is right, her ability is probably related to perception. She must have sensed some danger just now; otherwise, they wouldn’t have fled in such a panic.”

“Impossible!”

“No way…”

Several people around Professor Liu gasped in surprise at his words. But when they considered Wang Qingshan’s behavior, it did seem possible. The group exchanged glances, at a loss for how to express their feelings.

“Heh, why is it so hard to believe? Did you really think you were the only Awakened in this town? You asked how I tested the potion’s effects, didn’t you? To tell you the truth, I am an Awakened myself, though not with an offensive ability.”

Professor Liu’s words struck them all like a hammer to the head, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.

“The Professor is right. Not all Awakened have combat abilities. If someone awakens a different type of ability, they have no reason to announce it; doing so would bring them no benefit, and might even get them killed.” Yang Weiguo clearly knew of Professor Liu’s status as an Awakened and nodded with a sigh.

In this era—at least in circumstances like these—unless you had an offensive ability, even the highest-level power was of little use and made you scarcely different from an ordinary person. If Professor Liu had awakened something like Du Lili’s ability, the military would never have lost control of the town; perhaps they would have found a way out long ago, instead of being caught in this dilemma.

“So the Professor is an Awakened as well. May I ask what your ability is?” Ma Zhanlin’s tone softened considerably with this revelation, his former arrogance vanishing without a trace.

“My ability? It’s a kind of computational power. If I had to give it a name, I’d call it ‘Analysis.’ In short, after awakening, my mind became much sharper in research, which is the main reason I was able to develop this potion so quickly.”

A collective gasp escaped Shen Lie and the others. This was an extraordinary ability. While it had little use in combat, it would be highly valued in a large settlement or an unbreached city. Strictly speaking, a scientist with such an awakened ability was far more valuable than an individual powerhouse like Du Lili!

Shen Lie and the others instinctively scanned the crowd. They realized now how arrogant they had been, thinking they were the only Awakened in town. Who knew what other hidden talents might be among these people? Such individuals were the true experts, and only they were likely to survive the longest.

“No need to look. None of these people are likely Awakened. Physical mutation is almost always the norm for Awakened, and those like Wang Qingshan’s daughter are extremely rare. I suspect such mutations are related to the purity of the Awakened’s bloodline, but more research is needed to be sure.” Professor Liu pulled back his collar, revealing star-shaped marks on his skin—a sign that even his awakening had not come without a price.

“In that case, I don’t think any of us have doubts about the Professor’s potion anymore. How do you intend to distribute it?” Ma Zhanlin withdrew his gaze, refocusing on the case of potions.

“If Wang Qingshan’s daughter really does have a precognitive ability, we may soon face a disaster far greater than what we’ve seen. These potions should be divided evenly among us. Save as many people as you can, but if all hope is lost, run for your own lives.”

Professor Liu glanced in the direction where Wang Qingshan had disappeared, his expression grave for the first time.