Chapter 27: The Savior’s Substitute in the Apocalypse (Part 4)

Mu Yin watched the scene unfold and could only take out pen and paper, writing several purification and healing talismans, preparing to use them later on the injured. She didn't follow the others outside—right now, she was just a weakling, and going out would only be a burden. Clearly, she needed to improve her physical strength and start training in martial arts as soon as possible.

When everything was finally over, Mu Yin stepped out and applied two talismans to each person. Used separately like this, the effect was even greater. At first, the group was still a bit anxious, but as soon as they felt the chilling cold disperse from their bodies, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Mu Yin with newfound, genuine gratitude.

"Your power is truly remarkable. We really have to thank you this time," Captain Wan Yuanheng said sincerely.

"No need. I still need your protection, after all—I have no offensive abilities," Mu Yin replied with a wave of her hand, indicating that their relationship was mutually beneficial.

After that, no one separated again. Instead, they all gathered to rest in two or three rooms. Mu Yin slept soundly until dawn and noticed that her supernatural energy had recovered a little, though not much. Still, since she hadn't used much before, it was enough to replenish what she'd spent, and she was quite satisfied. After asking Zhang Lin for water to wash up, she joined the others in going downstairs.

Having gone through the previous night together, Mu Yin had temporarily integrated into the small team. Since they still needed to search for food, Mu Yin placed sound-isolating talismans on their vehicles, making the process much smoother. Without noise, even if zombies discovered them, they'd already be gone by the time the undead arrived.

The group seemed familiar with the area, winding through the streets to reach a grain store that still had some supplies left. Each person took a bag or two of rice and grabbed some various seasonings before heading back. Since they were driving electric scooters, there wasn't much room for more, and the battery was nearly depleted after yesterday's long trip. They stopped at a gas station to collect some fuel, topping up Mu Yin's supply as well, then found a hotel with a generator to spend the night, hiding the generator's noise with Mu Yin's ability.

The next day, they brought the food back. Once they had left the city behind, the group finally opened up. "Honestly, if there weren't so many cars blocking the roads, driving would be much better."

"Yeah, when the plague mutated, it happened so fast. A lot of people didn’t show any symptoms before, then all of a sudden, they turned into zombies."

The mutation was indeed abrupt—almost all the infected transformed into zombies within an hour. This made Mu Yin suspect that those vermin might have had a hand in it.

Following the Changsheng Squad, Mu Yin arrived at Longchang Base. After an inspection and surrendering a third of their supplies as an entry fee, Mu Yin received something akin to an identity card, officially becoming a member of the base.

The Changsheng Squad also handed over a fifth of their supplies. Every unofficial survivor team was required to submit this tax upon returning—steep, but unavoidable.

Once inside, the squad invited Mu Yin to stay with them. After considering it, she agreed. She carried plenty of supplies but lacked combat ability; living alone would be risky.

They had rented two buildings. Besides the squad, their families lived there too. Out of this group of thirteen, ten were locals. Even though some of their family members had turned into zombies, the rest still had to survive.

These buildings were constructed when the plague first broke out, originally intended to isolate and monitor the infected. They were low but numerous, since there were so many patients. In the end, they became refuges for the survivors. Each building had only four floors, with four rooms per floor, and the ground floor was not counted. While thirty people in two buildings was a bit crowded, it was far better than living in tents.

There were still two spare rooms; Mu Yin took one and furnished it with bedding and clothes by drawing them.

While at the base, Mu Yin learned about the current situation. For now, things were stable, but the future looked grim—uncultivatable land was a major issue.

Aside from that, Mu Yin focused on gathering information about the reborn woman, since it was part of her mission. Though she had nothing to do with the woman, she did know some basics: the reborn woman was at Congxia Base, one of the top ten survivor bases.

However, Congxia Base was far from Longchang Base. The journey would be troublesome, so Mu Yin decided to wait until they changed locations, to the place the original heroine later developed—Shanghang, the nation's capital.

Shanghang had many of the original heroine's allies, though all of them were eventually betrayed and killed by the reborn woman. As for her motives—it was hard to fathom. She not only targeted the original heroine out of resentment but also eliminated the male lead and all their talented companions.

As Mu Yin pondered these matters, a few days later, the base's leadership suddenly summoned her. She had no idea what had happened until the leaders explained: for some unknown reason, her ability had been exposed.

It wasn't surprising—she'd been at the base for nearly a month and occasionally went out with the Changsheng Squad, not just to gather supplies but sometimes to clear zombies. Her ability could partially treat the zombie virus, making her a valuable support. Perhaps someone from the squad had mentioned it, or maybe someone else had seen her in action. Clearly, though, they misunderstood her power, thinking it was purification.

Mu Yin didn’t correct them. The base simply hoped she could help purify the land and the only small lake they had reclaimed.

"I’m happy to help, but my ability is too weak to purify an entire lake," Mu Yin had to explain. "As for the fields, I can handle them piece by piece, but a whole lake—even a small one—is beyond me."

"I understand," the leader replied, not expecting too much. "Just do your best."

"Alright," Mu Yin agreed.

Afterward, she began writing purification talismans to purify the dozens of acres of land outside the base’s walls that had been set aside for cultivation.

Each talisman could purify about a quarter of an acre, and each one only cost her about one ten-thousandth of her energy—a negligible amount. In fact, the power of the talismans she drew was far greater than anything else she could create.