Chapter Twenty-Two: A Second Meeting with White Blossom

“Brother Shen, where are we going?”

Although Zhang Jing was several years older than Shen Lie, that didn’t stop her from using the respectful address. At this moment, she felt immensely grateful for her earlier wise decision—judging by Shen Lie’s current attitude, he had temporarily accepted her. Having an awakened one as a backer might not guarantee a long life, but it would certainly make her existence more dignified than before.

“We’re going to pick up something. Oh, do you know where we can find a car that works?” Shen Lie did have a favorable impression of Zhang Jing’s earlier actions; whether she was being opportunistic or not, at least she’d stood up for him. He didn’t mind lending her a hand within his means.

“Cars are everywhere, but almost all of them have been drained of fuel and can’t be started. The gas station is under King Xiao’s control—you have to trade supplies for fuel there. But I still have a gas cylinder hidden at home. If we can find a vehicle that runs on gas, it might still work.”

“A gas cylinder? You’re quite resourceful.” Shen Lie regarded the woman with newfound respect. To think of stashing supplies at the outbreak of the apocalypse—her wit and nerve were remarkable.

Zhang Jing’s hidden gas cylinder was behind her barber shop. Storefronts were now considered high-risk areas—no one lived there anymore, since they were always the first to suffer in any street conflict.

After retrieving the gas cylinder, Shen Lie strapped it to the back of a random bicycle. He thought of finding an electric scooter, but every one he checked was dead and unusable. According to Zhang Jing, the four local overlords each had generators, but they used them sparingly since fuel was scarce, mostly for powering up electronic devices, perhaps hoping to contact the outside world someday.

Shen Lie didn’t care much about that. Contacting the outside seemed almost impossible now—not only was the signal badly disrupted, but people out there were likely struggling to survive themselves, with no energy to help anyone here.

Shen Lie’s luck wasn’t bad; after checking only a few parked vehicles, he found one that ran on gas. It was battered, but at least functional, and perhaps the owner had fled in a panic—astonishingly, the keys were still in the ignition.

The original gas cylinder in the trunk had already been taken, so Shen Lie installed the new one, turned the key for a while, and finally got the engine started. He called out to Tao Tao and Zhang Jing to get in.

“Damn, I can’t drive!” Shen Lie suddenly realized, sitting in the driver’s seat, that he didn’t know how. He slapped the steering wheel and shot a glance at Zhang Jing in the back.

“I can, a little, but I’m not very good,” Zhang Jing stammered, sounding uncertain.

“It’s fine; the streets are empty now. Even if you hit someone, there’s no police to arrest you. This is a good chance for you to teach me.” Shen Lie got out and switched seats with Zhang Jing, and under her awkward handling, the car finally lurched into motion.

“Does your arm still hurt?” Shen Lie, now sitting beside Tao Tao, took her severed arm in his hands and asked with concern.

Tao Tao shook her head. She was still taciturn, and Shen Lie didn’t press her. Now was not the time—there would be plenty of opportunity to check on her later.

Along the way, they met almost no one. Under Shen Lie’s direction, Zhang Jing drove to the riverside where he’d hidden his supplies. Once the car stopped, Shen Lie disappeared into the woods, and to Zhang Jing and Tao Tao’s astonished eyes, he began hauling out bag after bag!

“Brother Shen, what are these?” Zhang Jing asked, her voice trembling with excitement and hope.

“Living supplies. I tossed them over from the other side,” Shen Lie replied nonchalantly, stuffing the bags into the trunk. When the trunk could hold no more, he piled them onto the back seat, until the little car was packed to the brim.

“Here, have some chocolate to boost your energy. You’re both so skinny.” Shen Lie pulled some snacks from a bag and handed them to the two, then made his way to the riverbank.

Clutching their chocolate, Zhang Jing and Tao Tao’s eyes lit up. In the past, they could have eaten as much as they wanted, but now, three months into the disaster, such things had all but vanished. It was rare just to see chocolate, let alone eat it.

Shen Lie paid no attention to their delight. He cautiously approached the riverbank, pulling out his binoculars to scan the far shore. To survive here, or to acquire more Phantom Mushrooms, he needed vast amounts of supplies. But everything on this side had already been divided up—any further acquisition would require a violent confrontation, which he wanted to avoid. So his eyes turned to the far side of the river.

He had come from there and knew that, although much of the supplies had already been scavenged, plenty still remained. If only he could find a way across the Red River, everything would be solved. And the reason he dared to entertain thoughts others didn’t was because of his Black Spear.

On his earlier journey, Shen Lie had already noticed that his Black Spear seemed to have some restraining effect on the water in the Red River, though he wasn’t certain. Today, he wanted to test his theory.

The spider monsters on the far shore had long since disappeared. Shen Lie put away his binoculars and approached the riverbank. When there were still five meters left, he stopped. This was the safety zone—any closer, and the river would attack. Gripping the Black Spear, he stared intently at the crimson water, hesitated for a long moment, then gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

Bang!

As though its territory had been violated, the river suddenly sent a jet of water hurtling toward Shen Lie’s face. The stream was incredibly fast—had Shen Lie’s body not been enhanced, he would have stood no chance. What’s more, there was only the water jet, with no accompanying mist, giving him an opportunity.

He swept the Black Spear in front of his chest, pushing it forward just in time to meet the jet. The water made a sound almost like a human whimper, then retreated even faster than it had come, falling back into the river as droplets.

Shen Lie felt the river grow a shade calmer. Suspicious, he watched for a while longer, then, taking a deep breath, stepped forward again.

Ripples suddenly fanned out across the water, tracing concentric circles on the surface—but this time, there was no jet or mist.

He advanced again, Black Spear pointed at the water, taking three steps in succession until he stood right at the river’s edge. One more step would put him in the water.

But now, there wasn’t even a ripple; apart from its persistent crimson hue, the river seemed utterly ordinary. Even as Shen Lie paced back and forth at the water’s edge, it acted as if it didn’t sense him at all.

A delighted laugh burst from Shen Lie, startling Zhang Jing and little Tao Tao outside the woods, who hurried over in alarm.

Hearing their footsteps, Shen Lie quickly stowed his Black Spear and left the riverbank, meeting the two at the edge of the woods. Gesturing that everything was fine, he was about to suggest they head back.

“Uncle, what’s that?” Just as Shen Lie was about to turn into the woods, Tao Tao pointed at the river with a startled question.

Shen Lie looked back and his eyes lit up. In the upstream current, a white flower bobbed on the waves, gleaming like a round piece of jade.

A delicate fragrance wafted from the blossom, and Shen Lie felt the black mark at his brow begin to throb again. Without hesitation, he gripped the Black Spear and ran to the riverbank, shouting to Zhang Jing, “Quick, hand me one of those long branches over there—don’t get too close to the water!”

Zhang Jing, surprised that Shen Lie could approach the river unharmed, rushed to the edge of the woods, broke off a long branch, and handed it to him at a run.

By now the white flower was drifting close. Shen Lie switched the Black Spear to his left hand and, using the branch in his right, gently nudged the blossom toward the shore.

A smile had just appeared on Shen Lie’s face when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of white speeding toward them from across the river. Realization dawned—his expression changed. Tossing the branch aside, he shouted to the others to run, then lunged forward, snatched the flower, and dashed back into the woods.

No sooner had Shen Lie vanished among the trees than the white blur reached the riverbank with a shriek—it was the silk-spitting white spider.

Seeing its blossom snatched away, the spider’s eyes burned red with fury. It reared back and loosed a shining strand of silk toward a tree on the opposite shore, clearly intending to cross and snatch back the flower.

But before it could cross, the river erupted in chaos. As if a long-suppressed rage had finally broken free, countless streams of water laced the air, whipping about in a frenzy. Not only did they shred the silken strand to nothing, but they also lashed out toward the shore, sending the white spider scuttling away in terror.