X
Though he envied Ye Qiu’s good fortune, Qiao Xia considered that rare attribute abilities always had specific activation conditions. He surmised that an ability like time manipulation would undoubtedly have an even more stringent requirement.
After all, it only lasted for ten seconds—barely enough time to exhale.
With this realization, Qiao Xia’s envy and resentment faded, replaced by a flicker of anticipation. “Rare attribute abilities all have activation conditions,” he prompted, “what’s yours?”
Qiao Xia was absolutely not gloating.
He merely sought a kindred spirit in misfortune, someone to share in the suffering.
“Try calling me ‘Teacher’,” Ye Qiu suggested.
“Teacher?”
Immediately after Qiao Xia uttered the word with a hint of confusion, he suddenly found himself unable to control his own body.
It was as if some golden finger had seized control, leaving Qiao Xia completely disconnected from his physical self.
Perhaps due to his previous experience, Qiao Xia remained unpanicked despite the abruptness of the situation.
As soon as the ten seconds elapsed, Qiao Xia first cast a silent glance at Ye Qiu, who was still lost in ecstasy, then immediately prepared to find a corner to silently ‘plant mushrooms’—a euphemism for sulking.
Why!
Why was he always the one in misfortune!
Ye Qiu’s rare attribute ability had such an incredibly easy activation condition, practically effortless to achieve.
It was just a simple word: ‘Teacher’.
He genuinely wished he could swap activation conditions with Ye Qiu.
He would even accept being called ‘husband’ by others!
“You now possess the ability to protect yourself. For the path ahead, handle things with care!”
Duan Yulan, who had been observing Qiao Xia, naturally understood his frustration. She didn’t linger in the cafeteria; after addressing Ye Qiu, she promptly led Qiao Xia out.
While Ye Qiu’s rare attribute ability was undeniably threatening, Duan Yulan harbored no fear. Besides a slight trust in Ye Qiu’s character for protecting his students, it was primarily because she possessed far more trump cards to counter time-based abilities.
She had paid a considerable price to get ahead this time, acquiring several times more abilities than in her previous life.
Lost in thought, Duan Yulan subtly glanced at her left hand. Besides its slender, pale appearance, her wrist was tightly bound with white bandages.
Nothing was apparent yet, but it wouldn’t remain unchanged indefinitely.
Nevertheless, Duan Yulan felt no regret.
The strength she now wielded would ensure she remained ahead of everyone in the apocalypse, allowing her to better protect Qiao Xia.
As long as she survived, she could accept any price.
****
As Duan Yulan pondered these thoughts, Ye Qiu, who had been standing behind them, snapped out of his euphoria. He then dropped his teacherly pretense and bowed deeply to Duan Yulan and Qiao Xia’s retreating figures.
His myriad thanks were encapsulated in that single bow.
Should he ever encounter Duan Yulan and Qiao Xia again, he, Ye Qiu, would surely repay their life-saving grace and the gift of his ability!
Ye Qiu’s sincere bow left Qiao Xia deeply moved as he averted his gaze.
Good teachers like Ye Qiu were rare. He recalled Wang Li, the homeroom teacher of Class One; even after she had wrongly accused Qiao Xia and Zhou Li, her apology to the dean had been reluctant and utterly devoid of sincerity.
However, when the zombies stormed the teaching building, Wang Li and some other teachers were still in the staff office. By now, they were likely either zombie fodder or had become zombies themselves.
That disdainful expression would only exist in his memories.
Sometimes, life was truly this strange.
So unpredictable!
“Duan Yulan, be careful when we leave the cafeteria. That Ghoul Rat is nearby.”
The incident at the cafeteria was merely a minor interlude. As Qiao Xia and Duan Yulan reached the main entrance, he observed the calm, undisturbed surroundings, knowing it was nothing but a facade.
More than ten minutes had passed since the premonition. With him and Ye Qiu no longer standing outside the cafeteria as live targets, they naturally wouldn’t be bisected by the Ghoul Rat’s claws.
However, Qiao Xia had a strong intuition that the giant black rat hadn’t left; it was surely lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity.
“Stay close to me.”
Duan Yulan didn’t elaborate on Qiao Xia’s concerns. She simply told him to keep up, then immediately started walking towards the school gate.
She didn’t even draw the Tang saber from her waist.
Her composure stunned Qiao Xia.
He wondered why Duan Yulan was so confident. Did she have more hidden cards yet to reveal?
Considering Duan Yulan’s ‘miraculous’ abilities, Qiao Xia suddenly felt his worries were entirely superfluous. He decided it was best to quietly observe how things unfolded.
If even Duan Yulan couldn’t handle it, he would be useless, with no option but to die in vain.
Yet, just as Qiao Xia had that thought, the Ghoul Rat instantly appeared before him.
Its glossy black fur and terrifying red eyes were precisely as he had seen in the premonition.
Even its sharp claws glinted menacingly in the sunlight.
However, before the Ghoul Rat could even attack, Duan Yulan delivered a direct kick.
The immense impact sent the Ghoul Rat’s corpulent body stumbling backward. Before it could react, Duan Yulan’s other foot followed immediately.
The second kick sent the Ghoul Rat tumbling to the ground.
The third kick was a direct headshot.
Duan Yulan’s movements lacked any grace, displaying only a simple, brutal efficiency that left Qiao Xia dumbfounded, yet she effortlessly killed the Ghoul Rat.
As Qiao Xia watched the Ghoul Rat’s front paws twitching and its head a bloody mess, he once again found himself lost in the mysteries of the universe, unable to extricate himself.
Both he and Duan Yulan were ability users, but why was Duan Yulan the only one who seemed to have an external cheat enabled?
Such skill and strength could not possibly belong to a normal person!
But Duan Yulan had said that activating an ability wouldn’t increase one’s physical attributes.
So, how had Duan Yulan become so powerful?
Was there some other secret technique?
Qiao Xia felt as though he had grasped the core of the matter, but he decided against asking, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer. He would wait until he became more familiar with Duan Yulan.
By this point, Qiao Xia had abandoned his previous immature notions. Faced with such a formidable Duan Yulan, he resolved to cling tightly to the ‘rich woman’s thigh’.
He had a vague, inexplicable feeling that to survive, he needed to stick close to Duan Yulan.
This peculiar sensation seemed to tell Qiao Xia that relying on a powerful woman was truly wonderful.
“See? Ghoul Rats aren’t that difficult to deal with. Once you’ve trained your skills, you’ll also be able to easily handle these mutated creatures.”
Qiao Xia wondered what material Duan Yulan’s shoes were made of. Even after stomping the Ghoul Rat’s head to a pulp, the surface of her shoe remained spotless, without a single speck of blood.
However, as she spoke to Qiao Xia, she bent down and swiftly retrieved a red crystal core from the Ghoul Rat’s shattered head.
Under the sunlight, it shimmered with an alluring, demonic glow.
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