Chapter 74: The Price of Rebirth

Through the terrifying premonitions that had linked together, I arrived at a chilling conclusion.

My sister transforming into the Faceless Butcher was, to a large extent, because of me.

Before my rebirth, I had failed to keep time, causing me to be late for my appointment with her.

This created an unavoidable contract between my sister and Brother Li, which led her to leave home on the very first day the zombie virus erupted.

What transpired afterward remained a mystery to me. I also had no idea how my sister had become the Faceless Butcher.

Yet, I had already been reborn once.

Why was my sister still becoming the Faceless Butcher? Which step in the future had gone wrong?

“Brother Bai, is something the matter? Why the sudden visit?”

As I furrowed my brow in deep thought, Li Fenghua’s voice rang out before me, prompting me to look up at him.

Li Fenghua, having just been tortured by Brother Li, now had one eye blinded. His face was largely stained with blood, and his clothes were filthy and tattered.

As he scavenged useful items from the fallen zombies, he inevitably picked up a lot of black blood and碎肉, emitting a foul odor.

The Li Fenghua of now showed none of the untamed arrogance I’d seen in my premonitions. Instead, he resembled a prince in distress, utterly miserable.

The transformations between the present and the future were truly miraculous!

Thinking this, I chuckled softly and shook my head, then lowered the arm I had resting on Li Fenghua’s shoulder.

I then retrieved a crystal core from my spatial storage and handed it to Li Fenghua.

“Brother Bai, what is this?”

When I offered the crystal core, Li Fenghua didn’t immediately take it. Instead, he looked at me with a conflicted expression, unsure why I was suddenly giving him a crystal core.

Having just collected crystal cores with my sister, Li Fenghua now understood that they were far from ordinary.

However, his understanding of the apocalypse was incomplete. Unlike Big Gold Tooth and my sister, he hadn’t been educated by me on the common knowledge of this new world.

“Did you have a fever last night?”

“Yes, that’s right! I had a fever, and because of that, I was deemed to have no combat ability. That’s why that bastard sent me out to scavenge supplies, using me as a blood bag to attract zombies.”

The moment Li Fenghua spoke, he gnashed his teeth with a ‘clack,’ still seething with residual anger at Brother Li, whose head he had already chopped off.

“A fever is good! Absorb this crystal core; it can awaken your ability.”

“Awaken an ability?”

“You’ll awaken a unique ability, just like me, though the type should be different. For the details, you can consult Big Gold Tooth and the others when you get back. I’m just giving you this crystal core to awaken your ability and enhance your physical capabilities.”

While Li Fenghua was still bewildered, I had already pressed the crystal core into his hand. Then, with a forceful squeeze, I shattered it, prompting him to absorb the energy and awaken.

Simultaneously, I quickly retreated, maintaining a safe distance from the awakening Li Fenghua. After all, it wouldn’t do if I accidentally absorbed the energy from the shattered crystal core.

Based on what I knew before my rebirth, Li Fenghua was capable of awakening an ability.

However, because his awakened ability was rather useless, he didn’t gain fame through strength. Instead, he became renowned throughout the apocalypse by selling firearms and ammunition.

Despite his lackluster ability, being able to awaken one so early in the apocalypse would significantly boost his physical attributes, providing considerable help for his future.

After killing Brother Li earlier, I hadn’t been certain what Li Fenghua would become, so I hadn’t planned on wasting a crystal core on him.

I merely wanted to give him a chance to prove himself. Frankly, I didn’t hold much expectation for the outcome.

However, after awakening my new premonition ability, I realized that some historical trajectories would indeed continue as they originally had.

Li Fenghua would eventually become a tyrannical arms dealer.

After I crushed the crystal core, Li Fenghua remained silent, his eyes filled with curiosity as he watched the scattered black particles from the core continuously gather towards his body.

Li Fenghua’s awakening, like my sister’s, proceeded very smoothly.

After he finished experiencing the ability demonstration within his mind, he immediately looked at me in shock.

I said nothing more. I simply took off my backpack, reached inside, and retrieved the remaining dozen or so crystal cores from my spatial storage, placing them in the bag.

“This bag contains some crystal cores. You can use them to level up. Afterward, you’ll have to find attribute-matching crystal cores on your own.”

“Mm, I understand! Brother Bai, are you… leaving directly?”

Having understood the importance of crystal cores, Li Fenghua obediently took the backpack from my hand this time. Then, with a hesitant expression, he looked at me, finally asking the question on his mind.

He likely didn’t understand why, despite my immense power, I would choose to leave the factory rather than stay and expand my influence.

Upon hearing Li Fenghua’s words, I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile. I then gazed at the evening sky, where the sunset painted the land in a melancholic shade of orange-red, evoking a sense of passive solitude.

With everything resolved, there was no significant benefit in remaining in H City any longer.

The capital, B City, was my next destination.

“My heart isn’t here, so I won’t stay long. As for you, you can collaborate with Big Gold Tooth and the others to gradually expand your influence. But no matter what, always follow your own ideas; you’ll always achieve something.”

After gazing at the sky for a short while, I finished speaking to Li Fenghua. Disregarding his pleading expression, I turned and walked towards my sister.

With each step, the distance between my sister and me grew shorter.

My eyes found her standing beneath the fiery red sky, her slender shadow stretching long. The smile on her face was radiant as a blossoming flower.

Seeing this, my own expression softened unconsciously, and I smiled back at my sister.