C27 Qiao Yilan's Extrasensory Perception
The fourteen girlfriends of the boys in Lin Chen's team were adamant about not fighting, preferring death over battle. Ultimately, Lin Chen had no choice but to release the fourteen boys from his team, allowing them to join other groups at random.
His team couldn't afford to carry dead weight.
Yet, he couldn't very well force couples to split up, could he?
So, the only solution was to have the fourteen boys leave his team.
The initial three days of the apocalypse presented the prime opportunity to rack up combat experience. Though battles appeared perilous, the actual risk was surprisingly low. It was an optimal time for triggering Extrasensory Perception or acquiring physical enhancements.
After those three days, ordinary people without the protection of a master were truly gambling with their lives in combat.
But everyone chooses their own path. Lin Chen felt neither the responsibility nor the inclination to warn them.
As soon as the fourteen boys stepped away, they were eagerly courted by other team leaders, each vying for their allegiance.
The reason was clear. Under the watchful eye of numerous experts, the boys from Lin Chen's team could engage in battle freely, rapidly accumulating combat experience. It was obvious to all who saw.
It was foreseeable that Lin Chen's team members would be sought after by other groups for quite some time. Lin Chen, for his part, seemed indifferent to his team members. He never restricted their freedom for any reason, demanding only that they follow orders if they chose to join.
In reality, Lin Chen's strategy was to select thirty students who met his criteria for further training. His team was in the midst of sifting the wheat from the chaff.
When other teams tried to poach his members, they were unwittingly assisting him in this selection process.
With departures and new additions, Lin Chen's team now numbered over one hundred and eighty, with more than thirty girls still lacking combat capabilities.
After some reorganization, the girls were distributed among the other fourteen teams.
Lin Chen had his team members craft simple weapons for the thirty-plus girls.
The assault on Building No. 28, housing the girls, commenced.
Lin Chen's team took on the left entrance, while all other teams converged on the right.
Before long, the left entrance echoed with the sounds of retching.
Lin Chen's fighters incapacitated the zombies, breaking their limbs, and dragged them before the girls willing to fight, compelling them to finish the creatures off.
Confronted with the ghastly zombies and the nauseating stench of decay, some girls were overwhelmed by the gruesome sight, succumbing to vomiting before they could strike. They screamed and cried, pleading to be spared from the horror of battle.
After the girls bravely crushed the zombies, the crescendo of cries and retching filled the air.
Lin Chen furrowed his brow and directed the more composed girls to take hold of the hands of those who were crying. Together, they smashed the heads of the zombies before them, then he insisted that the weeping girls open their eyes to witness their own triumphs.
Indeed, human potential is boundless, particularly when under the duress of crisis, which can trigger an explosive release of latent strength.
The fact that these thirty-odd girls had stepped forward indicated a deep-seated desire within them to grow stronger.
Their initial retreat was nothing more than an instinctual response.
After being coerced into killing several incapacitated zombies, every girl in the squad had passed their moment of hesitation, conquered their fears, and shattered the mental chains binding them. Now, they could confront the zombies head-on without succumbing to tears.
Naturally, the four women from the Imperial Capital were far from this sorry state. Su Wan and Tang Yuanyuan had already proven their mettle in the dormitory fights. Their guardians dispatched zombies with unflinching resolve.
Witnessing the other girls' plight and Lin Chen's stern demeanor, Su Wan and Tang Yuanyuan couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity. Did this man have no sympathy for the fairer sex at all? Had Qiao Yilan's betrayal soured him against all women?
If Lin Chen were aware of their musings, he'd be caught between amusement and exasperation.
By the time only half the zombies remained at the left gate, the girls were able to confront the undead without panic.
Of course, the squad maintained a distance of over a hundred meters from the zombies, all of which had been drawn out by the veteran members.
When the zombie horde was reduced to a third, the female squad members could take down a regular zombie in trios.
Amidst the intense emotional turmoil, one girl astonishingly awakened an ice-type Extrasensory Perception, while four others unlocked physical enhancements.
These individuals quickly became the core of the women's contingent.
Lin Chen didn't micromanage the four from the Imperial Capital, allowing them to leverage their strengths as they saw fit.
The peacetime restrictions on blades didn't apply to these four, each of whom possessed exquisite melee weapons.
Su Wan wielded a Miao dao, Tang Yuanyuan a rapier, Yuen Meng a military bayonet, and Zheng Han's weapon was identical to Lin Chen's—a medium-sized, four-edged sword.
While Zheng Han's swordsmanship was deemed by Lin Chen to be merely a Low-Grade Battle Skill, in her hands, it whipped through the air with the ferocity and lethal precision of a tiger on the prowl.
It's no surprise she was known as the 'Sword Master' in her past life.
The remaining zombies were skillfully drawn out in small groups by the veteran members and swiftly eliminated by the rapidly maturing female warriors.
Once the left gatehouse was cleared, the girls were transformed. Despite their pale complexions and evident exhaustion, they radiated a newfound confidence and a fierce determination to survive.
These fortunate young women had earned the right to live with dignity in a world turned upside down.
As time went on, witnessing the dire consequences faced by those who refused to fight only deepened their appreciation for Lin Chen.
The training of the girls had delayed the conflict, and it wasn't until 4:20 PM that the battle at the left gatehouse concluded.
The right gatehouse, however, did not fare as well.
The larger group on the right suffered from the absence of Lin Chen's elite fighters and a lack of cohesive leadership. Caution mixed with recklessness led to several close calls and ultimately allowed zombies to infiltrate their ranks.
The consequence of such breaches was devastating: unseasoned students succumbed to panic, scattering in all directions and inadvertently bolstering the zombie horde by more than a dozen.
The severity of a bite dictated the speed of infection; those who were tackled by zombies were either devoured or, within minutes, would shakily rise to join the undead.
In the nick of time, Lin Chen dispatched Lee Jun and Xu Peng with a contingent of enhanced individuals to annihilate the zombies pursuing the students, averting further tragedy.
In such times, with zombies lurking at every turn, blind flight only invited greater peril.
The stark contrast in combat effectiveness left the would-be leaders disheartened.
Those who had previously declined to join Lin Chen's team were filled with regret.
But regret was futile; missed opportunities rarely resurfaced.
The undeniable prowess of Lin Chen's team and the glaring ineptitude of the others were laid bare for all the surviving girls in Building 28 to see.
Consequently, twenty minutes later, over fifty girls on the rooftop of Building 28 were petitioning to join Lin Chen's team and undergo combat training.
By 4:40 PM, over two hundred survivors from Building 28 had made their choice on the rooftop, aligning themselves with Lin Chen's formidable ranks.
Qiao Yilan was among the survivors, and she dropped a bombshell: she had fortuitously awakened her Extrasensory Perception!
She had returned to her dormitory the previous day to pack her belongings and say goodbye to her roommates, but ended up staying the night. During the outbreak, one of their own turned into a zombie. At the cost of one sister's life, they managed to eliminate the undead and the infected roommate.
Qiao Yilan sustained a minor scratch in the scuffle and was bound to her bed by her dorm mates as a precaution. By noon, she regained consciousness and discovered her newfound ability. She had manifested a storage space of approximately eight cubic meters.
Her dorm sisters immediately held her in high esteem. Modern college students, well-versed in apocalyptic literature, recognized the immense advantage of spatial storage abilities in such dire times. Qiao Yilan's prospects shone brightly, and naturally, they clung to her as their pillar of strength.
On the rooftop, the revelation of Qiao Yilan's Extrasensory Perception left everyone in awe, except for Lin Chen. The story between Qiao Yilan and Lin Chen was common knowledge, and those who were unaware quickly caught up.
There was a collective sense of wonder: these two seemed destined for the apocalypse. Had they not parted ways, one could only imagine the feats they might achieve in this new world.
All eyes were on them, watching to see if a reunion was in the cards.
Bai Zhengfeng wrapped his arms tightly around Qiao Yilan's slender waist, showering her with sweet nothings. He was well aware of her past with him and that her heart still harbored feelings for Lin Chen. He feared the rekindling of their old flame.
Su Wan and Tang Yuanyuan observed Lin Chen with keen interest, curious about his reaction.
Lin Ya watched her brother with concern.
Lee Ying glowered at Qiao Yilan with clear animosity.
Under the scrutiny of all, Lin Chen appeared unfazed by the shock of Extrasensory Perception. He laid out his selection criteria with composure, organized the crafting of equipment for new members, and watched other teams recruit without a hint of disturbance.
He acted as if Qiao Yilan was nothing more than air to him.
Seeing Lin Chen's stoic demeanor, the crowd felt let down, having hoped for drama. They silently scorned him: "Psh, what an act."
Lin Chen wasn't particularly impressed by Qiao Yilan's newfound extrasensory abilities. After all, he possessed a genuine Seeds World and his own extrasensory powers. His storage space initially spanned an impressive ten to twenty cubic meters, easily surpassing Qiao Yilan's by more than double. Now expanded to forty to fifty cubic meters, Lin Chen had even mastered using his extrasensory abilities in combat.
To Lin Chen, Qiao Yilan was what he described to Bai Zhengfeng as a "familiar stranger." If she stayed out of his way, he was content to act as if she didn't exist.
Yet, Lin Chen couldn't shake off a nagging confusion. In his past life, Qiao Yilan hadn't been injured, hadn't awakened any special abilities, nor had she undergone any physical enhancements. Now, with her valuable spatial storage ability, her destiny had shifted. Did that mean her past tragedies would be averted?
Lin Chen recognized that, despite the complete reversal of time and space by the Chaos Seed, subtle changes were inevitable. This applied not only to those he watched over but to Qiao Yilan as well. It was clear he couldn't rely solely on his past experiences to guide his future actions.
The truth was, the reversal of the universe's time and space was a result of Lin Chen's own desire. Those with a deeper connection to him reaped intangible benefits post-reversal. Having just parted ways with Lin Chen, Qiao Yilan still carried his imprint, which garnered her slight favor from the universe's will.
Others, like Lin Chen's parents, Lin Ya, Yu Yang, Xu Peng, and more, had their destinies reshaped through their ties to Lin Chen, but this remained unknown to all.
Throughout their time together, Qiao Yilan had witnessed Lin Chen's excellence and formidable strength, leaving her with a bittersweet realization: her past judgment was correct—he was indeed an exceptional man. But why did fate mock her so? Only after she left did Lin Chen's true potential emerge. His indifference stung—had her actions wounded him that deeply? Resigned, she wished him well. In this apocalyptic world, she pondered whether Bai Zhengfeng's substantial family influence might prove more dependable than Lin Chen's martial prowess.
Casting a sidelong glance at Bai Zhengfeng, who held her in a tight embrace, Qiao Yilan's thoughts raced on. "Bai Zhengfeng, make no mistake, I'm well aware that you were initially captivated by my looks and would cast me aside once you grew bored. However, the future won't unfold as you've imagined. I intend to leverage the influence of your Bai family as a stepping stone to carve out my own empire."
For over three years, Lin Chen had been by Qiao Yilan's side, yet he was oblivious to the fierce ambition and longing that lay beneath her demure and pleasant exterior.
The situation was becoming increasingly intriguing.
