Chapter Twelve: The Secret Fruit

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Pan Han tremblingly pushed the scrap of paper toward Mu Chen. “This is the whole secret—the black fruit! Pan Guang awakened because of it!”

Mu Chen studied the crooked drawing on the paper. The fruit was oval, its surface covered in fine black markings, and beneath it was a sketch of a short shrub.

“Where can we find this?”

“In the landscaped strip behind the apartment complex! In those bushes! But…” Pan Han swallowed. “There aren’t many, and they’re dangerous. Some of those mutated plants have already begun attacking people.”

Mu Chen nodded. He took three packets of compressed biscuits and two bottles of water from his system storage and placed them on the coffee table.

Pan Han pounced on them as if they were priceless treasures. He tore open a packet and stuffed biscuits into Zhang Lili’s mouth. “Lili! Eat! We have food now!”

Zhang Lili struggled to open her mouth and chewed the dry, hard biscuits with difficulty. Tears slid down her gaunt cheeks.

“Mu Chen, I have one more request.” Pan Han raised his head. “Let me follow you! I truly can’t stay with Pan Guang anymore. He’s completely lost his mind!”

“Follow me?” Mu Chen raised an eyebrow. “What can you offer?”

“I’m a university lecturer! I understand biology! I can help you analyze the mutated plants and animals in this apocalypse! And…” Pan Han gritted his teeth. “I know the weakness of Pan Guang’s ability! His telekinesis has a range limit. Once you’re more than ten meters away, it’s useless!”

Chen Jiahe spoke softly from the side. “Mu Chen, why not let them come with us? Two more people means two more pairs of helping hands.”

Mu Chen considered it for a moment. “All right. But there are conditions. You two must obey my orders absolutely. Disobey me once, and you’re out.”

“No problem! Absolutely no problem!” Pan Han nodded repeatedly, as though he had just been pardoned.

“And those black fruits you mentioned—tomorrow morning, you’ll lead us to them.” Mu Chen rose to his feet. “Rest here tonight. Tomorrow, come back with us.”

Pan Han was so excited he nearly fell to his knees. “Thank you! Thank you, Mu Chen! I’ll repay your kindness properly!”

Mu Chen waved a hand and walked toward the window. Outside, the black fog churned, and visibility was growing worse by the minute. From his system storage, he took out a palm-sized drone.

“Jiahe, can you operate this?”

Chen Jiahe accepted the drone and examined it from every angle. “I think so. I’ve used something similar before. What are we doing with it?”

“First, we’ll transport some supplies over there. That’ll save us the trouble of carrying everything tomorrow.” Mu Chen opened his phone and brought up the drone’s control interface. “You operate it. I’ll guide you from the side.”

The drone hummed into the air. Under Chen Jiahe’s practiced control, it carried two cases of water and a bag of compressed biscuits, slowly flying toward the twenty-eighth floor.

“Be careful. Don’t hit the building.” Mu Chen stared at the image on his phone. “Keep your distance and approach the balcony slowly.”

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Chen Jiahe lightly bit her lower lip, her fingers making precise adjustments to the controls. “No problem. I’ve done this kind of thing several times.”

The drone threaded its way through the black fog, the buzz of its propellers unnaturally clear in the silent night sky. Just as it was about to reach the balcony on the twenty-eighth floor, a massive shadow suddenly plunged downward from an even higher level!

“Look out!” Mu Chen shouted.

But it was already too late.

A giant eagle with a wingspan of nearly three meters, its feathers black as ink and its eyes glowing blood-red, swooped toward the drone with thunderous force!

Crack!

Its razor-sharp talons tore through the drone’s body in an instant. Plastic casing and electronic components scattered in all directions. The supplies it carried fell with them, smashing to pieces against the side of the building.

“No!” Chen Jiahe screamed, nearly dropping her phone.

The mutated eagle let out a shrill cry. Its enormous body circled once in the air before vanishing into the dense black fog.

Mu Chen’s face turned livid, and his fists clenched with a series of sharp cracks. “Damn it! Those supplies!”

“I’m sorry… It was all my fault…” Chen Jiahe looked on the verge of tears. “I should have been more careful…”

“It’s not your fault.” Mu Chen took a deep breath. “I didn’t realize there was a threat like that in the air.”

Pan Han and Zhang Lili had also heard the commotion outside and made their way shakily to the window. When he saw the scattered fragments of the supplies below, Pan Han’s heart ached.

“That was two whole cases of water…”

“Forget it.” Mu Chen waved a hand. “Tomorrow’s plan remains unchanged. You’ll still lead us to the black fruits. For now, get some rest and regain your strength.”

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Meanwhile, in Apartment 1803 of Building Six.

Zhang Qing stood before the mirror, trying on a tight red dress. The woman reflected in the glass had a voluptuous figure, with alluring curves that remained captivating despite the ravages of the apocalypse.

“Honey, what do you think of this one?” Zhang Qing spun around, making the hem flare.

Wu Han sat on the edge of the bed, staring miserably at the half bottle of water remaining in his hand. “Qingqing, stop fooling around. We don’t even have enough water for tomorrow, and you still have the mood to try on clothes?”

“That’s precisely why I need to dress up properly.” Zhang Qing smiled seductively as she walked over to him and gently stroked his cheek. “Honey, do you remember that person in the residents’ group called ‘Fishing on the River’?”

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Wu Han froze. “Of course I remember. The guy who posts pictures of gourmet food in the group every day. Why?”

“He must have plenty of good things.” Zhang Qing sat on Wu Han’s lap and spoke in a soft, coaxing voice. “Think about it. It’s already the third day of the apocalypse, yet he can still eat steak and drink red wine. That means he has an enormous stockpile of supplies.”

Wu Han sensed that something was wrong. “What are you planning to do?”

“It’s simple.” Zhang Qing traced circles on his chest with her finger. “I’ll contact him and say I want to exchange my body for supplies. I’ll arrange to meet him, and then…”

“No!” Wu Han sprang to his feet and shoved Zhang Qing away. “Absolutely not! Have you lost your mind?”

Zhang Qing fell onto the bed and looked at him indignantly. “Honey, I’m not actually going to do anything with him. I’ll just lure him out, and then we’ll find a way to take his supplies.”

“That’s still impossible!” Wu Han waved his hands in agitation. “What if he has a lot of people with him? What if he has weapons? The two of us wouldn’t stand a chance!”

Zhang Qing slowly rose and walked over to him. “Honey, do you really want to watch us starve to death?”

“I…” Wu Han opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“We have no other choice.” Zhang Qing wrapped her arms around his. “Besides, think about it. A man who shows off his wealth in the group all day must be a lecher. The moment he sees a beautiful woman like me offering herself to him, he’ll lose all reason.”

Wu Han hesitated. “But… isn’t this a little…”

“A little what? Too immoral?” Zhang Qing gave a cold laugh. “Honey, this is the apocalypse! What good is morality now? If we don’t strike first, all we can do is wait to die!”

She picked up her phone, opened the residents’ group, and found the profile picture of “Fishing on the River.” “Take a few pictures of me. Make sure they’re sexy. Then I’ll send him a private message and say I want to trade with him for supplies.”

Looking at the determined expression on his wife’s face, Wu Han finally gave in. “All right… fine. But be careful. Make sure nothing really happens to you.”

“Don’t worry.” Zhang Qing put the red dress back on and touched up her lipstick in the mirror. “Once this succeeds, we’ll have enough supplies to survive.”

She struck a seductive pose and blew a flirtatious kiss toward the phone camera Wu Han was holding.

Click.