(Xyrean Province- Outskirts)
(Private Farmland- Abandoned Barnhouse)
Tap! Tap! Tap!
One could hear the sound of falling rain as the droplets of water slammed against the flimsy roof that barely covered the barn.
Qin Lan leaned against a nearby haystack and tried to avoid the water that was dripping down from the holes in the ceiling.
It was nighttime and the temperature had dropped by several degrees.
Fortunately, Liu Yifei's space contained several blankets so things were not as bad as they could have been.
Still, it was impossible not to smell the heavy scent of manure and faeces coming from the empty pens in the corner of the barn.
The animals inside the pens were nowhere to be found so Qin Lan could only assume that they had escaped a few days ago.
"Is everyone okay?" Qin Lan asked softly as she glanced at the young teenagers.
"Yeah… just a little bit cold…" Liu Tao replied with a smile as she pulled the blanket over her shoulders.
Chen Xiao and Liu Tao were both on one side of the barn and covering their bodies up with separate blankets.
Liu Yifei and Gong Li on the other hand were sharing a large fluffy duvet instead of a blanket and Qin Lan could swear that they were holding hands beneath the sheet.
"Sister Lan… can you tell us more about your ability?" Liu Tao asked innocently as her eyes gleamed with excitement.
Ever since she had seen Eve's impressive strength there was only one thought in the young girl's mind.
She wanted that kind of power…
"My ability… well…" Qin Lan hesitantly spoke with a trace of reluctance in her voice.
"As you know I can control the minds of other people… it seems to only work on humans so far, but I also haven't tried to use it on animals or zombies…"
"If I had to describe it… it's like there are invisible threads that connect my mind to the mind of my… victim… victim…"
Qin Lan stuttered over her last word as the face of Jing Tian flashed across her mind… that young woman whose mind she had broken.
Who was most likely going to die…
Fuck! Why did the original Qin Lan's shitty personality resurface?
Qin Lan turned the conversation to a more lighthearted topic, but her heart really wasn't in the conversation.
Gaining the memories of someone else… it was impossible to say that she was not influenced by those new recollections.
Or perhaps it was a side effect of possessing the body that she had to use for the task…
And speaking of the task… Qin Lan still had no idea who was the so-called villainess of this plane who would destroy the world.
All the relevant memories in the original Qin Lan's mind were locked behind fuzzy white walls.
It felt incredible frustrating since the answers to all her questions were just out of reach.
"Will we… will we be safe at the lake?" a quiet voice interrupted Qin Lan's musing.
She turned her attention to the direction of the voice and saw Chen Xiao nervously fidgeting.
"I know… this must be very scary… truthfully, I am a bit scared as well," Qin Lan confessed quietly as she got up from her spot and walked over.
"I thought that this province would be safe but… Father Han and his worshippers… are very dangerous."
"I can't promise you complete safety, but I swear that I will try my best to protect and teach you all how to defend yourself."
Chen Xiao slowly nodded but there was still a look of hesitation in his eyes.
Qin Lan didn't blame him since this entire situation was difficult to process.
How does one come to terms with the fact that the world is now an apocalypse?
Just days ago, these young teenagers were living normal lives and worrying about their next test or midterms exam and now…
They had to worry about their next meal, shelter and the monsters that roamed around this harsh environment.
"Why didn't we stay with the military?" Liu Yifei asked cautiously as she looked at Qin Lan for answers.
Qin Lan opened her mouth and explained her concerns in a calm and even tone,
"Well… I'm sure in the beginning the military with their discipline would protect us… but as time passes without communication to their superior officers…"
"Who knows what they would do… they have guns which basically makes them invincible at least in the early stages when most people's abilities have not been upgraded."
"I wish… I wish that my ability was offensive like yours..." Liu Yifei quietly whispered as she leaned her head against Gong Li's.
Qin Lan walked over to the girl and place a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Hey… if it wasn't for you… I don't know what we would have done… your ability may not be strong in a fight, but it is perhaps one of the most useful," Qin Lan reassured her with a smile.
"Trust me… in the future if you ever reveal your ability… all the base leaders will be fighting over themselves to get you to join their side…"
"Don't worry sister Lan! I'll stay with you!" Liu Yifei hurriedly spoke up. Qin Lan laughed and rubbed the young teenage girl's head.
"Alright… get some sleep everyone… we have a busy day of walking tomorrow," Qin Lan spoke firmly as she returned to her spot.
She tried her best to ignore the heavy scent of manure and pulled the blanket over her shoulder.
"Good night…" Gong Li whispered sweetly into Liu Yifei's ear.
Her best friend looked at her with a conflicted expression that sent a shiver of fear down Gong Li's spine.
Did she find out? No… no…
"Good night," Liu Yifei replied softly as she turned her body away from her friend. She gently touched her chest and discovered that her heart was beating frantically.
Liu Yifei felt a bit confused since she didn't understand why doing normal girl things with her best friend was making her heart race.
Qin Lan had her eyes closed so she missed the cute interaction between the two girls one of whom was now beginning to doubt her sexuality.
It was an uneventful night as the pitter patter of rain was the only sound of note.
The barn that they had stumbled upon was relatively far away from a farmhouse in the distance and Qin Lan had not seen any zombies nearby.
The hours passed and eventually the first orange rays of sunlight appeared from the corner of the horizon.
Qin Lan stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily. She opened her eyes blearily and discovered that the teenagers were still fast asleep.
She sat up and reached for the bottle of water next to her blanket. She carefully unscrewed the cork and took a small sip.
Today was a brand-new day.
There would undoubtedly be challenges up ahead, but Qin Lan hoped that she could continue to wake up to peaceful mornings like this in the future.
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