Chapter 529: The Cost of Gaining Power (Content Cannot Be Split—One Chapter)

"Something's off? I felt it too—you were totally different when you took down the liquefied gas zombie. What's going on? Tell me everything!"

Zhang Su sat up straight and asked seriously.

Chen Hanzhou scratched his head in frustration, walked over to the wall under the dim light, and leaned against it slowly: "I think there's still some zombie virus lingering in my body—the one Dr. Fu called the zombie robot. That first snowfall, and today's snow, both affected me."

"Now that you mention it… if I remember right, you told me you had self-healing abilities shortly after the first light snow, right?"

Seeing that Chen Hanzhou was willing to talk, Zhang Su pressed further, hoping to get to the bottom of this.

Chen Hanzhou nodded thoughtfully: "Yeah, it happened after that snowfall—but not right away. When we went to capture the petrified-skin zombie, I accidentally injured myself and only then discovered it. Otherwise, I might never have noticed! But today… today was different. We were on West Second Ring when it started snowing, and I felt something strange. Soon after the snow stopped, I suddenly sensed a new kind of energy inside me—how do I put it? A warm, glowing energy!"

As he spoke, Chen Hanzhou tilted his head, clearly struggling to describe it.

Zhang Su nodded thoughtfully, then slowly frowned: "A new energy appeared out of nowhere? What special sensations did you feel?"

"It didn't hurt me at all. Wherever that energy flowed, the corresponding part of my body got stronger. When it moved to my waist, my core strength and flexibility improved. When it reached my organs, my heart and lungs became more efficient. The effect on my brain was weakest—I didn't feel any smarter, hehe…"

By the end, Chen Hanzhou couldn't help laughing.

"So you mean this energy can be guided around your body?" Zhang Su asked.

Chen Hanzhou nodded: "At first, no. But later, I learned to steer it."

Zhang Su gave him a strange look: "Hey, kid, have you ever tried directing that energy… down there? Then Pei Lan would thank you."

"Ah, Brother Su, don't say that…"

Chen Hanzhou clearly felt embarrassed, took a deep drag from his cigarette, then continued: "I didn't finish yet. When that energy reached my head, even though I didn't get smarter, I realized I could communicate with it… in some inexplicable way? Like… mental contact?"

Even Chen Hanzhou found this unbelievable—it was an incredibly mysterious sensation.

Zhang Su shifted his posture. The real question was coming. He asked calmly: "And then?"

"At first, it wasn't me talking to it—it was the other way around. Not with words, but with something vague, almost ethereal. It sent me a stream of thoughts—not text, not images—but I understood them perfectly…"

"What I understood was that it could make me stronger, and it could grow by absorbing certain materials, then return the benefit to me. But the materials it needs are… unusual."

"You're dropping too much info at once. Cut to the chase—what does this energy of yours need to grow?"

Zhang Su already had a good guess, but he needed Chen Hanzhou to confirm it.

"It needs me to devour mutated zombies' abilities!" Chen Hanzhou lowered his voice, speaking in a hushed, secretive tone, his cigarette crushed between his fingers from the pressure.

"Oh, so it's picky…"

Zhang Su teased, then slapped his thigh: "So that's why you were so reckless before—always pushing to fight! Turns out this thing was pushing you?"

His suspicions confirmed, he felt a little relieved—but more questions arose. He pressed on directly.

"Little Chen, what you're saying sounds too fantastical. I get mutated zombies, and I get devouring—but how do you 'devour' their abilities? Like, say, a fire-spitting zombie—how do you swallow it without getting burned to ash?"

Chen Hanzhou gave a strange smile—the kind of helpless expression—and said softly: "I've started to understand how it works. Basically, every mutated zombie has a unique energy device inside it. I…"

He paused, licked his lips, then spoke in a low, firm tone: "I can sense where that special energy device is located!"

"Oh?" Zhang Su was genuinely shocked. He probed: "Then tell me—where's the energy device in a fire-spitting zombie?"

Chen Hanzhou pointed to his chest: "Right here. The heart of a fire-spitting zombie holds an extremely violent flame energy—it's the source of its power."

"A flame heart? Damn, that's cool! You've got a serious skill—this could save Dr. Fu a ton of research time…"

Zhang Su didn't mention the devouring part. Instead, he changed the subject, as if Chen Hanzhou's transformation meant nothing to him.

He seemed indifferent—but this relaxed tone put Chen Hanzhou at ease. At least Zhang Su didn't treat him like a freak; he still believed Chen Hanzhou could play a vital role in the camp. That felt good.

"Wait, there's a flaw here."

Zhang Su rubbed his chin, frowning: "You say the fire-spitting zombie's heart holds violent flame energy—so it must be scorching hot. How do you swallow it? Even street performers who swallow burning coals are faking it!"

Chen Hanzhou grimaced and scratched his head: "I don't know. All this info came from the energy itself."

"Alright, then the liquefied gas zombie—where's its special device?" Zhang Su pressed on.

Chen Hanzhou tapped his own head: "I sensed it's inside the skull. But I'm not sure if I sensed it myself—or if the energy sensed it and passed the info to me…"

Everything matched. Zhang Su nodded inwardly. So far, Chen Hanzhou hadn't hidden anything from him. That was a good sign.

"Can it only give you information, or can you send messages back to it?"

Zhang Su assumed it was possible—but Chen Hanzhou shook his head.

"I keep trying to communicate with it, but it's hit or miss—mostly miss. Maybe ten percent of the time it responds. Nine out of ten times, nothing. I don't know if it's just aloof or doesn't understand me.

By the way, when I fought the liquefied gas zombie, it responded perfectly—I told it to give me power, and it flooded my whole body instantly, though it was thin. I think if it grows stronger, I could become much more powerful…"

"Also, I think this thing is opportunistic. It gets active only when there's something in it for it. Otherwise, it's lazy."

Chen Hanzhou was thinking and analyzing with real enthusiasm—it was his own body, after all, and he cared deeply.

"Your analysis is solid. Anyway, this energy—we'll just call it 'energy' for now—as long as it doesn't control your thoughts or mind, I think using it is harmless. What do you think?"

Zhang Su probed gently, trying to gauge Chen Hanzhou's true feelings.

Chen Hanzhou frowned deeply: "Brother Su, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! We don't know what else might change when this energy grows. What if, once it's strong enough, it erases my consciousness? That would be terrible!"

Zhang Su nodded inwardly. He'd assumed Chen Hanzhou was lost in the joy of gaining power—but clearly, he wasn't. He'd thought far deeper.

"But right now, there's no sign of that, right?" Zhang Su offered reassurance, then continued: "Can you activate the energy whenever you want?"

"Hmm…"

In the darkness, Chen Hanzhou closed his eyes, steadied himself, then swung his mechanical prosthetic—swoosh! a powerful gust of wind cut through the air.

"Yeah, Brother Su, I'm getting better at using the power. Just now, I didn't even send it a thought—just focused, and my arm strength surged!"

"Try again."

In the pitch-black room, Zhang Su pointed his glowing cigarette tip at Chen Hanzhou's legs.

"Alright! Uh—ohhh!" Chen Hanzhou didn't hesitate. After two or three seconds, he bent his knees and leapt—suddenly soaring a full meter into the air, his head nearly brushing the ceiling. He panicked, bent over mid-air—and lost his balance!

Zhang Su stepped forward, caught him with one arm, then took a deep drag from his cigarette, crushed it underfoot, and said: "So far, this energy hasn't shown any ill intent. You're gaining benefits from it. I suggest you don't let it grow yet—watch for side effects. If nothing bad happens, treat it as a backup power source—deploy it when needed. That's smart."

"I think it's great too!" Chen Hanzhou agreed wholeheartedly—but then hesitated: "But… Brother Su, it keeps sending me messages, pushing me to devour mutated zombies. It's… like a nicotine craving. Annoying."

Zhang Su spread his hands: "That's the price of power. If that's all it is, I think you can handle it."

"I guess…" Chen Hanzhou nodded reluctantly.

Zhang Su stood up, walked over, and patted Chen Hanzhou's shoulder with a smile: "I'm glad you told me all this. Focus on the present, don't overthink the future. Worrying about unknowns drains you. Take it one step at a time."

These words were meant to comfort his comrade—but Zhang Su himself constantly thought about the future. It was his duty. He had no choice.

Chen Hanzhou stubbed out his cigarette on his prosthetic and smiled: "I get it, Brother Su. Damn, even with this new power, I'm still nowhere near you or Sakura Girl. It's kind of depressing."

Thinking back to the battle, Chen Hanzhou gave a bitter laugh. He'd felt that surge of power and thought he could turn the tide—but he'd still lost. Watching Zhang Su's lightning-fast slash from the sidelines, he realized the gap was enormous—in speed, strength, reaction, and prediction. In every dimension.

"Everyone has their own path. You're already strong—and you'll get stronger. I believe in you."

As Zhang Su encouraged Chen Hanzhou, he subtly reminded him: the world isn't short of miracles.

"Yeah! Brother Su, with you leading us, we'll all get better!"

Chen Hanzhou understood the unspoken message. He gave a determined smile—he wanted to grow too.

The two stepped out of the room and looked up—Zheng Xinyu and the others were waiting at the end of the hallway.

"Husband, this walkie-talkie—it's from Ding Wei of Absolute Justice, calling Liao Youzhi…"

As Zhang Su and Chen Hanzhou approached, Zheng Xinyu handed them the walkie-talkie with a strange expression.

"Absolute Justice… Ding Wei?"

Zhang Su took the walkie-talkie and saw a sticky label on the back, crudely scribbled: " Jue " Absolute Justice—with a typo. Clearly, Liao Youzhi's education level was low.

"Did Absolute Justice run into trouble?"

Zhang Su shook the walkie-talkie, glancing at Zheng Xinyu and Yu Wen.

Yu Wen gave an awkward chuckle: "Eighty percent of the message is vulgar language. The rest accuses his team sent to the auto park of being ambushed by the Survivor Alliance."

"Hah… idiot."

Zhang Su gave a fake laugh, shoved the walkie-talkie into his pocket, and ignored Ding Wei entirely.

"Big bro, we've picked a spot for you and Sister—left you a sour cabbage fish restaurant. The vibe? Super cozy, hehe…"

Just then, Zhao De and Lu Yubo returned to the fifth floor, having arranged their accommodations.

Zhang Su nodded. He didn't care about such things—but he noticed Zhao De and Lu Yubo's expressions were off, like they were hiding something. He asked:

"Hey, Zhu, Bo, you two look spaced out. What's up?"

"Huh? Do we? No, not really…"

Zhao De, startled by Zhang Su's shout, nervously rubbed his head and stole a quick, panicked glance at Yu Wen.

Lu Yubo touched his chest awkwardly and grinned: "Hehe, no, uh, nothing really, it's just…"

"You're using inverted sentences now? Still saying nothing's wrong? Spill it—what happened?"

Zhang Su knew Lu Yubo too well. That look meant trouble—he'd probably done something stupid.

"Uh… Zhu, you tell him!" Lu Yubo elbowed Zhao De.

Zhao De panicked, snapped: "What do I know? I know nothing! What am I supposed to say? Are you crazy?!"

"Fuck, then I don't know either—go to hell!" Lu Yubo's face darkened.

Zhang Su took a deep breath. These two were always pulling stunts. He scowled: "Bo, I order you to report immediately—what happened just now?"

He didn't let Zhao De speak to spare Yu Wen's face.

Lu Yubo grimaced: "Well… some ladies wanted to… you know… reward us. That's all."

Earlier, while Zhao De and Lu Yubo were arranging lodging, a dozen heavily made-up women had approached them, thanking the Yanluo Army for saving them, offering to serve them for one night—or several, however they wished…

The message was clear, the tone sincere. Some were even bold enough to touch them directly—leaving both men flustered and aroused.

"I said, we're all siblings from Tianma Island. Fighting zombies is our duty—we don't need special services…"

"Yeah, same here. No need, no need…"

Zhao De and Lu Yubo exchanged glances, nodding vigorously, each affirming the other—expressions so resolute they were reassuring.

Secretly, Yu Wen and Tan Hua exchanged glances—everything understood. They'd done well enough. They couldn't be sure the two would stay pure if left alone—but they didn't expect perfection. In this world, intentions matter more than actions.

Zhang Su's forehead darkened with a line of sweat. He knew something had happened—but he hadn't expected them to get romantic attention. Not just them—every male member of the Yanluo Army had.

I don't restrict this—you all decide for yourselves, especially those still single; if you want to go, go.

"R-really?" Wu Lue's eyes lit up instantly; beside him, Qi Xiaoshuai and Pang Dankun also looked eager.

Earlier, when he'd heard Lu Yu Bo and Zhao Dezhu talk about it, he'd been itching inside—who among the young and passionate doesn't have impulses?

Zhang Su spread his hands: "What's wrong with that? But I warn you—don't sleep with them and think you're one of them; that's absolutely forbidden, understood?"

Those women claim it's gratitude for saving their lives, but they're not without other intentions—climbing up through the Yanluo Legion could quickly lead to an easy life; who wouldn't want that?

Several single men nodded shrewdly, then dashed off in a flash.

"Life on the mountain is too dull; these young fellows are suffering," Yu Wen said, smiling as he watched the backs of the men descending the stairs.

"You say that, Lao Yu…" Jia Shiqin rubbed his hands awkwardly beside him; the remark made the middle-aged man feel embarrassed—he didn't want to go, but neither did he want to stay.

"Liao Diaomao, hey hey hey, I'm Absolute Justice Ding Wei—did you intercept the men I sent out? Hey, answer me! Hey hey, Liao Diaomao, I'm your dad Ding Wei…"

As soon as Jia Shiqin finished speaking, the walkie-talkie Zhang Su had stuffed in his bag burst into loud, chaotic chatter—and it repeated the same thing three times, very lively.

The voice wasn't loud, but because the environment was utterly quiet, everyone heard it clearly.

(End of Chapter)