Chapter 529: The Price of Gaining Power (The content is difficult to split, so it is combined into one chapter)

"Is something wrong? I felt it too. You were very different from usual when dealing with the liquefied gas zombie earlier. What exactly is going on? Tell me in detail!"

Zhang Su sat up straight and asked earnestly.

Chen Hanzhou scratched his head in distress, walked to the wall and leaned against it under the dim light, and said slowly: "I think there must indeed be some zombie virus remaining in my body, or what Dr. Fu called zombie robots. That snowfall before, and the snow today, both had a certain impact on me!"

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

Seeing that the other party was willing to talk, Zhang Su further guided him, hoping to get to the bottom of the matter.

Chen Hanzhou nodded thoughtfully and said: "Yes, it was after that snow, but there was a gap in time. When we went to catch the petrified-skin zombie, I accidentally injured myself and discovered it by chance; otherwise, I don't know how long it would have taken to notice! But today... today was different. When it was snowing, weren't we on the West Second Ring Road? I felt a strange sensation at that time. Shortly after it started snowing, I suddenly felt an extra... how should I put it, a warm energy inside my body!"

As Chen Hanzhou spoke, he tilted his head in thought, as it was probably difficult to describe.

Zhang Su nodded thoughtfully, then slowly frowned and said: "An energy appearing out of thin air—do you have any special feelings?"

"It hasn't had any negative impact on me. Wherever that energy travels, I can feel the corresponding body part becoming stronger. When it travels to my waist, my core strength and flexibility improve. When it travels to my internal organs, my heart and lung respiratory capacity are strengthened. The sensation is weakest when it travels to my brain; I don't feel like I've become smarter, hahaha..."

By the end, Chen Hanzhou couldn't help but laugh.

"Listening to you, that energy can be guided to travel through your body?" Zhang Su asked.

Chen Hanzhou nodded: "It couldn't at first, but later I was slowly able to guide it."

Zhang Su had a strange expression: "Hey, kid, have you tried guiding that energy to *that* place? Pei Lan would definitely thank it for that!"

"Sigh, Brother Su, why are you saying things like that..."

Chen Hanzhou was clearly a bit embarrassed by such things. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and continued: "I hadn't finished speaking yet. After that energy rushed to my head, although I didn't become smarter, I discovered that I could use an inexplicable feeling to conduct... conscious communication with it?"

At this point, even Chen Hanzhou found it hard to believe; that feeling was extremely mystical.

Zhang Su changed his sitting posture. The thing he really wanted to know had arrived, and he asked in a flat tone: "And then?"

"Actually, at first it wasn't me communicating with it; it was it communicating with me... It wasn't using language, just a very ethereal feeling. It conveyed a series of thoughts to me—not words, not images, but I could just understand them...

What I understood was that it could make me stronger, and it could also be nourished and grow through certain substances, and then feed back into me. It's just that what it needs to grow is quite unique..."

"You... this is too much information. Just give me the conclusion. What does that energy you mentioned need to grow?"

Zhang Su actually already knew the answer, but he needed to confirm it with Chen Hanzhou.

"It needs me to devour the abilities of mutated zombies!" Chen Hanzhou lowered his voice mysteriously, the cigarette between his fingers crushed flat from the force of his grip.

"Oh, this thing is quite picky..."

Zhang Su teased, then slapped his thigh: "I was wondering why you were so fierce earlier, insisting on going into battle. So it was this thing playing tricks?"

With his inner suspicions confirmed, he felt a bit relieved, but at the same time, more questions arose, so he asked directly.

"Xiao Chen, what you're saying makes me feel like it's fantasy. I can understand mutated zombies, and I understand devouring, but how do you devour a mutated zombie's ability? For example, the fire-breathing zombie—how do you devour it without getting burned to ash?"

Chen Hanzhou smiled strangely, with that feeling of being unable to help himself, and said lightly: "I've understood the method of devouring a bit. The general idea is that every mutated zombie has a unique energy device inside its body, and I..."

Chen Hanzhou paused here, licked his lips, and said in a deep voice: "I can sense where the special energy device is!"

"Oh?" Zhang Su was truly shocked this time and asked tentatively: "Then tell me, where is the fire-breathing zombie's special energy device?"

Chen Hanzhou pointed to his chest and said, "Right here. The heart of a fire-breathing zombie contains extremely violent fire energy; it is also the source of its power."

"A fire heart, damn, that's pretty cool! This ability of yours is also badass; in the future, it could save Dr. Fu a lot of research time..."

Zhang Su did not mention Chen Hanzhou's act of devouring, but instead steered the conversation elsewhere, as if he hadn't taken Chen Hanzhou's changes to heart at all.

Seemingly unconcerned, it was precisely this relaxed way of talking that made Chen Hanzhou feel much more at ease. At the very least, Zhang Su did not treat him as an anomaly and even felt he could have a more prominent role within the camp, which made him feel very comfortable inside.

"That's not right, there's a loophole here."

Zhang Su rubbed his chin and frowned, saying, "You said the fire-breathing zombie's heart contains violent fire energy, so it must be scorching hot. How do you swallow it? Even street performers faking swallowing charcoal is a trick!"

Chen Hanzhou scratched his head with a bitter face and shook his head, saying, "I really don't know. All this information was shared with me by that energy."

"Alright, then what about the liquefied gas zombie? Where is its special device?" Zhang Su continued to press.

Chen Hanzhou tapped his own head and said, "I sensed its special energy device is inside the skull. Actually, I can't be sure if I sensed it myself, or if that energy sensed it and then transmitted the information to me..."

It all added up. Zhang Su nodded inwardly. As of now, Chen Hanzhou hadn't hidden anything from him, which was a good sign.

"Only it shares information with you; can you transmit information to it?"

According to Zhang Su's understanding, it should be possible, but unexpectedly, Chen Hanzhou shook his head.

"I'm always trying to communicate with it, but it works sometimes and doesn't others. When it does work, the proportion is very small, at most ten percent. Nine times out of ten there's no response. I don't know if it's being aloof or if it just can't understand what I mean.

By the way, it worked very well when I was fighting the liquefied gas zombie earlier. I asked it to give me power, and it was very prompt. Whoosh, it flooded my entire body, but it was much thinner. I suspect that if it grows a bit, it could make me very powerful...

Also, I feel this guy is very snobbish. It's more active when it's linked to its own interests, but it's very lazy otherwise!"

Chen Hanzhou was thinking and analyzing very actively. This was his own business, so he was especially attentive.

"Your analysis is very reliable. In short, this energy... let's just call it energy for now. As long as it doesn't control your thoughts and spirit, I think utilizing it is harmless. What do you think?"

Zhang Su asked tentatively, intending to see what Chen Hanzhou really thought.

Chen Hanzhou was thoughtful, his brows locked tight as he said, "Brother Su, what you just said is exactly what I'm worried about! We don't know if this energy, after it grows, will have other changes besides providing me with stronger power... If it grows strong enough to erase my consciousness, that would be terrible!"

Zhang Su nodded inwardly. He had thought Chen Hanzhou was lost in the joy of gaining power, but it turned out he wasn't, and he had even thought quite a bit about it.

"At least there's no sign of that yet, is there?" Zhang Su offered a word of comfort and continued to explore, "Can you call upon the power that energy provides whenever you want?"

"Hmm..."

In the darkness, Chen Hanzhou closed his eyes to focus his mind, then swung his mechanical prosthetic limb, creating a gust of wind with a very powerful force.

"Yeah, Brother Su, I'm getting more and more proficient at calling upon the power. Just now, I didn't even transmit information to it; a single thought was enough to enhance the strength of my arm!"

"Try it again."

In the pitch-black room, Zhang Su used the glowing red cigarette butt to gesture toward Chen Hanzhou's legs.

"Alright! Uh, uh, er..." Chen Hanzhou didn't say a word and continued to try. About two or three seconds later, he bent his knees and jumped, shooting a meter high into the air on the spot. His head almost touched the ceiling, scaring him into hunching over, which caused him to lose his balance in mid-air!

Zhang Su stepped forward, reached out his arm to steady Chen Hanzhou, then took a deep drag of his cigarette, crushed the butt, and said, "As of now, this energy hasn't shown any malicious intent, and you can still gain benefits from it. I suggest you don't let it grow for now and see if there are any negative reactions. If everything remains normal, treat it as your reserve power in the future—use it wherever it's needed. That's pretty good!"

"I think that's pretty good too!" Chen Hanzhou highly agreed with Zhang Su's point of view, but then hesitated, "But... Brother Su, it's always transmitting information to me, telling me to go devour mutated zombies. It's just... damn, it's like a nicotine addiction. It's annoying."

Zhang Su spread his hands: "That's the price of gaining power. If it's limited to this, I feel you can definitely overcome it."

"That's true..." Chen Hanzhou nodded reluctantly.

Zhang Su stood up, walked over to Chen Hanzhou, patted his shoulder, and smiled: "I'm glad you could tell me these things honestly. Feel the present more, worry less about the future. Thinking too much about unknown things will be very tiring. Take it one step at a time."

These words were just to comfort his companion. Zhang Su himself was always considering the future; it was one of his duties, so there was no helping it.

Chen Hanzhou extinguished his cigarette on his mechanical prosthetic limb and smiled: "I understand, Brother Su. Sigh, it's a pity that even with this external power, I still can't compare to you and the Cherry Blossom Girl. It's really a bit depressing."

Thinking of the previous battle, Chen Hanzhou gave a bitter smile. Feeling that surging power, he had truly thought he could turn the tide at the time, but it ended in defeat. Then, watching Zhang Su's stunning strike from the sidelines, he realized the gap between them was still huge—speed, power, reaction, and anticipation; there were gaps in multiple dimensions and directions!

"Everyone has their own path. You are already very impressive, and you will be even more impressive in the future. I believe in you!"

While encouraging Chen Hanzhou, Zhang Su also implicitly told him that he wasn't the only one in this world to have had miraculous encounters.

"Yeah! Brother Su, with you leading us, we will definitely be better in the future!"

Chen Hanzhou also understood the subtext of Zhang Su's words and revealed a firm smile. He hoped he could also get better and better.

The two walked out of the room. Looking up, they saw Zheng Xin and the others at the end of the corridor, clearly waiting for them.

"Hubby, this walkie-talkie, 'Absolute Justice' Ding Wei is looking for Liao Youzhi..."

When Zhang Su and Chen Hanzhou reached them, Zheng Xin handed over a walkie-talkie with a strange expression.

"'Absolute Justice'... Ding Wei?"

Zhang Su took the walkie-talkie and saw a label stuck on the back, with "Ab-solute Justice" written in a crooked hand—it even had a typo, which showed Liao Youzhi's level of education.

"Did something happen to 'Absolute Justice' too?"

Zhang Su shook the walkie-talkie and looked at Zheng Xin, Yu Wen, and the others.

Yu Wen smiled with an awkward expression and said, "Eighty percent of the content is mostly foul language. The other part of the meaning is that he suspects the people he sent to the Auto Park were hijacked by the Survivor Alliance."

"Haha... moron."

Zhang Su gave a fake laugh, stuffed the walkie-talkie into his pocket, and couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to Ding Wei.

"Big brother, we've picked a place. We saved a pickled fish restaurant for you and sister-in-law. The environment is quite cozy, hehe..."

Just at this moment, Zhao De and Lu Yu returned to the fifth floor, having already arranged the accommodation issues.

Zhang Su nodded. These things didn't matter, but he noticed that Zhao De and Lu Yu's expressions were a bit off, as if they were hiding something, so he asked.

"Hey, Zhuzi, Bozai, you two look absent-minded. What's wrong?"

"Ah? Do we? No, I don't think so..."

Being shouted at by Zhang Su, Zhao De touched his head with a very guilty conscience and even stole a particularly panicked glance at Yu Wen.

Lu Yu touched his chest with a strange expression and smiled awkwardly: "Hehe, no, that, nothing happened, actually it's also..."

"You damn... you're even using inverted sentences now, and you dare say nothing happened? Speak, what exactly is going on?"

Zhang Su knew Lu Yu too well. This ghostly demeanor definitely meant there was something fishy; who knew what bad things they had done.

"Hmm... Big Zhuzi, you say it!" Lu Yu nudged Zhao De with his elbow.

Zhao De panicked and said in a fit of exasperation: "What would I know? I don't know anything. What could I say? Are you sick in the head?"

"Damn it, then I don't know either. Get lost, you!" Lu Yu's face darkened.

Zhang Su took a deep breath. These two clowns were usually the best at fooling around. His face sank, and he said: "Bozai, I order you to confess immediately. What happened just now?"

Not letting Zhao De say it was to give Yu Wen some face.

Lu Yu smacked his lips and said reluctantly: "Actually, it's nothing, it's just... a few big sisters were prepared, prepared that, wanted to reward us a little. That's all."

It turned out that just before, when Lu Yu and Zhao De were looking for a place to arrange accommodation, a dozen or so heavily made-up women found them, thanking the big brothers of the Yama Legion for their life-saving grace, saying the little ladies were willing to serve for one night, or several nights, whatever they wanted...

The meaning was very direct, the attitude was very sincere, and the enthusiastic ones even started flirting directly, which immediately made the two of them feel restless.

"I said, everyone is a brother and sister of Tianmayu. Resisting zombies is our duty. We don't need, we don't need special services..."

"Right, that's what I thought too. Not needed, not needed..."

Zhao De and Lu Yu looked at each other and nodded repeatedly, confirming each other's story. That expression was so firm it made people feel very reassured.

In the shadows, Yu Wen and Tan Hua exchanged glances; everything was understood without words. The two of them had done well enough to reach this point, but they couldn't guarantee that if they weren't there, Lu Yu and Zhao De could really remain unmoved. But they didn't expect that much either; in this current environment, some things are judged by the heart, not by actions.

A row of black lines appeared on Zhang Su's head. He knew something must have happened, but he didn't expect the two of them to have had a romantic encounter. Of course, it wasn't just them; it was all the male members of the Yama Legion.

"I don't place restrictions on this kind of thing. You guys just handle it yourselves. Especially those who are still single, if you want to go, go."

"Re-really? Can we?" Wu Lue's eyes lit up immediately. Qi Xiaoshuai and Pang Dakun on the side also looked eager to try.

He had felt itchy inside when he heard Lu Yu and Zhao De talking about it earlier. Who doesn't have some impulses when they are young and hot-blooded?

Zhang Su spread his hands: "Why wouldn't you be able to? But I want to warn you about one thing: don't think you're one of us just because you slept together. That is absolutely not allowed, understand?"

Those women said they were thanking them for their life-saving grace, but they might not be without other ideas. If they could climb up the line of the Yama Legion, they could live a comfortable life very soon. Who wouldn't want that?

The few bachelors nodded shrewdly and then ran off in a flash.

"Life on the mountain is too dull. These young lads have suffered too." Yu Wen looked at the backs of the few people going downstairs and smiled.

"Old Yu, the way you put it..." Jia Shiqin rubbed his hands somewhat dryly on the side. Once these words were said, it made this middle-aged uncle feel embarrassed. To go was awkward, not to go was uncomfortable.

"Liao the d*ckhead, hey hey hey, I am 'Absolute Justice' Ding Wei. You d*ckhead, did you intercept the people I sent out? Hey, speak! Hey hey, Liao the d*ckhead, I'm your daddy, Ding Wei..."

Just as Jia Shiqin's voice fell, the walkie-talkie Zhang Su had stuffed into his bag started jabbering away, and it repeated three times, quite lively.

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

(End of chapter)