Qin Yue’s appearance and explanation surprised many people. At this moment, they were no longer afraid and started to inquire if what Qin Yue said was true. Was it true that he awakened his abilities because of Professor Jiang Nian’s cultivation method, and it seemed to be the same as Old Li’s lightning ability? Could it be a hoax?

Li Ming was almost excited to death. He replied quickly, saying that it was really, truly real! They had never seen Jiang Nian before today and didn’t know her. How could it be a hoax? Most importantly, before today, they hadn’t even touched the threshold of their abilities. Now, they had all broken through because of Jiang Nian!

As for why they came, it was all because of a chance encounter. Others were surprised and asked what “a chance encounter” meant.

This would take a while to explain. Li Ming narrated how he eavesdropped on the conversation between Ren Yuan and the others and how he shamelessly seized the opportunity to learn from them. If he hadn’t eavesdropped on their conversation and followed them, how could today have happened?

So, they also had to thank Ren Yuan and Sun Hai for their big mouths!

Ren Yuan and Sun Hai: “…”

Actually, if you really thought about it, Old Li was the most shocked one. He even forgot about the pain in his body and stared at Qin Yue, asking, “You’re also an ability user with lightning abilities? Impossible, how could you have lightning abilities?!”

Qin Yue then extended his hand, and a power identical to Old Li’s appeared in his palm. A bolt of lightning flashed, striking the ground in front of Old Li, creating a crack in the ground, causing him to step back in astonishment.

Yao Xiaoyue was equally amazed. Qin Yue was indeed formidable. His abilities had just been awakened, and his power was no weaker than Old Li’s. It was no wonder he would be known as the Lord of Thunder in the future—someone not to be trifled with.

After the shock came regret. If she had known that Qin Yue could awaken his abilities so easily, she wouldn’t have concealed herself. If she had told him earlier, she would have been the one helping him awaken his abilities, and she would have been the one he was grateful to. What about Jiang Nian?

Now that Qin Yue had abilities, she had lost her value to him. She had no more chips, and it would be even harder to get close to him.

While lost in thought, a group of men in green military uniforms approached, their rifles aimed at Old Li and the others. Zhang Lin ordered, “Li Chengxian, Hou Jin, you are suspected of kidnapping, raping women, robbing and killing, disrupting public order, and endangering lives. Your crimes are heinous, and now you must come with us!”

How could old Li and the others surrender willingly in this post-apocalyptic world? They exchanged glances and signaled to their followers. Suddenly, they launched an attack!

In this post-apocalyptic world, who cares about the law?

To arrest ability users, the people Zhang Lin brought were not ordinary either. After a fierce struggle, old Li was shot dead on the spot, and Monkey was shot in the thigh and pinned to the ground. Seeing old Li die and Monkey captured, old Li’s followers immediately scattered their weapons and surrendered. The farce came to an end with Old Li’s death.

Meng Xun, seeing Old Li’s death, felt it wasn’t cruel but rather satisfying. He thought it was well-deserved. He glanced again at Jiang Nian, who seemed to be standing on the distant horizon, pulled up his collar to cover his cheeks, lowered his head, and quickly walked away.

With Old Li dead, the civilian house he had occupied would probably be taken over by someone else soon, and the supplies would likely be looted. Meng Xun had to get there before others realized it.

Old Li was a man who valued his reputation, and he always took a substantial entourage with him when he went out. Now, most of his men had been captured at the gas station, leaving only a few behind to protect his territory. Meng Xun scooped up some dirt and smeared it on his face, then knocked on the door and loudly said, “Good news, big news! Hurry, go and see! Someone at the gas station has announced a method to cultivate abilities, and someone has already cultivated lightning abilities using this method!”

Meng Xun shouted a few more times, acting as if he were casually walking away. Sure enough, not long after, the five men guarding the house rushed out, shouting loudly and stopping Meng Xun. They asked him in a hostile tone, “You said someone announced a method to cultivate abilities, and someone cultivated lightning abilities using that method? Is this true? You better think carefully; if you dare to tell a lie, we won’t spare you!”

Meng Xun replied, “Of course, it’s true. Everyone saw it; even Old Li was there. He wanted to capture the master and use him for himself. If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourselves!”

Privately, many people called Old Li “Thunder Old Li” because he often used his lightning abilities to dominate others, and he was arrogant and overbearing, hence the nickname.

“So, what’s the situation now?”

“…I don’t know about that. I was afraid of getting hurt in the fight, so I ran away.”

“You’re really useless!” When those few people heard this, they exchanged glances and said, “Let’s go; we need to help quickly!”

They hadn’t awakened their abilities yet, but they had witnessed the power of Old Li thunder and naturally wanted to have abilities of their own. How could they miss this rare opportunity? If they became powerful, why would they need to stay here as mere guards? With this thought in mind, they hurriedly ran towards the gas station. No one wanted to stay behind, considering the circumstances.

Meng Xun saw those people run off, so he walked around the house from the outside and took the chance to sneak inside. He saw that there were five or six young girls locked in the room, their feet in chains and wearing thin clothing. Some of them only had a blanket wrapped around them, and there were marks on their exposed skin. They looked at him in panic. Meng Xun took out the keys he had obtained from those men earlier and said, “Thunder Old Li is dead, and Monkey and fifteen others have been captured. The guards who were watching you earlier are gone now. Take this opportunity to escape!”

They stared blankly at Meng Xun for a moment until the chains were unlocked, and then they became excited as if they were awakening from a dream. “…Is it true?” one of them asked. “Did Thunder Old Li and those animals really die?”

“Are we saved? Are we really saved?”

The mix of astonishment, pain, and disbelief in their eyes made Meng Xun sigh softly.

Jiang Nian was right; at this critical juncture of humanity’s survival, people should watch out for each other and help each other through difficult times. However, some individuals were willing to do acts worse than animals for their own selfish gain.

So, Meng Xun had to become stronger!

Meng Xun’s expression changed, and after quickly unlocking the chains, he brought some clothes from outside and tossed them in. “Hurry, now that the military is nearby, escape and seek refuge with the troops. Thunder Old Li collected a lot of things, so take some with you. Once you join the military, you won’t be bullied anymore. Find a way to return home. You need to be quick; when the news of Thunder Old Li’s death spreads, this place won’t be safe.”

After giving his instructions, Meng Xun found the warehouse where Thunder Old Li had stored supplies. He used an axe to break the iron chains, and upon entering, he found that Thunder Old Li had committed many atrocities in the past few days. Nearly half of the room was filled with food, and the floor was covered with rice, noodles, cooking oil, and more, as well as bags of cured meat and sausages.

He opened his backpack and filled it with as much canned meat, compressed biscuits, chocolates, and candies as possible. Once it was full, he pulled the zipper shut and prepared to leave. However, he saw a woman dressed in oversized men’s clothing suddenly running towards him cautiously. She asked, “Thank you for saving us. May I ask your name?”

Meng Xun glanced back at her, and she shrank back slightly, hurriedly saying, “Please don’t misunderstand; I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to thank you…”

Meng Xun jingled his backpack and said, “Saving you was just a side thing. Don’t put your hopes on others; you need to focus on staying alive.”

Only after Meng Xun had walked further away was the woman pulled away by her companions. After they quickly packed up the food, they slipped out of the back door. When they saw the sky outside, they were almost moved to tears. Since they had been captured by Thunder Old Li, they had lost their freedom and were no longer treated as human beings. They had become tools for satisfying desires. They had initially considered ending their lives, but the thought of their families, whose fates were unknown, kept them going. Now that they had finally crawled out of hell, they had no intention of dying. They wanted revenge and, more importantly, to reunite with their families.

The class monitor and Shen Ran were arranging Jiang Nian’s apprentice ceremony gifts. There was a pile of stones and branches, another pile of gold and silver jewelry, and then some food items. These items were divided equally, and Ren Yuan, Sun Hai, and a few classmates sat nearby. They muttered to themselves, “These people really got a good deal and are acting so self-righteous. They even dare to use branches and stones as gifts. Moreover, gold and silver jewelry aren’t worth much now. They are really willing to part with these!”

The class monitor remembered what Jiang Nian had said: “Don’t say that. Jiang Nian didn’t expect anything in return. She doesn’t care about what outsiders give or don’t give. Jiang Nian just wants to share what she knows with everyone so that we can all get through these tough times together.”

Shen Ran nodded in agreement and neatly arranged the items.

Ren Yuan and Sun Hai refrained from saying anything more. Jiang Nian was selfless and had a great sense of compassion. They realized that they had been a bit narrow-minded.

Once everything was sorted, it was naturally handed over to Jiang Nian. When Jiang Nian returned, she took a quick glance at the gold and silver jewelry and promptly stored them in her storage pouch. She coughed lightly as if to feign indifference and then handed the remaining food items to the class monitor and Shen Ran. “The food you brought might not be enough for everyone. You two should manage these.”

There were twenty people in their group this time, and they had made a trip to the school supermarket before leaving, so the supplies were neither too much nor too little. Although they weren’t starving at the moment, their food was depleting daily, and there was no way to replenish their stock. They could see tough days ahead. Jiang Nian may have been with them, but the class monitor had no intention of taking advantage of her.

Shen Ran added, “Jiang Jie, these are gifts from them to you. They’re all yours, and none of us is allowed to take any.”

Jiang Nian looked at their refusal, picked up a few pieces of chocolate and biscuits, and generously said, “Since you’re following me, what’s mine is yours. I’ve already taken my share, so you can distribute the rest among yourselves.”

Moreover, with her current reputation, who wouldn’t be willing to contribute a little?

The class monitor and Ren Yuan were touched by this. They thought Jiang Nian was truly a kind-hearted person. In the current world, where food was so precious, she was willing to share her supplies without hesitation.

Shen Ran smiled at Jiang Nian and ran back to the group, holding up his portion. “Jiang Jie, this is yours, and this is mine. I’m giving you all of mine!”

Jiang Nian looked at the items in front of her and patted Shen Ran’s head. This kid was so easy to deceive. Adults were the same. They always let her take the lion’s share, and these people didn’t even realize it. This was probably what they called “being sold out and still helping to count the money”?

Shen Ran looked at Jiang Nian with a smile and then ran back, joining the class monitor, who was distributing the supplies. “These are all from Jiang Jie. We should remember to thank her!”

Of course, they would naturally be grateful. They had been appreciative of Jiang Nian all along. She had provided them with a cultivation method and food. How could they forget that? Now, they not only had dinner but also breakfast for tomorrow. With some moderation, they could even manage lunch.

Before they could finish distributing the supplies, Chapter Leader Zhang Lin arrived with a few soldiers. They brought two boxes of instant noodles, two boxes of biscuits, two boxes of canned beef, and water. These were intended as a token of gratitude for Jiang Nian. However, these gifts might still be insufficient, considering they had come in a hurry and there wasn’t much available. Soldiers needed food, and so did ordinary civilians seeking refuge. What they could give Jiang Nian was indeed limited, but they promised to make up for it when they reached the base.

Zhang Lin said, “Jiang Nian, your cultivation method is very effective. After I brought it back, many people said that they could clearly sense energy flowing within their bodies when they practiced according to your method. This is a significant discovery for people worldwide. We have already reported your cultivation method to the Imperial Capital, and we have also acknowledged your contributions. Once ‘The Twelve Steps to Cultivating Abilities’ becomes more widely known, we believe that more people will awaken their abilities and become stronger. We will definitely be able to get through this catastrophe together!”

Jiang Nian replied, “Actually, this cultivation method doesn’t directly awaken people’s abilities. It’s just that people with potential might awaken their abilities a bit earlier if they practice with this method. So, don’t have too high hopes.”

Zhang Lin paused for a moment and then said, “Alright, I understand. Discovering something like this at this stage is already quite good.On behalf of the organization, I sincerely thank you, Jiang Nian.

“I didn’t really do much. With the great danger ahead of us, it’s even more important for us to unite.”

Zhang Lin felt quite moved. In the post-apocalyptic world, he had already encountered many people who would risk their lives for a little something. Someone as selfless as Jiang Nian is truly rare. When he first arrived, he thought Jiang Nian and her practices were some sort of cult. Sitting cross-legged in meditation to cultivate abilities? It seemed absurd, not like traditional inner cultivation. However, it had unexpectedly succeeded!

His previous doubts had turned into admiration.

Zhang Lin and his team saluted Jiang Nian once again and then dispatched a group to patrol and guard near the gas station. After that, he and his team left.

This time, the items received were not distributed further. They were handed over to the class monitor and Shen Ran to be stored in the house. For a while, the students were in high spirits. They openly admitted that following Jiang Nian had been the right decision. Of course, they didn’t forget to start practicing immediately. With their abilities, they could stand by Jiang Nian’s side and drive away anyone causing trouble.

However, Jiang Nian didn’t feel particularly happy. She sighed as she looked at the boxes. However, not long after, Qin Yue also arrived, bringing several large boxes with him. Jiang Nian’s eyes lit up. “Are you here to give gifts too?”

Qin Yue smiled. “We only gave you two pieces of chocolate before, which was inadequate considering your help to us. So, I brought these gifts to express my gratitude.”

Jiang Nian eagerly asked, “What did you bring?”

“Some chocolate, biscuits, and canned meat.”

“……Oh.”

Well, that was quite good as well. Jiang Nian was content. Although her storage pouch contained a considerable amount of supplies, she couldn’t possibly have too much. Besides, she will continue to teach and hold gatherings tomorrow. Would the big gold still be far away? Certainly not! It would definitely be more than today!

The second day saw even more people than the first. Although the cultivation method had spread early on, allowing people to practice anywhere, it didn’t have to be here. Even so, many people came, and Jiang Nian was pleased. However, when they counted the supplies that evening, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

The branches and stones were gone, and there were more food items, but the big gold had decreased dramatically. There were only a small handful left!

On the third day, it was even worse!

The big gold had disappeared completely!

The class monitor was deeply moved, and even Shen Ran was touched. “Actually, there are still many people in this world with a conscience. They all know how good Jiang Jie is, right, Jiang Jie?”

Qin Yue added, “Jiang Nian, it was you who helped them regain their clarity amid the chaos. While there are bad people and those who have lost themselves in disasters, there are also good people. We are uniting amidst this catastrophe.”

Zhang Lin said, “Yes, as long as we unite, we will definitely get through this disaster. I heard that several people have already manifested their abilities during their cultivation. They don’t seem to have much control over them. I’ve already reported this to the higher-ups, and we’re gathering them for unified training. We will definitely have the ability to protect ourselves. Jiang Nian, I want to thank you once again!”

Jiang Nian: “…………”

………… Should she break their illusions and step down from her godlike status??? But she’s so vain, and being praised makes her feel on cloud nine… (Tears) 😭