Chapter 295 - 154: Luochuan City Settlement

Chapter 295: Chapter 154: Luochuan City Settlement

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds.

Control. The word sent a chill through him.

"Are you a Superpower User?" Xu Mo asked.

The woman was silent for a moment.

"I used to be," she said.

Xu Mo frowned.

’Used to be?’

’What does that mean? Can Superpowers just disappear? Or does it mean—’

"Let’s talk more when we get to the settlement." The woman interrupted his thoughts, her tone returning to its usual calm. "Some things aren’t easily explained on the road."

Xu Mo didn’t ask again.

He leaned back in his seat, his gaze drifting out the window.

With the woman clearing the way ahead, the rest of the journey was unbelievably smooth.

The SUV drove along the dilapidated highway toward Luochuan City. Xu Mo had expected entering the city to be another life-or-death struggle with a horde of zombies, but he was wrong.

The zombies wandering among the ruins paid no mind to the roaring SUV as it drove past.

Some stood in place, watching the vehicle disappear into the distance. Others wandered aimlessly in the rain, showing no reaction even when the vehicle passed less than five meters away.

A few snarls occasionally echoed from the distance, as if some uncontrolled zombies had detected the intruders—but the sounds would die the moment they began, as if something had seized them by the throat.

Through the rearview mirror, Xu Mo saw zombies that tried to approach suddenly freeze in their tracks before turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

’It’s clear they only act this way once they enter her range of control,’ he realized.

’This range, this precision... it’s not something an ordinary Superpower User could achieve. And that little girl, Tiantian... her amplification power is probably far stronger than she let on.’

Xu Mo remained outwardly impassive, merely gazing quietly out the window.

The SUV entered the West District of Luochuan City.

This was the very place Xu Mo had tried and failed to enter during the day, yet now it was completely unobstructed. The same horde that had once cornered him now stood like a flock of docile sheep, silent in the rain.

「Around two in the morning.」

The SUV stopped outside a large residential complex.

Xu Mo looked out the window. It was a sizable complex whose perimeter, originally just an ordinary wrought-iron fence, had been completely transformed.

The original iron railings had been torn down, replaced by a reinforced concrete wall over five meters tall. The wall was thick with a coarse surface, obviously poured after the cataclysm. Its top was studded with sharp glass shards and iron spikes. Every few dozen meters stood a watchtower—if you could call it that. They were just simple platforms welded from rebar and steel plates, each manned by an armed guard.

The guards wore a motley assortment of clothes, and their weapons were just as varied—there were standard-issue rifles, shotguns, and even crossbows. But they all shared a straight posture and vigilant gaze, evidence that they had undergone some level of training.

What caught Xu Mo’s attention even more was that they paid no mind to the zombies trailing the SUV.

The main gate stood open, and the SUV drove straight in. Xu Mo glanced back—the zombies didn’t stop. They followed the vehicle, pouring through the open gate in an orderly line, like a silent army returning to its barracks.

The guards by the gate made no move to stop them. No one even gave the horde a second glance, as if this sort of thing happened every day.

Xu Mo looked away.

’Looks like my guess was right,’ he thought. ’The woman driving... her ability is controlling zombies. And everyone in this settlement knows about it and treats it as normal.’

’As for her claim that she ’used to be a Superpower User’... I still don’t get that part.’

The SUV pulled into a surface parking lot. The woman killed the engine, pushed open her door, and climbed out.

Xu Mo followed suit. Tiantian got out from the other side and stood by the woman, her expression once again reverting to that of a wooden, vacant little girl.

The rain was still falling, though it had lightened. Xu Mo looked up at the surrounding buildings—a dozen or so high-rise apartment towers. Most windows were pitch-black voids, with only a few floors emitting a faint glow. The indistinct murmur of voices in the distance confirmed it: this was a human settlement.

"Welcome to the Luochuan Settlement, powerful traveler."

The woman turned to face Xu Mo and formally introduced herself for the first time.

"I am the leader here. I’m Luo Li."

Her tone was perfectly level—neither arrogant nor deferential. It held none of the pride common to leaders, nor any contrived humility. She was simply stating a fact.

Xu Mo nodded.

"Xu Mo. From Jiang City."

His own introduction was just as brief.

Luo Li gave a slight nod, then said something that made Xu Mo’s heart jump.

"First, I should explain something. I only noticed you when you killed the Scale Beast. That’s when I decided to invite you to our settlement. I hope there’s no misunderstanding."

’The Scale Beast!’

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Mo’s eyes.

’That was the tier-two, water-based zombie I killed at dawn. If she only noticed me then, it means the fight in the rainy night, the afternoon I was chased and cornered by the horde... none of it was a test from her.’

Luo Li keenly sensed the change in Xu Mo’s expression, but she just tilted her head slightly, as if working out a kink in her stiff neck.

"I know you have many questions," she said. "But it’s far too late tonight. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Without waiting for Xu Mo to agree, she waved to a figure in the distance.

"Old Zhou."

A middle-aged man in his forties came jogging over. He was slightly heavyset, his face etched with the weariness and caution typical of apocalyptic survivors, but his eyes seemed honest enough.