Chapter 150 - 149: Overlooking the Scenery

Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Overlooking the Scenery

"Bro! You worried us to death!"

Chu Zhaozhao clung to Lin Fan with both arms. He gripped his spear in one hand as her power kept them suspended in mid-air, flying toward a high-rise apartment building behind and to the right of the storefronts.

At Lin Fan’s direction, the two of them passed through a shattered balcony window frame and landed inside the apartment.

Even after her feet touched the ground, Chu Zhaozhao refused to let go, clinging to him tightly as if she were afraid he would evaporate into thin air.

"I... I thought you were in that tank..."

"What tank?"

Lin Fan asked quizzically, patting the girl in his arms to soothe her.

"That one..."

Chu Zhaozhao finally released one arm, turning to point at the armored vehicle on the side of the distant road. After speaking, she immediately hugged him again, burying her face in his shoulder and nuzzling him.

The foul, smoky scent of burning now became the most reassuring smell in the world to her.

Lin Fan let her hold him, feeling the slight tremble of her small frame and the frantic beating of her heart against his chest.

The balconies of this high-rise all faced southeast. The building’s commanding height offered a complete view of the sky-piercing column of fire and smoke, and the several hundred meters surrounding it.

"Oh, that thing..."

Lin Fan realized she was talking about the armored vehicle. He pursed his lips and tapped Chu Zhaozhao on the head with his chin.

"No way... If I was in there, I’d have been cooked like a chicken in a can..."

The hot wind had baked Chu Zhaozhao’s already short hair, making it frizz out and tickle her face. She turned her head and saw a figure climbing onto a rooftop.

[176/200]...

’A yellow health bar with a deep blue border... It’s an Awakened One!’

"Zhaozhao, look!"

Lin Fan quickly pointed at the figure to distract her.

The figure was exceptionally clear under the glow of the fire.

"Who’s that?"

Her attention captured by the figure, Chu Zhaozhao finally let go. She leaned over to get a better look, then suddenly recalled the voice from earlier. "Ah!" she exclaimed in realization.

"Is that the annoying woman who kept interrupting on the radio?"

Seeing that Chu Zhaozhao had finally let go, Lin Fan leaned against the wall, watching both the distant pillar of fire and the woman on the rooftop below.

Every now and then, he would glance at Chu Zhaozhao, who was sticking close to his side.

This woman’s stats were on par with Chu Zhaozhao’s.

’[326/400]... Such a high Energy Value. I can’t help but wonder what her ability is...’

"I am..."

The walkie-talkie in Chu Zhaozhao’s pocket and the one in Lin Fan’s crackled to life simultaneously, and the woman’s voice came through.

"Jishan quarantine zone..."

Lin Fan frowned, listening to the voice from the walkie-talkie as he thought.

"Jishan? We’re heading to Jishan... There’s a quarantine zone there?"

Chu Zhaozhao asked in confusion after hearing the voice.

"There was, but it seems to be gone now. They’re probably the last ones..."

So much had happened these past few days that Lin Fan had almost forgotten about the signal he’d picked up on the radio earlier. Hearing the woman’s words now reminded him. He couldn’t recall the exact details, so he just gave Chu Zhaozhao a rough summary of what he remembered.

Basically, some group was taking something to the Linjiang University quarantine zone...

"The quarantine zone is gone! Is the Linjiang University one still safe? Ah! Right!"

Chu Zhaozhao slapped her forehead, her big eyes, shining brightly in the distant firelight, fixed on Lin Fan.

"Then she must be with that group from the gas station! A whole bunch of people showed up there!"

"With a truck, an off-road vehicle, and that ’tank,’ right?"

Lin Fan teasingly smoothed down Chu Zhaozhao’s frizzy hair.

"Yes, yes! Whoa, Bro, how did you know? Did you go back?"

Chu Zhaozhao’s eyes widened as she stared at Lin Fan in disbelief.

"You silly girl..."

As Lin Fan was smoothing her hair, he playfully tugged a lock of it.

"Where do you think they came from?"

"Eek, that hurts..."

Chu Zhaozhao covered her hair with her hand, grinning foolishly. But when she saw the woman on the rooftop below turn to leave, she asked, puzzled,

"Oh, right... She’s leaving. Aren’t we going to contact her?"

"They’re at the gas station, right? They won’t leave at night. No rush."

Lin Fan had already seen their convoy on his way here.

’A spent force.’

That was Lin Fan’s assessment of them.

Even though Lin Fan didn’t know the state of their ammunition and supplies, he could tell from their vehicles and personnel alone that they wouldn’t be able to take everyone from the Xingfu Li survivor community with them.

If that happened, conflict would be inevitable.

’It’s still unclear what kind of interaction our group will have with them, so it’s not a good idea to communicate too much right now.’

’To some ordinary people, they might seem like saviors. But if it meant being constrained at every turn or, even worse, handing over all decision-making power to someone else, I would never agree to it.’

’The more unfamiliar the environment and the opponent, the more I need to stay hidden, away from the card table. I’ll let them make the first move and strike when the time is right.’

"By the way, Bro, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you come back? Sister Qing and the others were so worried..."

Chu Zhaozhao took Lin Fan’s hand and circled him, carefully checking if he was injured. When she got behind him, she gasped.

"Ah! Bro, you’re all burned back here! Does it hurt?!"

Chu Zhaozhao hadn’t noticed before. Only when she was behind Lin Fan did she see the large patch of charred, cracked skin on his back and neck. The burnt fibers of his clothes had even melted into his flesh and blood—a shocking sight.

"It doesn’t hurt, I’m fine. Hey, speaking of which, your timing is perfect..."

Lin Fan sat down on a stool, seemingly unconcerned, and gazed at the distant inferno. He spoke to Chu Zhaozhao behind him,

"Go check the bedroom closet and see if there are any clothes I can wear. Find me an outfit; mine are all burned to shreds..."

"It really doesn’t hurt...?" Chu Zhaozhao said doubtfully, poking the patch of burnt, ruined flesh with her finger...

"Hey, it hurts, it hurts! Hiss... Stop poking it. Go find some clothes. It’s fine, you know how our bodies are. It’ll heal up in a bit..."

Lin Fan waved his hand, gesturing for her to find the clothes, then turned his attention back to the sea of fire in the distance.

"I’ll keep watch here for a while. Why don’t you go back first and let them know I’m safe..."

His gaze was exceptionally focused, his eyes not on the billowing flames and smoke, but locked tightly onto the base of the fire.

It was as if he was waiting for something to re-emerge from the center of that destruction.

"Then I’ll stay and watch for a while, too. We can go back together..."

Chu Zhaozhao had been in a panic, but the thought of an Awakened One’s physique put her at ease. She walked into the bedroom to rummage through the closet, saying quietly,

"What are you watching for... You’re just watching me, aren’t you..."

Lin Fan rolled his eyes, tossed the stool aside, and dragged over a sofa cushion, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the balcony.

The wind was blowing south, so his balcony was spared from the smoke, but the air was still hot. The inferno continued to radiate an astonishing amount of heat.

"This apartment probably belongs to a woman living alone. There’s nothing here you can wear, but there is this big trench coat. You’ll have to make do..."

After rummaging for a while, Chu Zhaozhao came out of the inner room holding a rather "fashionable" purple trench coat with embroidery and sequins. She draped it over Lin Fan’s back, covering his wound.

"Bro, what are you really watching for out here? What happened? Tell me..."