Once they changed Bing Shi's old wan to a new one, Ziek ignited the engine and steered them back toward the base.

"Can you lend me your knife, please?" Bing Shi inquired politely.

"..." Ziek mentally withdrew a tactical knife from his sheath and offered it to her.

"Thank you," Bing Shi grasped the hovering blade, pushing her sleeve up in the process. She attempted to scrape the surface of the blue barrier enveloping her wrist.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Experimenting with my body," Bing Shi giggled merrily, "How do you control your power so precisely?"

Ziek reclaimed the knife; watching Bing Shi giggle while slicing her wrist was rather bizarre. "It's like having a third hand. Just instinct, I guess."

"You are so strange," Bing Shi took out her shoe and placed it far away. The barrier from the shoe faded and enveloped her sock, prompting her to remove her sock and put it on her shoe.

Ziek concentrated on the road ahead, doing his best to dismiss her peculiar actions.

Bing Shi's eyes widened in comprehension. She swiftly reached for her phone and initiated contact with Kuro. Once she'd conveyed the message of her safety, she set the phone down at a distance so the barrier wouldn't touch it.

(Kuro): Host, I don't know why the line between us disconnected.

(Bing Shi): Yup, I'm glad you're okay. It might be due to my new ability. Can you see the barrier around me?

She turned on the camera.

(Kuro): I can't.

(Bing Shi): I must find out how to control it. Kuro, I missed you so much.

(Kuro): LOL.

"I'm genuinely curious about how I manage to breathe within this thing surrounding me," Bing Shi remarked as she put on her socks and shoes, "Was there anything like this in your previous world?"

"Nope, it was pretty much like this one pre-apocalypse, just with more eye-candy individuals," Ziek replied.

Bing Shi's mind wandered back to her past mission. "Funny you mention it. I recall something similar. You should have seen it. The hierarchy was determined by one's beauty – the more attractive, the better their standing. I was in this prestigious high school called Crimson Academy and..."

Ziek unexpectedly interjected, "That's the school I wanted to nuke."

"Woah, wait...what?!" Bing Shi stared at him, taken aback, "Coincidence or something more? How did I manage to miss you all this time?"

"Likely due to my time in boot camp or the lab."

"Oohh! No wonder you are so good at combat,"  Bing Shi responded, her voice drowsy as fatigue overcame her. "I might pass out soon, so when we get there, just leave me at the van."

"Your power?"

"Mhm. I haven't figured out how to turn it off yet."

  · · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

Within the confines of the base, Ziek entered his tent. "Why are you following me?" he questioned.

After taking a rest, Bing Shi was full of energy again, "Can't I?"

Ziek fixed his gaze on Bing Shi,  "What do you want?"

"Can you teach me how to absorb a nucleus, please?" she asked politely. Wouldn't she end up as a laughing stock if she asked soldiers something she should have already known?

Ziek extracted a nucleus from his pocket, holding it in his palm as he absorbed its energy. "What will you offer in return?"

Bing Shi watched with fascination as the nucleus vanished, "My beautiful smile?"

"Scram before I throw you out," Ziek said, struggling to maintain his stern expression, which was on the verge of cracking.

"Don't you mean... get lost, before I change my mind?"  Bing Shi quipped playfully. Observing him break into laughter and begin to approach her as if ready to take advantage of her weakness.

She sprinted toward the corner of the tent, calling out, "Noo, I take it back! By the way, did you forget about my poor truck?"

She mimicked a sorrowful sniffle, adding, "No vehicle could ever fill the emotional attachment I had for it."

As she sensed him easing his pursuit, she dashed out of the tent, feigning a tone of mock lament, "Poor me, nobody is being nice to me. Everyone only wants to take advantage of me."

"..." Ziek halted in his tracks after he successfully chased her away. He snatched up his clothes and headed for a shower. Under the flowing water, he let loose a string of curses aimed at the girl who seemed to be draining his mental capacity like a relentless leech.

Her last words...

Strangely enough, he found himself sharing a similar sentiment. What made him feel even more guilty was the realization that he had treated her no differently than anyone else.

The image of her swollen, tear-filled eyes...

The sight of that blood...

Ziek muttered to himself, "Well, fūck it."

  · · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

Ziek's teammates, upon learning of his situation, immediately reached out to their families. 

Another mourning session commenced. People, mainly the elderly and those with a weak constitution, succumbed to the trial.

A quarter of the city perished — a large burial would be held outside of the town at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, within the confines of her tent, Bing Shi focused her gaze on the small LVL 1 nuclei resting on her palm.

'How in the world do I absorb this thing? 囧'

'And what about controlling this blue barrier around me!?'

'Everyone makes it sound so simple!'

She closed her eyes and delved into a mental exploration of her body, searching for any sign of 'internal energy'. Apart from the constant static noise in her head, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Concentrating on her brain, she attempted to absorb the nucleus, visualizing herself drawing its power into herself.

After half an hour...

beep-beep-beep

Startled by the alarm clock, Bing Shi's stomach emitted a protest of hunger. Grabbing her phone, she rose with a mixture of irritation. Another mealtime already?

Should she skip it? She had only indulged in a bag of chips in the morning. Deciding to give her stomach its due, she opted for a proper meal. Maybe a nutritional meal would do the magic. 

The realm of inner energy was a concept beyond her grasp despite her best efforts to understand it.

  · · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

In the bustling kitchen, Bing Shi found a group of soldiers diligently working on preparing lunch. Among them, Fu Lian stood out with an apron draped over her black jeans and a mossy green tank top. As her gaze fell upon the little airborne snake before her, her eyes welled up with emotion.

["Kurooooo!"]

[Host, finally!]

["I can't hear you!"]

Following a meeting with the team leaders, Yi Zen made his way to the kitchen and took a seat across from Bing Shi. He leaned in to share important news,  "There'll be a meeting in the open area to examine other's powers."

Bing Shi tucked her phone away after relaying the message, "Yes. The situation in the City K looks bad. The zombies are evolving too fast."

Joining them, Fu Lian set down a food tray beside Yi Zen. She brushed off a hand that inched toward her waist, deep in thought. Should she disclose her own knowledge of the future? No, there seemed to be no immediate benefit in doing so.