Chapter 37: Molten-Filled Fried Tofu Puffs

The scene was chaotic. Zou Gaoming, suffering intensely from the flames, rolled on the ground several more times before finally roaring, "Extinguish the fire, and I’ll fix your car!"

Su Su stood her ground. "Fix the car first, then I’ll extinguish the fire."

Zou Gaoming glared at her with malice.

Su Su remained unmoved. "I can always find another car, but you only have one life. Think it over carefully."

If they kept this stalemate up, it was clear that he would be the one to die first. Under the circumstances, he had no choice but to yield. Gritting his teeth, Zou Gaoming activated his ability once more.

The scattered car parts began to reassemble automatically. Perhaps driven by his desperation to stop the burning, the process was exceptionally rapid. Before long, the SUV was restored to its original state, appearing even newer than before—even the scratches on the metal components had vanished!

"C-can—you—extinguish—it—now?" Zou Gaoming gasped, forcing the words out one by one.

"I need to inspect it to make sure it’s completely undamaged."

Su Su spoke with cold indifference. She ordered Xiao Hei to keep watching Zou Gaoming while she climbed into the SUV to check the vehicle's condition. Only after confirming that everything was as good as new did she step back out.

By now, Zou Gaoming’s skin was red and swollen from the burns, and his eyes seemed ready to spit fire.

Su Su, however, asked unhurriedly, "How many people are in Hot Spring Village? And how many of them are ability users?"

Sensing that the woman before him did not intend to let him off easily, Zou Gaoming tried to play a trick. "There aren't many people left in our village, and as for ability users, it’s just the few of us."

That sounded entirely false.

Yet, Su Su acted as if she believed him. "If you let us into the village, I will let you go completely."

"Fine!"

Zou Gaoming agreed readily; he could no longer endure the flames on his body. If he delayed any longer, he would be roasted alive.

Su Su glanced at Xiao Hei, who obediently retracted its power. The blue flames dissipated, leaving a stark-naked Zou Gaoming lying on the concrete ground. His otherwise sturdy body was covered in burns, and—Su Su glanced at him once and found the sight merely repulsive.

Zou Gaoming scrambled up in a wretched state and grabbed two pieces of clothing from someone else to cover himself. Fortunately, he had used his ability to protect his vital parts in advance, so he had only lost some hair, and his most important areas remained intact.

Seeing his lackeys still fleeing in panic, Zou Gaoming darkened his expression. "I have fulfilled your request. Shouldn't you tell your teammates to stop now?"

"Cancan, Le Rui, stop for now."

Pang Cancan and Le Rui obediently ceased their attack. On the ground lay three or four ability users who were foaming at the mouth and convulsing from the stings of venomous insects.

Zou Gaoming suppressed his anger. "They..."

"Don't worry, my babies didn't use lethal force," Pang Cancan said with a provocative smile. "If you want to blame someone, blame them for being too weak. They were knocked out by the poison so easily. Tell them to go home and lie down for a few days."

Since the apocalypse began, Zou Gaoming had controlled this resort, robbing countless survivors passing through or seeking refuge. This was the first time he had fallen into the hands of two women.

"I must thank the young lady for her mercy," he said with a forced, insincere smile. Behind that mask, however, he glared fiercely at the three or four fallen ability users.

Useless trash.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you into the village."

Zou Gaoming turned and led the way, appearing as if he had completely submitted and was willing to invite these more powerful ability users into his village.

Pang Cancan leaned toward Su Su. "Sister Su Su, I feel like something isn't right. He definitely isn't this kind-hearted. Could he be planning to lure us into the village and kill us?"

Coincidentally, as she spoke, they caught sight of the car in front. The woman and child inside were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the driver's corpse slumped in the seat, currently unattended.

Pang Cancan murmured, "They look even more like a gang of heartless bandits."

It had only been a little over half a year since the apocalypse started, and this group had entrenched themselves in the Hot Spring Resort. Judging by their setup, they were already quite practiced in their methods of harming others.

Su Su agreed with Pang Cancan’s assessment; Zou Gaoming definitely harbored ulterior motives. However, they needed to enter the Hot Spring Resort, and she wanted to find out what exactly made this life different from her previous one.

With this in mind, Su Su signaled to Pang Cancan.

They remained silent. Zou Gaoming turned his head at the right moment and sneered, "Scared? If you're scared, get lost! You deserve to freeze to death on the road!"

Pang Cancan retorted, "Who's scared?"

She scanned every ability user present: one Level 3, three Level 2s, and the rest were Level 1. It was a formidable team, but certainly not one that dominated the region. If this was the extent of the ability users in the village, she felt confident about entering and leaving unscathed.

Pang Cancan deliberately clenched her fists and squeezed out a sinister smile. "I've killed dozens, if not a hundred, zombies and ability users. If you dare to try anything, my babies won't just knock you out with poison! They’ll bite you to death first, then crawl into your ears and noses to eat your brains!"

Having just suffered greatly, no one doubted the truth of her words.

The two women, the little kid, and the rare, massive python before them seemed far stronger than other ability users of the same level. Especially that fire-breathing python, which had burned their leader, Brother Zou, down to his underwear in an instant. Despite being the same level, they had no way to fight back.

The men supported their unconscious companions and glanced secretly at Brother Zou.

The latter, walking at the very front, gave them a few subtle looks. As long-time teammates, they immediately understood Zou Gaoming's subtext.

"The hot springs are halfway up the mountain; it’s another twenty minutes of driving," Zou Gaoming said, walking toward one of the two cars parked behind the guard booth. "Your car isn't safe sitting at the foot of the mountain; you should drive it up."

Su Su didn't take the bait. She pointed at one of his men. "You, drive our car up."

The man subconsciously looked at Zou Gaoming. "M-me?"

Zou Gaoming remained silent.

Su Su’s gaze slowly shifted to him. "For safety's sake, we’ll ride in your car."

This effectively blocked Zou Gaoming’s plan. After a few seconds of silence, he grinned. "Sure! It’s my honor to have such beauties in my car!"

Seeing his lackey stand there stupidly, Zou Gaoming kicked him. "What are you staring at? Go drive the ladies' car up the mountain!"

"Oh! Oh!" The man took the keys Su Su tossed him and scrambled into the vehicle.

"Happy now?"

Su Su retracted her gaze and found Zou Gaoming already standing by the car, holding the passenger door open in a welcoming gesture.

"Get in."

Su Su and Pang Cancan exchanged a look. The latter took Le Rui by the hand. "Let's go, we'll get in first."

The two of them sat comfortably in the backseat, leaving only Su Su and Zou Gaoming outside the vehicle—along with the python.

Zou Gaoming raised an eyebrow. "Just you left."

Su Su met his gaze, picked up the heavy Xiao Hei, and leaned half her body into the passenger seat.

At that exact moment!

Zou Gaoming’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly activated his ability.

A sheet of metal from the edge of the car roof broke loose, aimed directly at the woman’s spine. Simultaneously, a hidden dagger inside the car thrust viciously toward the python’s throat.

When a person is leaning into a car, they are at their most vulnerable. If that metal sheet pierced her spine and twisted, it would be a fatal blow, paralyzing her instantly!

Zou Gaoming had actually held back. Lust was his greatest motivator; he hoped to keep this beauty alive, even if paralyzed in bed, so he could enjoy her a few times. As for the strange python, the sooner it was dead, the better!

In the blind spot of their vision, no one saw these two lethal attacks.

Just as Zou Gaoming’s improvised plan was about to succeed, a flash of expected realization crossed Su Su’s eyes.

*Snap.*

The snake's tail swatted the dagger away with speed and precision. As for the attack from behind, Xiao Hei’s head had just poked over the human's neck, and before it could spit flames... a sudden gust of wind swept by!

*Clang!*

The falling metal sheet was blown away, crashing heavily onto the concrete.

With the crisis unexpectedly resolved, Su Su pulled herself out of the car, looking surprised. Who? Who helped her?

Zou Gaoming, his conspiracy thwarted, turned back in a fury. "Who? Who did that!"

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the straight road. A familiar Land Rover was driving toward them.

Zou Gaoming’s face changed drastically!

The lackey beside him was so terrified his legs were trembling. "It’s over! Brother Wei and Brother Guan are back!"