Chapter 197: The Ability User Crystal Core
Lei Xing put away his gun and said to Su Tao, “A disaster like her is better dealt with early.”
Su Tao nodded in agreement, her gaze lingering on Lian Sha’s lifeless body in the pool of blood.
Espers have crystal cores too…
But she couldn’t exactly dig into her skull in front of everyone.
So, she found an excuse to have Lin Fangzhi store Lian Sha’s body in his spatial ability. She would deal with it once they returned to Taoyang.
Then, she pulled out her own gun and shot the unconscious Tan Yong right between the eyes, sending him to the afterlife.
His body, too, was placed into Lin Fangzhi’s space to be brought back to Taoyang.
Once back, Su Tao faced a dilemma. Extracting crystal cores from the brain was a bloody process, and she didn’t want to do it in her own room.
After some thought, she decided to add another floor above the shooting range—a simple space equipped with only a sink, a shower, and two wooden beds.
After moving the two corpses upstairs, she put on gloves, took a deep breath, and started with Tan Yong.
The sticky sensation of digging through his skull made her stomach churn. She closed her eyes and fumbled around until she touched something hard. Pulling it out, she saw that it was indeed a crystal core, almost identical to those found in evolved zombies.
As soon as she touched the human crystal core, an informational screen appeared in her mind:
Name: Insulation
Level: 1
Ability Summary: At the same level, it can block and resist all psychic-type esper attacks and control.
Remaining Energy Time: 3 days
Before she could fully process this, the system notification sounded in her mind:
[Congratulations, Host! You have completed a hidden quest. The Defense Building Materials Store has been upgraded!]
[A new area has been unlocked. This area covers 1,000 square meters. Would you like to spend 5 crystal cores to gain control?]
Five…
Su Broke Tao chose “No” without hesitation.
She only had three crystal cores on hand and had no idea where to get two more for now. This would have to wait.
She opened the map interface and saw that a new area had indeed appeared, marked in red, waiting for her to claim it with crystal cores.
This was likely the central zone of the Old Station.
As soon as I get two more crystal cores, I’ll take over that place!
If her guess was correct, the remaining ability users under Tan Yong’s command should still be there.
She couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. Not long ago, the Old Station saw her as a thorn in their side. Now, it was practically hers for the taking.
She wondered how those who remained would react when they saw her take over.
It didn’t matter. Anyone who still bore hostility toward her would be eliminated. Those willing to stay would be treated well.
After securing the Insulation core, she quickly cleaned the blood from her hands and moved on to Lian Sha’s crystal core.
What she found shocked her.
Unlike the previous one, this core was blue, with energy swirling inside it, full of vitality.
As soon as she touched it, another information screen appeared:
Name: Bewitching Melody
Level: 2
Ability Summary: A mesmerizing voice that compels listeners to worship the user as a divine being, causing them to lose all sense of self.
Remaining Energy Time: 6 days
It’s a Level 2 crystal core?!
Su Tao immediately thought of Lin Fangzhi, who had undergone an evolution. Could Lian Sha have been an evolved ability user as well?
Then she recalled Insulation’s description. No wonder Tan Yong, despite having an ability that blocked psychic attacks, still fell under Lian Sha’s influence.
A Level 1 ability was no match for a Level 2, even if they were opposing powers.
With this realization, Su Tao gained a much clearer understanding of espers and evolutions.
She couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
With these two esper crystal cores in her possession, she effectively had two temporary abilities she could use at any time. Her strength had taken a significant leap forward.
However, upon checking the upgraded Defense Store, she felt both joy and frustration.
The good news? The store now offered “Protective Shields.”
According to the description, these shields could block both aerial and underground threats, appearing invisible and intangible until under attack, at which point they would become indestructible.
Amazing.
The bad news? It was insanely expensive.
At 500,000 federal credits per 500 square meters, covering the entire 5,000 square meters of Taoyang would cost her a whopping 5 million credits.
She checked her total assets—just over 3 million…
She needed to make more money, fast.
The rent and housing fees from Taoyang and Panliu Mountain would take too long to accumulate enough.
If she wanted quick cash, she would have to trade with other bases or teams.
After listing out her priorities, Su Tao realized that earning money quickly had to be at the top of her agenda.
It had already been half a month since the Bone Wings escaped.
Although Changjing was quite far from Dongyang, that creature could fly. It could reach Qingpeng River any day now.
Thinking about it sent a wave of urgency crashing over her.
That very night, Su Tao built five fully-furnished three-bedroom apartments in one go. The next morning, she immediately had Meng Qian handle renting them out.
Meng Qian was overjoyed.
“Boss, you’re so hardworking! To be honest, this month’s housing applications have hit another peak. But half of them aren’t from Dongyang.”
Su Tao frowned. “Are they from Yun Cang? I heard they’re in bad shape.”
The Yun Cang Base was the weakest among Qingpeng’s Five Major Bases and had the smallest population.
Three months ago, three of its districts were overrun by zombies, and they had even asked Dongyang for help.
But Dongyang was already struggling to build its own defensive walls and simply couldn’t spare the resources.
Meng Qian nodded. “Most of the applications are from Yun Cang, but the other three bases have some applicants too.”
Su Tao was surprised. “Even Nan Zheng is struggling?”
Among the Five Major Bases, Nan Zheng had been the most prosperous.
Since the first zombie tide led by evolved zombies broke out over six months ago, Nan Zheng’s unemployment rate had been half of Dongyang’s, its warrior casualty rate was one-third lower, and it had more ability users than Dongyang.
Unlike Dongyang, Nan Zheng had built its defensive walls years ago. Its strength was undeniable.
Meng Qian sighed. “They lost one of their districts. Although it wasn’t a very large or important area, it still shook people’s confidence, and some started fleeing.”
Hearing this, Su Tao immediately called Pei Dong to check on Dongyang’s situation.
As far as she knew, Dongyang hadn’t lost any territory. But their casualty rate was alarmingly high.
They were holding the line with sheer manpower, sacrificing soldiers to protect the city.
But how long could that last?
Did Dongyang even have enough lives to spare?
For the first time, Pei Dong didn’t pick up the call.
