Chapter 72: His Heart Deserves Death!
After Xu Zhi sent off another group of Transcendents, the car hadnât driven far before it ran out of gas.
She had already learned how to siphon fuel from other vehicles. Although she’d heard that different cars require different types of fuel, such conditions were a luxury now. She simply asked around how to tell if the fuel in another car could be used in hers and was reassured that she could check the label on the gas tank.
Now that the fuel was completely gone, Xu Zhi planned to search the nearby area for usable gasoline.
Currently, the only followers still with her were Yi and the Aberration; the other two were still on their way back. Zhen would probably arrive soon, but Gouzi likely hadnât yet returned after escorting the others to the residential area.
Holding a portable fuel canister, Xu Zhi walked along the roadside, occasionally checking the tanks of parked cars. Her actions were easy enough to understandâshe was looking for fuel.
However, there werenât many cars around here. The one she found had very little fuel left, so she had to walk further.
Just as she was about to check the fuel tank of another car, someone suddenly called out to her.
âHey, girl up frontâare you looking for gasoline?â
Bending over, Xu Zhi raised her brow slightly and stood up to look in that direction. Even as she rose, she quietly activated her Eye of Secrets.
She hadnât sensed anyone approaching. Even Yi hadnât given her a warning.
The moment she saw clearly, a pleased smile crept onto Xu Zhiâs lips.
The boy who called out to her looked young, with long hair and a slightly retro, casual outfitâlike an art student.
His eyes were clear, but at the center of his chest burned a crimson flame.
A lone, rational, and communicative fanatic.
âYes, Iâm looking for gasoline.â Xu Zhi turned to face him, not bothering to hide the smile tugging at her lips. She even looked him over with deliberate curiosity.
Noticing her scrutiny, the young man mistook it for wariness and said, âI live here. I saw you when you first came in. You seemed unsure which cars to siphon from. I know which ones were used frequentlyâthose probably still have some fuel.â
âI see.â Xu Zhi nodded as if understanding, then directly admitted that she could use the help. The young man pointed to several cars in response.
âThereâs a turn up ahead that leads to an underground parking garage. I know a bunch of cars down there still have fuel.â
Xu Zhi thanked him, then asked directly, âIs there a reason youâre helping me?â
âOr are you just a kind-hearted person?â
Her voice dragged slightly on the word âkind-hearted,â making it obvious she didnât really mean it.
âA reason?â
The young man repeated the word, then said innocently, âI wouldnât call it a reasonâmore like a small request?â
Xu Zhi tilted her chin slightly. âGo on.â
âItâs like this: my friend and I have been hiding here since the incident started. A few days ago, she was injured by a mutated animal, and her condition is getting worse. I wanted to ask if you knew where any survivor settlements areâsomewhere with a doctor. I want to take her there.â
Wow.
His heart deserves death.
Xu Zhi shook her head inwardly. A fanatic, trying to play the pity card to trick information about a survivor base out of her? Whatâs he really up to?
She deliberately made things difficult. âI do know of such placesâbut I canât just tell a stranger.â
âI donât trust you. How do I know youâre telling the truth?â
The boy nodded pitifully to show he understood, then said, âI can take you to meet my friend. Sheâs really in bad shapeâyouâll see for yourself. Itâs just the two of us, and Iâve been caring for her. Weâre really no threat.â
Thatâs debatable.
Butâ
âSure, take me to her,â Xu Zhi replied easily.
She played along willingly.
She wasnât worried or afraid. After all, Yi was on her wrist, and within ten minutes, Zhen would return. This fanatic might be competent, but Xu Zhi wasnât scared.
Unless she saw they were massively outnumbered, she had no problem walking into the lionâs den.
The young man seemed a bit surprised at how quickly she agreed. After all, Yun City had been locked down for two monthsâby now, even the naive shouldâve learned caution.
He quickly realized Xu Zhi must be confident in her own strengthâconfident enough to go with a stranger without worry.
He smiled quietly to himself and said nothing more. Perhaps he could make use of this overconfident girl.
Xu Zhi expected to be led into some kind of fanatic base with a dozen deranged cultists. But instead, the boy brought her to an ordinary apartment. On the way, they saw no one else. Inside the room was a pale girl lying on a bed, her eyes bandaged and faint traces of blood seeping through.
Seeing Xu Zhiâs surprised expression, the boy sighed. âI wasnât lying. Sheâs my childhood friendâwe grew up together. A few days ago, she was attacked and her eyes were injured. I thought her Transcendent self-healing might work, but days have passed and she hasnât gotten any better. In fact, sheâs worse.â
âI didnât dare leave her alone to go far for help, so Iâve just been waiting here, hoping someone would pass by. Today, I was lucky to find you.â
Touching speech.
Xu Zhi didnât believe a word of it.
Because the flame burning inside the girl on the bed was also red.
These two âCupâ-type fanatics were clearly trying to con her!
âYou donât have anyone else you can turn to?â Xu Zhi asked, turning to him.
The boy met her gaze and answered sincerely, âMost of the neighbors died the day everything went wrong. Some left after the lockdown, others died later. Itâs just us now.â
Xu Zhi didnât show it, but inwardly she scoffed: More like you two killed the rest.
Still, every rational fanatic sheâd encountered before had built up a group. Why did this guy only have one other?
She thought for a moment, then asked, âCan I look at her eyes?â
Maybe the Eye of Secrets could tell what was really wrong with the girlâs eyesâif there was truly an injury, or something else entirely.
The boy hesitated briefly, then nodded. âOf course.â
Xu Zhi could tell he wasnât nervous. So the injury was real?
But whether it was self-inflicted or not remained to be seen.
She walked a few steps to the bed, placed her fingers gently on the girlâs face, and slowly began to undo the bandages over her eyes.


