Three minutes remained until the time of the nuclear explosion. The commotion and chatter around steadily dwindled as people focused with bated breath on the imminent descent of the nuclear bomb into Lin City.
Su Sigui frowned, it seemed like she didn’t recognize this girl. Though she couldn’t tell their age difference, she knew she was somewhat older than this ordinary human girl.
Without directly answering Su Sigui’s question, Chen Bieli began, "Do you know Ning Tianlang?"
There was hope in her eyes, in them was a soft glow that radiated kindness. When one loses something important, they tend to look for items related to what they’ve lost, just to hold onto a memory.
What was surprising though, was Su Sigui’s nonchalant response: "I don’t know him now, but who are you?"
"Don’t you recognize him... "
Upon receiving Su Sigui’s response, Chen Bieli’s hopeful look disappeared instantly, the warmth in her eyes receding. "Who I am, you’ll find out eventually. But why are you looking for Ning Tianlang?"
"I have some business with him; he’s crucial. But, do you know where he is?"
Chen Bieli’s mood abruptly fell. She looked at Su Sigui and woefully said, "You’re looking for him, but he... he’s already dead..."
Su Sigui felt a jolt of shock, her mind went blank, and her eyes flashed with a terrifying light.
"Dead? How do you know that? What’s your relationship with Ning Tianlang?"
"He’s long dead, died a long time ago, and left no corpse behind. He was murdered... I failed to collect his body."
"Who are you exactly?"
Su Sigui suddenly reached out and grabbed Chen Bieli’s arm. The moment her hand touched Chen Bieli’s skin, a chill ran through her eyes.
"You are not an ordinary person!"
New Humans can conceal their power, but they require specific drugs. After consumption, the activity of their body’s molecules significantly drops, which is necessary for bamboozling the enemy.
A top-notch deceiver can’t be recognized from their physical appearance, but it is possible to sense the difference in skin texture between a New Human and an ordinary person through touch.
Having experienced the apocalyptic conditions for so many years, I would be remiss if I hadn’t picked up on this. Su Sigui had done her fair share of trickery, pretending to be weak to dupe others.
"But he really is dead..."
"Enough of this. I just want to know who you are... or if you’re even human. Level 6 Resters are rare."
With tightening grip, Su Sigui’s fingers dug into Bieli’s flesh, drawing brightly dazzling blood of the Five Elements.
Chen Bieli didn’t resist, her hand seemingly detached from herself. At the same time, Tang Ye’s gaze was directed at them. The two women seemed to be in a scuffle from the second they met. Possibly it was Su Sigui’s seemingly imposing aura that had moved people away from them.
"Everything I’ve told you is true. As for who I am, see for yourself."
Chen Bieli’s gaze held steady on Su Sigui’s eyes. Her facial features seemingly morphed, revealing another face, although her eyes remained the same.
On seeing this face, Su Sigui’s eyes flickered with a myriad of emotions, and she unknowingly let go of her.
"He’s really dead... Ning Tianlang really did have a daughter..."
Rumors had circulated in the post-apocalyptic world about Ning Tianlang having a daughter. But due to her elusive nature, many didn’t believe the rumors and scoffed at them.
This sole Level 9 New Human once said, "Relatives are the biggest stumbling block on the path to becoming a powerhouse!"
Who would believe that such a ruthless man would have a daughter, given his belief?
Yet, rumors persisted. Allegedly, his daughter was forcibly entered into the "Rain of Godhood" program by him himself and her whereabouts ever since then, unknown.
Looking at Chen Bieli, with nearly 70% resemblance to Ning Tianlang, she felt a bit dazed.
"Big sister, don’t look for him anymore. You won’t be able to find him."
"How did he die?" Su Sigui’s eyes were filled with confusion and persevered with skepticism. Even if the Level 9 New Human indeed had a daughter, she didn’t believe that she would coincidentally meet her here.
"He was driven to death by the Judgment Bureau. You might not know about the Judgment Bureau, but you must know about Chenhua Technology, right? The Judgment Bureau was originally known as Chenhua Technology."
How could Su Sigui not know about the Judgment Bureau? It was a significant force within the Cloud Gorge Base, and Ning Tianlang held the highest power within there.
But Ning Tianlang was driven to death by the people from the Judgment Bureau? Why didn’t she believe it?
"The Judgment Bureau... So, you should know where it is, right?"
"Of course I do, it’s in the Cloud Gorge Base."
"With your power level, since Ning Tianlang was killed by them, you should be able to take revenge. Why haven’t you done so?"
"I will return, just not now... I just want to know why they killed my father and took what rightfully belongs to me..."
Chen Bieli spoke word by word. Su Sigui’s penetrating gaze remained on her, trying to decipher deception from her sincere eyes. But after a long time, she was disappointed, she couldn’t find what she sought in Bieli’s eyes.
Su Sigui was not unwilling to believe Chen Bieli; she dared not believe. If Ning Tianlang were truly dead, that meant she had hit a dead end! She had no clue about how to evolve into a Level 9 New Human!
There exist six Zombie Kings. Besides the White-haired Zombie King who would eventually annihilate humanity’s last spark of life, she couldn’t guarantee that the other five wouldn’t unite to attack?
In the late apocalypse, apart from the Chinese mainland, the other six continents had nearly transformed into uninhabited zones, ruthlessly butchered by the Zombie Kings.
The Zombie Kings, with intelligence surpassing humans, naturally considered the growth of their species. Since the White-haired Zombie King never attacked any bases on the Chinese mainland, its mainland became the last active site for humanity.
Once the other Zombie Kings began mulling over their racial development, they would reduce humans on the mainland to livestock, like pigs, ducks, cows, and sheep. This was a despairing scenario Su Sigui hated to see.
She wasn’t confident about evolving to Level 9, and hence needed strong allies with a harmonious vision and immense future potential. Li Henian was a candidate, but she later backed out. Now, hearing that Ning Tianlang was dead meant she had nowhere to go. She had to refocus on Li Henian.
There were indeed many individuals during this era with immense potential, but most of them were rejected by her. She only kept a handful who had the potential to evolve into Level 8 powerhouses. Among them, Li Henian was the only one that Su Sigui believed had a real chance of becoming a Level 9 New Human.
Yet, was Li Henian really suitable?
The more she pondered, the more horrified she became. It appeared as if the obliteration of humanity was an established reality. Or perhaps, was this young girl truly deceiving her?
She didn’t dare believe. What’s the point of growing stronger without anyone to witness you? Becoming the sole human being in this world would be an extremely lonely existence.
"What’s the matter with you?"
Chen Bieli suddenly realized that for some reason, Su Sigui’s hands were trembling!