After checking the situation for a while, Jin Xuyan looked at the number of zombies filling the road and said, "Old Zhang, I will go check the situation in the university. I will leave this place to you."
Zhang Yuan nodded and replied, "Okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Xuyan bent his knees and leaped down from the wall. Just as everyone thought he would be swarmed by zombies, he flipped midair and threw a black fireball at the zombies below.
Boom!
Using the force of the explosion, he propelled himself sideways and landed on the rooftop of a shop near the roadside. Without stopping, he ran and jumped to the next building.
The soldiers were full of awe as they watched their captain leap from one building to the next like a martial arts expert from a storybook.
Even after awakening their abilities, they could barely jump four meters at full strength. But their captain could easily leap more than ten meters without breaking a sweat.
Ten minutes later, Jin Xuyan finally saw the end of the zombie horde. He stood at the guard post of Lin'an University and saw no zombies in sight.
Hearing explosions in the distance, he was sure the zombies within a one-kilometer radius had already been drawn toward his team.
Jin Xuyan looked toward the university's main building and went to investigate.
In his previous life, a high-level fire-type zombie had gained consciousness. It became one of the overlords of Lin'an University and was the one who was responsible for leading a massive horde that destroyed several bases near the city's border.
This time, he planned to find it and eliminate it before it had a chance to grow stronger.
While Jin Xuyan was scouting the university, Jiao Lizhi stayed behind to guard Chen Zhiyi and Jiang Lixin. After giving them more pond water and sending energy to stabilize their hearts, their conditions finally improved.
Although frost no longer appeared on Chen Zhiyi's body, his body temperature was still dangerously low. Fortunately, Jin Xuyan's black flame was still burning and showed no sign of going out.
As for Jiang Lixin, her fever had reduced and she was beginning to show signs of waking up.
Noticing this, Jiao Lizhi quickly pulled out her backpack from her storage space and filled it with food, medicine, and several bottles of water.
Before long, Jiang Lixin opened her eyes and let out a groan, "Ugh…"
Hearing this, Jiao Lizhi raised her head and asked, "Sister Jiang, are you feeling better?"
"What happened to me?" she asked hoarsely.
"Sister Jiang, you had a high fever while awakening your ability. Do you feel anything different in your body?" she asked again.
Jiang Lixin held her head and said, "I feel dizzy and weak."
After a moment, she asked, "Where is my husband?"
Jiao Lizhi pointed to the roadside and replied, "Brother-in-law hasn't woken up yet. He is still in the process of awakening his ability."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lixin pushed herself up and walked toward her husband.
Seeing this, Jiao Lizhi quickly stepped in to stop her and said, "Sister Jiang, you can't get too close. He is awakening a mutated ability—it's more dangerous than a regular awakening."
"We don't know what could happen if the process is disturbed," she added solemnly.
Jiang Lixin froze in her tracks and asked, "Is he in danger?"
Shaking her head, Jiao Lizhi said, "Right now, everything is under control. He's not in danger at the moment."
Fearing she might endanger her husband, Jiang Lixin didn't approach him and instead sat on the road, leaning against the metal wall.
Jiao Lizhi handed her a cup of instant noodles and said, "Sister Jiang, you should eat something first."
At that moment, Jiang Lixin was indeed hungry, so she accepted the food and began eating.
While she ate, Jiao Lizhi asked, "Sister Jiang, can you feel any energy inside your body?"
Jiang Lixin focused for a moment and shook her head. Aside from feeling weak, she didn't notice anything different.
The two were chatting when suddenly they heard a harsh cough.
"Cough! Cough!"
Jiang Lixin immediately recognized the voice. She dropped her noodles and rushed to her husband's side.
Chen Zhiyi was coughing up blood, and sharp ice needles were emerging from his body. His flesh was tearing apart, and blood poured from the wounds, staining the ground red.
"Husband!" Jiang Lixin cried out in panic.
Chen Zhiyi's body temperature plummeted, and his blood began to freeze. Even Jiao Lizhi, despite her years of apocalyptic experience, was stunned by the sight.
As Chen Zhiyi's body began turning into an ice sculpture, Jiang Lixin could no longer stay calm. She hugged him tightly, trying to warm him with her body as she called out, "Husband, open your eyes! Wake up!"
Tears streamed down her face as her hands and body were slowly covered in ice spreading from him. Her heart pounded rapidly, and despair gripped her. She could feel her husband dying.
"No, you can't die. You promised me. Husband, please wake up!" she pleaded.
Jiao Lizhi held Chen Zhiyi's wrist and tried to send energy to warm him, but her water-type ability was naturally cold.
Even with her efforts to manipulate the temperature, she couldn't raise his temperature high enough to melt the ice on his body.
"If only Brother Yan were here," she muttered with a frown.
She glanced at Shen Jinzhe but decided against trying. Ice and fire were incompatible. Even if Shen Jinzhe could get his energy inside Chen Zhiyi's body—which was unlikely—he might end up killing him instead.
Just as she was racking her brain for a solution, a soft light suddenly emerged from Jiang Lixin's body and enveloped Chen Zhiyi.
Jiao Lizhi's eyes lit up and she exclaimed in surprise, "Healing-type ability!"
"Sister Jiang, focus on the energy inside your body and guide it to your palms. Use your mind to control the energy flow into your husband's body through his pores. You need to calm the chaotic energy inside him. Right now, only you can save him."