(Xyrean Province- Outskirts)
(Unnamed Private Road)
"Qin Lan… I think… I think someone is watching us…" a soft voice whispered urgently. Qin Lan felt a light tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes blearily.
Liu Yifei pointed in a certain direction and Qin Lan saw a figure standing in the distance holding what appeared to be a heavy pitchfork.
They were currently parked a fair distance away from a small farmhouse in the middle of Xyrean Province.
Xyrean Province was known as the agricultural center of the country and consisted of vast open farmlands controlled by a handful of wealthy corporations and families.
The population was quite low when compared to the city and there was an abundance of food and water which made it a paradise.
Qin Lan had driven the van a few dozen kilometres into the province before parking the vehicle to get a few hours of sleep.
Well… it seems like her rest was not going to be for long…
"Do you think that's a human or zombie?" Chen Xiao whispered nervously as he squinted his eyes to get a better look.
"Doesn't matter… we'll leave him alone and he will probably leave us alone as well…" Qin Lan replied with a yawn.
She held up her phone and took a glance at her reflection on the black screen.
Damn… she looked like a fucking mess.
Her hair was tangled in dirty knots, there were heavy bags under her eyes, and one could see the traces of exhaustion all over her face.
"Liu Yifei… can you give me a mug, an instant coffee packet and some water?" Qin Lan asked gently as she rubbed her eyes.
Liu Yifei stretched out her hand and the items appeared out of thin air. Qin Lan thanked the young girl and poured some water into the mug before adding the instant coffee packet.
It was not a pleasant experience to drink cold coffee, but the caffeine inside would do the trick to keep her awake until she got the chance to get some proper sleep.
Qin Lan leaned against the driver's seat and stared at the blue sky with small white clouds floating lazily across the horizon.
Xyrean Province was completely different from the hellscape that they had just escaped from, but dangers still lurked in this quiet place.
Mutated plants and animal monsters were the biggest threats, so Qin Lan knew that finding a base or shelter to live was a priority.
Fortunately, the plants and animals that mutated also possessed crystals in their bodies so her ability would continue to get stronger as she hunted them.
Maybe it was because she was using her ability more often, but Qin Lan felt as though her body was about to undergo a significant upgrade.
Speaking of her ability…
"Gong Li, can I try something?" Qin Lan suddenly asked as she turned to face the slender girl leaning against Liu Yifei's shoulder.
"Sure! What is it?" Gong Li replied with a confused expression.
"Well… when I told you all that my ability was a secret… the reality was that I did not know what exactly it was," Qin Lan truthfully confessed.
"I suspect that it has something to do with mind control, but I can't be certain… if you aren't comfortable then I won't force you…"
Gong Li furrowed her brows thoughtfully and then glanced at Liu Yifei before making a silent decision in her heart.
"Okay… you have protected us and… I want to be useful…" Gong Li spoke with a glint of determination in her eyes.
"I… I volunteer as well…" Liu Yifei immediately added as she raised up her hand.
Qin Lan nervously tapped her fingers against the sides of the steering wheel and took in a few deep breaths.
She tried to summon the strange feeling and gradually the center of her chest got warmer and hotter as if something was struggling to get out.
Qin Lan looked directly at the two girls and felt something flowing out of her body and entering their minds.
It was almost like there was an invisible spider-like web that connected the three of them.
"Snap your fingers three times," Qin Lan ordered in a firm tone.
Gong Li and Liu Yifei's pupils instantly dilated, and they pushed their fingers together before making a snapping noise.
ραпdα Йᴏνê|(сòm) Snap! Snap! Snap!
Gong Li performed the actions smoothly, but Qin Lan observed that there was a trace of hesitation in Liu Yifei's movements.
Qin Lan closed her eyes and cut off the connection. The two girls returned to normal and looked at their hands with confused expressions.
"Wait… what just happened?" Gong Li whispered as she rubbed the sides of her head.
In that brief moment when she heard Qin Lan's order…
It was like she was the one who made the decision to follow it.
There was no cognitive dissonance since following Qin Lan's commands seemed natural.
"Wow…" Liu Tao exclaimed in shock as she leaned forward and stared at Qin Lan with sparkling eyes.
"Abilities are so cool!"
"Oh?! Is that how you got those men to step away from me?" Liu Yifei questioned softly.
"I guess so… at the time I figured that it was due to my gun… but in retrospect it did seem odd that they obeyed me so quickly," Qin Lan thoughtfully replied.
She opened her mouth to add to the conversation when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the figure in the distance walking over.
He approached the van and Qin Lan was finally able to get a better look at his appearance.
He looked like a man in his early thirties with an unkempt beard and eyes that seemed too small for their sockets.
He wore a simple pair of blue overalls and heavy black boots. In his hand was a large pitchfork with a sharp pointed end that gleamed under the sunlight.
The mysterious man stopped a few hundred meters away and both parties stared at each other with wary expressions.
Qin Lan stepped out of the van and partially raised up her shirt to reveal the gun attached to her hip.
The farmer's eyes widened in shock and the dark thoughts in his mind were immediately dispelled.
Instead, as he looked at Qin Lan… he seemed to see something.
"Now… how can I help you folks?" the farmer asked politely with a heavy accent.
"We're just passing through… don't worry we don't plan to trouble you…" Qin Lan explained calmly to defuse the situation.
Qin Lan only had a limited supply of bullets and besides… she did not want to kill everyone who crossed her path.
Technically they were the ones invading this farmer's land so there was no need to be aggressive.
"Are… are you one of them… special ones?" the farmer hoarsely spoke.
"Special ones?" Qin Lan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I… I can sense them… they look like balls of light… you and that girly in the car… her light is purple… yours is black..."
A detection ability?
Qin Lan's hand drifted to the gun attached to her hip, but the farmer continued to talk as if he had not noticed.
"Why don't you come and join the congregation? Father Han… he's gathered us special folks… we are going to be the new rulers of this world…" the farmer piously whispered.
"Don't you see? This is god's wrath! The wicked and sinful have been cursed to become monsters while those who are blessed will receive his gifts!"
"The blessed ones! The blessed ones! The blessed ones!"
The farmer raised up both hands to the sky and dropped his pitchfork on the ground.
Religious fervor could clearly be seen in his beady eyes as he walked towards Qin Lan with slow steady steps.
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