The Apocalypse 3
Huang Yuanmiao smiled in a way that was clearly meant to coax a child. “Hey, are you a support-type spatial ability user?”
Tang Xi blinked, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. “How did you know?”
His voice was barely above a whisper, afraid that Chen Jinhao might overhear.
Despite his carefree demeanor, Huang Yuanmiao was perceptive enough to lower his own voice as well. “Just a feeling!”
His eyes sparkled, and with that fiery hair of his, he looked just like an enthusiastic big puppy.
Tang Xi found him rather likable, so he didn’t bother hiding the truth. “I have a spatial ability.”
Among support-type abilities, spatial-type users were even rarer than healing-type users.
Both were considered crucial support abilities, but spatial users often held themselves in even higher regard than healers.
Many spatial ability users refused to join mercenary teams. However, when mercenaries traveled, it wasn’t just food and weapons that were difficult to carry—water was an even bigger problem.
If a team lacked a water-type ability user, it wasn’t an issue as long as they had a spatial ability user. With enough storage space, they could stock up on water in advance, making things even more convenient.
Tang Xi had revealed this for two reasons: first, to use it as an opportunity to leave Chen Jinhao’s group, and second, to avoid exposing his healing ability—if that secret got out, he’d be in serious danger.
He was no rookie mission-taker anymore. The moment he saw the villain, Lu Mang, he had already pieced together the plot of this world.
He knew that Lu Mang’s team was still missing a spatial ability user.
1551 gasped: [Host, since when did you have this ability?!]
Tang Xi said confidently: [Don’t I have my system storage?]
Every mission-taker had a basic system inventory, but the default storage was quite limited—more like a game’s backpack, where each slot could only hold one type of item.
However, after negotiating with the Judge, Tang Xi’s base privileges had doubled.
His system inventory had transformed into a massive cube, capable of holding anything. It was practically on par with the ability of a high-level spatial user.
1551 looked at Tang Xi with satisfaction and sighed: [Ah, my child is finally growing up.]
Behind Huang Yuanmiao, his invisible “puppy tail” wagged even more excitedly. “Our team just happens to need a spatial ability user. Oh, by the way, do you know my name?”
Tang Xi nodded enthusiastically. “I just heard your introduction! Your name is Hong Yuanmiao!”
Huang Yuanmiao: …
Chen Yao, standing nearby, put her hands on her hips and burst into laughter, completely shattering her cool and aloof persona. At this moment, she looked more like a warm and approachable big sister from the neighborhood.
She was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath, yet she still reached out to ruffle Tang Xi’s hair. “You’re such a funny little guy.”
Huang Yuanmiao felt a little frustrated.
Tang Xi couldn’t help but chuckle as he stared at Huang Yuanmiao’s red hair. “Sorry, I… I…”
His words were suddenly cut off.
He had just sensed an intense, irritated gaze directed at him.
More precisely, at the top of his head.
Chen Yao noticed it too and quickly withdrew her hand from Tang Xi’s head.
Just moments ago, the three of them had been chatting and laughing, but now their smiles faded as they cautiously turned to look at Lu Mang, who was glaring at them.
Lu Mang’s furrowed brows were a clear sign of his bad mood.
Tch. Childish.
He averted his gaze and stopped paying attention to the boy.
Feeling embarrassed, Chen Yao gently reassured the stunned Tang Xi, “Sorry, our leader has a bit of a bad temper.”
Huang Yuanmiao felt even more awkward. He had just been trying to recruit Tang Xi into their team, yet their leader suddenly got moody.
Tang Xi’s silence at this moment made him look like a frightened little kitten in their eyes.
Well, who wouldn’t be?
Even they, who spent every day with Lu Mang, instinctively held their breath whenever he shot them a glare—let alone a newcomer.
Still unwilling to give up, Huang Yuanmiao kept rambling on. “Don’t be scared! Our leader may seem fierce, but he’s seriously amazing. Our team is famous in Dawn Base—everyone knows us! If you don’t believe me, you can ask around later. Especially about our leader…”
Tang Xi just nodded along. “Mhm, mhm.”
Of course, he believed it.
This was the villain’s team, after all.
Forget being “well-known”—they were the undisputed rulers of Dawn Base. Everyone knew that if Lu Mang had any interest in managing the base, he would’ve crushed the competition and taken over the leadership a long time ago.
In the apocalypse, strength rules all.
Chen Yao was more thoughtful than Huang Yuanmiao. She knew that getting Tang Xi’s agreement wasn’t the hard part—the real challenge was their leader.
Their team was so elite that even the most arrogant spatial ability users were desperate to join.
More accurately, a lot of people were after Lu Mang himself.
Even the base leader’s daughter—who was a spatial ability user—was known by everyone to have a crush on him.
But Lu Mang had not only rejected all of her advances, he had also strictly forbidden her from joining his team.
Their leader hated spoiled, delicate people the most.
Chen Yao glanced at Tang Xi’s exposed fair skin—it was so delicate that it seemed to have never been exposed to wind or rain.
Even before the apocalypse, it would have been rare to find someone with such pampered-looking skin, let alone now.
Thinking about the boss’s temperamental mood swings gave Chen Yao a headache. She didn’t dare to tell Tang Xi the truth directly, so she had to ask on her own.
“Boss…” Chen Yao hesitated before voicing her idea of recruiting Tang Xi into the team. Just saying it made her scalp tingle.
Lu Mang’s expression was unreadable. “He wants to join?”
The guy hadn’t even agreed yet…
Chen Yao glanced at Huang Yuanmiao, who was still enthusiastically pitching their team like a street vendor selling melons. Gritting her teeth, she nodded.
Lu Mang asked, “He really wants to?”
Chen Yao stiffly nodded again.
Then, to her complete bewilderment, she saw her boss’s previously furrowed brows relax.
This was the first time she had ever seen his mood shift so quickly.
He neither agreed nor refused, simply letting out a cold snort.
Chen Yao was in disbelief—was that a yes?
The kid was so adorable that even the boss couldn’t bring himself to dislike him.
Coincidentally, Huang Yuanmiao seemed to have convinced Tang Xi to meet the team leader.
Chen Yao watched as the obedient-looking boy followed behind Huang Yuanmiao, walking toward them.
So well-behaved.
Chen Yao felt her maternal instincts kicking in.
As Tang Xi approached, Lu Mang’s aura inexplicably tensed up again.
Chen Yao was startled. She had just seen her boss’s mood improve, but now his brows had furrowed once more.
What exactly was his attitude toward this kid?
She frowned in confusion.
Tang Xi stopped in front of the notorious team leader. He seemed timid, yet unlike others, his gaze didn’t show fear.
Politely, he greeted, “Hello.”
His voice was soft and pleasant to the ear.
Lu Mang’s expression grew even stiffer. He lowered his gaze and asked emotionless, “I hear you’re very eager to join our team. You even went out of your way to get close to our members.”
A few question marks popped up above Tang Xi’s head.
He turned to look at Huang Yuanmiao.
Huang Yuanmiao, without the slightest hint of shame, patted Tang Xi’s shoulder and said, “Yep, he’s super eager to join us. That’s why he approached me first, trying to strike up a conversation and get in.”
“Trying to strike up a conversation?” Lu Mang repeated those words, his gaze turning even colder.
Huang Yuanmiao shamelessly continued, “Because he deeply admires our team—especially you, boss!”
Lu Mang, who had been like a bristling beast, visibly calmed down.
“He admires me?”
Tang Xi, still in a daze, instinctively nodded after Huang Yuanmiao discreetly squeezed his shoulder.
Lu Mang nodded. “Joining isn’t impossible. We do happen to be missing someone with spatial abilities. But if you join, you’ll have to follow the team rules.”
Well, that was a given.
Without thinking, Tang Xi obediently nodded.
Team rules? Since when did we have those?
Huang Yuanmiao exchanged a glance with Chen Yao, both of them seeing the same confusion reflected in each other’s eyes.
Lu Mang: “First rule of the team—no excessive physical contact between teammates.”
He reached out and pointed in the air at Huang Yuanmiao’s hand resting on Tang Xi’s shoulder.
A small flame shot out. If Huang Yuanmiao hadn’t pulled his hand back fast enough, it would have landed right on him.
However, just as the flame was about to touch Tang Xi’s shoulder, it dissipated instantly.
With his hands in his pockets, Lu Mang turned and walked away indifferently, showing no trace of having just summoned that flame.
His control over his abilities was frighteningly precise.
In the original storyline, Lu Mang, the villain, had significant screen time only after he became the Zombie King. Tang Xi had no idea what his abilities were at this stage.
Huang Yuanmiao stared after him in disbelief. “That counts as excessive physical contact?”
Then what about all those times they had their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, shirtless, right in front of their leader?
Unable to make sense of it, Huang Yuanmiao simply summed it up to their boss having another mood swing.
Tang Xi watched Lu Mang’s retreating figure and asked, “Is he a fire-type ability user?”
Huang Yuanmiao hesitated. “Not exactly… You’ll find out later.”
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
But soon, he grinned and changed the subject. “Anyway, from today on, you’re officially part of our team. Welcome to TX!”
Seeing the confusion on Tang Xi’s face, he explained, “TX is our team name. Boss came up with it.”
Chen Yao, standing nearby, suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, isn’t ‘TX’ also Tang Xi’s initials?”
“What a coincidence! Looks like it was fate that brought you into our team.”
Tang Xi smiled shyly.
After experiencing how cold this world’s poop scooper was toward him, he hadn’t expected him to remember him at all.
Maybe the poop scooper could only recall everything after leaving this world… but now, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Tang Xi: [1551, do you think this name is just a coincidence?]
1551: [I don’t know. I’m just a system.]
Emotions like these were too complex for it to understand. It could grasp Tang Xi’s love for dried fish snacks, but not the love between him and the poop scooper.
A love that even transcended time and space.
Tang Xi didn’t press the system for answers. He adjusted his backpack and followed Chen Yao.
Chen Yao led him over to introduce two more teammates.
“This serious-looking guy with glasses is Yi Feng. If you don’t want to be lectured all day, keep your distance from him. And that tall, quiet guy over there—the one who looks like he wouldn’t even fart—is Wei Xuncheng.”
It was clear the team had a great dynamic.
Yi Feng adjusted his glasses and extended a hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Tang Xi.”
Then he turned to Chen Yao. “Chen Yao, please put your jacket on. Tank tops may look nice, but they’re also dangerous. If your exposed arms come into contact with—”
Chen Yao immediately rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.
Wei Xuncheng grinned foolishly and said, “I’m the oldest here. Just call me Wei Ge. If you ever need anything, you can always come to me.”
Tang Xi nodded. He could tell they were all good people.
While setting up a tent, Huang Yuanmiao chatted with them but was quickly caught and lectured by Yi Feng.
Chen Yao let out a sigh of relief and threw a flirtatious wink at Huang Yuanmiao. “Thanks for taking the hit for me.”
Despite the beauty’s sultry gaze, Huang Yuanmiao’s face was filled with misery.
She didn’t bother with them any further and grabbed Tang Xi, running off with him.
Since Tang Xi had joined their group, he would have to sleep with them tonight.
Her first impression of Chen Jinhao was terrible. She had seen too many people like him in the apocalypse—those lousy acting skills were nothing but laughable to her.
The boy must have suffered a lot under him.
Chen Yao’s motherly instincts kicked in again. She walked over to the vehicle, wanting to find something for this poor kid.
She rummaged through the trunk and sighed in frustration. “There’s no extra tent for you.”
Their team originally had five members, and with Tang Xi, that made six.
Aside from her, only Lu Mang had his own tent.
The other three were already squeezed into one tent, leaving no space for Tang Xi.
Chen Yao brushed her hair back and said, “You can share a tent with me.”
To her, Tang Xi was just a kid who hadn’t even fully grown up yet, so there was no need for any awkwardness. As she watched his face turn slightly red, her red lips curled up in amusement, enjoying the moment of teasing.
Then, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.