12 Host, you are the best.

She felt puzzled inside, deeply envious yet without a trace of jealousy or resentment. Instead, this only strengthened her resolve to cling to someone powerful.

Li Xiaoxiao glanced ahead at Lin Shuangshuang, somewhat perplexed by the expression on her face. Did this girl have too many mood swings?

“Hmm, just gave birth today.”

“What?”

Lin Shuangshuang thought she heard wrong and instinctively slammed on the brakes.

Li Xiaoxiao anticipated her move, leaning back and pressing one foot against the back of the front seat while her other hand, not holding the baby, tightly shielded Lin Qiu.

There were three people in the car — no, four — but only Lin Shuangshuang hit her head against the steering wheel due to inertia.

She cried out in pain, rubbing her forehead, feeling wronged.

“Focus on driving, don’t be so jumpy.”

The little girl had just finished feeding. Li Xiaoxiao picked her up, gently patted her to burp, then placed her back in the infant seat to let her sleep peacefully.

That’s the blessing of a newborn: eat well, then sleep; wake up when hungry.

The more they sleep, the faster they grow!

“Auntie, are you a water-type ability user? Then what kind of ability does Sister Xiaoxiao have?”

Lin Shuangshuang restarted the car but couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“Sister Xiaoxiao, you don’t look like you just had a baby at all. Your figure is amazing!”

“Sister Xiaoxiao, how are you so powerful? Can you teach me?”

“Sister Xiaoxiao...”

Li Xiaoxiao finally understood why Lin Shuangshuang was an audio wave attacker — her mouth never stopped moving, chattering incessantly, asking questions she didn’t expect answers to and filling in the blanks herself.

The whole ride was just her endless chatter, making Li Xiaoxiao’s head spin.

Even Lin Qiu was a bit overwhelmed.

When they finally arrived at Xingmei International, Li Xiaoxiao was the first to jump out.

Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang were each armed with heavy machetes issued by the system. The nine other knives from before were gathering dust in a corner of the space.

Though not impressive, they could serve in a pinch.

Lin Shuangshuang and Lin Qiu fought zombies the same way—spitting as they swung, swinging as they spat.

It was quite a comical sight.

Seeing Lin Shuangshuang like that reminded Lin Qiu of her own early days and made her chuckle.

Thankfully, the little girl had trained her; otherwise, she would be the one making a fool of herself.

Xingmei International was the largest, most bustling mall in the city, complete with a plaza and pedestrian street.

Even at dawn, the pedestrian street remained lively, with correspondingly more zombies.

Fortunately, they were all ordinary zombies—slow and not very threatening. Once the basics were mastered, killing them was quick.

Li Xiaoxiao killed while keeping an eye on Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang to prevent any danger.

They weren’t the only ones fighting zombies nearby. Not far off was an armed squad, apparently military personnel.

They carried guns but fought with knives.

Before getting out, Li Xiaoxiao had strapped a harness to herself, with a stuffed teddy bear wrapped inside the bag to simulate having a child.

She had stored the car in her space—it was too conspicuous and would attract envy.

More people appeared, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, they tried to stay under the radar.

Li Xiaoxiao noticed flickers of fire and occasional bursts of earth spikes tripping zombies nearby, guessing there were fire- and earth-type ability users among them.

Their destination seemed to be the pedestrian street; she wondered why the military had to make a special trip there.

But it wasn’t their concern.

Li Xiaoxiao led Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang toward the mall’s underground level one.

Usually, the loading docks and warehouses were located there, which was her target.

It was faster to loot the warehouse directly than to raid each store individually.

Li Xiaoxiao’s stamina was exceptional—not at all like a woman who had just given birth.

In contrast, Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang were nearly exhausted.

“System, how do I get more healing potions?”

She had only one left in her bag.

[Available in the mall. Would the host like to redeem? Ten points per potion.]

“Do I even have points?”

[Yes, host. You currently have 3,266 points.]

“Where did I get those points? You never reported them before.”

Li Xiaoxiao was speechless. Maybe she had been bound to a fake system—tasks left undone, no announcements; it ignored her unless she asked.

[Rest assured, host. I am a genuine system! Because you’ve been diligently completing tasks, I don’t need to remind you. You’re the best!]

Through everything, flattery never fails!

The system spared no effort to butter her up.

“Enough with the flattery. Redeem one potion for me first.”

She didn’t hesitate and handed one potion each to the two others.

Knowing from the description that these were valuable items, they drank without hesitation and soon regained vitality.

Using the same method, they entered the underground warehouse. Lin Shuangshuang stared in shock as the warehouse was emptied in no time, nearly dropping to the floor from excitement.

Her sturdy legs!

She would never have to worry about food for the rest of her life.

Whether she was killed by someone or eaten by zombies, she would never starve.

It was all secure!

Lin Shuangshuang showed no expression, but inside, her little self was wildly ecstatic.

Yet... she still stole a glance at Li Xiaoxiao, unable to understand why Sister Xiaoxiao had chosen her as a follower.

Then, she asked outright.

Li Xiaoxiao shot her a glance, somewhat disdainful but still handed her a small white bead.

“Focus your attention and try to absorb it.”

What was this? Absorb? How?

Lin Shuangshuang stared at the small white bead in her hand, unsure what to do. Should she eat it?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a slight warmth in her palm and something emerging from the bead, entering her hand.

The white bead then turned transparent and shattered into dust.

What was happening?

“This is a crystal core. You just absorbed it.”

Li Xiaoxiao revealed an astonishing truth.

“A crystal core? I thought only ability users could absorb crystal cores?”

Lin Shuangshuang asked in doubt, then widened her eyes. Did Sister Xiaoxiao mean she was an ability user?

An ability user?

Could she really be one?

But why didn’t she feel anything at all?

What kind of ability did she have?

Lin Shuangshuang tried repeatedly but couldn’t detect any ability; she felt puzzled and frustrated.

“Your ability is different from others and might not have much effect in the early stages,” Li Xiaoxiao said honestly.

“Huh?”

“Audio wave attack. Your ability is similar to that. I’m not sure about the exact form—it might be your own voice or mediated through something else. You’ll have to explore and discover it yourself.”

Lin Shuangshuang was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. She hadn’t expected to have such an ability.

Upstairs in Xingmei International, there was a bookstore occupying an entire floor. Li Xiaoxiao collected all the books inside.

Books were spiritual nourishment, records and continuations of civilization, preserving cultural heritage. Without them, civilization would face a break.

That night, the three of them enjoyed a free stay in the presidential suite on the top floor of Xingmei International.

Lin Shuangshuang swore it was the most luxurious suite she had ever stayed in.