Rebirth of the Last Days: Double Pets

“It’s probably because we were too carefree after getting the solar panels, which made people envious. But if it were just about the panels, that would be one thing. Why do they have to go to the extent of trying to eliminate us completely?” Liu Bing stood up, looking visibly agitated, clearly influenced by Hu Haotian’s narrative.

Naturally, Tian Hai was equally worked up.

Hu Haotian glanced at his father, then at Qian Jinxin, and finally turned his gaze toward Bai Qi.

Bai Qi slightly turned his head toward Qian Jinxin and said, “Uncle Qian, the reason I asked Uncle Hu to invite you here this time is precisely because of this issue. Before we joined the base, we didn’t know how to protect the things we were lucky enough to acquire. Now, that lack of caution has made us targets of envy, leading to this situation where others want to wipe us out entirely. So, I’d like to ask you, Uncle Qian, for the sake of my grandfather, to provide some protection for our team.”

Hu Haotian internally showered Bai Qi with admiration, giving him countless mental likes and metaphorical gifts!

For someone like Qian Jinxin, there was no need to beat around the bush. A person in his position had seen every kind of storm and scheme imaginable.

All the hardships the team had endured—lying, acting, and sighing dramatically—still couldn’t compare to Bai Qi’s simple and straightforward request: “We need your protection.”

The fact that Qian Jinxin had agreed to come here with Hu Haotian’s father to see Bai Qi showed that he already had some intention of looking out for Bai Qi as the grandson of an old friend. Being honest about their needs had a much better chance of success. Playing the role of the endlessly aggrieved victim would only fail to catch his attention.

As expected, after Bai Qi’s straightforward words, Qian Jinxin’s furrowed brows relaxed. He said, “Although humanity has suffered a great catastrophe and many systems remain underdeveloped, the country still exists, and the government is committed to reclaiming lost ground. If someone blatantly breaks the law within the base, they should indeed face punishment.”

Hu’s father agreed, saying, “That’s true. Without rules, nothing can function properly. Haotian, tell us exactly who is behind this.”

Hu Haotian nodded and kicked the two men on the ground. “Say it again—who sent you?”

Having endured two hours of “education” from Pan Dawei and another two hours of “thought work” from Hu Haotian, the two men looked utterly defeated, their expressions worse than that of a bruised liver.

This time, they didn’t hold back and revealed the name of Zhou Shuguang.

“The Zhou family, huh…” Qian Jinxin frowned. “It seems they’ve been living more comfortably in the apocalypse than they ever did before.”

He then promised to help Bai Qi keep an eye on the Zhou family.

Although Qian Jinxin didn’t belong to any particular political faction, he wouldn’t stand idly by if the matter involved the welfare of the nation or the base. If the Zhou family was truly acting so brazenly, he’d intervene even if it were ordinary people being oppressed—let alone Bai Qi, whom he treated like a son.

With the big issue resolved, it was time to enjoy a pleasant meal. Everyone savored the food, feeling immensely satisfied.

Later in the evening, Qian Jinxin mentioned he needed to return.

Bai Qi asked Tian Hai to bring out two large bags of pork and beef from the house. Pan Dawei, not to be outdone, added two massive watermelons as a gift.

Qian Jinxin was a bit taken aback. Though he had heard over dinner about the team’s incredible luck in securing an entire supermarket’s worth of supplies, the sight of the two watermelons still surprised him. The military did have people with wood-based abilities, but none who could directly grow watermelons in one go.

“Is this… a wood-based ability?”

Pan Dawei nodded.

Bai Qi explained, “Yes, we discovered some crystal-like substances in the brains of zombies. When we handled them, we found that they could restore some of our abilities. Later, we realized these crystals could even enhance our powers.”

Qian Jinxin took out a bag and poured a few blue crystals into his palm. “Are you referring to these?”

Bai Qi nodded. “Yes, these are the items we found in the brains of zombies.”

Qian Jinxin’s expression darkened. “We thought these were developed by Dr. Cao through his research. When we traded with him, we even considered it a favor to him.”

Hu father added, “Same here. I used blue crystals as bargaining chips and agreed to many unfair deals on behalf of Xiao Li.”

“Outrageous! Treating people like fools!” Qian Jinxin was furious.

Seizing the moment, Hu father continued discussing the Zhou family’s abuse of power as the two walked off together.

The group escorted Qian Jinxin and Hu father to the door, watching as they left side by side.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Hu Haotian instructed Yu Wanli and the bodyguards to take the two strength-based ability users back to the villa.

“Xiao Bai, are you aware that these crystal cores might not be the main source of enhancing our abilities?” Hu Haotian asked directly once only the team members remained.

“Hmm?” Bai Qi raised a brow. “Then what is?”

Hu Haotian replied, “You really don’t know?”

Bai Qi glanced at Tang Ruo beside him.

Tang Ruo: “…”

She silently turned her head, her actions clearly saying, ‘I can’t lie my way out of this one.’

Bai Qi turned back calmly and shook his head.

Hu Haotian said, “We suspect it’s Xiao Tang’s water-based ability that’s driving our progress.”

“Is that so?” Bai Qi responded, his tone neutral.

Hu Haotian pointed to the earthen wall in the courtyard. “Look at this. These are the marks left by the two strength-based ability users. They said they’ve absorbed over a hundred blue crystals, yet their power only left this kind of trace.”

Bai Qi held Tang Ruo’s hand, glanced at the earthen wall, and nodded. “Yes, it’s quite weak.”

Hu Haotian remained silent for a while, looking at Bai Qi intently. Then, he slowly asked, “There’s no problem with the water source… right?”

Bai Qi looked back at him and smiled, a smile as warm as melting snow in spring. “As long as no one says anything, there won’t be a problem.”

Afterward, he took Tang Ruo and Tian Hai back to his villa.

Yu Wanli emerged from Hu Haotian’s villa and saw everyone looking toward Bai Qi’s villa with an air of solemn respect. Curious, he walked over. “What’s going on?”

Pan Dawei replied, “Xiao Tang’s water ability—Xiao Bai actually knew about its effects a long time ago.”

“Yes,” Hu Haotian added, “but back then, he chose to trust us and share this secret with us.”

Yu Wanli was taken aback. He pulled out his water bottle, shook it, and said, “I wonder if other water-type ability users have this effect.”

Pan Xiaoxuan, who had spent time at the West District Base and observed many water-type ability users, analyzed the situation. “No, it’s just ordinary water, and their output is limited. At most, they produce about two buckets of water a day.”

Hearing this, Hu Haotian and the others gazed at Bai Qi’s villa with even more reverence.

It felt like being stranded in darkness, lost and desperate, when someone shares the light from their torch. Not only does it illuminate the road ahead, but it also fills the heart with warmth.

“So,” Liu Bing murmured dumbly, “Xiao Bai treats us as trusted comrades, so we should repay him with the same level of respect. Does this mean we should treat Xiao Bai as our leader from now on?”

After a brief silence, everyone exclaimed in unison: “Damn, Liu, you actually said something meaningful for once!”

Liu Bing: “…”

‘Damn it! You’re the uncultured ones. Your whole families are uncultured!’

‘I graduated from a prestigious university as a science and engineering major!’

Old Qin concluded solemnly, “He has treated us with sincerity. We absolutely cannot betray his trust in the future.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

There was no need for excessive sentimentality. Time reveals true character, and they believed that even if they didn’t vocalize it, Bai Qi could see the genuine loyalty they were showing.

As for why Tang Ruo’s water had the effect of enhancing abilities? If Bai Qi didn’t explain, it wasn’t their place to pry.

If they choose to share it with me, then it’s only right that I protect their secret in return for such trust.

Whether that young couple’s decision to share their secret with everyone was foolish or kind, right or wrong, only time will tell.

If you’ve treated me with goodwill, why would I repay kindness with treachery, behaving worse than an animal?

Pan Xiaoxuan returned to the villa with Pan Dawei. After taking a shower, she saw her father sitting at the table, staring at a glass of water in deep thought. Curious, she walked over.

“Dad…” She glanced at the glass and asked, “Is that Tang Ruo’s ability water?”

“Yes,” Pan Dawei replied with a faint smile and then drank the water in one gulp. “If people treat me with sincerity, I’ll repay them with sincerity. If they treat me like a trusted ally, I’ll reciprocate. Liu Bing really nailed it with that summary.”

Pan Xiaoxuan looked at the empty glass, pursing her lips in thought.

After pondering for a long time, she decided she should give Tang Ruo a warning about Su Qianying.

“Dad, I’m heading over to see Tang Ruo,” she said.

“Is something wrong?” Pan Dawei asked.

“Yes,” she responded, and then left.